What is Enterprise Software?

Enterprise software is an all-encompassing term that refers to the software that is used in large organizations. Enterprise software is designed to address and meet the needs of substantial organizations rather than focusing on individuals. It involves a collection of computer programs with business applications, tools for modeling, and development tools to build applications that are designed to solve enterprise-wide concerns rather than individual situations.

Through the use of business-oriented tools, an enterprise software solution provides different services such as online shopping, payment processing, billing systems, security, business process management, enterprise content management, customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, project management, enterprise application integration, and much more.

Enterprise software also referred to as enterprise application software (EAS), is a critical component of a full-fledged information system that is designed to enhance productivity and efficiency through business logic functionality.

The mission of Enterprise Application Software (EAS)

As defined by Gartner, “enterprise application software includes content, communication, and collaboration software, CRM software, digital and content creation software, ERP software, office suites, project and portfolio management, and SCM software.”

To complement this definition, Martin Fowler talks about this concept in his Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture book, in which he states that “enterprise applications are about the display, manipulation, and storage of large amounts of often complex data and the support or automation of business processes with that data.”

In essence, the mission of EAS is to perform business functions, which can range from order processing to accounting,  with the purpose of solving enterprise problems. This type of software is commonly hosted on servers to provide continuous services to large groups of users.

Types of enterprise software

The most common types of EAS applications include: 

• Automated billing systems.
• Payment processing.
• Email marketing systems.
• Content management.
• Customer Relationship Management.
• Customer support.
• Enterprise Resource Planning. 
• Business Intelligence.
• Business Continuity Planning.
• Human Resources Management.
• Enterprise Application Integration.
• Messaging and collaboration systems.

Differences between Enterprise Software Development and other software types

As the concept of enterprise software development comes to life in the world of EAS, you may wonder how is it different from standard software development, as one might think that the processes are inherently similar. But we are here to let you know how they differ from one another.

For starters, enterprise software development is triggered by a specific business need otherwise, it is pointless to build enterprise-wide software. This means that when teams are developing an enterprise software solution, every aspect of its architecture must be taken into consideration as functions must be balanced with the need to meet design goals.

Another important difference lies in the ability of the software to scale. With enterprise software development, architecture must allow for sudden change without hindering performance. oNormal software development does account for change, but it is not on such a grand scale.

Enterprise software development relies heavily on the usage of cloud platforms to do most of the heavy lifting in terms of built-in tools, APIs, data integration, security, user management, reusable components and templates, and more. All must work together to help solve the task of enterprise software development.

Security is another differentiating aspect when it comes to enterprise software development. Because it is a large-scale development project, any security breach represents a bigger loss. In enterprise software development, security features must be at the forefront of the project scope, integrating with external security functionalities to make the security strategy more robust and well-rounded.

In regular software development, developers may experiment with different technologies and programming languages. With enterprise software development, the safest bet is to work with well-established solutions such as JAVA frameworks. This language is one of the most popular options in the enterprise software development world as it has been proven to work fast, perform exceedingly well, and deliver outstanding user experiences. Another advantage of using such a language in enterprise software development is that it prompts developers to create reusable bits of code.

In essence, regular software development projects are made with the individual user in mind while enterprise software development is commissioned, designed, built, and deployed with enterprise necessities in mind. Enterprise software development is tailor-made either as an internal development project or through hiring an outside vendor. With both options, the enterprise software solution is deliberately customized to meet every single need of the company and be in alignment with the company’s business processes.

Enterprise Software Development Workflow

The enterprise software development lifecycle is similar to the regular software development lifecycle, but more involved since it is for the creation of large-scale systems. In this section, we explore the different stages of enterprise software development lifecycle.

Planning an EAS project

Planning for an EAS project is a crucial cog in the enterprise software development machinery. Full-fledged enterprise architectures must configure and design the overall strategy of the EAS solution along with a comprehensive definition of the vision, objectives, requirements, and principles of the enterprise level project. 

Because enterprise software development projects are far more complex than software designed for individuals, the planning stage is also significantly more complex. A thorough collection and analysis of functional and business requirements are vital to creating a detailed plan for the enterprise software solution.

In essence, this stage is all about laying out the foundation for the enterprise software solution that will solve specific, enterprise-wide problems.

