5 Challenges for Enterprise Mobile App Development in 2019

5 Challenges for Enterprise Mobile App Development in 2019

Since users tend to access Google Search through their mobile devices in 2019, Google has announced its mobile-first approach. Essentially, Google carries out indexing and ranking processes through a mobile version of its content. Therefore, mobile app development has become the key to the future of the industry and more and more companies start assessing their level of mobile transformation maturity

2019 has witnessed the tendency to incorporate mobile devices into the enterprise environment to satisfy user’s on-the-move needs. Yet the growing demand for mobility has created many challenges for enterprise mobile app development. Though this market niche offers countless opportunities, there are also many pitfalls along the developers’ path. 

Here are five of the toughest challenges that an enterprise mobile app development faces in 2019.

Finding the Right People

The complex and multifaceted nature of enterprise mobile app development demands a great deal of professionalism from developers. The most successful mobile app development companies hire a broad spectrum of specialists, including software and hardware engineers, designers, testers, developers, and project managers. 

However, while the number of computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 12 percent by 2028, creating over 546,200 new jobs, the number of new graduates from related fields falls short of demand. 

Since there is a shortage of in-house specialists, many companies outsource their enterprise mobile app development. Although this might sound like a convenient solution, hiring remote employees raises challenges such as communication between employers and employees. No matter how professional developers are, they will struggle to fully understand the internal environment of a company, as well as its needs and tastes. Without proper communication, one cannot be sure that the final product created by outsourced enterprise app developers will match one’s expectations. 

It is a number one priority to hire the best fit for your company and project, which you can do asking potential partners the right questions. After you make the choice, it is essential to make sure that the developers understand your company’s internal processes and IT environment; thus, give them as many details regarding the desired app as possible.

Security Challenges

The recent news concerning Facebook database leak has proven that security is one of the most crucial aspects of enterprise mobile app development in 2019. Databases of enterprise applications contain important documents and valuable information that can easily become an object of theft. As a result, the company will bear substantial financial losses or even suffer from much more severe consequences. 

It is the prime responsibility of developers to devote the bulk of their attention to mobile app security measures when they develop an enterprise mobile app. 

However, it can be a challenging task to do so. 

That is why enterprise app developers should keep track of any vulnerability in the application’s code, as well as be able to mitigate and eliminate sudden issues quickly. There are many effective tools, like OWASP Top 10, that might be helpful to detect various possible vulnerabilities, including broken authentication, data exposure, injection, etc. 

The usage of encryption significantly strengthens protection against security threats since it requests both Password and PIN for accessibility. Another way to promote security is to impersonate mobile apps.

The top mobile app development companies utilize SSL certificates to ensure users that their application is secure enough and safe to use.

Emerging New Technologies

Another challenge is that enterprise app developers should always stay updated on ever-emerging technologies, AI and Blockchain use for mobile app development and IoT app development among them. The fast tempo of development in hardware and OS (Operating System) technologies also makes it harder to keep up to date and develop an enterprise mobile app that is relevant.

In the run-up to technological singularity, the large volumes of enterprise iOS app development may daze even the best application developers. Numerous mobile app development companies struggle to adjust tooling features to their apps. 

While it once took months for enterprise iOS app development to deliver a new product, now novelties take a matter of days to appear. 

Since this is not a temporal phenomenon but rather the beginning of a fast-paced race, developers should take action and track down new technologies. Unless they want their app to become dysfunctional in its embryonic stage.

Device Fragmentation

The growing necessity of Device Fragmentation poses yet another challenge. Less than a decade ago, device fragmentation was an insignificant issue since developers could focus their attention on a particular number of platforms and OS that are utilized by the enterprises. However, in 2019, enterprise app developers should take into account new policies of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). According to the fundamentals of the policy, employees are allowed or recommended to use personal mobile devices (including laptops, tablets, and phones) to access corporate databases.

In 2019, it is crucial to develop an enterprise mobile app that supports a plethora of mobile devices and works on all possible platforms. 

There are several methods undertaken by the majority of developers to optimize enterprise mobile applications across different mobile platforms. The first approach involves the consideration of the most convenient platforms for the smooth operation of an enterprise mobile app. Then, choosing one significant mobile app and transferring it to all platforms might also become an efficient solution to the issue.

User Interface

The success of an enterprise mobile app depends on the specifics of the UI (User Interface). It is the experience of a user that determines whether your app is going to hit the spot or face a slow death. 

As the study shows, users often abandon a mobile app if they are not satisfied with an interface and design. There is also a great risk that the app will be abandoned after the first use. In most cases, this is due to the poor level of user experience.

Of course, it is a challenging task to develop an enterprise mobile app that would meet all of the users’ requirements and satisfy the needs of mobile app branding. Nevertheless, if this app has an intuitive interface, allows fast connection to the server, and has a responsive website, then its chances for creating a great user experience are high.

It also has been demonstrated in practice that a minimalistic design and eye-catching icons and elements of gamification significantly contribute to optimal user experience.   

Final Thoughts

Enterprise mobile app development is a challenging process that requires a great deal of advance preparation and consideration. Finding the right staff, ensuring information security and device fragmentation, implementing emerging technology, and building a great user interface is the key challenges enterprise mobile developers face.