Enterprise App Stores on the Rise: A Look at the Growing Trend and Its Future Impact
The world of enterprise technology is on the brink of a revolution, as the rise of wearable devices and the increasing popularity of mobile-first enterprises are set to take enterprise app stores to new heights. According to a recent survey, 68% of executives consider wearables a priority, with apps like Salesforce for Apple Watch being a major catalyst.
In sectors such as retail and financial services, enterprise app stores are being developed in-house. This strategic move is seen as a source of competitive advantage, as these industries have strong customer experience teams fluent in app development. The enterprise app store offers a simplified technology landscape, allowing users to access both consumer and business apps through one portal, thereby providing more autonomy in how they work.
Dashboards are becoming the industry standard for demonstrating the Time to Value (TTV) and Return on Investment (ROI) of a new software solution. These flexible, accessible, and interactive tools facilitate a high level of interaction between employees and senior management.
However, there is a disconnect between how applications are used by employees and those that are deployed, secured, and managed by IT departments, according to Nick McQuire, VP enterprise of analyst firm CCS Insight. To bridge this gap, IT teams are increasingly outsourcing the development of enterprise app stores due to a lack of skills and the organization change required to rapidly get apps out into an enterprise.
As companies move away from legacy technology and embrace mobile and wearable devices, the technology and applications used by businesses and consumers will become increasingly indistinguishable. Analytics apps, in particular, provide the right information at the right time, helping employees make faster, more accurate decisions based on the data they have in the apps.
Zahid Jiwa predicts that we have only just started to scratch the surface of enterprise app stores, and many more companies will deliver very powerful apps and make these available via stores. Enterprise app stores are evolving to become universal, used for desktop, virtual, and mobile apps. This universal concept is likely to be pushed across the enterprise landscape to include all aspects of software needs.
The popularity of enterprise-built app stores for deploying and managing business-approved apps across mobile and desktop is expected to continue. According to Gartner, a quarter of all enterprises worldwide are predicted to have an enterprise app store by 2017. The US Federal Government is already ahead of the curve in developing an enterprise app store, and other public sector organizations are expected to follow their example.
The rise of the enterprise app store is also driven by the ability to commoditise analytics within a business, allowing data scientists to perform analysis and 'operationalise' insights via 'info apps' for frontline employees. CIOs are stepping up to enable apps in a way that's centrally governed, as a response to the consumerization of IT and the demand for more accessible and efficient apps.
Despite the numerous benefits, the management and deployment of enterprise app stores are still in their infancy for most organizations. However, as these tools become more ubiquitous, it's not hard to imagine a future where you'll be able to run your business from your wrist, rather than from your phone.
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