APPSrEVOLUTION

POINT OF VIEWOctober 2013

CSCApps rEvolution

FOREWORD

Applications are the way we put information into action,

and shifts in the what, where, how and who of doing this

have manifestly shifted the “apps” landscape.

We have seen the movement from general to specific

application scopes. In effect, the context of the individ-

ual is being brought into the presentation, transaction

and securing of information, which is both coming from

and flowing through an ever-extending set of channels.

From appliances and vehicles to smartphones and TVs,

the acceleration of network-attached devices is forcing

easy-to-use, easy-to-program, easy-to-integrate strate-

gies, with the Internet taking the dominant position as

the network of choice.

Consumerization across this expanding set of endpoint

technologies, combined with cloud computing on the

Internet as the default service provider, have made tech-

nologies like HTML5, JavaScript and HTTP the starting

point for consumers and enterprises alike. Employees

become “customers” of IT, and IT becomes an informa-

tion service provider in a landscape where every con-

sumer has the control to tune his or her experience to

maximize productivity.

As everyone jumps to “mobile first” as a mantra, and HTTP

as the connection, enterprises must shift their service

delivery strategies to wrap and extend traditional appli-

cations and, moreover, integrate with external services

that have become ubiquitous in the landscape. From

news feeds to social media, from Google to enterprise

knowledge repositories, and from Salesforce to produc-

tivity applications, there are Application Programming

Interfaces (APIs) for everything. The new disciplines of

API management and promotion are becoming critical

strategic discussions for businesses.

Another critical discussion is the experience. In the

past, the user experience (UX) came very late in the

design process, often being “designed” by program-

mers or engineers. Today, we are seeing a new empha-

sis on the experience; in fact, the UX is designed,

mocked up and built first. The UX designer is a key

member of the agile development team. Likewise,

the API developer, a somewhat new role, is working

to provide a set of programmer interfaces that maxi-

mize a correct and complete interface to underlying

services and data. These APIs have moved from chatty

sequences of messages to a single document that is

transacted. These APIs must support constant change,

with backward compatibility, to maximize value for the

broad new ecosystem of developers.

But who is the developer? With new frameworks and

tools, not to mention web technologies, it’s everyone. Do-

it-yourself (DIY) apps are starting to flourish. Instead of

one fat-client application with hundreds of tabs serving a

broad set of jobs and roles, we are seeing function-specific

apps created by business people and consumers (in addi-

tion to IT). These apps use data not just from one system,

but mashed up from news feeds, maps and other services

to enable one to make more informed decisions. There are

over 1 million apps in the Apple App Store, including over

1,500 calendar apps alone. This creates choice for con-

sumers, and since employees are also consumers, there is

a new expectation for IT to become more like the Internet

— offering choice, openness, flexibility and speed.

This revolution in technologies and the open passing of

information through communities is accelerating a new

revolution in applications, explored in the Apps rEvolution

report. We are all consumers. We value choice, and we

expect enterprise technologies to be as good as their

consumer counterparts. With the advance of Internet-

connected devices, we expect to constantly create,

interact with, and integrate information from everywhere.

We are just beginning to see the value that the apps revolu-

tion is ushering in as our enterprises continue to embrace

the consumerization of IT.

Dan Hushon

Chief Technology Officer

CSC

CSC Apps rEvolution

APPS rEVOLUTION

Access this report at csc.com/appsrevolution

CONTENTS 2 Executive Summary

5 Apps Take the Lead

7 Apps Experience

14 Apps Everywhere

22 Apps DNA

30 Apps Platforms

39 Apps Economy

45 Notes

49 Acknowledgments

2

CSCApps rEvolution

moved to center stage. It is no longer just a development

tool. In many industries it is a business strategy for spurring

external innovation, while also serving as the glue between

enterprises, mobile systems and the cloud.

While most of the action thus far has been in consumer

markets, the need to improve customer service and

increase employee productivity is driving the creation

of enterprise app stores and business app management

tools, making apps a unifying metaphor for digital system

usage. Just about every firm needs to offer engaging app

experiences — both internally and externally.

Riding this wave is exciting but not easy. Consumers

expect a constantly improving experience across a range of

devices that can include phones, tablets, home appliances

and, increasingly, cars. Business customers will expect their

equipment and machines to be connected to the Internet

and managed via an app-like interface. Developers face

a confusing and ever-changing technology landscape,

as well as complex security requirements. Perhaps most

importantly, software architects face a whole new set of

end-to-end synchronization, access and software integra-

tion challenges. As a result, the underlying DNA of the

information technology (IT) industry is changing, as new

platforms are required to meet evolving market demands.

In this dynamic environment, the Apps rEvolution is creat-

ing a robust and growing apps economy. For the many who

do participate, understanding the Apps rEvolution — apps

experience, apps everywhere, apps DNA and apps platforms

— is essential to planning and competing in this new world.

APPS EXPERIENCEEngagement and context matter.

The apps experience — its ease, appeal and speed — is

inseparable from its use, effectiveness and popularity.

Developers should consider the apps experience from

four perspectives:

Apps today are like valets, expected to serve people

whenever and wherever they are, on whatever device they

have. Successful apps deliver immediate and personalized

information and experiences through streamlined digital

interactions. Tens of billions are in use today, across an

astonishing array of consumer and business activities.

But this is only the beginning. Apps are now becoming

critical to product and service leadership in just about

every industry sector. They represent the future of how

enterprises interact with customers, employees, part-

ners and machines, as we increasingly access the Inter-

net and control our world from the palms of our hands.

This report describes the Apps rEvolution: an evolution

in technology that is creating revolutionary business and

personal change.

From a technology perspective, the apps revolution is rede-

fining how applications are created, distributed and con-

sumed. It is upending the traditional client-server, browser-

centric web model and breaking up monolithic applications.

The humble Application Programming Interface (API) has

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

APPS ARE EATING THE WORLD

Source: Flurry Analytics

3

CSC Apps rEvolution

• Engagement — Reimagining the customer relationship

and enabling real-time experiences that hold the indi-

vidual’s attention, often through the use of gamification,

loyalty programs, ratings, proximity or other tactics

• Context — Increasing app relevancy by leveraging iden-

tity, location/geofencing, time, social and physical set-

tings that enable new forms of awareness and intelligence

• Modalities — Interacting through touch, gesture, hap-

tics, emotions, biometrics, brain waves, eye movement

and wearable sensors

• Design — Creating intuitive, easy-to-use, increasingly

natural interfaces and aesthetics that suggest both a

familiar and interesting user experience (UX)

In short, apps must combine technical flexibility with an

artist’s touch. Companies should invest in design and

development teams that have both creative and techni-

cal skills, can empathize with the user, and can deliver a

consistent UX across a diverse set of devices in different

contexts, all while keeping business goals at the forefront.

APPS EVERYWHEREComputers are everywhere and apps run everything.

As apps infiltrate everything from home heating/cooling

to medical devices to jet engines, there will be count-

less new product and service opportunities. The Internet

of Things will lead to both connected industry and con-

nected society. With this comes enormous volumes of

new data that will be used for many purposes: reducing

costs, automating business processes, increasing revenue

through new services, identifying trends, getting market-

ing feedback, complying with regulations, and enhancing

customer efficiency, convenience and satisfaction.

For consumers, app interfaces to cars or home blood

pressure systems can still seem expensive novelties, but

this will change over time. Increasingly, smartphones

are acting as servers, capable of managing a variety of

devices in sectors as diverse as health/fitness, televi-

sion, transportation and payments, blurring many tra-

ditional industry boundaries. The long-term challenge

is to maintain simplicity so that using an app doesn’t

require difficult new learning.

For industry, the use of apps to manage and control systems

and machinery is the next great phase of apps expansion,

and is a critical part of the Internet of Things — long talked

about but now, thanks partly to apps, rapidly emerging. The

net effect over time will be longer, more integrated, and

more instrumented ecosystems and value chains. New stan-

dards will be needed, so that equipment and sensors can

more easily communicate with one another.

Enterprises and CIOs should think strategically about

the impact of these developments on their future cus-

tomer relationships and business operations. They must

determine what development and integration skills they

require, and where these resources should be located in

their firms. (A great deal of app development is taking

place outside of the enterprise IT organization.) Since few

companies can go it alone, app partner selection is also of

growing importance.

APPS DNANew software choices and architectures redefine development.

Apps for mobile devices and connected things have differ-

ent DNA than traditional IT systems, altering development

and performance choices. New stacks and architectures

give developers a wide range of options for designing

and creating apps that constantly improve the UX, keep

up with the rapid pace of change, and support hetero-

geneous devices. There has been a resurgence in APIs,

which weave the device, cloud and enterprise stacks into

an integrated runtime service. By providing well-written

and open APIs, an enterprise can spread its applications

across a wider ecosystem, reaching a broader audience

and spurring innovation by others.

For now, there is no definitive “best choice” among native,

web and hybrid app architectures, but this could change.

In particular, as HTML5/JavaScript performance keeps on

improving, the value of “write once, run anywhere” will

become attractive for all but the most specific applications.

Over time, it may not be possible to distinguish between a

web, hybrid and native app, as these worlds and standards

converge, but today these differences matter.

Enterprises need project managers and architects who

understand the impact of mobile app and data architec-

tures — especially development standards and languages,

4

CSCApps rEvolution

reti

re

define

design

develo

p

maintain

deploy

tes

t

secu

rity

governance

p

erform

ance

scalability

PLATFORM

ronments. However, selecting the best platform requires

understanding business needs. If the goal is to enable effi-

cient app development across different departments, put

a platform in place for efficiently sharing code. If the goal

is to enter new markets or partner with other companies,

put a platform in place that promotes the use of APIs. If

the goal is to enable non-technical business people to cre-

ate their own apps, then a DIY business app development

platform is probably the right tool for the job.

APPS ECONOMYApps are the front end to the digital future.

Apps are rapidly becoming the main interface to the Inter-

net and the entire digital economy. Industries are blurring,

driving deeper integration between things, people, busi-

ness and society. New markets are forming and customer

relationships are changing. Developers are a coveted

resource as innovation takes shape by connecting things,

people, apps and data to create new services, often with

the help of APIs that extend existing services into new

realms. Examples in healthcare (RedBrick Health), auto-

motive (RelayRides) and DIY business (Lyft) show the way.

Enterprise IT has a golden opportunity to lead in this new

world. However, this requires different thinking (outside-

in) and strong relationships with business peers (still

a challenge in many firms). Enterprise IT can lead the

enterprise to a “mobile first” or even a “mobile only” strat-

egy, but must know when to champion APIs and how to

attract developers to build apps leveraging these capabili-

ties. Finally, enterprises can turn what was once seen as

a “shadow IT” problem into a competitive advantage by

fostering and cultivating a DIY culture for their firm.

The Apps rEvolution is not just about apps. It is about

business change: creating new experiences, inventing

new products and services, redefining customer service,

and improving productivity and efficiency. It is about

building new and better ways of using modern technol-

ogies, and about applying IT to entirely new realms. The

speed, simplicity and appeal of the app experience may

have started as smartphone and consumer phenomena,

but this is now the model for how information systems

will be built and used in the future. The digital economy

is no longer just out there on the web; it is literally in the

palm of your hand.

PLATFORM CHALLENGES

Enterprise mobile platforms must address numerous

challenges across the app development lifecycle.

Source: CSC

user interface design options, and the power of lightweight

interfaces — in order to make informed decisions. Otherwise,

outdated architectures will adversely affect the app experi-

ence one way or another.

APPS PLATFORMSApps platforms simplify development, management and distribution.

Mobile apps have their own development culture. Design

and development are user-centric; the technology spans

diverse device environments, multiple cloud services, and

lightweight interfaces and standards; and release cycles

must be short. The managed desktop is coming to an end,

being replaced by dynamic apps, enterprise app stores

and bring-your-own (BYO) technologies. Development

is taking place outside of IT, where do-it-yourself (DIY)

business people leverage both drag-and-drop and more

advanced tools to expose APIs, integrate services and

create their own apps. Cross-functional challenges like

security and governance take on new shape as everyone

brings their own apps (not just devices) to work.

Fortunately, new platforms are helping enterprises tame

this complexity and transition to more sophisticated envi-

5

CSC Apps rEvolution

Applications are the lifeblood of the organization because they define how work gets done.

Over the past 10 years the application landscape has

changed. As mobility and cloud have converged, there

has been a pole shift in how applications are designed

and delivered and how work gets done. Applications are

expected to serve people whenever and wherever they are,

on whatever device they happen to interact with. “Apps” is

the term used to describe this new breed of flexible, con-

text-aware, ubiquitous applications. (See Figure 1.)

In 2011 the IT industry reached a significant milestone

as the number of smartphones sold exceeded the num-

ber of PCs sold.1 Add tablets to the mix, and we are

rapidly moving toward a new era of “mobile first.” As

a result, apps on mobile devices are coming into their

own. Instead of merely porting existing content to the

mobile device, companies are creating novel, context-

aware transactions and actions on the mobile device that

cannot exist in a desktop world. Consider finder apps

that locate goods and services based on where you are

as you move around, check-in apps, tap-and-pay apps,

insurance apps with mobile claims submission, and car-

sharing businesses like Uber with its on-demand driver

service summoned via an app.

With today’s apps we are witnessing the breakup of

monolithic applications and the desktops that supported

them. The distinction between client and server is blur-

ring as service roles and devices are decoupled. Apps on

personal devices can interact with apps in an organiza-

tion’s infrastructure as needed, even migrating between

different devices as the person moves through different

environments. Apps in a flexible, responsive infrastructure

will automatically interact with apps in personal devices

to allow a person to navigate traffic and pay for tolls in a

driverless car, present a train ticket by simply getting on

board, and pay for goods by walking out of a store.

Apps everywhere will change the way data is created,

shared and used by people and enterprises. A self-heal-

ing, dynamic infrastructure will be able to dynamically

analyze data on individual app user behaviors, predict

future group behaviors, respond to emergencies and

provide just-in-time information with a seamless experi-

ence for the situation at hand. For example, nearby bill-

board ads will adapt to an app user’s context based on

the person’s characteristics, interact with the person, and

guide the person to particular stores and products.

Apps everywhere will change the way data is created, shared and used by people and enterprises.

APPS TAKE THE LEAD

FIGURE 1. APPS ARE EATING THE WORLD

Source: Flurry Analytics

6

CSCApps rEvolution

technology that is creating revolutionary business and

personal change. The Apps rEvolution gets at the heart

of the enterprise: how it conducts business, makes

sales, delivers products, serves clients, and interacts

with customers and suppliers. Changes to the business

of applications — how they are created, distributed and

consumed — are fundamentally affecting organizations

and consumers. This report explores these changes

by examining five areas: apps experience, apps every-

where, apps DNA, apps platforms and the emerging

apps economy.

A NEW WAY OF THINKING (AGAIN)

The Apps rEvolution is upending the client-server, browser-

centric web model as consumer demand drives app inno-

vation at the (device) edge and suppliers rush to fill this

demand. The humble Application Programming Interface

(API) has moved front and center as a primary design con-

sideration — a business strategy — for leveraging enterprise

content on mobile apps. Spurred on by the consumerization

of IT, employee demand for in-house business productivity

and customer service apps has grown, followed closely by

demand for enterprise app stores and app management

tools in enterprises and government agencies. Apps will

impact the enterprise everywhere but will be most strik-

ing in areas that are purposely designed to engage and

empower. User experience is king and the API is queen.

However, not everything in the Apps rEvolution is a bed

of roses. Developers face many challenges such as high

consumer expectations, multiple types of devices and

operating systems, an ever-changing technology land-

scape, and privacy and security mandates.

While these and other issues need to be addressed,

the Apps rEvolution is marching ahead: an evolution in

The Apps rEvolution gets at the heart of the enterprise: how it conducts business, makes sales, delivers products, serves clients, and interacts with customers and suppliers.

7

CSC Apps rEvolution

Engagement and context matter.

