2 Part IV n Development Selecting the Deployment Model When it comes to deploying iOS applications, three different deployment models can be used: App Store, Ad Hoc, and Enterprise. There is not a right or wrong deployment model; they’re all different, and in fact most enterprises will use a combination of all three. It’s important to understand each model and how it works so that the appropriate deployment model can be used for any given situation. App Store If your application is targeting external customers or business partners, then it’s likely that an App Store deployment model is most appropriate for your application. In order to distribute an application through the App Store, you must have a standard iOS developer account. This account costs $99 a year and can be obtained as either an individual or an organizational account. Applications can be distributed through the App Store either free of charge or for a predetermined price. If it is a paid app, Apple will retain 30 percent of the revenue and the developer will receive 70 percent as payment. For free apps, there is no charge to the developer beyond the $99 annual fee. Just because an application is distributed through the public App Store does not mean that the functionality and data within the application are public. Companies can require a login account to use the application and can restrict access to those with login credentials, for instance customers, business partners, or employees. Of course, in order to receive approval from Apple to be distributed through the App Store, the app must be submitted to Apple for evaluation, and a user account must be provided to Apple in order to test it. In addition to this, another popular approach is to create an application that contains public functionality and additional features and capabilities that can be unlocked when used by authorized users like customers, business partners, and employees. Ad Hoc If your deployment is limited to 100 devices or fewer, then Ad Hoc deployment may be appropriate for your application. Generally speaking, Ad Hoc deployments are best used for testing and possibly even piloting applications to a relatively small number of users. If you’re preparing to deploy to the App Store, but you want to deploy the app for testing before submitting it to Apple for approval, Ad Hoc is the way to go. Otherwise, if you’re looking to deploy internal applications, the Enterprise deployment model is probably a better option. It used to be more diffi cult to get an iOS enterprise developer account, so Ad Hoc deployment was used by Copyrighted Material. Not for Redistibution. Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons.
