Enterprise apps are already big business. More and more companies are harnessing the power of mobile applications and reaping a wide range of benefits.

If you’re a business owner interested in developing your own enterprise apps, keep reading to find out more about some of the key business areas they can bring benefits to.

Online shopping

90% of the world now lives in a place with access to a mobile network* so online shopping apps can explode your online sales.

Source: mobiThinking Global Mobile Statistics 2011

You may not be in the same league as supermarket Tesco, who recently launched an innovative barcode scanning/online shopping app, but you can still significantly improve your bottom line by embracing mobile shopping.

Imagine a world where almost anyone could potentially order one of your products from anywhere at any time – an online shopping enterprise app will make that vision a reality.

Interactive product catalogue

An enterprise app that delivers an interactive product catalogue will have the following benefits.

• Make your business look more professional
  If you have agents across the world promoting your products, an interactive product catalogue app will show you mean business.
  Imagine the difference it would make to show a digital product catalogue with interactive features rather than a traditional paper-based one.
• Give your sales staff a new way to show products to clients
  An interactive catalogue app will make your product more engaging for your sales people and customers alike.
• Save on re-printing costs when new product ranges are launched
  If your product catalogue frequently needs updated, an interactive app will be much easier to keep current rather than having to print new catalogues or inserts every time your business launches a new range.

Automated billing systems

• An enterprise app that automates your company’s billing systems could bring about a number of tangible benefits across the areas outlined below.
• Cut down on paperwork An automated billing system can help your business cut down on unnecessary paperwork.
• Time efficient By automating what can often be a time consuming process you can free up more time for your staff to do other things e.g. make sure your sales team spend less time on admin and more time selling.
• Environmentally friendly
  If you’re a large organisation, an automated billing system can not only cut down on paper but also streamline the posting out of invoices and receipts which will reduce the carbon emissions associated with your company’s activities.

As well as the three areas mentioned above, enterprise app can also be developed for human resource management, CRM, content management and IT deployment.

Whatever enterprise app you have in mind for your business, let our development team create a cost-effective and beneficial solution to drive your company forward in this mobile internet age.

Cloud computing can have many benefits for software development projects. This article looks at the Platform as a Service (PaaS) aspect of cloud computing.

Read on below to discover five key advantages of using cloud computing rather than traditional software development processes.

1. Only pay for what you use

When you’re having a new software application developed cloud computing means you only pay for what’s being used for your project.

Data storage and software upgrade costs can be significant depending on your software development project and cloud computing helps to reduce these so you don’t pay more than you have to.

If a company utilises cloud computing to develop your software applications then they will be able to pass these savings onto you as the client.

2. Scalability

Another major benefit of PaaS is its scalability. By using cloud computing for software development, smaller organisations can afford to punch above their weight and take on their bigger rivals.

Having access to larger servers, staff with a wider range of skills and more streamlined testing methods can all provide software scalability for small companies with big ideas.

3. Remote working

If you’re hiring a software development company, one of the biggest costs can be the provision of staff to work on your project.

Cloud computing methods help to limit these costs as those working on the project can do so from anywhere in the world providing they have a good internet connection.

Remote working and PaaS complement each other very well and are conducive to a collaborative online working environment.

4. Save money on hardware expenditure

Cloud computing negates the need for expensive investment in hardware in order to develop and bring your project to fruition.

If your chosen software development company has invested heavily in hardware such as state of the art servers, it’s inevitable that part of this cost will be passed on to you as the client.

Choosing a company that provides a cloud computing solution will significantly reduce costs as in effect the hardware is being rented on an ‘as required’ basis rather than being purchased outright.

5. Lessen your environmental impact

Cloud computing for software development is an environmentally-friendly way to manage your project.

The PaaS provider will be utilising their resources to the maximum and it makes sense for lots of companies to be using the power, hardware and resources as and when they need it rather than being used constantly in a number of different client’s locations worldwide.

The telecommuting aspect of cloud computing also plays a part in lessening damage to the environment as those working on your project don’t all have to travel to the same location; they can communicate and interact online.

Cloud computing can help make almost any business more agile by allowing direct and instant collaboration between those involved in a software development project.

Get in touch with Ardent today to discover more benefits of cloud computing for your software development needs.