2014 April 01 Archive - EXEIdeas – Let's Your Mind Rock

To stay competitive, a company moves into action. The early days of enterprise IT infrastructure were marked with top recruits chained to desktop PCs. Today, the drumbeat of consumerization is profoundly reshaping the enterprise IT landscape. BYOD (Bring-Your-Own Device) barely appeared on the strategic map a few years ago; now it’s quickly becoming the norm. Gartner reports about 50% of global companies will require BYOD by 2017 while only 15% will never adopt a BYOD model. 40% will offer a choice between company-provided devices and BYOD. In anticipation, savvy companies are already allowing approved list of software and devices. Some others have started to establish native app stores that enable staff to not only use apps conforming the company standards, but also third-party applications for work processes.And as IT departments are under pressure to provide user friendly service to employees, these app stores are setting the tone. Their utility is at the backend, where IT can manage control and security, where employees can use the apps they need and when they need them, in a familiar, user friendly environment. A PMG Business Process Automation survey reveals that enterprises with a native app store had better control over application usage (71%), decreased administration expenses of keeping things up to date (51%) and reduced risk of incompatible or unsupported software (65%). To put it in perspective, enterprise app stores can do heavy lifting when it comes to increasing productivity, and some of the following reasons are reminiscent of the statement:Controlled Distribution And Deployment:The primary aim of an enterprise app store is to provide a controlled distribution environment for both native and third-party applications. It allows IT to customize app access and views based on groups, roles, departments and management hierarchies.Also, organizations are able to leverage enterprise mobile application solutions, which smooth out the app provisioning process, while avoiding the chaos of licensing deals. Because reputable providers make apps that are configurable and extensible, companies are able to meet their unique business needs, accelerate deployment and improve time to value. Not As Intrusive As MDM:Employees have been raging a war against mobile device management (MDM), and several lawsuits are springing from the backlash. Apart from privacy intrusion, the occasional wipe of their personal data in the name of corporate security is adding to their fury. On the other hand, enterprise apps are compartmentalized on employee devices so organizations can erase or lock them without disrupting any of the staff’s personal information or the functionality of devices. Therefore, they are a better solution to MDM for addressing the liability and privacy issues currently at the forefront of discussions, especially around the rising BYOD trend. Foster Innovation And User Satisfaction:Enterprise app stores encourage development and deployment of better native apps and discovery of useful third-party applications. If organizations allow employees and management to review and rate apps on the store, it will enable IT management to provide a meaningful suite of apps that foster innovation throughout. The corporate app store also offers branding opportunities for BYOD smartphones and tablets; organizations are able to showcase internal apps and apps vetted for data access. So IT can improve user satisfaction by offering best-of-breed applications on the app store and in effect, it can be used as a platform for some branding. In essence, as enterprises seek competitive advantage in the age of IT consumerization, expect to see universal adoption of corporate app stores across all industries.