Key Challenges In Enterprise Mobile App Development

Enterprise mobile applications improve operational efficiency by eliminating time and place constraints for employees. Launching a mobile application is a major challenge nonetheless. This article discusses the key challenges, and one simple way to make applications development less difficult. rnEnterprise mobile applications help in breaking intra-organizational silos and facilitating operational collaboration. They also enhance employee efficiency by eliminating the time constraints and occupancy inefficiency. Additionally, they are equally effective in improving customer relationship by delivering a personalized experience. It is no surprise then that enterprise mobile app development is a booming industry today. rnWhile there is a rising demand for enterprise mobile apps, launching one involves overcoming a number of challenges. If you are contemplating on embarking on a mobile enterprise app development journey, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the associated hurdles. Below are the key challenges in enterprise mobile app development, and the easiest means to tackle these hindrances. Departmental Silos rnEnterprise mobile applications must define their required specifications. An organization can have several disparate business units. If the application is to be used by two or more teams, then specifying the expectations can be more troublesome than most developers or agencies predict. rnThe communication and engagement between different operations teams are only superficial in most cases. This makes it very difficult to come up with a comprehensive statement of requirements. rnEven in case of an SMB with only one or two departments, the issue of collaboration with developers persists. Operations teams specify the requirements and expect the application to be in line with their demands. But it needs to be mentioned here that developers tend to completely design the application before validating. The inconsistent communication between the development and the operations teams impacts the planning process. Resource Crisis rnThe second hurdle emerges immediately after setting the requirement specifications. Although the application development industry is pumping on all cylinders, the demand-supply gap has only been building up. This is primarily because the mobile application development platform is a fairly young industry compared to traditional software development. Moreover, the mobile technology is a constantly evolving landscape where disruptive innovations are more frequent than any other sector. Developers possessing the right skill-set and the desired level of expertise are, therefore, scarce. rnWhile resource acquisition is difficult, upgrading the internal staff capability may seem like a viable solution to the crisis. It is indeed a potential solution but requires heavy investment at times for upskilling. For SMBs, it may be too ambitious a strategy to implement. Mobile OS rniOS is often claimed to be the preferred mobile OS for enterprise applications. But statistics show Android leading market-shares by a huge margin. Android and iOS are followed by Windows. Developing native versions of your application for each of these platforms is the ideal step. Leaving out any of these OS (Operating Systems) can lead to a negative business impact. This is especially true for small and mid-sized firms who heavily depend on certain apps to capture buyers’ attention and tracking the change in their behavior. rnCross-platform enterprise mobile apps are the most feasible and practical option. That being said, ensuring that the application is compliant with the guidelines of these OS requires having expert cross-platform developers around. Application Type rnOne of the most crucial decisions in the pre-development phase is the nature of the app— native, web-based or hybrid. Native applications are specific to a particular mobile OS and equipped with optimized features. Web applications, on the other hand, run on a browser. The choice between the two types depends upon the business requirement of the organization. If stakeholders are expected to collaborate or share data in real time, web capabilities become necessary. On the contrary, web applications do not support offline access. rnAdopting a hybrid approach includes the best of both worlds. Though not as powerful as a native application, it allows uninterrupted utilization. Unique UI/UX rnUser-interface (UI) and user-experience (UX) are the driving forces behind the success of enterprise mobile apps, irrespective of the app being customer-centric or employee-centric. If the enterprise application is meant for the customers, unappealing interface and non-intuitive functionality can spell doom for it. In case of internal use, bad interface and confusing features can result in a decline in productivity. Mobile App Security rnMost enterprise mobile apps access the organization database to carry out the desired function. This coupled with the mass accessibility makes the application’s security a major concern for business heads. The gravity of data privacy has further heightened with the rise of enterprise mobility and BYOD. rnSecurity threats further include hacking and malware attacks. With an average of more than 200 thousand data breaches every hour, developers must consider incorporating necessary advanced security features into their enterprise applications. rnOwing to the rising frequency of cyber-attacks, governments all over the world have also adopted stringent regulatory methods and policies. Maintaining compliance with standards of your industry is a necessity. Failing to do so may result in reputational damage and loss of business opportunities. System Integration and Scalability rnAn enterprise IT infrastructure is typically a mix of both modern innovations and legacy systems. The launch of a mobile application is intended to complement this existing infrastructure. To ensure that, it needs to integrate seamlessly with both the legacy and modern components of the enterprise IT. Delivering consistent functionality is, therefore, an important objective in enterprise mobile app development. rnScalability of the enterprise mobile apps is an equally critical aspect amidst changing customer preferences, evolving industry dynamics, and frequent technological disruptions. A scalable mobile application is one that is not vulnerable to obsolescence due to the changes that impact an organization’s business. There is a Solution rnThe simplest way to conquer the challenges is to leverage an advanced mobile application development platform (MADP). A MADP is basically an ‘all in one’ platform required to build or modify mobile applications. There are quite a few companies that offer MADP as a solution. As it is going to be a long-term investment, the selection must be made after thorough evaluation of the platforms. rnKeeping in mind the demand for quick delivery, it is safe to say that HokuApps’ MADP is the best choice for enterprise mobile app development. It supports all the three mobile OS, facilitates effortless integration and scaling, and incorporates industry-best security features. The platform comes with cutting-edge designing tools that deliver visually stunning UI/UX, optimized for minimum power consumption. HokuApps’ MADP is a low-code environment that allows up to 10 times faster application development. The platform is equally effective for both SMBs and large corporations. The key differentiator of this platform is the post-deployment support for the applications built. While the challenges in the enterprise mobile app development cannot be eradicated, the platform certainly makes lives lot easier for developers with its top-notch tools and expertise.