Mobile cloud computing: the future of app development?

Intro

The market of mobile cloud computing (MCC) shows stunning growth. As for a report by Zion Market Research, in 2023, the market was estimated at $64.37 billion, and this number is expected to reach a stunning $301.81 billion in 2032, showing a CAGR of 18.73% during the analyzed years.

And there are certain reasons for such a rapid advancement. First, the ever-increasing growth of mobility and in turn a bigger demand for anytime-, anywhere-access to computing power and data storage. Second, the scalability of resources, which allows firms to scale up and down, depending on changing business and user demands.

WHAT IS MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING?

Mobile cloud computing​ is a cutting-edge approach of harnessing the cloud to eliminate the pressure off mobile devices in delivering computational resources. These resources — including storage capacity, memory, and processing — are needed by mobile apps to perform complicated functions like authentication, multimedia editing, location-aware functions, data analysis, and more.

What is the MCC made of?

1. Mobile computing presupposes the use of smartphones and tablets in leveraging network services and applications anywhere and at any time.
2. Cloud computing comprises the use of remote servers hosted on the internet as opposed to relying only on local devices — to store, manage, process, and synchronize data across a huge number of devices.
3. Wireless networks ease the connection between mobile devices and cloud services via multiple connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, 4G, and 5G.

How does mobile cloud computing work?

The short answer is by switching between mobile and cloud resources to perform various functions. More broadly, once the user initiates an action on a mobile device, data requests are sent to the cloud, forcing remote servers to process these queries. The correct responses are further sent back and displayed on the mobile device instantly, so that users wouldn’t face any delays in their apps’ functioning.

Powerful cloud capabilities spare mobile devices the need for vast local storage or processing power. This allows users to run complex applications and access great data volumes despite their device’s hardware limitations. As a result, MCC enables efficient resource utilization and greatly benefits end users.

KEY BENEFITS OF MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING

The allure of MCC is that its technical advantages not only facilitate developers’ lives, but also drive tangible business value. Here are the examples of how the advantages of mobile cloud computing can revamp your business.

1.

SCALABILITY

MCC offers real-time dynamic resource allocation based on demand. When mobile apps have a boost in user activity (for example, simultaneous connections during a live videoconferencing), cloud resources are automatically scaled up to deal with this peak. And during quieter periods, resources can be optimized with scaling down. In case of variable loads, MCC also delivers great app responsiveness.

As a business, you get the following benefits with such scalability:

• Cost savings, as resources are smartly and automatically optimized, and there are no excessive uses.
• Wide reach. With MCC’s automatic scaling, you can accommodate more users across geographies — without additional infrastructure investment on the part of developers.

2.

GREAT PERFORMANCE

Mobile cloud computing enables top-notch app performance through a number of perks. Offloading processing allows shifting heavy computational tasks from mobile devices to powerful cloud servers. Quicker responses and updates are guaranteed thanks to centralized data processing and synchronization in the cloud. Bandwidth usage is optimized, because only relevant data is transmitted.

All these factors lead to faster speed of mobile apps, enabling exceptional user experiences.

3.

ROCK-SOLID SECURITY

With MCC, you can have a good night’s sleep, as the protection of files is guaranteed through:

• Encryption. Data stored on cloud servers are encrypted in transit and at rest, which minimizes the risk of hacker attacks.
• Advanced user authentication and authorization capabilities protect data from unauthorized access.
• Possible vulnerabilities are patched through regular security updates. 
• Hardware and software-based firewalls protect from suspicious traffic.
• MCC uses secure, robust APIs for data exchanges.
• The files are backed up on multiple servers in case human error, hardware failures, or virus attacks occur.

4.

ENHANCED DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES

From the developer’s perspective, mobile cloud computing gives an array of perks:

• Backend as a Service (BaaS). By relying on cloud services, developers can stop worrying about backend functionalities such as databases, user authentication, and push notifications, focusing more on the frontend development and user experience enhancement.
• Agile development. MCC streamlines Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), enabling faster prototype development, quicker iterations, more frequent updates, and as a result improved development cycles.
• Revamped testing and debugging. Underpinned by cloud, development teams can create scalable, flexible testing infrastructures and build simulated real-world environments to try various network conditions for mobile apps. This allows detecting and fixing bugs much earlier, revamping the quality of testing before the release.
• Collaboration tools. Cloud platforms offer advanced tools like version control and code sharing that empower distributed teams to work collaboratively on the app even from different locations.

MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING: TOP INDUSTRY USE CASES

Realizing the advantages of mobile cloud computing, many industries are actively adopting this approach to enhance their business processes. Look at some examples to enrich your own business opportunities, and we at Touchlance will help you with their technical implementation.

MCC is revolutionizing the banking sphere with great scalability that allows for a large number of fast, secure real-time transactions. Moreover, customers can access their accounts and perform financial manipulations from anywhere and at any time. Cloud-based mobile apps also dispose of powerful resources for gathering and analyzing client data, which is key to delivering more tailored services. Given these privileges, enhanced client experience is guaranteed.

Entertainment platforms require dynamic graphics and heavy multimedia with instant updates in multi-user environments. And here is where mobile cloud computing comes into play. Empowered by cloud-based processing capabilities, mobile apps even with limited hardware options are able to perform complex tasks around photo and video editing — anytime, anywhere, and without the device overheating.

Mobile cloud computing is also actively used to help users control their personal health. For example, with extensive cloud storage, fitness solutions can securely store, process, and analyze health metrics, nutrition and activity logs — without encumbering the local storage. Seamless user experience is guaranteed at any moment, as MCC also allows accessing the needed health information in real time across multiple personal devices (smartphones, tablets, and PCs).

LIMITATIONS OF MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING

The implementation of any technology presupposes certain challenges and limitations, and in the case of MCC, it’s not all rosy, either. Here are some of the concerns you might face and the ways of surpassing them.

1.

NETWORK DEPENDENCY

MCC depends heavily on network connectivity in accessing cloud resources. This implies that if mobile apps have poor Internet connection, users might experience data loss and delays, or even service unavailability. How to deal with this challenge? You can use a combination of these strategies:

• Edge computing brings computation closer to the data source or end user devices, significantly slashing distance for the data on its way to the cloud. Such an approach helps minimize bandwidth and latency, improving the response time.
• Content delivery networks (CDNs) is another way to cache content closer to the user, accelerating speed for data access and decreasing load times.
• Adaptive streaming is ideal for M&E apps. Thus, Netflix uses its cloud-based capabilities to adjust the stream quality as per the current network conditions, avoiding buffering. Apple Music, backed by Apple’s cloud infrastructure, leverages adaptive streaming, so that users can enjoy seamless playback both on Wi-Fi and cellular networks.
• Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms prioritize certain types of traffic as per your business needs, making sure critical content is delivered with minimal to no latency despite high traffic. If needed, certain data can be compressed while transmitted over the network.
• Offline capabilities implemented at the mobile app development stage ensure local data storage and then instant sync with the cloud once the connection has been restored. For example, the Uber app caches critical information about the driver, user, and previous routes, so if the connection fails, the app can function at least partially.

2.

COMPLIANCE

Mobile cloud services might store data in various jurisdictions, complicating compliance with industry and data privacy regulations that usually specify where exactly data must be stored and processed. Conflicts in compliance might also appear because different countries have different security requirements. Here’s the solution:

• Data mapping means comprehensively maintaining an inventory of different data types, its locations, and processing for more effective management of compliance obligations. For example, Zoom allows businesses to choose the locations of data centers and restrict data collection and storage based on these locations — to comply with regional requirements.
• Regular compliance monitoring will allow you to continuously audit your apps against the adherence to the required rules, considering all new regulatory changes and updates.
• Clear and robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with cloud providers will help you to better control compliance responsibilities, including the protection of data and user privacy.

3.

LEGACY INTEGRATIONS

If you work with legacy software and obsolete techs / protocols that can’t be smoothly integrated with newly introduced mobile cloud apps, you might face isolated data silos that are not so easy to access, as well as performance bottlenecks. However, you can address this challenge through:

• The implementation of APIs can notably ease the communication between your cloud app and legacy software, ensuring seamless data integration. Namely, Azure provides its API Management to connect legacy solutions with modern mobile cloud applications without any disruption.
• Improved compatibility without any system overhauls can also be reached with middleware solutions that represent a smooth and secure connection layer. For example, IBM’s middleware tools such as IBM App Connect help brands synchronize data between their cloud infrastructure and on-premises legacy software.
• Data migration. You can gradually move critical data from legacy software to your cloud applications to refine data availability and eliminate the reliance on outdated technologies.

