Small business (SME) are increasingly acknowledging the power of working in the cloud. At a time of ongoing economic uncertainty, cloud computing technology has the great benefit of being low-cost; easy to implement and use; flexible and scalable.
Today, many of these businesses are actively developing their own cloud applications and tailoring them to their precise needs. Indeed, cloud-based application development is particularly well suited to the SME community for which time and resources are often at a premium.
Estimates suggest it is possible for SMEs to build applications about five times as quickly and at half the cost of using traditional software platforms – particularly critical as the business grows.
The approach enables SMEs to rapidly deliver an initial build of key applications and then add functionality quickly. Developing in the cloud significantly reduces the up-front capital required to get a business on its feet and frees start-ups and small businesses from the requirement to purchase expensive and complex hardware and software solutions.
Delivering a Combination of Flexibility and Agility
Flexibility is of course key for SMEs. Today, the best custom application development platforms allow developers to adapt applications to the needs of their organisation across a range of business functions from technical field service offerings for mobile workers to email marketing for marketers and asset management for banks.
This flexibility is most clearly seen in the functionality that can be added to application development platforms today. Examples include the opportunity to run applications on any platform or device – from the iPhone to the iPad to the BlackBerry – and the ability to integrate collaboration features to every application.
This can be an important benefit for SMEs with busy, mobile workforces that need access to information anytime, anywhere together with the ability to remain productive even while on the move.
SMEs also benefit from the use of open systems and platforms rather than closed proprietary systems that tie them to a particular vendor. This is particularly critical when constructing application development platforms in the cloud. If these platforms are genuinely ‘open’ and developers are able to leverage familiar widely used languages like Java and Ruby, then the pace of development quickens while its quality rises also. For the SME, this can be key in boosting flexibility and driving competitive edge.
Integration and Interoperability
Linked with the theme of openness is ease of integration into a company’s existing IT architecture – crucial if these kinds of development platforms are to fully support business agility for SMEs and large enterprises alike.
Today, cloud computing platforms exist which offer “no compromise customisations” – fast and easy adaptation of the solution to a company’s business process while also enabling deeper integration as and when required. The philosophy should be to keep simple adjustments simple and to make complex functional and technical requirements achievable and accessible.
Being able to easily bring different applications together should be another key objective of any successful IT strategy. It remains an elusive goal for many SMEs but one they should not view as out of reach. Cloud services that incorporate open internet standards-based APIs (application programming interfaces) using SOAP and REST, which are accessible through web services enable diverse systems to easily communicate together. This allows SMEs to align their organisations with their strategic goals to drive competitive advantage.
The best application development platforms should not only provide the chance for SMEs to develop new applications but also reduce the effort usually associated with integrating cloud computing applications with existing technology.
A New Approach
Over the years, the traditional way of creating and running business applications has become complex and cumbersome – particularly for hard-pressed SMEs. Cloud computing coupled with a flexible application development platform provides a solution to this previously intractable problem, helping to deliver innovation and fast time to value.
Developers working for SMEs just need an Internet connection to gain access to an application development environment with all the tools and resources they need. As a result they can develop complete enterprise applications without the cost and complexity of buying and maintaining on-premises development infrastructure, in turn speeding the response to user requests, and delivering the IT agility required to drive rapid business growth and quickly take advantage of new business opportunities.
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