Telstra has unveiled its second mobile applications store, the Telstra Apps Marketplace, based on the AppDirect platform.
The telecommunications and services provider is marketing the Marketplace as a one-stop shop for businesses looking for “the next generation of apps.”
It will initially house Box and DocuSign, in which Telstra Ventures recently invested.
Apps on Telstra’s existing T-Suite Application platform, which was launched in 2008, will be migrated to the new service “early next year.” Until then, it will continue to offer products including Microsoft Office 365, Symantec, McAfee, ArisApp, Canvas, and GeoOp.
The Marketplace is part of Telstra’s paperless push. A Telstra-commissioned survey of 1000 Australian SMBs (conducted by Smarter Business Ideas) indicated that 75 per cent are spending $1000 on paper each year; the figure amounts to an estimated $608 million based on figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
According to Telstra, this is despite a third of SMBs using connected tablets and 80 per cent relying on smartphones for work. Further, 92 per cent use apps for personal engagement, 24 per cent are using apps inside the business, and 41 per cent remain in the dark about the existence of business-related apps.
“This research shows Australian businesses are not maximising their return on existing investments in their smartphone and tablets, and worse, in this digital era, still relying on paper based tools,” Telstra Business managing director, Will Irving, said.
“While the humble pen and paper have served us well over many years, these days they usually represent a waste of time, as whatever is written has to be keyed into a computer later. Paper forms and documents are also very vulnerable to loss, whether they are simply misplaced, stolen or damaged.”