Contracting Mobile Application Development — What You Need to Know — Part I

Mobile applications — or "apps" — are increasingly seen as the next must-have element of a company's "virtual storefront," much like the corporate homepage was 15 years ago. Consider: Apple recently announced that the number of iPhone applications available through their iTunes store had surpassed 300,000 — with a growing number alleged to actually have functionality that extends beyond testing whether your friend's cat would be compatible with yours. And there's no shortage of small developer outfits willing to program the customized corporate-branded apps that are, we are told, essential to remain relevant to your customers.

Developing and publishing a customized branded application poses a unique set of challenges if your organization's core skillset runs outside of writing computer programs for telephones. Once you've found a developer working out of a reputable-looking garage to build your custom app, a number of issues may arise at the contracting stage that