Current Analysis Users Cite Confusion over EAP Providers’ MEAP Offerings

Charlotte Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

• Enterprises confused about MEAP offerings continue to use homegrown platforms.
• Key drivers spurring adoption include improved ease of use, security, and customer service.

Even though BYOD is here to stay, confusion continues to swirl among enterprise IT professionals over how to launch mobile strategies.  These users are equally baffled over what to expect from middleware providers in the way of mobile enterprise application platform (MEAP) offerings.  User feedback via the Current Analysis’ enterprise and IT user community (i.e., IT Connection) reveals that most continue to use homegrown MEAPs to build mobile applications.  Moreover, while the majority of these users would prefer to have solutions provided to them by their traditional application platform providers, they remain confused over product strategies.  Specifically, users said they would be most motivated to adopt commercial MEAP offerings if they ensured better ease of use to the development process.  Improved security was another primary motivator for moving to commercial app platforms.

These same users report that complexity around MEAP is what has prevented them from adopting outside solutions in the first place.  Users also cite the need for help from middleware vendors in defining their mobile strategies.  Another top-of-mind issue for users is finding ways to improve customer relations, and they hope new mobile apps will help them accomplish that goal.  Therefore, users report that their primary reason for acquiring MEAPs is to provide better customer service, with a secondary reason being to generate new forms of revenue for their business.

MEAP and traditional application platform providers are challenged to provide better mobility thought leadership to enterprises, considering the high priority these users are now placing on this emerging market.  This effort should be prioritized, because Current Analysis users indicate that MEAP is currently their top IT concern, alongside IaaS, with PaaS and ‘big data’ projects following in order of importance.