Enterprise customer data is now available all across the cloud for all and sundry to access at will. As a liquor store owner, for instance, I would like to look at the data and make calls to people who live in the same neighbourhood with bundled offers perhaps. This example clearly showcases the dire need for enterprise control policies on mobile devices. It may even call for enterprises building custom apps and app stores local to their customers (or employees). Soon these application vendors will be talking on deals directly with business function heads by-passing IT, exactly the same way SaaS vendors did some time ago. Don’t fight it, embrace it. To achieve this is, a CIO needs to create an app store within the enterprise with relevant apps. He needs to categorise the app store into different sections -- B2C (Apps aimed at enterprise’s customers), B2B (Apps aimed at business partners), B2E (Apps aimed at employees, and Marketplace (Place for crowd sourcing apps from the eco-system).

The CIO will have to support the mobile apps with cloud storage capabilities. Distribute cloud storage through the app store to employees and partners to deliver collaboration on documents and data. This gives the CIO control. Mobile apps can be leveraged to drive collaboration in social network space through a controlled window. The app store infrastructure needs to drive governance and ensure manageability. It makes sense for CIO s to group together and approach device manufacturers for creating this eco-system for corporates. This will deliver two positive outcomes: This will drive standardization which will benefit app manufacturers and give them an environment of repeatability of sales without need for customisations. Devices will now be bundled with an white label app store and app store framework that reduces corporates effort to only branding the app store.

Its time CIO s start defining thenew normal in the application landscape. Life will get interesting if you embrace and facilitate proliferation on your turf , on your terms; a nightmare to deal with if you fight it!