Why Security is so Important in Mobile Application Development

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Much like the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Medieval Period, we as a society are beginning to undergo a drastic change. What that change might be you ask? Just look around you. Chances are the vast majority of people you see everywhere are on their phone. The entirety of our planet is entering what should be called: “The Mobile Age”. In an article by PC Magazine, they state;

“By 2020, global smartphone subscriptions will more than double to 6.1 billion, 70 percent of people will use smartphones, and 90 percent will be covered by mobile broadband networks.”
Mobile first is the ideology that is almost fully encompassing our day-to-day activities. As a highly intelligent civilization, ironically we are almost useless without our cellular sidekick. Checking emails on the go, finding local businesses, messaging, and location services are all made convenient and possible by the advancement of smartphone technology. Due to this trend, mobile application development has progressively taken off as being both a lucrative business and operational activity for discussion. Mobile apps are what make smartphones in an enterprise setting immensely advantageous. However, the amount of reliability we put on these applications can actually be considered an Achilles’ heel for companies that don’t put enough time and effort to investing in mobile application security.

Issues with Security
 

Most companies don’t realize just how important mobile application security is and how it can prevent a slew of issues that may arise without proper encryption. According to a report by Now Secure:

      • “24.7 percent of mobile apps include at least one high risk security flaw”
      • “The average device connects to 160 unique IP addresses every day.”
      • “Business apps are three times more likely to leak login credentials than the average app.”

With an increasingly amount of smartphone users, especially in the workplace, this presents an opportunity for cybercriminals to attack. According to We Live Security, “For cybercriminals then, the economics of mobile attacks are obvious. By attacking these devices, they can reach and infect more machines, and earn more money by exploiting individual users or by selling their details via the black market.” The lack of carefulness and education involved with handling these devices by employees, has lead to expanded issues with online safety.

Need of Security

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Mobile application security issues can directly dismantle an entire corporation. Without proper protection, hackers can perform sophisticated cyber attacks enabling them to gain access to business and personal data. This could be anywhere from bank information, passwords, and sensitive data, all the way to client email lists, digital assets, critical financial files, and critical company resources. These problems can especially be detrimental to online ecommerce sellers that possess delicate customer information.

How do you Stop it?

There are quite a few steps for any business to take in order to help prevent malware and security concerns. Essentially, the biggest thing to remember is that smartphone security and online web security isn’t the same beast, you need to treat cellular safety separately. In this blog post from DarkReading, a few remarkably helpful tips are given:

   • Creating source code scanning tools can help make smartphone apps more resilient to an online attack.
   • Giving restrictions to devices that are able to download unauthorized apps, companies can take away functionalities and prevent access to important business resources.
  • Developing a capability that can remotely wipe sensitive data from compromised mobile devices can aid in the fight against data leakage.
  • Tracking context of where certain mobile transactions are coming from can help restrict access to company systems.

The idea is that prevention is the best practice. If circumstances do arise, cyber web attacks and remote device infiltration should both have the necessary steps for avoidance.
Your company’s software developers should have a zero tolerance policy against ignorance. Thinking your smartphone or tablet application is fully secured against any forms of hacking or information theft is your biggest mistake when fighting against web software bandits. Just when you least expect it, someone could potentially permeate through your development systems and take whatever information they want. Make sure to follow safe practices and keep your cellular applications safe from harm!

Extreme Mobile Traffic Drives the Need for E-Commerce Data Centers

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As our technology driven culture rises in intelligence, so does our cellular usage. According to Ericsson, “The growth in mobile data traffic is due to both the rising number of smartphone subscriptions, in particular for LTE smartphones, and increasing data consumption per subscriber. This is forecast to result in a ten-fold increase in total traffic for all devices by the end of 2021.” 

A Pew Research study just last year reported that; “68% of U.S. adults have a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011.” It’s staggering how quick our society is in adjusting to smartphone ownership. From a business point of view, this increase in traffic has lead to ecommerce owners having to manage their own mobile data centers. Companies are beginning to realize that relying on third-party servers to maintain and keep track of order inquiries is ill advised. With the smartphone population growing, investing in a self-owned infrastructure to house telecommunications and storage systems is the smart move.  

Why are Data Centers so Important?

