4 Enterprise App Dev Challenges + Tips to Overcome Them

Much of these new applications being brought to market help bridge outdated, manual systems with new, connected and automated technologies to achieve efficiencies.
According to Grand View Research, the global enterprise application market will be worth about $259B by 2022.
As companies look for new solutions to add to their arsenal, the market will continue to witness growth, but not without some challenges. In particular for those developing and tasked with implementing these applications.
Here’s a closer look at some of the challenges that arise with enterprise application development and tips to overcome them.

Challenge #1 – Legacy Systems & Backend Interoperability
The problem a lot of application developers run into when trying to build new solutions for businesses involves legacy software. When this software was created years ago there was no thought about it being able to interact with advanced offerings in the future.  
Because of this lack of scalability, there are numerous integration challenges to overcome including deciding if it’s worth it to leave a legacy system behind altogether and start new. By connecting and integrating systems in the backend so they can work seamlessly, these applications won’t just serve a purpose today but will be flexible enough to meet future needs as well.
Tip:  After careful consideration of how to best modernize or even scrap and rebuild a legacy system, it’s important to use modular engineering and a configurable infrastructure to be future-ready.

Challenge #2 – BYOD Problems
Most businesses today have employees and users who are on the go. They aren’t tethered to desks working from one central location and many use a mix of personal and business devices to get work done. In the world of BYOD, challenges are also born for developers. With different devices connecting to networks and needing access to applications, that leaves tons of room for errors and other failures to occur.
Tip: Ensure that enterprise applications are built with compatibility for any OS so that separate applications won’t need to be built. Hybrid apps that leverage open source frameworks can solve compatibility and support problems.

Challenge # 3 – Security Challenges
Keeping security top of mind in everything a business does is critical today. Especially with BYOD at play, ensuring that security protections are in place for applications and software is a must. For applications that are being developed to utilize confidential data, this need is even greater. In addition to security breaches, there are a number of rogue attacks that if not pre-planned for, can infiltrate and infect entire networks.
Tip:  In addition to setting up user access control, be sure that encryptions, firewalls and up-to-date security software are in place to protect applications as well as the host and network.

Challenge #4 – Skills Shortages
Most organizations won’t have the manpower or skillset in-house to conduct application development and will seek help from an outside expert. This internal skill shortage can slow down plans for application development or halt it altogether. You need experts in developing the applications, those who understand how to implement them for seamless operation and also a team that ensures the strongest levels of security are being used.
Tip:  To combat this challenge choose a team that not only develops successful enterprise apps but that has a strong skill set and the knowledge necessary to create apps that will provide benefits well into the future.
VLink develops customized, high-quality, flexible applications that are cost-effective and easy to maintain. In addition, we can monitor, analyze and manage enterprise applications whether they are in the cloud, on-site, or a hybrid and deliver improved user experiences so businesses can focus their own efforts on growing the bottom line.
Get in touch today to learn more!