It is even more so for field sales where mobility and quick reactions, as well as interaction with prospects and clients, are crucial. There come enterprise mobile apps, the natural-born sales enhancers – see our compilation of the very best!

Linkedin Sales Navigator

For young sales representatives, Linkedin is already an essential tool to get in touch with prospects – it makes making connections easier and even cold mailings less annoying. The Sales Navigator is a unique application developed for sales reps to enhance credibility further and improve planning by getting to know the prospects more. No wonder reps like to take them on the road: Sales Navigator’s mobile app is especially useful in its selection of the most important features, like real-time update and recommendation of leads. LinkedIn’s dedication to cater more for this segment’s needs is shown by the latest announcements in March concerning the launch of a new enterprise product, and integrations offering new presentation and CRM-features.

Best feature: Real-time updates on saved accounts and leads

Mobile CRM (Salesforce and Co.)

Having a mobile version of the company CRM on their phones is a no-brainer for young professionals. Why wouldn’t someone use the advantages of having all client and prospects data at hand at all times? Salesforce and the likes have become popular because of the deep understanding of the sales professionals’ needs and providing them with a tool that covers all aspects of their work assignments. Think team synchronization, mapping routes, or e-signature.

Best feature: AppExchange in Salesforce, where you can find instantly connectable apps for even more productivity.

CamCard

An excellent addition to a CRM, CamCard assists the sales reps in archiving all the business cards they collect along the way. Many professionals have already discovered the method of making photos of cards and collect them in a separate folder, but CamCard takes this approach one step further by extracting data from the pictures and archive them. You can even exchange cards with colleagues or clients through the app. As simple as it sounds, the app helps to avoid making a small but annoying mistake that is possibly harmful to the business: losing valuable contacts.

Best feature: The app can process information in 17 languages.

Scolvo Sales

When the competition is heating up in financial services, utilities, or retail, salespeople need tools to tackle the challenges and beat the rest of the field in speed and personalization. You can assemble the Scolvo Sales application from pre-developed modules that are based on industry best-practices, can be customized in seconds, and giving you the advantage of a rapid implementation (within a few days). It helps sales agents track their tasks, performance, and access relevant documents for completing deals, as well as to add records themselves, such as notes or contracts.

Best feature: The user interface – it is so beautiful it makes you forget you’re using a business app and not a consumer one.

Sales Tracking Calendar

Sales pros are performance-driven and motivated by the numbers, so an app that assists them with tracking is likely to succeed. Sales Tracking Calendar by Pipeline Pro, as its name suggests, uses the calendar format to track data and calculate monthly achievements and remaining tasks based on the registered activities and set objectives. It also tracks the clients through the sales pipeline until the deal is closed.

Best feature: It creates a weekly plan based on the objectives, so you can focus on the clients and still hit your targets.  

Datanyze

Benchmarking and competition tracking is part of the background duties of B2B sales agents – these activities help find the best times to approach your prospects with an offer that you tailor to their actual needs. What Datanyze does is it analyzes data to determine which software your prospects use, which one they have just started or stopped using. It gives real-time insight into the technology choices and buying signals of business, also called technographics. It recently partnered with IVC and Interarrows to expand to the European and Asian markets.

Best feature: A scoring system that ranks your existing accounts and compares the best-performing ones to any new accounts.

Time Tracking

Although many of the apps mentioned above include time-tracking functions, when you don’t have access to any of these, it’s good to be at least in the know about your times spent on the job. There are several of such tools on the market, from the ones that are for self-control to those that are expressly designed to keep track of a whole sales team. The Timely app, for example, automatically tracks all the activities that you set in it, whether it be meeting a client, creating a presentation, or taking a lunch break – you can select which one of these might go in a final report. Another tracking app, VisitEye, does not only keeps a record of the activities performed, but also of locations, mileage, expenses, photos, and client-related info – everything related to a field sales rep’s working hours.

Best feature: scheduling and re-scheduling client visits based on real-time location data

The post Indispensable Business Mobile Apps Used by Young Sales Professionals appeared first on Scolvo.

The rise of the Millennial workforce and their addiction and affection for technology bring a lot of changes to corporate workflows. These young people, born between 1980-2000, are the largest generation ever to enter the workforce with 80 million (soon to be followed by Gen Z at the end of this decade with 23 million).

The right selection of workplace apps can engage or disengage young workers and attract or warn off talent. A recent study by Levo showed that this generation is especially concerned with the idea of productivity: however, while 93% of the respondents claimed it was an important factor, only 62% thought of themselves as being productive enough. They mentioned distractions (33%) and poor time-management (22%) as the top reasons for that.