How a person experiences an app — how easy it is, how

fast it is, the quality of its results, the variety of devices it

runs on — is driving development in wholly new ways. Cli-

ent-server may have been about experience to an extent,

but it focused on the desktop. In the early days of mobile,

devices and networks largely drove applications. But

as mobile has evolved, making the promise of “anytime

anywhere” computing come true, delivering an excellent

experience has become essential.

That is because customer expectations and demands have

continued to escalate, and competition from other apps is

fierce. If an app doesn’t meet a person’s needs, there are

often 10 others that can take its place.

Successful apps must provide an easy, intuitive, “to the

point” experience. Most importantly, that experience must

be one that continues to improve over time, at minimum

staying on par with competing apps. As a result, each new

app launch or update attempts to improve experience,

raising the bar for all those around it. Through app store

ratings, comments and tweets, developers are faced with

immediate feedback. Therefore, it is not only that apps are

reshaping the user experience; users are demanding new

experiences themselves.

To stay ahead, developers must examine the experience

through four different lenses: engagement, context, new

modalities and interface design. (See Figure 2.)

ENGAGEMENT: RICH, NOT RIGID

Apps that engage focus on people, draw them in, and

address immediate needs. In contrast to discrete, rigid

transactions, engagement encompasses rich end-to-end

interactions across an activity and is about relationships

and real-time decisions.

For example, a prototype iPad application is working on

reimagining the relationship between car buyers and car

dealers. The app, developed by CSC, allows consumers

to view in-stock vehicles, configure their car, schedule an

appointment and arrange financing. Once the car is pur-

chased, a “customer for life” aspect comes into play. The car

issues live status reports to the buyer on its health (e.g., oil

and tire pressure), gives reminders about scheduled mainte-

nance (e.g., in 4,000 miles or 90 days) and enables the buyer

to book service appointments online. (See Figure 3.)

APPS EXPERIENCE

Engagement

More People-Centric and Immediate

More Relevant

More Natural

More Intelligent

None

Static

Key-board

Mouse, Stylus

Touch, Voice

Role-Based

Presence, Location,

Device(early days)

Request-Response

Info PushInfo Pull

Icons,ExploratoryMetaphor

E�cient, Context-

Aware

Ambient, Anticipatory, Always with

You

Gesture, Haptics,

Physiology, Sensor-Based

Identity,Location,

Time,Social,

Physical

ReimaginingRelationships,

Real-TimeExperiences

Codified

1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s

Context

Modality

InterfaceDesign

FIGURE 2. TOWARD THE ULTIMATE APPS EXPERIENCE

Key aspects of the ultimate apps experience

are apps that engage with people and address

immediate needs, contextual information that makes

the app more relevant, more natural modalities, and

increasingly smart interface design.

Source: CSC

8

CSCApps rEvolution

Make It Motivating and Fun. A pow-

erful way to enhance engagement

is to make using an app fun. This is

the essence of gamification, which

applies game strategy and mechan-

ics in non-game environments to

appeal to people’s sense of fun and

competition, boosting productivity

and participation.

Gamification techniques vary depend-

ing on the application and desired

outcome. Progress bars, comparisons

with friends, and community endorse-

ments all use gaming techniques.

Techniques that encourage people

to improve their ranking (e.g., leader

boards, points, badges) or give them

confidence to use an app (e.g., begin-

ner level) also encourage participa-

tion. For example, these techniques

could motivate call center workers to

take online training courses to improve

customer satisfaction. One company

matched workers’ names to faces at

login, in a fun way, to help employees

remember each other’s names and,

ultimately, help reduce employee turnover.

However, gamification isn’t a be-all and end-all strategy.

Gamification pioneer Foursquare has decided to move

its points and badges to the background, so the loca-

tion-based social networking service can focus more on

context-driven content. Although the move sparked a

storm of debate over the value of gamification, in the end

gamification is just another technique to support business

strategy, not hijack it.

LEVERAGING CONTEXT

Context makes the app experience more relevant. Con-

text helps determine what a person’s immediate needs

will be at a given point in time, enabling a tighter, more

personalized integration between the person and the

process or service. In a mobile world, context, and thus

needs, change frequently. (See Figure 4.) So designing

an app with context in mind is integral to making the

The app provides an end-to-end customer experience,

from sales to service to personalized promotions, that

enables dealers to maximize their interaction with the

customer rather than having it end when the car is pur-

chased. Advanced sensors and the future connected car

will allow even greater touch points. (See Apps Every-

where.) More importantly, the app provides an opportunity

for an organization to engage its customer over the life of

the car and develop a strong relationship in the process.

The app also integrates with social media (Facebook,

Twitter, LinkedIn) so the buyer can connect with others

who have purchased similar cars.

Other engagement apps leverage the importance of data

capture in situ for faster decisions, such as mobile apps for

water quality testing, food and drug safety testing, report-

ing on wildfires, and identity verification. Such apps are

about immediacy and providing information from (and to)

the field in order to respond quickly and effectively and

keep people safe.

FIGURE 3. This prototype app for consumers reimagines the relationship

between car buyers and car dealers, fostering a long-term relationship

that lasts the life of the car. The app provides customized promotions,

can send maintenance alerts, and connects to social networks.

Source: CSC

9

CSC Apps rEvolution

app more useful and engaging. Key elements to consider

include identity, activity, location, time, social interac-

tions and real-world settings.

Who Are You? Who you are, what role you play and what

you are trying to do are often the starting point for context.

An example of a context-aware app that adapts based on

a person’s identity and activity is CSC’s ConfidentID Mobile

security solution. ConfidentID leverages context — who is

using the device, where, for what kind of transaction — and

takes advantage of the built-in capabilities of smart devices

to put biometrics in the hands of consumers. Built on

Daon’s IdentityX platform, ConfidentID Mobile uses multi-

factor authentication that can be applied in varying levels

based on the riskiness of a transaction by leveraging the

basic functionality of smart devices — cameras, voice, GPS,

network connectivity, etc.

For example, if used with a banking

app, withdrawing $50 would require

a PIN, but withdrawing $5,000 would

require facial verification and a PIN.

ConfidentID Mobile combines PIN/

password, face, voice and palm

recognition, and location data to

identify an app user. ConfidentID

matches Bob’s biometric data to

previously collected biometric data

on a central identification server to

authenticate Bob. This authentica-

tion data is linked to the device’s

unique identification number, which

enables ConfidentID to know that it

is Bob using Bob’s phone. This pro-

vides greater identity confidence

than using passwords, PINs or public

key infrastructure alone.

One CSC customer combines face,

voice and PIN in a simple login expe-

rience to identify the mobile app

user, replacing the traditional user-

name/password login. All of this

biometric data, which is collected in

the same amount of time it takes to

enter a PIN or username/password,

identifies the mobile app user and

further sets the context of the app session.

Place and Time. Where you are and what is near you are

also critical pieces of context. NewAer provides a “prox-

imity platform” for smartphones and tablets that senses

nearby devices and takes specific actions. Through the

company’s ToothTag app, people configure their mobile

device to do a specific activity when a certain “tagged”

device or person is in range. This activity could be drop-

ping a pin on a virtual map where you car is parked, or

alerting you when a friend is nearby.

Your location can also trigger authorization to perform

(or not) an activity. If you are in the San Francisco air-

port, you can work on your export control project on

your laptop, but once you land in China, you no longer

have access to the project files. Such “geofencing,” or

identifying zones that trigger an activity, is commonly

FIGURE 4. THE CONTEXT OF MOBILE INTERACTION

Source: Source: Nadav Savio, Giant Ant Design

Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License,

http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

d e v i c e• hardware• OS• condition• familiarity• battery level• software• capabilities

c o n n e c t i o n• speed• reliability• set up

c a r r i e r• practices• services• pricing model

i n t e r f a c e

g o a l s• identity• status• logistics• communication• information• entertainment• social interaction

a t t e n t i o n• continuous / full • continuous / partial• intermittent / full• intermittent / partial

t a s k s• make call• compose message• meet friends• announce location• send photo• view video• find local information• etc...

Context of Mobile Interaction For mobile computing, context is everything. Freed from the relative homogeneity of the desk-bound PC, mobile interactions are deeply situated.

In order to design for successful mobile interactions, we must understand the overlapping spheres of context in which they take place. To that end, we have constructed a model of context for mobile interaction.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Nadav Savio | Giant Ant Design | www.giantant.com

A C T I V I T YENV I R

O N M E N TC U LT U R E

walking, driving, eating, juggling groceries, waiting for the bus, in line...

sound, light, space, privacy, distractions, other people...

economics, religion, etiquette, law, social structures...

10

CSCApps rEvolution

Real-World Setting. If information is presented in relation

to the real world, people are much more engaged because

the information makes more sense than if presented in a

vacuum. Augmented reality (AR) presents information in

the context of a real-world setting, overlaying digital data

onto images or views of the physical world. For example,

AR mobile apps can overlay store specials on top of

supermarket buildings, navigation markers on roadways,

or housing prices on homes for sale.

AR apps, still emerging, can be used on construction sites

(see what a finished building or part will look like as shown

in Figure 5), in disaster assessments (see what the origi-

nal setting looked like), for inventory management (view

information about an object or a crate of goods) and in

healthcare (superimpose an MRI image that shows cancer

on a live image to guide a biopsy).

On the horizon for AR: improving the accuracy of aug-

mentations (particularly important for construction

and engineering apps) and donning a new form factor,

glasses. AR glasses are in the works at Google, Apple

and Microsoft. Although they may take time to get used

to, they could move AR into the mainstream with their

hands-free convenience.

used in mobile ads, such as sending a restaurant coupon

to a smartphone when a person is within 2 miles of the

restaurant. However, geofencing plus mobile marketing

based on time of day, called dayparting, is a more power-

ful proposition. This emerging strategy would allow orga-

nizations to understand your location and send the most

appropriate promotion, such as a coffee coupon at 6 a.m.

or a sandwich coupon at noon.

A Sense of Belonging. Another way to put information in

context is to share it with others — hence the proliferation

of buttons today for linking digital content to Facebook,

Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media. That proliferation

extends to the TV, where viewers can connect with others

through social apps right from the TV. Or, they can do so

from their smartphone or tablet — the “second screen” —

while watching TV. These second screens can be used for

interactive ads, voting and other engagement. For example,

the Shazam app has evolved from a music tagging service to

a TV ad and video tagging service on the second screen for

high-profile events. During the 2012 U.S. Super Bowl, view-

ers used Shazam to tag TV ads and events to unlock extra

content, get additional statistics about the game, and enter

contests, among other things.2 A marketing study found that

the Shazam app boosted TV ad recall and engagement with

the advertiser via the advertiser’s website and Facebook.3

FIGURE 5. A construction worker at BNBuilders uses a tablet equipped with AR software to visualize how a

complex set of stairs will fit. AR is in the experimental stage on construction project sites.

Source BNBuilders

11

CSC Apps rEvolution

NEW MODALITIES

AR glasses, a form of wearable computer, emphasize

the importance of convenience and ubiquity — a trans-

parent, “always with you” user interface. (See Figure 6.)

Smartwatches are also capturing people’s imagination

as a new form of wearable computer. The convenience

and immediacy of wearables dovetails with the move

toward more natural modes of interaction. Today, new

modes of interaction focus on natural user interfaces

(NUIs) such as gesture, tactile feedback and human

physiology. In addition, “natural” extends to displays

such as skin, tables and walls — i.e., ordinary surfaces.

As these new modes mature and push the boundaries

of how people interact with apps, the new modes will

profoundly transform the user experience.

NUIs employ interactions that are effortless, transparent

and contextual. A NUI is perceived to be invisible and uses

input that is natural or from nature — for example, voice,

gesture or eye gaze instead of a typed command. Smart-

phones are bringing NUIs into the mainstream, such as voice

via Apple’s Siri and Google Voice, and gesture and eye gaze

via Samsung’s Air Gesture and Smart Scroll. Gesture-based

interfaces enable people to interact directly with content

rather than manipulate menu commands and buttons.

While gesture has been around for some time in video

games (e.g., Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox Kinect), it

is still early days for non-game environments. The Kinect

Accelerator program, for one, aims to change that by seed-

ing entrepreneurial development of Kinect applications

for Windows PCs. Examples include facilitating physical

therapy, monitoring retail behavior and navigating MRI and

CT scans in the operating room.4 Other burgeoning exam-

ples are Samsung’s Smart Interaction TV interface, which

incorporates voice and gesture;5 the Leap Motion control-

ler, which enables people to use hand and finger gestures

to interact with a laptop (see Figure 7); and specialized

gloves, called Enable Talk, that enable sign language ges-

tures to be translated into speech via a smartphone app.6

Further along is gesture in cars, to manipulate apps and

controls on the dashboard with hand motions or even

open the trunk with a foot motion, such as when carrying

groceries. Then there is Myo, an armband that leverages

the electrical energy in your muscles to control the digital

world through gesture.7

In addition to using motion as input from the user, motion

can be used as output by the computer. Such tactile feed-

back, or haptics, includes vibrations and forces. Haptics

FIGURE 6. Google Glass merges computing activities

and data with the real world in a hands-free way.

Source: Google

FIGURE 7. With the Leap Motion controller (pictured

in front of the keyboard), people can use hand and

finger gestures, such as pinch and point, to interact

with the computer.

Source: Leap Motion

12

CSCApps rEvolution

behavior. (One of its first applications was smile detection

technology for Sony cameras.) The idea is to have machines

learn to understand us rather than us commanding them.

Emotiv has created a headset shown in Figure 9 that reads

brain waves, so when you think something (e.g., lift or

move), it happens on the screen (e.g., an object elevates

or a cursor moves). People could use brain waves to do

an Internet search, for example, or to rate a song they are

listening to. The headset also detects facial expressions

and emotions. Companies such as Seren and NeuroSpire

are using the data to understand how customers respond

to products and advertisements (e.g., engaged, bored,

frustrated, excited).

Besides being able to infer emotional states by sensing

physiological traits, apps are able to express and influ-

ence human emotions. Apps can express emotion based

on context using sound tonality, visual effects, ambient

lighting and haptics. For example, Nissan has a prototype

vehicle that shows emotions using animatronics and a

flexible material that changes shape to emulate a smile or

frown.9 Other vehicle manufacturers use ambient lighting

to influence the driver’s mood (e.g., calm, alert), express

the state of the vehicle (e.g., unlocked, starting, ready to

go, malfunctioning) or define the brand.10

makes a virtual experience seem more physical and real,

enhancing context, engagement, understanding — and

thus execution — of a task. For example, haptics can aid

robotic surgery, providing tactile and resistance feedback

to surgeons as they operate. Haptics in car infotainment

systems helps drivers keep their eyes on the road. Smart-

phone users may be less likely to make errors using a

haptic keypad and may be more engaged with a game or

other app that has haptic features.

For the ultimate in invisible interactions, new modalities

are directly tapping human physiology. Consider smart

contact lenses that capture pressure-related changes to

the circumference of the eye to help diagnose glaucoma

(limited commercial availability from Sensimed) or that

monitor blood glucose levels for diabetics (in development

at Microsoft Research Connections and the University of

Washington, and at Rutgers University).8 The continuous

monitoring from the lens is more thorough and less invasive

than traditional procedures, improving health and quality of

life. (See Figure 8.)

Other areas of research include harnessing emotions (affec-

tive computing), brain waves and eye movement to inter-

act with computers. Emotient applies machine learning to

facial expression to better understand human emotions and

FIGURE 8. Smart contact lenses monitor eye

pressure-related changes to detect glaucoma. This

non-invasive healthcare device takes advantage of

the body as a natural user interface.

Source: Sensimed

FIGURE 9. This headset reads brain waves for

controlling a computer display, so you can think

about moving the cursor and it happens on screen.

Source: Emotiv

13

CSC Apps rEvolution

However, some challenge the notion of NUIs, saying that

an interface that is too simple potentially stunts learning,

and that a complex world demands tools that we invest

some effort in learning to use, just as we had to learn to

read.11 However, as devices shrink and apps are embed-

ded in all manner of things, from smartphones to sedans

to store shelves, natural interfaces will be imperative.

