How You Can Ensure Mobile Security in Your Organization?

A majority of IT firms today allow Bring your own device (BYOD) due to the consumerization of IT in the modern workplace. That the mobile phone has become a can’t-do-without in today’s life is a reality that cannot be ignored. When employees are given the choice of using their own consumer-based devices in the workplace, it is imperative to counter theft and move towards ensuring security and control. Recent surveys underscore the seriousness of the problem data pointing out that four out of 10 businesses being affected by a security breach.

Well, Mobile security actually begins with protecting the actual mobile device. Today, a plethora of apps exist to prevent data theft on case a mobile has been stolen. It is also possible to track down the device with iPhone’s having special apps to track them.  But what do businesses actually do when faced with security issues?

1. Maintain and control security settings in one central location. It is important to never rely on devices that allow the user to make security decisions. It would also help if organizations require enforceable access control on all mobile devices i.e. users should not be able to disable the access control that IT has put in place.

2. Always use two-step authentication for devices and apps where possible. This makes it necessary to provide both a password and additional information such as a code sent to an email address in case the device is lost or stolen.

3. Have regular Consultations with various departments such as finance, HR and legal departments about their needs. This is because your mobile device policy doesn’t affect just the IT department.

4. Establishing cloud-based servers or URL filters for websites that are either blocked by the company or known to be malicious. This precaution will help to protect the endpoint by not allowing an employee to visit websites that could compromise security.

5. Frame a policy for mobile devices depending on your requirements and the company’s exposure to risk. Although BYOD has now more or less become the norm, it does pose a higher risk than policies such as choose your own device (CYOD) and corporate-owned, personally enabled (COPE) which may be more appropriate.

Mobile App Development- What You Need To Get Right?

Looking back at the days when mobile phones were primarily a device to make calls, it almost seems like they were stone-age. But now, with the mobile phone or rather the Smartphone having intruded every part of our lives, and means of communication like emails, browsing, banking, payment software, gaming and ecommerce, business too has been forced to go the mobile way. There are a number of different elements that combine to make a successful mobile app. But, if you want all of these under one umbrella, then you have to outsource your mobile development to a trusted and experienced partner.

But before that you need to be sure of the purpose of your mobile application and the platform that you’re going to choose along with your target audience and your budget. So, let’s look at these factors closely:

1. Platform

You’re creating an application for a particular platform and you can’t make one application cannot run on different platforms as each mobile application is different in itself. For example, an iOS app can’t run on Android just as an Android application cannot run on Windows. Hence, it is important to choose the right platform for your mobile app development.

2. Customer base

When you want to outsource your development to a company say in India, you need to first determine your target customer base. This is important because this determines to what extent your application will be received or used by the customers. This in turn, would help you figure out the design and development for your mobile software.

3. Pricing and time

Now, we come to the costing and time of release of your product. You need to know that getting your product right is not the only thing that matters. It is how you get it right that’s most important. In other words, you need to a thorough research into your competitors’ apps in the same category and see where you can beat them. This is crucial to differentiating your app.

How You Can Execute App Built to Perfection?

How to decide if your mobile app is well-built? How do you know you do not need any external assistance when you build an app amidst all roaming security threats? Irrespective of the Open Source platform under discussion (be it iOS or Android), or other internal mobile app project, a single gifted developer can create simple design and develop the entire app with the available online tutorials, Google searches, and some genuine novelty.

However, it is very important to consult SMEs (subject matter experts) to make sure that the app you build is a successful one that earns you a good profit and satisfies your needs. Are you found wanting in any area where new app development project requires assistance? In this article, we look where you might require external assistance most and why.

Areas where you may require help (specifically on the Execution front)

Multiple Mobile Platforms

It may make sense to build for multiple platforms such as iOS, Android, Windows Phone depending on the type of mobile application you need. Approaching a professional app development company only lets you use a “one-stop-shop” and you can receive valuable advice on the various nuances of each platform too.

Rich Media Tools For User Experience

Features like animations, calculators, Infographics and dynamic data display or visualizations are the best tools that enhance user-experience. Each of these can efficiently execute your vision but anything the same time; can also expose potential errors in the process.

Visual Appeal for Branding

One of the most critical areas for a mobile project is Visual designs. Starting from professional photography, intense branding, illustrations, even videos- to handling visual design on your own without an experienced app developer results in inconsistency.

Complex Back-end Structure

Whether to present data from multiple existing “legacy” systems or to save profile information for your users and customize their interaction with the system or to add e-commerce to your app, you will need to build a back end server system to go with your app for added security measures. This is where you might find the need for external assistance most pressing.

There is no substitute to handle these hurdles. Nerds have and still come up with ingenuous solutions to track issues, identify bugs and troubleshoot them time and again. But for us, building an app that sells must come before everything else and hiring an external firm that specialises in apps won’t be all that bad.

