Think back to a time when employers frowned upon mobile phone usage while at work. Staff were left to sneakily glance at their screens, ringer silenced to avoid discovery. “You can’t use your phone at work,” they said. “Put away the phone,” they said.
Today, things are very different. Enter: the bring your own device (BYOD) movement, which is slated to top a market value of $365 million in 2022. Smartphones and other mobile devices are now an integral part of a company’s operational strategy. Research has revealed that a mobile-empowered workforce is more productive than their smartphone-free counterparts. What’s more, it’s estimated that 85% of companies worldwide made use of their employees’ smartphone devices during the pandemic when remote work was the norm.
This rise in on-the-job smartphone and tablet usage has prompted a shift in strategy for many businesses. Companies are now spending five and six figures to develop their own enterprise mobile apps and for good reason: a well-developed app can boost productivity and efficiency, while simultaneously generating a healthy ROI. So what can we expect to see by way of enterprise mobile app trends?
Enterprise Mobile App Trend: The Cloud
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the rise of cloud technology (no pun intended). Today, an increasing number of companies are leveraging this technology thanks to its many benefits. Not only can you host your enterprise mobile app in the cloud, but many are also opting for cloud-based data storage.
The cloud is advantageous in so many ways, whether you’re developing an enterprise app or migrating data to the cloud as a cost-cutting measure. Cost savings aside, the cloud is highly scalable and extremely secure, with unmatched accessibility — all major draws to cloud-based solutions. Cloud hosting and cloud storage are rapidly becoming the norm for enterprise apps; that’s a trend that you can expect to continue.
Enterprise Mobile App Trend: Smart Devices and IoT
The internet of things (IoT) and “smart” devices are a key area of development in the realm of enterprise mobile apps. The IoT market sector is expected to double in size, topping $566 billion in the next five years. A custom application can enable users to control equipment, machinery and devices with ease, while also allowing for easy automation.
IoT and smart devices are seeing a major boost from the spread of 5G availability. 5G allows for lower latencies, leading to highly-responsive apps that surpass anything we’ve seen in the past. This is great news for businesses that choose to use this technology with their enterprise app and other devices, machinery, vehicles and equipment.
Companies can see tremendous benefits from the data that is generated by IoT and smart devices. Data can be analyzed to improve a company’s workflows and processes. This secondary benefit is a major driving factor in the popularity of this technology. And really, what company doesn’t want to improve its bottom line with a bit of data-driven decision making?
Enterprise Mobile App Trend: 5G
The worldwide 5G network is expanding daily, with more and more regions gaining access to hyper-fast network speeds. This impacts enterprise apps in some dramatic ways, since mobile devices are reliant upon these networks.
A 5G-friendly mobile app is highly responsive, allowing for much greater efficiency overall. The zippy responsiveness and low latencies of 5G technology allow for things that simply weren’t possible previously, particularly when it comes to smart vehicles and gadgets. After all, you can’t have a self-driving vehicle working off a spotty, sluggish network…unless your intention is to destroy that self-driving vehicle. The most innovative companies have recognized the potential in 5G, leading to the development of some very cutting-edge enterprise mobile applications.
At 7T, we love working with emerging technologies, particularly in our enterprise mobile apps and enterprise software development projects. Our team has extensive experience working with the aforementioned technologies, leading to some great results that lead to a significant ROI.
The 7T development team works with company leaders who are seeking to solve problems and drive ROI through digital transformation. As an innovative Dallas software and mobile app development company, we offer collaborative, multi-phased software development services to clients in all business sectors.
Our offices are situated in Dallas, Houston and Austin, but our clientele spans the globe. If you’re ready to learn more about developing enterprise software, a mobile app or another solution for your organization, contact 7T today.
