At VMworld 2017, we learned about Workspace One Mobile Flows, the VMware entry into the "workflow app" space.
Today, let's take a look at what a workflow application really is; what we know about the VMware offering; how VMware is working with partners; and why this is useful.
What is a workflow application?
A "workflow" application is a rather specific type of application, not for general file access, conversation or manipulation of content; is rather to perform discrete tasks based on events, time, location or other contextual entries. Tasks could be business decisions; small sets of dependent and recurring operations; or rapid data entry or retrieval. Generally, these are tasks that can be completed quickly, in a few seconds to a maximum of minutes. These applications can also be called micro-applications.
One of the features of workflow applications is to facilitate tasks involving other systems, integrating with email / chat, databases, CRM / HR / ERP, service tickets, etc. This is especially important on mobile devices, where switching back and forth between applications can be a pain.
Workflows are often presented in what is known as a "card" user interface essentially, a small snippet of an application that displays the information you need, along the inputs needed to take action on the information . Usually, a single card is not worth having its own standalone application, so they are inserted in other places, for example, inside or next to emails, in chat applications like Slack or in another application that show multiple workflow cards as needed.
Examples of workflow tasks include approving expense reports, assigning service tickets, displaying control panel alerts, or searching for values.
In VMware Things
VMware has been thinking about this concept at least as far back as AirWatch Connect 2016, where they showed proof of concept. It's like Siri, except that you can get to Salesforce, employee directories, maps, use the infrastructure of Workspace One, etc. "
Colin Steele took advantage of the announcement of Mobile Flows a few weeks before VMworld, and Mobile Flows appeared in the super session of EUC. I talked to Marshall Anne Busbee, the product manager, for more details.
Mobile Flows is now in the technical preview, with no general timetable available at this time; interested customers can sign up for the beta. It will be a payment supplement for Workspace One, with prices to be determined.
Like many similar products we have covered, it helps to think of mobile flows in three parts. You need a customer end where you can present the cards; you need some backend integrations to connect to all your registration systems; and you need a policy and logic engine in between.
With Mobile Flows, VMware Workspace One is obviously serving as the core, as it already has a policy and compliance engine, identity integrations, device and application visibility, Workspace One Intelligence data, integration with AirWatch mobile application management, and DLP features, and more. Some of these things will be available in mobile streams right away, others will take time, but you get the idea.
At the end of the client, they are pointing "everywhere", but for now, the cards will appear in the body of the email Boxer; are launching a Mobile Flows SDK, so you can make your own client deployments; and they will also make an example application that is a reference implementation of the SDK. In the future, VMware will be part of the Workspace One customers.
Thoughts
I've always liked the idea of having some kind of simple application capabilities built into EMM platforms as a way to get companies to sink their fingers into the water for internal applications. We'll see how the price works, but hopefully VMware will get you started.
It is probably good that VMware is leveraging partners to enable all backend integrations with other enterprise applications, because that would be a great job to do on its own. (Of course, one of the things we are interested in is integration with Windows and existing web applications with Powwow and Capriza.)
It also makes a lot of sense to have the mobile flow logic engine in the one workspace, where all the information and policies for your EUC environment should already be. However, this leaves partners in more of a tactical integration role than a strategic role for customers. On the other hand, I do not see VMware wanting to become a complete mobile application development platform, so I think there will always be room for the partners.
Some examples of use cases could help you get started with some workflow ideas. We could talk a lot about what makes a good mobile application and what not, but with workflow applications, the key is not to think about "what great legacy application I want to convert to mobile" but "what specific task could benefit from be mobile? "
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