Canalys predicts "enterprise app stores will redefine channel IT business over the next three years," while nearly 80% of EMEA channel partners taking part in a Canalys survey say SaaS is the key cloud opportunity.
"Cloud is important, but is having a more limited impact than partners realize right now," the analyst continues, insisting the trends behind enterprise app stores are "much more fundamental" within a changing enterprise software landscape.
A number of IT trends are driving the rise of the enterprise app store-- consumerisation (employees increasingly taking mobile devices to the workplace),IT decentralisation (devolving certain IT decisions and tasks away from IT departments), changes in enterprise software architecture (due to demands for simplicity and budget constraints) and everything-as-a-service led by consumer cloud growth.
Thanks to smartphones, the average employee is more than familiar with downloading choice software-- and expects that same "self-service" on the workplace.
As the European economic crisis puts further pressure on business, channel partners might start facing competition from large enterprise customers replacing the traditional "inefficient, complex enterprise software" with streamlined offerings inspired by the iPhone and its likes.
Go Canalys: Enterprise App Stores to Transform IT Channel Business
