Bring your own device (BYOD) and Emma Watson, a 22-year-old actress made famous by the Harry Potter film series, have a lot more in common than you may think. During an exclusive interview on BYOD with MSPmentor, Dell Director of Product Marketing Ken Drachnik (pictured) explained how the “Emma Watsons” (not pictured) of the world are leading the BYOD trend, but, more importantly, he provided us with his insights on how enterprise-owned app stores will play an big role in the future of BYOD. Here's the scoop.

Drachnik used Emma Watson's age to explain how employers will have to adjust their BYOD strategies to accomodate those entering the workforce. The Emma Watsons of the world have been living in an environment that has always had the Internet. Laptops, smartphones, and tablets are the norm for them. Anything less is inferior.

The Emma Watsons of the world and mobile employees lead BYOD

When the Emma Watsons of the world enter the workforce, they don't want to sit-down in front of a 3-year-old desktop computer. These entry-level employees, along with mobile employees, have been a driving force behind BYOD. Before the Emma Watsons of the world were entering the workforce, traveling employees pushed the movement forward. Mobile employees demanded mobile technology to complete work from any location, forcing them, along with IT, to search for devices that enabled them to do so.

Enterprise owned app stores are the future of BYOD

Companies are noticing many benefits with BYOD and are finding that their employees are being more productive, Drachnik said. At the moment, many employees are trying to gain access to basic data, including email and other simple databases, but the Emma Watsons of the world need access to more.

“We are going to see the rise of the app store,” Drachnik explained. Enterprise app stores will be available to employees, locked behind a firewall, so people with the appropriate credentials can login and gain access to enterprise apps. Developing these customized applications is the next step in productivity, he explained.  Login in through a portal to download three or four apps that you can work on. Sales may want access to a customer relationship management (CRM) app. Doctors and hospitals may want to access to patient data through an app. Schools may want provisioned apps for various classes.

Apps would be developed on a demand basis. “Enough people and enough demand will make it worthwhile for an enterprise to develop an app,” Drachnik said. He expects to see more enterprise level app stores in Q3 2013.

MSPmentor's final thoughts

Many of these enterprises do not have the ability to develop their own apps, let alone their own app stores. A third-party may be the solution. Managed services providers (MSPs) with developers on staff may be able to capitalize on enterprise app stores. If not, vendors could. Or maybe a smart MSP or vendor can subcontract the work to one of their contacts with the right skills.