Last week, I started a blog series about the 5 parts of an enterprise-grade mobile environment. In the first blog of the series I described the first piece, mobile apps, of the puzzle in my post. In case you missed the first three, you can read both by clicking on these links: 5 Parts of an Enterprise-Grade Mobile Infrastructure Blog Series – Part 1 , 5 Parts of an Enterprise-Grade Mobile Infrastructure Blog Series – Part 2, and, 5 Parts of an Enterprise-Grade Mobile Infrastructure Blog - Part 3.
A reminder that there are 5 pieces that make up an enterprise-grade mobile environment and I will explain each part in this 5 part blog series. Today I will focus on the fourth piece of the enterprise-grade mobile infrastructure puzzle. It is the ‘application management’.
Application management refers to the ability to manage an application, its lifecycle and how and who uses it. Activities associated with application management include mobile governance, application development and mobile application maintenance. You may ask be wondering how significant this part is in the big picture of a mobile strategy. Here are some figures to help you evaluate mobile application management and its importance to an enterprise-grade mobile strategy:
44B mobile downloads by 2016
Juniper Research – “Mobile apps stores: future business models and ecosystem analysis 2012-2016” – Apr 2012
41, average number of mobile apps per device
Nielsen – “State of the Appnation – A Year of Change and Growth in U.S. Smartphones” – Mar 2012
25, average number of business apps to be deployed in the next 2 years
McKinsey & Company – “Mobility disruption: A CIO Perspective” – Sept. 2012
Application management is a critical part of the mobile infrastructure puzzle and applies to any type of mobile device model including corporate-liable, personal-liable or mixed approach to mobile devices. In the recent Mobile Device Management Underpins A Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) Strategy Forrester report, Figure 5 outlines that top application management features that firms plan to deploy in the next 12 to 18 months. The top 3 are:
- App Usage monitoring and logging
- Enterprise-grade application store for corporate apps
- App self-service portal
I suggest that you read the Forrester report to learn more about the application management requirements and features that firms are
looking to include in their mobile infrastructure. For the top 3, I have provided more materials for you to use to educate yourself.
App Usage monitoring and logging
The SAP Mobile Management team recorded a ‘Real-Time Mobile Devices, Apps, and Expense Management’ Webcast that I suggest you watch to find out how to gain real-time insight into your mobile workforce to reduce costs and improve mobile user experience. Discover how to leverage intelligent device presence, valuable carrier data, and powerful mobile analytics by using the SAP Afaria rapid-deployment solution to effectively manage mobile apps, content, usage, and devices.
Enterprise-grade application store for corporate apps
Many companies have already developed a handful of mobile apps for their consumers and employees. As companies and their ecosystem continue to add mobile apps to their portfolios they will be challenged to provide a streamlined process or resource that organizes their mobile apps. There is a solution to address this challenge; it is the enterprise app store. Visit this store to see how one works and test it out.
App Self-Service Portal
You can test drive a mobile device and application management tool today. Visit the SAP Afaria trial site and download to experience an app self-service portal for yourself.
This concludes part 4 of the 5 pieces that make up the enterprise-grade mobile infrastructure. One more to go!
- SAP Managed Tags:
