When it comes to putting the right mobile technologies to work for you, StorySlab helps you focus on the ones that matter. While many have achieved buzzword status, here are the ones you should know when it comes to the mobile tools that salespeople use in the field:

SaaS and PaaS
Software as a Service, Platform as a Service. This is how most modern software is offered these days. You only ever ‘rent’ your software but the advantage is that it stays current and keeps improving.

On the Cloud
A good place to store your materials and collect data but your sales tools will be highly compromised if they rely on a cloud connection to be of use.

Web App
Touted as ‘universal’ because all devices work in a browser. If you need your app to function offline, however, this approach is not for you. Navigation and interactivity is never as good as with a native app experience.

HTML5
Web code designed for mobile. It may be a web developer’s easiest choice for creating a mobile app, but speed and usability will fall short of native.

Native App
A must for sales/field use. The software is built specifically to get the most out of each device and provides the best interactivity. Usually, everything resides locally and no connection is needed for use.

Apple/iOS, Android, Windows10/Surface
The three primary mobile platforms. Your salespeople have probably already chosen one (even if you didn’t buy their hardware for them).

BYOD, MDM
Bring Your Own Device, Mobile Device Management. Some companies create create custom software but deploy onto employee’s (or mfr rep) devices. MDM controls a user’s device, but usually only on company-owned devices (PS – StorySlab has app-level MDM for use in BYOD settings).

All these technologies have their place. Choose the right ones based on the type of tool you’re trying to build, not just to be buzzword compliant!