Mobile Application Management
Challenges of App Wrapping
- Developers are required to configure and secure apps for every separate EMM vendor.
- Developers have to create multiple code branches for each Independent Solution Vendor (ISV) app which would make it difficult to update them during time-sensitive OS updates.
- Feature lag between the end user app and the EMM-specific app often created a degraded user experience.
- Multiple versions of the app would be visible on the public app store creating confusion for the end user. A wrong version downloaded would eventually result in a call out to IT support.
- Basic security controls like prevention of iOS screen capture is not possible in a standalone MAM approach.
Apple iOS 7, Samsung Knox 2.0 and Android for Work by Google allowed IT admins to make sure that management policies such as restrictions on data sharing were applicable to almost any application. Previously, those features could be made available only via app wrapping or SDKs. These updates allowed developers to create apps that were less reliant on SDK integration or app wrapping. 42Gears offers comprehensive support for Android for Work program to help businesses adopt Android devices into their workflow.
AppConfig Community
The formation of the AppConfig Community is a testament to the fact that enterprise mobility management (EMM) vendors are moving away from app wrapping. Led by the industry leaders in EMM: IBM MaaS360, MobileIron, VMware AirWatch and JAMF Software, the community is striving to help developers create enterprise apps that can be controlled and managed by an EMM platform, allowing easier adoption of mobiles in enterprises. This will also result in development of a much bigger ecosystem of business apps, an improved management practice for IT administrators to follow, and an enhanced end-user experience. In December 2016, 42Gears Mobility Systems