Native apps are quickly going the way of the dodo bird, with cloud mobile apps taking on more and more prevalence in the marketplace. Given this trend towards cloud mobile, what are the advantages? If you are still working in a native app development environment, is your enterprise or business behind the times? Here are just some of the advantages of working in cloud mobile app development that are converting businesses like yours.
1. Cross platform functionality
By definition, native apps had to be developed for either iOS or Android. With cloud mobile development, your app lives on a server and is accessed by either platform readily. This eliminates the need to prioritize one platform over the other. In the past, companies were forced to choose which platform could generate the most revenue and develop for that platform first.
2. Database integration
In native app development, integrating a mobile app with your database can be a time-consuming and complicated process. By syncing data through the cloud server, a cloud mobile app ameliorates this issue. Gone are the days of long strings of complex code to facilitate database integration.
3. Scalability
Chances are, you didn’t release your app with each and every feature it will ever have on day one, yes? Apps are an ongoing process, and having room to scale up is essential. You may have scheduled features for later dates, or the market may demand new features. Either way, the enhanced scalability of a cloud-based environment will make this part of the process that much easier.
4. Secure data
Risk of data loss is higher with native apps due to the fact that a good amount of user data is stored on a user’s mobile device. A cloud-based scenario provides for more secure data storage, and easier access to that data, as needed. When data such as credit card numbers and personal info are on the line, you want to make sure that you can give your users the safest options.
5. User-friendly for compute newbies
Not every end user is an 18-year-old who grew up with a smartphone in their pocket. Many users are still compute newbies, and having a user-friendly experience when it comes to installation and use is essential. With a cloud mobile app, you eliminate the friction of installation and relying on user-driven updates.
6. Cost effective
Costs for native development pile up quickly and don’t tend to ebb off too much during the post-release maintenance phase. Android app development alone can cost three times as much as iOS dev. Upfront costs for cross-platform cloud mobile apps are much lower, and maintenance costs do not ramp up as drastically as they do with native apps.
7. Time efficient
The time it takes to develop a native app depends on the type of app, but preparing for months of development is typical. Half a year is not unrealistic, and a year is common. Developing a cloud mobile app can take a fraction of the time. What’s more, you only have to go through the development process once, since both android and iOS are addressed the first time around.
8. Easier maintenance
We touched on this issue in reason 6 above. Ongoing updates and maintenance is not something you can avoid; in fact, going longer than half a year without an update will alienate your users, even if you don’t necessarily “need” one. Maintaining a cloud mobile app is easier in the long term, thanks to the cloud-based nature of the design.
Cloud mobile app advantages are myriad, benefiting users and businesses alike.
Any business looking to leverage an app as a solution can benefit from considering a cloud mobile solution. What have your experiences with cloud mobile apps been, Builders? Let’s discuss on social via Twitter, and LinkedIn. Take a moment to visit Builder Studio, too, to see our app solutions in action free of cost.
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