The new apps are designed to target anyone who frequently or occasionally performs work tasks on the move. IFS believes the apps will enable customers to increase productivity and run processes faster and more smoothly by enabling mobile users to leverage unused time: during flights, in taxis or while waiting for colleagues in the hotel lobby.
"Why wait until the boss is back in the office to approve a purchase requisition?" Matthews says. "With the advent of smart phones and the use of the IFS apps, he can do it from the road, thereby streamlining the process."
What makes the rollout unusual is that the apps will connect users with their IFS applications through the cloud, Matthews says.
"We want to make this easy for our customers to adapt, to keep up with the latest versions of these apps without causing our customers too much trouble," Matthews says. "That's why we decided to house these apps in a public cloud."
These first two apps are just the beginning, Matthews says, as IFS works to help companies that want to leverage the proliferation of smart phones among their teams. The app rollouts will start in earnest in 2012 and could reach five or six. After that, the company will roll out a handful or more each year afterward.
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