Managing Your Terminal Emulation Applications the Right Way
Mobile Device Management (MDM) is a critical part of any enterprise warehouse operation, especially in managing and securing large numbers of mobile devices (StayLinked is a proud SOTI partner). It simplifies the security and management of multi-vendor, multi form-factor and multi-operating devices in a multi-purpose mobility ecosystem. And when it comes to managing Terminal Emulation, spending time on unnecessary hurdles to manage and update software can waste time, human resources, and money. A software management approach that introduces unnecessary steps can compromise productivity and create headaches for your IT department. With StayLinked's integrated server solution, you have complete control. If any change needs to be made, all devices across the enterprise are updated, in real-time without deploying a single file, and without having to rely on additional software. In fact, when evaluating an enterprise-grade Terminal Emulation solution, we highly recommend asking these questions:
Additional Server: Do you need yet another server to simply update your devices?
Downtime: Are your devices updated synchronously? Are you losing production time to push updates?
Traffic: Do changes require additional software to send countless config files over the network?
Security: Are over-the-air updates secure, or are they using unencrypted protocols?
Efficiency: How many IT hours are you losing by using additional software to manage software updates?
Real-time Updates: No Configuration Headaches, No Warehouse Downtime
Maintaining your Terminal Emulation environment shouldn't be complicated. Trying to update and operate devices shouldn't require a multitude of servers to perform fundamental tasks that a single-server solution can accomplish.
"We understand what a lot of customers suffer from in that regard," says StayLinked CTO, Justin Griffith. "The truth is, a solution that requires an additional software approach to manage and maintain the software is, in principle, flawed. Asking a customer to jump through additional hoops every time they need to update or manage telnet application changes is unnecessary. If your TE solution is relying on another software application to make changes then you've got a serious issue of efficiency."
Imagine, for example, you're trying to modernize a host application by creating new optimized screens to streamline your warehouse workflows. Steps might include conceptualizing the interface, design iteration, deploying the application, stress testing the device and application, gauging performance, until it finally reaches the production floor. Once deployed, the application may need further optimization. At each of these crucial steps, you have to ask whether you'd like feedback in real-time versus spending valuable time pushing configuration files to devices with each and every revision.
One Enterprise-Grade Server That Scales (Not Several Servers That Don't)
StayLinked's fully-integrated architecture uses a single server to handle your business processes: TE application clients, session persistence, modernized screen design, fair licensing, and business intelligence.
“StayLinked’s success is based upon our robust unified-server architecture. If a software solution requires an additonal server to configure and update itself, an additional server for session persistence, and an additional server for license management, you're asking an awful lot of your partners and customers," says Jay Cichosz, StayLinked's VP of Marketing and Business Development. "We believe a Terminal Emulation solution should be self-managing and not require additional servers to deliver basic functionality.”
Everything you need for TE in your warehouse can be done with one StayLinked server. That means that installation is easy (less than 10 minutes) and maintenance is minimal. With StayLinked, upkeep is painless and inexpensive, and because it's tightly-integrated, administration is simple.
Other approaches, however, require multiple servers to accomplish a lot less than what the StayLinked solution offers. This means more headaches during the installation process and ongoing support for troubleshooting multiple servers that may not even be in the same location.
Session Persistence: Built-in Architecture — Not an External Proxy Server
Your Terminal Emulation solution should be built with your production environment in mind. Session persistence is an integral component to the StayLinked architecture. Enterprise data is transmitted efficiently and securely. Session fidelity shouldn't be an afterthought.
StayLinked eliminates dropped sessions between the mobile device and the host application. Whether the problem is poor wireless network coverage, mobile device battery issues, or mobile device reboots, the terminal emulation session will never be lost. Sessions can even be transferred to another device or even shared across multiple devices. In fact, StayLinked can even maintain your session over cellular networks when coverage is temporarily lost.
Fair Licensing (Without an Additional Server)
If you're running Terminal Emulation using one of our competitors' approaches, odds are you're paying for licenses that are not in use. It's that simple. Unfortunately, with device-side licensing, the devices that aren't being used (devices sitting in cradles, devices that aren't working, device in lockers and drawers, and devices that are being repaired) are all unnecessarily using licenses you've paid for. This can be an added and invisible expense that many customers may not be aware of.
With StayLinked, license are only required by devices in use. Because of StayLinked's unique centralized architecture, licensing is handled only when devices connect through the central server. This ensures you pay for the licenses you use, and not your entire inventory of mobile devices.
And with StayLinked iQ™ you can manage your permanent and temporary licenses in an easy-to-use interface that gives you visibility into usage patterns, so you can see what's going on. From there, optimization is a snap. Other systems simply can't do that.
About StayLinked
For over 20 years StayLinked has been delivering world-class solutions for mission-critical, host-based systems in the warehousing, manufacturing, transportation, and retail industries. It was our deep understanding of these host-based systems that led our team of technology experts to introduce a new paradigm in terminal emulation and session management for mobile devices.
