Could HTML5 help your mobile initiatives?

Enterprises are going mobile, and applications are at the very core of this trend.

Enterprises are going mobile, and applications are at the very core of this trend. In a blog for The Huffington Post, Daniel Burrus described how pervasive mobile enterprise apps are likely to become. He asked over 700 companies if they had developed any mobile programs internally. Although only 4 percent currently had such solutions in place, 100 percent indicated that they thought at least half of the companies in their field would have their own mobile apps in the next two years.

Custom applications tailored to business needs

There are a lot of business-oriented apps on the market, but many organizations need solutions that are tailored to their own unique requirements. For example, their workers may have specific workflows that they want to support through a mobile app. Other companies may need consumer-facing applications that reflect their branded image.

In all of these cases, enterprises are seeking custom application development, often through in-house design efforts. For companies that want to create applications in a timely manner without relying heavily on complex coding, rapid application development software can be a great advantage. Even with limited technical knowledge, employees can easily create sharp, effective products with these tools.

What role does HTML5 play?

This all goes to show the general need for custom application development and the usefulness of a ready-to-go dev platform. However, HTML5 is also something that companies should consider for their mobile initiatives. The jury's still out on whether HTML5, native or hybrid apps offer the best solutions, as a recent Business Review Weekly article explained. In the end, each of these solutions is suited to a particular situation.

Because it's so flexible, HTML5 makes it easier to create applications that work across devices, including multiple operating systems. This attribute could help companies create apps that make all of their workers happy, especially for organizations with bring-your-own-device policies. It also eases maintenance, since developers can update a single source code instead of needing to push changes through all device-specific versions.

The framework supports "sophisticated interfaces" and integrates well with enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management systems, Business Review noted. This makes it an optimal foundation for many enterprise applications, including those aimed at improving employee efficiency, facilitating B2B communications and offering value-added services to customers.

HTML5 is also quite easy to work with, especially with the support of a platform-as-a-service product like Progress® Rollbase®. Rollbase offers a visual programming environment, allowing developers to work with HTML5 in an intuitive, convenient manner.