Enterprise Application Development
Enterprise Application Development is a complex process of creating applications for business purposes. They are complex, customized for critical business requirements, and can be deployed on the cloud, on a variety of platforms across corporate networks, intranet, etc. Designing and developing such enterprise applications means satisfying hundreds or thousands of separate requirements.
How are Enterprise Applications Different?
Enterprise applications are large multi-user, multi-developer, and multi-component applications that can work on large chunks of data and utilize extensive parallel processing, network distributed resources, and complex logic. These applications can be deployed across multiple platforms and operate simultaneously with many other applications. Enterprise applications are business-oriented and deployed to meet specific business requirements. They encode business policies, processes, rules, and entities and are developed with specific business requirements in mind. Hence, these applications require special tools in the form of enterprise application development software to cater to their unique needs.
Traditional Enterprise Application Development Software and Their Shortcomings though traditional application development methodologies are known for having clear objectives, stable requirements, and measurable progress of development, they are time-consuming, have minimum iterations and there is very little customer interaction. Hence, traditional application development methodologies and tools are unable to fulfill the demands of modern enterprise applications. The failure is not just for web applications, traditional methodologies are not a perfect match for mobile application development as well. Some of their shortcomings are
These Applications are linear and predictive. They follow the sequential flow and make any new changes time consuming and difficult Applications are low in productivity due to high lead times and time-consuming.
The application development Involves stringent documentation and reviews at every stage which are done by developers mostly. Thus the business imperatives naturally take a back seat.
User or the customer is involved at the beginning during the requirements stage and then in the end delivery during the user acceptance stage. There is no active involvement from users in the intermediate phases which lead to many changes in the end thus increasing cost and time
Elements have to be designed and constructed from the ground up as per project requirements and hence, are not reusable. Hence it can be summed up that Enterprises today are on the lookout for better tools, applications, and software as the traditional methodologies could not gain much success.
Changing Trends in Enterprise Application Development
New and Emerging Trends in Enterprise Application is impacting application development in a big way. Let us see the key trends: Usability (UX) – Usability is the norm of the day when it comes to Enterprise Architecture. Users expect their apps to be more intuitive and provide more relevant content suited to their own business needs. In the coming year, developers will have to focus more on ease of usability and responsive design. Consumerization of IT– Consumerization of IT has impacted Enterprise Application’s changing landscape. Technology today is consumer-oriented. Business imperatives are given utmost importance. Commodity Computing (cloud), horizontal scaling – Applications today are hosted, developed, and customized on the cloud. Cloud computing has increased accessibility and ease of operation for users of Enterprise application development. Rapid Application Delivery & Low-code Development – RAD or Low code development is the new trend in Enterprise. Minimal Coding is making Enterprise Application Development more business-centric and easy. Customers are involved at each phase of development. Loose Coupling (APIs, Microservices, Compostable architecture) – With the introduction of Loose Coupling and microservices enterprise applications are delivered as an independent runtime service with a well-defined API. The Microservices approach allows faster delivery of smaller incremental changes to an application.
Choosing the right enterprise application development platforms
Modern enterprise Application development focuses on reducing application development timelines and at the same time addresses a whole gamut of other related aspects of modern web applications required for today’s modern enterprise. Modern-day application is rapid in terms of timeline, cost, and usability. We call them RAD (Rapid Application Development) and they emphasize Ready-made Application Infrastructure: Providing a browser-based development environment. No more hassle of installing, setup, ongoing configuration, etc. Usability: Making sure good-looking and rich user interactive applications can be developed. Increased attention to creating pixel-perfect responsive UI applications on both Desktop as well as Mobile Devices.
Full Stack Development: By leveraging modern client-side frameworks and server-side technologies, Modern RAD is now capable to auto-generate code for the entire application (client-side, Server side as well as integration touchpoints to external systems and services via APIs). Pre-Defined Best of Breed Technology Stack: Providing a pre-defined well tested best of breed of software components as the technology stack for application development. No more worries about enterprises having to maintain multiple teams to support complex permutations of technology stacks. Business User Participation: Simplifying the application development process such that technical business users can work together with professional developers in developing the application. This greatly benefits enterprises as the business user comes in with domain knowledge and can validate the implementation, as it is being developed. API-led Integration: Providing REST API-based integration approach such that application can easily integrate to an internal, external as well as Cloud-based service. This allows for faster, easier development and avoids reinventing the wheel again.