With such a high volume of sales and mobile traffic/visits, cellular ecommerce platforms are having a hard time keeping up. Outsourcing server information isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if your brand is taking a considerable amount of consumers, it should reconsider its strategy. One way to do this would be to invest in a Data Center. A Data Center is basically a large group of networked computers used by companies for remote storage and the processing of large amounts of information. Why would a company need to set one up? Simple. Building mobile data centers can be low cost, allow for full optimization and customization for specific business demands, and can provide a large amount of compute power. In an article about massive Indian online retailer Flipkart, investing in a self-owned information storage, it explains; “E-Commerce manages the scale like nobody else. This means they’ll have to invest heavily in servers and switches in the next decade. It is much cheaper to invest in your own architecture and build it yourself.” This trend can drastically increase a business’s efficiency. 

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Data Centers Make Media Assets Easily Assessable

The next action to revolve your future business storage plans around is how you’re going to manage all this information. Cellular information is collected in many different ways including customer service records, purchase history, website behavior, etc. As a business it’s imperative to securely maintain this information. Ecommerce site data centers fit this mold. Data centers get the information customers enter in through sale entries or other information sources and store it as you would normally think, except on a much bigger level.

Like a well organized book store, the information filed in searchable format, easily accessible across the company. As far as the cellular traffic itself, an information center is usually load balanced and distributes the work evenly over the network. They often use different internet service providers to allow for a greater amount of load sharing and overabundance. 

What are the Necessary Steps for Tracking Mobile Data?

One of, if not the best, tools on the market to analyze cellular information is Google Analytics. As the popularity of smartphone web searches increases dramatically, understanding the shopping behaviors of consumers is crucial for ecommerce businesses. Google Analytics helps by displaying the number of people viewing your mobile site, what keywords are being searched, how well optimized your website for Mobile, and the average amount of time customers spent on your site. Taking advantage of a tool like this could tremendously help your brand with growth and fully maximize your ecommerce platform’s potential.

Some advanced data centers may even provide analytics of their own, giving you a 360° view of your data journey.

Self-managed mobile data centers are looking more and more like the future of system information storage for businesses. Providing well maintained, secure and organized data, it’s the future of data management to keep your e-commerce information secure and available.

Top 5 Ways Mobile Apps Can Transform Your Business

Mobile technology is a theme that is constantly being discussed in today’s data driven society, and rightfully so. A study performed by Plos One, showed that on average, we use our cell phones close to 85 times a day. It’s chilling to think about how much we really do rely on our mobile devices to function. With that said, businesses aren’t too worried about this statistic. In fact, companies are beginning to realize that there is a great amount of profitability in having an engaging mobile application. Consumers connect with these applications on a multitude of levels and because of this, company owners know the power a mobile app can have on elevating a business to the next level. This beckons the question: How can smartphone apps better remodel the way your company performs business? The answer is 5 simple solutions:  1. Consumer Interaction People don’t just use their cellphones for the sake of using them. Companies know that to have a successful and appealing mobile application, you have to get into the mind of a mobile device user. Know what your target consumers want, and incorporate a plan around meeting those needs. If you are major retail brand that specializes in selling women’s shoes, cater your application towards that demographic. Get your consumers involved.  Have end sale questionnaires or email sign-up screens; anything that can get people to be contented using your application while adding value to your business is the preferred end result. 2. It Makes Life Easier Smartphones provide a range of supporting functions that make daily struggles easier to maintain. For example, take a look at Uber. Uber is a multinational online transportation company that connects car drivers on demand, with people that need rides in a given location proximity. Their app allows any smart phone user to get car transportation anywhere, with just a few simple screen touches. What makes this so innovative is the map that pinpoints the driver’s live location. This allows people to simply follow the live location of their drivers to find their pickup location. This feature, along with many others that Uber has to offer, gives consumers and even employees a full range of accessibility when it comes to enhancing their total experience.                                                                                   Image Source:  digitaltrends.com 3. Mobile Ecommerce (M-Commerce) Mobile ecommerce or just simply m-commerce is a term used to describe the online sales that are acquired through wireless electronic devices. These transactions can be through smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. Businesses who have a clean and easy to use interface for consumers to purchase goods through, always see better results. Customers aren’t going to waste their time scrolling through applications for a company that doesn’t have a developed shopping cart or buying options. Looking at big ecommerce companies like eBay or Amazon, you notice just how integrated their mobile applications are for a seamless buyer, user experience. They offer full customization and advanced search options for consumers. This provides more company engagement with consumers, while simultaneously making purchase records, sale sheets, and behavior statistics more freely accessible, leading to more sales and boosted growth within the company. 4. Innovation Developing mobile software around your customer is the best way to ensure prosperity for your business. Being creative or doing something that hasn’t been done before is what’s going to set your business apart from others. People love to see genius concepts come to fruition through applications. This type of thinking keeps them involved and associated with what product you’re selling or service you’re offering, while helping with the construction of brand identity. Users want to be at the forefront of technologic innovation, and if your mobile application is offering something new, innovative and exciting that provides value to your consumers, your business profitability will see a rise.                       Image Source: static.pexels.com 5. Helps Increase Customer Base Today, 68% of U.S. adults own a smartphone. People are using smartphones more than ever. Whether it’s shopping, connecting to other people, or finding a restaurant to have dinner at, smartphone users commit to certain cellular applications to get the job done for them. It’s tremendously beneficial that if your company has a smartphone app, that it provides signup options for potential consumers. If you can get someone to use your app, that’s great – getting them to register creating a lifetime customer is even better! The goal is to get consumers to use your app again and again. If you can accomplish this you will begin to notice a rise in user retention. Having a bigger database of customers is strongly correlated with elevated growth and sales. Mobile software and cellular applications are the future of business. If you’re able to harness this power through the innovative use of a mobile app, it can generate more sales leads and overall development of your business’ operation.