Google Glass is a good example, with its head-mounted

display that features voice, video and AR capabilities. The

device has captured the public’s imagination about how

we will soon interact with the digital world, from navigat-

ing through streets to filming and taking photos of memo-

rable occasions. To be clear, head-mounted displays are

not new. However, the elegant design and marketing have

created an excitement about this new mode of interaction;

it’s the same way consumers felt when Apple launched

the iPhone with touch screen capability.

USER INTERFACE: DESIGN DOMINATES

The new modalities radically transform how people interact

with computers, making user interface (UI) design a critical

role in user experience. Encompassing engagement, context

and the new modalities, UI design has become a driving

force in the uptake of apps. A poor UI ruins the experience

quickly, whereas a great UI changes the experience entirely.

Apple showed the world the importance of good UI design,

and there has been no stopping UI design since. Today the

UI can be a powerful differentiator, if not the primary rea-

son for choosing an app or an enterprise system.

An important though seemingly mundane element influ-

encing UI design is screen size. As the new modalities

show, radically different screen sizes require new think-

ing about design. With a large display such as a table,

the trick is to avoid information overload but also design

for the possibility of multiple simultaneous users. With a

small display such as a smartphone or glasses, the chal-

lenge is to decide what functions to leave out or reserve

for different form factors, and to set expectations accord-

ingly. These decisions are best made by designers who

can walk in the footsteps of the user.

In short, apps must combine technical flexibility with an

artist’s touch. Companies should invest in design and

development teams that have both creative and techni-

cal skills, can empathize with the user, and can deliver

a consistent experience across a diverse set of devices

in different contexts, all while keeping business goals at

the forefront.

These considerations are pushing developers in new

directions, changing the very DNA of apps and the plat-

forms used to build them. But before we get to apps DNA

and apps platforms, it is important to examine where

many of today’s apps are and what things they are con-

necting to, discussed next.

As devices shrink and apps are embedded in all manner of things, from smartphones to sedans to store shelves, natural interfaces will be imperative.

Apps must combine technical flexibility with an artist’s touch.

14

CSCApps rEvolution

A world of apps everywhere assumes an underlying net-

work unifying everything. In 2013 over 5 billion standards-

based wireless connectivity chips will be shipped, con-

necting all manner of things to other things and to the

Internet; there will be over 10 billion Bluetooth-enabled

devices in 2013 and over 10 billion WiFi-enabled devices

in 2015.13 Chips and apps in objects and things enable

interoperability with formerly closed systems, such as in-

vehicle information systems in the connected car, enter-

tainment systems and appliances in the connected home,

wearable sensors in the connected person, and parts and

industrial equipment in connected machines.

CONNECTED CAR

A prime example of the richness and potential of things

connecting to both people and other things is the car. The

connected car has implications for in-vehicle entertain-

ment and information, safety, diagnostics, stolen vehicle

recovery, marketing and sales. Not only does the con-

sumer benefit, but so do the car manufacturer, dealer,

financer and insurer.

Today people want personalized access to apps, music,

books, news and video from any device at any time. The car

is just one more device — some call it “the ultimate mobile

device”14 — and the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system

serves the content to a captive audience, which is why the

dashboard has become such a hot property. While dash-

board apps for music, navigation, news and nearby restau-

rants provide enjoyment and convenience for drivers, ads

for nearby promotions provide new business opportunities

for marketers. Given the increasingly connected consumer,

digital services that were once confined to high-end cars

will gradually become commonplace.

Several auto manufacturers, including Audi (MMI),

Ford (SYNC), Toyota (Entune) and Daimler (COMAND

Online), are adopting open standards such as HTML5 to

Computers are everywhere and apps run everything.

Look around: Apps are everywhere. The Internet of Things,

long imagined, is taking shape as computers and apps

populate cars, TVs, refrigerators, ovens, thermostats, lug-

gage, signs, vending machines and other everyday things.

As the physical world “wakes up” and gets online, to para-

phrase the Cisco ad: The next big thing isn’t a thing at all

but the connection of things, yielding a smarter world. GE

calls it the Industrial Internet, born of the Industrial Revo-

lution and the Internet Revolution and ushering in huge

potential gains in productivity as machines, computing,

connectivity and analytics converge.12

A world of apps everywhere is about changing how

businesses operate: cutting costs through automated

business processes, increasing revenue by providing

new services, and complying with regulations by con-

trolling environmental factors. It is about convenience,

efficiency, well-being and innovation. Apps everywhere

is about changing everything.

APPS EVERYWHERE

A world of apps everywhere is about changing how businesses operate: cutting costs through automated business processes, increasing revenue by providing new services, and complying with regulations by controlling environmental factors.

15

CSC Apps rEvolution

facilitate interoperability between IVIs, the web, mobile

devices and app stores. In a move reminiscent of Apple,

Ford and General Motors are reaching out to third-party

developers to write apps for their vehicles — an auto-

motive first. (See Apps Economy.) Platform provider

QNX, a subsidiary of BlackBerry, has developed an open

platform for the connected car. QNX CAR Platform 2.0

features interfaces for smartphone integration, 3D navi-

gation, voice, physical and touch control, cloud connec-

tivity and even video conferencing.15 QNX is working with

open-source standards-based development platforms

GENIVI, Tizen and webinos to create a vehicle data API

W3C specification by the end of 2013.16

In addition to connecting to people and their apps, cars

are connecting to cars and other things on the road.

This is the essence of the self-driving car, which senses

distance between cars and objects in its path and can

operate itself without human intervention. Google,

Toyota, Volvo, General Motors and others have been

working on self-driving cars in the name of safety and

efficiency. Google’s car has been a working prototype

for a few years (see Figure 10), and now three U.S. states

(Nevada, California and Florida) allow self-driving cars

on the road. The vision behind the self-driving car is

fewer accidents, higher-capacity use of roads, fuel effi-

ciency and convenience. Many complicated legal and

business issues must be settled, however, before driver

assistance technology is commercialized.17 Who is liable

in an accident? Should software updates be automati-

cally pushed by the car maker or left to the driver? Can

the car legally drive itself without anyone in it?

CONNECTED HOME

The home is chock-full of things being connected to the

network. From thermostats to washing machines, ovens,

doors and lights, dormant everyday things are being

infused with digital life.

While still emerging and somewhat of a novelty, these

smart things can enable self-diagnostics without

requiring a service call (e.g., LG Smart Range), inte-

grate your photos and allow you to take control of your

Digital services that were once confined to high-end cars will gradually become commonplace.

The vision behind the self-driving car is fewer accidents, higher-capacity use of roads, fuel efficiency and convenience.

FIGURE 10. Google reports that its self-driving

cars have completed 300,000 miles of test drives

without an accident. (On average, U.S. drivers have

an accident every 165,000 miles.) Much work still

needs to be done, but the reality of the self-driving

car is getting closer.

Source: Google

16

CSCApps rEvolution

tems that target everyday consumers. Companies such as

SmartThings, Ube and Microsoft are showing the way.

SmartThings’ system connects things such as doors (open

or close), power outlets (on or off), motion sensors and

presence detectors. SmartThings uses a wireless hub that

links to sensors strewn around the home, and the entire

system can be controlled through an Apple or Android

smartphone app. (See Figure 13.) Because the platform

is open to developers, there are endless possibilities for

creating simple apps, such as “when someone’s presence

is detected, turn on the light and send me a notification.”

Ube also turns an Apple or Android smartphone into cen-

tral command, linking any IP-enabled devices in the home. In

addition to connecting already-IP-enabled devices like TVs,

entertainment (e.g., smart televisions), and even learn

your behaviors and adjust over time (e.g., Nest Learning

Thermostat in Figure 11).

The workhorse refrigerator, a centerpiece of home life,

is being transformed into a multifaceted thoroughbred.

Smart refrigerators from Samsung and LG sport an 8-inch

LCD screen with apps including grocery lists, recipes, cal-

endar, weather, memos, photos and more. (See Figure 12.)

Connecting individual things is a first step toward connect-

ing everything to each other, a vision made possible with

open standards, cheap sensors, pervasive home WiFi and

ubiquitous smartphone apps. Home automation systems

that were expensive, proprietary, closed and for the affluent

are giving way to inexpensive, standards-based, open sys-

FIGURE 11. The Nest Learning Thermostat lets you

control your thermostat from a smartphone app,

which reports energy history. The Nest system learns

your behavior, such as when you wake up or are away,

adjusts the temperature accordingly, and helps reduce

energy use.

Source: Nest Labs

FIGURE 12. Samsung’s smart refrigerator provides

apps for recipes, calendar, weather, music, controls

for temperature and ice dispensing, and more.

Source: Samsung

17

CSC Apps rEvolution

Ube has initially announced three IP-enabled devices: power

outlets, light dimmers and plugs. (See Figure 14.) Its app

incorporates gesture, so you can swipe up or down to change

a TV channel or use a dialing motion to adjust volume. But

the real power comes from eventually making recommen-

dations based on data from multiple connected things. For

example, when your smart scale says you’ve gained weight,

it will see that you’ve been watching more TV and spending

less time on the treadmill and suggest that you get moving.

Microsoft, with its acquisition of id8 Group R2 Studios, is

potentially taking a different approach. Instead of creat-

ing a free-standing app, it can integrate at the operating

system level and make home automation a core service

like location or social, drawing on all the contextual

information in the smartphone, for example, to detect

patterns and inform home automation activities. Apple

is also showing signs of integrating at the operating

system level. Integration at the operating system level

means smartphones, tablets, desktops, game consoles

and more can become hubs, powering the vision of the

connected home and the constantly connected consumer.

CONNECTED (HEALTHY) PERSON

Apps that monitor health have become popular as a way

to promote wellness, detect problems earlier, and take

health management literally into our own hands. CSC

reported on this trend in “The Future of Healthcare: It’s

Health, Then Care”18 in 2010; as populations age and peo-

ple seek ways to control healthcare costs and combat a

shortage of doctors and nurses, the trend continues in

full swing, backed by the proliferation of smartphones

and cheap sensors.

Researchers are working on transforming the smartphone

into a mobile medical device that can take readings from

a patient and ultimately diagnose a condition, akin to the

medical tricorder in the Star Trek TV series.19 The best

example is Scanadu’s Scout, a device you hold up to your

temple that measures your heart rate, blood oxygen level,

FIGURE 13. In addition to having its own apps, the

SmartThings app lets you create your own apps for

connecting things in the home.

Source: CSC

FIGURE 14. This smart plug, expected to ship in 2014, lets

you turn on and off any appliance you plug into it, and

monitor energy consumption, from your smartphone.

Source: Ube

Researchers are working on transforming the smartphone into a mobile medical device that can take readings from a patient and ultimately diagnose a condition.

18

CSCApps rEvolution

sensor the size of a grain of sand that can be injected

in the blood and send alerts to a person’s smartphone

when a warning sign is detected, such as being at risk

for a heart attack. Describing this, cardiologist and medi-

cal visionary Dr. Eric Topol told NBC, “Having your body

under continuous surveillance, talking to your phone —

that’s the future of medicine.”22

Sensors in wearables are also emerging as effective

health detectors. An example is the First Warning System,

which uses sensors embedded into a bra to monitor for

anomalies that could indicate breast cancer. Clinical trials

of 650 women have produced positive results, offering a

potential alternative to the mammogram and the ability to

detect minor abnormalities far earlier than is possible with

current imaging technologies.23

CONNECTED MACHINES

In addition to consumer-oriented devices and things,

the apps everywhere story is about connecting the com-

mercial enterprise to its machinery, systems and people.

The term for this is Machine-to-Machine, or M2M. (See

Figure 17.) As industrial things and traditional embed-

ded (closed) systems connect into broader systems, the

payoff of this M2M connectivity will be significant. GE

pulse, electrical heart activity (ECG) and body tempera-

ture and communicates this to a smartphone app. (See

Figure 15.) The Scout, expected to be released in 2014,

may one day be able to tell if you have the flu or strep, as

researchers are working on tests that check upper-respi-

ratory conditions (in addition to other tests).

The idea is not to replace doctors but augment them, shift-

ing care to consumers as is practical. Regulation will be an

issue, but trends point toward more consumer-controlled

care. Other new app devices that attach to smartphones

include an ultrasound device (Mobisante), a blood glu-

cose monitoring device (iBGStar), and an otoscope, the

device that looks inside the ear (CellScope). (See Figure

16.) There are also apps that leverage the smartphone’s

camera to examine, though not officially diagnose, poten-

tially cancerous moles.20

And technology can go deeper than that. The U.S. mili-

tary is developing implantable nanochips for troops that

would report their health status in real time from the

battlefield, potentially decreasing preventable illnesses

through earlier detection, and one day even treating

them.21 On the civilian side, researchers have created a

FIGURE 15. The Scanadu Scout measures vital

signs in 10 seconds and reports them to a

smartphone app. Here Scanadu founder and CEO

Walter De Brouwer uses a prototype.

Source: Scanadu

FIGURE 16. CellScope’s otoscope clips to a smartphone

and helps save time by enabling doctors to diagnose

and treat childhood ear infections remotely based on

images and information transmitted by parents.

Source: CellScope

19

CSC Apps rEvolution

forecasts that the Industrial Internet can cut $150 billion

in waste, assuming just a 1 percent improvement in effi-

ciency in major industries such as aviation, rail, energy

and healthcare.24 With more things instrumented and

their data analyzed, the result is improved productivity,

efficiency and work experience, magnified significantly

across the global economy. This is about replacing parts

based on data from the part, not a schedule; about more

efficient routing of fleets; about smarter energy production

and consumption; about integrated, information-driven

healthcare. Among other things, this translates into lower

inventories, lower fuel consumption, smarter allocation

of resources, and better health outcomes at lower cost.

Apps provide the business value between the data and

those using it.

The market is big and expected to grow rapidly. IDC predicts

that the market for intelligent systems (servers, PCs, smart-

phones and embedded systems) will double from more than

1.8 billion units and over $1 trillion in revenue in 2011 to nearly

4 billion units and over $2 trillion in revenue in 2015.25

A good example is what GE is doing with jet engine data.

In its “Industrial Internet” report, GE says there are 43,000

commercial jet engines in service, each with three major

pieces of rotating equipment that, if instrumented, could

yield significant efficiencies in engine maintenance, fuel

consumption, crew allocation and scheduling. Add to that

another 30,000 engines estimated to come into opera-

tion in the next 15 years as global demand for air services

increases, plus military and non-commercial general avia-

tion fleets, and the potential impact is substantial.26

The U.S. Navy already collects an enormous amount of data

from its aircraft, but it needed a better way to analyze the

data to detect potential mishaps and avoid them. CSC, in

partnership with its Navy client, developed Flightscope, a

tool created to handle the big data analytics and visualiza-

tion needed, providing analysis for individual flights as well

as an entire fleet. Flightscope, a 2013 CSC Award for Excel-

lence winner, can load and analyze several thousand files

per day, a notable improvement compared to earlier efforts.

The U.S. Navy can now make better data-backed decisions

about such things as maintenance and pilot training.

Elsewhere, one wind farm company is realizing a 3 per-

cent increase in energy output, which translates to over

$1 million in additional revenue a year, from using addi-

tional sensors, controls and optimization software with

its GE wind turbines. The sensors provide more detailed

data than in the past for monitoring the temperature,

wind speeds, location and pitch, enabling the turbines to

be run more efficiently.27

FIGURE 17. Apps that combine people, systems and

machines for business value are in high demand.

Manufacturers that connect their enterprise can be

in continuous contact with products, customers and

business partners, enabling a better understanding of

customer needs and driving new sources of revenue.

Source: CSC

With more things instrumented and their data analyzed, the result is improved productivity, efficiency and work experience, magnified significantly across the global economy.

SYSTEMS

PE

OPLE

MACH

INE

S

20

CSCApps rEvolution

investing heavily in the Internet of Things and seeks to set,

rather than follow, standards. It already has smart vending

machines that accept wireless payment from a smartphone

(NFC), and innovations in the lab such as health capsules

(booths) that link patients to remote doctors, and smart

chairs that sense and report a person’s health data.29

The port city of Santander, Spain, is serving as a prototype

connected city for other European cities. (See Figure 19.)

