Smartphones and mobile devices are now integral parts of our day-to-day lives. They are also essential and incredibly powerful business tools. New technologies and applications that enhance the way businesses use mobile devices are constantly being created. This innovation results in an ever more competitive marketplace where companies have to focus on leveraging their experience and increasing their efficiency.
Enterprise mobile application development is a key part of maintaining your edge in today’s globalised, digitised world.
What is an Enterprise Mobile Application?
Enterprise mobile applications are software designed for mobile devices such as smartphones. These applications are specifically built by and for individual organisations or businesses. The main aim of enterprise mobile applications is to enable employees to be more efficient in their work, help companies maximise their revenue streams and minimise their losses.
Unlike apps that are designed to be used by the general public, enterprise mobile applications are designed to only be used internally by businesses for specific purposes. These applications are usually restricted and can only be used by authorised employees.
Rather than products to be monetised, enterprise mobile applications are business assets that are crucial to day-to-day operations. For this reason, enterprise mobile applications are not available for sale to consumers.
In many cases, an enterprise mobile application comprises a combination of different types of software that enable employees to perform tasks or duties more efficiently.
The Different Types of Enterprise Mobile Applications
A business may need to develop a range of enterprise mobile applications to perform different functions within the organisation. Because the needs of each individual organisation are unique, it is difficult to accurately categorise enterprise mobile applications. However, in general, we can separate the types of enterprise mobile applications into three categories:
- Employee-level applications – Employees often need a dedicated enterprise mobile application platform to assist them in performing their duties
- Management-level applications – Management also requires specialised enterprise mobile applications that can be helpful in problem-solving or in monitoring productivity and performance
- Company-wide or department-level applications – There may also be enterprise mobile applications that are rolled out for use across an entire company or applications that are specific to a certain department. For example, an application that assists the finance department in keeping track of payroll or an application that all employees use to clock in and out of office hours
We will now take a closer look at two of the most common types of enterprise mobile applications and provide an overview of how they can work separately and in combination with each other to streamline business processes.
Management Enterprise Apps
Management enterprise apps are specifically designed to help business leaders oversee various departments. They often incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), business intelligence (BI) technology and powerful analytical tools to provide essential information on operations and profitability in real-time.
These types of enterprise applications can provide essential data that assists business leaders in making strategic decisions on the direction of the business. For instance, a management enterprise application can provide up to the second information on the performance of a new product in the marketplace or give details on how much customer engagement a marketing strategy is generating.
Likewise, management enterprise applications can greatly assist in monitoring KPIs, both in terms of individual staff or department-level performance and the performance of the organisation as a whole.
Examples of management enterprise apps include HR management apps that make it easier for management to reach HR representatives when they are travelling. These applications also make it simpler for HR employees to perform their duties, such as monitoring payroll and staying on top of issues such as staff absences. Enterprise resource planning applications can automate business processes and provide valuable insights into how various departments are performing individually and in unison.
Other common examples of business management applications include:
- Inventory management applications
- Communication applications
- Accounting applications
- Schedule management applications
- Demand forecasting applications
Team Collaboration Software Apps
Team collaboration software applications are usually rolled out on a department level or company level. These applications are specifically designed to assist employees in communicating with each other. Often used by companies that have staff in different branches or have staff that travel regularly, team collaboration software applications provide staff with a way to communicate in a secure manner regardless of the geographical distance between them.
Team collaboration software applications are commonly used to help employees in performing their daily tasks and are often utilised as training tools for onboarding new staff. These apps can provide crucial data so management and HR personnel can more effectively track employee performance and productivity. These types of apps often incorporate features such as video conferencing to facilitate meetings as well as live sharing so corporate documents can be discussed amongst colleagues.
Another use for team collaboration software applications is as a tool for customer relationship management. Diverse departments within an organisation can easily communicate with one another to compare notes, share data and metrics and solve issues. Team collaboration software applications are often built with functionalities that allow them to act as content management systems. IT staff can collaborate with their colleagues and act to update websites and systems in real-time.
The Advantages of Enterprise Mobile Applications
There is a range of benefits associated with enterprise mobile applications. Regardless of the scale of your organisation or what business sector you operate in, enterprise mobile applications can assist you in streamlining your processes and enabling more efficient ways of working with your colleagues and your customers.
Enterprise mobile applications can be used as tools that enable easier HR management systems. Employees can be more efficiently and effectively monitored. Staff absences can be more easily logged, and training processes can be made more efficient.
Finance departments can make great use of enterprise mobile applications to develop better, faster and more accurate accounting processes.
Management and business leaders can use the data provided by enterprise mobile applications to develop enhanced logistical management solutions and optimise workflows across an entire organisation. By improving the management of data, enterprise mobile applications assist business leaders in making more informed decisions on the direction of the company.
Enterprise mobile applications enable the development of a truly extended enterprise. An enterprise mobile application is not only for use by employees working on computers. It can also be used on a smartphone or other mobile device by all employees, as well as partners and suppliers.
This flexibility means that all types of enterprise mobile applications can be deployed to all types of devices used in any way the company chooses. An enterprise mobile application can be designed for use on either a professional company-only smartphone or a personal smartphone used for both private and corporate purposes (Corporate Owned Personally Enabled or COPE devices). Enterprise mobile applications can also be deployed on personal smartphones as part of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy.
However, when using any type of enterprise mobile application, an organisation must first ensure that its mobile communication systems are safe and secure. To prevent data loss, a business needs to use an effective and reliable mobile device management (MDM) system.
Deploying an enterprise mobile application to all business smartphones via an MDM will ensure that corporate data is safe in the event of a privacy breach or a lost or stolen phone. An MDM system can also be used in conjunction with the enterprise mobile application to enhance features such as performance monitoring.
How to Deploy an Enterprise Mobile Application Platform
Working with a dedicated enterprise mobile application development company can streamline the deployment process. In addition to ensuring that the rollout of an enterprise mobile application is smooth and efficient, partnering with an MDM company can provide a range of vital features for your mobile system.
The enhanced security that an MDM solution provides is integral to the deployment of an enterprise mobile application platform. MDM systems can effectively protect sensitive corporate data and keep it separate from personal data. This prevents security breaches and ensures that a business remains compliant with privacy regulations.
Many of the features of enterprise mobile applications can be augmented by the addition of an MDM solution. Auto-configuration and monitoring capabilities can be greatly enhanced, for example.
Appaloosa can assist companies with developing and deploying enterprise mobile applications. Our team of experts specialises in Android and iOS MDM solutions. We can design bespoke MDM solutions for BYOD devices and for corporate devices.
Appaloosa can assist you in finding the ideal enterprise mobile application for your needs with stringent AB testing and app development services, efficient mobile application distribution and complete app management solutions. Email and push notifications can make sure that all users are aware of upgrades and maintain the latest version of the software.
Once your enterprise mobile applications are deployed, we will ensure your network stays safe with robust security solutions such as single sign-on capabilities, remote wiping, geofencing and more. Visit the Appaloosa site today to see how we can help your company deploy enterprise mobile applications that will boost your security and enhance the way you do business.