App management can be complicated. This is why you need to consider implementing an enterprise app store.
Great user experience. Detailed information. Notifications and updates. Broad device support and compatibility. Strict controls. Your EAS must be secure and private. That's why you need a robust authentication system that ensures anyone accessing your store has permission to do so.
Enterprise app stores or public stores?
Reading all of the above may make you think “Why go through all this trouble? I could use the Apple App Store or Google Play to distribute my apps.” You can certainly do this, but it's better if you don't. There are several reasons why an EAS is better than public stores.
For one, you want your apps to remain available only to your own employees (and select partners, if applicable). When you put your apps on public stores, you give anyone the chance to download and dissect your apps. This is a dangerous practice because it opens a front of vulnerability through which any malicious actor can study your applications and find violations to exploit.
There is also the issue of convenience. While not particularly difficult, forcing your employees to find your apps among the millions of apps available in public stores can be tiring. Even if you distribute internal lists with all the links to your apps, you're still asking people to browse a vast platform to find what they need.
Finally, there is the issue of authorization for publishing applications in public stores. Both Apple's App Store and Google Play have strict processes for submitting and publishing apps on their platforms. These processes take time and are sometimes difficult to get through, especially if you are using highly specialized applications. That's not all – Apple has stricter controls for its store, which even asks you to check your apps every time you update them.
You won't have to deal with these issues when building your own EAS. There, you define how to load and distribute your applications, while also defining who can access them and how. In this sense, an EAS is much more convenient than public stores.
The best option for managing enterprise applications
As you can see, building your own store for enterprise mobile apps can offer several benefits. An EAS can give you more control over your mobile ecosystem while giving you more flexibility to load and distribute your applications among the users you define. You can even customize EAS to support your brand and meet the demands of your employees.
In short, an enterprise app store is an easy way to ensure your team has the tools and resources they need without having to deal with the hassle of public stores. This is a huge advantage for a business that is growing and needs better mobile management, so consider the option or go further and discuss with a mobile development company what an EAS would look like for your business.
