Big enterprises always look for ways to reduce and mitigate the time and resource wastage. That’s why they always look for the latest and upgraded enterprise applications that can help them to save a lot of time and other valuable resources. Enterprise mobile application development is one vital key to achieve that!
In today’s digital world, mobile apps have become a never-ending trend. From healthcare, to e-commerce, we can see mobile apps everywhere in the global market. However, the enterprise mobile applications are somewhat different from other mobile apps that we commonly witness in the global market. The apps for enterprise are specifically designed to solve the growing issues of a particular organization. Furthermore, the enterprise mobile app development process also benefits the global companies in an effective way.
As per trusted sources, the enterprise mobile application development market generated a revenue of 2353 million US dollars in the year 2019. Also, what started from 1860 million US dollars in 2017, is today expected to reach a whopping 3388 million US dollars by the end of 2023. That’s amazing!
Not only that, but apps for enterprise also allows your employees to save extra 240 hours per year by automating and streamlining their various crucial tasks. Maybe that’s the reason that almost 35% of the companies promote enterprise mobile applications internally.
However, there is a huge difference between common mobile applications and enterprise mobile applications. What are they? How is enterprise mobile application development beneficial for businesses? What does it take to develop enterprise mobile applications? If you have questions like these in your mind, then welcome, you are at the right place! In today’s article we will be providing you a complete guide to enterprise mobile application development. Let’s get started!
What is Enterprise Mobile Application Development?
Enterprise mobile application development is the process of developing and deploying feature-rich and trusted mobile applications to help the organizations simplify their tasks. These apps for enterprise, besides streamlining the business operations also helps you to engage more customers, partners, and investors in an efficient way.
For we know that a field worker working remotely needs to be connected to the relevant office employee to ensure proper working. That’s where enterprise mobile applications come into play! The enterprise mobile app development is all about making secure and reliable connections between different users of an organization while maintaining the safety and security of the organization.
Now, there are sufficient ways to ensure an error-free enterprise mobile application development process. While many enterprises opt for enterprise applications that could be seamlessly integrated with smartphones, others usually opt for a no-code mobile app development. And whatever, the approach may be, all in all, it should perfectly fit your business goals and working procedure.
For quite some time, the service-based app development strategy is also becoming more popular amongst various enterprises. Integrating enterprise mobile applications into a cloud-based enterprise system provides many amazing benefits to the enterprises like reduced operational cost, increased efficiency, and greater control over business. Furthermore, such custom enterprise mobile applications also have the capability to perfectly clone the application that employees leverages on their PCs.
Read More: Top 8 Technology Trends to Make the best Enterprise Mobile Applications
Why is Enterprise Mobile Application Development the Key to Success?
A short answer to the above question – Enterprise mobile application makes communication easy and automates various complex tasks of the organization. That’s the reason that almost 60% of the working employees today leverages mobile apps at their organizations.
We all know that mobile apps have high quality features and automation techniques that can contribute to the overall success of the organization. However, there may be certain aspects that are not available in the mobile apps, or might be more feasible in the enterprise software applications. So, to solve that issue, or in other words, to combine the benefits of both mobile apps and enterprise applications, came enterprise mobile applications.
The enterprise mobile application development is one such process, through which you can attain maximum operational efficiency and optimized profits for your organization. Let’s have a look at some more amazing benefits of enterprise mobile applications.
1. Seamless Transactions
Enterprise mobile applications have the capability to help you manage your business transactions, and third-party payments in an efficient manner. It sends you notifications on payment deadlines and even allows you to include various payment features in your app as per your business goals and requirements.
2. Modified Data Management
It is no surprise that data is the most critical asset for any organization that deals with customers, and managing that critical data is also a tedious task. However, with an effective enterprise mobile application, you can make that task seamlessly and more efficient.
3. Tracks Business Goals
By eliminating time wastage and automating various complicated operations, enterprise mobile applications frees much of your employee’s time. That means you and your employees get more time to focus on other vital tasks that may help to expand your business.
