The Evolution of Enterprise Apps

• More people own mobile smart devices now than ever before.  Many analysts predict that number will only rise in the years to come.  Even mobile web traffic is expected to overtake desktop, browser-based Internet usage eventually.  As the population becomes more mobile, businesses must hone their mobile offerings.  Often, these offerings are in the form of enterprise mobile apps.Whether the app is developed in-house, or a company hires a third-party developer, mobile apps are crucial to realizing increased returns on customer- and employee-facing investments.  From the smallest startups to the largest corporations, the benefits of enterprise apps are numerous.

  In San Francisco, for instance, cab and car services illuminate the positive effects of a strong mobile footprint. Not more than a few years ago, taxis and car services were available by making phone calls, or by walking to the nearest busy intersection and waiting.  Now, car services build their entire business models on the foundation of mobile apps.  Download the app, input credit card information, set a location, and voilà!

  How about newspapers and magazines?  What better place to read news than on daily commutes to and from work?  Now, smartphone and tablet applications make it easy for publications to charge customers for content, and deliver the content whenever and wherever a customer desires it.

  Business-to-business applications continue to grow in popularity as well.  Consider the evolution of office communications.  First, the phone; then, email; now, enterprise apps on corporate networks allow employees to easily share meeting reminders and documents, with the push of an on-screen button.  These apps are especially important for the productivity of remote and field-deployed employees.  Travel and geographic dispersion are no longer problematic.

  Business apps open up new sales channels for companies.  CRM and order placement apps allow for better customer lead management and for more efficient transactions.

  Even mobile apps are evolving.  Once written for native platforms, mobile apps now appear in the form of web apps, hybrid apps, even HTML5-driven apps.  This benefits the entire mobile application ecosystem, as developers and enterprises can test their mobile strategies across multiple platforms more efficiently than ever before.

  As companies shore up their mobile strategies, customers and enterprises alike will continue to reap the benefits.  Thanks to mobile enterprise applications, organizations can streamline business processes, and connect with a wider range of customers.  The mobile era is here, and enterprises are seeing the rewards for their mobile-facing efforts.