It’s hard to argue with the success of Apple’s App Store for the iPhone. But what works in the consumer market doesn’t always translate to the enterprise. Businesses can distribute their in-house apps via a dedicated server, or they can take to the cloud with a new service from Ondeego.
The firm this week launched a cloud-based distribution service for enterprise iPhone apps, Datamtion reports.
Apple’s iPhone may have become a surprise hit with business users, but its path to success should sound familiar to computer history buffs.
Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) first big product, the Apple II, debuted as a home computer popular for playing games and educational software. Later, sales to business picked up exponentially in the early 1980s when the first spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, was developed for the Apple II. But because personal computers weren’t taken seriously by data processing departments (precursor to today’s IT staff), users snuck Apple IIs in through the back door because they were such an aid to productivity.
Fast forward almost 30 years and the same thing has happened with the iPhone. Apple’s made a concerted effort to address IT’s feature wish list, including support for Microsoft Exchange and security enhancements, but other more enterprise-established devices like Research In Motion’s BlackBerry line are more favored by IT. Still, because of user demand, including at the management and executive suite, IT staffs have moved to provide support for the iPhone and vendors like Sybase (NYSE: SY) have come forward with services that enhance the device’s security and manageability.