☛Want the latest procurement and supply chain news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the Supply Management Daily
28 June 2012 | Adam Leach
Companies are keen to purchase and develop mobile applications for use by employees, partners and contractors but feel that consumer markets like iTunes are not business friendly, a survey has shown.
The Corporate Mobile App Strategy Survey, published this week by Partnerpedia, found that 78 per cent of the large companies (those with 500 employees or more), had a desire to purchase apps. Of those, 90.2 per cent intend to buy solutions for use by employees, while 43.9 per cent wanted apps for customers. The survey, which also included responses from companies with less than 500 employees, found that 22 per cent are buying apps for contractors.
Eric Klein, a senior analyst in VDC’s Mobile and Wireless practice, said: “As mobile device proliferation continues in the enterprise, so too will app enablement, this is challenging CIO’s and IT organisations to figure out the best way to manage, procure and secure apps.”
Despite the strong majority wanting to buy apps, the survey also revealed concerns over current markets, such as Apple’s app store. A total of 57.4 per cent felt current app stores had a “lack of business focus”, 43.4 per cent said there was an inability to own/control app licenses. Respondents also cited a lack of purchasing orders or bulk buy discounts.
The research found that 63.7 per cent would look to outsource the development of apps. The most important criteria associated with choosing a provider were design expertise (74.3 per cent), systems integration (68.1 per cent) and customisation (64.6 per cent).
