As product lead for the new hosted Office Communications Server (OCS 2007 R2) service WorkLife IM; I’ve been testing different mobile devices with the service. Being an iPhone user it was the first device I was keen to try out. I was surprised to only find one OCS focused App in the AppStore.

At £5.99 I paid the fee, downloaded and installed the app. It did what it said on the tin and worked well, allowing me to hold instant messaging conversations on the move with co-workers. However, the lack of multi-tasking on the iPhone meant I could not move from my IM conversation to other applications without logging out of the Office Communicator interface.  So, not ideal.

On upgrading to the iPhone 4, with its support of multi-tasking, I was puzzled to find that the app still closed down when I moved to a new task on the phone. A fault with the device? No, I was told, I had to wait for the developers to update the app to take advantage of the new functionality. By now this feature was sorely needed, as access to OCS on the move had moved from novelty to necessity; without multi-tasking it was useless.

Months have now passed and no upgrade has been released. With my SaaS experience part of building a good product with market longevity is all down to a robust roadmap to compliment effective technology; something to assure customers you will not lose interest in a particular technology leaving them in the lurch with no alternative but to jump ship and start all over again.

With simple one click purchasing for discrete mobile applications, it's all too easy to neglect researching who you are buying from and what their commitment is to supporting for requirements long term. Are they a solid software company? A group of amateurs or simply a hobbyist in a bedroom? Many organisations still make their buying decisions in this way; it’s seen as a transaction. I give you some budget, you deliver me some software.

By putting in the research ahead of time; asking a few questions of your potential partner you can really get under the skin of whether they are in it for the long haul.

Ask your partner about their product roadmap; what is the succession plan for existing applications, what new services will they add to complement existing services. How will they support your changing needs in the future?

Simply put, a partner will answer these questions; in fact, the right partner will potentially answer these questions before you ask. A supplier won’t.