There is also a “user experience gap” between consumer and corporate applications: no matter how many apps and software Millennials get to use at the workplace if they all look cumbersome and annoying. These young workers are used to the UX of Uber, Tinder, and Airbnb and hardly tolerate the business app selection lagging so much behind.

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Today’s mobile applications need to be as much appealing as functional. They need to facilitate real-time collaboration, to simplify complex workflows, and to help focus.

Following are 5+1 apps worth to consider if you want your new employees to be at their peak productivity levels.

1. Slack

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Type: Instant messaging

Why is it popular with Millennials? This generation has a need always to be connected, share, and get immediate feedback on their actions. It is simple enough in onboarding as well as everyday use, but the unique set of emojis give it an extra flavor and can smuggle in some prank to work. Slack currently has about 5 million daily active users, mostly at tech startups and companies with a tech-intensive culture.

Why is it a good work tool? Slack supports integrations with the majority of the other popular cloud services of the connected generation (see Trello as an example in our compilation). Instant messaging as the preferred form of team communication positively affects the responsiveness of the whole business. Unlike Whatsapp, its authentication is email-based, instead of a public phone number, so it provides a safer use in corporate settings.

The takeaway message for app development:

An ever quicker pace of communications forces companies to surrender to work chat despite their concerns (mainly about security). If you decide to add a chat feature to your enterprise app or integrate a third-party service, make sure it is equally appealing to young and older employees. One of the setbacks of Slack is that while it wins any tech-savvy, young worker at the office, it might be exclusive to other generations and those who belong to the late majority and not the early adopters of technology.

2. Dropbox

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Type: cloud data storage and file sharing

Why is it popular? For Millennials, cloud services are the default, and Dropbox has made its way to their hearts with its simple interface and seamless synchronizing features. It made an ideal tool for collaboration that this generation is so fond of. Dropbox started out as a consumer service but slowly caught up in business due to high demand. That is, its users wanted their personal favorite to become a work tool, too. The service had 500 million registered users last year. It has a 31% share among office workers aged 18-24 and 24% in the 25-31 age group, compared to a 16% average.

Why is it a good work tool? With the addition of Dropbox Business, the provider has taken steps to increase its level of security and also the admin options. The traditional strengths of Dropbox, easy sharing and collaboration are required in today’s workplace, regardless of the workforce’s tech maturity. Dropbox also integrates with MS Office, making the transition from traditional to novel workflows smoother.

The takeaway message for app development: Cloud-based file-sharing is a must for a business app. However, to use its full potential, it has to allow for easy collaboration and sync well with back-office databases.

3. Evernote

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Type: note-taking and productivity

Why is it popular? For note-taking, you used to need two things: paper and handwriting. Well, neither are on the list of favorite activities of Millennials. Contrarily, Evernote is a future workplace in itself: it accommodates written notes as well as any other type of document you can think of. Plus, it is always accessible in the same form on any device, even out of the office. This feature is convenient, and Millennials love convenience. In five years, its user base has grown from 34 to 200 million users in 2016.

Why is it a good work tool?  Sketching any idea they may have regarding work anywhere and anytime is a productivity booster. It is perfect for keeping meeting notes as well as to store receipts and invoices for reimbursement claims. Editing features include one-click checkboxes that quickly make any text a to-do list.

The takeaway message for app development: While you need to ensure all the apps support note-taking, you also need to make sure during the development that it doesn’t get too complicated. After all, note-taking is a simple activity, and it should stay that way.

4. Trello

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Type: project management

Why is it popular? The Millennial generation realized that, ultimately, all of their major life events could be considered projects: weddings, job applications, selecting a house, or organizing a party, etc. What is common is that these projects are often complex and hard to keep track of with traditional tools. A simple but still visually appealing interface makes the tasks less daunting and more manageable. Trello has 19 million registered users.

Why is it a good work tool? Millennials love multifunctional apps that can double as a personal AND work tool. Trello has a lot of possible uses to replace to-do lists and helps to manage projects across all departments. What’s more, it’s able to add structure to even the most frequently changing workflows. Its shareable nature makes it a great supporter of transparency, another value highly admired by the new worker generation.

The takeaway message for app development: in today’s multitasking environment, there is more and more talk about the need to focus and the appropriate methods to do so. Apparently, multitasking does not lead to such a productivity increase as focusing does. With a clear and concise user interface and a defined (or re-defined, if needed) workflow, employees can quickly overview and complete their tasks.

