Next Gen Application Development

I’ve been a technology developer by profession in a career spanning more than two decades. And I have seen how the thrust of the technology industry has always been continuous improvement and innovation -- whether by finding out new ways to interface with technology, predominantly computers, or being able to build these interfaces more efficiently.  

Today, we live at an unprecedented time where only our imagination limits how we interface with technology so we can use it to do great things in everyday activities.

Here are some of my reflections on the key aspects of developing a modern front-end application.  

1. It has to be SaaS ready.

In this era of the cloud, everything is available as a service. It’s just no longer practical for a developer to build an HR or Finance application from scratch. But let’s be real, organizations are unique, and their specific business processes or features differentiate them from their competition. Let’s face it, not all of these nuances can be handled by SaaS providers. 

A good development platform should be able to seamlessly extend the functionality specific to each organization.  

2. Build and go. 

Are you still installing, configuring and adding on stuff to your workstation? In this fast-paced world, those who can roll out new features get that added advantage. 

Organizations need to be agile in introducing new functionality lest they get leap-frogged by their competition.

3. Build functionality once, deploy to multiple platforms.

There are various platforms available -- web, mobile, tablets, iOS, android. Developers should spend more time building business-value-differentiating functionality rather than figuring out how to make specific apps work for various platforms. 

Conclusion.

All these aspects are key, if not required, components to enable organizations make their digital systems future ready. 

Which of the three aspects I discussed do you think is the most important? Do you have more to suggest?  Hit the comments.