The top obstacle for enterprises rolling out mobile apps is the need to build for multiple devices and platforms, with 62 per cent supporting three or more operating systems, according to a survey by developer tools company Appcelerator.

The target devices for the 804 companies surveyed were not surprising (iPhone, 80 per cent interest, iPad, 80 per cent, and Android smartphones, 71 per cent), although it was found that HTML5 web apps (60 per cent) edged out Android tablets (59 per cent) for fourth spot.

And, following a raft of bad news from the company, interest in BlackBerry smartphones was at just 12 per cent, putting it behind Microsoft’s Windows Phone, Windows-powered tablets, and Amazon’s Kindle Fire.

Appcelerator also noted that “overall enterprise mobile ownership remains unclear”. The majority of respondents – 85 per cent – said their organisations had no plans to employ a “single mobile leader”, with only 8 per cent planning to do so and 7 per cent already having one in place (example job titles including VP of mobility and mobile strategist).

In terms of focus areas, 46 per cent of respondents reported plans to spend on mobile testing platforms, 40 per cent intend investing in opening up mobile specific APIs, and 36 per cent plan to build their mobile app management capabilities.

The survey also noted that enterprises are looking to mobile apps not only to appeal to consumers, but also partners and employees. Half of respondents said they are looking at apps that will go into a private enterprise app store, with 88 per cent recognising that user experience for these titles is as important as it is for consumer-facing software.