What is app lifecycle?
Application lifecycle, or app lifecycle, describes the entire lifespan of a software application, from its initial concept and planning through development, testing, deployment, maintenance and updating, and eventually retirement.
What is app lifecycle management?
App lifecycle management (ALM) describes the process of overseeing the initial development, testing, and deployment of an app, as well as the ongoing maintenance needed to ensure that the updated and secure version is available for use within an organization. App lifecycle management encompasses IT specialists, technology and software, and infrastructure. It is an ongoing and often substantial internal effort, given the hundreds or even thousands of enterprise applications used within an organization and the ongoing updates made to those applications.
There are 8 stages to app lifecycle management:
- Discovery: The foundational stage of app lifecycle management. It involves identifying all the apps running in your enterprise, understanding which ones your users rely on, and recognizing when new versions or critical updates—security patches, for example—are released.
- Packaging: Preparing apps for distribution across locations, devices, and user groups.
- Testing: Before an app can be released, it must be tested. This ensures the package functions correctly—not only from a technical perspective, but also in terms of user workflows and business processes.
- Entitlements: An entitlement determines who can access an application. There are two levels of entitlement: 1) optional access, where users can request or install an app, and 2) mandatory access, where the app is assigned and automatically delivered.
- Delivery: As it sounds, the delivery stage entails getting the apps to the end users. It can involve pushing apps to physical desktops, deploying to virtual desktops or published app servers, or delivering apps via cloud-native services.
- Rollback: When there is a problem with an update, rollback to the prior version of the app allows you to support the team while you investigate.
- Self-service: Instead of calling the help desk to request software, users can simply go to a catalog, select what they need, and launch the app. Self-service decreases downtime, allowing instant access for end users.
- Telemetry: Real-time insight into how apps are performing, which ones are being used, and how users feel about their digital experience.
What are some of the challenges with app lifecycle management?
- Proliferation. Organizations manage hundreds, if not thousands, of business applications. The sheer number and the ongoing updates make it very difficult to ensure the most updated and secure version is available for use.
- Device and OS compatibility. Given the wide spectrum of device types and operating systems, it is important to ensure compatibility across all the different ways workers are accessing apps. Rigorous testing is key to providing a consistent experience across all endpoints.
- Legacy apps. Older and potentially outdated software programs may still be used within an organization. They are often built on older technologies or languages and thus are harder to integrate and may require specialized knowledge in order to support and maintain security. Given the high resource requirements to maintain, legacy app management benefits from modernization efforts.
- Security. Because of the critical business data that is often held within apps, it is important to ensure that access to apps is always secure and up to date. This is especially challenging with legacy applications, which were often built before today’s increased cybersecurity threats and may not receive as frequent security updates as newer applications.
- Downtime. With apps serving as the foundation for teams as they do their work, any problems that are uncovered can have a direct impact on productivity or employees’ ability to perform. When these problems are identified, it is often a race against the clock for IT teams to resolve issues quickly and effectively.
