What are applications?
At a basic level, technology applications are software programs designed to perform tasks or operations, either in response to user commands or in an automated fashion.
Applications, including web applications, mobile applications, and desktop applications, can range from simple tools that perform focused and specialized tasks, to comprehensive suites of individual components and capabilities that optimize and automate complex business processes and workflows.
An organization’s applications serve as interfaces between humans and technology systems, creating a conduit between the physical and digital capabilities of a company.
What are enterprise applications?
Enterprise applications are broader in scale and scope, and are usually tailored to the complex needs of larger organizations.
Enterprise applications can be multifaceted in nature, encompassing a wide array of features, functions, and packaged intellectual property.
Common categories of enterprise applications include:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Human Resource Management (HRM)
- Supply Chain Management (SCM)
- Business Intelligence (BI)
Aligning with business strategy and objectives and providing operational stability and resiliency, enterprise applications ensure organizations can respond quickly to changing market conditions and stakeholder requirements.
How can enterprise applications expertise be applied?
What enterprise application capabilities do I bring to the table?
Application Rationalization
Streamlining enterprise application portfolios enables business agility and responsiveness while avoiding “SaaS Sprawl” and technical debt, all in lockstep with keeping subscription costs optimized and meeting the growing demands of the organization.
By assessing the existing application landscape and identifying opportunities for consolidation, organizations can achieve application rationalization by eliminating redundancies and retiring legacy applications that are no longer effective or efficient.
Reducing complexity enables enterprises to focus on optimization instead of putting out fires, and leveraging enterprise applications enables the conditions for organizational maturity and growth.
SaaS Application Design
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) design requires a deep understanding applications that leverage cloud computing infrastructure for scalability, flexibility, and cost effectiveness.
SaaS applications are accessible from anywhere, at any time, independent of the underlying infrastructure or platform hosting an application.
Unlike monolithic on-premise legacy applications, SaaS applications have to factor in considerations such as multi-tenancy, seamless cross-platform integration, and high levels of performance and availability.
Software Architecture
Software architecture focuses on the design of software structures and systems to provide blueprints and frameworks that guide the software development process.
Unlike application architecture, which is more logical in nature and encompasses multiple layers of technology concepts, software architecture focuses on selecting the technologies, frameworks, and patterns that enable robust and functional software when assembed and structured.
Software architecture has to take into account not only the functional requirements that will make the software usable to the business, but also non-functional requirements such as performance, scalability, and the adaptability to changing requirements and business conditions.
Vendor Management
While more administrative than technical in nature, the strategic selection and management of third-party technology vendors is a critical aspect of implementing and managing enterprise technology architecture.
Vendor relationships require active management to ensure engagement and finding opportunities to partner on creating mutual and lasting value, while mindfully balancing vendor lock-in and supply chain risk.
In addition to relationship management, vendor management includes contract negotiation, monitoring vendor performance, and enforcing compliance with agreements and service level expectations.
