SaaS Mobile Apps Vs Custom App Development

Weighing the benefits of SaaS mobile apps vs custom app development is worthwhile for several reasons. With rapid digitalization underway, every enterprise should consider what type of apps they need. They also need to look at costs, customization, integration, time to implementation, and scalability, to name a few. 

Both SaaS and custom apps offer very similar benefits, which makes the decision-making process difficult. While a SaaS solution may be perfect for certain types of businesses, it may not be right for your enterprise. Below, we pinpoint the differences between SaaS and custom apps and what you should consider before coming to a decision. 

1. What Are SaaS Mobile Apps?

Most of us know what mobile apps are and know how indispensable they’ve become. But what exactly is SaaS (Software as a Service), and why does it matter? Well, if you’ve used a modern cloud service, you’ve likely made use of a SaaS. Dropbox, Google Docs, and Netflix are good examples of popular SaaS offerings that users find valuable. 

And since these services are cloud-based, users don’t have to download and install large executables and packages. Thus, they avoid installation errors and the possibility of their devices becoming infected with malware and viruses. Another side benefit is that users don’t have to worry about updates, as these are done in the cloud. So, enterprises that hire employees that aren’t too technical can hit the ground running.

SaaS mobile apps offer all these benefits to users who mainly or only use smartphones for their daily business activities. As long as they have a reliable connection, they should enjoy uninterrupted service most of the time. However, many SaaS offerings have offline modes allowing users to continue using these services without breaking their workflow.

2. Top SaaS Mobile App Benefits

You may be deliberating whether to develop a SaaS or a custom mobile app. We understand that it’s not always a clear-cut decision if the app should fulfill many vital business functions. Therefore, we’ve listed a few of the benefits that you should be aware of when developing SaaS mobile apps: 

  • Fast Implementation – If you’re leading a startup or need to deploy services rapidly, then a SaaS is the way to go. A SaaS allows you to bring all your ideas to the market far quicker than taking the custom app development route.
  • Simple Customization – SaaS apps are far easier and quicker to customize than custom apps. Furthermore, features are likely to fit your enterprise’s needs since SaaS apps are updated at more regular intervals.
  • Integration With Other Apps – Your enterprise probably relies on several third-party applications to function smoothly. A SaaS allows you to quickly and cheaply integrate all these apps since you can access its built-in APIs (application programming interfaces). For a custom app, you’d need to handle all integrations during development and incur additional costs if you integrate them later on.
  • Easy To Scale – Small enterprises with approximately 50 employees use between 25-50 SaaS apps. And larger enterprises with over 250 employees utilize more than 100 SaaS offerings. Furthermore, almost 85% of small enterprises have invested in SaaS solutions. The adoption of SaaS is partly due to how easy it’s to scale for enterprises of various sizes.

3. How Does Custom App Development Differ?

Developing a custom mobile app is a more elaborate process than creating a SaaS solution. The developer will have to consider the costs associated with back-end hosting, setting up a developer account, operating system updates, handle user feedback, support new devices, and offer maintenance and support. Of course, some of these costs apply to SaaS mobile apps but to a lesser extent. 

But what truly sets a custom mobile app apart is that it makes use of a smartphone’s unique features. For example, a developer can add functionality that takes advantage of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 S Pen. It wouldn’t make sense to add this functionality in a SaaS since it’s meant to work on a wide variety of devices.

4. Top Benefits of Custom App Development

As we’ve already revealed, SaaS mobile apps offer a wide variety of benefits that you ought to consider. The lower costs and quick implementations certainly benefit startups and enterprises operating on a tight budget. However, it would be a mistake to forge ahead without looking at what custom app development brings to the table.

  • Full Customization – Both SaaS and custom apps can be customized. But a custom app offers deeper customization since the developer can access more of a device’s APIs, hardware, and operating system.
  • Fits Your Needs Perfectly – Your enterprise’s unique needs can’t always be addressed by a SaaS. For example, storing data on the cloud presents certain security risks that you’d like to avoid. But your custom mobile app allows you to store and encrypt data on the device or offline.
  • Takes Advantage Of Device Features – Today’s smartphones come with innovative features that set them apart from competitors. And users choose a specific brand and model because they find its unique features desirable or valuable. Thus, you can make your app stand out if you take advantage of a device’s unique features and grow your audience.
  • Changes With Your Business – SaaS apps often become monolithic as they grow and mature. When an enterprise’s needs change, it becomes a monumental task to implement changes in such apps.  But that’s not the case with custom apps since they don’t require any significant platform changes to adapt to your business.

5. Which Development Strategy Is Best For Your Needs?

Last but not least, you must consider your development strategy that best fits your enterprise’s needs. Developing apps is challenging and is fraught with risk, that’s why it’s important to make the right decisions. We recommend that you look at your costs, time to implement, and customization factors in more detail. 