4. Mobile Accounting
Mobile Accounting the most amazing benefit of an enterprise mobile application, and also probably one more reason to adopt enterprise mobile applications for your business. The enterprise mobile application allows you to check and edit the employee generated expenses and other business expenses. And the best of all, you can view all that information using your mobile phone.
5. Supply Chain Control
Last but not least is supply chain management. If you are someone who deals with products and supply chain management, then a custom enterprise mobile application can also include various features that can give you full control over supply chain processes. Features like transportation management, warehouse management, and fleet management can enhance your supply chain operation drastically.
Types of Enterprise Mobile Applications
Now you all know what is an enterprise mobile application and what are all its benefits, it’s time to know the different types of enterprise mobile applications that you can develop. To put it simple, there are majorly three types of enterprise mobile applications:
1. Employee Level
The enterprise mobile applications made only for the employees have the least features amongst all the three types, since it is made only for the internal purpose. The employee app assists the project managers to stay updated with all the information of certain projects under them. That help to ensure the constant performance checkup of each employee and also assures timely completion of the project.
2. Department Level
The next type is the department level enterprise mobile application. As the name suggests, the department level apps fulfills all the needs and requirements of a particular department of your organization like finance, marketing, sales, and so on. Also, apart from solving major departmental problems, these types of apps for enterprise also proves beneficial for the customers. The employees and the customers can remain in touch with this kind of app.
3. Company Level
Lastly we have a company level enterprise mobile application. This type of mobile app connects all your departments and brings the whole of your organization into a single network. The app enables the employees to seamlessly connect with the executives and decision makers and also offers seamless access of critical documents to the employees.
Best Platform and Tools for Enterprise Mobile App Development
Now that you are convinced enough to invest in enterprise mobile application development, let’s quickly discuss various tools and platforms that can help you build an effective mobile app.
As we all are well aware that the two main platforms that are available on the global platform are android and iOS. However, depending on your business needs and requirements, you may need a native app or a cross-platform app. For those who do not know what a cross-platform app is, here is a quick read for you all. Cross-Platform App Development | Everything You Need to Know
Furthermore, these days, the cloud-based applications are also trending in the global market mainly because of their security and flexibility. So, you could also establish your applications on the cloud platform. The cloud platforms can include Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and so on. You should know that cloud platform was the most trending platform for enterprise mobile application development in 2019.
So to summarize, we have these four basic platforms that you can leverage for enterprise mobile application development. They are:
- Android
- iOS
- Cross-platform
- Cloud Platform
Now, coming to the amazing tools that are available on the global platform we have most of the tools related to cross-platform app development. Many developers use cross-platform development tools as they get nearly everything they want in that set. Although the list of tools is long, to name a few, we have:
- Adobe Application (the PhotoGap build cloud technology)
- Xamarin (Giantess convenient testing and cloud access)
- Appcelerator (offers JavaScript and Analytics benefits)
- Kony (Used for creating widgets)
- Alpha (Enterprise application oriented tool)
- SAP (Employs HTML5 code)
All the tools mentioned above may not be used all at the same time, but they all are equally important for a smooth enterprise mobile application development.
Enterprise Mobile App Development Approaches
As discussed above, there are several approaches that many organizations leverage to ensure an error-free and smooth enterprise mobile application development process. To sort them, we have two main approaches, Packaged Mobile Apps, and Integrated App Development Services. Let’s discuss both of them in brief.
1. Packaged Mobile Apps
Packages mobile apps, also known as ready-made enterprise mobile applications are an effective and quick way if you want to deploy enterprise applications in your organization fastly. Although the app offers sufficient functionalities, it does not target your specific business issues. The packaged mobile apps are built to solve common problems of the global market and not aimed to solve the company-specific problems. You may need to develop a separate code in your packaged app, that also if the seller offers you that facility.