About 10,000 sensors have been installed in street lights,

trash cans, building walls, buses, pavement and other things

to measure light, traffic volume and noise levels, among

other things.30 This information is used by Santander’s gov-

ernment to save energy by regulating lights and watering,

and only picking up garbage when a bin is full. Further, a

“Pulse of the City” app can be used by residents and visi-

tors to get alerts about traffic jams, stormy weather and

street closures. Residents can even use the app to report

trouble spots, by taking a picture of a pothole, for exam-

ple. Future plans include integration with a social media

platform to enable citizens to engage with administrators.

Being a “smart city” has improved Santander’s economy,

not only by cutting costs but also by attracting investors

Mining is another example of how M2M is being used to

address the increasing need for automation and the ability

to monitor remote operations to improve safety and pro-

ductivity. Rio Tinto’s Mine of the Future program, which

celebrated 100 million metric tons moved using autono-

mous vehicles in April 2013, has achieved safety improve-

ments and a 10 percent improvement in utilization with 19

haul trucks operating across two mines. The 290-metric-

ton driverless trucks use Komatsu’s FrontRunner Autono-

mous Haulage System to navigate through the mine site,

automatically guide themselves to a loading point, avoid

obstacles and fellow trucks, and communicate vital data.28

Using a combination of advanced sensors, complex con-

trol systems, high precision GPS, data analytics and super-

visory systems, operators are able to monitor and manage

a fleet (or a number of fleets) from a remote operations

center in a major city.

In addition to driverless trucks, the industry has leveraged

M2M to test and deploy autonomous drills and automated

tunneling machines that can detect and self-adjust to the

exact type of rock, removing human operator variability.

One challenge in the world of M2M is how to integrate

data from sensor networks to apps on the Internet. CSC’s

MachinEdge provides a custom development platform

for M2M apps that works in all three dimensions shown in

Figure 17: machines, enterprise systems and people. For

example, CSC has created an app that monitors data cen-

ter IT process status in real time, including temperature

and humidity conditions. It notifies administrators (on

their mobile device) when thresholds are reached, shows

where the data center is located on a map, and enables

administrators to take action (e.g., restart a down sys-

tem). MachinEdge, which is powered by the ThingWorx

application platform, provides a deep level of integration

and visibility into operations. MachinEdge apps enable

people to make fewer and better business decisions and

focus on higher-value activities.

CONNECTED SOCIETY

M2M and connected things are part of the larger move

toward connected society. (See Figure 18.) This includes

everything from smart energy grids, smart buildings and

smart infrastructure for street lights, highways and signs to

smart supermarkets and smart vending machines. China is

FIGURE 18. Apps will be in many new places

doing many new things as the Internet evolves to

connect society at large.

Source: CSC

People

Things

Machines

Society

21

CSC Apps rEvolution

interested in smart city planning.31 Though many questions

remain about smart cities, this “living lab” offers a glimpse

into the potential of connected society.

ALL ABOUT APPS

Realizing the vision of connected society will take time.

However, expectations are rapidly maturing as more

things are connected; organizations seek apps that

integrate with back-end systems (instead of having

standalone systems); security between thing, data cen-

ter and user is a top priority (not secondary); solutions

are tailored for specific industries (not one size fits all);

and connected things drive new sources of revenue

(not just efficiency).

Apps everywhere is the other side of the coin of connected

things. For consumers, many of the new connected things

are pricey, though that should change over time. The big-

ger challenge to adoption will likely be behavior change

— using apps to perform a function in a new way. For

industry, the need for instrumentation, standards, busi-

ness processes and innovative products is essential.

As headlines such as “Keep your gadgets, give me apps”32

abound, it’s clear the Internet of Things is really about

apps — i.e., what you can do with that connected thing.

People crave tools that provide greater efficiency, infor-

mation to make a decision, and new experiences. So peo-

ple will keep pushing the envelope on what an app, and a

connected thing, can do.

Enterprises and CIOs need to think strategically about

the impact of connected things on future business opera-

tions and customer relationships. In particular, they must

consider what systems integration skills and partners they

need to bring together connected things and implement

apps and business processes leveraging those things.

About 10,000 sensors fastened to building walls, street lamps and utility poles, or inserted into street pavement, measure light, noise levels, trac volume and trac jams.

Taxis, buses, and police cars constantly register their location and transmit measurements from their surroundings.

Gardens and parks use the technology to

regulate their lights, save energy and control how much

watering is done.

Trouble spots are automatically reported to the appropriate city authorities.

Garbage collectors only pick up trash from bins that need to be emptied.

Data servers use the information they receive to compile an overall picture of the city.

Smartphone users can use a Smart City app to notify ocials about necessary street repairs, and the app allows tourists to receive location-specific tips.

FIGURE 19. THE SMART CITY PLAN IN SANTANDER, SPAIN

Source: SPIEGEL ONLINE International

22

CSCApps rEvolution

DESKTOPS/LAPTOPS

MOBILE DEVICES/THINGS

ARCHI-TECTURE

APP AND CONTENTDELIVERY

LANGUAGES AND

STANDARDS

SOAP-ENV: Envelope

SOAP-ENV: Header

SOAP-ENV: Body

New software choices and architectures redefine development.

The influx of devices and things

being connected to the Internet,

coupled with flexible cloud ser-

vices, has led to many development

options that are changing the DNA

of apps. (See Figure 20.) IT leaders

face many choices and challenges as

the traditional IT stack, which began

breaking down with the advent of

virtualization and cloud, dissolves

and diversifies further.

These changes reflect the fact that

mobile apps have expanded from

simple web-based apps to more

complex apps that leverage local

device features such as cameras,

GPS, NFC and compass (powerful front end), and

enterprise systems for rich data (powerful back

end). Apps will expand even further as they interact

with all manner of things connected to the Internet.

As apps have increased in relevance (context) and func-

tionality, they have also moved toward a more fluid,

real-time experience. This real-time experience is being

enabled by lightweight technologies such as JSON,

RESTful web services and WebSockets.

This chapter explores three key aspects of the new

world of app development: how the morphing of the

IT stack into multiple dimensions sets up a plethora

of choices; how lightweight interfaces and standards

help bring it all together; and how new architectures

address different design considerations for native,

web and hybrid apps.

APPS DNA

FIGURE 20. THE CHANGING DNA OF APPS

Source: CSC

MULTIDIMENSIONAL STACK

To support an “any device, anytime, anywhere” world, the

traditional app stack — the software components, languages

and tools needed to deliver a functional product or service —

has morphed from a one-dimensional desktop-centric stack

into a mix-and-match of stacks along three dimensions:

device, cloud and enterprise. (See Figure 21.) This multidi-

mensional stack is being built on the foundation of a ubiq-

uitous and more powerful communication infrastructure,

efficient app and content delivery models, and open

web standards. Each dimension is also influenced by the

particular stack of the vendors and an increasingly open

community in that space.

This new mix-and-match of stacks moves developers

from a predictable environment — for example, having a

clear understanding of user numbers and device speci-

fications — to developing in a more dynamic and unpre-

23

CSC Apps rEvolution

dictable environment with varying endpoints, accessing

data from services across multiple geographies, and

potentially having new app usage patterns. For example,

one consideration is the size and number of data queries

occurring across the multidimensional stack. In the cloud,

there is less control over the distance between the appli-

cation and the database, so network latency can have a

significant impact on performance, especially if multiplied

by many unnecessary round trips.33 Therefore, while poor

design and unnecessary data queries may have gone

unnoticed in the enterprise stack, there may be notice-

able performance issues when developing across the

multidimensional stack.

The result: New emphasis must be placed on design deci-

sions that focus on interfaces between the app and back-

end systems. Developers must also focus on design criteria

for context-aware, flexible apps that are device-agnostic

and mutable, crossing traditional boundaries between

applications for web, mobile, PC and

embedded devices. Figure 22 high-

lights the implications of this new

world of app development.

Breaking It Down. The device is the

most visible if not important catalyst

to changes in the stack and app archi-

tecture. In comparison to traditional

clients, more processing can occur

on the device itself, and features like

cameras and GPS can be leveraged in

ways never before possible. The new

devices include not just smartphones

and tablets, but TVs, car infotainment

systems, machines, machine parts

and appliances.

Although many mobile devices can do

substantial processing on their own,

most apps extend functionality to applications and data in

the cloud. The cloud expands processing power and stor-

age capabilities, enabling data to be stored and accessed

anywhere, independent of the device. As the device (client)

gains independence from the data, this leads to the rise of

responsive clients on the client side and an API economy

on the server side. (See Apps Economy.) Applications shift

from targeting a single client to adapting for multiple cli-

ents, supporting a multichannel delivery strategy that puts

data wherever the person is. Underlying this is the need for

consistent and adaptable data models to serve as a foun-

dation for the whole system.

Complementing software in the cloud is software in the

enterprise, which is evolving to keep up with an employee

RUNTIME STACKBusiness Process

Presentation

Application

Middleware

Operating System

Server

Resource Pool

DEVICE STACK

Presentation (UX)

Local AppLocal Data and

Middleware Libraries

Local Operating System

CLOUD STACK

SaaS

MBaaS / PaaS

DaaS

IaaS

ENTERPRISE STACK

Enterprise Presentation

Enterprise Application

Enterprise Data and

Middleware Libraries

Enterprise Operating

System

FIGURE 21. Today’s multidimensional stack has software components from

devices, clouds and enterprise systems that combine to yield a runtime stack.

Source: CSC

New emphasis must be placed on design decisions that focus on interfaces between the app and back-end systems.

As the device (client) gains independence from the data, this leads to the rise of responsive clients on the client side and an API economy on the server side.

24

CSCApps rEvolution

promising security of the underlying data. Thus it is at the

intersection of device, cloud and enterprise that the most

significant changes in app development are happening.

workforce that is increasingly reliant on mobile apps. To do

this it must support a variety of devices and cloud services

and provide access to corporate systems, without com-

FIGURE 22. THE NEW WORLD OF APP DEVELOPMENT

Source: CSC

ARCHITECTURE

APPLICATION

DELIVERY

WEB PAGE

PRESENTATION

CODE STRUCTURE

CONTENT

DELIVERY

DATA EXCHANGE

DATA

CHARACTERISTICS

DATA SYNC

AND CACHING

INTEGRATION

INFRASTRUCTURE

TRADITIONAL

PC-centric

Over the LAN or with

installation CDs

HTML, Applets,

Flash plug-ins

Server does most of

the logic and data

processing

HTTP, FTP

XML, SOAP

Static data and

independent of

context; centered on

systems of record;

primarily structured

data

Client-initiated

syncing of data; data

resides on the server,

with minimal caching

on the client

Standalone, point-

to-point integration,

mostly proprietary

Static

NEW

Increasingly device

agnostic and mobile

Over the air, via app

stores, or as-a-service

HTML5, JavaScript

Device (client) and server

share presentation, logic

and data processing

WebSockets, HTTP Live

Streaming

JSON + RESTful Web

Services, NFC Data

Exchange Format

Data integrated with

person’s context; centered

on systems of engagement;

unstructured and

structured data

Automatic real-time

syncing of data; larger local

data stores and caching

Open and proprietary

APIs tailored to new

consumption models

Elastic and geographically

dispersed

IMPLICATIONS

Facilitates mobility, BYO technology

Enables self-service anywhere anytime;

supports small rapid updates rather

than a few major updates

Provides cross-platform compatibility

and standardized access to device

camera, video playback, geolocation

and other device features

Enables the part of the application

close to the user to be smarter, faster

and more aesthetically pleasing;

servers focus on compute-intensive

processing and coordination of data

communications and workflows

Enables a more fluid, real-time

experience

Transmits small amounts of data using

lightweight standards, conserving

device resources (e.g., battery life)

Means data is more agile and

malleable to people’s demands, but

back-end analysis and processing are

complicated by the same fluidity and

complexity

Provides the illusion of always being

connected, enabling people

to work offline

Allows applications to simplify

communication with multiple devices,

browsers and other applications:

enables ecosystems to be built around

applications

Handles demand spikes (or troughs)

smoothly; pay-as-you-go rather than a

large up-front investment

25

CSC Apps rEvolution

TYING IT TOGETHER: LIGHTWEIGHT INTERFACES

Lightweight interfaces are the “glue” holding the device,

cloud and enterprise components together. There has been

a resurgence in the API, which weaves the distributed device,

cloud and enterprise stacks into an integrated runtime ser-

vice. Used for decades, APIs enable a software application

to communicate with one or more applications (or systems).

Today, fueled by cloud and mobile, there has been an explo-

sion of APIs (open and proprietary) that are redefining how

applications are designed and distributed. (See Figure 23.)

The Twitter API, for example, was handling 13 billion calls per

day in 2011, up from 3 billion in 2010.34

The excitement around APIs is this: By providing well-writ-

ten and open APIs, an enterprise can spread its applications

across a wider ecosystem, reaching a broader audience and

seeding innovation by others. In addition to sharing APIs

externally, organizations can share them internally as part of

an overall application modernization effort to make internal

applications “API friendly.” For example, Comcast exposed

APIs from its different development groups to speed up con-

tent sharing and app development.35

APIs are a key digital strategy that will

be discussed further in Apps Economy.

At a technical level, there are a num-

ber of considerations, including API

use cases, requirements, standards,

response times and vulnerabilities.

To meet the rise in API demand,

platforms are being used to help

providers and enterprises manage

their various interfaces to the out-

side world. A properly designed API

platform gives developers a choice of

implementation options, integration

with unstructured databases (e.g.,

NoSQL), and the ability to scale API

services on demand.

Given the multitude of choices

afforded by the mix-and-match stack

and APIs, an important consideration

for developers is: What is the best way

to architect an app? The next section

discusses some of the new app archi-

tectures, previewed in Figure 24.

MiddlewareLocationNotifications Connectors SecurityRESTful / JSON

Enterprise servicesEmail Directory Services Databases File Systems Web Services

Native Container

Web Code

Device APIs

Browser APIs

HYBRID

Cloud APIs

Browser

Web Code

WEB

Browser APIs

Cloud APIs

Native Code

NATIVE

Device APIs

Cloud APIs

FIGURE 24. ARCHITECTURAL VIEW OF NATIVE, WEB AND HYBRID

Source: CSC

FIGURE 23. API TOTALS 2005 – 2013

API growth is exploding. The ProgrammableWeb,

an online API directory, reached 10,000 APIs in

September 2013, up from 4,000 roughly two years

earlier. Top categories for recent APIs are financial,

enterprise, science and education.

Source: ProgrammableWeb.com

2005

July 2005

Apr 2010

Oct 2011

May 2012

Nov 2012

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Sep 2013

26

CSCApps rEvolution

Although at first glance users often can’t tell the differ-

ence between a native app, a web app or a hybrid app, it

is a significant difference for both developers and users.

How the app is architected affects performance, function-

ality, distribution and ease of use.

A native app is downloaded from an app store, stored

in the file system of the mobile device, and executed by

NEW ARCHITECTURES: NATIVE, WEB OR HYBRID?

The proliferation of devices and operating systems has forced

enterprises to either standardize on a select few or embrace

everything. The result is three primary choices in how to

architect an app: native, web or hybrid. These approaches

leverage in varying degrees the capabilities of the device as

well as the expanded stack.

HTML5: THE QUIET REVOLUTION

While APIs enable app-to-app content sharing, HTML5

adapts the app to different device types automatically.

It supports the bring-your-own (BYO) technology man-

tra and taps a large pool of web developers rather than

device-specific developers. This is a critical consideration

for organizations that need to quickly and cost-effec-

tively develop apps that can run on any device.

Using HTML5, organizations can write an app once that

will function on iOS, Android, Windows and other device

types such as cars (“write once, run anywhere”). HTML5

enables a touch interface and integration with some

device features such as camera and GPS. Typical mobile

web apps (written in HTML4) do not support this. HTML5

enables working offline, whereas a typical mobile web

app requires connectivity to the Internet. HTML5 also

enables the ability to store data locally on the device.

