In the weeks and months ahead, we’re going to take a close look at each of the industries in which our clients operate, including print & digital media, beverage distribution, the U.S. military, Federal agencies, professional sports, and automotive.

For starters, it makes sense for us to talk about the success of a client we’ve highlighted a few times — USA Today. Our blog readers and podcast subscribers know we are proud of how things have progressed in terms of that partnership. And if things were status quo, we’d have plenty to be happy about.

But things are hardly status quo. They continue to evolve right in step with global goals defined by USA Today’s parent company, Gannett. When we began the relationship, the goals were straightforward; our express purpose was to help provide the Digital Media Team with reliable, ultra-granular consumer app performance analytics for their USA Today app. That data would inform all manner of consumer/subscriber interactions, improving the user interface and maximizing mobile-presence monetization.

Fast forward to today, and App47 is the means by which USA Today is creating a unique internal app store experience that allows for easy distribution and deployment of mobile apps to Gannett affiliates around the world. This means news-hungry organizations on every continent can use the same technology, platform and build process that has helped create USA Today’s award winning mobile app experience. Today, affiliates have the ability to access the USA Today MAM platform to view, update, and analyze their mobile apps, preserving consistent USA Today identity as content is delivered to consumers.

This consumer consistency is important to the brand managers, but it’s also critical from a tech perspective. Gannett manages almost unthinkably massive content systems. Legions of writers, editors, photojournalists, videographers, pundits, and bloggers worldwide create a daily deluge of information.  Unifying the systems that process and move this content to digital subscribers streamlines the workflow and keeps the content fresh — an imperative for any news organization. And with App47 they are also able to standardize the method of app distribution and management for their affiliates.

We’re definitely proud to be part of the reason that Gannett confidently claims it “informs, inspires and entertains millions of people at home, on the go and around the world.”

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We must really fit the bill, because App47 is the SaaS Newswire Mobile App Management pick.

The distinction also went to Avectra for association technology, SocialCast for private community/social networking, and Vocus for public relations/government relations software.

Congrats all around!

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Curiously, however, enterprise mobility is in its infancy. But clearly, the consumer adoption is driving a rapidly accelerating pace for businesses.

Let’s let Andy explain! Click here to listen to the latest episode! 

And if you’re a What’s ‘Appening fan, you can look forward to some great episodes in the near future, including conversations with mobility thought leaders from Kinvey and Windward ITS.  The best way to keep up is to subscribe, so click here and do it already!

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Our friends at Fixmo are right in the midst of managing the transformative impact of mobility on government. Granted, it’s no easy task, but the appeal of going mobile is proving irresistible to myriad government agencies and organizations.

As explained by Fixmo’s Randy Siegel in the Washington Post earlier this week:

Federal employees are saying, “Not only do we want to play Angry Birds and get onto our Facebook accounts . . . we want to use these relatively inexpensive and powerful information tools to do our work.”

That sentiment is driving what might be the most pleasantly surprising aspect of enterprise mobility in the industry: the government as an early adopter.

What’s more, these agencies are setting very high bars in terms of performance. What the consumer might see as “good enough” is not cutting it. The security standards and best practices are unshakable, and they are pushing mobility providers to bring their absolute A games. Yes, that means a lot more work for vendors, but that adds up to a much more robust enterprise solution.

Mobility within government is pushing the envelope of what’s acceptable, and it’s demanding much more than any minimal viable product mentality that might cut it with consumers. This speaks to the maturity of enterprise mobility solutions. Multiple platforms, security imperatives, ceaseless user demand — it adds up to a marketplace that is both relentlessly demanding and exhilarating. Right where we want to be.

The post With Enterprise Mobility, The Federal Government Leads the Way (Seriously) appeared first on Enterprise Application Management | Mobile Application Management.

While the team is still keeping their eyes open for what the enterprise mobility marketplace might need down the road, they are also evaluating an increasing inflow of customer suggestions (for example, the latest enhancement of Self-Service Registration).

Click here to listen in!

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Unlike traditional GUI development for desktop or web applications, the rule for mobile apps is that less is more. When you design a mobile application interface, think simple, and think easy.

That’s straightforward advice for any mobile app developer. Read the whole post here.

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As explained by Chris in a blog post last month, “[our most recent release was] especially exciting for us because these improvements were implemented in response to features our user base is requesting.”

Well, the trend continues, because less than a month later, we’re releasing another update that adds a feature our users have been hoping for: Self Service Registration for app store users.

Self service registration means a new level of managerial convenience for our clients’ control of their enterprise mobility lifecycles. The days of having to handle yet another repository for Usernames and Passwords are over.