2. Integrated App Development Services
Integrated app development services, on the other hand, are fully customizable and flexible. This approach considers mobile app development an integral part of the cloud-based enterprise application development. Under that approach, you can seamlessly add or remove any features you want and can even extend your app’s reach to one or more platforms by using reusable services.
Why Leverage Integrated App Development Services?
Packages mobile applications can be the best options for all those places where scalability and security are secondary concerts. But for the organization that is actively looking for flexible and secure enterprise mobile applications, the integrated app development services is the best option. It is a robust development platform that facilitates flexibility, consistency, and security.
The integrated platform utilizes microservices to smoothen the enterprise mobile app development process. With microservices, you can seamlessly extend your app’s capabilities without repeating the tedious work time and again. And these microservices, when combined together, form the foundation of a cloud-based application that promotes security and scalability.
An integrated app development platform offers various benefits to its users. Below are some of them:
1. Provides a common platform for web, mobile, and cloud-based enterprise application development.
2. Support modern front-end and back-end application frameworks.
3. Ensure efficient utilization of your valuable resources.
4. Deliver a high-quality user experience.
5. Automates various operations like installation, upgradations, and lifecycle management processes.
6. Facilitates flexibility, so that you can include all the changes in your enterprise mobile application anytime you want.
Points to Consider Before Enterprise Mobile App Development
So now you have made your mind to invest in enterprise mobile application development. And you might be thinking to consult an experienced software engineering firm to leverage integrated app development services for your enterprise mobile application. But wait, there’s something you should be aware of!
While there are no such hard and fast rules to consider, there are some crucial points that you should pay heed to ensure a smooth and error-free enterprise mobile application development. What are they? Scroll down to check them.
1. Understand Your Goals
The first and foremost aspect before developing an enterprise mobile application is to understand your development goal. Meaning, you need to know the basic aim behind your enterprise mobile application development – what problems will it solve, and what benefits will it offer to your organization.
Also, if you are developing the enterprise mobile application for your customers, then you need to pen down all the crucial points that could be enhanced by application. And if you are utilizing enterprise mobile applications for your employees, then better understand their needs and requirements before deploying any in your business.
2. Technology is Important
While you may be listening to this point quite some time, the fact is that the right selection of technology is very crucial in your enterprise mobile application development. Now, nobody wants to have an enterprise application that becomes irrelevant after a year or two.
So, the right selection of technologies will ensure that your enterprise mobile application remains a latest trend in the global market. For that, you should consult your selected software engineering firm and ask them about various latest technologies they use in developing your mobile app.
An experienced software engineering firm can help you best to select a perfect technology for enhancing your enterprise mobile application.
3. Third-Party Integrations
Third-party apps also play a significant role in determining the effectiveness of your enterprise mobile app. Although you can include all the relevant features in your enterprise mobile application, there are times when you need some features that are beyond the scope of your app. So, in such a situation, third-party apps can help you a lot. You can achieve all your goals effectively with the help of the right third-party apps.
4. Security is Crucial
Security has always been a crucial aspect of the global market and is still on the top of the list. No matter whatever features you select for your app, if they are not secure, then you might lose critical business data. And that loss may even cost you more. So, the best way is to ask your technology partner to include all the security tools in your application. We will be discussing the security aspect later in this article.
5. User Experience
User experience is again one of the vital aspects that needs to be addressed before developing an enterprise mobile application. The users of your application will be the only person utilizing your enterprise applications, and if they are not happy or confused then it is of no use.
So, invest in UI and UX and make the best use of user-friendly features and interactive interface to enhance your user experience. You can also give a short training of the enterprise mobile application to your employees to ensure that everybody could use the app perfectly.
Want to know more? Here are the top 5 tips for enhancing the process of enterprise app development.
How can you Secure your Enterprise Applications?