  • Costs – Consider all the costs of developing a custom mobile app versus that of a SaaS. Additional features, higher complexity, and sleeker visual elements will inevitably increase costs. And the longer it takes to develop your app, the more expensive it becomes.
  • Time To Implement – One of the key benefits of SaaS is how rapidly an enterprise can deploy and implement services. In most cases, a SaaS is the smarter choice for startups and smaller enterprises that don’t have the luxury of time.
  • Customization – Smartphones have become more advanced and sport features, which were inconceivable a few years ago. Furthermore, user expectations have risen, and enterprises may want to take advantage of features unique to specific devices. In such scenarios, it’s necessary to develop apps with deep customization in mind. That’s only possible with custom app development because the developer works directly on the hardware and not the cloud.

In Conclusion

SaaS solutions have gained traction in recent years as more enterprises embrace the cloud. And many smaller enterprises have invested heavily in SaaS apps, and this trend’s bound to continue. But for enterprises requiring high levels of customization and the ability to take advantage of a device’s unique features, only custom apps will do. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can develop powerful enterprise apps that will boost your business.

Managing Remote Teams and Avoiding Burnout

Avoiding Burnout is Key While Managing Remote Teams

Burnout is a very real thing. Not only in business or in one’s career, but in all areas of life. Burnout at the gym, too much socialization, too much food, and of course – too much work. After all, there is some truth to that age old adage about all work and no play. In the current state of things, remote teams are becoming a standard across almost every industry and marketplace. With that, it’s important for organizations and managers to find ways to provide remote teams with downtime while still remaining efficient and productive.

The way of the world is changing. Every year we’re inching toward a more digital landscape. More integrated technology. More virtual interaction, and of course, more remote work teams. Understanding that this isn’t just a phase, but a larger societal transition will help managers. With this knowledge, leaders are more able to create successful strategies for managing remote workers and staff. There are many benefits to a workforce that predominantly works from home.

For instance, a stronger sense of work-life-balance has been achieved by many workers who used to feel they were lacking in this area. Additionally, teams have shown higher rates of efficiency in certain areas as time-wasting and energy-draining activities are removed from daily schedules.

What Causes Burnout For Remote Teams

There are many factors that contribute to a remote teams burnout. Just like with any other form of a burnout, it doesn’t necessarily stem from a single source. Rather, it’s a combination of elements that lead to an exhaustion. One of the culprits of remote team burnout is video-conferencing. With the transition to remote teams popular video conferencing applications, like Zoom, saw a major surge in usage. From amount of users to amount of time on video-calls, the application soared. So much so that it actually topped the app charts for the first time in a historic moment.

With all this newfound attention, though, it wasn’t before long that some digging was done. The way most video-conferencing applications work is by framing the users face in a very close-up angle. As such, over the period of the video-call users are up-close and personal with one another. Our brains process this type of face-to-face interaction as an extremely intimate exchange. Usually, we only see close loved-ones in this framing. Hence, why so many people feel drained after engaging over a video-conference.

Beyond this phenomenon, though, there are other factors that cause remote teams to burnout as well. Without the interpersonal exchanges that are normally associated with physical office-spaces, it’s harder now to form personal relationships with our coworkers and colleagues. Add onto all of this that those who are fortunate enough to remain working full time from home; now have the pressure of completing their deadlines without the resources of an office, and almost acting as their own oversight.

Incorporating Employee Incentives

Just because employees are working from home doesn’t mean that your organization can’t offer them incentives for strong performance. In fact, in this economic and social climate, showing your employees that you care goes a long way. There are many ways to incorporate employee incentives into remote teams. As the world was already moving toward a more digital age, some teams were already operating on an almost entirely remote basis. Because of that, certain enterprise apps that already exist on the market are specifically designed for employee incentives.

This is great for current managers for a variety of reasons. First of all, that means there are already options for those looking. Simply do a bit of research, pick the provider that seems most suitable and start the incentive process.

However, for managers and organizations that are looking for a bit more specification and customization with their incentive programs, these options still offer value. In one direction, this information and these preexisting options for a remote teams incentive program provides insight into incentive-functionality that works. In other words, companies looking to build a custom enterprise app to handle the incentives for their remote teams, can look to see how the current incentive softwares operate and function, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.

Types of Incentive Programs

Just like in a physical office, the realm of possibilities for incentives is far and wide. Therefore, the way that employees earn and spend incentive points can also vary widely from organization to organization. In some programs employees simply earn points based solely on performance. Prizes and incentives have various price-points and the more points that one saves, the better incentives they can earn.

Beyond that though, there are also systems that integrate co-worker and colleague recognition. In these incentive type programs, users can also award points to one-another for exceptional work or high achievement in a certain area.

