Hexnode UEM App Catalog: Building a Secure Private App Store for Enterprise Distribution

An organization may require a secure way to host all its necessary applications under one pane of glass. The ‘App catalog’ feature in Hexnode allows administrators to create a customized app store that contains a set of apps that can meet the requirements of an organization. An end-user can seamlessly download all the required applications from the app catalog, preventing them from running the wrong apps. In this way, businesses can get their users up and running quickly with all the approved business apps.

The app catalog feature works on Android, Android TV OS, iOS, macOS and Windows devices. The users can access the app catalog from the Hexnode app installed on their devices. An admin can set up multiple app catalogs containing app groups and individual apps to effectively provision enterprise, store and VPP apps for different sets of targeted users.

App Installation Behavior via Hexnode App Catalog

The installation behavior of apps within the Hexnode App Catalog on managed devices depends on the type of application:

• Store Apps: Adding store apps to the catalog provides a shortcut for users. When an app is clicked inside the app catalog from the Hexnode UEM app, the system redirects the user into the device’s native app store such as Google Play Store (Android), App Store (iOS/macOS), or Microsoft Store (Windows) where they must complete the installation manually.
• Enterprise Apps: Enterprise apps do not redirect users to the device’s native app store to install them. Instead, the package is hosted inside the catalog where the user must manually trigger the installation.

Create a new catalog

To create a new catalog,

1. Log in to your Hexnode portal and navigate to the Apps tab.
2. Click on App catalogs.
3. Click on + New to add a new catalog.
4. Add a suitable name and description for the catalog.
5. Click on Apps > +Add Apps to add apps of your choice to the catalog.
6. Similarly, click on App Groups > +Add App Groups to add app groups to the catalog.
7. Hit Save Catalog.

This newly created app catalog will be listed under Apps > App catalogs.

Deploying apps via Enterprise app catalog

Now that you have created an app catalog, let’s see how you can assign them to individual users to ease app installation. Start by creating a new policy.

1. Log in to your Hexnode portal.
2. Navigate to the Policies tab.
3. Select an existing policy or create a new one by clicking New Policy.
4. From Android/iOS/macOS > App Management, select App Catalog and click on Configure.
5. Click +Add Catalogs and choose the catalog you wish to add. Click Done.
6. Now, click on Policy Targets. You can associate this policy with Devices, Device Groups, Users, User Groups, or even Domains.
7. Click Save.