IBM, VMware, MobileIron and JAMF Software have come together to create the AppConfig Community with the aim to help simplify app development and deployment as well as establish a standard for enterprise app configuration and security for iOS, according 451research.com. Developers have traditionally have had to use proprietary SDKs to enable configuration and security features of apps through EMM. Now the community is looking to streamline app building through standardized tools and best practices. According to the announcement made during Mobile World Congress, the community comprises not only the four founding EMM vendors but also a group of more than 60 companies, including Box, Cisco, Oracle, Salesforce and Workday.
451 Research Director Chris Marsh comments
"VMware announced its app configuration community, an update to last year's Application Configuration for the Enterprise (ACE) initiative. Unlike last year when VMware's AirWatch was the only EMM vendor part of the alliance and which was largely seen as a snub to competition like MobileIron, one year on IBM, JAMF and MobileIron join the community. ACE will go away as a brand and AppConfig will take over with other EMMs feeling it was too associated to only the AirWatch brand. Noticeable absentees include Citrix (XenMobile) and Microsoft (Intune). The four founding EMM members, which will enforce governance of the community and ensure messaging and content is vendor neutral, report the community is open to ISVs (of which 45 are already pat of the program) and other EMM vendors focused on defining common approaches for enterprise app config and security and supporting native OS frameworks. To this end the community has released a new XML schema documenting accepted configurations and values for different settings for developers to follow when they build their apps. The ambition goes beyond this, however, into other pain points but, and call me a skeptic, it'll be tough for the community to remain cohesive given that they are all fierce competitors."
