MBaas - Mobile Backend as a Service presented by Rinish KN, CTO, RapidValue Solutions at MOBConf

© RapidValue Solutions
MBaaS – Mobile Backend as a Service
Presented by: Rinish KN, CTO, RapidValue
10th October 2015
MOBConf, Kochi
1

© RapidValue Solutions 2
• What is Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS)?
• Major Building Blocks of MBaaS
• Evolution of MBaaS and Major Drivers
• Typical Use Case – How MBaaS accelerated Enterprise Mobile App Development
• Choosing the Right MBaaS Platform
• Approaches to MBaaS Pricing
• Synergy of MBaaS and PaaS
• Future of MBaaS and Key Partnerships
• Conclusion
Agenda

What is Mobile Backend as a
Service (MBaaS) ?
3

Ever thought why Mobile Development time lines are lengthy and hardly met ?
App Design
& UX
Backend
Integration
Mob App
Development
App
Management
Policy
Typical Components of Mobile Application Development
• Large effort spend on Back end Integration
• Unable to focus on Application Development
& Design
• Stuck with existing development tools used
in company
• Lot of development tools for each
component, but not a single tool for all the
components
Challenges for Developers

Backend Requirements are turning Complex and Time Consuming
Up to 80% of my efforts are
consumed in Backend
development
The Customer needs to locate each
“Field technicians” on map view and
start Video chat with them
5

Leverage the power of MBaaS
“The backend requirements and functionalities are multitude”
Enterprise
Integration
User
Management
Push
Notification
Offline
Behavior
Social
Integration
Analytics
GPS &
Context
Aware
Local
Caching
Outsource
MBaaSMBaaS
6

To Summarize MBaaS – What, Why, When and How
• Meaningful resources for app development acceleration – 3rd party
API, Device SDK’s, Enterprise Connectors, Social integration,
Cloud storage
• Provides Mobile App developers a way to connect their application to
backend cloud storage and processingWhat
• Abstract away complexities of launching and managing own
infrastructure
• Focus more on front end development instead of back end functions
Why
• Multiple apps, Multiple back ends, Multiple developers
• Multiple Mobile platforms, Multiple integrations, Multiple 3rd Party
systems & tools
When
How

Major Building Blocks of MBaaS
8© RapidValue Solutions

Blueprint of MBaaS Components
User
Manageme
nt
Communication Services - Chat, email, Push Notification,
Messaging, Chat, Video Conferencing
API – Custom, Query,
REST-ful
Social –
FB,
Twitter
Image –
Instagram,
Flickr
Caching
& Offline
Working
Custom Code and
Objects
Geo
Location
Promotio
nal Tools
Cloud
Storage
Mobile specific SDK – Android,
iOS, Windows
Enterprise Connectors –
Oracle, SAP, MS

Evolution and Driver’s of MBaaS

MBaaS – Nascent to Potential Platform
2011
2012
$216.5 m
2017
$ 7.7 b
MBaaS concept
launched and
companies and
vendors started
sprouting
Gained Quick
Traction due to
several driver’s
necessitating
MBaaS for
accelerating mobile
app development
Huge leap in the
market expected
for MBaaS. This is
signaled by strong
acquisitions and
VC investments in
MBaaS platforms
11

Enterprise
Scale
Time and
Cost
QualitySkills
What drives MBaaS?
Shortage of
Mobile Developer
Skills to develop
complex back end
integrations
High demand for
high quality
mobile
applications,
across device
platforms
Reduce mobile
app development
time frames.
Re-focus back
end integration
efforts to Front
end development
Demand for
enterprise scale
mobile application
with back end
integration
12

Business Benefit Drivers of MBaaS
BUSINESS
BENEFIT
DRIVERS
Faster
Development
Cycle
Better App
Performance
Lower TCO
Higher
Reliability &
Scalability
Enhanced
Customer
Satisfaction
More
Margins &
Profitability

Use Case:
MBaaS driving Enterprise Mobile
Application Development

Developing a “Field Service” Enterprise Scale Mobile Application
We want to develop a mobile application for our field service
technicians who goes on to repair & service our products at
customer premises.
Enterprise Integration with Oracle Apps ERP
Technicians got both iPhone and Android Mobiles
We need support for Offline Usage and Sync
Push Notification is essential for alerting new tasks
Geo Location is important to see where the technicians are for
work scheduling
Chat and Video Conferencing are value added features that
increase productivity
These are the bare minimum requirements for a powerful field app
Service Manager

How can I
implement an end to
end user management
in limited time
To include “Offline
behavior and Cache
services” needs at least
500 lines of code in
Android
Mobile Developer
To Custom Develop all Backend Integration will be Cumbersome
Not sure how I am going
to complete “Chat and
Geo Location” services
in limited time
16

