strategy create a mobile app environment 19467
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A n a l y t i c s . I n f o r m a t i o n W e e k . c o m
Report ID: S3250811
S t r a t e g y S e s s i o n
Mobility’s Next Challenge:8 Steps to an App Environment
Taking your company’s mobile capabilites to the next
level requires a life-cycle management plan that
encompasses development, distribution, security, support
and enhancement. We show you how to get there, and
provide insight into the five mobile application
development options.
By Michael Finneran
A u g u s t 2 0$
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4 Author’s Bio5 Executive Summary
6 How to Take IT Mobile
8 What’s Involved? Life-Cycle Management
8 1. Development Environment
9 2. Software Distribution
11 3. Maintenance, Patches and Upgrades
11 4. Security
12 5. User Support and the Help Desk
13 6. Expense Management
13 7. Support for New Platforms
14 8. Your Mobility Policy
14 App Vs. Browser: Options for Mobile App Developments
15 1. Native Custom Applications
15 2. Mobile Enterprise Application Platforms
16 3. Web-Based Apps
16 4. Packaged Mobile Apps
16 5. Mobile Virtualizations Desktop Infrastructure
17 The Payoff
18 Related Reports
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6 Figure 1: Unsupported OS Platforms
7 Figure 2: Devices Running IT-Supported OS Platforms
9 Figure 3: Support Concerns
10 Figure 4: Top Concerns With Growing Number of Devices andOperating Systems
11 Figure 5: Device Management Systems
12 Figure 6: Android Deployments by Release as of June 1, 2011
13 Figure 7: Smartphone Policy
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chael Finneran
dBrn Associates
Michael Finneran, principal at dBrn Associates, is an independ-
ent consultant and industry analyst specializing in wireless tech-
nologies, mobile unified communications and fixed/mobile con-
vergence. He has more than 30 years of experience in the net-
working field and is the author of Voice Over Wireless LANs: The
Complete Guide (Elsevier, 2008). His expertise spans the full range of wire-
less technologies, including Wi-Fi, 3G/4G cellular, WiMAX and RFID.
In the consulting area, Mr. Finneran has provided assistance to carriers,
equipment vendors, end users and investment firms in the United States
and overseas. His clients have included AT&T, Sprint, Foundation Capital,
IBM, RIM, Prudential Insurance, McGraw-Hill and Merrill Lynch. He has
appeared at hundreds of trade shows and industry conferences, including
Enterprise Connect (formerly VoiceCon) and Interop; he now serves as the
program chair for wireless and mobility at Enterprise Connect.
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Mobile technology isn’t just about staying in touch anymore. With a grow-
ing number of smartphones, tablets and mobile computers, along with higher-capacity mobile networks, enterprises are now focusing on how they can usemobile tools to transform their business models and core processes. Takingmobility to the next level requires integrating this technology into the business inways that provide real return on investment.
Providing new mobile capabilities is challenging, because the networks and
infrastructures surrounding them is rapidly changing. Mobile service pro-
viders are rolling out higher-speed services and eliminating unlimited data
plans. Many businesses are shifting away from company-supplied devices to
employee-owned devices, which means less investment and responsibility up
front—but IT has to support significantly more platforms.
The biggest challenge is supporting enterprise applications on a variety of
operating systems, including iOS, Android and Windows Mobile, in an envi-
ronment where the user, not IT, decides when to upgrade the OS. Security,
management and end user support are among the other challenges.
To deal with these issues, IT managers need to take a hard look at the variousaspects of a mobile application’s life cycle, including development, distribu-
tion, security, support and enhancement. These areas must be planned before
starting the mobile app development process, because they’ll impact the
development approach selected.
In this report we delve into the eight pieces of the mobile app life-cycle
process that are critical to assess. We also examine five app development
approaches and their respective advantages and challenges. E x e c u t i v e S u m
m a r y
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How to Take IT MobileMobility is IT management’s new challenge. Driven by the growing number of smartphones,
tablets and mobile computers, along with higher-capacity mobile networks, companies are
exploring how they can use mobile tools to transform their core processes and business mod-
els. Mobile email and text capabilities have let employees stay connected wherever they are, but
taking mobility to the next level requires integrating mobility into the business in ways that
drive real ROI.
