Hot Vendors in Mobile Backend as a Service, 2015
Author: David Mario Smith
Date: September 10, 2015
Topic: Mobile
Research Note Number: 2015-37
Issue: What technologies and architectures make up a mobile ecosystem?
Summary: The market for Mobile Backend as a Service is expanding globally with increasingly more enterprise-grade services. Our 2015 Hot Vendors in Mobile Backend as a Service are helping enterprises leverage investments in legacy apps and other services, such as the Internet of Things.
Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS) platforms allow developers to easily link via SDKs and APIs to a cloud-based backend for mobile and web apps. They integrate with user provisioning, system management and other services. These platforms provide instant infrastructure for mobile and web apps. Their core features are being expanded to embrace application development, security services and devices, and app and content management for all mobile devices, including wearables.
Mobile Apps and Digital Transformation
The new MBaaS providers are disrupting traditional players in API management and PaaS. The simplicity with which developers can now set up Cloud back ends has removed the barrier to entry for developing mobile and web apps. We do, however, expect some market consolidation, as there will be exits and M&A activity as the market shakes out.
MBaaS Benefits
MBaaS provides many benefits to enterprises of all sizes. Larger enterprises that want to standardize on a common back end should look at enterprise-level solutions that can help them manage how mobile apps are developed and how they access data outside the MBaaS cloud infrastructure.
For SMBs, MBaaS provides a fully scalable infrastructure that they don’t have to worry about fully managing. Mobile-first user experiences can be delivered without the expertise of a team to manage and monitor infrastructure. For all enterprises, this can bring efficiency to the development lifecycle and reduce time spent on maintaining code.
Finding the Right MBaaS Provider
This market is growing rapidly, so looking for a provider can be confusing with all of the choices available. Also, in such an emerging market, it can be challenging to understand what you actually need. Enterprise planners have to first decide what experiences they are trying to provide for users. Case studies and customer references from providers can help planners understand what functions and experiences a specific provider offers.
This Hot Vendors research note is not intended to be a complete list of vendors in the MBaaS market. Rather, it highlights vendors with interesting, cutting-edge products, services or technologies.
The Hot Vendors in MBaaS for 2015 are:
Built.io (formerly raw engineering)
Kii
Kinvey