A recent international survey found that 90% of IT managers will implement new mobile applications this year, with almost 21% introducing 20 or more applications into their organisation. IT managers further anticipate supporting about eight different mobile platforms or operating systems by the end of 2011.
Supporting one product on one mobile platform quickly becomes prohibitively expensive and resource-intensive. This is multiplied exponentially with every additional mobile product added, and is compounded when more than one mobile platform is supported; supporting multiple mobile channels like USSD, mobile Web, mobile apps and SMS makes this task almost impossible. However, this is exactly what has to happen if companies wish to reach their market on mobile devices.
It is widely acknowledged that the only viable solution for the above problem is a mobile enterprise application platform, otherwise known as a MEAP.
Gartner predicts that by 2012, 95% of the world's organisations will standardise on a MEAP offering, moving to re-usable platforms instead of building ad hoc mobile solutions that only support a single application. This prediction makes further sense when understanding that many large enterprise companies have between 10 and 30 products and services that could be taken mobile. This view is echoed by multiple other international research houses, like Forrester and Yankee.
What is a MEAP?
MEAPs are frameworks that provide toolsets enabling the development, deployment and management of mobile solutions that may run on multiple mobile devices and platforms. Generally, MEAPs will synchronise data from various enterprise backend systems and provide it in a suitable format for the mobile devices. Most MEAPs provide tools for mobile device management, mobile application development, development environments, monitoring, system integration, network management, device provisioning, standardised security and device mobile monitoring. In short, they enable companies with the ability to extend products and services to device-agnostic mobile channels.
The main advantages provided by MEAPs are that they enable mobile solutions to run on multiple mobile operating systems, and in some cases, support multiple mobile channels. Development on a MEAP is far less complex and far quicker than developing the same application in the native language across multiple mobile operating systems.
Several companies are opting for the path of least resistance.
Arno du Toit is CCO for Virtual Mobile Technologies.
Currently, most companies in SA have an ad hoc approach to mobile projects. In most cases, very little is understood about the mobile habits of the intended market and what mobile devices they use. Several companies are opting for the path of least resistance and choose the mobile platform that generates the most market hype and is the easiest and quickest to develop for. Currently, this is the iPhone on the upper end of the market, or USSD on the lower end. However, iPhone is also currently the mobile platform with the smallest market share in the South African market, while USSD offers the same user experience as MS-Dos from the 80s.
This approach is largely being driven by the cost associated with supporting applications and multiple channels on multiple mobile devices, the complexity of directing and maintaining the development effort and the difficulty of differentiating possible solutions, mobile channels and benefits.
The problems mentioned above are to a large degree solved by MEAPs, by providing a single framework from which a company can extend its services to multiple devices, mobile platforms and mobile channels. MEAPs are enterprise-focused and cater for several enterprise requirements. In general, an enterprise company is concerned with the following:
* Market reach (device support)
* Security
* System integration
* Support
* Impact on resources
* Keeping technology relevant
* Keeping solutions relevant
A fully fledged MEAP will address all of the above requirements and enable a company to manage their mobile strategy with a small, single team or as a managed service.
It is important not to confuse MEAPs with mobile platforms, which in general are only focused on the development phase of applications and not geared towards enterprise requirements.
Making sense of MEAPs
MEAPs are aimed at enterprise solutions, companies that require more than one application or have several business units that may require mobile solutions, need to reach multiple mobile devices and platforms, or reach multiple mobile channels like applications, mobile Web and USSD.
Gartner suggests the break even for ad hoc custom mobile development versus MEAP development lies at three or more applications; however, experience suggest the impact of one cross-platform mobile solution in general is so large that in many cases a MEAP provides the most efficient solution.
Many companies and third-party development houses underestimate how resource-intensive managing mobile solutions in-house is, and they do not take into account the scope of the initial development, maintenance effort, staying relevant with new technology, supporting new mobile operating systems and the niche development skills required for developing, distributing and managing mobile solutions.
Miscalculating the above generally has one of two outcomes: a large amount of money is spent and eventually the mobile strategy is abandoned; or a mobile solution is created that works on a tiny subset of mobile devices that only reach a fragment of the market.
A MEAP makes sense for just about any company looking at launching a mobile strategy. To a very large degree, MEAPs significantly reduce the risks associated with going mobile; it removes the need to choose between mobile operating systems, mobile channels and mobile platforms; significantly reduces development and maintenance cost; and should keep a company's solution relevant as technology changes in a rapidly changing environment.
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