New mobile capabilities must be delivered in a rapidly changing environment. While the mobile
service providers are rolling out higher-speed services, they’re also eliminating unlimited dataplans. In addition, many businesses are shifting from company-supplied to employee-owned
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Figure 1
33%
31%
27%
25%
21%
15%
14%
35%
Note: Multiple responses allowed
Data: InformationWeek Analytics OS Wars Survey of 441 business technology professionals, May 2011
Apple/Mac
Android
Linux (open source)
RIM (BlackBerry)
Windows
Linux (vendor-specific)
Unix
None
Which of the following OS platforms are allowed to run withinyour organization, but are not officially supported by IT?
Unsupported OS Platforms
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devices. This bring-your-own-device approach means IT has to support more platforms, provid-ing security and management in this new freewheeling environment.
The main challenge will be supporting enterprise applications on iOS, Android, Windows
Mobile and other operating systems, in an environment where the user, not IT, decides when to
upgrade the OS.
A recent InformationWeek Analytics survey of 441 business technology professionals found that
65% had unsupported operating systems in use in their companies (see Figure 1, page 6).
Among the supported platforms, Android and BlackBerry led the way with 93% and 92% of
respondents supporting them, followed by Apple’s iOS with 56% (see Figure 2, below). Thatsame study found that 78% of respondents were either “somewhat” or “very” concerned about
supporting the growing number of devices and operating systems (see Figure 3, page 9).
Drilling deeper into the reasons for concern, security led the list, cited by 62%, followed by too
many devices and operating systems to manage (53%), end user support (43%) and lack of a
centralized platform to manage them all (39%) (see Figure 4, page 10). These concerns are well
founded, given that only 13% of respondents had antivirus software on smartphones compared
with 95% on PCs, and 13% had patch management and software deployment tools compared
with 78% for PCs (see Figure 5, page 11). Thirty-nine percent reported having no smartphone
management systems at all.Figure 2
Note: Multiple responses allowed
Data: InformationWeek Analytics OS Wars Survey of 441 business technology professionals, May 2011
Windows
Apple/Mac
Linux (open source)
Linux (vendor-specific)Unix
Android
RIM (BlackBerry)
On which devices are you running these OS platforms?
Devices Running IT-Supported OS Platforms
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Desktops
98%
64%
48%
30%19%
N/A
N/A
Laptops
93%
76%
29%
20%5%
N/A
N/A
Netbooks
35%
9%
12%
9%1%
N/A
N/A
Tablets
16%
52%
3%
3%0%
31%
5%
Smartphones
17%
56%
5%
4%0%
93%
92%
Servers
71%
17%
79%
87%91%
N/A
N/A
Thin clients/ terminals
24%
2%
12%
11%9%
N/A
N/A
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To deal with these issues, you’ll need to take a hard look at the various aspects of a mobileapplication’s life cycle, including development, distribution, security, support and enhance-
ment. These are areas you’ll need to plan out before starting the development process because
they’ll impact the app development approach you take. You’ll also want to examine the various
development options, and their respective advantages and challenges.
Applications are going mobile, and line-of-business managers will be looking to IT to get the
job done, so it’s time to come to grips with how you’ll handle it.
What’s Involved? Life-Cycle ManagementThe first step in addressing a mobile application is to understand the scale and nature of the
task. Application developers are familiar with the overall process, but mobility throws in sever-
al additional challenges:
• Mobile devices are easily lost or stolen, introducing greater security risks.
• Mobile networks are slower and less reliable than regular networks, and they aren’t always
available.
• Mobile data services are becoming more expensive, particularly with the demise of unlimited
data plans. If users roam internationally, the costs can go through the roof.
• Mobile devices have slower processors and less memory; battery life can be a limiting factor
as well.
There are a number of design options available for mobile application projects. The approach you
take will affect both capital and operating expenses, functionality and user experience. Before you
start, think through the entire app life cycle and plan for each of the eight major elements below.
1. Development Environment The mobile industry is caught up in “app mania,” but a customized app may not be the best
choice for every company. You can customize mobile apps for the screen size and user inter-
face characteristics of the mobile devices you deploy or support, but that can come at a high
price if different versions of the app will be needed for each mobile ecosystem (BlackBerry,
Apple iOS, Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, WebOS and so on).
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Android brings its own unique challenge because it has seven distinct releases in circulation (see
Figure 6, page 12).
Mobile enterprise application platforms (MEAPs) can help with the development challenge by letting
you develop one application that works across multiple platforms. The alternative is to develop a Web-
based app and use the mobile browser. Tablets have introduced the potential for virtual desktop inte-
gration (VDI), using tools from vendors such as Citrix and VMware; both these vendors have intro-
duced mobile clients.
