Last updated on October 1st, 2024 at 09:26 am
Enterprise web development is the process of designing, creating and maintaining web based applications and services to be used in a corporate or business environment. It is different from creating websites and applications for consumers and has its own difficulties and recommendations. Some key elements to consider for enterprise web projects include:
Robust and Secure Infrastructure
Businesses need web solutions and foundations that can support high usage loads, traffic, and big data or content stores. The non-fixed demand for the computing resources is possible owing to the use of clouds like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
Security measures should also not be a weak link for the organization and should therefore be up to par with the rest of the organisation’s capabilities. Techniques like role-based access controls, VPNs, HTTPS encryption, and stringent authentication protect sensitive corporate data. Other aspects like DDoS mitigation, vulnerability testing, and intrusion detection defend against cyber threats.
Integration With Existing Enterprise Systems
Most large enterprises use a diverse landscape of internal software systems and databases for functions like CRM, ERP, payroll, communications, etc. When seeking enterprise web application development services, it’s crucial to consider how new web apps must integrate with these other systems through APIs and services to create a cohesive digital environment.
Common integration challenges include connecting older legacy systems, accounting for internal data formats or protocols, and managing identity/access across different systems. Web developers must collaborate with enterprise IT teams on these fronts.
User and Access Management
Web applications dealing with company data require proper user permissions to meet the corporate hierarchy. In addition to the simple sign-on, web developers are required to provide role-based access and multi-factor authentication according to the current directory services of the enterprise.
User activity and security rights should also be logged in the system to track access and modifications to the web app, and for certain reporting/notification, which may be needed to identify security incidents for managers of the company.
Responsive Data Visualizations and Reports
Dashboards and BI reports are frequently at the very heart of web applications for business. The charts, graphs, and data tables in the form of dashboards should be backed by insights from the corporate data and databases.
For the delivery of UIs and visuals to be most useful to organizational decision-makers, the designs should be responsive to either a desktop or a mobile context. They should also provide the user with an option to customize the view of data and should be able to filter data dynamically to get to finer details. Optimizations are appropriate to maintain reports with large real-time data feeds as performant.
Offline Access and Synchronization
Web access can’t always be guaranteed for a mobile workforce. Enterprise web apps should use modern browser APIs like Service Workers, IndexedDB, and Background Sync to cache relevant data and pages for offline usage. Once connectivity resumes, the app should sync and update all information.
This improves productivity for field staff or teams traveling to client sites. Apps feel snappier by caching previously accessed data from the client side while offline. Developers have to carefully determine what to cache and manage concurrency with the live data backend.
Team Collaboration Features
Collaborative features like document sharing, task management, calendars, and messaging are table stakes for most enterprise web platforms. APIs can integrate third-party tools like Slack, Office 365, Box, or Google Workspace if needed.
Custom development may be necessary for unique collaboration workflows or content types specific to the organization and its internal teams or processes. Proper permissions and access controls on all user-generated data are also vital.
Mobile Support and Responsiveness
With bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies gaining adoption, enterprise web apps cannot just support desktop experiences. Mobile responsiveness through Bootstrap or other frameworks is essential so apps reflow and adapt across phones, tablets, and laptops.
This includes using touch/swipe gestures, optimizing for smaller screens, and simplified navigation/layouts suitable for mobile usage. Offline access as covered earlier also provides value specifically for mobile teams.
Analytics and Usage Tracking
Understanding feature usage and app traffic is key to iterating and improving enterprise web platforms. Google Analytics and Segment provide the base building blocks for tracking events, user flows, conversions, and other behavioral analytics.
Further custom instrumentation can reveal usage patterns within specific enterprise workflows. A/B testing experiments can help optimize and validate new features and UI changes before reaching all end users. Analyzing adoption and feedback guides ongoing roadmap prioritization.
Accessible and Inclusive Design
Enterprise web apps serve a diverse internal audience across age, background, language, and ability. Following modern web accessibility guidelines helps create inclusive experiences for all employees.
Some examples include adding ARIA landmark roles, color contrast ratios, keyboard/screen reader testing, captions for audio/video, and flexible UI themes. Meeting regulated accessibility standards is also important for public-sector projects.
Agile Process and Continuous Delivery
Enterprise web projects tend to iterate on the initial versions over multiple phases. Agile methodology with sprints, user stories, and regular stakeholder demos help align priorities and validate progress.
Continuous integration and delivery pipelines also automate testing and streamline deployment of changes. This allows the web app to progress rapidly and sustainably across distributed dev and ops teams.
Cloud Hosting and DevOps Environments
As highlighted earlier, cloud platforms provide the foundation for reliably hosting and scaling enterprise web apps. Expanding on this, container orchestration through Kubernetes and Docker simplifies deploying microservices and networking compared to monolithic architectures.
CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code further automate provisioning and configuring test, staging, and production environments. Robust monitoring and log aggregation give visibility into all systems. These DevOps practices help tame complexity as apps grow.
On-Premises Deployment Options
However, as the adoption of public cloud grows, some large organizations still host their web applications entirely on private infrastructure for security, policy, or legacy purposes. It is strategic to support on-prem deployment options while public cloud hosting is the preferred choice.
This means that for web developers, it is about creating data/network tiers that are portable and configurable, and not bound to particular cloud providers. It also supports the deployment versatility across environments Containerization also supports the density of deploying implementations. There are certain general constraints in virtualization, hardware constraints, and internal data gravity that have to be addressed.
Long-Term Support Expectations
Enterprise solutions are expected to be supported and maintained for extended time frames, usually multiple years. To sustain apps long-term, web platforms should be loosely coupled and componentized to simplify change isolation and upgrades.
End-of-life processes for dependencies like frameworks and programming languages should be planned ahead of time. Strong testing and DevOps practices establish confidence for ongoing incremental changes rather than huge, risky rewrites.
Compliance and Regulation Considerations
Highly regulated industries like finance, healthcare, energy, and government often mandate strict compliance rules. These span access controls, data security, retention policies, and development processes for enterprise web apps handling sensitive subjects.
Familiarity with major compliance standards like SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and country/region-specific regulations is advised. Plan for appropriate controls and auditing capabilities during initial development. Many testing and operational processes may require review and approval before deployments.
Integration With Digital Workplace Platforms
Enterprise portals or digital workplace platforms like SharePoint, intranets, and collaboration hubs have become popular end-user entry points. Integrating web apps into these portals through embeddable web parts, custom APIs, or single sign-on improves findability.
Data and components can also be shared between the web app and portal for a streamlined experience. As an example, surfacing business reports or tasks within SharePoint pages that originate from a deeper web app keeps users engaged.
Conclusion
The development of the enterprise web is different from the development of consumer-oriented sites and applications. However, practices such as stressing security, allowing offline operation, supporting cooperation, and making third-party incorporation more manageable reduce the complexity.
When done right, they become indispensable tools for enterprises that address tangible web app requirements and improve the efficiency of large groups of employees. The elements discussed here form a good base to enhance the achievement of business value.
Naveen Khanna is the CEO of eBizneeds, a company renowned for its bespoke web and mobile app development. By delivering high-end modern solutions all over the globe, Naveen takes pleasure in sharing his rich experiences and views on emerging technological trends. He has worked in many domains, from education, entertainment, banking, manufacturing, healthcare, and real estate, sharing rich experience in delivering innovative solutions.
