Web Applications and The Cloud
Just what is a Web Application?
A Web Application is a computer software program that runs in a web browser.
Some examples are online forms, shopping carts, reporting systems, content management systems.
Web Applications run on a webserver to process the storage and retrieval of information. Information is presented using a combination of html and client-side scripts like javascript.
A Web Application can mobilise your workforce and allow staff to access business records from any device, anywhere you have internet access. This is more than just putting your files in Dropbox or OneDrive. What is means, is that your business software can be run from anywhere. Great for employees out of the office a lot, or people working from home.
Is a cloud solution attainable for my business?
Your business doesn't have to have hundreds of employees to be able to afford the flexibility and convenience of a web application.
We can create affordable Cloud enabled solutions for small to medium businesses.
Key to I.T. can design and develop an application for your business which works on mobile phones, tablets, and PCs. This type of multi-platform application runs on any device with any modern web browser.
There are many cloud service providers offering pay-by-the-month subscriptions. Microsoft Azure is one platform that provides cloud-based database service ideal for small applications for a few dollars a month.
This enables smaller businesses to have a robust, affordable and maintenance-free alternative to purchasing (and maintaining) hardware and software to host databases on inhouse servers.
On the other hand, if you already have an in-house windows server, it could be used to host a web application.
Web Application Advantages
Web Applications are a logical progression for a growing business, and can be designed to do almost anything!
- Easily add information from any location, on any device
- Search, sort, filter data
- Send emails when certain events happen
- Allow users to upload or download files to/from cloud storage
- Different users can have access to different functions, by applying user-level security
- And much much more
Searchable Grids
Have a look at an example of a searchable grid in action. The application is running in a web browser and the application and data are stored in the cloud on Microsoft's servers. This is a low cost hosting solution that enables any organisation to have an affordable modern, web-accessible application.