2. Software DistributionOnce you have the application, you must get it to your users. The two main options are over-the-air
distribution, where the app is sent to the device using a wireless data service, or syncing with a PC.
While slower and potentially more costly, over-the-air distribution is generally preferred because
users have to do very little—a link to the download site is emailed or texted to their mobile devices.
Figure 3
Data: InformationWeek Analytics OS Wars Survey of 441 business technology professionals, May 2011
To what degree are you concerned about supporting
a growing number of devices and operating systems?
Support Concerns
Somewhat concerned
Very concerned
54%
Not at all concerned
24%
22%
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Alternatively, you can distribute apps through Apple’s iTunes Store. Companies must join Apple’siOS Developer Enterprise Program, and each app must be signed with a distribution certificate.
Android apps also must be signed, and the posting party must register as an Android developer.
Companies that want to control their own software distribution can set up internal app stores
using tools like EASE from Apperian, or the app management capabilities in mobile device
management (MDM) systems, such as those from AirWatch, MobileIron, Sybase (now part of
SAP) or Zenprise.
62%
53%
43%
39%
23%
21%
20%
8%
Note: Three responses allowed
Base: 343 respondents concerned about supporting a growing number of devices and operating systems
Data: InformationWeek Analytics OS Wars Survey of 441 business technology professionals, May 2011
Security risks
Too many varieties of devices and operating systems to manage
End user support
Lack of a centralized platform to manage them all
Cost of maintenance
Cost of management
Loss of control over process
Differing authentication methods
Rising costs of devices
Other
6%
2%
What are your top concerns over the growing number of devicesand operating systems that you may need to support?
Top Concerns With Growing Number of Devices and Operating Systems
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Figure 4
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3. Maintenance, Patches and Upgrades You’ll also have to plan for distributing patches and upgrades. MDM systems can help with
this, too. Some systems provide automatic user notifications when an updated version of an
application is available. At a minimum, administrators can blacklist the earlier version and
force users to upgrade. The one problem with this approach is that you don’t want users who
are traveling overseas where mobile charges are exorbitant to have to upgrade, but unless they
upgrade, they won’t be able to access information they need.
You can do software distribution and maintenance without an MDM system, but it can be cum-
bersome in a large deployment, particularly if each user must download the app to a PC or laptop
and then upload it to a smartphone. You end up paying a lot of help desk overtime every timeyou push out an upgrade, and you still need a way to ensure that all users have installed it.
4. Security
Security is a top concern with mobile systems. One way to ensure company data stays private
is to bar storing it on mobile devices. RIM’s PlayBook tablet accesses corporate email, calendar
and contacts through the BlackBerry smartphone using a secure Bluetooth interface called
BlackBerry Bridge. If the Bridge connection is broken, all data is erased from the PlayBook.
Web-based applications are another a good way to keep data from falling into the wrong hands,
but access to these apps must be tightly controlled. Web-based apps with SSL connectivity will
Figure 5
Note: Multiple responses allowed
Data: InformationWeek Analytics OS Wars Survey of 441 business technology professionals, May 2011
PCs
Macs
Tablets
Thin terminals
Smartphones
What types of internal management systems do you have in place for the following devices?
Device Management Systems
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Patchmanagement/
softwaredeployment
78%
18%
11%
14%
13%
Imaging
75%
20%
10%
12%
7%
Antivirus
95%
35%
18%
17%
13%
Remotesupport
81%
27%
13%
15%
18%
Discovery& inventory
68%
27%
14%
14%
19%
Auditing/ tracking
66%
24%
18%
16%
26%
Licensetracking
65%
20%
13%
12%
18%
None
0%
20%
35%
23%
39%
Device notin use
1%
30%
32%
50%
9%
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encrypt the data in transit, even if the user is connected through a public hot spot. Apps withoutSSL should connect through a VPN, particularly if hot spot access is supported. The downside of
this approach is that users can access the app only if they have serviceable network connectivity.
SSL-based access provides over-the-air security, but cut-and-paste capabilities on mobile
devices still lets users copy sensitive data from the Web-based applications and paste it into
another document on the device.
If sensitive information will reside on the device, security issues start to multiply. At a mini-
mum, you must ensure that data on the device is encrypted, a strong password is required to
power it on, and all information on the device can be wiped remotely. You also must be able towipe all company information if the user leaves, even if it’s a user-owned device.