TECHNOLOGICAL ENABLERS OF MCC

As the expansion of MCC grows, so do the technological enablers of this approach. Here are some of the examples.

5G CAPABILITIES

As opposed to previous generations, 5G networks provide a brand new speed and reliability in transferring data and much lower latency. By allowing mobile apps to access cloud resources instantly, 5G notably improves the functioning of such real-time features as photo editing or content sharing.

Additionally, 5G connectivity is able to cover a greater number of connected devices concurrently, giving an incentive to the IoT growth. And this means more powerful and sophisticated data gathering and analysis.

EDGE COMPUTING

As we’ve briefly mentioned above, edge computing helps reduce latency and enhance bandwidth efficiency by decreasing the amount of data that has to be transferred to the cloud as well as minimizing the time it takes to send data to the cloud and back. It’s possible through processing data closer to the required source, i.e. at the network ‘edge’.

Another bonus here is rock-solid security and data privacy. Edge computing helps process critical, sensitive data locally as opposed to its transmission over the network that implies high security risks.

SERVERLESS COMPUTING

This model presupposes automatic dynamic management and configuration of the underlying infrastructure for distributing resources on an as-needed basis. Such an enhancement of MCC allows developers to build and run applications with a focus on UX, rather than on managing server infrastructures. Besides increased scalability, serverless computing also provides improved reliability, faster deployment, and slashed costs.

THE FUTURE OF MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING

Today’s MCC presence is just the beginning. The market expects even a greater shift towards cloud-first mobile app strategies in the years to come — across various industries and business domains:

• Banking and finance. As financial services require a combination of public and private cloud services to prioritize sensitive information security and ensure compliance, this sphere will greatly benefit from MCC’s capabilities.
• Health and fitness. MCC and its multi-cloud availability will face accelerated growth due to hospitals’ need to more deeply and securely manage and analyze protected health information (PHI) on-the-go.
• As social media prioritizes real-time user interactions and simultaneous connections, MCC is set to optimize resource allocation and speed up processing — as a result, ensuring seamless UX.
• Underpinned by powerful data processing and analytics competence, MCC will help the travel industry through hyper-personalized itinerary creation, real-time hotel booking, more secure mobile transactions, and enhanced digital visa management.
• MCC will also influence IoT in different ways, including more powerful analysis of great data volumes generated by connected devices, better scalability to accommodate the growing number of devices, and interoperability, i.e. smoother device integration across various IoT ecosystems.

CONCLUSION

MCC capabilities are growing year after year, already bringing tangible benefits to businesses of all stripes and colors. Improved scalability and as a result a better brand outreach, enhanced application performance and in turn outstanding UX, simplified and accelerated development lifecycles — the sky’s the limit.

If you want to get ahead of your competitors, it’s time to act now. Experts in mobile cloud computing, Touchlane is here to assist — whether you want to build a MCC-first app from scratch or refine an existing solution.

FAQs

1. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOBILE COMPUTING AND MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING?

Mobile computing includes the usage of mobile devices to manage data — while performing different functions within an app — relying just on local data storage and processing. Conversely, mobile cloud computing presupposes adding the capacity of cloud resources, enabling bigger data storage and more advanced processing.

2. IS MCC SUITABLE FOR ALL TYPES OF MOBILE APPS?

You should analyze specific needs of your mobile app to decide whether to implement mobile cloud computing. This approach is a perfect fit for social media apps, data-heavy solutions like e-commerce apps, and those apps that require real-time data processing (analytics, live streaming, video conferencing). On the other hand, MCC is less suitable for offline-first and security-sensitive apps.

3. WHAT ARE KEY BENEFITS OF MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING?

Among the technical benefits of MCC is scalability, robust performance, and rock-solid security, which results in greater user experience, business growth, and cost efficiency no matter the industry and niche you’re in.