5. Toggl

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Type: time-tracking

Why is it popular? Time-tracking is sometimes a necessary activity that can also be painful, but Toggl managed to make it look attractive and easy. It’s integration with a lot of services, such as spreadsheets, project management applications or calendars make it popular among the fans of interconnected services.

Why is it good for work? It does wonders with all the data it collects: the reporting features of Toggl show this app’s potential to be a workplace favorite. While there is a certain charm of tracking your time for personal activities, the real deal is the business use because it directly connects to profitability. Especially in smaller teams, where no HR-department is watching over the people’s heads, but they still want to know if their time is used just right.

The takeaway message for app development: Apps that work across multiple platforms and devices are always the crowd-pleasers, and smart reporting wins the hearts of executives.

+1 Workable

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Image source

Type: HR/Recruitment

Why is it popular? This application has a lot of features Millennials value: it has a nice clear interface, stores all candidate information in one place, and makes it easy for recruiters to post job ads and keep track of postings. Young workers expect technology to be on top even in the HR-department. Young human resources professionals, just like the prospective candidates, like to access all the information on an application anywhere. It posts a job advert to several sites with minor effort. Workable also has a social aspect, connecting the hiring team to discuss work matters.

Why is it good for work? Companies need to be where they users are. Similarly, HR pros have to be where their candidates are, and it is mobile. A piece of well-crafted HR technology sends both parties the message of a modern workplace that cares for their time already in the application process.

The takeaway message for app development: Even if the application is primarily used by employees of business, it also has to keep in mind the client’s expectations. Think about your future app from the perspective of a customer: at what point are they involved in the workflow covered by the app? Will they directly engage with it, i.e. by completing a survey, checking data, or viewing a presentation? Or will they only get the impression of good or bad operations through your employee’s interactions with the app? Either way, think about how you can make it better for both.

Enjoy simplicity and ease of use and make your employees more productive in a days

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The post 5+1 Apps from Millennials that Double as Popular Workplace Tools appeared first on Scolvo.

A mobile business application is rarely a standalone tool: in order to maximize its potential, it has work in integration with the other applications and software already in use at the company. Depending on their complexity, integration can present certain challenges but, if carefully planned, it will bring even more rewards.

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Let’s say your company is committed to investing in mobility and you have done your due diligence in preparing for this project (this already puts you in a favorable position). You know what you expect the mobile solution to do and are aware of how much time it will realistically take until you can use it.

But your preparation can’t be complete without knowing the most common challenges along the way and sketching some strategies to deal with them.

Challenge #1: Interface and platform issues

Your new enterprise mobile app will need data to work as intended and, therefore, needs to be connected to a number of systems, like your CRM, ERP, back-office or business intelligence platforms. This connection or integration happens through interfaces – the problem is they are not all created equal.

General interfaces that are provided by the software’s developer are usually way too general. By the time you have to use them, the software itself is customized beyond recognition, and the interface has to follow suit. Enough to think about your ERP: such a complex system wouldn’t work so fine if its complexity were not adjusted to the business’ needs. But what about its mobilization then?

And we still haven’t mentioned that it is not just about mobilizing a single piece of tool. Ideally, you are mobilizing an entire workflow, which requires access to several platforms at once.

Luckily, you are not the only one trying to close the gap between mobile and internal access. The bottom line is that your selected mobile developer possessed the standard interfaces and skills for their integration for the most common business software. But it’s always a good idea to take one step further and have specific integration solutions.

Scolvo believes in making it simple for the client, by developing pre-specified interfaces that help the integration with the most common ERP and CRM tools, such as SAP, Salesforce, or Hubspot CRM.

Challenge #2: Security issues

So we have mentioned integrating at least two systems, and thus process will necessarily involve the exchange of data. And one side if it, sending company data to the mobile devices, is a sensitive issue that leads us to talk about security.

However, think about security issues not as something too dangerous that stands in the way of mobilization whatsoever. It’s not like walking into a tiger’s cage – you won’t consider such a move. Instead, think about it like you won’t quit driving just because your car can be stolen, rather you make sure to lock it before you leave it in public.

During integration, you can secure your data on several levels. For one, by checking on the security properties of the mobile device: data storage and communication settings are critical. A Mobile Device Management (MDM) tool can help sort this out with the software installed on both the server-side and the mobile device, giving the IT-department control over what actions the users may or may not take and what data they access. Through an enterprise app store, they can also control what apps can be downloaded to the devices.

