Data from Portio Research suggests that by the year 2017, more than 200 billion mobile apps will be downloaded. And while most of these are consumer apps, that’s not where the money is for developers – it’s in enterprise mobile app development.
Believe it or not, VisionMobile research says that enterprise developers stand to make four times as much money building mobile apps than consumer-oriented developers do. And if you look at it from a team-to-team perspective, enterprise-oriented development teams make16 times more revenue than consumer-oriented ones.
If you are a developer of enterprise mobile apps, this is all good news, as this can become a lucrative opportunity that can provide significant career growth for you.
HTML5: The next big tool in enterprise app development
Here’s another fact to consider – more Americans used smartphone and tablet apps than PCs to access the Internet in January of 2014[1].
This is where HTML5, which is gaining popularity as the platform of choice for enterprise developers, comes in – and for reasons that are readily apparent. First of all, developers like the HTML5 platform because it comes with open standards and familiar languages (HTML, JavaScript, and CSS).
Even more importantly, HTML5 has cross-platform support, so mobile apps can easily and quickly be tailored to almost any device, including Web-based applications. Developers can build once and transport the mobile apps to any platform the enterprise supports. This saves developers time and money, as there is no need to develop native apps for the three or four different mobile platforms that are typically prevalent in most enterprises.
A market ready to explode
Additional research from VisionMobile states that the professional and vertical apps market is set to more than double by 2016 to $58 million from $28 million in 2013.
This is where HTML5 is gaining traction, especially as the demand for Web-based SaaS apps for HR, ERP, CRM, and messaging platforms. The banking, healthcare, transportation, government, insurance, retail, and automotive industries are also clamoring for vertical mobile apps that can easily be transported to different platforms.
With its transportability, HTML5 is a perfect fit here.
Finally – fast real-time data for mobile devices
While enterprise apps developers are finding it more efficient, cost-effective, and easier to develop with HTML5, there are significant benefits for the people that use the mobile apps too.
HTML5 can be used to access business applications that use in-memory computing, which helps speed up the apps and eliminates the frustrating latency issues people often find with native apps on other platforms. Speed is also an advantage for downloading real-time data, which is key for enterprise mobile apps that are increasingly being used for in-the-moment business insights and faster decision making.
If you’re not developing mobile apps – or using HTML5 – maybe it’s time you check these opportunities out. Learn more about OpenUI5, the open HTML5 toolkit from SAP here, and learn more about the SAP HANA platform and in-memory computing power here.
A great place to start is at the ASUG pre-conference session at SAP TechEd && d-code. Register Here:
http://scn.sap.com/community/events/sap-d-code/blog/2014/07/28/announcing-asug-sap-teched-d-code-pre...
[1] CNNMoney, “Mobile apps overtake PC Internet Usage in U.S.,” February 28, 2014
Originally posted on SAP Business Innovation.
- SAP Managed Tags:
