Enterprise Application Management: App Store Showdown

Have you ever stopped to consider where your business apps come from? Probably not—until something goes wrong. Not all app sources provide the same reliability or security. For enterprise IT teams, choosing the right app store isn’t just a preference—it’s critical.

In this post, I’ll explain why trust is the top factor to consider when choosing an app store for enterprise application management.

Where I Get My Apps

I’m a pretty simple guy, and I get most of my apps from the Apple App Store. Others will get theirs from the Google Play Store.

Usually, little thought is given to questions such as:

• Can I trust this app?
• Is it trying to steal my data?
• Is the app developer reliable?
• Could there be hidden malware within the app?

Most consumers don’t ask these questions because they trust that the app store has vetted the apps. In short, we trust that Apple and Google have done their due diligence to ensure these applications are safe.

Trust in Enterprise Apps

Now, when these same consumers go to work, turn on their devices, and launch their business apps, they also have trust. They trust that their IT teams have vetted these applications, subjecting them to at least the same level of scrutiny as consumer apps.

In reality, you would expect IT teams to investigate these apps far more thoroughly than consumer apps, given the higher stakes—potentially millions in liability claims, loss of IP, or even the business’s survival.

For IT teams, the app’s source should be the top priority.

An Analogy

Imagine you’re in the market for a used car. You have a choice: You can visit a main dealer to get a car that’s been thoroughly inspected and comes with guarantees of authenticity and condition, or you can shop on Facebook Marketplace. Facebook Marketplace might offer a wider selection and, at first glance, attractive deals. However, you don’t actually know anything about the car beyond its make, model, and year of manufacture. Has it been in an accident? Are all the parts genuine? Is there hidden damage that you’ll only find out about once you’ve committed to buying it and driving down the highway?

Now imagine you’re an IT Admin (some of you won’t need to imagine this). You have a choice when selecting an app store. Where do you go? Much like buying a car, you have options:

• Curated App Stores: Similar to a main dealer, these stores check and validate apps for proper versioning, absence of malware, and clear provenance—with a human providing the final approval.
• Community Marketplaces: These are more like Facebook Marketplace. They might offer basic assurances—such as automated certificates or developer signatures—but you are largely responsible for assessing trust.”

And then there are the various options: the Microsoft Store, proprietary stores like the Recast Setup Store, community stores like Winget and Chocolatey, and even private repositories. Each one demands a certain level of trust based on your risk appetite.

In a community marketplace, the level of validation is generally much lower. Information about an app’s provenance might include details like the developer’s name or a brief version history, but there’s usually no in-depth investigation to confirm that the app is free from malware, properly versioned, or even that its source is trustworthy.

Why Curated Stores Win

I may be biased (I own a wardrobe full of Recast merch), but there is no contest here. If you want to deploy applications to enterprise devices, you should be using a proprietary, curated app store. Using a curated app store ensures a known supply chain, vendor-supplied packages, thorough malware screening, and complete vulnerability information.

When it comes to curated app stores, the Recast Setup Store stands in a category of its own. It provides full assurance regarding the provenance of applications and features comprehensive workflow automation that has been thoroughly tested for effectiveness. Every switch, file, and configuration involved in installation, launch, and automation has been rigorously tested and validated.

When comparing app catalogs across vendors, remember that some companies inflate their numbers by including community marketplaces. In contrast, Recast offers the largest proprietary app catalog on the market, ensuring both quality and security.

Using the Recast Setup Store not only guarantees package authenticity but also delivers faster deployment, as all the heavy lifting in package delivery and automation is handled for you.

And it’s not only about installs. The platform behind the Recast Setup Store updates packages in the repository shortly after the OEM vendor releases an updated app. Once the new version passes all tests, it becomes available along with the required automation. This means you can update the app across your estate as soon as it appears in the store.

Conclusion: The Future of Curated Enterprise Application Management

Winget and other public repos absolutely have their place. They’re useful for small businesses with few endpoints that need applications delivered in a more regimented manner than manual deployment—or even worse, user installs.

At the end of the day, trust is everything—whether you’re picking out a car or an app. For enterprise app delivery, relying on a curated, proprietary store like the Recast Setup Store is essential. It ensures every app is thoroughly vetted, reduces risk, and speeds up deployment. So, the next time you choose an app store, remember that not all app stores are created equal.