Booming Future for Business App Stores: An Explanation of the Growing Trend

In the modern business landscape, the commoditisation of analytics within a company is being facilitated by enterprise app stores. These digital marketplaces allow data scientists to perform analysis and operationalise insights via 'info apps' for frontline employees, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making based on real-time data.

However, keeping up with changing system infrastructure remains a hurdle for many organisations. The shift away from public app stores towards a unified portal for both consumer and business apps aims to simplify technology and give users more autonomy in their work.

Despite the benefits, certain sectors still develop their enterprise app stores in-house, as it serves as a source of competitive advantage. Companies in the trade and financial services sectors, such as retail chains like Rewe and Spar, are increasingly developing and offering their own apps to strengthen customer loyalty and provide personalised features. This trend may lead to a slowdown in in-house app development outsourcing and app licensing.

The advantages of direct user engagement through push notifications and integration of smartphone functions are driving this shift. By creating an enterprise app store, CIOs can offer workers functionality, freedom, and usability at the touch of a button, improving productivity and the user experience.

However, the development and maintenance of these app stores present challenges. IT teams should work on developing the skills of the IT department to better understand the applications which are relevant to how employees work. Building a seamless user experience into the enterprise app store is crucial to ensure its success.

Moreover, IT teams face the challenge of getting the right apps into the hands of end users across the enterprise. The popularity of enterprise-built app stores for deploying and managing business-approved apps across mobile and desktop is predicted to continue, with a quarter of all enterprises worldwide expected to have one by 2017 according to Gartner.

As mobile-first enterprises continue to flourish, the technology and applications used by businesses and consumers will look and feel less different than ever. Dashboards are becoming the industry standard for showing Time to Value (TTV) and Return on Investment (ROI) of a new software solution, and they are flexible, can be accessed anywhere, and provide a high level of interaction between employees and senior management.

Vincent Smyth, SVP EMEA of Flexera Software, points out that the enterprise app store can help IT teams reduce spending on new software licenses by engaging with users and automatically reclaiming unused software. The wearable revolution is going to take enterprise app stores to the next level, further integrating technology into everyday workflows.

Despite these benefits, it's important to note that for most organisations, the management and deployment of enterprise app stores are still in their infancy. Nick McQuire, VP enterprise of analyst firm CCS Insight, points out a disconnect in how applications are used by employees and those that are deployed, secured, and managed by IT departments. IT teams will need change management skills as the changes within IT are large.

An organisation needs to establish an employee workable application policy to ensure the successful implementation of an enterprise app store. Most enterprise app stores are built through a combination of in-house and outsourced development, but larger organisations are moving towards outsourcing due to a lack of skills and the organisation change required to rapidly get apps out into an enterprise.

In conclusion, the enterprise app store is evolving to become a universal tool, used for desktop, virtual, and mobile apps. As businesses continue to embrace mobile-first and possibly wearable-first strategies, the enterprise app store will play a crucial role in simplifying technology, improving productivity, and driving business growth.