First off, big ups to everyone building free app stores using our platform. We expected genuine interest, but the response has really gone beyond what we imagined. We want to profile some of the stores in the near future, but before we go in to show-off mode, we realized the need to reinforce what we think is a critical message:
The app store is awesome, but remember that it’s just the start of a smart enterprise mobile application strategy.
The enterprise is its own animal. It demands system management in a way that’s dramatically different than any consumer app. Security, for example, might be the biggest delineation when it comes to concerns about enterprise mobile app management. In fact, that might be the factor that often turns people away from the idea of enterprise mobile apps (MAM) vs. simply giving everyone organization wide an approved device (MDM).
But that’s why we see so many professionals carrying a Blackberry for work, and an iPhone for personal use. We’re saying it’s possible to ditch one, meaning one less brick to carry around, provided you take a smart approach to managing the entire enterprise mobile application lifecycle. This also gets to the heart of BYOD, which as we’ve mentioned is being embraced by leading-edge companies — and is cautiously seeping its way in to more and more organizations.
MAM is what’s going to make BYOD possible, what’s going to liberate many people from pockets full of professional and personal devices so they instead just have one smartphone.
But we need to reinforce the fact that we’re at the very beginning of the enterprise mobile adoption lifecycle. Our CEO, Chris Schroeder, spoke to this point in detail at the recent #MoDevDC meetup (and we’ll post the playback soon) and reiterated the fact that while the app store makes it easy to push an app out to an organization, you need to match that enthusiasm with the ease-of-delivery with a sharp focus on platform, UX and backend.
So, congrats if your enterprise mobile app store is open for your enterprise. Just make sure your entire app management strategy is ready to take care of business.
