Your Business Needs an App Store

(image via Cristiano Betta)

One of my favorite questions on Quora is "Why don't big companies innovate?". I would say it's because companies aren't giving their employees the best tools, specifically software. Employees are regularly saddled with cumbersome corporate software for everyday activities like filling out expense reports or retrieving customer information. When these tools aren't fast, easy to use, and aesthetically pleasing, employees spend their time dealing with obstacles rather than getting better at their jobs.

At Bonnier R&D, we use a few good tools to fulfill our business needs. We use Dropbox to store and share files, Yammer for internal communications, and Teambox to assign to-dos and weekly accomplishments. These services are replicating the functions of  IBM servers, email clients, and intranets in a consumer-friendly way.

Marc Beinoff, the CEO of Saleforce.com, once said enterprise software should be as easy to use as Amazon.com. Meaning, enterprise software should focus on the user and their goals rather than making software that appeals to budget-conscious managers. User-centric design is a common perspective when developing consumer software but is often muddled or forgotten when developing with corporate software. That's why at Bonnier R&D, we use tools that not only adequately meet our needs but also feel like, and in some cases are, consumer tools. They're fun, user friendly, and also familiar.

Large companies like GE and IBM are now building their own Apple-like app stores using services like AppCentral, Apperian and Partnerpedia. Genentech, the biotech giant, has an app store where employees can download apps for bus shuttle schedules, booking conference rooms, and accessing the company directory.

Creating attractive experiences has worked for consumer software and can work for enterprise software. It should take advantage of the user-friendly conventions established by Google, Apple, and Amazon.

The net benefit of better tools is not only innovation but also tangible results. Apple, the most innovative consumer company in the world, is also the most valuable. I'm willing to bet they didn't achieve global dominance by making their employees use Microsoft Outlook.