Mobile applications and their impact on business efficiency and security

Mobile Computing and Social Networks

There are many mobile apps in the market that have been designed to cater for various tasks and processes. Mobile apps were initially designed for gaming but improvements have been made to ensure that they can be used for business purposes. Applications have been designed to improve efficiency of mobile devices. Users have been able to make use of mobile phones to replace devices such as desktop computers and cameras.

Effectiveness and efficiency mobile-based applications

Technological advancements in the field of communication have undergone numerous changes over the decade. Mobile phones conventionally used for basic communication can now be used to conduct more features. The software being used in the mobile devises have enabled the devises to be used for more application than communication. The mobile devices being sold in the market are considered smart phones due to the array of applications that they can undertake. Apple Inc. And android manufactures are some of the major companies in the software market. The app market is one of the emerging markets facilitated by the use of this new software. The apps increase the functions of the mobile device. Initially the app market was dominated by gaming application but is changing with introduction of useful software.

One of the main selling points of these apps is the ability to improve the effectiveness of the mobile devise. The user could use the mobile devise for more functions other than communication. Some applications have enabled users to store information easily on their devise. The use of notebooks has been eliminated and diaries have become absolute with the introduction of such apps. The user is able to store user's information and produce it when needed. The user can also be reminded when to access the data. The apps have ensured that the data stored is safe from hackers and damage.

Some apps have enabled the users to monitor the geographical location of the mobile device improving connectivity and security. Parents have been able to use these apps on their children's devices to determine their location at all time. Business organizations have used the apps to monitor the location of their vehicles thus improving security and accountability. Some of the organizations have saved on insurance and fuel using the mobile apps. Companies producing mobile devices can use the customer's data to determine how to approach an emerging market. A geographical location where customers download mobile apps is a good market for mobile devices (Zheng & Ni, 2006).

Banks and insurance firms have also benefited from the use of mobile apps to increase their client base. Apps have been designed to handle conventional operations which may be considered as time consuming by the customers. Mobile chequeing apps have allowed the client to deposit cheques from any location and at any time. This has enabled the clients to avoid the hustle of visiting the bank. The time taken to clear the cheque is also reduced through the use of these apps. Banks that have adopted these apps for android and iPhone have increased the number of customers compared to banks using conventional services. Insurance firms have also attracted more clients using the mobile phone apps. The clients may download apps on their devises that will enable the client to take photos at the accident scene and upload them to the company's database. This will save the client time to file the claim or wait for company officials to access the site of the accident. The apps have enabled the customers to enjoy efficient services that save time and money.

Benefits realized by consumers

The use of mobile applications has enabled clients to store data on their mobile devices. This has improved data storage, access and security. This has improved efficiency of mobile devises and improved reliability on the communication device. The major benefit of mobile apps is ability to access information regardless of the location. Mobile apps have enabled the client to access important information stored in the mobile device. This is a convenient way to access the information as the customer carries the mobile device at all times. The user does not need to have access a desktop or lap top to use information stored in the mobile device.

Mobile apps have increased the use of mobile devices to incorporate the use of computers. Some mobile devices have similar capabilities with computers. The mobile apps make the device compatible with many applications enabling the user to save on buying many devices. The user does not need to buy a mobile phone, a computer, a camera and other devices when such mobile devices can combine the uses of all the devices. The mobile apps make use of these features to improve the quality of life of the user. The user does not have to carry these devices when a mobile phone will do all the work (Zheng & Ni, 2006).

The user is able to carry information with him at all times. This makes the information stored to be safe at all times. The user can protect his information as this information is not entrusted to a second party. The information stored in the mobile application can only be disbursed with the command from the user thus information is protected. The application enables the user to backup information. In the event hat the mobile device is stolen or destroyed, the user can use the apps to retrieve information stored by the mobile device.

Consumers also benefit from the use of mobile applications by the flexibility the mobile applications provide the client. Since the mobile device is owned by the user, the customer may use an application at his own convenience without being interrupted. The user can open more than one application on the same device without using the application to the final step. The user can later finish using the application without any data loss as the device is not being shared. The use of applications enables the user to have flexible operation time as the user can fill out important information at night and upload them to a database for future use (Zheng & Ni, 2006).

Some apps have enabled the user to track important information which saves on time and money. Stock traders have apps that track the cost of stocks in the market and enable the user to trade or monitor stocks being traded. Some apps give information that the user may use to manage his day. Weather news is effectively monitored using apps to ensure that the user dresses well to match the weather or avoids treacherous weather that may result in bad traffic.

Integration with other applications

One of the most notable features that users want in their platforms is the ability to connect to other applications with ease. It is cumbersome when the platform that a user chooses often prompts the user to perform other actions midway through their interactions in order to access other applications. With Android, the user has the ability to share information with the other applications. In this platform, it is not only possible, but also easy to share pictures with social media like Face book and Twitter. Google+ and Tumblr are also other supported applications. The contacts on Gmail are also readily available for transfer to the phone book. However, this is not the case with the iPhone platform. Here, the users have to go to the Face book app itself in order to upload the picture. This is because there is no prompt for updating and tagging the photo directly, and the user has to upload the picture manually. Windows Phone has easy directions that will help the user in uploading the photos directly without going through the long manual process. The iPad platform does not also offer a chance for connection with the other applications easily and is similar to that of the iPad (Sarno 2010).

