Mobile applications are a constant presence in not only large but also medium and small sized enterprises of today. In fact, the foremost strategy that enterprises have to make for getting a higher mobility rate is the deployment of functional mobile applications.
Mobile applications are a constant presence in not only large but also medium and small sized enterprises of today. In fact,
the foremost strategy that enterprises have to make for getting a higher mobility rate is the deployment of functional mobile applications. Though adoption of mobile tools like apps makes work easier and faster, recent research points to the fact that the process also has its own set of challenges for software development companies. In a competitive market, where a developer is under the constant pressure of delivering unique ideas for different categories of apps, they are often perplexed by the large number of mobile devices and their varying features like multiple screen sizes, OS platforms, and requirements of the local & world market that they need to consider before building a mobile application. These factors not only make the process of mobile app development more complex, it also leads to escalation of development costs. According to mobile researchers, app porting is a process which provides a solution to the above mentioned problems.
For example, if one app is ported (or transferred) from one operating system to another, or from one mobile device to another, it leads to the creation of a cross platform environment, which in turn promotes not only cost effective mobile app solutions, but also control of the enterprise’s IT team on the maximum number of operating systems available in the current mobile market. A mobile app can be ported from and to the major OS platforms of iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile. Listed below are the types of mobile app porting methods that an enterprise can choose from:
1. Cross platform porting – This is a type of mobile application porting method which involves the transfer of apps from one operating system to another. For example, IT professionals often port an iOS app to the Android OS platform.
2. Intra platform porting – This is a form of mobile application porting that generally involves the upgradation of an already functioning OS platform. Every modern enterprise runs multiple operating systems at the same time; if they wish to integrate new updates to the platform or add some new features, the IT department can opt for intra platform porting.
3. Multiple devices porting – If an enterprise has adopted the BYOD pattern, different employees may be using the same OS platform but multiple mobile devices. For instance, the Android platform runs effectively in devices with small and large screen sizes. If mobile apps are ported from one device to another which show varying characteristics but run the same operating system, it is known as multiple devices porting.
Here is a brief discussion of the steps followed for successful mobile application porting:
1. A reference port must be created by a team of IT professionals for deciding the mobile devices and operating systems to be included in the porting process.
2. The method of gap analysis is to be performed for evaluating app porting requirements.
3. This is followed by device and platform assessments so that all limitations in the environment may be identified and sorted before starting the method of mobile app porting.
4. Process such as code rewriting, GUI changes, code revision, and QA testing are carried out towards the end.
Follow the above tips and get your mobile apps ported for improved enterprise mobility.