How Mobile Devices will Continue to Affect Businesses in the Future

Image Source: cdn.moveoapps.com In today’s digital driven culture, people are becoming smarter and more tech-savvy when it comes to the use of a mobile application. Mobile commerce sites (also known as a M-Commerce website) have become the unambiguous focal point of this trend. People in general love the fact that they can purchase items and shop remotely on their cellular-devices. And due to the rise in consumer demand more and more businesses are investing in this segment… But why? What does this direction towards improved user innovation mean? M-Commerce Trend According to Pew Research Center, 72% of adults in the United States own a smartphone. This contributes to around $104.05 billion U.S. mobile commerce sales in 2015, up 38.7% from 2014, but this is just speaking for the Unites States. Global regions are also experiencing a huge growth as well. The combined sales of 14 Asian retailers ranked in the 2016 Mobile 500, grew over 249.3%. This movement towards a smartphone driven approach is not a fluke. More companies are becoming aware of technological innovations that enhance cell and tablet application usage and because of this, are gearing their businesses towards enhancing consumer experiences. How M-Commerce is Helpful for Businesses In today’s modern age, people are becoming more comfortable with technology than ever before, thus inevitably increasing the amount of mobile shoppers. This said, the amount of business opportunities has also taken a large increase. According to internetretailer.com, the combined monthly mobile visits of all 378 U.S. Mobile 500 merchants grew 68.3% to 3.03 billion in 2015.  People love shopping with their cell phones, because it’s easy and convenient! There’s no hassle like sitting at a computer or worrying about finding Wi-Fi for your laptop. With a smartphone you can shop anytime and anywhere. They also function as an intermediate tool for businesses and customers. Smartphones allow consumers to look at reviews before purchasing items, find local businesses through map navigation applications, and call businesses by simply clicking a button. According to The Huffington Post, 76% of smartphone users rely on their cellular device to find a store to make a local purchase at. It’s apparent just how big of a role mobile plays and how it provides companies with the opportunity to keep their consumers captivated in purchasing decisions.                                                                       Image Source: static.pexels.com How to Increase Business Sales with Smartphones Businesses and consumers are beginning to realize that e-commerce is changing and the numbers are there to prove it. In 2016, U.S. mobile device sales are expected to be 33% of total retail e-commerce sales. This number is expected to increase to 37% by the end of 2017. Investing in this movement of increased smartphone sales, is almost necessary for companies that want to remain relevant in today’s business market. Putting money into the development of cell applications can prove to be a beneficial step in the right direction. Internetretailer.com reports 180 U.S. merchants in the 2016 Mobile 500 have one or more mobile application, and the combined sales from those apps increased 44% to $40.58 billion in 2015. These applications act as a medium to connect with consumers on an intimate level and therefore cause sales to boom. M-commerce also offers businesses the opportunity to engage with their consumers through innovation. This innovation can range anywhere from location specific deals, ease of payment through credit cards or PayPal, to the simplicity of navigation through the application. As early as 2012, a study from Google proved that mobile friendly sites are a key influencer in purchasing choices for consumers. They concluded that 67% of mobile users, said they are more likely to buy a product from mobile-friendly site and 50% said that even if they prefer a specific business, they will buy from them less often if the website isn’t mobile-friendly. This only stresses how important customer guidance is with cellular device integration. With a good looking user interface and consumer targeted optimization, M-commerce sales and overall production definitely increase business value. There’s no way around it, m-commerce has been and will continue to be the future of online shopping. Mobile application development is taking lead as the most important aspect of this movement and can separate a middle of the road retailer, to an industry leader. John D. Rockefeller Jr. said: “The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well.” Businesses should feel the need strive towards innovation. The key to m-commerce is to be as connected with your consumers, as they are with themselves.

