Mobile Enterprise Application Platform Meap

By Author: Susan Smith
Total Articles: 132
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What is MEAP?

Quite simply, MEAP is a suite of products that enable mobile application development. It is an integrated environment, which allows for development and deployment for multiple native clients, and a variety of devices. A MEAP includes tools for client, server, and middleware for mobile.

MEAP as a term was coined in the Gartner Magic Quadrant report in 2008, replacing the mouthful “multi-channel access gateway market”.

As the name suggests, MEAP is enterprise focused, and therefore, not cheap (at least the good ones aren’t) and requires hardware and network infrastructure investments, along with training and reskilling costs. There are SaaS based MEAP platforms available, but large enterprises typically want to keep things under tight control, and therefore, on-premise.

Why MEAP?

For enterprises serious about mobility, MEAP is a must. In the absence of MEAP, the development and deployment costs of mobile applications are extremely high owing to the fragmentation of the mobile device and OS space. Unlike managing employee computing environments, which are fairly standard (mostly ...
... Windows, marginally Mac, or the other way round), mobile devices will be a mixed bag of iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry. Throw in the different versions of these OSes, and multiple device configurations, and you walk into a developer’s nightmare. Developing for, deploying on, and managing enterprise software (apps) on such a complex landscape is a herculean task, which comes with an equally jaw-dropping price tag.

Apart from the cost, the other important factor that sways the enterprise opinion in favor of MEAP is policies and standards. Historically used to exercising control over their landscape, most IT teams find themselves at a loss when trying to manage mobility. MEAPs, while themselves not immune from the HTML5 vs. native debate, provide enterprises with a shortcut to enforcing standards and maintaining some semblance of order. Most MEAPs available today allow the flexibility of developing in HTML5 and native.

Though it would be wrong to say that there is consensus in the industry that MEAP is the only viable enterprise mobility solution, there is definitely a strong coalition forming in its favor.

When to choose MEAP?

Just like you don’t attempt to kill a fly with a cannon, investment in MEAP is justified only if the nature of your mobility endeavor requires it. For enterprises with limited mobility requirements, or just toying with the idea of mobility, native / HTML5 apps are a better options. MEAP comes into the picture typically if an enterprise intends to convert several back-end functions or business processes to mobile.

The rule of 3

Gartner created this concept of “the rule of three” to define situations when an enterprise should consider MEAP for mobility. As per the rule, MEAP should be considered is the mobile solution:

1. Support three or more mobile applications
2. Support three or more mobile operating systems (OS)
3. Integrate with at least three back-end data sources

Which MEAP?

From basic to comprehensive, there are numerous MEAPs available today. Interestingly, SAP, Syclo, and Antenna software topped the Gartner magic quadrant for 2012, ahead of big names such as Adobe, RIM, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, and IBM.

The choice of the MEAP platform is as personal as choosing the perfect ring for the love of your life, and not necessarily any less stressful. It is a market where perceptions are still being formed, and there are no clear winners. Ultimately, its what features you want, and what the MEAP has to offer.

The author is associated with one of the top mobile app development firms, iPhone app developers in Dallas TX firms and mobile application companies in Noida