Application Allowlisting: Methods, Benefits and Challenges

App Store represent a major challenge for IT teams because they can be a tremendous source of distraction, such as streaming or socializing.

A common approach to this problem is an application blocklist, which often results in a whack-a-mole-style game: When the IT team blocks one app, employees will turn to a different app that provides similar functionality.

Some companies instead prefer to use an application allowlist. Once organizations have populated their app library with different apps, they choose which ones should be allowed on certain devices.

Through an MDM like AirDroid Business, IT teams can efficiently configure and maintain an allowlist through Policy.

1 Methods for Application Allowlisting

There are two methods for application allowlisting: one for mobile devices, and another for kiosks. Organizations can implement these two methods to restrict application usage on corporate mobile and kiosk devices.

1.1 Application allowlisting for mobile devices

1.2 Application allowlisting for kiosks

Many companies do not only have mobile devices. These enterprises may also manage customer-facing touchpoints, such as digital kiosks. It is also important for organizations to limit apps available on these because they are open to the general public.

2 Benefits for Business Operations

Application allowlisting is an ideal solution for content moderation because it simplifies how enterprises govern what apps and websites employees can access.

Eliminate content moderation as an ongoing task

Blocklisting has its advantages, such as giving employees broad access to the app stores. While employees may enjoy more freedom, this comes at a cost: IT teams are burdened with additional operational strain.

First, they must monitor how employees use different apps. If they notice that an app is being misused or abused, they then need to block access. But this blocking does not stop the problem.

For example, if an IT team blocks access to Facebook because employees are wasting too much time browsing, they may instead turn to Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, or whatever the next social media sensation is.

The IT team will then have to block access to that app and the next one in an ongoing cycle that takes time and energy from other more important tasks.

In contrast, application allowlisting eliminates content moderation as an ongoing task. The IT team chooses which apps should be allowed for different groups or devices, and they can move on to more important work matters.

Ensure employee focus

Open access to app stores can be distracting. In the first place, employees will not know what apps they need to be successful in their role. For example, do they need to download other messaging apps to communicate with internal and external stakeholders, or does the official company platform suffice? This lack of certainty can be distracting.

Allowlisting leaves no room for interpretation. Because only certain apps are allowed depending on the device or group, employees know exactly what they need. They are also free from the distraction that apps can cause. They will not stream, socialize, browse, or use their company-issued device for any non-work purpose.

In this setup, companies will experience greater productivity: Employees must give their undivided attention to work when using their company-issued devices.

Prevent security breaches

The average employee is not a cybersecurity expert. As a result, they may download apps that are nothing more than vaporware or malware. These apps will compromise the individual’s device.

While the IT team can block the app in question, by the time they take action it may already be too late: The malicious app has already harmed the organization’s data or security.

Application allow listing also eliminates this problem. Since an IT team can choose which apps get added to the app library, and in turn, a particular allowlist, they can evaluate each app to ensure it meets the organization’s standards for data privacy and cybersecurity.

With this vetting, companies will not suffer from the security breaches that would result from open access to app stores.

3 Benefits for Customers

Streamline the user experience

Imagine a guest walking up to a digital kiosk in a hotel lobby to check in and he is greeted with a screen full of different apps.

Though the hotel promised the ability to check in seamlessly, the guest will have no idea on which app to click to proceed. This confusion will result in a bad check-in experience, which can sour his entire trip.

In short, companies need to streamline the user experience of their customer-facing devices. Presenting them with a screen featuring unnecessary apps is the worst user experience imaginable.

Users already face an information overload in their daily lives and adding more cognitive burden will just result in unnecessary stress.

Application allowlisting for kiosks dramatically improves the user experience. Users can walk up to a kiosk and see the app or apps necessary for the task at hand.

This simplification minimizes their cognitive load: They know exactly what must be done and how to achieve it. This knowledge will lead to a positive customer experience, enabling the devices to deliver on their core value proposition of convenience.

