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Apple Spin-Off Hosts Enterprise App Stores

Posted by samzenpus on from the welcome-to-the-app-mall dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Last year Apple quietly authorized private-label app stores with its OTA (over-the-air) protocol, and now an Apple spin-off is offering the first hosting service to uses OTA to create alternative app stores for iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad. One of the first is Cisco's App Fridge (for cool networking apps), but a dozen other Fortune 500 companies have also signed up. And this fall, Apperian promises to add Android apps to its service, enabling one-stop-shopping for private-label apps store hosted in the clouds. So far these store are for employees only, but by 2012 Apperian claims it will be offering alternative app stores for the rest of us."

6 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Quick, dig out that bomb shelter! by schnikies79 · · Score: 2

    Enterprise customers have had the ability to run their own app store for over a year.

    --
    Gone!
  2. Enterprise apps, not regular consumer apps by perpenso · · Score: 2

    Apple allows other app stores? The world really will end in October!

    These are enterprise apps for internal use by an organization. Enterprise apps have always been handled differently than the regular apps for consumers on the Apple App Store.

    My understanding is that the organization maintains a list of device IDs allowed to use the app. They submit the list to Apple, Apple signs it, and returns the signed list as a provisioning file. The enterprise then distributes the app and the provisioning file to users, there is even a wireless method that the enterprise can set up. There is no Apple approval process for enterprise apps. I've not done an enterprise app myself but it sounds like the ad hoc distribution process used by regular developers and their testers.
    http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#featuredarticles/FA_Wireless_Enterprise_App_Distribution/Introduction/Introduction.html

    1. Re:Enterprise apps, not regular consumer apps by Lord+Grey · · Score: 2

      You don't need a list of device IDs for enterprise distribution. An enterprise-level development account, with the appropriate distribution provisioning, is sufficient.

      Using OTA enterprise distribution, I set up something similar for the place I work. An added benefit is that our in-house apps automatically check for updates when they're launched and prompt to update themselves if necessary. As far as I can tell, this "private-label app store" thing is pure media hype. As others have said, this is simply enterprise distribution, not distribution for the general public.

      --
      // Beyond Here Lie Dragons
  3. Re:Quick, dig out that bomb shelter! by Combatso · · Score: 2

    Yeah, do you know how hard it is get the opportunity to serve on the Enterprise..

  4. Re:For some, this is actually wecomed news by ceoyoyo · · Score: 2

    I'm so glad I chose a profession where I'm treated like a professional.

  5. Re:For some, this is actually wecomed news by toQDuj · · Score: 2

    a "pofessional" is just someone who does something as his "profession". Does not mean he is actually good at it. I am a professional scientist. Does not mean I am good at it. :)

    --
    Every experiment which ends in a big bang is a good experiment.