‘Develop Your Own App’ set to transform web and mobile enterprise apps

When it comes to app development, it is no longer the sole responsibility of the IT department. End-users can access a candy store of low-cost, easy to use applications on a daily basis and make use of them in their personal lives. It is no wonder the consumerization of IT is impacting the expectations and methods of employees. As such there is an increasing amount of pressure put on IT, developers and CIOs to keep pace with user demands or risk employees taking IT decisions into their own hands.

Businesses must address the disconnect appearing as employees are asked to hold off deploying their tech know-how in the work environment. The IT department is often playing catch-up, initiating tech solutions in response to the demands of its employees rather than proactively instigating them. Users are increasingly expecting access to sophisticated enterprise apps that have the same aesthetic, capabilities and access as the consumer apps they know and love.

The trends of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ and ‘Bring Your Own Application’ have proven the power of employee pressure on enterprise IT strategy. End-users are now keen to work as efficiently and productively as possible and look to the IT department to facilitate such solutions. Equipping individuals to work from their mobiles is no longer enough. Practices need to be put in place to ensure applications function smoothly across any device, in any location and with sufficient security on each. The 'mobile first' approach to app development no longer goes far enough in equipping end users seeking agility, flexibility and productivity over and above anything else.

The Develop Your Own App (DYOA) trend is therefore driving a demand for Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) within organizations. Departments are keen to develop their own bespoke applications for specific business functions rather than relying on developers to translate their business needs. Employees look to applications as a means of boosting efficiency. When the process is slow, expensive and dependent on a third party, the benefits start to get overshadowed by the hassle and cost. As such, there is a considerable desire among users to shorten the development and deployment cycles in order to activate bespoke applications in real-time. IT departments are consequently turning to PaaS solutions as a means of implementing a platform across the enterprise ready for DYOA.

This is an IT trend that spans entire organizations. Finance teams, marketing and sales departments and C-level executives alike are all keen to streamline processes by developing their own apps. Employees are translating their tech experiences at home into how they manage their work schedules, contacts, content and team management. If the IT department can provide the platform, employees will use their experience and priorities to build apps that are both timely, secure and tailored for their use.

To learn more or discuss further, join my session at Cloud World Forum on Tuesday, June 17 at 14:00 BST, titled, "Creating Stunning Enterprise Apps for both Web and Mobile," or tweet me at @mtroester.