Speed

Another method that can help the user to determine the most suitable platform is the speed. When it comes to device speed, the iPhone is the fastest. The response that the touchpad of this platform has is far ahead of the competitors. Using applications on the platform is relatively easy and not prone to hanging, unlike Android. Android lags behind in the speed of responsiveness from the touchpad. The speed in which the games and applications of the phone appear is also another frailty of the platform (Sarno 2010). Windows Phone is fast enough to handle applications without stuttering and has a sensitive touchpad. The touchpad of the iPad is also sensitive, and the user has the ability to type faster than on other competing platforms.

Connectivity to the internet

Speeds of data exchange on all these platforms are vast and discernible. Android uses the 4G network, which is relatively fast. During downloading, the speeds of the platform are exceptionally high. Download speeds for the 4G network reach even up to 7.35 megabytes per second in some cases. Therefore, surfing is relatively fast on Android systems. The iPhone runs on the 3G network. This old and slow network does not offer much speed. Therefore, downloading and surfing on this platform is low, and the users have to be content with speeds, which are approximately 1.0 megabytes per second. Even the sending of a simple email from the iPhone is slow and cumbersome, in comparison to the other platforms (Sarno 2010). The connectivity for the iPad is also the 3G network; therefore, it is fast but nothing in comparison to the Android platform. The speed of the Windows Phone is also appalling and extremely fast compared to the iPhone and the iPad. However, the closest rival in terms of speed is the Android.

Mobile applications require high availability because end users need to have continuous access to IT and IS systems.

Discuss ways of providing high availability

It is imperative that there is access to data for applications for the users. This is because failure to this will lead to the inability for the servers to handle the requests of the clients. Therefore, there is a need for providing high availability through various methods.

Data replication

This is one of the methods that is remarkably efficient when it comes to the provision of high availability. Through this process, there is certainty of existence of all the components that are necessary for the application server (Bohner 2009). This is because it creates another extra copy of the application data. The maintenance of the two copies of data through this method is via clustering and remote journaling. Moreover, there is a requirement of the third-party software that is necessary for the process. The reason that makes the process particularly impatient is that the systems that are existent are physically separable. The essence of clustering is to help in the communication. In this case, this is between two servers and more. Therefore, it becomes easy to store the data in another machine that is not geographically close to the one that the customer is using (Bohner 2009). Consequently, the remote journaling is also imperative because it enhances the creation of the extra copy of data. It is worthy to note that there are two ways in which the remote journaling occurs. In the synchronous method, the data appears on the primary and backup at the same time. As much as this process ensures efficiency, the performance of the device is poor because of the lapse time. When using the asynchronous method, the route of copying is from the application to the primary database.

Switchable disk

This is another method that also uses clustering. However, it uses local journaling and the IASP. The Independent Auxiliary Storage Pool stores the data. In case of failure in the process, this IASP is always readily switchable to other nodes. Through the switchable disk, there is certainly no need for the synchronization of data. This is because there is no chance of the data replicating. The frailty is that the database proceeds to providing all the failures of the system. In addition, this method does not allow for disaster recovery because of the physical constrains. Local journaling in this process enables the preservation of transaction boundaries (Bohner 2009) . Clustering is also hugely beneficial in this method. This is because it creates the services that are necessary in the switching of the IASP. Moreover, it provides for the monitoring of the partitions. There is also necessity for the presence of a server cluster in the switchable disk. This is particularly necessary and has to occur in all the nodes of the whole cluster.

Mobile devices are subjected to hacking at a higher rate than nonmobile devices. Discuss methods of making mobile devices more secure.

There are many reasons that make the mobile devices subject to hacking than the other devices. This is because of the inability of the devices to have the appropriate software as protection. However, the devices can be made more secure than before in a few ways.

IP protection

One method that would undoubtedly be worthwhile in the security of mobile devices is the protection of IP addresses. This protection would offer protection against the playing and copying some information without the consent of the providers. This could also apply in the providing of various content that are popular in the smart phones like games, music and videos. Through such a measure, the owners of such content could make authentic services in the hope of attaining some revenue from the process (Hernack 2006). Therefore, there is a high chance that customers will go for the authentic websites and services unlike now where they search for the cheapest option. Therefore, this will serve as protection for the smart phones.

Device control

In the present conditions, there is limited control of the mobile devices. Therefore, there is a great need for the tightening of control in the quest for security. Service providers should be given more control over the devices. A great instance of controlling would be the charging of application software through the smart phones. Many content developers come up with content that they do not pay for yet expect revenues. If the providers were to control services and seek for carrier fees from the developers, then there would be control of the quality of the services. Therefore, customers would only be subjected to the appropriate applications that do not offer security breaches to the mobile devices.

Remote repair methods

Most of the cases of hacking leave the customer in a poor condition that requires them to fix the phone themselves. This is because there is a need to clear off the malicious code whenever there is the detection of the malware. Through this method, the customer does not have to fix the problem individually. Instead, the service provider takes care of the process by fixing the problem of the malware without the customer having to go to them physically. Since there is a chance that the hacking is from the applications that a customer has, the service provider disables some of the applications (Hernack 2006). However, this does not affect the basic uses of the phone like calling and sending text messages. Therefore, the customer does not suffer as they would if they undertook the process themselves. With such a strategy, it is likely that the efforts of the attackers will not go far, and there will be a significant reduction in the cases of hacking.