Tersus: Enterprise Deployment of iPhone Applications

Enterprise Deployment of iPhone ApplicationsDate: Nov 16, 2009Tags:Deployment,iPhoneEnterprise DeploymentWhen you want to use an iPhone application within an enterprise, you have some additional concerns in respect to an application for personal usage (mainly security considerations).On the other hand, your distribution is easier - you don't have to distribute the application through Apple's App Store.Note that we assume your application will be a clinet-server applications. While games and applications for personal use are many time stand-alone applications, enterprise applications almost always run on a server (and require a database).What Type of Application to Develop

You can either develop a native iPhone applications or an iPhone web application.

iPhone Web applications are simpler to develop and deploy, while native iPhone applications can have much richer functionality.

You would generally prefer a native application when you need rich functionality and access to the device capabilities and resources.

On the other hand, if you don't know Objective-C, or you need a cross-device application, you would probably go for a web application.

Your decision may also be influenced by a corporate policy, of course (e.g. if the corporate mandates web applications).

For more details, see Native iPhone Applications vs. iPhone Web Applications.

Where to Host Your Application

This is mainly a security issue, as with any client-server application.

There are 3 options:

Protected Corporate LAN - This allows your application to integrate with other enterprise systems, but will limit its usage by users when they are out of the office (a VPN will be needed to allow access to the application through the internet).
DMZ ("demilitarized zone") - This is not technically different, but the application will have limitations in its ability to integrate with enterprise systems. Usually the enterprise systems will only expose a limited interface to your application (e.g. through Web Services).
Cloud - You can either host your application through a utility computing provider or your corporate off-site hosting facility (with or without an additional layer of a VPN). You can also host the application on one of the Tersus servers.

For more details in the involved security consideration, especially when a VPN is not used, read here.

In any case, you can use our Quick Hosting while testing the application before its deployment for general use.

What Server to Use

Tersus applications, iPhone applications included, like most modern client-server applications, are usually deployed over Linux or Windows servers. Unix deployment is more seldom used.

Choose the platform according to your corporate policy, availability of servers and pricing. Note that you can develop yur application on Mac, Windows or Linux, regardless of the platform you select for its later deployment.

How to Distribute to Your UsersiPhone Web Applications

For web application, "distribution" of the application to your users simply means providing them with application's URL (e.g. http://applications.my-company.com/MyGreatApp/).

To make life easier for your iPhone users, who might have hard time typing long URLs, try to use short names.

Native iPhone Applications

If the application is only used by authorized users of your company, you would avoid uploading it to Apple's App Store. Instead, your company should join Apple's iPhone Developer Enterprise Program.

Ad hoc distribution to maximum 100 iPhone or iPod Touch users can be made without joining the iPhone Developer Enterprise Program.

If you want to sell the application to external users, it should be distributed through Apple's App Store.