Konect 2 is now generally available. We sat down with Russell Shooter (CEO) and Michael Conlan (Senior Software Developer & Team Lead) to speak on why Konect needed a rebuild, what field teams told them when they first saw it, and what’s different day-to-day.
What’s the problem Konect 2 is solving?
Russell: It comes down to a gap we’ve seen in every customer conversation. What field teams capture on-site and what actually makes it into their systems, reports, and decisions don’t always line up. Data gets lost in a sync failure, or it needs cleaning before anyone can use it. Sometimes it’s just the wait, teams are out all day and nothing shows up until end of shift.
You’ve been doing this since the early 90s. So, why rebuild now?
Russell: GBM Mobile launched in 1992, one of the first mobile mapping solutions built for the PDA devices of the time. We’ve rebuilt the platform more than once since then. The last major rebuild was on Cordova in 2014. At the time, Cordova was the right call because it was the standard choice for cross-platform mobile development, and it served our customers well for more than a decade. But platforms age, and the support around them ages with them.
Once patching around the edges stopped being enough, we made the call to rebuild properly rather than keep adding to a foundation that had run its course. For Konect users, this decision shows directly in faster bug fixes, more regular feature releases, and multi-factor authentication available from release.
Want to try Konect 2 hands-on, no install, no login?
Try Konect Explorer and explore it in your browser.
Michael, from your side, what did that mean for the team building it?
Michael: A lot of debt had built up underneath the old platform. Every fix took longer than it should have because of what was sitting under it. Moving to Flutter changes that equation, for us and for what we can ship to customers. It’s a single codebase across iOS, Android, and Windows, which on its own removes a huge amount of duplicated effort.
Before this reached customers, you ran First Look sessions and an early access Beta Program. What stood out?
Russell: A few things. Teams who’d never thought of themselves as having an offline problem started seeing their own work differently once they saw everything stored on the device by default. It wasn’t a feature they’d asked for, but it changed how they thought about what was possible. One project manager described the new way of working with field data as a genuine shift in how they allocate work, calling it a game changer for moving away from map-only navigation.
That feedback didn’t just validate the direction, it shaped real decisions. How offline configuration works for administrators managing large projects, how the Data Tab keeps evolving based on how teams actually want to manage work in the field. Both came directly out of what we heard.
And the feedback from the Beta program has been very positive.
“We’ve spent years customising Konect to automate quality assurance in the field. The Data Tab is a genuine step forward for that work. Being able to filter and action records from a list, rather than always going through the map, results in efficiency gains of approximately 100 hours per day across the business. “
— Chris Sheehan, Automation Team Manager, Service Stream | Konect 2 Early Beta Participant
Let’s talk about what’s actually different.
Michael: Firstly, every project, form, base map, and record a team needs is on the device before they leave. Nobody has to remember to download anything. Every edit, every captured feature, every photo, every form response, gets written to the device the moment it’s made. The moment coverage returns, it syncs back automatically. No manual steps, no lost records, no second site visit because something didn’t make it back the first time.
A good example is a surveyor working through a full conditional capture form, drop-down logic, validations, photos, all of it, without a bar of signal.
That’s awesome. So the moment they’re back in range, everything syncs on its own. Anything else?
Michael: Field data shouldn’t need fixing before it’s useful. The Data Tab organises every record into focused, structured sections, so a team sees only what’s relevant to the asset in front of them. Structure gets enforced at the point of capture, not reconstructed in the office afterwards. What lands in your systems is what your team actually captured. Ready to use.
In Konect 2, records are organised into structured tabs rather than a single scrolling form. Take a crew assessing power poles, working through more than forty attributes, location, construction, condition, defects, photos, sign-off. Each tab only holds what’s relevant to that step. Nobody’s scrolling past the other thirty fields to find the one they actually need.
Anything else you want to add, Russell?
Russell: Yes, Split Map Select. On tablets, it puts the Data Tab and the map on screen together, kept in sync. You’re able to select a record in the list and it highlights on the map straight away. Adjust your filters and the map updates with it. If you’re adding or drawing a new feature, you stay right where you are instead of bouncing over to the Map tab to finish it. Something to note is that It’s available on tablets and larger screens in landscape, not on phones.
For customers already on Konect, what changes and what stays the same?
Russell: Your existing projects, forms, data, and accounts carry across exactly as they are. There’s nothing to rebuild and nothing to relearn from scratch. Both apps run side by side, nobody’s forcing a cutover, and nobody’s losing access to a tool that still works for them while they move across at their own pace.
It’s the same team behind it, with the same focus we’ve had since 1992. This is the next chapter, not a different story.
Worth a look?
See in detail the new capabilities and features on the [Konect 2 page]. Or [download Konect 2] and see for yourself.
A few things worth knowing before you download Konect 2:
What’s the minimum OS version?
IOS 15. If a device is on iOS 14 or earlier, it won’t install or update, Konect OG keeps working in the meantime.
Can I log in with my existing Konect account?
Yes. If you already use Konect, your login carries straight across.
Will I need to re-approve any devices?
Possible, once. If your organisation approves devices individually, each existing install picks up new device on first launch so you will need to re-approve hopefully only once.
I’m new to Konect, what should I do?
You can download the app, but you’ll need an account to log in. The best starting point is a live demo, either in Konect Explorer or directly with our team.
Need more help?
Reach out to us at https://gbmkonect.com/contact/ or visit https://gbmkonect.com/support/.