Ubiquitous Computing: Removing the Final Roadblock White Paper: Integrating Closed Systems with Edge Devices & XML

Ubiquitous computing -- connecting all the systems in an enterprise into a single, well-oiled IT infrastructure that responds quickly and efficiently to the needs of the business -- is one of the primary goals of many IT managers today. After all, today’s economy is information-based, and the better a company can leverage the information it has in its systems, the more competitive it will be.

For ubiquitous computing to be a reality, however, companies must address many tough issues. Systems must communicate with each other. There must be a flexible, resilient architecture that guides the operation of the IT infrastructure. And the business must be able to use the IT resources at its disposal to create and execute the processes that drive the business. But all of these issues depend on one key element: all the systems within the enterprise must communicate with the network.

It has typically been very difficult, however, to place closed systems on the network -- and every company has closed systems, often in mission critical roles. Enter a new class of device: the hardware XML edge device that enables closed systems to communicate with the network via XML.

Once closed devices are on the network, the ability to output XML is necessary for ubiquitous computing, because XML offers the flexibility and power necessary to enable closed devices to participate fully in today’s IT architectures.