Not only do the ways in which employees earn and receive points vary, but the types of incentives can also vary. While travel destinations used to be extremely popular choices, with the state of the pandemic, travel, while still exciting and fun, can be quite a bit more dangerous these days. Other popular choices include high-ticket items for the household, new electronics, and various other options. No matter the choice, one thing is certain. In these trying times, it’s essential to boost your employee morale, especially in remote teams. Using incentives is a great way to relieve team pressure, and actively work to prevent burnout.

Improve Efficiency Through Enterprise Apps

A main component to effectively running a remote team that remains productive is equipping your staff with the right tools. Regardless of trade, one of the very first lessons to learn is that without the proper tools – nothing gets done. In the context of managing remote teams, this means providing your team with the proper enterprise applications. Implementing the proper corporate applications allows your remote team access to important data, instant communication, and other vital features.

Similar to the discussion on incentive based programs, there are already a plethora of enterprise apps available to businesses. However enterprise applications already on the market tend to be one-size-fits-all. This is important to note because of the variations in workflows and operations from business to business.

As such, when determining whether your remote teams would benefit from an enterprise application that already exists, or a custom enterprise application, you should take a complete and comprehensive look at your team and their specific needs. If you’re already considering investing in an enterprise application, however, it might as well fit your custom needs for the organization. Build an enterprise application that fits your needs completely with the experts at NS804. NS804 is the mobile app developer of the everyday person and businessman.

A Quick Summary

Remote teams are going to be a part of the normal working landscape for the foreseeable future. As such, there’s really no more time to waste in preparing your business or organization for a more predominantly remote economy. Having a sustainable and happy workforce is an important part of that.

Help your teams avoid burnout by equipping them with the right tools to conduct their work, rewarding them with incentives, and making sure to plan off-work bonding events that can bring the team together like D&D. For more information on the future of remote team management, or anything else mobile app development – continue browsing NS804’s library.

What Are The Best Tools For Android App Development?

When embarking on the Android app development journey, you’ll need to choose the right tools. Google provides several excellent tools at no cost to developers to help them get started. But third-party vendors such as Microsoft and Unity also offer Android developers powerful and versatile solutions. We’ll be covering these in more detail below.

1. Choosing The Right Tools For Android App Development 

The world of Android software development can be fascinating and rewarding, provided you choose the right tools. Fortunately, there are several mature and robust tools on the market that facilitate a smooth development process. Here’s a shortlist of tools that every Android developer should have as part of their toolchain:

Android SDK – The official software development kit (SDK) that makes Android mobile app development possible. It contains several battle-tested libraries and tools for building, compiling, debugging, monitoring, and testing apps. 

Android Studio – All developers need an integrated development environment (IDE) to make their ideas come to life. And Android Studio is the quintessential IDE for Android developers, even though there are many alternatives in the marketplace. Moreover, it’s the official IDE for the Android platform and comes with an emulator, image files, and SDK. 

Unity – If you’re developing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) apps or games, consider using Unity. It’s a versatile game engine, renowned for its powerful and user-friendly editor and ability to build games for the most popular platforms with a single click. To target Android, you’ll need to download the Android Build Support module together with Android SDK/NDK and Open JDK.

2. When To Use Another IDE Instead Of Android Studio 

If you’re building native Android apps or targeting the platform exclusively, you’ll probably want to stick with Android Studio. But if you’re targeting Android, iOS, and Windows, you may prefer a cross-platform solution. And one of these is Xamarin, which utilizes Microsoft’s rich .NET ecosystem and tooling and offers native performance. However, Xamarin requires Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2019 IDE as a prerequisite.

3. Why You Should Consider Using Firebase

For a simple mobile app, you probably won’t need to access cloud services. But if you’re developing something more complex, you may require a suite of tools that allow easy integration to Google’s back-end infrastructure. And if you need analytics and authentication together with AdMob integration, then Firebase is a solid choice. Before forging ahead, consider Firebase’s pricing and hidden costs to see if it fits within your budget.

4. Always Profile And Test Your Mobile App

Your development team may be incredibly talented, but it would be a mistake to ship your app without profiling and testing beforehand. The good news is that both the Android SDK and Android Studio come with powerful profiling tools

Android SDK includes the Dalvik Debug Monitor Server (DDMS) that allows developers to emulate phone calls, examine threads, profile methods, view the heap, and gather information about the CPU, GPU, and frame rate. And the Android Studio IDE offers real-time monitoring of the CPU, GPU, memory, and network. 

5. Android Software Development Is Constantly Evolving 

Without a doubt, Android app development will be around for a long time still. There’s a massive international audience with an insatiable appetite for innovative apps released on the Google Play Store.

And while most developers will want to support both iOS & Android, they can’t go wrong if they can only support Android at the start. Moreover, they’ll find that Android’s tooling will only get better and more diverse with time. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you with your Android software development endeavors.