The lowdown on native, hosted mobile apps

In addition to deciding if a tablet computer is right for the company, many decision-makers are also now contemplating what to do with mobile applications.

The software running on employees' mobile devices provides the gateway to the enterprise network and data. Mobile business intelligence, customer relationship management and email are all responsible for an employee's productivity when on the road. When deploying apps, however, it's necessary to decide between native and hosted options.

With native applications, the software is installed directly on a smartphone or tablet computer. That means employees can access it anytime, even when they are not connected to a wireless or WiFi network.

The hosted model, on the other hand, presents its own benefits. For one, accessing an app in the cloud rather than housing it on devices themselves frees precious storage space. The cloud can also support multiple platforms, which will allow companies to successfully run a bring-your-own-device program.

Making the choice between these two models will ultimately require a decision-maker to examine the mobile requirements of the company, as well as those of employees, to gauge which is better suited to their needs.