News

OutSystems, Kony Lead in Enterprise Mobile Dev Research Report

• By David Ramel
• April 19, 2018

A new research report from analyst firm Ovum features OutSystems and Kony among the "Market Leaders" in the enterprise mobile application development platform (MADP) space.

Both vendors offer low-code mobile development tools, reflecting the rise of that approach in enterprise mobile development, which is also being impacted by the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), Ovum said in its "Ovum Decision Matrix: Selecting an Enterprise Mobile Application Development Platform, 2018–19."

Low-code functionality is also provided by the other two vendors in the Leaders category: Oracle and SalesForce.

"Low-code/no-code development has been a niche market but with LOB pressure, it has become part of mainstream MADP solutions, and has helped grow enterprise MADP," Ovum said.

Regarding the increasing impact of AI, the analyst firm said "AI and machine learning is a hot topic. Mobile apps are making increasing use of AI-based voice control, and the trend for mobile devices to carry more powerful microprocessor accelerators for AI that will open up the range of AI-based apps that developers can build."

Coming up, Ovum predicted, will be the ability to process Big Data locally, along with local training of AI systems.

"AI on mobile is new, and MADP solutions will need to support its development with, for example, ready-built components and integration with popular AI libraries."

Ovum's report listed IBM as the sole "Market Challenger," while Axway, Cotham Technologies and WaveMaker were named "Market Followers." In the report's graphics, OutSystems and Kony held a slight edge over the other two Leaders.

Some key findings of the report as listed by Ovum include:

• The appeal of mobile application development capabilities is set to increase as organizations look to not only develop new app experiences, but also to modernize and mobilize legacy systems.
• The mobile device OS wars are over for now, with Google Android and Apple iOS the winners. This has rationalized the fragmented OS market and has made native development the dominant choice for mobile apps.
• With 5G only a few years away, there will be a need to support augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and AI in advanced mobile apps including IoT, and leading MADP solutions can offer support for these technologies.

In comparing the eight MADP solutions from leading players, Ovum said it examined an extensive range of technical features, market execution and market impact to help guide enterprises in their mobile strategies. The report was in part based on vendor interviews and questionnaires.