In a free wheeling interview with CIO Online, a community destination for CIOs and other high-level IT executives, Rohith Bhat (CEO & MD) and Rakesh Tiwari (VP – BiZ Dev, Enterprise Mobility) speak about a host of issues including the history of Robosoft, the changing landscape in mobile app development and trends in Enterprise Mobility.
Excerpts:
From 1996 to 2015, what do you think has changed in the market in terms of competition, business expectations, and technology?
Rohith: Back in 1996, Apple was a struggling company. We thought if the company came out of its troubles and turned around, it would do wonders. That’s exactly what happened.
Steve Jobs’ re-entry galvanized the company and we rode that wave of growth. We worked with many of Apple’s partners across the globe. The introduction of iPhone and App Store in 2007 changed everything again, both in terms of demand and competition. There is competition from startups as well as established players. Apps have moved away from simple alarms to complicated projects which involve strategy, planning, complex prototyping, design intricacies and marketing. So it is a more complex, integrated approach now.
What are some of the challenges that CIOs face around enterprise mobility?
Rakesh: Mobile is still new to everyone. While many want mobility solutions, getting the design and user experience right is a struggle. Specially when making an app experience delightful for end consumers, a lot more can be done in enterprise mobility. We believe our strength lies in that area; enterprise mobility solutions need not be boring in terms of user experience or design. We get the design thinking right. The right mobile solution and engineering solution are of course, critical.
In the enterprise segment, addressing security issues, thanks to BYOD, is a challenge. We also believe that in enterprises mobile solutions are moving from a vertical, single app approach to a horizontal approach, where many departments within an enterprise need specialist mobile solutions. Apart from these, we feel enterprises need strategic inputs in app discovery and re-engaging with users.
Is security a big concern since many companies still treat it as a tactical piece instead of a strategic piece?
Rakesh: Yes, security is a big concern, especially since data is a critical asset for all companies, irrespective of their domain. With SMAC playing an increasingly important role in mobility, enterprises need to partner with companies who have the required domain knowledge and expertise.
Read the full interview here.