Mobile Business Intelligence: How Companies Are Using it and What You Can Learn

Image Source: pexels.com With the fastly increasing use of mobile technology, leveraging mobile business intelligence (MBI) grows in importance to reach and benefit consumers while providing business growth. As an integral part of their lifestyle, there is a great deal of useful information which can be gathered from MBI. Here are some companies that have integrated MBI successfully into their business models, what we can learn from them, and how other businesses can leverage this powerful marketing tool to provide value to existing and potential target markets. What is Mobile Business Intelligence Business Intelligence defines mobile business intelligence as a term that refers to applications that make business intelligence available on mobile devices, giving users access to key business information whenever and wherever they need it. Simply put, it is the intelligent information that can be gathered from applications installed on mobile devices and leveraged for key business takeaways. In an era where cell phones hardly leave their owner’s side, it’s easy to see how this information can provide extremely valuable insights into target market demographics, behaviors, lifestyle and more. Examples of Companies Successfully Using MBI To get a better idea of what kind of information can be gathered from MBI, here are some innovative companies maxing out on mobile information and how they wield it to achieve success. Uber Perhaps the leader in leveraging mobile information technology, Uber has built their entire business premise on full integration of MBI into their consumer-centric technology. Bringing in a new era of mobility, cabs suddenly seem dated with this application that allows users to request for car service, track driver location and make payment all directly through the Uber mobile app. How is this possible? Uber gathers location tracking MBI through their app for both the individual seeking a ride, and for the driver that will pick them up. Based on an algorithm of distance and available drivers, a driver may choose to accept the rider, meet them at the location they’re in (with mobile location tracking) and take them to their desired location using the integrated GPS function. Their payment system is also easy and allowing users to save card information within the app, and drawing payment automatically once the trip has been completed. No cash, no physical transaction at the moment the service is provided – just a one-time convenient feature creating an elevated user experience for drivers and riders alike.                                                                   Image Source: fortune.com GrubHub Another great example of MBI being used in business is GrubHub. GrubHub is a food service that (much like Uber) provides consumers with extreme convenience through the use of mobile intelligence. People looking for local delivery can use the app location services to determine restaurants in the area with delivery options, browse menus and place orders directly in the app. Fitbit A more advanced use of mobile business intelligence can be seen with fitness trackers such as the Fitbit, which gathers even more complex information from their mobile app including location, activity level, heart rate and more. This smart technology has revolutionized fitness awareness by being able to provide users with smart information about themselves. How your Business can Leverage MBI So how can you leverage this technology? Where are your customers now? What are they doing? This kind of information can be easily gathered with MBI, and understanding this knowledge will help you know exactly what can your business can provide to help or benefit your target market. Here are some specific categories of information which can be gleaned from mobile app technology that can be leveraged as a powerful set of tools added to your professional arsenal. Location Services Think outside the box on how your business can incorporate MBI on location services. Not only can you use it to provide on-location products and services to your consumer, you can also learn the geographical demographics of your target audience, stores and businesses they frequent and other location habits – helping you to hone in on the “where” of your client base or provide your “where” to your client base. Streamline Sales Process Traditional check-out processes are almost a think of the past. With technologies like Apple Pay or other in-app purchasing options, consumers have learned to prefer the convenience of this streamlined sales process. Through this service, you can also request for email, phone or other information from your client base in order to complete the purchase. Provide On-Demand Services One of the most used purposes of MBI being leveraged by companies today is to provide on-demand products or services to consumers. Innovation is often derived from a need of increased convenience. This is the ultimate form you can provide your customers by going to them – rather than asking them to come to you. Track User Information The sky is the limit as far as the elements MBI can be programmed to track for application users. It’s not just navigation, location or other more obvious benefits one can receive from mobile information. A smart company can tailor an algorithm to gather it’s own set of intelligence from a mobile app development. Be encouraged to think outside of the box.                                                                      Image Source: pcmag.com "Mobile analytics has grown up and moved out. It's no longer just an interface to legacy BI products. In 2015, products with a fluid, mobile-first experience began to emerge. Working with data out in the world is going from being a chore to becoming a dynamic part of the analytics process." – From Tableau's Top 10 Business Intelligence Trends for 2016 Get creative, and start incorporating these proven industry techniques of leveraging mobile business intelligence to connect with your target audience in a powerful way like never before. Information is a powerful thing, and the resources at your fingertips with MBI is an open door.