AirWatch, IBM, JAMF and MobileIron collaborate on a common approach to simplify enterprise app development and deployment
Mobile World Congress: AirWatch, IBM, JAMF and MobileIron have announced the formation of the AppConfig Community. The Community’s mission is to establish a common approach for enterprise app configuration and security based on OS native standards, including the extensive frameworks available in iOS.
Working together, the members of the AppConfig Community will create tools, best practices and educational forums to enable developers and organisations to simplify app development and deployment and accelerate the adoption of transformational business apps.
Historically, developers used proprietary software development kits (SDKs) to enable configuration and security features of their apps through enterprise mobility management (EMM). This required app developers to build different versions of their apps for each EMM vendor.
Now, with AppConfig Community tools and best practices, developers will not require EMM-specific integrations for many enterprise use cases. End users can also benefit from automated features such as an out-of-the-box experience to give the users instant app access with no set up or user credentials necessary.
Within the AppConfig Community, EMM solutions from IBM MaaS360, JAMF Casper Suite, MobileIron and VMware AirWatch have come together to make it easier for developers and customers to drive mobility in business. Additionally, all App Configuration for Enterprise (ACE) members are now members of the new AppConfig Community.
AppConfig Community best practices are supported by Apple’s mobility partners. More than 60 companies have committed to AppConfig Community tools and best practices, including software vendors Box, Cisco, Oracle, Salesforce and Workday.
The AppConfig Community also announced an open XML schema for iOS enterprise app configurations. The schema streamlines app deployment by making it easy for developers to define app configurations across all of their apps and for businesses to consistently deploy these app configurations. Apps built using native frameworks in iOS and this new AppConfig XML schema will work consistently across participating EMM providers.
Commented Sri Ramanathan, group VP mobile, Oracle: “Oracle has been a leader in enterprise applications for decades and understands the complexities organizations are dealing with in defining an enterprise mobile strategy, as they transition to a mobile only, cloud world. Mobile users expect increased productivity, efficiency, simplicity and excellent customer service, which translate into backend app requirements for tight integration, security and manageable maintenance. Oracle Mobile Cloud Service’s open, agnostic architecture along with the efforts of the AppConfig community can provide the foundation for successful enterprise mobile strategies.”
Dean Hager, CEO, JAMF, stated: “Today, iPhone and iPad are transforming the way organizations collaborate, communicate, and delight their customers. And yet, we know that we’re just getting started. By standardising the way apps are built and delivered, the AppConfig Community will accelerate the pace of mobile transformation.”
Added Ojas Rege, vice president, Strategy, MobileIron: “Over the last five years, Apple has built rich, native app security and configuration frameworks for developers into iOS. The AppConfig Community and XML schema will give those developers a standard, consistent and scalable way to easily build and deploy secure apps using the power of native.”
