What is a web application?

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A web application is an application that runs on the web via a web browser like Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. You access a web application in exactly the same way you would a regular website; by typing a web address into the address bar of your web browser of choice.

Rather than discuss the wider aspects of more commercial high-end web applications from the likes of Microsoft, SAP or Seibel, I’ll instead concentrate on the general aspects and features, giving you a broader overview of what a web application is.

What’s the difference between web applications and desktop applications?

The most fundamental difference is that you won’t have to install a web application onto your computer — nor will you have to double-click an icon to start it!

There are several key differences between a web application and a desktop application:

  • As mentioned, you’re unlikely to install a web application onto your computer.
  • Because a web application exists (is hosted) on the web, you can access them from almost any location where you have access to an internet connection and a suitable web browser.
  • Most web applications allow for teams of people to work together, sharing the same data & information.
  • Software licenses are often more flexible than their desktop equivalents; modest “per seat” licenses or no license fees at all.

What are the advantages / benefits of a web application?

Certainly from a business perspective, having a web application written specifically for your business means you’re unlikely to be paying for features that you don’t want, as is often the case when you buy off-the-shelf application software like Microsoft Office, for example.

Assuming you’re having a web application developed for your business, the advantages / benefits of a web application are:

  • When you have a web application developed for your business, your needs are being addressed specifically.
  • By automating key business processes, you and your team can save valuable time.
  • Far greater work capacity, so you can commit to higher work volumes without increasing working time.
  • A web application should help towards reducing data errors, loss and duplication.
  • The potential for much higher efficiency across any / all business processes that have been automated by your web application.
  • A web application will free up valuable computer resources, allowing key staff to work remotely.
  • An increase in the accuracy of data entry and manipulation.
  • Measurable cost savings over time (greater ROI).

There are also a number of differences that can be considered disadvantages:

  • While web application software is now very sophisticated, certain standards that govern the way a web page is assembled and viewed by the web browser means there can be inconsistencies between the different web browsers, in some cases even leading to a web application simply not working at all.
  • Since web applications exist on the web, they may be vulnerable to attacks and exploits that could compromise sensitive commercial databases and customer details.
  • If your internet connection is faltering, or the host is experiencing issues, you may not have fast or complete access to your web application.

Some of these negative factors can be mitigated to some extent, but it is impossible to remove all of the issues completely.

Testing a website or web application

Any website or web application should undergo rigorous testing stages to ensure maximum compatibility with the web standards and the web browsers you anticipate are most likely to be used by your users.

Reducing security issues

When developing a web application, there are number of standard programming methods and guidelines that can significantly reduce the likelihood of a successful intrusion, possibly compromising sensitive data.

What’s a typical web application?

Almost any kind of desktop application can be turned into a web application (given enough storage space and bandwidth), with the addition of the advantages outlined previously.

Typically, web applications for SMEs (Small-to-Medium Sized Enterprises) would be:

  • Job ticketing, auditing, billing and invoicing.
  • A CMS (Content Management System), for managing web pages for a website, or a corporate network.
  • Selling products / services on-line (more often referred to as e-commerce).
  • Managing digital assets like video, audio and photography.
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.
  • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

How does a web application work?

The application itself exists on a web server, which is essentially a computer used specifically for hosting (or serving) web pages from websites, or in this instance web applications.

Unlike a website, there are no web pages as such (certainly not in same way as a website), although you will move from one web page to another, those web pages are often virtual, in the sense that they are created instantly for the purposes on a particular task.

A typical web application will:

  • Have a sign-in screen, with accounts for each user, each user in turn may (or may not) have different permissions to access different parts of the web application.
  • Because the principle function of most web applications is to manage data, it is common for the user to be entering data into form fields, or otherwise managing previously entered data.
  • Once the data has been processed in some way, then that data (or digital asset) is often exported out in some other fashion.
  • This manipulation of data may be in the form of reporting, data analysis, generating charts & graphs, or simply saving the data for use in Microsoft Excel, for example.
  • If it is a requirement that the data processing be shared amongst a team of people, it may be a requirement for there to be some form of reporting and annotation, so that each user can explain to or receive reports from other users, relating to their activities.
  • There may also be the need to send reports or other notifications via email from within the web application itself, to a client for approval, as an example.
  • In the vast majority of cases, a web application will save the most if not all of its data to database of some description.