Yet HTML5 has been criticized for performance (“write

once, run awful”), among other things. Apps can be slow

since they are running in the browser. The debate goes

deeper, though, because HTML5 sets up the battle between

mobile web apps and native apps: Is the Internet the foun-

dation for all apps and services, or are the native platform

environments (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows)? Right now

there is room for both. The choice depends on business

requirements and who is using the app.

HTML5 has been emerging since the mid-2000s as a “quiet

revolution” influencing app functionality and development.

Successive waves of new devices and form factors have

been driving HTML5 adoption. As discussed in Apps Every-

where, the automotive industry has been an early adopter

of HTML5 to facilitate interoperability between in-vehicle

infotainment systems, the web, mobile devices and app

stores. Another early adopter has been the Financial Times,

which opted for HTML5 to maintain control over its content

and revenue and support diverse devices more easily, at the

expense of not being listed in popular app stores.

To support device heterogeneity, the CA Seguros insur-

ance company leveraged HTML5 for its CA CliniCard

app. People can use this app to search for local doctors’

offices or medical clinics in Portugal by location, and

retrieve a map and directions to the clinic.

WHY HTML5?

• Supportsdevicehetero-

geneity(e.g.,iOS,Android,

Windows,BlackBerry,

laptop/desktop,carsystem)

• Open

• Flexible

• Worksoffline,supports

localstorage

• Leveragesdevicefeatures(e.g.,camera,GPS,video

playback,contacts)

• Replacessomeproprietaryplug-ins(e.g.,Adobe

Flash)withvectorgraphicsandvideoplayback

• Supports2Ddrawing(e.g.,signatures)

• Runslocallyinthebrowser

• Hasalargepoolofwebdevelopers

27

CSC Apps rEvolution

HTML5: THE QUIET REVOLUTION (continued)

Created by CSC, the app was first written for smartphones

and then took just three days to write for tablets. Minimal

coding was needed to take advantage of the larger screen

size thanks to the HTML5 Canvas Framework that CSC cre-

ated to provide pre-defined components for such things

as buttons, rotating lists, animations, drag-and-drop, swipe,

page transformations and screen size adaptation.

As HTML5 continues to emerge — it is not expected to

be complete until 2014 — it will add functionality such as

interoperability with the Internet of Things. All the major

browsers support HTML5 features now and add new fea-

tures as they become available.

CLINICARD APP ON SMARTPHONE AND TABLET

Because the CliniCard app is written in HTML5 using the CSC Canvas Framework, it is easy to adapt the app for

different screen sizes (same content, different presentations). This often requires complex development, but

the Canvas Framework minimizes the development effort. Both screens show a list of health services; the tablet

version also includes a list of clinics (search results) and a map of their location.

Source: CSC

A mobile web app is written using web technologies

such as HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. Unlike a native

app, the code of a mobile web app is executed by the

browser, not the operating system. In general, a mobile

web app requires connectivity to the Internet, although

HTML5 enables offline availability and other functional-

ity that mirrors native app functionality.

the device operating system. A native app invokes the

operating system’s APIs directly, which makes it perform

faster in general than hybrid or web apps. Besides faster

performance, the look and feel of a native app is more

consistent with the apps of the device operating system,

making the user experience of a native app in general

better than that of a hybrid or web app.

28

CSCApps rEvolution

FIGURE 25. THE GREAT DEBATE: NATIVE, WEB OR HYBRID?

DESCRIPTION

DEVELOPMENT LANGUAGE

AND LIBRARIES

PROS

CONCERNS

EXAMPLES

NATIVE

• Appdeployedon

specific device

(operating system)

• AndroidJava,Objective

C, C#, C++

• Developedusing

dedicated languages

(Android Java,

Objective C)

• Richuserexperience

• Fullaccesstodevice

platform and features

• Appstoreor

in-company distribution

• Worksoffline

• Somestandards

ignored

• Specificprogramming

language and skills

needed

• Longerdeliverylifecycle

• Distributionapproval

process

• Highercost

• FlyDelta,Instagram,

Yelp, contacts, camera

WEB

• Websiteoptimizedfor

mobile devices

• HTML5,CSSand

JavaScript

• Runsonmultiple

operating systems

• Leveragesexistingweb

development language

skills

• Shorterdeliverylifecycle

• Nodistributionapproval

process (faster go-to-

market)

• Lowercost

• Lessrichuser

experience

• Limitedaccesstodevice

platform and features

• Requiresnetwork

connection (though

some limited offline

capabilities)

• FinancialTimes

(app.ft.com),

Consumer Information

(consumer.ftc.gov)

HYBRID

• Appdeployedonany

device (operating

system agnostic)

• PhoneGap-Cordovaor

other code wrapper in

front of HTML4/5, CSS

and JavaScript

• Runsonmultiple

operating systems

• Leveragesexistingweb

development language

skills

• Richeruserexperience

than simple mobile

websites

• Fullaccesstodevice

platform and features

• Shorterdeliverylifecycle

than native

• Appstoreorin-company

distribution

• Worksoffline

• Lowercost

• Moresusceptibleto

latency than native apps

if poorly designed

• Distributionapproval

process

• TripCase,

Measure DHS

Source: CSC

late features of native apps, the extra communication over-

head introduces some latency and a few less-than-optimal

user experiences, though a hybrid app is cross-device com-

patible. The look and feel of hybrid and native apps can be

very similar thanks to out-of-the-box style sheets. Figure 25

compares native, web and hybrid apps.

A hybrid app is a native app with embedded HTML code.

Hybrid apps have some of the benefits of native apps, such

as access to all device features and app store distribution.

The web portion of a hybrid app executes in the browser,

and communicates with the native portion using a library

such as PhoneGap-Cordova.36 Although hybrid apps emu-

29

CSC Apps rEvolution

In the meantime, enterprises need to have developers with

experience in web, hybrid and native development. They

also need architects who understand how to design app

architectures that integrate with back-end infrastructure

and enhance the app experience. Ultimately, the choice of

implementing web, hybrid or native architectures depends

on available resources and business requirements.

App architectures will continue to evolve as Internet-

enabled devices become pervasive in homes, vehicles

and infrastructure. Enterprises need project managers

and architects who understand the impact of mobile app

and data architectures — including changes in mobile app

development standards and languages (e.g., HTML5),

the need for a flexible UI design, and the power of light-

weight interfaces — in order to make informed decisions

and adequately allocate resources. Otherwise, the use

of an outdated architecture will adversely affect the app

experience as well as cost, scalability and customer sat-

isfaction with the end product.

The goal for architects, designers and developers is to

create an optimal experience. They must deliver fluid

experiences, manage device complexity and keep up

with changing technology. The next chapter discusses

how new platforms are helping app creators address

these and other challenges.

Whether an app is native, web or hybrid, many factors impact

its performance, including good design, connectivity (3G, 4G,

WiFi), the performance of back-end systems, and the app’s

runtime environment (native, web, hybrid). Deciding on

which approach to use can be complex if not confusing.

The best choice depends on factors such as the app’s

intended features, context, target audience, mainte-

nance, budget and skills of the development team. If the

app is mainly used to display and interact with online

content or services, and does not require full access to

device platform and features, then a web app is likely the

best choice. On the other hand, if the app is intended to

be mainly used offline, and requires full access to device

platform and features, then a native app will offer a bet-

ter user experience.37

OUTLOOK

The DNA of apps is changing. What was once a relatively

straightforward proposition, a single stack, has become an

amalgam of choices — a mix-and-match stack. The client

device is forever decoupled from the server, which resides

(for the most part) in the cloud. This, in turn, has ignited

mobility, connected things, and a wealth of APIs.

It has also introduced new app architectures for dealing with

the device and expanded stack, based on app requirements

and the developer pool. For now, there is no definitive “best

choice” among native, web and hybrid architectures.

That could change, though, as HTML5 continues to con-

verge with native capabilities. In particular, as HTML5/

JavaScript performance continues to improve, the value of

“write once, run anywhere” becomes very attractive to all

but the most specific applications. Over time, it may not be

possible to distinguish between a web, hybrid and native

app, as the capabilities of web and hybrid apps will be more

or less on par with native. However, there will always be

some degree of differentiation by native apps that leverage

device-specific features not supported by HTML5.

Over time, it may not be possible to distinguish between a web, hybrid and native app, as the capabilities of web and hybrid apps will be more or less on par with native.

30

CSCApps rEvolution

Apps platforms simplify development, management and distribution.

Building today’s mobile apps requires a fundamentally dif-

ferent approach. Design and development are user-centric;

technology encompasses diverse device environments,

multiple cloud services, and lightweight interfaces and

standards; and release cycles are short to keep pace with

a fast-moving market. The managed desktop is coming to

an end, being replaced by dynamic apps, enterprise app

stores and BYO technologies. Development is taking place

outside of IT, where do-it-yourself (DIY) business people

can leverage both drag-and-drop and more advanced tools

to expose APIs, integrate services and create apps. Cross-

functional challenges like security take new shape as every-

one brings their own apps (not just devices) to work.

Fortunately, new platforms are helping enterprises tame this

complexity and transition to larger, more sophisticated mobile

apps. Increasingly, platforms are driving toward end-to-end

management of the entire app lifecycle so enterprises can

form a comprehensive, coherent mobile app strategy that

serves business needs, responds to rapid market change and

addresses a broad audience. This chapter explores five core

challenges app development platforms are addressing: user

experience, device heterogeneity, integration with multiple

systems, app delivery and DIY. It also explores what’s new

in the traditional cross-functional challenges of governance,

security and analytics. (See Figure 26.)

PROVIDING A CONSISTENT USER EXPERIENCE

In order to meet consumer needs, developers must ensure

the design of the app provides an easy-to-use, consistent

user experience. Rapid app prototyping platforms like

iRise, Justinmind, Proto.io and Codiqa help the developer

build and execute prototype apps quickly. However, since

it is difficult to predict all contexts in which an app will

be used, testing and monitoring tools are needed to track

the quality, performance and user engagement of the app

during testing and production.

Monitoring of application performance is not new. However,

in the past a typical application (enterprise or consumer)

had a somewhat tolerant and captive audience. Today’s

audience is quite the opposite. In a survey conducted by

Apigee, an API technology and services company, 99 per-

APPS PLATFORMS

The managed desktop is coming to an end, being replaced by dynamic apps, enterprise app stores and BYO technologies.

reti

re

define

design

develo

p

maintain

deploy

tes

t

secu

rity

governance

p

erform

ance

scalability

PLATFORM

FIGURE 26. PLATFORM CHALLENGES

Enterprise mobile platforms must address numerous

challenges across the app development lifecycle.

Source: CSC

31

CSC Apps rEvolution

and operating systems, some of which can be dynami-

cally adapted during runtime (e.g., if HTML5 is used).

During implementation, development platforms include

reusable software development libraries, to enable

a developer to reuse code in app builds for different

device types and operating systems.

Further, some platforms integrate with app testing tools

and device emulators, which enable a developer to build

reusable test scripts and run tests for the different device

types. When the Brussels Regional Informatics Center

(BRIC) needed to embark on mobile apps for citizens

(see Figure 27), CSC created a mobile app development

platform with a testing service capable of testing 1,500

different device types. The cloud-based Mobile Software

Technical Center (MSTC) platform provides mobile and

web cross-device development, version control, device

testing, mobile SOA, integration with databases and app

store distribution. MSTC, which was a 2013 CSC Award

for Excellence winner, is based on open-source compo-

nents and supports Apple, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian,

Bada, WebOS and Windows Phone environments. BRIC,

the ITC agency for the Brussels region, is using the plat-

form for all mobile development.

cent of respondents reported they would take action if an

app didn’t perform, either by deleting the app immediately

or telling a friend via social media; 38 percent would delete

the app if it froze for longer than 30 seconds; and 18 per-

cent would delete the app if it froze for just 5 seconds.38

Unfortunately, poor experience from crashes or freezes

can be caused by a range of problems: a device issue, poor

third-party API, network problems and so on. Enter real-

time app monitoring platforms from companies like Flurry

Analytics, Crittercism and New Relic. These platforms use

a simple dashboard that captures events ranging from

where the app is being used (physical location) to where

app crashes or slowdowns are occurring and the number

of people affected. This helps focus developers on fixing

the most important problems first.

While in web apps bugs can be fixed by deploying new

code to the server, in native and hybrid apps bugs can

persist on the client side until an update is installed. In

response, a number of testing platforms such as Switch-

board (open source), Swrve, Optimimo and Pathmapp

provide an A/B testing framework for mobile apps

and staged rollout of new features. With A/B testing,

two variants of a feature, A and B,

are tested simultaneously. Compa-

nies can see almost immediately if

people accept or reject the feature.

(Facebook is famous for using A/B

testing.) In addition, some of these

platforms provide real-time ana-

lytics about session duration and

gender distribution. This allows

non-developers (such as marketing

personnel) to test app variations

and understand engagement, for

example by tracking usability and

sales from a campaign.

MANAGING DEVICE HETEROGENEITY

How to manage device heterogene-

ity is a critical challenge impacting

the entire app development lifecy-

cle. Platforms address this by pro-

viding design tools to create mock-

ups of UIs for different device sizes

FIGURE 27. The FixMyStreet app was created for the Brussels Regional

Informatics Center using CSC’s Mobile Software Technical Center

platform. The platform facilitates development for multiple device types.

Source: CSC

32

CSCApps rEvolution

INTEGRATING WITH MULTIPLE SYSTEMS

Behind that simple app icon is a complex network of

interfaces to other apps and back-end systems, some

of which are not designed for mobile or the web. Bring-

ing them into the mobile fold requires significant work,

making back-end system integration one of the most

challenging and time-consuming aspects of enterprise

app development.

In order to handle integration with other apps and back-end

systems, some platforms (e.g., Kony) include lightweight,

reusable connectors to enterprise apps, social media and

back-end resources like virtual cloud servers and virtual

storage. Other platforms (e.g., Apigee, IBM Worklight/Cast

Iron, Mashery) provide API publishing tools to enable the

creation of custom interfaces to other apps.

An example of a platform for back-end system integra-

tion is Catavolt Extender, a cloud middleware platform

that connects to existing enterprise systems via native

apps. Catavolt uses two layers of integration: A satellite

server is deployed in the enterprise’s data center and is

used to expose the data from legacy database systems

to a second, middleware layer in the Catavolt cloud.

(See Figure 28.)

One Catavolt client, a large healthcare provider, needed

to make its two electronic medical records (EMR) systems

mobile-accessible to meet regulatory requirements. How-

ever, faced with the prospect of replacing its EMR systems

in the future, the organization needed to minimize the

effort and cost of mobile app development, both now and

for the future. Using Extender, the organization was able

to blur the lines between the two systems (one legacy and

one custom), bring in the necessary data from its business

intelligence system and deliver a mobile app to meet reg-

ulatory requirements. The solution guaranteed the strict

level of security required by keeping data where it was,

behind the firewall. More importantly, Catavolt’s middle-

ware layer allowed the organization to phase out the older

of the two EMR systems and phase in a new one without

impacting workers.

In some cases platforms are designed to solve specific

industry integration challenges. Ohio Mutual Insurance

Group wanted an app that would make it easy for a driver

to present proof of car insurance, such as at the scene of

an accident. However, to achieve this, complex integration

between three systems was required: the agency informa-

tion system (in Salesforce), a third-party agency manage-

ment system, and Ohio Mutual’s proprietary agency portal

and policy information system.

The solution to the integration challenge was CSC’s

Mobile Insurance Framework. (See Figure 29.) The

framework was used to integrate barcode scanning of

the Vehicle Identification Number and offline data pro-

cessing from the mobile device with back-end systems

on the server side.

FIGURE 28. Catavolt Extender uses two layers of integration: a satellite server in the enterprise’s data center and a

middleware layer in Catavolt’s cloud. The approach optimizes for the underlying database while requiring minimal

transformation of the data for presentation to the person on the end device.

Source: Catavolt

33

CSC Apps rEvolution

stores need to think about how to incorporate these new

delivery models into the workplace while taking into account

enterprise security issues such as data protection and role-

based access control.

