Mobile applications have become a business focal point

When dealing with the question of mobile devices in the workplace, leaders are now forced to choose whether to stifle, ignore or foster this activity. The first option could lead to inefficiency and the second to security risks. It increasingly appears that the third option is the way forward. Specific efforts such as mobile application development could help your company empower its workers and become a more effective force in nearly any sector.

Recent survey demonstrates app and iOS use
Some organizations have already begun to embrace mobility as an efficiency tool. CIO's Al Sacco recently reported that industry research has revealed a pivot toward app use, alongside a strong preference for devices running Apple iOS, with Google's Android in second place. This, Sacco indicated, is an inversion of the consumer marketplace, where Android is in the lead.

Sacco stated that the survey, released by Good Technology, demonstrated a large rise in the number of applications used by enterprise employees. Rather than just a natural consequence of rising device numbers, the survey's authors indicated that there has been a change in strategic priorities on the part of businesses. Applications are now part of the fabric of office life.

According to Sacco, the report found that many more firms are developing their own applications than have done so the past. Between the third and fourth quarters of 2013, for instance, the amount of activity around custom application creation increased by 55 percent. This large shift is more pronounced than the Q2 to Q3 increase of 52 percent.

Prepare your app strategy
The rising popularity of custom applications can serve as a warning sign: If your firm is not experimenting with this form of technology deployment, you may soon find yourself out of step with the rest of the industry. This could involve realizing that other firms can keep their employees productive and connected while they are on the go, sharing information and engaging with important projects from outside the office, while you might be unable to replicate this capability.

Fortunately, becoming capable of mobile application development is not difficult. It is a matter of giving your departments the proper tools. Progress® OpenEdge® Mobile may be this difference-making technology. This is an element of the Progress® Pacific™ Platform-as-a-Service offering that enables the creation of smartphone and tablet applications that work with both iOS and Android, without using either Apple or Google's proprietary languages. A quick refresh of tools for development and operations employees may be what it takes to join the mobile app world.

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