The document discusses cross-platform mobile application architecture for enterprises. It covers the need for enterprise mobile apps due to workforce mobility trends. It compares native, web, and hybrid approaches and recommends hybrid for supporting multiple platforms. Key elements of hybrid apps include device and screen agnosticism, offline storage, security, and access to device capabilities. Frameworks like Phonegap and technologies like HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript enable hybrid development.

1. Cross Platform Mobile
Application Architecture for
Enterprise
Venkat Alagarsamy
venkat.alagarsamy@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/VenkatAlagarsamy
https://www.scribd.com/VenkatAlagarsamy
https://www.facebook.com/Venkatachalapathi.Alagarsamy

2. Introduction
The abundance of the mobile technology, multiple
platforms, advanced smart devices and high network
availability triggered a sudden need for Enterprise
Mobile Applications.
It is a trend toward a shift in work habits, with more
employees working out of the office and using mobile
devices and cloud services to perform business tasks.

3. State-of-the-art Enterprise Mobile Application
 Device Agnostic
 Screen Agnostic (Form-factor)
 Network Agnostic
 Should Work even without Network
 Offline Data Storage and Data Caching
 Device data and Over-the-air data security
 High User Experience (User Friendly) (Touch – Swipe, Pinch and Zoom)
 Access to device components (Camera, GPS, Bluetooth, eMail, Messaging etc)
 Localization
 Push Notifications
 Single sign-on
 Forward/Backward Compatibility
 Store Management
 Maintenance, Scalability and so on …….

4. Native vs. Web vs. Hybrid (Application Features)
Native Web Hybrid
Graphics Native APIs HTML, Canvas,SV HTML, Canvas,SV
G G
Performance Fast Slow Moderate
Native Look and Native Emulated Emulated
Feel
Distribution Appstore Web Appstore

5. Native vs. Web vs. Hybrid (Device Access)
Native Web Hybrid
Camera Yes No Yes
Notifications Yes No Yes
Local Apps like Secured File S Shared SQL Secured File and
Contacts, Mail etc Shared SQL
Geo Location Yes Yes Yes
Swipe Yes Yes Yes
Pinch and Zoom Yes No Yes
Connectivity Online and Offline Online Online and Offline

6. Native vs. Web vs. Hybrid (Development)
Native Web Hybrid
Backward/Forward Moderate Very High High
Compatibility
Testing Easy Medium Medium
Debugging Easy Difficult Medium
Time to Market Low Very Good Moderate
Development Objective C, Java HTML5, CSS and HTML5, CSS and
JavaScript JavaScript
Frameworks LWUIT, J2ME Struts Phonegap,
Polish Sencha,
Convertigo

7. Hybrid Application
Hybrid application leverages both native and mobile web
technologies. The mix of web and native defines degree
of hybrid capabilities.
Gartner suggests to go for hybrid approach if an
organization choose to port the application in more than
two platforms.

8. Advantages of Hybrid Application
 Faster time to market when compared to pure
native app development time cycles
 Lower total cost of ownership as cross platform
adaptability is easier
 Reasonably good UX experience with the modern
JavaScript toolkits (gestures, swipes, tap and
transitions)
 Easy maintenance, upgrades and deployments
 Access to native features

9. Disadvantages Hybrid Application
 Slightly lower performance due to rendering of web
pages and accessing data through multiple layers
 Limited UX experience compared to native UI
 Security concerns

10. Some Key Technologies
HTML5 (Support- http://mobilehtml5.org/)
CSS 3
JavaScript
JQuery
Backbone
ExtJS
Node
Frameworks: Phonegap, Sencha, Convertigo
Testflight

11. Hybrid – Offline Storage
Offline DB: SQLite, UltraLite, GoogleGears
Offline Encrypted DB: SQL Cipher
Offline DB are Relational DB
Can perform SQL queries on this DB
Can store HTML code as part of a DB for
high performance

12. Hybrid – Security Risks
Cross site scripting (Prevention of malicious
scripts)
Cross site Request Forgery (Cookie thefts)
SQL injections
Secured local storage (encryption)
Data encryption: additional encryption may
be required for data transfers between web
and native contents or data storages on the
device database.

13. Hybrid – Performance
Service code (HTML and JavaScript) from
Server – This could be avoided by storing the
code either as a part of a footprint or in offline
data.
Loading of larger images – Store the data
locally then optimize and render according to
device factors.
Over-air-data transfer
Encryption and Decryption time
.

14. Hybrid – Architecture

15. Hybrid – Architectural Approach
(Custom Web Container – Component Access)
By leveraging WebKit engine, the custom
web container can provide access to devices
by messaging. The
WebKit engines are very native to each
platform
JavaScript or framework libraries can access
the WebKit engine APIs.

16. Hybrid – Architectural Approach
(Custom Web Container – Device Rendering)
Using WebView control (iOS UIWebView or
Andriod WebView), the hybrid apps renders
HTML5.
WebView uses the native browser rendering
engine and not the browser.

17. Hybrid – Build and Deployment
Once the application is developed, multiple
foot print for very device should be created.
There are tools available to do that (like
adobe for Phonegap)
The built application can be distributed using
app stores (Commercial or Enterprise)
If performance has to be improved, the web
content can be embedded on the device as
part of the local footprint.

18. Conclusion
If the application has to support more than
two platforms.
If time to market is low
Total cost of the ownership is significant
Uniform user experience across multiple
devices
Developers availability
Invest less, address wide and grow rapidly…