For example, Citrix XenMobile is being considered at a

large U.S. federal agency for its internal app store, to

deliver Windows-based virtual desktops, web apps and

mobile apps in a secure container for iPhone, iPad and

Android devices. XenMobile provides device manage-

ment as well as the delivery of virtual desktop apps, web

apps, third-party SaaS apps and mobile apps. (See Figure

30.) Data for all applications is secured by keeping it in

the data center (for virtualized apps) or in a secure con-

tainer on the mobile device (for mobile and web apps).

Along with this security are two key features: the ability

to set up accounts (a bundle of apps, connectivity ser-

vices and update services), giving people what they need

depending on what device they are connecting from, and

follow-me data, giving people access to their documents

and apps from any device.39

REINVENTING APP DELIVERY

App stores highlight the importance of simple, fast app

delivery and distribution (e.g., over-the-air delivery in sec-

onds) to all types of devices, including handhelds, TVs,

glasses and smartwatches. Enterprises are attempting to

copy the mobile app store model made famous by Apple

and Google, to deliver apps that are on-demand and

dynamic rather than locked down.

An enterprise app store is a privatized development and dis-

tribution platform that controls the publishing, distribution

and management of approved applications. Unlike consumer

app stores, enterprise app stores enable administrators to

assign user roles to apps, monitor app usage activity (popu-

lar as well as problematic apps can be identified), and apply

enterprise security policies to apps (authentication, data

protection). Companies including Citrix, BMC/Partnerpedia,

Apperian, Good Technology/AppCentral and Symantec/

Nukona provide enterprise app store solutions. Enterprise

CIOs who want to leverage the benefits of consumer app

MOBILE FRAMEWORK CLIENT

MOBILE FRAMEWORK SERVER

iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows 8, Mobile WebMobile Devices

Service Adaptation

Branding O�ine Encryption Analytics Messaging

Integration Orchestration Configuration

Mobile Web Updated ContentJSON/XML AjaxRESTful Services

Internationalization Messaging

RISKMASTER

External AuthenticationLDAP, SSO, etc.

Exceed

Agency Link wmA

Integration

Existing Assets

Multi-channel Delivery

FIGURE 29. CSC MOBILE INSURANCE FRAMEWORK

Source: CSC

34

CSCApps rEvolution

Delving into DevOps. App stores underscore the dynamic

nature of today’s apps, whose frequent updates are dis-

tributed via the stores. As the pace and scale of updates

increase (Facebook releases code to Facebook.com twice

a day40), and technology continues to commoditize, tight

integration and collaboration are needed between devel-

opment and IT operations.

Enter DevOps, an approach that aims to break down silos

and reduce finger-pointing between developers (inter-

ested in change) and operations (interested in stability),

producing higher quality apps that can be released and

recovered faster. A survey of 4,000 IT operations profes-

sionals found that high-performing DevOps teams were

able to deploy code 30 times more frequently, make

changes in minutes, recover 30 times faster and have 50

percent fewer failures.41 DevOps teams increase perfor-

mance through aggressive automation in areas such as

release management, provisioning, configuration man-

Native MailEncryption

XMAppC

Mobile DeviceManagement

Enroll

XD/XA

VD

Apps

NETSCALER

XNC

D M Z

SF

Worx

Data

SaaS

Web

Mobile

XM DM

FIGURE 30. MOBILE APP MANAGEMENT FABRIC

XNC = XenMobile NetScaler ConnectorXM DM = XenMobile Device Management XM AppC = XenMobile App Controller XD = XenDesktopXA = XenAppVD = Virtual DesktopSF = StoreFront

Citrix XenMobile provides one-stop shopping for applications on both desktops and mobile devices.

Source: Citrix

Enterprises need to move toward a DevOps approach and culture to keep up with the rapid pace of business change and deliver a continuously evolving apps experience.

35

CSC Apps rEvolution

Compared to traditional coding, DIY platforms enable

extraordinary ease of use through self-authoring tools,

visual design techniques, and sample apps that enable

just about anyone to quickly build an app. DIY platforms

focus on personal empowerment of the new generation of

“double deep” employees (those with strong business and

IT skills). A DIY strategy lessens issues of cost, security

and time-to-market that are associated with third-party-

developed apps. In addition, this form of open employee

development frees IT from the dreaded “request pipeline.”

For example, July MX, a product of July Systems,

focuses on business users and enterprise IT developers

by providing a drag-and-drop development platform

that includes interconnectivity with back-end systems

such as inventory, payments and loyalty systems. Its

focus is development speed and user engagement —

drag, drop and create an ad campaign, product catalog,

search, payment and much more.

DIY apps also encompass building custom application

interfaces. Increasingly, technical business users can

leverage more advanced tools to expose APIs, integrate

services and create apps. For example, Datownia builds

a web API from any Excel spreadsheet held in Dropbox

or Box. Taking this idea further, Zapier uses simple drag-

and-drop operations on the web to build unique integra-

tions and workflows between web services; no coding

required. The result: enterprise application integration

for web services. Want to integrate a process across

Salesforce, Asana, Chatter, Dropbox, Facebook, Google

Docs, Jive and NetSuite? Zapier makes it possible.

Another DIY API mashup service is If This Then That.

IFTTT enables non-technical people to connect apps

using simple rules. The service provides a list of channels,

or apps that can be used to provide “triggers” that enable

“actions” on other apps. For example, the weather app

provides the trigger “If the sun sets” to enable a “turn on

the light” action in the WeMo app.

At the cutting edge of DIY apps is STOIC, which automatically

turns an offline spreadsheet into an app. A person imports a

spreadsheet to STOIC, which creates a database and UI for

the data. The app has a variety of views, from maps to calen-

dars to grids, depending on the data and the person’s needs.

Results (views) can be easily shared on a website.

agement and monitoring — treating their infrastructure

as if it were code. Enterprises need to move toward a

DevOps approach and culture to keep up with the rapid

pace of business change and deliver a continuously

evolving apps experience.

USHERING IN DIY APPS

DIY apps, part of the broader DIY trend, signal that devel-

opment is becoming more inclusive as tools are continu-

ally “abstracted up” to hide complexity. People are using

simplified platforms to build their own apps, leveraging

data or services from corporate systems and mashing

in external web and SaaS services. DIY is a burgeoning

trend among consumers, business users and enterprise IT

developers who create apps for personal use, small busi-

nesses and large enterprises. (See Figure 31.) Although it

is no surprise to see an early DIY apps culture in technol-

ogy companies like NetApp, which encourage employees

to make their own apps for work, it is expected that vary-

ing levels of DIY will reach all firms.

Mobile app platforms serve not only enterprise

technical developers, but consumers

(e.g., hobbyists, students, start-ups) and business

users (e.g., marketing, finance, strategy).

Source: CSC

Consumers/DIY

Business Users/DIY

Enterprise IT Developers

FIGURE 31. DIY EXPANDS THE DEVELOPER RANKS

36

CSCApps rEvolution

The enterprise has seen DIY IT evolve from the advent of

the PC to cloud infrastructure services, cloud development

platforms, website builders and now app and API builders.

Information technology continues to “abstract up” so that

more people can do more themselves. The result has been

decades of innovation, with no end in sight.

MANAGING END TO END

To fully optimize a mobile strategy, enterprise CIOs need

to consider the importance of governance, security and

management across the entire app lifecycle, from require-

ments, design and development to ongoing release, test-

ing, deployment and operations.

Apps are shaking up traditional service industries by

enabling consumers to bypass traditional government

regulations for established businesses like taxis, hotels

and restaurants. For example, the California Public Utili-

ties Commission has rescinded its ban on ride-sharing

start-ups like Lyft and is attempting to create new rules

for these start-ups, which have been categorized as

“Transportation Network Companies.”42 Enterprises need

to be alert to how governance changes can affect their

business and apps.

While mobile apps enable data to become more closely

enmeshed with our personal lives and conveniently shared

with others, significant work remains to address the con-

cerns about how to control access to an app, which is in

a sense a “container” for data, and how to minimize the

overall security vulnerabilities of the container. Data can

exist in multiple inconsistent states, and can be made

inaccessible to its creator. Questions remain about who

owns the data, how to classify or assign value (e.g., risk

levels) to the data, who can access or use this data, and

how to manage personal identifying data.

IT AS SPRINGBOARD FOR DIY APPS

While some companies clamp down on “shadow IT,” fear-

ing uncontrolled costs and risks, others recognize that

non-traditional IT that sprouts in business units can be an

important source of innovation and IT-approved solutions.

Forward looking CIOs will provide platforms and services

that encourage enterprise DIY apps.

This starts with a DIY strategy linked to the business strat-

egy, and a process for generating and collecting ideas for

apps. Enterprise IT can create APIs and expose popular

web services, establish app guidelines, and provide an

app submission process and app store. While not every

employee will want to create an app, there will be power

users (“double deep” employees) who will take the initia-

tive to create apps. These people know the apps they and

their customers need. Key areas will be apps that improve

productivity and the customer experience.

Imagine if there could be a step change in the productivity

of 5,000 field service engineers via a new app. The business

case for this app may never come to life without the collec-

tive insights of the engineers in the field. By deploying a DIY

apps program that includes an idea portal, enterprises can

aggregate the business cases of many app requests, leading

to decisions to create new apps and supporting services.

In a world of DIY apps, IT is the springboard for innova-

tion, not the overlord. Apps created closer to business

people will deliver new levels of usefulness as they reflect

dynamic business and customer needs. Will DIY apps

reach core business systems like accounting or payroll?

Perhaps not, since those serve more static needs and do

their job well today. But for highly dynamic requirements

and situations, DIY apps make sense. DIY apps represent

a new approach to development that leverages employee

talent, helps enterprises better serve their customers and

turns shadow IT into a competitive advantage.

Enterprises need to be alert to how governance changes can affect their business and apps.

37

CSC Apps rEvolution

level of vulnerability risk (high, medium, low) and then sub-

mits an app build through the Veracode portal. Veracode

scans the app binary for known security vulnerabilities and

notifies the developer when an app passes or fails the scan.

In this way developers can address security problems before

the app is put into production.

It is also possible to enforce security of an app after it

is put into production. An application wrapper provides

a virtual “shield” around an app to protect the app’s

data from unauthorized access, regardless of the secu-

rity posture of the underlying device. Mocana Mobile

App Protection (MAP) provides administrators with

a tool to automatically inject data security and policy

controls into the binary file format of an app. Mocana

MAP can add a secure authentication screen to an app,

prevent people from cutting and pasting text from an

app, encrypt all app data-at-rest, and ensure that an

app communicates using its own secure tunnel back to

the corporate network. All of this is done in seconds,

with no coding required, and does not impact the user

experience. (See Figure 32.)

How to manage personal identifying data is a challenge

for individuals and organizations. For example, individuals

today are required to provide their personal information to

a myriad of companies and organizations as proof of their

identity. These traditional identity solutions contribute to an

uncontrolled scattering of personal information throughout

cyberspace, degrading individual privacy and trust. CSC is

addressing this problem with the Trusted Identity Provider

Services (TIPS) platform concept. TIPS seeks to give individ-

uals greater control of their digital identities by de-coupling

key aspects of identity management from third-party ser-

vice providers like banks and government agencies, making

the identification experience more convenient, more secure,

and consistently privacy-enhancing, as suggested by the

U.S. National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace

(NSTIC). TIPS also seeks to facilitate new, privacy-centric

practices for identity assurance and personal data storage.

Preventing unauthorized access to data is yet another secu-

rity challenge. Fortunately, it is possible to boost security

while the app is in development. This approach is used by

Veracode. The developer sets a threshold for an acceptable

FIGURE 32. PROTECTING THE ENTERPRISE

Source: Mocana Corporation

38

CSCApps rEvolution

To manage an app comprehensively, an end-to-end

mobile app lifecycle development platform is needed

that aligns mobility with the enterprise architecture and

covers governance, security and management across

the app lifecycle. Several platforms including Appcel-

erator, CSC’s Mobile Insurance Framework, and MSTC

are already moving in this direction. CSC’s new M1 ser-

vice offering is designed around an end-to-end mobile

app lifecycle platform, providing governance, security

and management across the entire app lifecycle, from

requirements, design and development to ongoing

release, testing, deployment and operations.

HOW TO CHOOSE?

Platforms for app development need to address the user

experience (including performance management), device

heterogeneity, integration with other applications, app

delivery and DIY. In addition, platforms need to deal with

cross-functional challenges including security, analytics

and scalability. How does one choose the best platform?

Understanding your business needs is essential. If the

goal is to enable efficient development across different

departments in an organization, put a platform in place

for sharing code more efficiently. If the goal is to enter

new markets or partner with other companies, put a plat-

form in place that promotes the use of APIs. If the goal is

to enable non-technical business people to quickly create

their own analytics apps, then a DIY business app devel-

opment platform is the right tool for the job.

Ultimately, platforms help developers work better, but

deploying a platform is not enough. Organizations need

to change business processes and culture in tandem with

the new platform to effect real change.

The world is increasingly moving toward open information

sharing, both within and between organizations. As for-

merly closed systems (e.g., cars, machines) open up, the

challenge is to combine disparate data in new ways to inno-

vate and create new services. This is a powerful force that is

sowing the seeds of a new apps economy, discussed next.

Ultimately, platforms help developers work better, but deploying a platform is not enough. Organizations need to change business processes and culture in tandem with the new platform to effect real change.

39

CSC Apps rEvolution

connecting to each other and to people. Innovation is being

enabled through integrated apps; platforms that connect

things, apps and people; and APIs that extend existing ser-

vices into new realms. Examples in healthcare, automotive

and DIY business show the way.

In healthcare and fitness, a new market is forming around

wellness and health cost management that ties investment

in one’s health to financial incentives by using personal

health data and apps. Although apps have been used for

personal health monitoring for some time, what’s new is

the ecosystem forming around employees, employers

and health plan providers to encourage healthy employee

behaviors through technology, personalization, socializa-

tion and financial rewards.

RedBrick Health has created a wellness solution for orga-

nizations that provide self-funded health insurance to

employees. RedBrick’s web app helps participants under-

stand their health status, develop new behaviors and

reinforce healthy habits. Participants can take a health

assessment; track fitness, nutrition and well-being activ-

ity; and engage in health improvement programs and

competitions. Importantly, the app integrates with Fitbit,

RunKeeper, Fitbug and BodyMedia FIT activity tracking

devices so people don’t have to log data twice.46 This

ecosystem leverages the personal data people are already

collecting, making it easier to track progress and stay moti-

vated to exercise. The real incentive, though, comes from

Apps are the front end to the digital future.

The reshaped experience, explosion of apps everywhere, and

dramatic changes in app design and development have ush-

ered in a new apps economy. Lower barriers to entry and

new apps marketplaces have simplified production, distribu-

tion and consumption of apps, with open APIs igniting excit-

ing opportunities for innovation. In just five years, an apps

economy has emerged that is now worth over $25 billion in

apps store sales alone.43 Mobile is dominating the landscape.

Apple and Google lead the apps marketplace for smartphone

and tablet devices, with approximately 1 million apps each in

their app stores and over 100 billion downloads total.44

These changes are impacting consumers across the

globe, from the growth of smart devices in emerg-

ing economies to the growth of apps in non-traditional

devices like appliances, TVs and cars.45 Enterprises can-

not ignore the apps economy. New markets are forming,

customer relationships are changing, the rush to APIs is

on, and developers are a coveted resource.

NEW MARKETS

Apps and connected things, explored in Apps Everywhere,

are laying the groundwork for new markets. Ecosystems are

building around connected things, which are increasingly

APPS ECONOMY

Lower barriers to entry and new apps marketplaces have simplified production, distribution and consumption of apps, with open APIs igniting exciting opportunities for innovation.

Innovation is being enabled through integrated apps; platforms that connect things, apps and people; and APIs that extend existing services into new realms.

40

CSCApps rEvolution

financial rewards that are driven by emerging behavioral

models. For example, walking over 3,000 steps per day or

achieving a healthy cholesterol level might earn you a con-

tribution to your Health Savings Account, an insurance pre-

mium reduction, or entry into a prize lottery. (See Figure 33.)

