Gartner Catalyst Session: MobiCloud: a novel infrastructure for developing and managing corporate appstores

1. MobiCloud: a novel infrastructure
for developing and managing
corporate appstores
Xavier Aubry, Appear

2. 2
Agenda
• Key Challenges of Corporate Appstores
• The 3C of MobiCloud: Cloud, Context and Cross-Platform
• Implementation Example
• Key Take Aways

3. 3
Corporate Appstore Benefits
Manage corporate
mobile applications
across their entire
lifecycle, from
development to
deployment and
support
Integration
Deployment
Use
ManagementTroubleshooting
Analytics
App
Development
IT Mgr
Users
Developers
Support
Diagnostics
Managers

4. 4
Corporate Appstore Infrastructure
Platform SDK
Ready-made
Apps
Agile
Development
Continuous
Integration &
Testing
Change
Management
Employee Appstore

5. 5
• Taking control of heterogeneous mobility
initiatives: platform vs silos
– Early trial silos will grow and become full
production silos, so adopt a platform
approach
– It’s good to let your business units run wild
with new application ideas, but it’s wrong to
let them do so without guidance
– A failed trial is one more nail in the coffin of
your mobility strategy: you only have once
chance to impress your end-users, get it
right from the start!
Key Technology Challenges

6. 6
• Ensuring robust and cost-effective
integration with legacy systems: rich SDK
– About 50% of a new enterprise mobile
application’s code is related to the back end
integration connector
– Poorly designed connectors are a major
point of failure of the overall system
– The connector needs to support the
current back-end configuration (and any
subsequent upgrade that the back-end
vendor will implement without letting you
know!)
Key Technology Challenges

7. 7
• Re-using existing code base: ready made
apps vs custom developments
– Forget about “there is already an app for
everything in public appstores”
– But don’t try to reinvent the wheel every
time a new business request comes and
spend 6 months building a new app from
scratch
– Best of both worlds: ready-made enterprise
app templates that can be easily
customized to your needs
Key Technology Challenges

8. 8
• Involving end-users as early as possible
in design phase : agile development
• Keeping flexibility during deployment
phase: continuous integration and
testing
• Ensuring end-user adoption and
compliance: change management
Key Process Challenges

9. 9
Lessons Learned from MobiCloud Project
Founding partners

10. 10
Building the Right Ecosystem
CLOUD
MobiCloud Platform
CONTEXT
CROSS-
PLATFORM
MobiCloud SDK
ApplicationDevelopers
System
Integrators
Business
Users
SaaS
Providers
Independent Software
Vendors

11. 11
Selecting the Right Architecture
Back End ERP
Systems
Operations
IT Support
Team Leader
Field
Employees
Connecting Back-End
Systems
To Field Service
Employees

12. 12
Cloud – Cheaper, Leaner, Faster
• Flexible capacity
• Pay as you go
• Switch to OPEX = immediate ROI
• Continuous deployment = supporting
rapid end-user iterations for
maximum benefits

13. 13
Context – Enhanced Workflow
GPS: N 59°38.304’ E 17°56.368'
ID: Certified Engineer #42
Current Task: Airframe Check
External Temperature: -10⁰C
Asset Number: LN-RRB
Closest Mechanic: Larsson, Ulf
Right Information
Right User
Right Place
Right Time

14. 14
Context – Advanced Ergonomics
Context Strategy : Deliver genuine and ergonomic ‘app experience’.
Apps must deliver a true business functionality related to core business processes,
unlike many apps that are merely pared-down websites disguised as apps.
Context Status
Info (ex location,
route, etc.)
Context-filtered
messages
Context-aware
shortcuts (most
relevant
applications)

15. 15
Cross Platform – Native vs HTML5
• Native, Hybrid or Web?
• Show of Hands
– How many type of OS are you planning to support: 1,2,3, more?
– Have you selected an architecture: none yet, native, web, hybrid, other?
• Mobile Development Myths

16. 16
Mobility Transformation @Costain
Highways
Nuclear
Airports
Education
Water
Rail

17. 17
Mobility Transformation @Costain
• Developing a series of user cases to help drive
efficiencies in time and cost into current
processes both on site and in other areas of the
business
• Identifying key user cases and develop these
into working mobile applications for trail and
release across the business
• Creating a full suite of apps to replace inefficient
paper based and disjointed processes on site,
whilst backing up data in a cloud based system
• Offering these apps to Costain employees and
subcontractors in an corporate app store set up

18. Mobility Transformation @Costain
Using a standard
iPad, a site engineer
can document
construction project
events and
transparently sync
them over the air, in
realtime

19. Lessons Learned
Patrick Okkersen, EsperantoXL

20. 20
Previous experience with mobile helps adopting better
strategy

21. 21
BYOD BYOD is unavoidable

22. 22
Close collaboration in design

23. 23
Do gentle deployments

24. Join the MobiCloud
Community:
www.mobicloudproject.eu