CERN AppStore: Development of a multi-platform application management system for BYOD devices at CERN

Abstract

The number of BYOD continuously grows at CERN. Additionally, it is desirable to move from a centrally managed model to a distributed model where users are responsible for their own devices. Following this strategy, the new tools have to be provided to distribute and - in case of licensed software - also track applications used by CERN users. The available open source and commercial solutions were analyzed and none of them proved to be a good fit for CERN use cases. Therefore, it was decided to develop a system that could integrate various open source solutions and provide desired functionality for multiple platforms, both mobile and desktop. This paper presents the architecture and design decisions made to achieve a platform-independent, modern, maintainable and extensible system for software distribution at CERN.