Appery.io Overview. However mobile also presents many challenges for enterprises:

Transcription

1 Appery.io Overview Enterprises and businesses of all sizes are racing to mobilize existing business applications and create new ones at an unprecedented pace. And with the base of smartphones and tablets now exceeding the base of PCs (milestone predicted for Q by KPCB), demand for mobile apps will only accelerate. Mobile unleashes new business opportunities. But the opportunity in mobile goes way beyond mobilizing existing use cases. With mobile devices introducing new sensory capabilities such as GPS, front and rear cameras, compass, gyroscope and accelerometers, there is a significant opportunity to introduce brand new use cases and pursue new business opportunities. Mobile apps are not just about mobilizing existing websites or applications. For example, paint businesses can use the camera to match the paint of an existing wall. Retailers can offer free content while customers are in the store to encourage foot traffic. Stores can enable shoppers to scan their own articles using their phones. Mail order reading glasses retailers can enable buyers to measure their own pupillary distance using the camera. Factory workers can order spare parts using the phone as a scanner. Banks can authenticate customers using biometrics (fingerprint, voice signature, etc.) to enable higher value services. Healthcare providers can monitor sleep patterns of patients at home using the accelerometer or breathing patterns using the microphone. And the list goes on. Enterprises are not just mobilizing their existing applications. They are innovating to pursue new business opportunities increasing the demand for mobile app development further. However mobile also presents many challenges for enterprises: Need for Rapid Innovation and Experimentation. Whether it is the result of competitive pressures or the need to get discover new business opportunities, enterprises need to innovate fast, try new ideas, get them to market, and iterate fast. The lengthy development cycles that are common with traditional enterprise application platforms don t work. Traditional enterprise platforms are not flexible enough, system integration is lengthy, and development environments are complex. Mobile Platform Fragmentation. In order to reach all their customers and employees, businesses need to develop apps that support an increasing number of platforms and devices. There are of course ios and Android, but also Windows Phone, Windows 8 and BlackBerry 10 and now also Tizen, and Firefox OS to consider. Each Platform could require different skillsets, programming languages, and specialized SDKs to download and learn. On top of the platforms, there are the different device form factors, and different versions of the OS to contend with. Worse yet, there many thousands of device models each one supporting a different subset of APIs. This fragmentation increases development costs and time to market

2 significantly as each platform requires its own development cycle and each device type its own test cycle. Shortage of Mobile Skills. With unprecedented demand for mobile apps and, worse yet, the fact that mobile development requires specialized skills, recruiting qualified developers is difficult. The demand for mobile development easily outstrips the capacity of most IT organizations. Qualified developers are scarce and learning curves are long. Difficult Integration with Existing Systems. Integration with enterprise backend systems has always been difficult. Although an increasing number of systems now offer REST interfaces, which simplify integration, the majority offers proprietary interfaces. In addition, interfaces for mobile apps require extra care to ensure efficient data transfer over-the-air, which adds an extra layer of complexity to the integration effort. Competing for attention on device. With dozens of apps on consumer handsets, it is difficult for businesses to engage customers even after they have installed a mobile app. How does your app stand out from the clutter of apps on most devices? Introducing Appery.io Appery.io is the most complete mobile development platform offered as a service. It combines a cloud-based rapid development environment with integrated back-end services and a rich catalog of API plug-ins that dramatically simplify integration with cloud services and enterprise systems. Appery.io enables rapid innovation with a rapid development environment that is visual. Developers create mobile apps by dragging components, selecting from pulldown menus and connecting the dots between back-end systems and user interface screens. Unlike competing template based solutions that limit flexibility with a GUI only approach, Appery.io offers the ability to code in JavaScript to create more complex applications. In addition, because it is cloud based, it enables for easier collaboration between developers and designers, facilitating rapid iterations. Projects are easily shared so that multiple users can edit them simultaneously.

3 Appery.io Visual Development Environment Appery.io removes the barriers of platform fragmentation with a cross platform approach. Apps are built with web technologies (HTML5, JavaScript, CSS) so that they run consistently on any device. In addition, with the built in support for Apache Cordova, Appery.io apps also have access to native device capabilities such as the cameras, location, accelerometer, compass, etc. Resulting apps can be distributed as mobile web apps (accessible via any mobile browser) or as native apps for ios, Android, Windows Phone and Windows 8.

4 Appery.io Export Dialog Appery.io enables a much broader base of developers to create mobile apps. Because of the visual development environment there are millions of potential developers for the platform. In addition, the base of web developers with experience in JavaScript and HTML5 is much greater than the based of native Objective C and Java developers. And because the product is offered as a service in the browser, there are no SDKs to download and install simplifying developer adoption significantly. Appery.io simplifies integration with cloud services and enterprise systems dramatically with a rich catalog of prebuilt integration plugins. The catalog features plugins for enterprise systems such as Salesforce.com, as well as many cloud services, including support for APIs from Twilio, ESPN, AT&T, Aetna, Best Buy, and more. In addition, Appery.io makes it simple to integrate to any back-end system that exposes REST or SOAP based interfaces. Appery.io has a feature that essentially self-learns any REST interface and automatically builds the list of response parameters required to integrate. Finally, using Exadel s RESTXpress, Appery.io can also easily integrate with any database that supports JDBC or any business application that supports Web Services.

5 Appery.io Visual Back-end Integration Appery.io also features a set of integrated backend services such as a cloud database and push notifications. These services enable developers to focus on their applications rather than on creating server infrastructure. User and file management is also supported by the Appery.io backend services.

6 Appery.io Cloud Data Base Appery.io offers a pre-integrated Push Notification service that enables business to improve customer engagement, even when users are not using their apps. Push notifications can be used for a range of services including advertising, reminders, customer services messages, and more. Appery.io backend services are prebuilt and pre-integrated with the development environment enabling developers to focus their energies on creating applications, rather than on building and maintaining infrastructure. Summary With demand for mobile apps now outstripping the capacity and capability of IT departments, businesses require a new approach to building mobile apps. The traditionally long development cycles that are typical of enterprise development platforms can t meet the needs of the lines of businesses who require fast innovation. Mobile device fragmentation, the shortage of specialized mobile skills, and integration challenges increase the barriers for enterprises even further. Appery.io was design with the new mobile paradigm in mind. It greatly simplifies developer adoption, shorten learning curves and enables business to innovate fast.