Enterprise iOS app distribution made easier by Ondeego

For consumers, unless you jailbreak your iPhone, the only effective way to get apps onto it is via Apple's own App Store. From the beginning of the App Store, Apple has offered an alternative method of distributing apps that is meant for use by businesses to their employees. Unfortunately, that approach is cumbersome. It requires setting up servers and internal "app stores" for managing who gets those apps and pulling them back from lost or stolen phones or employees who leave.

Ondeego has expanded its AppCentral distribution system from its original Blackberry and Java mobile roots, and it now supports iPhones. AppCentral is essentially a hosted enterprise app store service that allows businesses to create an account, then easily open a private iPhone app distribution channel.

For smaller companies or those with only a few apps, this can make a lot more sense than going through the effort of setting up and maintaining their own systems. AppCentral allows managers to see and control who gets which apps and disable them remotely if needed. Only businesses in the iPhone Developer Enterprise Program can use AppCentral, because the special security certificate provided by Apple is required. The AppCentral for iPhone program is currently open for beta testers. Read on to see a video describing the service.

Thanks Rich!