Author: Cathal McGloin, vice president, Mobile Platforms, Red Hat
Photograph: Attached
Summary: How
close is the average enterprise to becoming cloud-first and mobile-first and
what are the key steps?
Today, despite having a clear understanding of the
benefits of mobile-first, a majority of enterprises in Egypt still have an
ad-hoc approach to mobile app development and are only beginning to consider
platform selection to help them formalize their mobile strategy. Organizations are
adopting cloud-based services to support traditional business processes, but a
very small percentage are using the cloud for their mobile initiatives. They
still have a long way to go in adopting a mobile app strategy and using app
reporting and analytics to measure productivity gains and return on mobility
(ROM).
Authentication and
security of corporate information flowing to and from mobile devices are
undoubtedly major concerns, besides the cost and complexity of developing and
managing apps and backend integration of enterprise apps in the cloud.
Life in the fast lane
To address the security, governance and back-end integration issues
cited by enterprises, Gartner’s Richard Marshall, has advised enterprises to
take a “bimodal” approach to mobile app
development with “core IT” and “fast IT” running concurrently. He acknowledges
that governance and security cannot be compromised, but advises that business
IT must be more flexible in order to meet customer demand and rapidly respond
to market changes. Core IT is focused on long term business operations and
maintains existing user security policies, development platforms, back-end
integration, governance and controls. Fast IT enables business agility through
rapid development of tactical mobile applications, in response to customer
demand and market opportunities. Apps are developed in days or weeks, and only the required amount of data is
accessed for mobile apps, without relinquishing control over corporate data
stored in back-end systems.
To explain the advantage
of the bimodal approach, Marshall points to the examples of a retailer rapidly
developing and deploying a mobile app to boost sales during holiday periods;
and a rail infrastructure provider that was able to develop and push out a
mobile app in a matter of days to enable local flood damage to be reported by
trackside engineers. Once these periods of peak demand are over, the app is
withdrawn.
5 steps to becoming mobile-first:
After working with
numerous enterprises on their mobile app strategies, we have highlighted the
common steps that lead to mobile-first.
1: Select open standards
Mobile app projects demand rapid innovation and short, iterative development cycles To maximize agility, enterprises must avoid vendor lock in by using mobile application platforms that support open standards. Look for platforms that offer ongoing and open support for the common and leading edge coding languages, JavaScript frameworks and developer toolkits. Providing your Fast IT team with access to lightweight scripting technologies
and
the ability to re-use existing code helps to speed time to deployment.
2: Focus on data rather than devices
Evaluate
your enterprise data capture and backend system integration requirements. The
ability to unleash data efficiently, securely and seamlessly to your employees’
devices is critical. Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS) platforms excel at
integrating apps with backend systems and other third party services, by acting
as a cloud-based hub between mobile clients and systems they need to access.
3: Consult users prior to deployment and
work collaboratively
Fast
IT teams should adopt a strong partnership approach with the business customer.
Allow employees to select the mobile device, app features and user interface
that are most suited to their role and working environment.
The
average enterprise mobile app development project requires at least 20
personnel, including business heads, developers, project managers, IT and
employees. By collaborating and using the same technology standards and
requirements, a Mobile Centre of Excellence or Mobile Steering Committee can
guide mobile projects across multiple business units, without creating new
silos.
4: Consider the whole app lifecycle
Apps require frequent
updates and upgrades so choosing an infrastructure that reduces the management
burden by enabling updates to be pushed or pulled from the cloud or an
enterprise app store will pay dividends. Using an enterprise-grade mobile
backend as a service (MBaaS) with an API infrastructure enables legacy systems
to be easily accessed by mobile devices.
The best mobile app platforms transmit a small filtered set of data from
the back-end to avoid overloading the handset.
5: Take a MAP with you
RedMonk analyst, Donnie
Berkholz has commented that enterprises need to find ways to speed up their app
production. He warns that providers that are not truly cloud-based will find it
increasingly difficult to deliver the levels of app agility now required by
enterprises.
Selecting a Mobile Application Platform (MAP) allows enterprises to plan their mobile app strategies, without worrying about redeveloping code for every new batch of devices or new OS. With some organisations requiring anywhere from 10-100 apps to serve different business units, the time required to build
apps can appear
prohibitive. The right mobile platform can halve app development time from six
months to just 60-90 days. The key is to reuse application code and backend
services where possible in order to speed integration.
Conclusion:
It’s time to dispel the
old myths surrounding mobile app development being to costly, complex and
lengthy. Enterprises need to be aware that today’s technology allows for the
swift creation of apps without vendor lock-in and without compromising existing
IT governance. Agile, open, collaborative and powerful cloud-based mobile
application platforms enable bimodal IT and allow enterprises to become
mobile-first.