In-Depth

Mobile Information Server: Unfulfilled Promise

Although Mobile Information Server works well, it’s too hobbled by limited interoperability with other Non-WAP devices and application support.

• By David W. Tschanz
• February 01, 2002

Reality Two: Increased mobility was one of the hallmarks of the 20th century, and it appears that this will only intensify in the 21st.

Reality Three: For these mobile workers, daily access to critical applications isn’t always easy to find. Tools such as Outlook Web Access meet some of the need (when they can be accessed), but they’re not enough.

Add these up and the sum is that wireless data access is on the verge of becoming a critical business tool in need of a solution. To address this, Microsoft released Mobile Information Server 2001 (MIS) to provide the capability to wireless-enable existing Windows or Web-based applications, including Exchange 2000 and Exchange 5.5.

High on Potential, Low on Delivery
Despite the seemingly unlimited conceptual potential, MIS’ first release offers nothing dramatically new. It only works with WAP 1.1 (Wireless Application Protocol) devices, typically cellular phones or PDAs. The only out-of-the-box application is Outlook Mobile Access, which enables users to browse the contents of, and receive notifications from, their Exchange mailboxes.

MIS depends on Active Directory and must be run on Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server. Outlook Mobile Access requires Exchange 5.5 or Exchange 2000 with SP1. Both messaging servers support browsing, but only Exchange 2000 supports notifications.

Secure Mobility
MIS comes in two versions: Enterprise Edition, intended for installation in conjunction with an Exchange server, and Carrier Edition, aimed at mobile operators. Each edition can be deployed independently; but, when combined, they offer enhanced security. This is accomplished by sending notifications and messages over a secure IPSec connection between the enterprise and the carrier MIS, as well as acknowledging that the notification has reached the carrier.

Setup is relatively easy, creating a Mobile Inbox folder amid the standard Outlook folders. Using rules, specific messages can be forwarded to the mobile inbox and notifications (via SMS prompts), then immediately sent to a WAP device. The mobile user has access to all the mail in his account and can configure the account to enable notifications for important messages. MIS can also send notifications from a corporate network to a carrier network via SMTP, where they’re converted to SMS messages and forwarded.

In addition to providing access to mailboxes, MIS enables wireless access to intranet pages formatted using Wireless Markup Language (WML). Sites can be accessed and browsed using the Internet Browse Sites tab on the MIS installation properties in the MMC snap-in.

Not Ready for Prime Time
While MIS provides a promising framework for delivering networked resources and services to wireless devices, it’s clearly only a beginning and, in its current form, a bit of a disappointment.

While it works well with WAP devices, WAP can be a poor means of accessing enterprise data. Because wireless network coverage can be unpredictable, MIS would be more useful if it supported synchronization and offline data access for Palm OS, Pocket PC, and Research in Motion Ltd. (RIM) devices.

In its present incarnation, MIS isn’t quite ready for prime time except in a very limited set of scenarios. MIS does a good job of extending Exchange data to WAP devices, but that isn’t enough. The lack of interoperability and the paucity of applications severely restrict the server’s actual usability and capabilities. There’s a lot of promise here, but it remains unfulfilled.