For two, by securing the communication between the back-office and mobile platforms. The question to ask your mobilization partner is whether they are able to establish an indirect access to the critical business functions. It can be an encrypted channel that the mobile device uses to connect to the internal platforms.

In these in-between zones, mobile hosting servers can complete the requests of the mobile application by without giving access to the whole database. Insurance quotes are typical transactions where the task of making a calculation is managed by the mobile app, but the actual calculation happens on the server side, so the sensitive data is not getting transferred, only the end result of the calculation.

Challenge #3: Everyone wants to have a say

Although integration is a technical process, the challenges associated with it are not merely technical, but also human. Defined by the level of complexity on your part (and that of the legacy software or platforms), the parties involved in the mobilization process can be numerous.

The mobile developer, the legacy software vendor, the business unit heads, IT-leaders, PO’s must be on the same page about the goals and the methods used. While stakeholder participation is key for a successful mobilization project, it can also hold back the integration process.

The key to dealing with this challenge is to make sure everyone understands the technology involved in the integration process and finds its relevancy to their respective fields. The regularity of discussion throughout the execution of the project is also important, as well as establishing the most effective channels for the sharing of information.

Benefits of integration

And the benefits far outweigh the difficulty of working through these challenges, because the  integration of services adds value to all of the elements and, ultimately, to the complete business processes.

Sometimes it happens through automation, sometimes through streamlining, but the real-time sharing of data always brings improved productivity by reducing downtime and facilitating reporting.

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The post Understanding the Challenges Before Mobile App Integration appeared first on Scolvo.

Even the most elaborately planned or fully ready-made apps are not without their own challenges when it comes to implementation. Your clients will be grateful for your realistic but helpful approach in accompanying them on this journey.

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Your ideal approach is to help them face their challenges and find ways to overcome them during the implementation of an enterprise mobile application. Make sure they know how the implementation goes and what to do when challenges emerge.

Step 1: Negotiating a contract

During the planning phase of a mobility project, a business must decide for a development method for its mobile application: whether it will be coming from a software vendor as an off-the-shelf, solution, from a platform provider, or from individual development. Or, it decides for a new way of implementation that involves a ready-to-use, customizable solution.

Whichever the provider, it needs to have a detailed requirements lists from the client, in order to deliver exactly what’s needed. And here, let’s refer to the importance of planning again. Negotiating a good contract with a vendor or developer is 90% planning and 10% flexibility.

The series of decisions your client needs to make about a mobile application is partly technical, partly organizational. You can help most in the first one but can also stress the importance of the second: a mobile application fundamentally changes the workflows in an organization.

Step 2: Define a measurable outcome

A mobile app is useful for the business if it can contribute to its success. But how do you measure usefulness? A good mobile app improves productivity – that’s one thing that can be translated to numbers in the book. It can also be engaging, which has a positive impact on employee turnover rates and branding.

The number of active users, the hours saved, the number of new contracts or positive feedback from the users can all be measurable outcomes supporting the mobilization project. The rightly set measures, then, help to avoid the pitfalls of either getting enthusiastic about the new technology for its own sake or avoiding it altogether for its believed to deliver no returns.

Analyzing the client’s requirements will allow opting for the right solution in the right timeframe.

Step 3: Set the timeline: develop, install, configure, customize

Speaking of a timeframe: how long do you think an implementation can last? Anyone who has ever done it would say: it depends, but even forever. The most intensive phase, the development, requires a lot of resources, although the exact amount will depend on the type of chosen developer method and the type of app (web, native, or hybrid).

Decision-making, as seen above, is again a huge part of the time requirements of the development and implementation process. The more time it takes to launch the app the likeliness of delays increases and it makes harder and harder to keep stakeholders motivated. No wonder one of the most common requirements to an implementation is to make it faster.

A configurable, ready-to-use enterprise mobility product saves tons of time on the most resource-intensive phase, development, while it also makes it easier to install, configure, and customize the application. By selecting an industry-specific version, the app will come with the right features, and the minor modifications necessary to tailor it to the business take only a few hours.

Step 4: Test, test, test

Testing is a necessary step in the implementation process to review what is working and what is not, and decide if a change is needed. The first stage of testing is the job of the specialist developers who can find the bugs and also give feedback about them.

The functionality, usability, and consistency of the tool are then tested by the users themselves. Here is the first chance to close the communication gap between them and the developers who will be tasked to make improvements in line with the user expectations and experiences.

