IBM MobileFirst
IBM MobileFirst is a group of products designed to simplify and accelerate mobile adoption by offering mobile application development modules and application management capabilities in a single product line.
IBM talks about the MobileFirst Platform in two ways, based in its capabilities and also by its components. The capability areas are: Continuously Improve, Secure, Contextualize and Personalize, and Enrich with Data.
- Continuously Improve - allows IT to manage application refresh cycles and collect in-app usage analytics.
- Secure - provides enterprise mobility management (EMM) capabilities.
- Contextualize and Personalize - allows developers to create mobile apps that are location- and context-aware.
- Enrich with Data - allows IT to join its mobile apps to internal and external data sources by connecting directly with IBM's Cloudant database as a service (DBaaS).
The components of IBM MobileFirst are: Foundation, Mobile Quality Assurance, Application Scanning, Presence Insights, Cloudant, Advanced Mobile Access and Push.
IT can purchase each module separately and deploy them in one of three ways: on-premises, in the cloud or in hybrid environments. IBM allows organizations to choose between monthly, perpetual or pay-as-you-go licenses.
With each of these modules, MobileFirst tackles four goals for improving enterprise mobility: building and deploying mobile apps versatile enough to run on a variety of devices; securing mobile interactions to allow employees to work anytime, anywhere; fostering deeper engagement through customer relationship management analytics; and increasing overall productivity.