7 Tips for a Successful Mobile App

Creating a successful mobile app is on everyone’s mind. So much so that almost every business has one on either of the mobile platforms these days. But how do you ensure that your app is successful? That’s the question we’ll look to answer in this article. The ingredients of a successful app are:

1.       Emotional connect with end-users

You can’t create an app with a rich user experience by simply replicating the desktop content on a touch screen. So you need to optimize the performance, look and feel of the application according to the mobile device. In short, your app needs to touch an emotional chord with the users.

2.       Compatibility

Most apps target a particular mobile OS. But the user may access the app on a variety of devices like tablets, Smartphone’s, etc. This is why it is necessary for businesses to ensure compatibility and optimization across devices.

3.       Make the app customizable

It is now common experience that customized apps achieve greater popularity as users love to change the app’s colour, font, outlines, and privacy settings according to their preferences. This delivers a user-centric experience.

4.        Make the app work offline

All the users may not have unlimited access to the internet and they will look for apps that can work even in the absence of an internet connection. So, make sure your app works in both the online and offline modes.

5.        Focus on end user-experience

Your app might be simple and easy-to-use. But does it serve the purpose it was designed for? The app must deliver on this count. Optimized and hassle-free user experience is a necessity for a successful app.

6.        Monitor app usage

An app can be used in a number of ways. So you need to understand how your app is exactly being used. Track users using engagement analytics and identify features and functionality that need to be improved in the app.

7.        Focus on high LTV

As a business, you need to focus on the high lifetime value (LTV) of your application. Your advertising revenue directly depends on your LTV. For your app to be successful in the longer run, you need to focus on higher returns on investment (ROI) and average revenue per user (ARPU) to build a solid base of users.

How Can Mobile Apps Help Break Bad Habits, Permanently?

Can it be really challenging to ensure that we’re staying true to our “good” habits? Well, yes says a recent survey conducted in New York. Whilst the world has already turned modernistic, a few mobile app developers stepped up to the plate to deliver habit-breaking smartphone apps that anyone can download to help kick a bad habit once and for all.

Let’s check out a few of sample apps and who knows you might get a better idea for your next app development project?

Kwit to Quit Smoking

Smoking cigarettes is absolutely terrible for your health. If you’re a smoker and ready to kick the habit, then download Kwit that turns the act of quitting in to a bit of a game.

Benefits

* Keeps you motivated by supplying you with stats about your progress and how much money you’ve saved.

* Rewards with various achievements and allows you to quickly share your success on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Brush DJ for Oral Health

Not spending enough time brushing and flossing each day? Brush DJ aims at simple approach to get you brushing for the correct amount of time.

Benefits

* Hit the play button and you’ll be instructed to brush or floss for two minutes while being entertained with music from one of your favourite on-device songs.

* Set up custom playlists and schedule reminders for when it’s time to toss away your toothbrush or visit the dentist.

Procraster to Fight against Procrastination

One of the most productivity-sapping habits you can engage in, Procraster aims to help you understand “why” you’re not completing the task at hand.

Benefits

* Allows you to set up rewards to help keep you motivated

* Check in on your stats to see that the app is helping you to break your bad habits

Mint to Stop Spending Outside of Your Budget

Been overspending? App developers have created this popular app Mint to help you set and manage a monthly budget.

Benefits

* Sync your bank accounts, credit cards and lines of credit to the app to receive notifications of late fees and spending outside of your budget.

Do You Have Mobile App Privacy Policy?

Ecommerce has always been about a mutually beneficial exchange of offering products and services in return for cash or an equivalent value exchange. At the same time, this leaves customers to a blind confusion of what the company does with their contact details and why do they gather it.

This article explains three reasons why mobile app developers should have a privacy policy that outlines data collection.

Report from the Federal Trade Commission

·         Only 28 percent of paid apps and 48 percent of free apps available in the Apple App Store include a privacy policy or link to a privacy policy on the app promotion page. 

·         The pop-up notification that asks permission for push notifications is the best example of “just-in-time disclosure” 

·         SDK and other third-party code that app developers often integrate in the app to facilitate advertising or analytics

What happens if you don’t follow or update your privacy policy?

While it’s normal for an app to ask permission to access third-party information on your phone, say for instance address book info, what data you collect is crucial. This is why app development companies are subjected to COPPA, a federal law that says you must obtain “verifiable parent consent” if children under 13 use your app.  Else, you can be fined.

It’s a Matter of Gaining Confidence

A recent survey found that 57 percent of all app users have either uninstalled an app over concerns about having to share their personal information. Meanwhile, there are crowd sourced policing tools in place now as such TOS, DR, Privacy Choice, etc to build confidence. Thanks to it as it establishes a level of trust with your user base that has positive effects on retention, and may even give you a competitive advantage.

To conclude, there are pretty compelling reasons to have a good privacy policy for your mobile applications. Besides being the fact that only big publisher can afford you can start with a free online template or a free privacy policy assembler and have a lawyer review it for a small fixed fee.