This ecosystem has enormous potential, because now the

employee’s personal data is being linked and leveraged

for the bottom line, lowering employer and employee

healthcare costs while improving employee productivity

and health. Apps are making it easier to collect the data,

and the broader ecosystem is putting that data to work.

Other players in the health-fitness ecosystem inlclude

Aetna CarePass and Jiff.47

Another new market is forming around connected cars. Rev-

enues from connected car services such as traffic informa-

tion, call center support, vehicle diagnostics and in-vehicle

infotainment systems are expected to triple between 2012

and 2018 to approximately $52 billion.48 Fueling this market

is the projection that most new cars will have some form of

Internet connectivity enabled by in-vehicle LTE services.

Internet connectivity and in-car apps are unleashing a

host of new car services. For the first time, the car as a

platform is opening up. GM, for example, has opened its

OnStar Remote and In-Vehicle APIs to third-party app

developers, who can create new applications that leverage

vehicle diagnostics and commands such as locking and

unlocking doors. The first third-party app is RelayRides,

which enables people to rent their cars. The RelayRides

app integrates with the OnStar Remote API, enabling rent-

ers to unlock the OnStar reserved car from their smart-

phone.49 Being able to access OnStar-enabled vehicles

opens up a large market for RelayRides, whose customers

otherwise have to exchange a physical key, and enables

it to make car sharing safer and more convenient.50 Such

personal car rental is an entirely new offering. Similarly, it

is expected that the In-Vehicle APIs will spark a whole new

range of apps that interact directly with the infotainment

FIGURE 33. RedBrick Health teams with employers, health plan providers and device makers to form a new market

for health cost management and healthy worker behavior, driven by data and apps. The home screen provides

links to healthy activities, rewards and sync options for importing data from activity monitoring devices.

Source: CSC

41

CSC Apps rEvolution

Nordstrom is arming employees with mobile apps so they

can check customers out anywhere in the store. This not

only eliminates the bulky infrastructure of cash registers

and the inconvenience of checkout lines but boosts sales

because shoppers have less time to change their minds,

and salespeople have access to the entire store inven-

tory.54 If an item is out of stock, the salesperson can look

for it at other stores and the online store and close the

sale. Although Apple popularized mobile check-out years

ago, the concept is still emerging with mainstay retailers,

though gaining momentum.

Buying cars could be next. Apps for car dealers, like the

app discussed in Apps Experience, would enable custom-

ers to buy cars from dealers online and have a life-long

relationship with the dealer. Taking this a step further, why

go to a dealer if you can buy a car online directly from

the manufacturer? That is what Tesla proposes (though it

faces a bevy of laws protecting car dealerships).55 Direct

sales would create a new manufacturer–customer relation-

ship and new efficiencies from being able to buy online

and have the car delivered to your doorstep.

As people become increasingly mobile, many companies

will take a “mobile first” or even a “mobile only” approach

to how they reach customers. Not only is the customer

always right; the customer is always mobile.

THE RUSH TO APIs

Enterprises are leveraging open and private APIs, enabling

an ecosystem of developers to create apps that enhance

or extend existing products, services or data sets. This is

the API “gold rush,” a subtext to the apps economy.

system, its UI and built-in services such as navigation and

audio/video playback.51 As the ultimate mobile device, the

car has unique properties that, combined with digital and

connectivity, are sparking a new connected car market

that is personal, customized and information rich.

Another new market is DIY business ventures that leverage

mobility and just-in-time convenience. RelayRides and other

car-sharing services like Uber and Lyft fall into this category.

So do apps like TaskRabbit and EasyShift, which match tasks

to people with free time.52 TaskRabbit is an errand service,

so people can respond to a job while on the road and get

paid on the spot using a mobile credit card reader. While

these kinds of businesses are possible without a mobile app,

the mobile app provides speed, efficiency, practicality and

ease of use, which translates to more business transacted

and (hopefully) more satisfied customers. The reduced pain

of adoption and the immediacy of the mobile app make this

new DIY market possible. Expect to see many more people

running businesses from their phones.

NEW CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

Apps are reshaping customer relationships by enabling

companies to get closer to their customers, influence sales

at the point of purchase, and extend the customer rela-

tionship over the lifetime of the product. This is improving

customer service, sales, speed and convenience.

For example, flight attendants armed with tablets and a pas-

senger app can look up passenger information, preferences

and connecting gate information to better assist passengers

and provide more personalized service. British Airways does

this, and plans are in the works at American Airlines.53

As the ultimate mobile device, the car has unique properties that, combined with digital and connectivity, are sparking a new connected car market that is personal, customized and information rich.

As people become increasingly mobile, many companies will take a “mobile first” or even a “mobile only” approach to how they reach customers. Not only is the customer always right; the customer is always mobile.

42

CSCApps rEvolution

This trend toward creating and supporting APIs and data

sets for third-party developers would have been unthink-

able just a few years ago, among high security concerns

and “we can do it better” attitudes. Back then, what busi-

ness in its right mind would allow anonymous developers

to build on services or data linked to their brand?

However, an API strategy can lead to innovative apps that

enhance a service at a pace far greater than most firms

are capable of achieving. By using a model known as ILC

(Innovate-Leverage-Commoditize), explored in past CSC

Leading Edge Forum (LEF) research,56 firms can focus on

their core product while enabling others to experiment,

reducing the firm’s cost of experimentation. More impor-

tantly, by providing APIs, an organization is able to further

spread and embed the use of its application, product or

service across a wider ecosystem.

For example, by publishing its API, popular online music

service Spotify has created an ecosystem of applications

that integrate and embed Spotify’s services into alarm

clocks, event guides and other apps. This broadens Spo-

tify’s exposure and expands its cus-

tomer base. Following the ILC model,

over time Spotify can leverage these

apps by commoditizing the best

of them (through acquisition) in its

core product. (See Figure 34.)

Even traditionally closed industries

such as banking are now leveraging

APIs and external developers to drive

greater innovation in their products.

Australia’s Commonwealth Bank has

taken on a start-up mentality with its

MyWealth Portal, creating an API to

allow third-party developers to cre-

ate new functionality for the bank’s

customers.57 Similarly, ING Group

has released its own APIs to encour-

age developers to create new retail

banking applications, and to bring

in fresh ideas from outside of the

bank.58 This “outside-in” approach

to innovation, defined by the LEF, is

essential for success.59

Furthermore, with the rise of open data initiatives, particu-

larly in the public sector, APIs are being used to make it eas-

ier for government data to be leveraged in applications. With

over 1 million data sets already released by governments and

agencies around the world,60 groups such as Fed {API} are

creating catalogs of captured and correlated public data

that can be easily accessed and integrated.61

The use of APIs, open or private, does not have to equate to

new and greater risks around core intellectual property (IP).

Take, for example, Netflix. Its IP is content, how it stores and

streams content, and its business model. Netflix doesn’t want

FIGURE 34. Spotify has spawned an ecosystem of innovative apps by

sharing its API with third-party developers who extend the Spotify

service. Over time, Spotify can leverage these apps by commoditizing

the best of them in its core product.

Source: CSC

Spotalarm — wakes youup to your Spotify music

TuneTug — lets party hosts DJ with Spotify and guests vote for songs

Playground.fm — sharesyour music with friends

SeatGeek — finds musical acts at venues around your area

Metafy — cross-references Metacritic media rankings with Spotify and builds albums

INNOVATE

LEVERAGE

COMMODITIZE

The use of APIs, open or private, does not have to equate to new and greater risks around core intellectual property.

43

CSC Apps rEvolution

Unfortunately for developers, a new skills bar has been set.

Getting an app running is no longer the only challenge;

apps must be resilient, scalable, secure, integrated, visually

appealing and, most of all, adaptable. This requires collabo-

ration with designers, an understanding of development

across the multi-dimensional stack and the know-how to

select the right approach (i.e., architecture, language, tool-

set). The best developers will have a creative flair and the

ability to think like a start-up and take calculated risks. The

challenge is that these developers are a scarce resource,

often not working in enterprises but instead working inde-

pendently on their own ventures, uninterested in the cor-

porate life. Luckily, there are approaches to entice these

developers without writing blank checks.

Draw Them In. Create an opportunity for your product or

service to be easily leveraged by developers for their suc-

cess. This could be via an open API to your service or data

(discussed earlier), an event or special funding.

Events such as hackathons or competitions allow orga-

nizations to create awareness and focus a community

of developers for a short amount of time on a particular

product or service. (See Figure 35.) For example, in June

2013 the White House ran an event called “National Day

of Civic Hacking at the White House,” with the goal of

to be in the business of developing apps that integrate its

service with every possible device or provider in the mar-

ket. Instead, Netflix exposed its API to enable other devel-

opers to build these apps. Netflix’s API strategy enhanced

the value of its IP, which remains protected.

The relationship between the API provider and developer can

change over time, and developers need to be aware of this.

Netflix’s open API program ended in March 2013. Developers

using Twitter’s API have faced increasing restrictions as the

company attempts to gain more control of its audience; its

impending IPO could tighten the reins further.62 If free API

providers like Netflix and Twitter decide to stop offering their

service, and there is no pre-existing agreement protecting

the developer, then developers are left to manage any prob-

lems with their apps on their own.

The rush to APIs is being driven by a range of free, paid

and revenue-sharing business models. As apps and rev-

enues flourish, there is no doubt why API management

products have been at the center of an acquisition spree,

with Intel buying Mashery, CA Technologies purchasing

Layer 7, and MuleSoft acquiring ProgrammableWeb — all

in the span of a few weeks.63

DECADE OF THE DEVELOPER

Given the app frenzy, developers are in high demand. At

the same time, barriers to entry have fallen, making it eas-

ier for people to create — and profit from — apps. With

Apple paying over $10 billion to developers, $5 billion of

that in the last year,64 third-party developers from around

the world are coming out of the woodwork. This includes the

next generation of developers — even 12-year-olds65 — who

will grow up developing apps for connected cars, homes or

machines. These developers are at the center of the apps

ecosystem — strengthening it, attracting others to it and

generating greater levels of investment. This is the decade

of the developer.

Enterprise IT’s previous role of “keeping the lights on”

and maintaining stability is quite different from the new

requirement of application-driven growth. Enterprise IT

has a unique opportunity to reposition itself at the front of

the firm, driving growth in new and existing markets and

driving greater levels of customer intimacy. However, the

journey will be perilous without adequate capability and cred-

ibility to execute, making the skilled developer a hot target.

Enterprise IT’s previous role of “keeping the lights on” and maintaining stability is quite different from the new requirement of application-driven growth. Enterprise IT has a unique opportunity to reposition itself at the front of the firm, driving growth in new and existing markets and driving greater levels of customer intimacy.

44

CSCApps rEvolution

getting citizen developers to generate visualization tools

and apps that “unlock government data.”66 Others events,

like Photo Hack Day, brought together developers who

had an interest in building apps using photo APIs.67 The

event featured a range of API providers including Wal-

greens, Getty Images, Fujifilm and Facebook, each offer-

ing different prizes for development using their API.

Another way to attract developers to your ecosystem is

to set up special funding. For example, Box.net created a

$2 million fund68 and Salesforce.com launched a $6 million

fund69 to support the growth of start-ups building enter-

prise applications on their respective platforms. The Sin-

gapore government subsidizes mobile apps (and other

development) by Singapore-based companies through a

Productivity and Innovation Credit.70

Capturing developer mind share is imperative not only

for API providers but device, operating system, platform

and development language providers, who leverage

these strategies and more to aggressively target devel-

opers. Many developers stick with the technology they

are familiar with for their entire career, making early edu-

cation and promotion critical.

Coding Becomes Common. The fierce competition for devel-

opers may start to lessen when DIY tools simplify and DIY

coding starts to take hold. Through organizations such as

Codecademy, a start-up aiming to teach the world to code,

more individuals will gain exposure to development. One day,

coding may become as common as word processing.

To be clear, we do not expect all of

society (including enterprises) to be

filled with developers, just like study-

ing math doesn’t make everyone a

mathematician. However, exposure

will reduce the mystery and fear of

coding, creating more developers

and increasing the adoption of DIY

development platforms. It could

even result in more non-developers

gaining the confidence and expertise

to manage the technical resources

required to successfully launch an

app. You may not be able to create

an app yourself, but you can oversee

others to do it.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

The reshaped experience, explosion of apps everywhere,

and dramatic changes in app design and development

have ushered in a new apps economy. Industries are

blurring, driving deeper coordination between people,

things, business and society.

Enterprise IT has a golden opportunity to lead the apps

economy. However, this requires different thinking (out-

side-in) and strong relationships with business peers (still

a challenge in many firms). Enterprise IT can lead the

enterprise to a “mobile first” or even a “mobile only” strat-

egy, but must know when to champion APIs and how to

attract developers to build apps leveraging these capabili-

ties. Finally, enterprises can turn what was once seen as

a “shadow IT” problem into a competitive advantage by

fostering and cultivating a DIY culture for their firm.

The Apps rEvolution is not just about apps. It is about

business change: creating new experiences, inventing

new products and services, redefining customer service,

and improving productivity and efficiency. It is about

building new and better ways of using modern technol-

ogies, and about applying IT to entirely new realms. The

speed, simplicity and appeal of the app experience may

have started as smartphone and consumer phenomena,

but this is now the model for how information systems

will be built and used in the future. The digital economy

is no longer just out there on the web; it is literally in the

palm of your hand.

FIGURE 35. This recent hackathon in Silicon Valley drew scores of developers.

Source: CSC

45

CSC Apps rEvolution

NOTES

1 “Smart phones overtake client PCs in 2011 | Canalys,” 03-Feb-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.canalys.com/newsroom/smart-phones-overtake-client-pcs-2011

2 Lauren Hockenson, “Shazam: The Secret to Better TV Engagement?” 03-May-2012. [Online]. Available: http://mashable.com/2012/05/03/shazam-tv-engagement/

3 “Shazam Mobile App Boosting TV Ad Recall, Engagement Says Frank M. Magid - MarketingVOX,” 19-Nov-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.marketingvox.com/shazam-mobile-app-boosting-tv-ad-recall-engagement-says-frank-m-magid-051770/?utm_campaign=rssfeed&utm_source=mv&utm_medium=textlink

4 “These Start-Ups Aren’t Goofing Off When It Comes to Microsoft’s Kinect - Tricia Duryee - Commerce - AllThingsD,” 28-Jun-2012. [Online]. Available: http://allthingsd.com/20120628/these-start-ups-arent-goofing-off-when-it-comes-to-microsofts-kinect/ Todd Bishop, “Inside the Kinect Accelerator: Startups camp out at Microsoft in pursuit of next big thing - GeekWire,” 17-May-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.geekwire.com/2012/startups-building-businesses-microsoft-kinect/

5 David Katzmaier, “Samsung brings voice, gesture control to TVs | CES 2012: Televisions - CNET Blogs,” 09-Jan-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.cnet.com/8301-33379_1-57353006/samsung-brings-voice-gesture-control-to-tvs/

6 Darren Quick, “Sign language-to-speech translating gloves take out Microsoft Imagine Cup 2012,” 10-Jul-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.gizmag.com/enabletalk-sign-language-gloves/23268/ “EnableTalk - YouTube,” 01-May-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCAwPBbDkhk

7 “MYO - Gesture control armband by Thalmic Labs.” [Online]. Available: https://www.thalmic.com/myo/

8 “Functional Contact Lens Monitors Blood Sugar Without Needles - Microsoft Research,” 08-Dec-2011. [Online]. Available: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/stories/functionalcontactlens.aspx “Non-invasive Continuous Ocular Glucose Sensor | ECE.” [Online]. Available: http://www.ece.rutgers.edu/node/665

9 Serkan Toto, “Nissan’s ‘Smiling Vehicle’ shows emotions (video) | TechCrunch,” 11-Jan-2010. [Online]. Available: http://techcrunch.com/2010/01/11/nissans-smiling-vehicle-shows-emotions-video/

10 Tom Murphy, “Vehicle Connectivity Extending to Ambient Lighting | Internet Newsletter content from WardsAuto,” 15-Aug-2012. [Online]. Available: http://wardsauto.com/internet-newsletter/vehicle-connectivity-extending-ambient-lighting

11 Don Norman, “Living with complexity - jnd.org,” May-2010. [Online]. Available: http://www.jnd.org/books/living-with-complexity.html

12 Peter C. Evans and Marco Annunziata, “Industrial Internet: Pushing the Boundaries of Minds and Machines,” General Electric, 26-Nov-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.gereports.com/new_industrial_internet_service_technologies_from_ge_could_eliminate_150_billion_in_waste/ Note: Download the report via this article, which provides context.

