HiT Software Goes Mobile with Ritmo

September 22, 2009 Alex Woodie

HiT Software this month started a beta test program for Ritmo Mobile, a new data provider designed to connect .NET mobile applications running on a smart phone or PDA to access data residing on DB2 databases, including DB2/400.

Ritmo is a development tool that integrates into Microsoft Visual Studio environments to help developers build high-speed data connections between .NET applications and DB2 databases, including DB2 for Linux, Unix, and Windows (DB2 Louise), and its older brother, DB2 for i (DB2/400).

Ritmo includes a C# toolkit that plugs into the developer’s IDE, and enables them to do all sorts of things, including connecting and disconnecting data sources, running catalog queries, creating and dropping tables, running SQL queries and parametric queries, running IBM i commands and stored procedures, and retrieving result sets. When completed, the .NET application has native access to the DB2 database, without requiring a byte of software on the database server itself.

Now, with Ritmo Mobile, HiT Software is extending the same kind of client-server functionality to mobile application developers writing in Microsoft .NET.

“In recent months we have noticed a sharp increase in requests from customers demanding DB2 connectivity from mobile devices,” says Giacomo Lorenzin, CEO of HiT Software. “This trend prompted us to adapt our popular .NET connectivity technology to a specialized, small footprint, high performance .NET provider for handheld devices, which we believe is the only offering available today that provides .NET access to IBM DB2 data for the mobile market.”

There will be two Ritmo Mobile products, including Ritmo/DB2 Mobile, which accesses DB2 Louis (in addition to DB2 on the mainframe), and Ritmo/i Mobile, which accesses DB2/400 (or DB2 for i, as IBM calls it).

The two products will deliver secure data connections when used in conjunction with its encryption offering, called SafeConduct. This will give developers the capability to implement 256-bit SSL encryption with their mobile applications.

The beta program started September 9 and is available to developers, systems integrators, and ISVs. The program includes free downloads of the new Ritmo data providers, and will allow participants to get a discount on the Ritmo Mobile product when it’s available, in exchange for their feedback.

Ritmo Mobile is expected to become available during the fourth quarter. For more information and to sign up for the beta program, visit www.hitsw.com.