Specifics of the EAS lifecycle

For enterprise software projects, the development process entails the configuration of the design aspects, the implementation of all functionalities, and the integration of all feature components to be in line with the list of functional and business requirements that were initially designated for the project.

The EAS lifecycle integrates management, business, and engineering processes that support an enterprise mission. The overall process is designed for enterprise-wide activities and should be tailored to each company’s size, complexity, and scope.

The value of testing EAS

Because the development of enterprise-wide software is on a significantly larger-scale, the functionalities and features are complex and must be thoroughly tested. The testing of enterprise application software is designed to validate complex, scalable, component-based software with shared business applications in a composite environment.

Testing is critical in EAS environments as they are an essential component of the conglomerate of the company’s information system. Typically, due to its size, the enterprise application is divided into major functional modules and each is tested as a sub-system. The sub-systems are then tested to confirm that they operate correctly and are correctly integrated with each other.

The benefits of testing EAS include the validation of a high-quality application, responsive installation, quick launch, strong load tolerance, reliable performance, defect reduction, compatibility checks, security assurance, decreased time-to-market, and more.

EAS operation and support

Typically, enterprise application software is created to integrate with other enterprise applications across different networks and is designed and deployed by in-house development teams. These internal teams are in charge of the operation and support of such systems, making it relatively easy for organizations to maintain the performance of enterprise-wide solutions. 

On the other hand, companies may choose to outsource the overall development of enterprise software applications. Usually, software development companies which create enterprise applications offer an all-inclusive support and maintenance service suite to continuously provide assistance on an enterprise level.

Enterprise Software and SaaS solutions

In the choice between an enterprise software solution and Software as a Service (SaaS), there are numerous factors to take into consideration. As we previously stated, enterprise software is software installed on a company’s server to handle different enterprise-wide services while SaaS is software that is leased and hosted via the cloud over an internet connection. Different than enterprise software, SaaS solutions are multi-tenant which means that multiple organizations may work with the same umbrella of services in the exact same database.

Now, let’s take a look at the key factors that differentiate an enterprise software solution from SaaS: : 

• Customization: one of the biggest advantages of enterprise software over SaaS is its high-degree of software customization - with enterprise software, the software is specifically designed to address the company’s needs while SaaS solutions provide a portfolio of tools and services that can only be customized on a fairly limited level. As previously stated, SaaS solutions are multi-tenant making it difficult or nearly impossible to do extensive customization. 
• Price: With an enterprise software solution, companies purchase the software. In SaaS solutions, companies rent software services. With an enterprise software solution, the initial investment is significantly higher since the software is being purchased upfront rather than spreading the cost over monthly fees and licensing.
• Installation/upgrade: With SaaS solutions, as soon as companies sign the contract, they have immediate access to the software as it is readily installed and ready to run instantly. Additionally, upgrades are pushed automatically to all users with little to no effort on the client’s side. Enterprise software must be carefully designed, created, and installed on the client’s server, meaning it will not be up and running as quickly as a SaaS solution.  
• Testing: Enterprise software signifies more configuration and customization, which means that testing takes on a bigger, more important role that helps ensure the software system works as intended. With SaaS solutions, testing is far less intensive.
• Functionality: As proven, enterprise software systems are specifically designed to address every single functional need companies may have. With SaaS solutions, companies have access to a finite number of services which can limit their ability to perform all of the required functionalities an organization may require.

While SaaS solutions provide quick and universal access to software services, they lose the battle against enterprise software solutions when it comes to customization. Customization plays a key role in the success of enterprise software, allowing large-scale companies on an enterprise-wide mission to create solutions for specific problems, and SaaS solutions may find it hard to compete. 

Conclusion

As software development providers, Svitla Systems prides itself on creating strategic enterprise software development solutions that are designed to create and deliver the best possible results to address the needs of clients. By using the highest quality and newest technologies, Svitla Systems is committed to delivering end-to-end solutions for companies of all shapes and sizes.

Enterprise-wide software solutions are no small feat - which is why you should partner with a seasoned enterprise development company such as Svitla Systems for a superior enterprise software development experience where cutting-edge technology meets experienced developers who are passionate about giving clients what they want.

Reach out for more information about how Svitla Systems can help your enterprise projects. We are your ally in the business of transforming company needs into smart and powerful software solutions.