13 “Over 5 Billion Wireless Connectivity Chips Will Ship in 2013, Broadcom and Qualcomm are the Leading Suppliers,” 21-Dec-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.abiresearch.com/press/over-5-billion-wireless-connectivity-chips-will-sh Note: The Bluetooth and WiFi forecasts are cumulative shipments.

14 Chris Ziegler, “Ford CTO Paul Mascarenas talks apps and self-driving cars at CES 2013 | The Verge,” 10-Jan-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/10/3861304/ford-cto-paul-mascarenas-talks-apps-and-self-driving-cars-ces-2013, see video at 1:15

15 Zachary Lutz, “QNX unveils concept Bentley Continental GT alongside Car Platform 2.0,” 08-Jan-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/qnx-concept-bentley-continental-gt

16 “QNX and the W3C: setting a new standard - QNX Auto Blog,” 9-Sep-2013. [Online]. Available: http://qnxauto.blogspot.com/2013/09/qnx-and-w3c-setting-new-standard.html

17 Russell Brandom, “Self-driving cars can navigate the road, but can they navigate the law? | The Verge,” 14-Dec-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/14/3766218/self-driving-cars-google-volvo-law

18 “The Future of Healthcare | CSC.” [Online]. Available: http://www.csc.com/innovation/ds/70921-the_future_of_healthcare, pp. 9-10.

46

CSCApps rEvolution

NOTES

19 “Medical tricorders: The dream of the medical tricorder | The Economist,” 01-Dec-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21567208-medical-technology-hand-held-diagnostic-devices-seen-star-trek-are-inspiring

20 “Apps Aim to Detect Skin Cancer - WSJ.com,” 16-Jan-2013. [Online]. Available: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323783704578245973988828066.html

21 Alex Newman, “U.S. Military Seeking Implantable Microchips in Soldiers,” 08-May-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/computers/item/11286-us-military-seeking-implantable-microchips-in-soldiers

22 Kelly Hodgkins, “Rock Center looks at iPhone as the future of medicine | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog,” 25-Jan-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.tuaw.com/2013/01/25/rock-center-looks-at-iphone-as-the-future-of-medicine/, see video at 6:55

23 “Core Technology | First Warning Systems.” [Online]. Available: http://www.firstwarningsystems.com/for-clinicians.html

24 “New Industrial Internet Service Technologies From GE Could Eliminate $150 Billion in Waste | GE Reports,” 29-Nov-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.gereports.com/new_industrial_internet_service_technologies_from_ge_could_eliminate_150_billion_in_waste

25 “Intelligent Systems: The Next Big Opportunity | IDC,” Aug-2011. [Online]. Available: http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/8/7/987535CB-834C-4652-84ED-4D0A215E7007/IDC%20-%20Intelligent%20Systems%20-%20Next%20Big%20Opportu-nity%20-%20Final.pdf, abstract p. 1.

26 Peter C. Evans and Marco Annunziata, “Industrial Internet: Pushing the Boundaries of Minds and Machines,” General Electric, 26-Nov-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.gereports.com/new_industrial_internet_service_technologies_from_ge_could_eliminate_150_billion_in_waste/ Note: Download the report via this article, which provides context. See p. 17.

27 Steve Lohr, “G.E. Looks to Industry for the Next Digital Disruption - NYTimes.com,” 23-Nov-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/technology/internet/ge-looks-to-industry-for-the-next-digital-disruption.html

28 “KOMATSU: Autonomous Haulage System—Komatsu’s Pioneering Technology Deployed at Rio Tinto Mine in Australia.” [Online]. Available: http://www.komatsu.com/ce/currenttopics/v09212/

29 “China Looks to Lead the Internet of Things | CNN International,” 03-Dec-2012. [Online]. Available: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/28/business/china-internet-of-things/index.html

30 Lauren Frayer, “High-Tech Sensors Help Old Port City Leap Into Smart Future : Parallels : NPR,” 04-Jun-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/06/04/188370672/Sensors-Transform-Old-Spanish-Port-Into-New-Smart-City?sc=tw&cc=share

31 Marco Evers, “Urban Planning Goes Digital in Spanish ‘Smart City’” - SPIEGEL ONLINE,” 14-Mar-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/santander-a-digital-smart-city-prototype-in-spain-a-888480.html

32 “CES 2013: CIOs Search for the Next Killer App - Forbes,” 10-Jan-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.forbes.com/sites/rajsabhlok/2013/01/10/ces-2013-cios-search-for-the-next-killer-app/

33 S. Shek, “Distributed Databases in the Cloud Using NoSQL | CSC Grant,” Feb-2011, pp. 27-28.

34 “Billions of API calls traversing Web, redefining ‘software’ | ZDNet,” 25-May-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/identity/billions-of-api-calls-traversing-web-redefining-software/493 John Musser, “Open APIs: What’s Hot, What’s Not,” 11-Apr-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.slideshare.net/jmusser/open-apis-whats-hot-whats-not-12506063

35 faberNovel, “6 Reasons Why APIs Are Reshaping Your Business,” Nov-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.slideshare.net/faberNovel/6-reasons-why-apis-are-reshaping-your-business, p. 53

36 Some hybrid technologies, such as Titanium Appcelerator and Rhomobile, translate the HTML code directly to native code.

37 Andreas Holzinger, Peter Treitler and Wolfgang Slany, “Making Apps Useable on Multiple Different Mobile Platforms: On Interopera-bility for Business Application Development on Smartphones,” in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012, vol. 7465, pp. 176 – 189.

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NOTES

38 “Apigee Survey: Users Reveal Top Frustrations That Lead to Bad Mobile App Reviews,” 01-Nov-2012. [Online]. Available: http://apigee.com/about/pressrelease/apigee-survey-users-reveal-top-frustrations-lead-bad-mobile-app-reviews

39 Bharath Rangarajan, “Follow-me Apps — An Evolution | Citrix Blogs,” 04-Sep-2012. [Online]. Available: http://blogs.citrix.com/2012/09/04/follow-me-apps-an-evolution/

40 Chuck Rossi, “Ship early and ship twice as often,” 03-Aug-2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-engineering/ship-early-and-ship-twice-as-often/10150985860363920

41 “2013 State of DevOps Report | Puppet Labs.” [Online]. Available: http://info.puppetlabs.com/2013-state-of-devops-report.html

42 Rebecca Grant, “Proposed rules will keep Lyft, Uber, Sidecar on the streets in California | VentureBeat,” 30-Jul-2013. [Online]. Available: http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/30/proposed-rules-will-keep-lyft-uber-sidecar-on-the-streets-in-california/ Tarun Wadhwa, “The Sharing Economy Fights Back Against Regulators | Forbes.com,” 16-Sep-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tarunwadhwa/2013/09/16/the-sharing-economy-fights-back-against-regulators-with-an-advocacy-group/

43 “Gartner Says Mobile App Stores Will See Annual Downloads Reach 102 Billion in 2013 | Gartner,” 19-Sep-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2592315

44 “Apple Announces iPhone 5s—The Most Forward-Thinking Smartphone in the World – Apple.com,” 10-Sep-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/09/10Apple-Announces-iPhone-5s-The-Most-Forward-Thinking-Smartphone-in-the-World.html “Google outs new apps, boasts Play passing the 1 million mark - TechRadar,” 24-Jul-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.techradar.com/us/news/internet/web/google-outs-new-apps-boasts-play-s-1-million-app-mark-1168308

45 “China Knocks Off U.S. to Become World’s Top Smart Device Market,” 18-Feb-2013. [Online]. Available: http://blog.flurry.com/bid/94352/China-Knocks-Off-U-S-to-Become-World-s-Top-Smart-Device-Market “Indian technology: The screen revolution | The Economist,” 16-Mar-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21573551-meet-next-generation-indian-technology-firmsand-obstacles-they-face-screen/

46 “RedBrick Health Launches Open Integration and Partner Certification Program, Selects Fitbit, RunKeeper Among First to be ‘RedBrick Ready,’” 26-Jul-2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.redbrickhealth.com/press/20120726-redbrick_ready-release

47 Jonah Comstock, “Jiff pivots to employee wellness curation | mobihealthnews,” 11-Jun-2013. [Online]. Available: http://mobihealthnews.com/22927/jiff-pivots-to-employee-wellness-curation/

48 “Connected Car Forecast: Global Connected Car Market to Grow Threefold Within Five Years,” Feb-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.gsma.com/connectedliving/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/cl_ma_forecast_06_13.pdf, p.3 C. Tode, “Connected car market to take off, opening vast opportunities for mobile space - Mobile Marketer - Research,” 20-Jun-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/research/15594.html

49 “RelayRides and OnStar: Baby, You Can Rent My Car,” 17-Jul-2012. [Online]. Available: http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Jul/0717_onstar.html

50 Ibid.

51 Developer APIs | Get Started | GM.” [Online]. Available: https://developer.gm.com/page/get-started

52 Greg Bensinger and Jessica E. Lessin, “Apps Spawn New Jobs, Services - WSJ.com,” 05-Mar-2013. [Online]. Available: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323864304578320861732248742.html

53 “Rise of the iPassenger: BA Staff Use iPads to Help with Customer Service on Flights | DailyMail,” 19-Aug-2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2027829/BA-staff-issued-iPads-help-flight-customer-service.html#ixzz2cQZqTY2V “American Airlines Personalizes Your Flight Experience | AA.com.” [Online]. Available: http://www.aa.com/i18n/urls/samsung-galaxy-note.jsp

48

CSCApps rEvolution

NOTES

54 Wendy Kaufman, “Forget The Register: Stores Use Mobile To Make Sales On The Spot : All Tech Considered : NPR,” 10-Dec-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/12/10/166890714/forget-the-register-stores-use-mobile-to-make-sales-on-the-spot

55 “Tesla Clashes With Car Dealers - WSJ.com,” 18-Jun-2013. [Online]. Available: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324049504578541902814606098.html?mod=rss_mobile_uber_feed

56 Simon Wardley, “CSC: Leading Edge Forum :: Projects :: Learning from Web 2.0,” Jan-2012. [Online]. Available: http://lef.csc.com/projects/99

57 Joshua Giddon, “CommBank opens up wealth portal - Software - Technology - News - iTnews.com.au,” 06-Feb-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.itnews.com.au/News/331416,commbank-opens-up-wealth-portal.aspx

58 “Finextra: ING to open API developer portal,” 13-Sep-2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.finextra.com/news/fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=24058

59 David Moschella, “CSC: Leading Edge Forum :: Where are You on the Outside-in Journey?” 07-Aug-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.lef.csc.com/blog/post/2013/07/where-are-you-on-the-outside-in-journey

60 “IOGDS Data Analytics.” [Online]. Available: http://logd.tw.rpi.edu/iogds_data_analytics

61 “Fed {API} - Government Data APIs.” [Online]. Available: http://fedapi.com/

62 “For Developers, a Downside to a Public Twitter - NYTimes.com,” 13-Sep-2013. [Online]. Available: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/for-developers-a-downside-to-a-public-twitter/

63 Alex Williams, “Facebook And The Sudden Wake Up About The API Economy | TechCrunch,” 28-Apr-2013. [Online]. Available: http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/28/facebook-and-the-sudden-wake-up-about-the-api-economy/

64 “Apple Keynote - WWDC 2013: iOS 7, OS X Mavericks, Mac Pro (1080p HD - CC | June Special Event) - YouTube,” 12-Jun-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxe_0-rttIw, see video at 8:35

65 “Thomas Suarez: A 12-year-old app developer | TEDx Talks,” Oct-2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_suarez_a_12_year_old_app_developer.html

66 “Apply for the National Day of Civic Hacking at the White House | The White House,” 01-Jun-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.whitehouse.gov/developers/apply-national-day-civic-hacking-white-house

67 “Photo Hack Day 4,” Apr-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.photohackday.org/

68 Deborah Gage, “Flush With VC Bucks, Box.net Launches $2M Developer Fund - Venture Capital Dispatch - WSJ,” 07-Nov-2011. [Online]. Available: http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2011/11/17/flush-with-vc-bucks-box-net-launches-2m-developer-fund/

69 Antony Savvas, “Salesforce and VCs launch £4.2m start-up challenge - ComputerworldUK.com,” 03-May-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/it-business/3445536/salesforce-vcs-launch-42m-start-up-challenge/

70 “Develop your website, mobile app or software at $0.00 but earn money from Singapore government | Foricom Infotech Pte Ltd,” 16-Apr-2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.foricomit.com/2013/04/26/developing-your-website-mobile-app-or- enterprise-software-at-zero-cost-but-earn-money-from-singapore-government/ All figures used with permission. Tablet and smartphone frames on the cover and Contents page are licensed under Creative Commons, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

49

CSC Apps rEvolution

Simon Beniston, CSC

Thibaut de Sany, CSC

Sujan Debnath, CSC

Chris Delaney, CSC

Sumit Dhawan, Citrix

Marc Durieux, CSC

Bob Evans, CSC

Nabil Fanaian, CSC

Vinay Gulani, CSC

Michael King, Appcelerator

Christian Klöppel, CSC

Henry Liang, CSC

Christophe Lienhard, CSC

Sam Liu, BMC/Partnerpedia

Michel Maeso, July Systems

Eric Martin, Catavolt

Marcus Mascord, CSC

George Mashini, Catavolt

Lisa McFadden, CSC

(currently with Water

Environment Federation)

Orestes Melgarejo, Citrix

Miguel Morales, CSC

Dan Munyan, CSC

Doug Neal, CSC

Jim Petrassi, CSC

Faisal Siddiqi, CSC

Mike Siegel, Mocana Corporation

Rick Tomredle, CSC

Luc van Helfteren, CSC

Chris Wiesinger, CSC

Prakash Yarlagadda, CSC

Thanks go to the many others who contributed to Apps rEvolution. Vivek Srinivasan served as contributing author of the

report. Special thanks go to Paul Gustafson, Howard Smith, David Moschella and Lisa Braun.

gies that support strategic initiatives

in cloud computing and mobility. With

over 10 years of experience working in

the IT industry, she provides subject

matter expertise to CSC clients, includ-

ing large U.S. federal agencies, and CSC

colleagues. Erika has also worked in

academia as an adjunct professor and

as a teaching and research assistant.

Erika’s current research interests

are in the areas of enterprise mobil-

ity, software design, software testing

and software reuse. Working on Apps

rEvolution has reinforced to Erika the

need for businesses to keep up with

technology changes in order to stay

relevant in a highly competitive IT

Dr. Erika Olimpiew, lead author of Apps

rEvolution, is a Senior Architectural Spe-

cialist at CSC. Erika researches, evalu-

ates and deploys emerging technolo-

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

environment, and has given her insight

into major shifts: from big to small IT,

from internally driven to outside-in IT,

and from the web to apps.

Erika is the recipient of two CSC

grants: “A Lifecycle Model for Devel-

oping, Testing and Delivering Mobile

Apps in an Enterprise” and “Refer-

ence Implementation and Architec-

ture for Cloud Lifecycle Manage-

ment.” A paper she co-authored

on “Enterprise Service Delivery in a

Mobility-Enabled Ecosystem: A New

Paradigm for Delivering and Con-

suming IT Services” received a CSC

Papers honorable mention in 2013.

eolimpiew@csc.com

© 2013 Computer Sciences Corporation. All rights reserved.

About CSC

CSC is a global leader in next-generation IT services and

solutions. The company’s mission is to enable superior returns

on our clients’ technology investments through best-in-class

industry solutions, domain expertise and global scale. For more

information, visit us at www.csc.com.

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