Achieve the Complex Backend Functions using MBaaS
Architecture for MBaaS integration
ERP
MBaaS - Middleware
Mobile
Application
Native Mobile App
Push Notification Geo Location
Chat Offline behavior
Sync
Video
Conference
Authenticate
Oraclecustom
connector
MBaaS sdk
Custom business logic
17

Leveraging Geo Location Services:
Viewing the technicians on Google Maps
Here is What we Achieved

Chat and Messaging Services Implemented:
Send real time messages to technicians on mobile
Here is What we Achieved (Contd…)
Backend Mobile App

Choosing the Right MBaaS Platform

MBaaS can be Grouped into Multiple Types
MBaaS
Business
Requirement
Enterprise
MBaaS
Consumer
MBaaS
Licensing and
Support
Open Source
MBaaS
Licensed
MBaaS

…. And so are Multitude of MBaaS Providers
Licensed MBaaS Open Source MBaaS

There is no Single Vendor which Fits all Size
Choose an MBaaS by “Mix and Match” of your requirements
Common features to Consider
• User Management API’s
• Push Notification
• Social Network Integrations
• Geo Location Services
• File management
Specialized features to consider
• Support for device platforms –
Android, iOS, Windows etc.
• Support for different authentication
mechanisms for enterprise and
consumer apps
• Mobile app performance data and
analytics
• Support Custom Business Logic
• Data Storage mechanisms like
Schema less storage or Relational
data support or special storage
mechanisms for geo spatial data ,
photo etc.
• Data Analysis capability on various
areas for evaluating user activities
23

Approaches to MBaaS Pricing

MBaaS Pricing: Flexible Options
Number of API Calls
Type and Size of Storage
Active User Pricing
Number of Applications Build
Premium fee for Analytics
Feature based Pricing – Push Notification, Chat, email, Sync, Offline etc.
Support and Maintenance Pricing
25

Synergy between MBaaS and PaaS

Ask these questions…. Don’t fall short of the extra mile
Is MBaaS the end ? Can we make MBaaS platform more robust?
“ W h e n i t C o m e s t o E n t e r p r i s e S y s t e m s a n d d a t a , i t r e q u i r e s
a c o m p l e t e p l a t f o r m t o a d d r e s s t h e c o m p l e x c h a l l e n g e s ”
E N T E R P R I S E D A T A
MBaaS PaaS
27

Why MBaaS falls Short when Addressing Enterprise App development
Complex
Business Logic
Limited auth links
Transaction
management,
Scheduling
Limited set of
data connectors
and access to
legacy systems
28

Understand the Synergy with a Great Partnership
Complex Business Logic
Code in Multiple
Languages
Use Large Set of Built in
GAE APIs
Application scalability and
performance
Back end mobile services
Enterprise Connectors
App SDKs
MAM / MDME x e c u t e
29

Future of MBaaS and Key Trends

Major Acquisitions and Hand Shakes
MBaaS
Mobile
SDK
Usergrid
Azure
Extension

Embedding MBaaS into the Digital Architecture

ESB - Enterprise Service Bus
• MBaaS is to a great extend overlapping with another technology which is the Enterprise
Service Bus (ESB).
• ESB is used to integrate with multiple backend services.
Development layer
Integration Layer
Mobile Integration Layer
Mobile Platforms
MADP
Develop and Package Mobile App
MADP
Xamarin, Native, PhoneGap
MBaaS
Offline sync, Analytics, Push
notifications, Light weight mobile
services
MBaaS
AnyPresence, Kinvey etc.
ESB
Multiple Adapters, Orchestration,
Transformation, Business Services
ESB
IBM ESB, Mule ESB, Tibco etc.
Source Services
Database, Web Services,
Legacy, Queuing Systems
T h e E B S A p p r o a c h

Exploring Mobile App Backend Cloud Options
Cloud
MBaaS

About RapidValue
RapidValue is a leading provider of end-to-end mobility, omni-channel and cloud solutions to enterprises
worldwide. Armed with a large team of experts in consulting, UX design, and application development,
along with experience delivering global projects, we offer a range of services across industry verticals.
RapidValue delivers its services to the world’s top brands and Fortune 1000 companies, and has offices in
the United States and India.
www.rapidvaluesolutions.com www.rapidvaluesolutions.com/blog
+1 877.643.1850 contactus@rapidvaluesolutions.com
This document contains information that is confidential and proprietary to RapidValue Solutions Inc. No part of it may be used, circulated, quoted, or reproduced for distribution
outside RapidValue. If you are not the intended recipient of this report, you are hereby notified that the use, circulation, quoting, or reproducing of this report is strictly prohibited and
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MBaas - Mobile Backend as a Service presented by Rinish KN, CTO, RapidValue Solutions at MOBConf

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