enterprise application Archives

1. Think About Your Audience

You need to choose the right platform based on the audience that you are trying to attract. These days, whether personal or business, you’ll need to ensure your software works on both Android and iOS.

If your app is going to be used in a private setting then you should design it based on the needs of those in your private space. You can always choose to adjust your app with different setups that might be ideal and unique based on whatever hardware your particular organisation uses.

2. Consider Your Possible Features

The particular features that will come with your enterprise application need to be explored so you can find the right solution for your particular business. You should consider taking a careful look at your platform based on points such as online communication features, ability to link in with HTML5 frameworks, responsive pages if accessible from mobile devices, and more.

Look to see what will meet your expected demands once you have a quality setup running.

3. Review How It Works With Databases

Platforms can work with databases in many ways, as you can link them up to different features within any server or other computer system you have to work with. Check that your databases can easily connect with the main features in your platform, so you have a setup that you can easily use without any struggles over how items are loaded. Be sure you take a good look at the particular databases that you want to use and check their strengths and limitations. This will ensure you have a control setup that should not be hard to work with and adjust as desired.

4. Can It Sync?

Many platforms are capable of syncing up with larger computers. This is typically through the use of tethering, Bluetooth or VPN support for larger organisations with sensitive data, but more and more organisations are looking to cloud-based setups. If you have many employees on the go, you need to check and see that you have a platform that can manage syncing features. This will allow them to access data on both computers and mobile devices without worrying about needing to put specific documents on specific platforms.

5. Can You Develop It Later?

You should also plan for scalability. This refers to the ability for your application grow with your organisation and customer base, or to be easily adjusted and updated according to demand. Consider creating a framework for your application that will cater for altered and additional features based on any future changes that you might require.

This will give you more control over your application’s developmental process as you go forward. The additional money you invest in a scalable infrastructure now will save you a lot more later on. It will ensure you avoid the need to completely overhaul your application when you outgrow what you’re currently using, which is not only a large cost financially, but also in time, effort and stress.

Be careful when getting a good enterprise application platform ready. A quality platform can make a big difference when it comes to getting your app to run right and to stay as active and useful as it can be. If you keep these questions in mind as you select an enterprise platform, it will save you many headaches in the future.

Rosemary Brown is a business and market researcher with over 20 years of experience. She has been extensively involved in exploring the impact of technological innovations on business organizations, enterprise culture and organizational processes. Currently, Rosemary is conducting a series of experiments to study the impact of web-based help desk tools like ProProfs Knowledge Base Software on customer retention & acquisition. Rosemary has a Masters Degree in Marketing Management and Strategy.

As we start looking toward 2015, enterprise applications are poised to play a growing role in the everyday operations of companies of all sizes and in all sectors. Here are five enterprise application trends predicted to take precedence next year and beyond.

Mobile

The trend toward mobile computing is growing in every industry as consumers largely ditch personal computers in favor of laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The enterprise market has been a bit slower to catch on, but it finally has, and the use of mobile applications has expanded from limited and isolated functions to full-service organization-wide solutions. According to a recent survey from Good Technology, the adoption of both third-party and custom business applications continued to increase in the third quarter of 2014, with the custom app market up 107% from the previous quarter and up 731% compared to the same period last year.

Faster deployments, especially for growing companies

While large businesses may be moving toward custom enterprise applications, smaller firms are focusing on faster deployments that will provide immediate benefits and enable future growth. Thus, they will rely heavily on pre-packaged solutions from third-party vendors. According to Oracle senior manager Jim Lein, “With a wealth of experience successfully deploying applications, partners and vendors have developed time-tested best practices by industry, geography, and business need that are packaged up to account for on average 75 percent of an implementation. Midsize companies are trading in custom for speed, and as such, are live and generating value in less time than they may have spent on the RFP process.

Cloud computing, or everything-as-a-service

Cloud computing has largely become the norm for consumer applications, and businesses are now following suit. The continued rise of cloud applications was identified by Gartner as one of its top 10 strategic technology trends for 2015. Gartner VP David Clearey said in a recent presentation: “Cloud is the new style of elastically scalable, self-service computing, and both internal applications and external applications will be built on this new style.” The new style, in which software, IT and business processes, and even hardware are offered as cloud-based applications, is being called “everything-as-a-service (XaaS).” Three major advantages of the XaaS model are that it is flexible, it allows all services to be integrated, and it is evergreen (i.e., updates are automatic so the technology never becomes obsolete).

Improved UX

Enterprise applications will stop looking (and functioning) like clunky traditional business software and more like current consumer applications. This trend was identified last year by mrc’s Joe Stangarone, and it is a movement that is still gaining steam, due to the ever- widening capabilities of cloud-based software. Stangarone sums up the movement well as he writes: “I believe one of the biggest reasons [we will see a push towards simpler, more intuitive business applications] lies in a simple truth: users now have other options. With the rise of cloud-based software, users can easily bypass company-supplied applications altogether, opting instead for third-party cloud solutions.”

Automation

Finally, technology has enabled more tasks and processes to be automated, and companies will increasingly take advantage of this functionality. From performing data backups, to sending automated client communications, to creating customer service workflows, to identifying trending topics and posts on social media, enterprise application software provides automated solutions that can greatly reduce the personnel time required for common tasks. As the technologies improve, and businesses become more comfortable with relinquishing control to the software, this trend will grow.

Next year is set to be a good one for companies interested in adopting enterprise application software—the field is growing and more powerful, versatile tools are coming on the market all of the time. As we move into 2015, these five trends will lead the way for organizations across the spectrum.

photo credit: More office windows at night