So what is a Web Application? Proprietary programs lock individuals into a common way of doing things; backend databases can provide a plethora of data. Often time this data is already being captured but is not being shared. Web apps make bringing the data together easy.

Well Wikipedia defines it as follows:

In software engineering, a Web application or webapp is an application that is accessed via Web over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. It is also a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language (such as HTML, ASP, PHP, Perl, etc.) and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable (wikipedia.org, 2007).

Well what does that really mean? We’ve all heard of amazon.com, some of us do banking online, still others of use some form of web mail. Well these are all web apps. As the Internet matures people are finding ways to exploit its intended purpose (the transfer of data from one place to another).

One of my big projects right now is the development and deployment of a project management web app. The back end technology that we chose for this project is the Metastorm BPM Suite. We’re using it this to eliminate a proprietary closed application. In our current environment our workflow was determined by what the application allowed us to do. This created a situation that over time as we grew has become more of a problem than an aid. In other words we are tailoring our workflow based on a piece of software rather than the other way around. With Metastorm BPM we can define our workflow and build an application that mimics it. Additionally, as we grow we can refine our process to incorporate changes within the organization. The key with this is to determine processes before writing the code.

With BPM we can now automate processes that we manually preformed in the past. One example of this is the move to a PDF based workflow as well. Though not considered a web app. PDFs are an integral part of any digital workflow. Now instead of having to track changes to a document via paper changes can be tracked within the PDF. Now when we get to a certain part of our process we simple pass the PDF to legal for sign off. One other benefit we’re seeing with this new workflow is the ability for many people to have visibility into a project, giving them a much broader vision of the process (seeing the bigger picture). Now members of a global team has accomplished, where the hold ups are, and move them through obstacles while the other half of the team is off line.

SaaS (or Software as a Service) is a common trend these days. Pick up any IT trade rag and you won’t be able to get through the magazine with reading 3 or 4 articles about it. SO what is SaaS and why is it this paper? Wikipedia defines it as:

Software as a service (SaaS) is a software application delivery model where a software vendor develops a web-native software application and hosts and operates (either independently or through a third-party) the application for use by its customers over the Internet. Customers do not pay for owning the software itself but rather for using it.

Well what does that really mean? Well all those nice web apps that we’ve been talking about now becomes an on going revenue stream for the developers. It still uses the Internet for access to these app. They are access via a web browser. An application that usually fits into this model is CRM (or Customer relationship management) and Video Conferencing (think adobe Connect or WebEx) applications. To a certain extent this makes sense for smaller organizations. The reduce the IT overhead necessary to purchase, install and maintain these technologies. The down side to this is that you are relying on other organizations to handle services for your organization. Recent events have shown that it may not be a wise business move to outsource business critical services. In April 2007 over 8 million subscribers were without service. From about 8 p.m. EDT last night until 7 a.m. today, users were without e-mail. While most users were back up by the morning, some people reported not coming online until late in the afternoon (MAYEROWITZ, 2007). They say the lightening never strike twice in the same place, unfortunately for RIM it did. On February 11th it happened again. While doing some upgrades PIM experienced another sever outage. You decide!
Another area of concern with Web applications is they are more vulnerable to attacks. One has to remember that these “applications” are/need to be accessible through a web browser over a network using many different protocols to gather and display information. Numbers of global web apps.

Resources:

Mayerowitz, S., (2007, April 18), Major BlackBerry Outage Leaves Millions Without E-Mail Retrieved on March 17, 2008 from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=3052158

Various, (18 March 2008), Software as a service, Retrieved on March 20, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_as_a_Service

Various, (19 March 2008), Web application, Retrieved on March 20, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_application