Optimizing app development processes creates additional benefits

Mobile application development has a substantial amount of factors that must be considered before carrying out the project itself. The evolution of the market has further complicated matters with an increasing variety of devices, operating systems, features and other necessary components that must be addressed for full support. With all of these options and decisions, it's easy for an element to be overlooked in the process. However, if users do not have all of their demands met, developers may find it difficult to make a case for the software. By optimizing application development, businesses will be able to streamline their efforts and reap additional benefits.

In the current mobile environment, much of the debate revolves around what coding approach to use, as well as what types of devices will be supported. While HTML5 form has the potential to drive cross-platform initiatives and significantly reduce the time and funding required, it's still a relatively young technology that many developers are not specialized in. This unfamiliarity has made most app builders stick with their tried-and-true methods. The fast-paced business landscape also limits the chances to experiment with the coding approach, leaving developers to use programs they understand how to work with. While the native languages can better address specific device capabilities, they leaves less room for creativity and require rewriting to suit other operating systems. Web apps take out this extra work while still providing the interface and tools that employees are looking for.

The power of optimization
While application development can take substantial effort, the programs should still be optimized for the best possible outcome. According to Gartner, by perfecting the development process and maintenance, organizations can reduce their budgets by more than 50 percent. This involves getting rid of outdated staffing methods, complex infrastructure and legacy programs that are still active in many businesses. These eliminated costs are significant and can help drive future software projects to be more efficient.

Organizations are also urged to consider their sourcing strategy and use of metrics to ensure that they are being effective in their development cycle. By choosing the best options for each aspect of the service and performing portfolio and life cycle analyses, the company can validate that its requirements are relevant while driving supplier simplification.

"By getting ADM sourcing under control from the strategy, life cycle and application architecture perspective, defining who does what through the blueprint, and introducing contractually and practically effective metrics to measure efforts and productivity, sourcing managers can activate a continuous optimization process that leverages both continuous improvement (to remove inefficiencies) and relevant benchmarking (to set up the pace and the scope of the improvement)," Gartner stated.

Thinking about language security
In creating an optimized approach to application building, organizations must also consider the security of the coding that they are choosing to leverage. According to a recent WhiteHat Security report, .NET, Java and ASP all have an average of 11 vulnerabilities within their systems. As three of the more popular and complex languages, developers need to account for these risks and patch them accordingly within their own creations. Organizations will also need to test the product thoroughly throughout the development phases to ensure that there are no critical issues that will have to be addressed later on. By elevating these types of security considerations, developers can deliver more products that are adequately protected from the beginning.

"Ultimately we believe that just as language choice begins at the architecture and design stage of application development, security must begin here as well," WhiteHat Security founder Jeremiah Grossman stated. "Understanding the impact of those decisions early will help address the management of the risk later on."