So I've talked a lot about the importance of a strategy when deploying mobile applications in the corporate enterprise. One of the main reasons that a strategy is so important is that enterprise mobility costs money. It can either cost a reasonable amount of money that provides a lot of value in return...or it can cost a lot of money that provides not-so-much value in return.
Here is a list of the big-ticket costs associated with building just ONE mobile solution for ONE type of device...let's say, CRM for the BlackBerry curve:
- Project analysis and planning
- Selection and training on development
environment (BlackBerry JDE, Eclipse, Microsoft Visual Studio, etc.)
- Application development (knowledge of J2ME programming
language required)
- Testing
- Plug-in development and data mapping
- Server and infrastructure hardware and
maintenance costs
- Security modeling and assurance
- End-user training and documentation
- Support and quality assurance for roll-out of the
final product
- Ongoing quality assurance, troubleshooting and
testing of new data sources, configurations, etc.
- Annual maintenance and upgrades for server, plug-ins, development environment, etc.
When developing one mobile application on one type of mobile device in-house, a company can create a reasonable cost estimate based on the above-listed big-ticket development, IT and support needs. However, any company developing a mobile application today needs to incorporate shelf life into their equation because devices are evolving rapidly and will continue to do so. So that means that we need to project costs over time and take into account future development needs, device changes and new back-end data sources. Those are factors that add uncertainty to your cost estimate. We also need to account for new user groups that emerge as mobile technology continues to create widespread change in the way people interact with vendors and evolve personal purchasing behaviors.
Consequently, in addition to the costs listed above, hidden costs include:
- New user groups and new demand for apps
- New device types and replacement devices
- Mobile OS upgrades
- Changes to back-end data sources and database management software upgrades
- New device hardware (like touch screens, GPS and front-facing cameras, etc.)
- Changes to compliance and regulatory requirements
- Emerging security threats
- Demand for new functionality and expanded feature sets
Taking these hidden costs into account illustrates the necessity of a well-thought out mobile strategy that meets today's demand and positions you well for the future. By developing and executing such a plan, you are going to be able to put development tools in place that will grow with you and meet future market demand.
Have you deployed more than one mobile solution and are you having trouble keeping up with new technologies? Do you have a mobile strategy that's worked? Tell us about it!
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