Published on May 21st, 2017 | by Guest

Eight Enterprise Misconceptions about Mobile Applications

The mobile app development industry has evolved with time and is well on the path of growth. Today, people, ranging from individuals to entrepreneurs, know the importance of customized mobile applications and make them a part of daily activities. But here is a twist: despite business persons have started integrating mobile apps into the ecosystem, they are not free from the misconceptions associated with enterprise mobile apps.

Here is a list of the most prevalent mobile app-related misconceptions in the enterprises:

1. It’s like web application

Reason: Some mobile app development tools require skills related to web development-related coding languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Reality: Web developers give more focus on the mobile experience of their websites, but, mobile application development is a completely new discipline that includes specific constraints like OS-related handling restrictions, offline mode, different app lifecycle, input types, and screen-size difference.

2. It’s easy to adopt

Reason: Employees use many types of applications on their handheld devices, and enterprise-grade mobile apps have functions similar to their work process.

Reality: Adopting a new app is like change, either big or small, in the workplace. Employees need some time to adapt to an app and will require experiencing all the benefits before integrating it into a daily work schedule. New processes introduced in new applications can pose a challenge for employees, and at times, they don’t pay any attention to any complex or difficult apps.

3. It can be built in-house

Reason: The app development technology is evolved with time and today, several online app development platforms are available for making enterprise-level apps with basic features and functionality.

Reality: Building an app in-house is still an exception rather than the rule. It is possible when experienced mobile developers are a part of a company’s workforce. Apart from developers, UX designers and testers are also necessary to come up with a business app with desired features and a seamless performance across various devices.

4. It is just like a Facebook app

Reason: Many entrepreneurs live in the dark about the efforts, skills, and number of people necessary for developing customized mobile applications for business.

Reality: An enterprise app requires integration of business-friendly features in a user-focused way and is completely different than a Facebook-type of the app. A lot of efforts along with expertise are necessary to give the same user experience as of Facebook from a business application. However, companies can go for developing an app as interesting as Facebook considering their resources and other aspects.

5. It will remain functional every time

Reason: Entrepreneurs enjoy uninterrupted data access at the office and believe that employees and stakeholders also get the same experience with the data every time.

Reality: Still many places have poor or no mobile internet coverage. Therefore, business owners need to consider many factors for keeping their apps functional every time. An offline mode is necessary for a business app. Also, these questions need to be considered while developing an enterprise app: Does it need to cache data? Does it require trying again on not getting any response from the server? Does it require a duplicate data? Etc.

6. It can be secured anytime

Reason: Most of the entrepreneurs are in hurry of deploying their apps on the market to tackle increasing competition. Their core focus is on the app’s functionality than its security.

Reality: Mobile apps are highly vulnerable to cyber attacks and companies are at risk of losing sensitive data and compromising users’ information. It is necessary for an app to authenticate and authorize the users. Also, an establishment of secure communication with the server is necessary. In brief, securing an app is a priority and needs attention before deployment.

7. It is fit for BYOD

Reason: Companies tend to make apps on the basis of the most commonly used devices. It is, therefore, assumed that the business app is fit for the BYOD concept.

Reality: It is always very difficult for the company to implement the BYOD concept in full swing. Some of the mobile app users bring in old phones with insufficient storage and at times, with the OS other than that is compatible with an enterprise app. Employees and other users may have different rates for upgrading their OS that leads to different versions. Therefore, it is advisable to keep a core set of supported devices with a minimal hardware specification and OS version for regular testing.

8. It does not require frequent updates

Reason: Core business processes do not change on a frequent basis. A mobile app that simplifies these processes also needs not to be changed regularly.

Reality: We get new OS versions and mobile devices after every few months. In this scenario, it is not necessary that if a business app works well today, it will keep on working tomorrow. Regular updates can make an app ready for the new versions of OS and different devices.

All these notions may hurt RoI numbers badly of any enterprises because they are directly attributed to company’s investment. The proper understanding of such mistaken beliefs can assist entrepreneurs to achieve business goals through customized mobile apps. Companies can avoid these common myths while developing a mobile app program and get the optimum outcome.

About the Author:

Nitesh Mishra has some 6 years experience in the software development industry. Initially a web developer coding in HTML/PHP/Perl etc., he later got into custom mobile app development and now has expertise in project management, working at IndiaNIC.

Tags: applications, enterprise, misconceptions, mobile