Press Releases

Majority of Companies Investing in Custom Mobile Applications

Study From AppCentral Shows Over 60 Percent of Companies Have at Least One Custom Mobile Application in Use

SAN FRANCISCO, California – Aug 23, 2012 – AppCentral®, the leader in mobile application management, today announced findings from its report “Custom Mobile App Usage in the Workplace.” Based on a survey of over 200 mobile device users from over 100 companies, the report sought to understand trends in the use and deployment of custom mobile applications in the enterprise. According to the report, the majority of companies surveyed indicated that they have made at least one custom mobile application available to their employees, and are at some level of maturity when it comes to adopting enterprise application stores. In addition, funding for these mobile projects is most often provided by individual business units, including marketing, rather than the information technology (IT) group.

“As the workplace becomes increasingly mobile, custom applications have emerged as a way to streamline how companies engage customers, improve employee productivity and boost revenue,” said John Dasher, VP of Products and Marketing at AppCentral. “More and more we’re seeing individual business units within the organization, rather than IT departments, lead the way in terms of mobile application development and deployment.”

Key findings from the survey include:

• Custom mobile application use is on the rise: According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents indicated their organization had made at least one custom mobile application available to them; almost half of the respondents have up to five custom mobile applications and roughly a quarter (23 percent) have access to more than six.
• Field enablement reigns supreme: The most common custom mobile applications were for field enablement (17 percent). Other common applications include customer service (13 percent), approvals (13 percent) and utility applications (12 percent).
• Business units are footing the bill: According to 36 percent of respondents, the main funder of mobile projects are individual business units, while 31 percent indicated that funding comes from marketing and executive leadership programs. By comparison, IT departments funded mobile projects in only 29 percent of companies.
• Business growth a main driver: According to respondents, increasing employee productivity, revenue generation and improving customer engagement are of greater importance than technology advancement (such as product improvement).
• Enterprise application stores are becoming more common: According to the survey, 53 percent of respondents indicated their organization was at some stage of maturity with regard to enterprise application stores.

Download a full copy of the “Custom Mobile App Usage in the Workplace” report.

Online Resources

• For more insight on mobile application management, visit AppCentral’s blog.
• Follow AppCentral on Twitter for updates on enterprise mobility news.

About AppCentral
AppCentral® makes it easy for enterprises to distribute, secure and manage the mobile apps that are driving new levels of productivity. Through a cloud-based, customized app storefront, AppCentral makes mobile apps and data instantly available to authorized members of the extended enterprise – employees, contractors, and ecosystem partners – even on devices beyond enterprise control. By focusing on apps and data, not the device, you exercise both content and brand control, effortlessly updating, tracking, and reporting on content. Learn more at www.appcentral.com.

Media Contact:
Katherine Nellums for AppCentral
415-432-2451
katherine.nellums@lewispulse.com