Enterprise Mobile Deployment: 8 Tips to Finding the Right Fit
Aug 22, 2016
With many organizations expanding and moving to mobile solution for many of their business processes, conversations about enterprise mobile deployment options have become more prevalent. Choosing the right deployment option for your organization can be challenging with so many choices to analyze and technical aspects to consider. Companies greatly vary from each other, and a particular deployment option may be successful for one and problematic for another.
To help choose a mobile enterprise deployment that caters to your company's needs, we've narrowed it down to 3 popular options and gathered 8 tips from our customers for you to consider:
Deployment Options
| Cloud | Private Cloud | On-Premises |
| Cloud deployment servicing multiple tenants, sometimes called SaaS | Dedicated database and isolated software instance | In-house configuration employing own IT resources |
| Standalone system or data integrated with other systems via web services or CSV files | More privacy and higher control with all IT support provided | Direct control over data, network security and maintenance cycles |
| Low cost, quick installation and often no IT involvement | Easy migration to on-premises installation | Easy integration with back end systems |
8 Helpful Tips from Customers
1. Determine IT department's capacity level
Deployment options for mobile applications require different levels of IT involvement, with cloud requiring virtually no support and on-premises requiring a dedicated team to help deploy and continuously manage the server and databases.
2. Set a budget
If you're looking for a cost-effective solution and direct access to the underlying database isn't a requirement, multi-tenant cloud is a good choice. It's the most economical option since infrastructure and maintenance costs are shared across multiple users.
3. Decide on data control
The more flexibility and direct access you want to data, the higher the costs will be. On-premises and private cloud offer greater data access than multi-tenant cloud, primarily due to security restrictions to ensure privacy in a shared resources environment.
4. Measure data sensitivity
Many companies have strict policies regarding the security of particular information, so measure the sensitivity level of the data your mobile solution will handle. Investigate if it's acceptable for data to be kept in a multi-tenant cloud environment, if you require isolation in a private cloud, or if you need the full control provided by an on-premises deployment.
5. Develop user authentication requirements
Login requirements for mobile applications can be complex, especially for federated logins, so determine if your business' policies can be supported by your deployment approach and the mobile platform.
6. Review firewall restrictions
Determine the nature of the application integration requirements with other applications running on your corporate network. Consider your company's policies about opening firewall ports and deploying a Reverse Proxy in the DMZ.
7. Examine integration with back end systems
Querying existing databases is inherently available for on-premises and private cloud deployments. In a multi-tenant cloud deployment, additional costs for customization may be involved, so decide if integration with back end systems is required to support your mobile business processes.
8. Consider any future migration
Switching between different deployment options in the future can be done, but isn't necessarily easy. Check to see what is involved in migrating data, application logic, and user interfaces to an alternate deployment scenario.
Flowfinity offers secure, scalable deployment services for all the options discussed here, so you can get a competitive edge faster, the way that suits your situation. To learn more about how we can enhance your business with mobile solutions and creative deployment options, contact us or start a free trial today.
Transform your business with mobile apps.
« American Beverage Marketers Named a Finalist for CGT 2016 Business & Technology Awards
Grasp the Full Picture: Improve Field Data Clarity with Photo Annotations »