Policy enforcement and remote wipe are standard capabilities on MDM systems, but other
requirements may present a challenge. Not all mobile operating systems support on-board
encryption. For example, Android 2.2, the most widely deployed version of the OS, doesn’t
support on-device encryption. Android 3.0 does—but only on tablets. The Android 4.0 release,
called Ice Cream Sandwich, will run on both smartphones and tablets, and will likely include
on-board encryption. It’s due next year.
Finally, if users will be moving in and out of wireless coverage, tools like NetMotion Wireless’s
Mobility XE can maintain a persistent, secure (FIPS 140-2 compliant) VPN connection. That
way users won’t need to log in and restart their applications every time they re-enter the cover-
age area. This approach is limited to Windows environments now, but NetMotion says it plans
to address other mobile OS environments as well.
5. User Support and the Help Desk
Some companies justify moving to user-
owned devices as a way to save on sup-
port costs. But solving IT problems isn’t a
good use of employees’ time. The quirkynature of mobile connections and the rela-
tive newness of mobile technologies will
lead to more, rather than fewer, support
calls. Make sure you consider help desk
training in your calculations.
Android Deployments by Release as of June 1, 2011
1.9%
2.5%21.2%64.6%
1.1%8.1%0.3%
DISTRIBUTIONPLATFORM
Android 1.5
Android 1.6Android 2.1Android 2.2Android 2.3Android 2.3.3Android 3.0
Figure 6
Data: Google
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6. Expense Management With the service providers phasing out unlimited data plans, the cost of mobile network usage
could rise. One way around that is to configure devices so they first go to available Wi-Fi net-
works. Of course, if that includes public hot spots, you must ensure there’s a VPN or other encryp-
tion mechanism in place, since public access points don’t use any Wi-Fi encryption mechanisms.
Wireless expense management systems, such as those offered by Asentinel, Rivermine and Tangoe,
let you import the carrier’s billing information, plot trends, highlight exceptions and determine the
most effective plan for each user. At a minimum, use your pilot test to get a baseline of the amount
of data traffic the mobile application creates, so you can budget for the expense.
7. Support for New Platforms
The deluge of new mobile devices won’t abate anytime soon, so define how you’re going to test
and certify your application for any new devices that will need support. Two years ago, tablets
Base: 595 respondents at organizations using or evaluating mobile operating systems for smartphones
Data: InformationWeek Analytics Mobile OS Vendor Evaluation Survey of 651 business technology professionals,May 2011
Which of the following best describes your organization’s formal or informal policy on smartphones?
Smartphone Policy
The organization issues apreferred smartphone, butwill support a personal device
The organization issuessmartphones to users; personal
devices are not supported27%
We don’t issue or support
smartphones, but employees stilluse personal devices for work
The organization supports anypersonal smartphone type
35%
7%
8%
5%
18%
The organization supports a limitednumber of personal smartphone types
The organization lets userschoose any smartphone, but
owns and supports the phone
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Figure 7
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weren’t even a blip on the radar screen—now they’re everywhere. And don’t think strictly interms of new tablets and smartphones; imagine other purpose-built and specialized mobile
appliances that will find their way onto your network.
8. Your Mobility Policy
Once you’ve plotted the overall strategy, incorporate it into your mobility policy. Spell out the
range of devices and OS environments you’ll support, personal and business apps allowed,
acceptable use, user responsibilities and penalties for noncompliance, and all other manage-
ment issues that govern mobility.
If you don’t have a mobility policy, it’s time to draft one. The Enterprise Mobility Forum, a
think tank backed by several wireless vendors, provides an excellent template to help you to
determine what to include.
App Vs. Browser: Options for Mobile App Development
When it comes time to develop and deploy a mobile application, you have five options, each with
its own set of advantages and risks. One of the biggest concerns is whether the app must be able to
operate when there’s no mobile network access available. Web-based apps depend on network
access, but an app on the device typically can provide at least some degree of off-line functionality.
Increasingly the trend is toward Web-based apps using either
a browser on the device or a thin client that provides a cus-
tomized user interface to a Web-based app. With a Web
approach you lose off-line capability, but you also eliminate
the need to develop different versions of the app for each OS.
The other major design question is the range of operating
systems to be supported. Ruggedized mobile computers
use Windows Mobile almost exclusively, so that’s not
going away anytime soon. RIM BlackBerry and Apple sup-port their own development environments. As more com-
panies allow user-owned devices, it will become increas-
ingly necessary to support a variety of OSes. And even
companies that still supply mobile devices are finding they
can’t always force users onto a single platform.
