IT teams must go into the
mobile
app development process with a strong plan for
implementation. Know which tools and types of apps work best for the
organization ahead of time.
Organizations that plan
to implement a custom application face a number of decisions about how to build
the app.
Before diving into the
process of mobile app development, IT teams and developers must first decide
what type of app to develop and deploy based on user needs. IT must also decide
whether the app should run on Apple iOS devices, Google Android devices or
both; they might also want to support Microsoft Windows devices or even
BlackBerry devices.
Many IT teams deploying
mobile apps are now turning to mobile backend as a service (MBaaS) for their
infrastructure needs. MBaaS decouples front-end development from the back-end systems.
Effective MBaaS provides the services necessary to support apps throughout
their lifecycles, as well as for integrating with other systems and managing
security and synchronization. As with other services, however, IT must ensure
that MBaaS can integrate with its existing systems and support operational
workflows, without interfering with desktop and application management.
Another consideration in
the process of mobile app development is whether to build native, web or hybrid
apps. Native, built-from-scratch apps generally perform better than other app
types and can take full advantage of the device's built-in features. Native
apps are more difficult and costly to build, however, because developers must
create a version of the app for each supported platform, often having to learn
new languages and systems in the process.
Web apps are much simpler
to build. They're based on open standard technologies, such as HTML5, CSS
and JavaScript.
As a result, they can run on any device with an HTML5-enabled browser, making
them much cheaper and quicker to implement and maintain than native apps.
The hybrid
app falls somewhere between the two. It uses open standard technologies
like web apps, but can take greater advantage of a device's native features.
The hybrid app uses the same core code for all platforms, but for each
platform, the code is wrapped in a platform-specific shell. This makes it
possible to access many of the device's native capabilities.
As part of the overall
process of mobile app development, an IT team should take into account their
users and the app's purpose. For example, they might want to invest more in
customer-facing apps than those used only internally. If a web or hybrid app
can provide the functionality necessary to support the workflow, there is no
need to invest in a native app.
Lastly, IT teams and
developers might also consider tools such as mobile
application development platforms (MADPs) or rapid mobile application
development (RMAD) services to accelerate the process
of mobile app development. MADPs and RMAD tools offer end-to-end software for
building, deploying and managing apps. For an organization to use these tools
effectively, however, it must provide the ability to easily integrate the apps
into existing systems.
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