strategy create a mobile app environment 19467

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Analytics.InformationWeek.com Report ID: S3250811 Strategy Session 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 August 2011 $9 9

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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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ABOUT US | InformationWeek Analytics’ experienced analysts arm business technology

decision-makers with real-world perspective based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative

research, business and technology assessment and planning tools, and technology adoption best

practices gleaned from experience.

If you’d like to contact us, write to managing director Art Wittmann at [email protected],

content director Lorna Garey at [email protected] and research managing editor Heather Vallis

at [email protected]. Find all of our reports at www.analytics.informationweek.com.

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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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