1. Start slow, but start!
2. Identify potential applications to pursue
3. Define the application (functions,performance requirements, numberand types of devices, data volumes,
etc.), and range of platforms to support4. Identify management and support
requirements
5. Develop, pilot, evaluate and refine
6. Plan and deploy
6Steps to a Mobile
App Business Plan
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Voice has a special place in the mobile world. Any number of PBX and unified communicationsvendors have introduced smartphone clients only to have them languish on the shelf. These
clients change the native calling interface on the phone and introduce a calling procedure that’s
foreign to the user. If your voice app requires that users rely on a different process to make and
receive calls, you can expect serious pushback.
1. Native Custom Applications
One development option is to build your own custom app or bring in a professional developer
to do so. The advantage is that you can potentially get exactly what you want, built to your
specifications, with an interface geared to your users. That said, there are considerable chal-lenges, the biggest being the limited availability of mobile development expertise. Developing
in a mobile environment is different from developing for a desktop.
One way to get the expertise you need is to hire the services of a professional mobile application
developer to assist in the project or to develop the apps in total. Many of the MEAPs described
below also provide professional services to assist in designing, coding and testing the apps.
Focus on the skill set required for the development environment you’ll use. Some offer 4G lan-
guage capabilities, letting business analysts rather than highly trained (and highly paid) appli-
cation developers do the coding. Wikipedia has an excellent matrix of the various development
platforms, languages used, cross-platform compatibility, and debugger and emulator availability.
After the initial development is complete, you must maintain the versions of your app for each
of the mobile operating systems you’re supporting. If that’s not challenging enough, in most
cases it’s the mobile operator supplying the device that chooses which version of the OS you get.
So if your users are on different operator networks, they may be on different OS releases as well.
Finally, with a custom application, ensure you have all the necessary infrastructure described earlier
to secure, deploy and maintain the app across all the platforms you support. While custom apps
look like a great idea, the challenges drive most companies to other options.
2. Mobile Enterprise Application Platforms
MEAPs provide tools and middleware for mobile application development. There are single-
platform products, like those from Apple, RIM and Microsoft, and tools to develop applications
that work across multiple platforms, like those from Antenna, IBM, Rhomobile, SAP Sybase
and Spring Wireless.
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Most include prefabricated apps and form builders geared to small form factor devices that canbe incorporated into custom apps. Interestingly, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Mobile Enterprise
Application Platforms, released in April, doesn’t have a single option in its Leaders quadrant.
In selecting a MEAP, know the functionality you need and the range of platforms you intend to sup-
port. Some options focus on thick clients that can provide considerable off-line functionality, while
others are geared to Web-based and cloud options that depend on continuous network availability.
3. Web-Based Apps
As the number of mobile devices and operating systems grows, more companies are looking to Web- and cloud-based applications designed to run on all devices. Theoretically, a Web-based
app requires no client on the device besides the native browser.
This trend is being driven, in part, by the growing interest in HTML5, which adds enhanced
multimedia capabilities and features like drag-and-drop and off-line Web applications. Apple
has come out strongly in favor of HTML5 and has refused to support the alternative Adobe
Flash on iPhones, iPads and iPods, opting instead for open standards.
Success with this approach depends on having an app that’s tailored to the smallest screen size of
all the devices you’ll support. Further, not all environments support the full range of Web func-
tionality—Apple doesn’t support Flash, for instance. Screen size is less a factor with tablet apps.
4. Packaged Mobile Apps
For an increasing number of companies, the path of least resistance is to use packaged mobile
applications provided by their software vendors. Companies like Cerner, IBM Lotus, McKesson,
Oracle and SAP offer clients that let mobile devices access their back-end systems.
While not fully customizable, this approach provides almost immediate mobile access with
professionally developed tools and user interfaces. Further, many of these mobile elements are
offered for little or no cost, as an enhancement to the core product.
5. Mobile Virtualization Desktop Infrastructure
The last option is a mobile virtual desktop infrastructure that allows access to server-based data
and applications. Citrix and VMware, which popularized virtual desktop environments, offer
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M o b i l e A p p l i c a t i o n s
S t r a t e g y S e s s i o n
18 August 2011 © 2011 InformationWeek, Reproduction Prohibited
A n a l y t i c s . In for ma t i on W e e k .c om
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