Choose the Right Tech Stack for Enterprise Mobile App Development

We can see a significant rise in organizations implementing BYOD policies to enable enterprise app use on employees’ personal devices. 59% of companies allow their employees to access business apps on their devices, research suggests. As a result, enterprise mobile app development has gained momentum for companies to facilitate this digital shift in workplaces.

You may also like to read – BYOD – Will It Boost Productivity and Employee Morale?

As employees demand a faster and more accessible way to complete their work, businesses have started to consider their convenience before creating their enterprise mobility strategy.

Enterprise apps allow people to work from anywhere on their devices. Studies have shown that a majority of employees feel more productive when they work on their devices and that many of them demand this flexibility today.

While employees enjoy agility in working and welcome enterprise apps, businesses find it challenging to develop these apps given the security of data and information they seem to risk. Successful enterprise app development effectively balances convenience and security, so that BYOD is a win-win for both employees and the employer.

Technologies Behind Enterprise App Development

Ensuring a proper and intended use of enterprise-grade apps starts with the tech stack. The underlying technologies must be enough to support the infrastructure and integration as well as provide a secure environment that detects and prevents data leakages, information theft, and other security anomalies.

Since it seems like there’s an ocean of tools, most businesses struggle to pin down their tech stack. But, technologies shape the entire enterprise solution. So, there are aspects to consider before finalizing a tech stack.

Here are some of the main decision driving factors you may consider-

• Configurations and customization – Enterprise mobile apps can be made customizable to allow employees to tweak them to their interest. These configurations need not be major ones- but tiny changes such as the reorganization of the menu, theme change, and so on. This way, employees stay motivated to use your app since they can tweak it to their liking.

• Security – A crucial aspect to think about is the security of your enterprise solution. When employees access sensitive information and data over their personal devices, you have little control over what they do with it. Therefore, robust security arrangements might be your priority. These may include authentication, encryption, and other enforcement.

• Updates– The frequency and width of updates may affect your choice of technologies. Ponder on the idea of updates and how often you may need them. When you update your apps, you want the process to be seamless and least disruptive to the user experience.

The Key Choices for Enterprise App Technologies

To simplify decision making for you, here are the key technologies that are significant to your app development stack-

Native Apps

These apps are built in native code intended to run on a specific platform and OS. Users download these apps from stores to reside on their devices. Since native apps work on a particular platform, they perform the best and are optimized for use on that platform.

If security is your top priority, native apps might be a suitable solution as they guarantee data protection. Native apps are much more interactive and intuitive than their counterparts, adding to app usability. You can expect a bug-free experience with native apps, making them an excellent choice for businesses that cannot afford a buggy app.

Native apps are ideal for cases where high-end user experiences are expected, a large user base with a prominent device choice is targeted, offline usage is common, and where apps need extensive device/OS functions. Technologies common and prevalent for Native app development are iPhone (Objective C), Android (Java), and Windows (.NET).

Cross-Platform Apps

Cross-platform apps are built using a cross-platform framework and then run on multiple platforms after specific configurations are made for each. These apps can be developed and deployed in a cost and time efficient manner as the code can be partly reused on multiple platforms.

Implementation is easy for cross-platform apps as developers can make changes in no time using popular tools. Cross-platform apps ensure that the overall look and feel of your business app remains uniform across platforms. A massive advantage is that you can allow all OS users in your organization to use your app since it is deployed on all major operating systems.

Cross-platform apps are ideal in cases where key users employ multiple mobile device platforms, apps require no heavy device usage, and where simple apps are needed. These apps can be best developed using tools such as RhoMobile (Ruby on Rails) or Appcelerator, PhoneGap, and Worklight all of which use Javascript and HTML as underlying technologies.

Mobile Web Apps

These apps are accessible on mobile devices through a web browser and can be run over the internet. These apps stay up-to-date always, since you access their updated version each time over the internet, without any need to install them. Web apps are easier to maintain as they share code across platforms and can be configured to be made compatible with older mobile devices.

