Mobile Enterprise Application Platforms vendors, or MEAPs as they are commonly referred to in the mobility segment, are well known for economizing on the development time required to create mobile applications. A common value proposition shared among the MEAP class of vendors is: “Develop once, deploy to multiple mobile operating systems (MOS).” The value of this statement increases as MOS variety expands to include most Fortune 1000 organizations, and smartphone and tablet form factors multiply.
Understanding the benefits each MEAP offers, especially if your organization is evaluating MEAP tools for the first time, requires some homework. A recent report published by Technology Coast Consulting and Galvin Consulting entitled “Smartphones in the US Enterprise: Benefits, Challenges and Considerations in Mobilizing Work Forces” profiles ten MEAP vendors of varying sizes, specialties and maturity. Two MEAPs, Apple and RIM, only support development for their mobile operating system. Seven of the profiled vendors offered cloud-based development and deployment services. Sybase was the only vendor in the study to offer both MEAP and MDM solutions.
In addition to the MEAP and MDM profiling, the report provides additional value to IT professionals by profiling current mobile workforce use-cases, describing the potential of cloud computing, and projecting the wish list of IT managers.