Investing in custom enterprise mobile apps to boost your operational efficiency can be a game-changing move. Yet, doing so brings many challenges, such as picking the proper applications to develop or deploying them throughout your workforce. App management can be tricky and you need to pay attention to it if you are to completely leverage your mobile ecosystem. That’s why you need to consider implementing an enterprise app store.
What’s an Enterprise App Store?
The name itself pretty much gives it country email list away, but an enterprise app store (EAS) is a portal or hub where a company puts all its mobile apps, whether they’re for iOS, Android, or other operating systems. The main goal of an EAS is to provide employees with a centralized repository of all the enterprise applications recognized and used by the company.
An EAS is a critical part of mobile app management strategies, mainly because it optimizes the provision and management of the company’s own mobile environment. Using it implies that employees can quickly access the latest versions of the mobile apps they need to carry out their tasks without having to go through any intermediary.
Benefits of an Enterprise App Store for the Company
Developing an EAS might take some time and effort, but doing so can result in several benefits. The most notable include:
- Complete overview of the mobile ecosystem and its use
- Control of costs related to apps
- Customized security for internal mobile apps
- Detailed insights about mobile app use
- Possibility to develop beta tester programs for app improvement and refinement
- Contribution to company’s corporate culture
These benefits become evident from the first day a company launches its EAS. However, you should know that the benefits aren’t guaranteed. For you to enjoy them, you’ll need to properly design and build your EAS, a process that should take into account the following aspects:
- Great UX. The EAS should how to create a timeless website that will still make you money in 10 years! be easy to navigate and use, have a seamless and smooth performance, and boast an intuitive interface and enough features for users to take full advantage of the hub.
- Detailed information. Just like it happens in commercial and public stores (like Google Play and Apple’s App Store), your EAS should provide enough information about each and every app you put in there. Users should be able to enjoy app previews and descriptions and even have a review system to provide feedback for each app.
Enterprise App Stores or Public Stores?
Reading all the above might have you thinking “Why going through all that trouble? I could use Apple’s App Store or Google Play to distribute my apps.” You can certainly do that but it’s better if you don’t. There are several reasons why an EAS is better than public stores.
For one, you want your apps to remain resource data available only to your own employees (and selected partners, if applicable). When you put your apps in public stores, you’re giving anyone the chance to download and dissect your apps. This is a dangerous practice because it opens a vulnerability front through which any malicious actor can study your apps and find breaches to exploit.
There’s also the matter of convenience. While not particularly difficult, forcing your employees to find your apps among the millions of available apps in public stores can be tiresome. Even if you distribute internal lists with all the links to your apps, you’re still asking people to surf a vast platform to find what they need.