Web Based Applications - Transforming Businesses through Wider Reach

Intranet and the Internet are powering modern businesses and taking them to newer heights. Apart from improving productivity, they allow businesses to reach out to the end user faster and serve them better. In such a tech savvy environment web based applications play a pivotal role in the growth of any business. From online sales to customer support and social media integration,these apps can be deployed in variety of environments that help businesses achieve their goals. They allow businesses to increase their reach among the target audience without having to spend a fortune in development and deployment.

What Are Web Applications?

By definition web applications are simple client-server software applications where the client (user interface/front end) runs on a web browser. Here a user accesses the software via a web browser instead of installing it in the local system. These apps can be made available to the users using the Internet or the Intranet.

How Web Applications Work?

Let us now take a look at how web based applications work. This is a general chronology of a web application’s working and certain applications may differ depending on the service provider and how they have been developed.

• Users request access to the application via a web browser and this request is sent to the web server via the Internet or the Intranet. In case of secured access apps, the users must provide their access name and other identification credentials.
• The main server receives and authenticates (in case of access based apps) the request from the user. It that forwards the request to a suitable server where the app is installed.
• The server then processes the user’s request. Here it would access the database and respond to the user based on their exact request. The server coordinates with the user’s workstation to ensure a successful transaction of the information or action as requested by the user.
• In the last stage, the information or action appears on the user’s workstation as the server gets ready for more such requests for information and action from the user.

Open Source Software Leading The Way

The huge popularity of web based applications can be attributed to open source software that are used to build and run these applications. Content Management Systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Magento, Drupal, and Joomla have revolutionized web development and offer businesses a complete code-free environment for website management. These open source platforms allows businesses to incorporate mobile responsive designs that are optimized for the search engines, that allow wider reach to businesses, and allow them to improve their sales and profits. Similarly other open source platforms such as Cake PHP, Yii Framework etc. are being used by development agencies to build complex applications that allow businesses to communicate, promote, sell, and offer support services to their users.

Advantages of Web Applications

Web based applications offer a number of advantages over standalone desktop software that have made these highly popular with businesses across industries. These advantages include –

• Cross Platform Compatibility – Unlike traditional software, web based applications run via the web browser and hence they aren’t dependent on the operating system being used at the user end or the hardware configuration of the workstation. Thus the same application can be used on workstations running on Windows, Linux or Mac OS and be accesses via Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and other web browsers.
• Easy Deployment& Management– Web applications are far easier to deploy compared to standalone software. Since they are installed on the server all that you need to offer the users is an URL of the application and access rights to allow them to use the application. Since the software in installed only on the server it also become easy for businesses to work with updated security features. In the traditional model individual workstations would need to be updated.
• Better Accessibility& Interoperability – Since web applications aren’t system dependent these can be accessed anywhere and anytime by the user if they have the usage rights. This allows the users to benefit more from web applications compared to desktop and laptop based tools. Web applications are also interoperable where two different apps can be integrated to offer better services to the users.
• Highly Secured – Security of their tools is always a major concern for any business. Here too web applications fare better compared to their desktop counterparts. You can host these applications on a secured server that are constantly monitored by experienced administrator. This makes the entire environment more secured as compared to standalone tools where the onus of the security is often on the users.
• Cost Advantage – Thanks to the fact that open source software can be used to build web applications and they are easier to deploy and manage, businesses can save thousands of pounds annually switching to applications from standalone software. Reduced spending also helps businesses improve their reach and gain edge over their competitors.

Stages of Web Application Development

Web application development is one of the most exciting territories in the IT industry. From conceptualization to delivery every web application undergoes four stages of development. These are -

1. Designing – This is the first stage of the web application development process where the developers design the interface of the app. They create mock-ups and share the design with the client for their approval.
2. Coding – It is the most important stage of the process where the application is coded and its functions defined. Depending on the complexity of the app, there may be anything between dozens and thousands of functions.
3. Testing – In this stage the application is put through rigorous testing where every feature and functionality is tested to evaluate it and identify any bugs and flaws with the application.
4. Adjustment & Deployment – In the last stage any adjustments required on the app are carried out and then it is deployed on a server and made available to the users.

Web based applications have completely changed the way businesses use Internet and the Intranet to improve their operation and offer better services to the end users.

Ray Muket specializes in web based applications and works throughout Asia. He is also a consultant for Intellect Acute Agency.