The Concept of Enterprise Application Integration:
Enterprise application integration services remove the gap between several computer programs. It also helps the employees in managing data through simple interfaces. The main goal of EAI is the effective use of data that is generated by the different departments.
Among the applications that need to be integrated one can list:
- Supply Chain Management (SCM)
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Business Intelligence
- Human Resources
- E-commerce systems
These programs fall under the category called software-as-a-service (SaaS). As per research by Gartner, around 75% of companies that provide services that are related to IT, use around 6 applications on an average.
Approaches to Software Integration
Databases, as well as applications, are attached to an engine that gets and manages all the notifications which come from several channels;
Point-to-point link – Enterprise applications are linked to one another through one link. Such enterprise application integration systems are easy to build, even though there is a limit to their scalability.
Enterprise System Bus solutions – This is a multiple layer solution for numerous IT companies that utilize numerous complex business applications. The system allocates data processing operations among the other parts of the network.
The selection of the EAI method is dependent on the organization’s goals and the intricacy of the IT infrastructure.
The Benefits of Enterprise Application Integration
The benefits of enterprise application integration services are numerous:
- Improvement in management and sharing of data
EAI increases interoperability between the several departments of an organization. For the automotive industry in the US, interoperability faults may cast up to USD 1 Billion losses. An agile enterprise application software solution enables access to entire information that is gathered by business applications, eradicating data processing responsibilities.
2. Automation of the workflow
For instance, you can utilize CRM customer data to start an email marketing campaign and create reports to assess its efficiency. The EAI platform improves business processes as well as enhances the transparency of financial flow.
3. Flexibility in IT infrastructure
The integration of software allows organizations to develop IT facilities easily and respond timely to the growing expectations of the customer. When talking about communication within the enterprise, there are challenges that appear when employees who are not as tech-savvy as others need to do technical tasks. They face troubles in managing the structure which is IT-based.
With bigger organizations, there could be situations when it is difficult for the executives to take care of the IT structure in the enterprise where they are not able to utilize innovative technologies optimally. EAI helps in overpowering these hurdles and streamlines the business process applying better functionality in linking information as well as the functionality of many applications into an easy-to-use interface.
4. Creating new opportunities
One of the main organizational benefits of EAI is that it lets the managers know and respond to new opportunities much faster than before.
5. Enterprise applications can help companies
address shifts in the market, reputation management issues, supply chain disruption issues, and more – all from a single interface.
6. Increasing efficiency
EAI enables enterprises by making their communication easier, reduces their time and effort, better functionality, improved control that leads to an increase in the efficiency of the organization. It enables the organization to identify and respond to new opportunities. It can help the companies address the change in market trends, their reputation management matters, issues related to disruptions in the supply chain, etc. – from only one interface.
When done efficiently, EAI allows organizations to realize the holistic advantages of their investments. Enterprise Application is attaining acceptance among organizations globally. It is not only advantageous to have EAI for enhancing organizational proficiencies, but also for the improvement of an individual’s performance with several features like employee records and rewards.
EAI provides several financial benefits to transportation and logistics companies, network providers, banks, and retail organizations. Nevertheless, enterprise application software and the integration process require expertise in the implementation of security and coding protocols. The fact is that 66% of organizations store only around one-fifth of the data off-premises. This shows that there is a substantial lack of confidence in the cloud as well as EAI solutions.
Here’s a list of the top enterprise apps mostly use by corporate bodies.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
Don’t you hate it when you’re so busy that a potential client slips through your fingers?
a. Unless you possess superhuman organizational skills and the memory of an elephant, there will be times that you let communication dwindle, missing opportunities to close a deal, upsell, cross-sell, or market new products to existing customers.
b. As PC World puts it beautifully, “Customer relationship management software is a contact list with a brain.” This type of enterprise software works by giving you an invaluable overview of where you are with each client, pulling together customer contact information and details of when and how you’ve been in touch.
c. This includes interactions in person, through social media, over phone and email and possibly even calls to customer support, and notes on where you left things with them – helping you to make sure a valuable customer never falls off your radar again.
d. Typically, the best CRM services include features like workflow automation, dedicated document libraries, role-based user access, multi-currency support, email integration and tracking, and lead capture from websites and custom reporting.