If it is clear that what they got is not yet the final product, users can give invaluable information on all aspects of the product, but, most importantly, on user experience. Employees used to tolerate the less-attractive apps but this has changed. The overflow of beautiful consumer apps calls for a worthy complement on the business side.

With a Scolvo product, though, the developer testing is already taking care of, and users will surely not have a hard time using the app that is so simple and comprehensible – it can be used from day one without any training.

Step 5: Launch

When all the tests have been completed and all necessary adjustments are made, the application is ready to launch. Unlike with consumer apps, the marketing element is not so significant: if the client has done a good job making the employees test the new tool, it won’t be coming out of the blue. If they have done an even better job listening to their feedback and applying the requested changes in functionality or user experience, then the app is really doomed to succeed.

But even with the most successful engagement or productivity metrics, the first few weeks or month of live usage is crucial. Checking the performance reports and fixing any failing functions is a smart way to extinguish the fires of rebellion and disengagement – and a good follow-up support program can be a strong argument for a vendor choice!

Help your clients overcome the typical challenges of mobile implementations – Join the SCOLVO partner community today!

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The post Step-by-Step Guide: How to Implement a Mobile App Without Going Crazy appeared first on Scolvo.

In the workplace of today, technology already takes the center stage, offering us all kinds of opportunities to improve productivity. Tomorrow’s improvements will be less visible than mobile devices appearing and paper disappearing: sensors all around us will make sure we do the most work with the fewer resources.

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What’s available today?

To some extent, every workplace is digital today and businesses are increasingly becoming digital businesses. From retail to utilities, companies are dedicating resources to digitize their operations. They’re right in that they have no more time to waste : SADA Systems’ recent survey shows 49% of the IT professional respondents said digital transformation was ‘extremely high priority’.

The workplace as we knew it has surely changed lately, in at least 4 ways:

• we mostly use digital input methods (including mobiles), trust our data mostly to digital storage and management (as paper-free processes proved to account for improved productivity),
• our communication focuses collaboration (that has no obligatory ways or channels),
• and digital output methods are almost exclusive.

The technology, the new tools businesses give to the employees, are not just necessary enablers of the new ways of working but they are also important part of the work experience that is demanded by today’s workforce.

Talent wants to feel good while working, whether it is in the workplace or on the road. So the employers are getting them devices (that have come a long way from laptops and mobile phones to smartphones, tablets, and even wearables) and equipping them with enterprise apps. Consumer and business tech are used parallel and that improves instead of hindering productivity.

As a consequence, today’s digital workplace is (at least) double-faced: in the physical office, the focus is on being social and collaborative, while remote working promotes productivity in a personalized setting.

Schedules and locations are changing for each and every employee and they become flexible as remote working has become widespread (in great part due to mobile technology). It is an undeniable trend: according to an IDC estimate, there will be 105 millions of mobile workers by 2020, at a population growth rate of 2 million per year.

What can you expect tomorrow?

The workplace of tomorrow will, therefore, not be driven by unmovable physical objects or hierarchies, but by the values individuals’ works add to the overall performance. These values have to be transparent and shared throughout the workforce to ultimately form a company culture.

Besides these value-based traits, three other characteristics will also be omnipresent in tomorrow’s workplace:

• full digitalization and the art of extracting meaningful data to create new services,
• mobile technology that adapts to people (with an even stronger focus on user experience),
• and a shift from IT to other departments in making technology decisions.

In the near future, workplaces will also become totally paperless – so businesses will need more server storage space instead of file cabinets and apps instead of more devices or departments. Technology will be needed to better organize the workforce that is not in the office and may not even be directly employed.

The human workforce will mostly be used to perform the creative or managing tasks, while the Internet of Things (IoT) takes over the repetitive tasks and the collection of data. According to BI Intelligence, there will be 34 million of connected objects globally by 2020, requiring enhanced management practices and security measures.

Despite the risks, the future is rather bright: the IoT world will again give a boost to employee productivity and operational efficiency. Intelligent buildings equipped with cameras, thermostats, and other sensors, and controlled by mobiles, will be able to optimize the environmental impact and the working conditions for people and track assets.

They will heat and light only the rooms where there are workers, assign workspaces, monitors water usage, give location-based access to services, and locate objects within the territory. IT security and physical security will work in collaboration to prevent or manage unwanted events.

Help your clients accelerate their digital transformation with mobility solutions – Join the SCOLVO partner community today!