Are web applications cost-effective?

In the short-term, a web application will most likely be an expensive commitment, both for the initial planning stage and the subsequent development of the application itself, but offering a superior ROI (Return On Investment) over the long-term.

Additionally, to ensure that the web application itself meets with the specific requirements of those who’re going to be using it most often, a commensurate commitment of time is required by those parties, to outline their needs in detail to the developer.

In conclusion

As the internet deepens its penetration into our personal and professional lives, permeating our living rooms and our offices, we demand ever more agile and flexible tools.

Also, being on the move is no longer the barrier it once was. With the help of mobile devices like the Apple iPhone, RIMs BlackBerry and other smart phones, we can work from almost anywhere, wirelessly in some cases.

However, all of this flexibility counts for very little if our business requirements are held hostage by inflexible software that doesn’t meet our specific needs.

In time, as the cost of mobile communications continues to fall, coupled with ever more inexpensive software development tools and hosting fees, web applications will become more and more common place in businesses of all sizes — businesses just like yours perhaps?

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How a web application can save your business money in a recession

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We’re on the brink of a global recession and here’s me talking about web applications for your business! Well here’s the thing — why not save money while you’re making money?

Octane can help your business maximize profitability by reducing costs through automating tedious and complex tasks.

Right now, business owners all over Britain are looking at 2009 as a year of change. Many businesses are going to struggle, which is sadly inevitable. The question is a simple one: will your business survive the hardening global economy?

Building on your strengths and removing weaknesses

Many businesses have their own routines and their own ways of doing things. Microsoft Office is good to a point, but businesses need more flexibility.

Certain aspects of their business processes are automated, some are paper-based. It’s when one of those processes moves from computer to sheets of paper, and then back again, that things become difficult to measure, even harder to quantify and innumerable errors creep in.

This need not be the case. This is where a custom-built web application picks up where Microsoft Office et al and sheets of paper stop short of fulfilling their business needs.

By automating as many of their processes as possible, we remove most, if not all, of the traps that snag businesses, ruin productivity and invite error.

You, the innovator

I will sit down with your whole team and invite a candid, honest discussion, detailing specific needs, at the end of which, I’ll be equipped with an intimate knowledge of how your business functions. From there, we as a team will develop an outline of the ideal solution to your business needs.

  • Bespoke software specific to your business
  • Access your software from anywhere location
  • Secure and private access
  • Completely automate specific aspects of your business
  • Track, measure and analyze your data

Your business. Your needs. Your solutions.

  • Automation saves time
  • Greater work capacity
  • Reduced data errors
  • Increased work efficiency
  • Increased data accuracy
  • Cost savings over time (ROI)

I can really help your business possibly save thousands of pounds over time, freeing your team up to be more productive elsewhere in your business — where it matters most…

Hungry for success? Quality is a key ingredient

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Quality is one of those things we sometimes take for granted, or simply neglect. Don’t. Quality has to be at the very heart of your business.

Quality control — food for thought?

On visiting a client of mine a couple of years ago, he asked if we’d like lunch. Since it was due to be a long meeting, discussing the future of their website (which was to be re-built as a Content Management System, so they could manage the website themselves), we said yes and he gave instructions to a senior secretary to get sandwiches. He also gave her explicit instructions to not use the local sandwich shop nearby. As she left, he then began to explain why.

You see, he once bought a sandwich that had, secreted within the folds of meat and salad, a long black hair. For most, that’s the moment you throw the sandwich into a bin. For the local sandwich shop, that was also the moment they lost a huge amount of repeat trade.

When poor service leaves a bitter after taste

In my mind at least, this incident was merely the fall out from something much more serious, and that’s a lack of customer care. The guys at the sandwich shop must have been aware that a local company was spending a lot of money with them, so why not sweeten the deal? When I say “local company”, I mean a head office for a multi-national business, employing hundreds of people.

My client was vocal in his protestations, and the moment the hair-in-sandwich story got around, well guess what? Most of the office staff followed suit and never bought another morsel of food from those guys again.

Customer care — eating humble pie?