Leading the way: Salesforce, Zoho, Oracle, Apptivo - Project Management Tools
a. Among the most accessible enterprise apps (especially if you have secret technophobic / traditionalist tendencies!) are those geared towards better project management for teams.
b. These are designed to help your collaborate more effectively, even if your team is scattered all over the globe. They make sure everyone involved has clearly defined targets and deadlines, and can drop in at any time to check on progress and make sure they have what they need from their colleagues to get their own work done.
c. Usually, tools like these give an overview of all active projects, but allow you to dive into each one to check every milestone, every detail, and every upcoming task you need to complete to keep your progress on schedule.
d. Used right, these apps are an amazing way to visualize shared workflows, maximize productivity, keep up the momentum – and make sure no task gets forgotten.
Leading the way: LiquidPlanner, Zoho Projects, Teamwork - Marketing Automation
a. As your company expands, there is just no way to perform all of your day-to-day marketing activities on a manual basis. You can’t handle correspondence with every individual person on a sprawling mailing list, personally reply to every Facebook message or new inquiry, or even to post every Tweet or LinkedIn update in real time, yourself. There is just too much to do, and too little time.
b. This is why enterprise software for marketing automation is so handy. These apps and tools allow you to automate communication with your audience via email, SMS, social media and/or digital ads; quickly and easily segment your list to create targeted marketing campaigns; and set things up so you contact targets after a specified action or an optimal period of time.
c. This technology can drastically improve efficiency, keep campaigns on schedule and improve accuracy, allowing marketing teams to focus on creating great content or developing big, ambitious strategies and campaigns.
Leading the Way: HubSpot, Marketo, Act-On, Adobe Campaign - Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software
If a company was a sentient being with a brain, that brain would be an ERP. An ERP system basically takes all the different modules of the business, digitizes them, and creates complex networks between them that mean everyone is working from the same core records and up-to-date information.
The system also integrates with other important enterprise software tools, including CRM, BI, financial information, inventories, asset and supply chain management technology, materials resource management, point of sale data, and sometimes even project management dashboards & apps.
Implementing an ERP can drastically clean up the way larger organizations operate by making activities and workflows more cohesive and transparent. They also offer up important insights that help identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies and improve planning for the future.
Leading the Way: Netsuite, Acumatica, SAP - Treasury Management System (TMS)
The purpose of a TMS is to provide a single version of truth where all things financial in your business are concerned. It gives you a complete overview of where the money is in the organization, helping you to track and predict cash flow, manage debt, mitigate FX risk, free up money for investments, ensure you’re always on the right side of relevant compliance regulations – and handle pretty much any other tasks that come under the broad umbrella of corporate finance.
Due to some obvious overlaps, some organizations that have already splurged on an ERP don’t see the point of a dedicated TMS, and for smaller enterprises that’s probably fair.
On the other hand, if you’re a large company juggling all kinds of investments, you deal with several different currencies and/or you have multiple locations and bank accounts spread across the world, you’ll struggle to find an ERP that has the full functionality you need to
manage your money in the most effective and agile way. Seeking out a top system that integrates seamlessly with your ERP will most likely be a better shot.
Leading the way: Kyriba, Reval, Misys - Business Intelligence (BI)
In all seriousness though, in this rapidly changing corporate landscape, high quality data analytics and the ability to understand where your business is, how it got there, and where it’s going next is supremely important. This means that having a reliable, accurate, and powerful BI tool in place is crucial.
In essence, BI software works by pulling in data from all your data sources, harmonizing and combining this, and allowing you to run queries that extract actionable insights from these disparate sources. Typically, these insights are presented in dashboards that tell you in a glance how the business is doing and how much you progressed, making on hitting your KPIs.
As with all types of enterprise software applications, though, not all BI platforms are created equal. In particular, many BI vendors claim that their software is self-service, but definitions of self-service cloud BI vary depending on who you talk to. Ideally, you should be looking for a system that allows non-technical users to manipulate dashboards and query data without IT getting involved, but without losing the all-important granularity that help you understand exactly what’s going on, and why.