Web apps are easy to release and deploy since they don’t need approval from any marketplace. If these factors sound convenient and preferable for your enterprise app, mobile web apps may be the right choice for you.

These apps are ideal for cases where generic user experience is desirable, and app performance can depend on the strength of the internet connection, where you have a distributed user base that employs various mobile devices, and where apps only need moderate device functions.

Mobile web apps are popularly built using HTML5, Sencha, and JQuery Mobile, all of which use Javascript and HTML as underlying technologies.

What Else to Consider?

Since an enterprise app can affect your productivity as an organization, ponder over the following bonus factors-

• Is multi-platform compatibility important to you?
• What do your users expect in your app?
• Do you have industry-specific requirements?
• How much time/cost can you invest in your enterprise solution?
• What are the most crucial functionalities you need in the app?

Partner with an Outsourced Enterprise App Development Company

Many businesses begin the implementation of their enterprise app only to realize it is beyond them. They either lack the infrastructure, or the tools and technologies, or the workforce to complete the development.

It is crucial for you to consider all of these resources, and if you fall short, fret not. Partner with a credible and reliable enterprise app development company such as CDN Solutions Group.

We have worked with clients both offshore and onshore. With a laser-sharp focus on your requirements (both communicated and hidden), we work proactively so you can maximize your ROI from enterprise app development.

Look at our portfolio and drop us a quick message so we can assist you with a tailored enterprise solution.

Tags: enterprise app development, enterprise mobility solutions, mobile app development, technology stack for enterprise app development
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Ingredients for a Successful Enterprise Mobility Strategy

At the enterprise level, mobility solutions are gaining momentum, owing to the proliferation of mobile devices into the workplace of today. However, unlocking the full potential of enterprise mobility services in any organization would mean first implementing the right BYOD policies. Enterprise mobility development comes at a later stage while building a strategy is the foremost part of the process. The evolution of mobile networks, mobile apps, and the lowering of enterprise mobile app development costs have led to the growth of enterprise mobility.

Enterprise Mobility is a trend that accommodates the working habits of employees by allowing them to perform business tasks out of the office using mobile devices and cloud services. As a precursor to enterprise application development, we attempt to outline the process of building a strategy that acts as a foundation for enterprise mobility.

An enterprise mobility strategy considers the following-

• Customer Engagement – Every mobility strategy attempts to add efficiency to the interaction between a business and their customers. Enterprise mobility solution providers often work with businesses to understand engagement levels with customers and improve them through enterprise mobility solutions.

• Employee Efficiency – Mobile devices and wearables have now become part and parcel of employees’ work life. To leverage these opportunities, businesses try and improve their employees’ productivity levels with enterprise mobility applications.

• Innovation – Enterprise mobility solutions often have a far vision. Some businesses aim to enrich their industry with cutting-edge, innovative initiatives.

Enterprise mobility software solutions are transforming the way people work and the way their enterprises support them. Enterprise mobility strategies help organizations realize mobility beyond remote access features. Organizations need to allow people to access their data and applications remotely to perform tasks on the go.

To empower customers and employees to interact in new ways with their data, information, and applications, enterprise mobility has come a long way and has become an integral part of any organization’s digital transformation journey.

Employees ask for flexibility in working and customers need innovative ways to engage with their service providers. This is where enterprise mobility services can help us.

Tips to Build the Right Enterprise Mobility Strategy

Michael Disabato, Research VP at Gartner, believes that mobility is not a technology problem. That we have enough technology to make giant leaps in our business, but we only need to know how to use the available technology. Enterprise mobility services offered by various companies today focus on the same. Before delivering enterprise mobility solutions, these consulting partners ask their clients what issues they face in running their business and learn about the specific areas where productivity can be boosted.

