4 Trends Shaping the Future of Enterprise Software Development

Mobility, Custom Apps, and Legacy Integration

The field of enterprise software development has undergone some major changes in recent years. Where once the focus was on stand-alone solutions requiring lengthy gaps between concept and deployment, vendors are now focusing more on creating user-friendly apps that can provide quick gains for their clients. The changes are driven in large part by the explosive growth of cloud computing as well as advances in technology. Four key trends continue to play major roles in enterprise software development.

1. Mobility

Increasingly, employees are performing their tasks from locations other than the central office. Mobile devices allow them to work from home, client sites, while travelling or from remote locations. The growth of companies with a bring-your-own-device policy has added another layer of complexity to the mobility challenge. Companies are realizing that employees are often more productive when they can use their preferred devices for both work and personal tasks, whether the device is one that the employee owns or one that is issued by the employer. The growth of mobile enterprise applications has been substantial, and the increase continues.

2. Custom Apps

Surveys have revealed that a significant percentage of all business-related mobile apps are now custom apps. Historically, custom software was very expensive (in terms of both time and money). Few organizations had staff members with the time and skills to tackle such major projects. With the new tools offered for software development, including some new languages in which proficiency is easily acquired, more companies are finding that custom apps are no longer beyond their reach. Vendors can produce the apps quickly and economically, while larger organizations are discovering that they can often find staff members who can provide many of the simpler apps.

3. Multi-device Functionality

Employees are no longer tied to a specific device for all tasks. Instead, they are selecting different devices to use for specific tasks. Enterprise apps must now accommodate this practice by permitting users to access software simultaneously from multiple devices.

4. Integration with Legacy Systems

Isolated software and siloed data is quickly disappearing and being replaced by apps that can integrate completely with other tools. The introduction of cloud computing provided a catalyst for this movement; placing all apps online allows them to “talk” to each other in a manner that was impossible when they resided on different servers. In response, vendors have been developing (and will continue to develop) application programming interfaces that make it easier to integrate apps with legacy systems and other online services or apps. Effective integration allows employees to use a central platform for all of their software-related needs.

These four trends play important parts in how enterprise software is developed and implemented. Although enterprise software once lagged behind consumer applications in embracing technology trends, the gap has narrowed quickly.

If you would like to learn more about enterprise software development, the team at PhaseAlpha would be happy to assist. We excel at making the latest technology available to small businesses as well as major corporations. You can email us at info@phasealpha.com, or call us at (913) 648-9200.