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Mobile applications for the retail sector have developed way beyond the consumer space: many solutions are available for business partners to increase B2B sales and for employees to make work outside of the office more productive.

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In an effort to connect the online and offline channels, retailers have already been convinced of the advantages of a consumer-facing mobile app. Subsequently, such apps have taken the consumer space by storm: nowadays, 37% of shoppers have more than six of themon their phones.

These applications are likely to be well-known for you, either as shoppers or as a professional looking at the industry from a technology perspective. But there is more to this story: in an infinite aim to please the almighty customer, retailers have to think outside the box and find processes to optimize in the background.

B2B Apps in Retail

B2B customers are not less demanding than everyday shoppers: they want a seamless shopping experience. So the approach for developing a targeted mobile app would be the same and the process they go through.is not entirely different, either. Already in 2015, two-thirds of companies with a B2B focus said they offer a mobile app to clients as a primary marketing tactic, a Regalix Research survey showed.

What is different, though, is that productivity and efficiency are more in focus as they are directly related to business performance – a metric private shoppers don’t have to care about. With 75% of B2B customers using their mobile devices at some point of a purchaseand the consumer technologies penetrating this space, it is imperative to meet the needs of this audience for better business results.

Points of optimization:

• Pre-purchase research

A mobile application is a powerful tool in helping customers find what they are looking for. When the e-commerce content is redesigned and optimized for each channel consistently, B2B shoppers will find it quick and easy to identify or know more about a product. Mobile is also perfect to offer location-based services, helping customers find products based on where they are.

• Improving business efficiency

B2B buyers usually deal with a lot of products at once, shopping or returning items in bulk. In order to make this process smooth, a clutter-free mobile application can add much value. Successful apps keep only the features that are relevant to this mobile purchasing flow, like bulk buy, change of orders, check inventory, return items, and also make access to relevant documentations like invoices easy. Secure mobile payment adds up to the experience.

• Post-purchase issues

Every retailer knows that a purchase is not the end of a business relationship. Through a mobile app that has an easy way to contact the customer service, sellers can solve their customers’ problems easily without causing any other. Even if there is nothing be taken care, it can be nice to share purchasing history and other statistics with the customers through integrating the mobile app with selected databases.

B2E Apps in Retail

Efficiency is not only important for the buyer but also for the retailer itself. To achieve new levels in their field service or sales teams, businesses equip them with a mobile device and a dedicated enterprise app.

Points of optimization:

• Sales team management

In a workplace with a typically hard access to computers or classic workstations, a mobile application is a way to better manage the sales team. Through an app that is optimized for retail sales processes, the store managers can easily monitor, measure, and enhance their team’s performance by, for example, fine-tuning workflows or better scheduling tasks. They can even send out push notifications to staff about their shifts and assignments. Training elements can also be integrated in a mobile application, shortening onboarding times for new colleagues. Mobile tools can also enable chain managers to simplify the collaboration among branches or brands.

• In-store inspection

Store inspectors are the field workers of retail and, as such, the most obvious targets for mobility projects. With an enterprise mobile tool at hand, they can put in real-time data on demand and supply, check the actual inventory, and give feedback on the individual store’s performance for quality assurance. Backend integration makes it possible to run a competitor analysis.

• Supply chain optimization

With an access to corporate data that doesn’t depend on the user’s location, the efficiency of the supply chain’s operation can be improved and the whole process shortened. Real-time inventory data helps businesses plan better for delivery and storage, and up-to-date product information increases flexibility across the supply chain. Customer feedback can also appear instantly on the users’ devices and eventual problems can instantly be managed.

Let your clients enjoy the power of mobility optimized for their industry – Join the SCOLVO partner community today!

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The post 6 Points of Optimization in Mobile Retail Apps appeared first on Scolvo.

Clients usually overestimate the risks of using a mobile apps for business – developers, on the other hand, tend to underestimate them. Your task as a consultant is to meet both of them halfway. And, in order to do so, you should be aware of the industry standards, best practices, and user-generated issues that would have an impact on security.

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There are many ways to secure an enterprise mobile application, and in most of the cases, some combination of these methods will lead to a truly secure outcome.

If part of a solid IT security policy, or, rather, a mobile security framework, that’s a good start. Then comes the assessment of risks regarding the mobile applications and finding the right solutions to control the security of all the elements of the mobile workflow.

Prevention and protection is of equal importance: you can read about the basics of this concept in a previous SCOLVO blog. This time, we present the major checkpoints mobile solutions need to pass to be considered secure.