If the guys at the sandwich shop had been more attentive, instead of my client simply stopping buying from them, he may have felt compelled to have called them to explain what he’d found in his sandwich. At which point, said sandwich shop should have ensured the next time they wanted food, it would either be steeply discounted, or even free.

And you know what would have helped precipitate this more positive outcome? Just saying “Hi!” to my client when he walked into their sandwich shop.

By all accounts, that never happened. Not once. Not what I’d call a recipe for success…

Ebook: The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media

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The Beginners Guide to Social Media ebook cover graphicThe Beginners Guide to Social Media: an introduction to social media from a business perspective, is my new and free social media ebook, ready to download right now.

Lots of businesses around the world are struggling to understand what social media is, what it offers and what it means for their business. My new ebook will help demystify social media, helping you understand how to incorporate social media into your business:

“My eBook, The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media is your introduction to social media for businesses. This 35 page illustrated eBook is packed with advice and years of practical social media know-how and hard-earned business experience.”

Here’s just some of the many benefits of understanding social media for businesses:

  • Find out what Facebook can do for your business
  • Discover how blogging can benefit your business
  • Learn how to optimize your business website or blog for social media
  • Read what your customers are saying about your business
  • Track and monitor topics and trends in your industry
  • Maximize your business presence on the web
  • Get to know all of the top websites to promote your business

In addition to the ebook, there’s a blog, which I hope will become a good place to share all of the simple social media hints & tips I come across during my travels.

Right now, there’s three articles, discussing how to make the best of Google Alerts, Google Trends, and a discussion detailing the benefits of having a business blog.

Questions? I imagine so. That’s why I’ve written an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page, to help you along.

Download ebook

To download my new ebook, just follow the link, fill out the response form and then follow the download instructions.

If you know of any friends or family members who’re in business, but unsure about social media, please feel free to tell them about my ebook and send them the link!

How saying “No thanks!” can be expensive, but not the way you think

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We can’t always say “Yes!” to every offer of work. I know this only too well. And sometimes, saying “No thanks!” can be costly to you, but an educational process to someone else.

While this situation doesn’t occur that often, it’s certainly happened often enough for me to consider how expensive saying “No thanks!” can be.

Back in September, I talked about the power of saying “No” to clients, and how it’s not always automatically a bad thing. The thing is, saying “No thanks!” is slightly different and not always as straight forward as it appears to be.

I had an offer of work, all of which came in the form of a Microsoft Word file. The problem was, the file was in a terrible state and would require an inordinate amount of effort to fix the layout before it could be turned into something usable.

The ROI (Return on Investment) of giving away business knowledge

For me, at the the quoting stage, I was presented with a clear problem; how do I communicate to the prospective client the amount of work required to knock the Word file into shape?

The prospective client would want to know why it was going to be at least a day of my time just re-working the layout. So their question to me would then require at least some kind of explanation of layout and the design process. For me to say “No thanks!” could easily turn into an expensive educational process with a question return on my investment.

For a prospective client that I’m trying to say “No thanks!” to, I could easily spend an hour of my time, which isn’t going to be paid for. Now, you could argue that having explained this to the prospective client, they could make the decision to go with my advice. However, at the time, they’d made it clear the layout wasn’t a priority. But for me to even use the content of the Word file, the layout most definitely was a priority!

This is just one example, but when you sit down and think of all the times that prospective clients catch you on the phone and the conversation drifts into an exploratory, partially educational process, for them to just say “No thanks!” to you, that’s yet another avenue for lost, non-billable time.

Business education as an investment?

Now, the situation is totally different when it comes to existing clients. I think educating clients is part & parcel of what I do, since my role is more a consultancy and partner than being a mere supplier. I’m happy to invest my knowledge into my clients because I’m confident that the effort will result in additional work over the long-term, as well as increasing their value in me.

An existing client clearly has some trust in you, so they’re going to value your knowledge. And they’ll value your knowledge all the more once you’re able provide demonstrable evidence, with results.

As a legitimate business activity, earning trust should play a major role.

Of course, you need to keep things simple and not give too much away. Revealing too much about what you do can be as harmful as not saying enough. Ideally, you’re trying to minimize the amount of thinking your client needs to do.

The take-away advice here is to be aware of the time you’re spending saying “No thanks!” and how you choose to walk away from project estimates. But also be aware that giving your knowledge to existing clients could be a valuable investment.