OMA Device Management – What is a device management solution???
OMA Device Management is a device management protocol specified by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) Working Group and the Data Synchronization (DS) Working Group. The current specification is OMA DM is version 1.2, the latest modifications to this version released in April 2006.
OMA DM specification is designed for management of small mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and palm top computers. The device management is intended to support the following typical uses:
* Provisioning – Configuration of the device (including first time use), enabling and disabling features
* Configuration of Device – Allow changes to settings and parameters of the device
* Software Upgrades – Provide for new software and/or bug fixes to be loaded on the device, including applications and system software.
* Fault Management – Report errors from the device, query about status of device
All the above functions are supported by the OMA DM specification, and a device may optionally implement all or a subset of these features. Since OMA DM specification is aimed at mobile devices, it is designed with sensitivity to the following:
* small foot-print devices, where memory and storage space may be limited
* bandwidth of communication could be constrained, such as in wireless connectivity
* tight security, as the devices are vulnerable to virus attacks and the like; authentication and challenges are made part of the specifications
Ok, I’ve given you the technical answer. Now how about plain English, right? For those of you out there who have heard of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, think of the OMA DM/DS model like that without the limitation of only working on BlackBerry devices. The OMA model is designed to be Carrier, Platform and Device independent. Same functionality for anybody and everybody.
I know, I know… Some of you out there are saying, “That’s great, but why should I care?” Well, what if I told you that you could share you email, contacts, calendar, tasks and files between your computer and cellphone or PDA instantly and wirelessly? Guess what, you can!
Just think, you’re out of the office and that noon meeting gets pushed to three o’clock. When your assistant updates your calendar your PDA updates automatically and with in seconds. Or a new email comes in and boom… You can read and reply then and there right from your cellphone. Trust me, push email rocks. 
But wait, there’s more, I recently setup a DM/DS server. Want to see how this works?
Drop me an email. I’ll be giving away a limited number of accounts for free!
