Current Challenges in Enterprise Mobile Application Development

Introduction

Mobile Apps might have caught the fancy of the world, but they remain a big challenge for developers who develop them. In this article, let us try to understand the top challenges that enterprise mobile developers face while developing the mobile app intended for their target audience.

Today, most enterprises utilize apps as part of their routine operations and it is up to the internal apps development team to develop the right apps for their enterprise.

High Costs – The First Stumbling Block

However, the top challenge that most enterprises face while developing apps is the high costs associated with development operations and providing for the necessary infrastructure for the same. Today, more and more enterprises are therefore choosing to use cloud-based platforms for mobile app development.

This is because factors such as security, scalability, as well as ease of use are also being considered by a vast majority of enterprise honchos before deciding to utilize the cloud for mobile application development. Most CEOs confess that adopting mobile applications is the top priority for them in order to remain competitive in the circumstances that the market throws at them.

Data Security and Data Protection Issues

One of the greatest challenges that Enterprise Mobile application development faces is the security and protection of its enterprise data. Additionally, smartphones make it possible for enterprise data to be carried out of the enterprise premises.

This means that the protection of this asset becomes a real challenge. As mobile phones continuously access enterprise data, this data is becoming more and more a part of the World Wide Web as well as the cloud. Thus data mobility between the enterprise and the larger ecosystem outside the enterprise is becoming a real headache when it comes to enterprise mobile application development.

Enterprise Mobile Application development caters to highly targeted users with large amounts of data on tighter screens; therefore enterprise mobile application development is a different ballgame in itself. However, the cost effectiveness of these decisions is putting IT managers and other decision-responsible executives in a spin due to the high costs involved, as explained earlier in this article.

Sourcing the Right Technical Skills

Currently, a vast majority of enterprises consider mobile application development essential for their business, however, many amongst these, currently use cloud based platforms such as backend as a service (BaaS) for developing mobile apps. Yet, the chief difficulties they face are sourcing the right technical skills, delivery speed, as well as flexibility that often stall the app development and deployment.

Creating a Functional Vs. Intuitive Interface

Since enterprise apps are for use by employees within an organization, these apps are heavily geared for functionality, rather than being aesthetic and good looking. Aesthetics is also important, but it is also necessary that usability comes before aesthetics. Providing more intuitiveness in enterprise apps through various measures such as creating good looking icons can be a step forward in this area. Also, while going in for performance, device power source viz. the battery life must be considered as well!

Using the Right Technology

You can easily choose which technology to use for building your apps. However, the right technology could work out to your advantage. Currently, two main technologies are in use, which are native & hybrid versus HTML5. For example, if you are targeting iOS, then you could choose native. However, currently, HTML5 is currently gaining a lot of impetus & thrust, and is becoming very popular. Accordingly, most apps are going the HTML5 way and leaving only a few as choice for the native platforms. Therefore, for enterprise apps, HTML5 has become popular, and is beneficial as well, especially due to the decreasing gains of native app development.

Identify Priorities

It may so happen that you have many apps in development. Therefore, your apps development team can get overwhelmed or resort to tactics which are not amenable to systematic mobile app development. However, the mobile app development needs must be prioritized, so that your business does not suffer. You will also need to understand the strategy behind each enterprise app and the request sent to the development team to make one, so that you can make sure that you are investing your time in the right place.

Consider Partial Outsourcing As Well

In certain cases, it is okay to consider supplementing your company’s in-house development team with an outsourcing team. You need to understand that mobile application development is a complex domain. Hence, it is essential that if you need a particular competency level or if a particular skill that is required just for the project is necessary, then you can augment your in-house team with the help of 3rd party sourcing.

Conclusion

These are just a few parameters which must be considered as challenges in enterprise mobile application development. Addressing these challenges head on will ensure a smooth application development process for your mobile application development team and provide the best user experience/intuitiveness to your enterprise class users!