Transparency will drive app success

Mobile devices are becoming more of a staple within the workplace, with many companies integrating a bring-your-own-device policy. This allows management to maintain some control over their operations while still enabling employees to leverage their personal hardware for work purposes. However, this often can mean that staff will utilize consumer-grade apps that typically don't have enough protection against threats in the business environment. Developers should work to create a program that will keep sensitive information safe while also detailing to the user how the data may be used for organizational purposes, ensuring that there is no confusion over how the app will function.

Identify how information will be used
In many cases, applications that people use in their daily lives collect information to generate a picture of how users leverage the program and what improvements should be made. However, taking advantage of this data could get businesses in a lot of trouble. According to Gartner analyst Roxane Edjlali, 25 percent of companies that utilize information collected from apps could face damages to their reputation if they do not tell users how the data will be handled. Some firms may use this information for their own purposes in order to group people into categories that do not offer the same benefits or services.

Misuse of staff or consumer information could result in damaging consequences for the business, making it necessary for them to ensure that this type of incident does not happen. By creating a clear app policy, people will easily be able to see how their data is being used and how it will affect their activities.

"The line between acceptable and unacceptable use of consumer data can be very thin, and it gets even thinner as the data collected becomes more detailed and personal," Edjlali told IDG News Service. "Even anonymized, [biometric] data could have major impact on people's ability to get adequate health insurance, if they are identified as belonging to a risk category."

Creating a capable business applications
While data collection could be essential to improving applications and the organization overall, there are other aspects that must be considered, especially in regulated sectors like healthcare. InformationWeek contributor Rachel Saidman noted that in these types of environments, developers have to follow a responsive design strategy, consider what devices will be used, address features that employees will need and guarantee that there is a way to access the information on any platform. App builders can do this by leveraging HTML5 development tools. With its cross-platform capabilities, programmers can easily ensure that all operating systems and hardware models are covered while also providing the tools users require. Because it's a Web-based program, software built on HTML5 can be accessed from any device with an Internet connection, ensuring that users will always have essential information on hand.

This type of flexibility will be crucial for medical professionals. Doctors and nurses once had to run around hospitals looking for information and hardcopy files, wasting precious time. With a mobile app, these individuals can easily get the resources they need and provide better patient care. In addition, developers can program security measures directly into the app, ensuring that the firm will continue complying with industry standards and deter any potential threats.

"As patient records are increasingly augmented with caregiver information, being able to securely and privately share information back and forth between those that manage information and those that own patient records will become more important," Saidman wrote. "Think carefully about how to include caregivers and others who support patients when it comes to better access and flow of information."