The struggle to keep enterprise applications up to date is a well-documented challenge. It’s not unusual for businesses to be inundated with hundreds of updates and patches, sometimes weekly. This constant influx leads to a growing backlog as packaging and testing teams are overwhelmed by the pace of new releases. This backlog creates unacceptable risk, leaving enterprises vulnerable due to outdated and insecure applications.
The primary issue is the imbalance between the number of applications, which can reach as high as ten thousand, and the relatively small packaging teams tasked with supporting them. It is not uncommon for just a few people to be responsible for the packaging and testing of over a thousand applications. This creates a bottleneck often mitigated by compromise—only updating those applications already found to be critically vulnerable and/or limiting the focus of updates to those that impact the largest number of devices.
Historically, enterprises often overlooked the potential of leveraging their own large workforce to address to tackle this challenge. The idea of ‘sharing responsibility' is evolving beyond a mere saying —it’s becoming a practical approach in the form of application owner programs.
These initiatives are designed to spread the responsibility of monitoring application updates. Someone familiar with the business context can effectively judge whether an update is necessary while reducing the burden on the packaging team that must monitor so many applications. Not only can this mean more eyes on the problem, but the packaging team can deflect many such decisions and free up time to focus on other tasks.
Managing a vast number of applications and keeping records up to date across a large enterprise is no small feat. While application owner programs are common, their effectiveness is often hampered by a lack of clear expectations and effective governance. In enterprise environments, where a wide range of applications often corresponds to a diverse set of application owners, the roles and responsibilities are frequently left open to individual interpretation, leading to confusion and inefficiency.
Juriba App Owner solves this by providing a clear framework for managing applications. It allows administrators to assign owners to applications that need one, update the assignments when owners leave the organization, and clearly identify applications as ‘unmanaged’ when it’s determined they don’t require an application owner. This structured process lays the foundation for improved accountability and visibility, ensuring smooth, repeatable management of enterprise applications. By clearly defining roles and responsibilities, Juriba App Owner helps eliminate confusion and ensures that every application is adequately monitored.
By specifying check-in intervals, App Owner ensures that application owners are consistently reminded to review their applications for updates or patches on schedule. Neglected applications are highlighted, enabling administrators to take corrective steps to close such gaps. This shifts the organization from a reactive to a proactive stance, keeping applications compliant and up to date, even when dealing with thousands of them. Automated reminders and alerts help maintain a regular update schedule, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities and ensuring that applications perform optimally.
Beyond simply tracking ownership and providing consistent reminders to the owners, Juriba App Owner offers insights into the health of your application owner program. It tracks update recommendations made by application owners through a simple, concise check-in form, and highlights applications that may require intervention, helping administrators ensure continuous application oversight.
In early 2025, Juriba App Owner will introduce version suggestions. Powered by Juriba’s knowledge base, this feature automatically detects and recommends newer application versions during check-in. This enhancement will make it even easier for application owners to keep their applications updated, boosting efficiency and confidence. Version suggestions will streamline the update recommendations from owners, reducing the time and effort required to identify the latest available versions of applications.
Don’t miss out on the 60-day free trial! Sign up to access our beta program today. Experience firsthand how Juriba App Owner can transform your application owner program, enhance efficiency, and reduce risks associated with outdated software.