Thereafter, a mobility strategy can be implemented with the right tools and technologies. Here’s how any business can build the right enterprise mobility strategy to digitally transform the way they operate-

• Address Organization-Level Challenges – If something makes sense for your business and would improve your employees’ productivity while they are on the go, it is important to consider it. Factors such as security, scalability, and supportability can be addressed later. Organization-wide challenges are hard to solve, but clear steps and a basic foundation can get you started. Enterprise mobility is often disregarded by companies who consider it a breach of security as it is. But, active steps can be taken to make enterprise mobility solutions secure.

• Think in Terms of User Experience – To make sure your mobile strategy gives customers and employees what they want, specific surveys can be taken. This would help businesses gauge the needs of their users and build a strategy that yields what they expect. To improve the overall user experience, personalization settings can be configured in your enterprise mobile app, so your users get just what they are looking for. Seamless data management and sharing are two other aspects that significantly improve the user experience.

• Decide a Service Delivery Platform – Mobile users access software solutions in a variety of ways. Custom mobile apps, third-party native apps, mobile websites, and SaaS solutions are some of the available options. Consider the apps people use in your organization and then devise an enterprise mobility strategy that can best convert their experience into a mobile one. Your employees can access a mobile app in one of these experience shells- a native device experience, containerized experience, virtualized access experience, and fully managed enterprise experience. Many organizations mix the virtualized and containerized experiences to support the complete range of apps and feature their customers and employees need.

• Keep Security over Everything Else – Protecting sensitive data is a challenge when implementing enterprise mobility. In many organizations, the IT department only has a vague idea about sensitive data. And thus, they end up treating everything securely. However, enterprise mobility solutions allow businesses to take care of data selectively. Data can be classified into public, confidential, and restricted-access data, allowing for different levels of security to be implemented with different kinds of data. Data access policies can then be laid according to the nature of the data.

• Strategize for the Future – Every organization needs a mobility strategy equipped for the future. The Internet of Things is here and we need to imagine where mobility solutions will stand in the near future. Providing a more intuitive experience will become a top priority as the IoT creeps into mainstream enterprises. Thus, better to think ahead of time rather than discarding complete solutions tomorrow and rebuilding from the ground up. Listen closely to the ongoing discussions about the future of enterprise mobility and you will have ample ideas about where it might be headed tomorrow.

To have a comprehensive grip on the wider aspects of enterprise mobility, you to take a 360-degree approach to building a strategy. Many companies today have an ongoing BYOD policy but have failed to realize that enterprise mobility services go far beyond that.

In preparing for an enterprise mobility transformation, organizations need to address people, processes, and technology. Striking a balance between the three critical components decides the success of any enterprise mobility strategy.

Having frequent small wins paves the way for a larger change. Therefore, on the path to a mobile transformation, the long-term goals should be replaced with quick short-term objectives. As these goals are achieved, an organization becomes better equipped to handle more significant changes.

Costs are a major factor for businesses. Therefore, the expected ROI should be set before an enterprise mobility strategy is put in place. With the right team governing the processes and the right people taking care of the key aspects, it is possible to derive success from enterprise mobility.

Automate the integration of information systems and make the process hassle-free. Too many organizations rely on manual programming and get stuck into it. However, the need of the hour is for enterprises to choose an integration platform that can handle communications between APIs and your IT systems.

Final Words

Mobility is no more an option for organizations. It is necessary for businesses to leverage enterprise mobility to drive growth and productivity across the complete enterprise. Enterprise mobility solutions are changing the way businesses conduct and customers interact with them. Mobile is about driving value to customers and employees all the same. Accessing the right skills and knowledge is key to implementing and crushing an enterprise mobility strategy. Enormous commercials gains await organizations that are proactive in their measures to build and work out an enterprise mobility plan.

CDN Software Solutions knows which enterprise mobility strategy will suit your business best. With vast experience in Enterprise mobility, team CDN offer services and solutions, for real-time platform by designing and implementing an array of high-end technology applications with flexibility and ease. We have vast experience in Enterprise mobility check out our portfolio or do give us a call.

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