Rublon is a B2B SaaS technology vendor that provides cloud-based workforce multi-factor authentication software for SMBs and enterprise customers. They launched their enterprise MFA product in 2018. Rublon enables the workforce to securely access its organization’s networks, servers and applications. Rublon can be deployed organization-wide, enabling MFA for all cloud apps, VPNs, servers, workstations, internal as well as on-premise apps.
Challenge
Rublon reached out to us at a time when they secured funding that enabled them to modernize their Rublon Authenticator mobile app, while adjusting it to the architectural changes that they introduced in their new core authentication server.
Rublon is using its mobile app to provide several authentication methods to its users. They had already developed native mobile apps for Android and iOS that were being used by their customers. Every change to the mobile app’s interface or functionality meant that two separate mobile apps had to be updated in order to keep them consistent. Also, they needed to keep one iOS developer and one Android developer on staff, as one platform used Objective-C and the other used Java, respectively. They were looking for a more cost-effective approach to mobile app development.
Rublon’s goals were to improve the user experience of the app, adjust it to its new backend, add biometric authentication and to decrease development costs in the long term.
Solution
After understanding Rublon’s architecture changes and future plans for their mobile application, we redesigned their mobile app in order to improve its user experience. In order to increase brand awareness among users, all screens of the new design have been based on Rublon’s new corporate identity, with the proper colors and font. Custom, responsive icons were created for each authentication method and app feature.
As Rublon’s backend logic changed, a rewrite of the mobile apps backend was also required. Combined with the redesign, this was the right time to take into account new technologies for mobile app development.
To save development time and thus decrease development costs in the long term, the new app was developed using React Native, an open-source mobile application framework that enables the development of native apps for both Android and iOS using the React JavaScript framework. Now development is done once and versions for both Android and iOS and generated from the same code base.
React Native makes biometric authentication possible with libraries that support fingerprint sensors on Android phones and Touch ID as well as Face ID on iOS.
Results
Thanks to using React Native, Rublon’s mobile app development time was cut by 40%. Also, Rublon’s front end developers are now able to deliver simple tasks on their mobile app and don’t have to only focus on the web frontend, like before when Rublon had native mobile apps.
The improved UX resulted in a 70% decreased number of support tickets regarding Rublon’s mobile app, which freed time for key team members who are involved in support due to their vast knowledge of the product.
Rublon is now able to push small app updates to its users’ phones instantly, without having to go through app store reviews. This lowered update times from days to minutes.
The mobile app’s refreshed design sent a strong message to Rublon’s customers and the market, making it clear that Rublon is investing in the product and is using modern technologies. Implementing biometric authentication options that work on both Android and iOS furthermore emphasize how Rublon’s solutions are up to date with industry standards.
To learn more about Rublon, visit www.rublon.com.