iOS IOS Security Application - Enterprise Account Requirements, Am I being taking for a ride?

[blackcherry]

Hi there,

We are currently having an security app developed for both android and ios.

We have already spent around £10K + in total on the development of the application and now the developer is asking for the following:

IOS Developer Enterprise Package 5 years
Third Party App License
Bridge AWS Service
Connection and Setup

Total: £5450

Could anyone shine a light on whether on not this is an appropriate amount to pay for the enterprise services. I saw that the developer account was $299 per year so seems alot more that the standard rate advertised.

Are we being taken for a ride? Please help!!

Thanks
Damon

 

[PhoneyDeveloper]

I can only partly answer.

The Enterprise account fee you pay directly to Apple. I guess it is $299/year. You can find more info on their website. Is your app going to rely on Enterprise Distribution? It's not going to the App Store?

AWS fees also go directly to AWS. Not sure what 'Bridge AWS' is though.

Maybe 'Third Party App License' is a fee paid to a third party to license their code. These can sometimes be steep but I can't tell what the third party app is. You would also most likely pay such a fee directly to the third party. There really isn't that much third party middleware to be licensed for iOS but I guess there's some. At any rate you should be able to look at their website to see what the fees are and what they cover.

'Connection and Setup' sounds like a fee you pay to your developer for their efforts to set up the server. You should get some idea of how long this service extends.

Custom software isn't inexpensive.

 

[firewood]

Depends on the app and the nature of the service. The costs for an enterprise app can range from less than the amount you were quoted to well over an order of magnitude more, depending.

 

[dantastic]

I don't know what sort of agreement you have in place with the developer but why are they asking for 5 years Apple subscription up front? This is a fee you pay directly to Apple and somewhing you *shoud* be in 100% control over yourself. Yo do not want someone else in control of your account, under no circumstances. You can give them plenty of access but you should always own the account.

Any do you need an enterprise account? You probably only need a business account.

Wihtout knowing the ins and outs I would be concerned you are being taken for a ride. It sounds like they are trying to lock you in and essentially hold your app hostage.

Custom software is expensive for sure but this is not software development you are asked to pay for this time around.