Now, users just need to click on a self service registration URL via their device, then follow the familiar protocol of entering an email address, followed by creating and confirming a password. After that, a quick click on the Activate App Store button and the installation is underway. This is also especially well-suited to devices that might be tied to a vehicle or a kiosk, which are typically accessed by multiple users.

To our customers, we say thanks again for driving the development of a new feature that will really improve the usability of our MAM solution. Users can self-register, devices can self-provision.

So, what do you want next? We’re listening!

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China itself? A different story — a mystery, in fact. The technology is everywhere (device distribution is in the millions) but that country’s government doesn’t make it easy for innovators to flourish. Doing business in China means starting a Chinese company, and running software in Chinese data centers. The relationship between apps, devices, and carriers is also very different. You can’t get to Google Play on an Android device built in China, for example. You have to go through a specialized app store that’s actually tied to the carrier.  And if you want your app in that carrier-controlled marketplace, again, you have to partner with a Chinese company. Certainly not insurmountable challenges, but not nearly as inviting as the environments of other Asian nations.

What has stuck with me most (aside from my experience eating jellyfish for the first time) is an overall cultural comparison between East and West with respect to consumer and enterprise mobility. We all know that consumer mobility in Asia is always ahead of the curve. People there embrace mobile innovation with an enthusiasm that makes our waiting in line for the next iPhone at an Apple Store in Manhattan look tame. They’re mad about mobile. Everyone is head-down with their devices.

You’d expect the same kind of excitement when it comes to enterprise mobility — but I was genuinely surprised to see that they’re actually well behind U.S. adoption. Enterprise mobility in Asia has really just started to wind up during the past six months. Granted, it’s going to be huge, but those markets can actually learn from us. It made our expertise feel very valuable.

One of the coolest aspects of the trip was the realization that I was essentially surrounded by apps all the time, and — get this — they’re evolving beyond mobile devices. I saw two incredible demos of these “smart coolers” that will soon be in convenience stores in HK. The clear glass doors of the familiar stand-up refrigerators themselves have LED displays. Seriously. The doors are becoming smart surfaces. You’ll be able to interact with them directly, as well as through your phone. Here in the U.S. mobility and computing are becoming aligned. In Asia? It’s going beyond even the device and becoming about the apps, which look like they’re about to live almost anywhere. I didn’t expect gamification of a future six-pack purchase, but I’m really looking forward to it!

Everywhere I looked, that level of app-augmented reality was there. And it was reaching out to interact with me, with my smartphone, creating a new reality of user engagement that just has to be around the corner here in the U.S. Asia goes all-in with mobility when it comes to the consumer. They’re catching up with respect to enterprise. We have plenty to learn from each other, and I’m excited to see it all happen.

Thanks, MoDevAsia!

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Those might be fine for consumer apps, but the demands of enterprise necessitate a different app store approach. To quote Chris:

“App distribution for the enterprise is a different animal. It needs to cooperate with diverse platforms, it needs to effortlessly push out the latest version and ensure adoption, and it often needs to operate within the parameters of a particular licensing limit.

This is where the advantages of your own, enterprise-owned app store are obvious. They become portals packed with an approved, updated, secure suite of apps. Employees know which apps they can use, they know they’re getting updated versions, and they know they are dealing exclusively with company-approved apps. This is especially significant in the face of today’s top-of-mind security concerns.”

Click here to read Chris’ entire post on the Big Nerd Ranch blog. 

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That, Andy maintains, is what can sell a mobile app’s impact short. App management and analytics is about a lot more than just installs and upgrades. That is, quite literally, just the beginning. Analytics should be about a much larger picture that folds in factors including distribution, fault detection, configuration and security.

What all that really adds up to — what the entire enterprise mobile app lifecycle constitutes — is the evolution of apps from disruptive innovation to management situation. Like any technology, mobile apps require management once they solve a challenge, and overlooking their need for smart management is putting their performance at risk.

His MoDevAsia talk is really as much a history lesson as it is evangelizing on behalf of enterprise mobility. Consider, for example, how wireless networks have had to contend with the explosion of smartphones and tablets, devices that put completely unanticipated demands on data channels. This raises the question of what we are trying to protect with respect to mobility. Is the priority the device? The app? Industries of every stripe, from appdev to operating systems, are shaping answers to these questions that form the very definition of enterprise mobility management.

For us, as articulated today by Andy in Hong Kong, is that the power lies in the data. The best way to protect that data, whether in a mobile IT environment or any other, is a layered approach that accounts for devices, platforms, networks, and apps. It’s the timeless thinking that we can’t set aside just because we’re enamored with the latest breakthrough. We need to check our history, learn from it, and move forward as informed as we are eager. That’s how enterprise mobility will capture all four corners of the globe.

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