ARMONK, N.Y., June 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) today announced the next generation of IBM MobileFirst
Foundation now available on the IBM Cloud to simplify and
accelerate enterprise mobile application development. Cloud
adoption continues to be a top focus for enterprises. IDC forecasts
that cloud IT infrastructure spending will reach $57.8 billion by 2020 accounting for 47.9 percent
of the total spending on enterprise IT infrastructure[1]. This move
towards a cloud infrastructure requires a mobile application
development platform uniquely designed to provide the essential
backend services for cloud deployments while enabling enterprises
to use the front-end tools of their choice to create powerful
mobile experiences with greater speed, security and
performance.
"Demand for cloud continues to skyrocket and mobile applications
are the driving force behind that demand within the enterprise,"
said Michael Gilfix, Vice President
of MobileFirst and Smarter Process, IBM. "Uniquely designed for the
cloud, the new IBM MobileFirst Foundation meets the need for speed
and productivity in mobile application development without
compromising security."
Mobile is a critical entry point for digital transformation and
as more enterprises migrate to the cloud, they will look for the
following key advantages provided by the new IBM MobileFirst
Foundation:
- Flexible Cloud Deployment: In the new version,
developers can now instantly provision an IBM MobileFirst
Foundation environment on the cloud or on premise with one click to
quickly create innovative mobile apps using the front-end tools and
framework of their choice. IBM MobileFirst Foundation offers the
flexibility to start small on the IBM Cloud, then move and scale
production workloads on premises or in a dedicated cloud
environment. This is a huge advancement in speeding the app
development process.
- Advanced Mobile Security: Security continues to be a
primary concern for CIOs and IBM is a preferred enterprise mobile
solution in the banking, financial services and healthcare
verticals where data security is of utmost importance. The new IBM
MobileFirst Foundation 8.0 has a built-in security framework that
helps provide end-to-end protection from mobile-specific threats by
securing data on the device as well as helping to protect corporate
APIs from hackers and vulnerabilities.
- Live Updates: The ability to make real-time updates to
an enterprise app on the back-end to improve its efficiency on the
front-end has been critical to several of our clients. In the new
version, users, including those who aren't developers, can now make
"Live Updates" to their apps by changing app functionality through
configuration instead of code, without having to redeploy the app.
Live Update reduces time and cost of app updates and cuts release
cycle times down from weeks to days.
- Intelligent Mobile Analytics: The advanced Mobile
Analytics feature has the ability to gather real-time data on
relevant app usage metrics and enables creation of custom business
metrics based on in-app usage events to gain insight on where to
invest next. Clients can discover and troubleshoot issues at the
point of interaction with enhanced mobile analytics that can
provide more relevant user insights.
- API Connect Integration: Complement your mobile strategy
with multi-channel API creation and management. Create interfaces
between back-end systems and mobile apps using IBM API Connect to
add automated, visual and coding options for creating Node.js and
Java microservice APIs. Integration with API Connect makes API
lifecycle management easier for developers, IT departments and
business leaders.
IBM has been named a leader in the June
2016 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Mobile App Development
Platforms for its MobileFirst solution four years in a row and is
positioned highest in execution within the Leaders Quadrant.
According to Gartner, Inc., "Leaders must represent a strong
combination of Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. In
the MADP sector, this means that Leaders not only are good at
cross-platform development, deployment and management across the
full life cycle, but also have a good vision of the multichannel
enterprise, support for multiple architectures and standards, a
solid understanding of IT requirements, and scalable channels and
partnerships. Leaders must provide platforms that are easy to
purchase, program, deploy and upgrade, and which can connect to a
range of back-end and cloud services — from both the same vendor
and from third parties." Download the full Gartner report here.
IBM has supported more than 5,000 clients from around the world
in industries ranging from finance and retail to healthcare and
telecommunications as they transform into mobile enterprises. Here
are a few examples of clients leveraging IBM MobileFirst as they
undergo the digital transformation:
- El Universal: The major Mexican newspaper founded in 1916, El
Universal needed a way for mobile users to control their categories
of interest, instead of sending them push notifications for all new
content. El Universal leveraged IBM MobileFirst to redesign the
subscription capabilities in their app and better serve their
readers.
- Rescue Bank: A non-profit organization supporting the animal
rescue and rehabilitation community with supplies and services,
Rescue Bank leveraged IBM MobileFirst to launch a scalable field
services app to manage real-time inventory visibility and reduce
errors, costs and handling time.
- Tangerine Bank: The Canadian bank needed to adapt to consumer
preferences quickly amid the rapid growth of mobile banking.
Tangerine is using IBM MobileFirst to speed mobile development
cycles from six weeks to two, enabling delivery of innovative
customer service tools.
- Security First Insurance: A leading Florida-based homeowners insurance company,
Security First Insurance deployed the Security First Mobile app
based on IBM MobileFirst to enhance the mobile experience. Since
deploying the app, Security First Insurance has seen a 195 percent
increase in average monthly new users and a 140 percent increase in
online payments.
To get started with IBM MobileFirst Foundation on the IBM Cloud,
please
visit: https://www.ibm.com/marketplace/cloud/mobile-cloud-applications/us/en-us
About IBM MobileFirst
IBM's 6,000 mobile experts have been at the forefront of mobile
enterprise innovation. IBM has secured more than 4,300 patents in
mobile, social and security, which have been incorporated into IBM
MobileFirst solutions that enable enterprise clients to radically
streamline and accelerate mobile adoption, help organizations
engage more people and capture new markets. For more information on
IBM MobileFirst, visit the press kit or
www.ibm.com/mobilefirst. Follow @IBMMobile on Twitter, and see
IBM MobileFirst on YouTube, Tumblr and Facebook.
About IBM Cloud
For more information on IBM Cloud visit:
www.ibm.com/cloud-computing.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service
depicted in its research publications, and does not advise
technology users to select only those vendors with the highest
ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist
of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not
be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research,
including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose.
Contact:
Sarah Murphy
IBM Media Relations
202-551-9396
srmurphy@us.ibm.com
[1] IDC Press Release, Cloud Environments Will Drive IT
Infrastructure Spending Growth Across All Regional Markets in 2016,
According to IDC, April 11, 2016
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SOURCE IBM