So we also talked about security in the section mentioned above, let’s now talk that in detail here in this section of our article. As an enterprise owner, you need to make sure that your enterprise mobile application development moves forward in an effective way. That means, it should include all the necessary features and the security tools in it.
You need to remember that your business data is critical and so you should invest in the best security systems that can assure proper safety and security of your organization. Cloud-based enterprise mobile app development supports these kinds of security needs. Right from centralized controls, and consistency, the cloud-based development strategy ensures that all your systems are patched in an effective manner.
Proper API security to prevent unauthorized access, and centralized services to ensure proper authentication are some of the features that cloud-based services offer. Furthermore, with the use of integrated app development services, you can ensure proper security at device level. Meaning, if your device gets stolen, the centralized data management ensures that nobody could access your vital business data.
Here’s a Read for You: Enterprise Application Security Best Practices 2020
Enterprise Mobile Application Development Process
So, we are at the most awaited section of our article – how to develop an enterprise mobile application for your organization. So, let’s discuss that without wasting much of your time!
1. Draft Your Ideas
Everything begins with an idea, and so does the development process. So, the first step is to draft your ideas to know their feasibility. Understand your business goals and the aim of your enterprise mobile application development and then frame perfect strategies.
Also, consider the pain points of your target audience and list out ways in which your app could solve their issues. Then mention everything in your document and consult with an experienced software engineering firm.
2. Select a Platform
The next big step is to select a relevant app development platform. Meaning, you need to opt at least one app development platform from the ones available in the global market. To get an idea of what to select, try to analyze the user perspective in step 1.
That means, figure out what your target users utilizes the most, android or iOS? If you get the answer to the above question, then you will get a great help in selecting the perfect app development platform. Although each platform has its significant perks, many marketers opt cross-platform app development to target more number of users. You can also go with it.
3. Get a Prototype Designed
Prototype is a model or in simple words a dummy that can help you view how your enterprise application will look like. So, once your ideas are finalized and the platform is selected, you need to get a dummy view of how your application will look after the development process.
Now that step is crucial as it will let you know how your app will look like, what features it will have, and how user-friendly or aesthetic it will be. Remember, your main aim is to develop a user-friendly enterprise mobile application that is accessible by your target users. Moreover, you can always add customizations in the app in the design stage, and can even test the feasibility of that added feature or functionality.
4. Hire a Dedicated Team
Next step in the enterprise mobile application development is to hire a dedicated team of developers and testers. Before initializing the development process, you need to have a proper development team that can help you to achieve a smooth development process.
For that, you can either go for in-house development, or can outsource experienced developers. Although both the options have their significant perks, outsourcing experienced developers is always considered a wise option. That’s because they will have solutions to all the problems that might come during the development process. Also they can provide you some best ideas to outgrow your competitor in an efficient way.
5. Test and Deploy
The final stage after the development process is to test your product. Now here you need to be very cautious and should check your enterprise mobile application in and out. That’s because, a single bug in your application could greatly impact your application and eventually your business growth. So make sure you test your application in the best possible way.
One way to achieve that is to opt for automated testing. Automated testing is a viral trend of the global market and ensures a perfect and efficient testing of your product. It spots and locates every possible bug in your development process and also gives suggestions to eliminate them.
Also Read: 7-Step Process for Enterprise Software Development
Why Choose Matellio For Enterprise Mobile Application Development?
To conclude, we can say that in today’s digital world, things a=have changed drastically over the period of time, and so should your business do. And the best way to achieve this is by investing in robust technological solutions like enterprise mobile application development.
Matellio is an experienced software engineering firm that has got years of experience and best-in-class programmers that could help you transform your ideas into reality. We have top resources and knowledge of latest technology advancements that can be of great help to you in developing the latest and secure enterprise mobile application for your industry.
Do visit us to experience a whole new level of technical advancements and best enterprise solutions. We have ample portfolios and projects to show our expertise. So, reach us today, and book your free 30-minute consultation from our experts! Visit www.matellio.com/request-a-quote
