Scalability:

Creating point solutions that don’t scale across an enterprise can be costly in terms of development, management and maintenance. Apps need to be conceived holistically with consideration for lines of business, processes and technical environments.

Integration:

IDC has

pointed out

(PDF, 611KB) that “...applications offered on mobile phones and tablets have a separation between the mobile app and back-end business logic and data services.” Being able to connect logic and data services to the app is critical, whether the logic and data are on premises, on the cloud or in hybrid configurations.

Reuse:

Over 105 billion mobile apps were downloaded in 2018.

6

Many are, or can be modified or combined, for business applications. Using existing apps accelerates time-to-value and improves cost efficiency by taking advantage of domain and industry expertise built into the app.

Cloud-based development:

The cloud offers an efficient platform to develop, test and manage applications. Developers can use application programming interfaces (API) to connect apps to back-end data and focus on front-end functions. They can add authentication to bolster security, and access artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive services.

Mobility management:

As mobile technology is deployed, organizations look to enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions to configure devices and apps; track device usage and inventories; control and protect data; and support and troubleshoot issues.

BYOD:

Bring your own device (BYOD) is an IT policy that allows employees to use personal

devices to access data and systems. Effectively adopted, BYOD can improve productivity, increase employee satisfaction and save money. At the same time, it presents security and device management

questions that need to be addressed

.

Security:

The mobile security battle is daunting in terms of volume and complexity. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a key weapon to discern security anomalies in vast amounts of data. It can help surface and remediate malware incidents or recommend actions to meet regulatory requirements from a central dashboard.

Edge computing:

One of the key advantages of 5G is that it can bring applications closer to their data sources or edge servers. Proximity to data at its source can deliver network benefits such as improved response times and better bandwidth availability. From a business perspective,

edge computing

offers the opportunity to perform more comprehensive data analysis and gain deeper insights faster.