Checkpoint 1: The Code is Secure

The absolute minimum due diligence from the part of a mobile app developer is to use secure codes. During the development, there are several steps to ensure that no malicious code could appear at any stage of the process, through reverse engineering or tampering or in any other way.

By encrypting the code, it will hardly be accessible to those with bad intentions. Audits, reviews, penetration testing, and releases pending on security expert approvals can further enhance security and ensure that vulnerabilities are discovered on time.

When a code is publicly readable, its flaws might become attack surfaces and the application itself modified. Then the business runs the risk of users downloading the modified version and become targets of attack.

Checkpoint 2: The Data is Secure

In the case of enterprise apps, the data, often sensible with significant business value, is stored on the users’ devices. Developers need to use special encryption algorithms (SCOLVO, for example, uses elliptic curve cryptography) to protect these data from misuse. Data can also be encrypted by its elements to make its transfer safer.

Also, the algorithms used for encryption should be up-to-date, in order to provide maximum security: good development teams closely monitor the latest trends and best practices industry-wide to select the most effectives security solutions.

Data leaking from mobile devices and apps is a threat that should be taken seriously. In a report by Lookout and Ponemon Institute, the economic risk of a mobile data breach is put as high as $26.4mn, adding the two-thirds of the companies had already had some kind of mobile breach to pay for.

Checkpoint 3: The Access is Secure

We all know how insecure passwords can be: so many users are just unaware of the security risks certain practices or their devices pose. Still, poor password management can be fought with encryption methods, but even better is a role-based access that provides an extra layer of security by only allowing the user to see the information essential to his or her job. Different profiles can then be managed by an Identity Access Management system.

According to Gemalto’s Breach Level Index, identity theft is the most common type of breach with a 58% share of the total and counting.

The good news is that even small, competent teams that use the right tools can effectively protect their business users from failing this way by encrypting sensitive information in configuration files, and making sure all security settings are turned to the maximum by default.

Checkpoint 4: The Communications are Secure

Communications between the mobile app and the backend systems or third-party services should be secured by proper encryption and authentication. A common protocol is a basic authentication with SSL/TLS encryption, while communication in production environments can be made secure by the involvement of certificate authorities.

Checkpoint 5: The Third-Party Services are Secure

In protecting an application against malware or fighting attacks, a third-party service provider, usually for cloud infrastructure, can play a key role. Since they prone natural targets for a security breach, developers should be aware of the security and risk management programs of their provider. (At SCOLVO, we choose Amazon Web Services, the leading IaaS provider in Germany, that meet the major security certificates’ criteria and is regularly audited.)

They also have to assess the risk of each provider, depending on the sensitivity of the data they have access to, especially since the number of data breaches associated with these providers have increased by 22%, a PwC report shows. Furthermore, advertising and analytics can be gateways to security breaches, as they usually involve a better-than-average amount of data transfer.

While cutting back on these activities and sticking to the core functions can be a viable solution to decrease the risks, it is not always the most wanted. Regular monitoring of activities of the application by the development team and saving data to other storages allows the organization to prevent attacks or fixing vulnerabilities in time.

Let your clients enjoy the power of mobility without complications – Join the SCOLVO partner community today!

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In mobilizing a business, there comes a point when the price of a certain development has to be considered. Given the highly customized nature of mobilization projects, the exact costs will depend on the details, but it’s good to know what the typical components of a developer quote are.

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The main impact factor on the cost of mobile development will be the type of solution provider you choose. Software product vendors, mobile platform providers, and custom application developers all have their different methods of pricing their services. Then there is also a fourth category, with companies like SCOLVO, that offer yet another approach by combining the advantages of off-the-shelf products and individual developments.

Full house of costs for full coverage of processes

Those businesses that want full control over the outcome of the development of their mobile apps and want an end-to-end solution with full customization of a certain workflow will have to pay its price. While it may not be the most expensive solution, it is certainly the one with the most cost components to consider (not to mention the time requirements).

There will be costs associated with planning and designing the mobile software, as well as the building of features and a matching infrastructure, not to mention the administration, testing, and deployment phases that will all demand financial resources. In practice, that means the developer team will give you a calculation that will contain their hours for the various components of the project. Note that maintenance and updates go on top of that!

Separating basics and customization

With mobile platform developers, the clients can choose which components they would like to buy and which are to be assigned in-house. The clients can save time on coding the most common functions and focus on the customization of the functions and the user interface.

