Turns out tech execs despise vendor lock-in; we can’t say we’re surprised. Fortune recently published a list of the top things that keep execs up at night and vendor lock-in made the no. 2 spot. AnyPresence is an app innovation platform that enables teams to easily create mobile, web and IoT apps with no vendor lock-in. The solution uniquely allows for full source code portability and flexible deployment across the entire app stack: backend server (MBaaS), SDKs, and UI starter kits.
Our team knows firsthand the frustrations that come along with vendor lock-in. When considering an app building platform, it’s imperative that organizations consider IP ownership issues of their mobile apps and ensure they’re not locked into the platform or technology their apps will be built on.
We architected our platform in such a way that the run-time components of an app built with AnyPresence (the backend server, SDKs, and starter UI kit) are separate from the AnyPresence Designer. In fact, we currently have customers who are modifying and managing the source code with no dependency on AnyPresence Designer.
Here is how the source code portability works:
- Customers subscribe to the platform, which includes access to the AnyPresence Designer.
- Customers define an application using the AnyPresence Designer: they specify the data sources, object model, custom server logic, services, etc.
- Customers can then build the application, which results in the platform actually generating the source code for the backend server, client-side SDKs, client-side UI starter kit, and even the backend administrative web app. The analytics push notification services, and all other backend server run-time components are included in this generated source code.
- This generated source code does not consist of any proprietary components, and is completely independent of the AnyPresence Designer: it can be deployed wherever the customer wants, and can be modified or maintained outside of the Designer in a tool of their choice such as as Xcode for iOS SDK and Android dev Toolkit for Android SDK.
- The best practice if customers want to continue using AnyPresence to maintain the code would be to come back to the Designer to make changes and re-generate the SDKs and backend server, but this is not required. Customers can decide to maintain some or all of their apps in the Designer, and maintain some or all of the apps outside AnyPresence.
DESIGN TIME ARCHITECTURE OF ANYPRESENCE PLATFORM
The source code portability feature is the foundation on which many of our customers are using AnyPresence App Launchpad to augment their API developer portals by generating full stack sample source code that is pre-integrated to their public APIs. This source code is provided to their partners and ISVs as a starting point for their app, which can then be customized, as needed using native development IDEs. Then the code is dynamically generated from AnyPresence using our design-time API.
To recap, our architecture has several key benefits:
- 100% source code portability: other vendors claim no lock-in, but we actually technically and contractually support it
- IP ownership: we contractually give customers IP-ownership of the run-time components of the source code. Our core IP is in the AnyPresence Designer, not the generated apps.
- Built-in escrow: this is like having a default source code escrow for all apps built on AnyPresence. If we cease operations, customers can still continue to run and maintain the source code for their applications without interruption.
- Developer ecosystem support: Ability to use AnyPresence to support developer ecosystems outside the company.
- Complete deployment flexibility: because there are no dependencies on the AnyPresence Designer, customers can deploy the source code wherever they want, including behind a firewall with no public internet access.
- Administrative flexibility: the backend server can be administered at run-time using the generated admin web app, which can also be customized and deployed wherever the customer wants. Other solutions require customers to log back into their branded, hosted designer to administer the backend server.
- Compliance flexibility: because the source code is 100% non-proprietary and customizable, the application can be hardened at any layer in the stack to meet PCI, HIPAA, and other higher-level security needs. This is why AnyPresence tends to do well in regulated industries such as finance and healthcare.
Vendor lock-in isn’t pretty, nor is it easily avoidable. Other app platform (MEAP and MBaaS) vendors may claim no lock-in, but we actually support it from a technical and contractual perspective. Our customers have IP-ownership and no dependencies related to the run-time components of their app source code across the entire stack.
To learn more about our architecture and source code portability or if you’re curious how we could support your mobile architecture roadmap needs, shoot us a note.