Smart Client - Features

Smart Client applications run on the local machine and work when the user is not connected. This can be essential for many workers during travelling or working in the field and actually very useful for any worker who could experience downtime due to a failure of the internet (or intranet) access system.

Example scenarios

A salesperson may only connect to the internet once or twice a day. By using a Smart Client application he can enter sales data throughout the day which is then loaded into the central database when he connects. Previously the salesperson may have entered the data twice, or even hand filled forms. In addition he will have up-to-date prices and product information.
A consultant has to make her observations in the field. By using Smart Client she can enter her observations directly into the application which has a rich user interface. These are uploaded to a central server at the end of the day. This data can be analysed and reported upon instantly.
Medical staff making notes about patients can handwrite them directly onto a tablet PC. When this is connected to the central data store the patient's notes can become available to all the health professionals concerned.

A Smart Client application never stands alone on the local device - it is always part of a larger distributed solution. This brings the benefits of an internet based solution with the ability to access and update complex data stores. It also provides central control of the software updates and deployment.

The features users have become familiar with on their desktop applications, like drag and drop, complex forms etc are fully enabled in a Smart Client application. The less friendly interface of the internet based solutions (thin client) which discouraged users from fully adopting the software are no longer an issue.

Like browser-based applications, Smart Client software can be deployed from a centralised web server. This makes deployment much less expensive than traditional rich client applications.

Once deployed the applications can be updated while they are running in a way that is invisible to the user. The application itself can choose when to be updated ensuring that users always have the latest version and again reducing deployment costs. A good example many people have experienced is the Windows Update facility from Microsoft which updates your Windows software when you connect to the internet.

The foundation technology behind Smart Client applications enables solutions to be created for a variety of devices. This means the best device for the job can be selected without any software considerations. For example, someone who is walking around a warehouse may use a PDA or tablet PC, someone visiting different locations for meetings or observations could use a laptop. Other users may need a reduced version of the software to be on their mobile phone.

Smart Client software allows local resources to be used such as memory, processing power and devices connected to the client.

Being able to take advantage of the local processing power of the client device can provide the sort of performance which a pure web based application cannot achieve.

Smart Client software can integrate with local software like Microsoft Excel or Outlook to create very powerful solutions.

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