Part 4: Top 5 Questions to Ask Before Developing a Wireless Portal

1. Do your users already have wireless devices they use for other tasks? If your intended target audience already uses Palm VIIs, BlackBerries or Pocket PCs, you need to consider how to support them with your applications. If not, you can pick the best platform for deploying your own applications.

2. Do you need to support more than one wireless platform and network? If so, you'll need to use an integrator who can connect across them.

3. Are your data and applications accessible via a Web browser today? If not, you'll need to use a back-end integrator that can manipulate your data into a Web-friendly format or collect data from multiple data sources. (This might involve installing equipment and applications behind your firewall, as well as making changes to your existing data structures.)

4. Do you need more than a Web browser for your application? If so, you might have to develop client software that runs on Palms or Pocket PCs.

5. Is there wireless network coverage where your users tend to travel? All wireless networks have spotty coverage,the trick is figuring out if the holes are going to be an issue for your users. Some networks, such as CDPD, don't offer much coverage once you go inside buildings or travel away from major metro areas.

David Strom was founding editor-in-chief of Network Computing and is a frequent contributor to VARBusiness. He has been a user of various wireless data devices for more than a dozen years.