How Companies Are Improving Employee Productivity with a Virtual LOB Application
Last updated on August 16, 2022
LOB Application Overview
Employees no longer need to be at their desktop computer in order to access line-of-business (LOB) applications. In fact, employees who increasingly work from remote locations need to be able to use LOB applications from anywhere, anytime, and from any device.
Enabling employees to use LOB application from any device opens many opportunities to improve productivity. One such opportunity is the ability to implement bring-your-own-device (BYOD) or choose-your-own-device (CYOD) policies. However, depending on how they are implemented, these policies can create issues for IT departments.
Examples of LOB Applications
The list of LOB applications for various sectors that support both corporate strategy and growth and customer demands is shown below.
Brokerage Firms and Financial Services
The LOBs for a financial services brokerage often target higher net worth people or corporations with the goal of assisting them in increasing their wealth through investments in various assets that provide extra revenue.
Client Banking
In order to meet the financial demands of customers, consumer banking businesses may have a variety of LOBs.
Insurance Companies of Property and Casualty
Depending on the types of insurance that they are permitted to sell, insurance companies sometimes have various LOBs. Owners can safeguard their financial assets from loss, damage, or theft by purchasing insurance.
Challenges and Opportunities of BYOD/CYOD
From an organization’s perspective, BYOD/CYOD policies are an excellent opportunity to foster a productive, mobile workforce that has access to shared work-related resources while at home or on the road. These sorts of mobile-enabled policies allow employees to continue contributing to projects and communicating with the team even while they’re not physically in the office, ideal for LOB applications.
However, there are challenges that arise for IT departments when enacting BYOD/CYOD policies. One of the main challenges is converting desktop software to support mobile platforms.
Challenges Converting Custom-Made Software to Support Mobile Platforms
When converting desktop LOB applications to perform properly on the mobile platforms BYOD/CYOD policies require, there are three main paths companies can choose from:
- Convert the LOB Windows® application into a mobile app – Requires refactoring the code as a native mobile app
- Convert the LOB Windows application into a web app – Requires refactoring the code as a web app
- Deliver virtual LOB application – Requires virtualization solution to provide remote access to virtualized software from shared central host
The first two methods both require significant budgetary and time investments. As a result, they’re not always feasible for organizations with certain size, resource, and time constraints. The last method is the most straightforward: use a virtualization application delivery solution to make Windows desktop software instantly available across a wide range of mobile platforms via the cloud or a wide area network (WAN).
Advantages of Application Virtualization for BYOD/CYOD
With high-profile virtual application delivery solutions such as Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS), employees enjoy the full-featured desktop application they know how to use, along with a native-like mobile experience—no matter what device or platform they’re working with. Furthermore, the application is easy for the IT team to administer through a centralized interface and doesn’t require writing any new lines of code.
Key Advantages
- Increased flexibility and mobility options for employees
- Stronger layers of security
- Smoother testing and deployment
- Lower maintenance costs
Conclusion on LOB Applications
Businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations need to provide LOB applications across a variety of devices because more and more employees require access to these applications from their mobile devices in order to reach top productivity. Corporate Windows-based applications need to be available on mobile platforms as well as be optimized for mobile use. The rise of virtual offices means businesses need to realign strategies to empower the mobile workforce to use LOB applications even when away from a desktop computer.
Deliver Virtual LOB Applications with Parallels RAS
Parallels RAS provides an easy and comprehensive solution to effectively deliver and manage corporate applications. It allows organizations to effectively deliver Windows-based applications to any device. With the right technology in place, businesses can create new opportunities through BYOD/CYOD programs in order to make the most of the mobile workforce revolution.