The provider will charge for the hours of the selected pre-configured components, based on the size of the storage needed (infrastructure), the number of users (features), push notifications, and social network integration (user engagement). They also offer scalability options.

However, there will be a need for another major bucket for the spending on in-house developers who will make the translation of a complex process happen, with full customization. These people will have to be highly trained professionals with the matching employment costs.

Saving costs by adaptation

Software product vendors, typically ERP-providers, tend to offer a mobile version of their applications. Since these systems are pricey enough, they tend to offer the complementary solution for free or included in the monthly subscription fee for a small extra. From a price structure/cost breakdown perspectives, this makes it very simple for the clients to calculate the costs of a mobile solution.

But more often than not, mobility projects are not just a simple translation of a desktop workflow that becomes accessible on mobile devices. ERP’s tend to be especially complex and if all features, or just not the right ones, are included in the mobile solution, then it becomes unusable, or will not drive major growth in productivity. The fact that it leaves almost no room for customization is a definite setback also when considering the prices.

Going for simple but flexible

A new, innovative approach to mobile app development has emerged recently, offering a solution for those who find the platform providers too expensive, the software product vendors not flexible enough, and don’t want to engage in software development from scratch. As well as the service ready-to-use customizable development provides, the pricing structure will also be quite different from the others’ mentioned above.

The final price can be calculated adding up two components. First, clients will have to pay an initial implementation fee, the amount of which depends on the required features and integrations. The second component of the price is the monthly subscription fee, for which the client gets regular software updates and new releases for the same bundle. Its amount depends on the number of users of the application, presenting different opportunities for small, medium, and enterprise-level user groups.

By carefully considering the purpose of the mobile development and selecting the most suitable development method, clients can make themselves familiar with price structures and further specify the details of the project.

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In your function as a system integrator, mobile developer, software product vendor, or IT-consultant, you are likely well aware of the usual phases of a mobile app implementation. You are also aware that this work cycle can last quite long, with all sorts of unexpected turns along the road. But are you aware that there are quicker and less painful ways?

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Time for the Market to Change

With innovations disrupting the mobile app market by the day, the implementation process can have many more shapes, with shortcuts you would have never imagined. Enterprise mobility development doesn’t have to be an individual one. It doesn’t have to be customized to the extremes.

Still, the market is only slowly turning to the new direction where the phases of planning, development, testing, and launch either disappear or transform to support effectiveness. As a recent Gartner survey revealed, the majority of business keep focusing on custom development, while it is more and more urgent to get up to speed to keep up with employee demand as well as competition. It’s time to change perspective and welcome the solutions that shorten the development cycle!

For one, you can opt for off-the-shelf solutions if you have a general problem to solve and the process you wish to mobilize is not too industry- or company-specific. A setback of these apps is, however, that they leave no space for customization, should you need any, while you pay for features you know you won’t be using.

Luckily, there are also products that combine the advantages of off-the-shelf solutions with those of in-house development. They are simple enough to enable the workers to use them right away, but also allow the businesses to customize many parts of the application easily.

The Quickest Method

You will be surprised how much time and cost can be saved by that unique approach. Instead of the average 18 weeks of mobile development and a common mobility budget of $250,000-$500,000, using a configurable, ready-to-use app might result in an implementation within a couple of days and costs reduced significantly.

By choosing these apps, you will only join the development cycle at the last phase, the actual implementation, supported by a professional partner. Some planning will be required prior to meeting your partner and the app developer, but, ideally, the whole process of planning the features, the look, and the use of the app is already done by the latter.

Instead of working out the technical details of the app development, you can focus on what workflows you wish to mobilize and how your users will profit from it, instead of dedicating much more expensive resources to coding, designing, and testing.

In practice, this means that you will need to set aside some time to select the features you need from a finite selection based on industry standards. Then, you can make the minor adjustments through a web interface: think about authorization settings, necessary attachments, or if a certain function requires employees to upload photos of videos.

If there is no need to integrate the application with a backend system, you’re done with the whole implementation in a day or two. However, if you do need integration, that’s the part that cannot be saved neither with custom development nor with tweakable off-the-shelf solutions. Depending on your efficiency, it could add to the time spent, but should still be covered by the several weeks you’ve saved on the development process.

Updates

In the long term, there is one more step that you have to take into account from time to time: updating your app. A mobile-enabled business can only stay competitive if it makes sure the application it uses keeps up with industry or business trends. So mobile development is always an ongoing project, however, if the process was smooth enough initially, you can count on your provider to make updating painless, too.

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