Prevent defacement of devices

Not every customer is well-intentioned. Some may approach digital kiosks with the intent to deface them, in the same way that graffiti artists tag on billboards and outdoor advertisements.

They can be effortlessly creative in this regard. For example, one might go to the internet to download the app of a competing business or rearrange the apps on the screen to spell out a bad word.

This abuse results in a poor user experience for other customers, who may find it harder to complete their intended action and may be additionally exposed to content they would prefer to avoid.

Rather than count on the good intentions of the public, businesses need to prevent defacement with application allowlisting.

With application allowlisting, businesses can ensure that bad actors cannot affect the user experience of legitimate customers. With the device locked down to a particular app or apps, a bad actor cannot do anything of material impact. They will have to move on and target kiosks not backed by an MDM with application allowlisting.

4 Challenges with Application Allowlisting

Application allowlisting is not a silver bullet that will solve an organization’s issues in application management in one fell swoop. Organizations still need to address other related challenges to ensure application allowlisting succeeds for the business.

Choosing the initial application library

Some apps may be obvious additions to an organization’s application library and for different allowlists. But other choices are not so clear-cut. Take the case of an app that only a handful of specialists in the organization use.

Should this app be added to their allowlist through the organization’s app library, or should they be instead encouraged to use the browser-based application on their laptop? There are no black-or-white answers here, so the organization will need to first determine the criteria for allowable apps, before settling on the initial application library.

Determining who gets what apps

In most cases, it will be clear which Policy groups should be given which apps. For example, an accounting app should be added to the finance department’s allowlist. There are many other edge cases, however, where access is not as obvious.

For example, employees often use Facebook for both their personal and work lives. Sales professionals may use Facebook to build relationships with prospective clients. If Facebook gets added to their allowlist, should other departments have access to it as well? The marketing team may also need to interact with external stakeholders.

Extending access to one group but not another may result in negative repercussions, such as lower morale. Given this possibility, businesses must have a clear rationale for why employees are given particular apps and be ready to explain this to the company as a whole.

Instituting cadences for modifying the application allowlisting

Upon determining an initial allowlist, organizations will want to make some changes later on. Perhaps they initially allowed the use of Facebook and Messenger but found that employees were abusing these apps too much. The organization may thus want to strike these apps off the allowlist.

Alternatively, perhaps some employees need to use an app to perform a critical business function, but it was not on the original allowlist. Organizations may want to consider adding this app.

While removing and adding apps to the allowlist may be necessary, enterprises should avoid doing so on an ad-hoc, irregular basis, which may be a recipe for chaos. Some stakeholders may demand that apps be added as soon as possible, while other apps that disrupt business operations or lower cybersecurity may take too long to be removed.

Instead, organizations may want to set formal cadences for modifying the allowlist, such as on a monthly or quarterly basis. Implementing a procedure will ensure that apps are fairly reviewed, stakeholders understand when changes can be made, and employees have timely access to the apps that they need.

5 The Move to Application Allow Listing

Organizations that need to restrict app access on their mobile devices and kiosks would be wise to use application allowlisting. Compared to blocklisting, IT teams can spend less time with content moderation because they only need to pick the apps that employees or customers are allowed to access.

Application allowlisting provides employees with a distraction-free working environment, one which is also safer due to fewer cybersecurity threats. Customers who interact with digital kiosks get a simpler user experience and one that will not be marred by defacement from bad actors.

The best way to execute application allowlisting is through an MDM like AirDroid Business. With an MDM, businesses can easily create and modify the application allowlist within a Policy Config file and Kiosk Config File, and then apply it to different groups.

An MDM will also make it easier to manage the challenges of maintaining an application allowist, such as choosing the initial library, determining which groups get which policies, and even setting the cadence for review of current and potential apps.

Organizations that use an MDM for application allowlisting will receive significant business benefits: They will allow the right apps, and in turn, enable productivity, efficiency, and innovation.