Around 40 per cent of mobile app development projects will make use of cloud-based backend services by 2016, according to analyst firm Gartner.

These cloud services provide back-end capabilities for mobile apps such as user management, data storage, push notifications and social network integration. They can also allow developers to deploy server-side code.

“Cloud mobile back-end services stand to become a key component of the application development ecosystem,” said Gordon Van Huizen, research director at Gartner.

However, he warned that organisations may begin using these services without fully understanding the issues and associated risks for app infrastructure. Organisations therefore need to be educated about the relevant issues.

As the use of cloud services for apps increases, challenges around security and the use and movement of sensitive corporate data will also become more apparent, meaning additional security and governance capabilities will be needed in addition to those provide by mobile application development platforms.