Enterprise Software Development Best Practices

With overall digitalization and high standards related to the speed and quality of services set within industries today, the need for reliable and efficient software solutions is gradually growing. As a result, we can observe an increased demand for enterprise software development services. Working in this sphere for many years, we clearly understand the peculiarities of this type of solution and the specific requirements related to these products. As it is already a well-known fact that a properly-built product can pre-define the success of your business, it’s essential to approach the development seriously. In this article, we share enterprise software development best practices. We hope that our recommendations will help you not to omit something crucial in building a business solution.

And if, before proceeding directly to this information, you want to learn more about enterprise software, you can follow the link and read about its types and benefits for businesses.

Best engineering practices in enterprise software development: Our shortlist

To begin with, let us highlight that, in general, the development of applications for enterprises doesn’t seriously differ from building any other type of software. However, given the specificity of enterprise solutions, their purposes, and target audience, you should set the priorities correctly.

Define the key purposes of your solution and the set of tasks that it should solve

You should never start building an app just because it seems that your company is the only one that doesn’t have it. First, you should determine what needs it will serve. Then, before even thinking about the desired functionality, you should decide what business tasks and issues it should address. You can even create a list of these tasks that will later help you elaborate on the requirements for building your future app.

Analyze the software solutions that you currently have

When you determine that you want to create a new app, you need to analyze all the apps and tools in use. Then, consider the functionality of your software, resolve all existing issues, and conclude the feasibility of supporting these old apps, or maybe it will be better to replace some of them with a new product.

Think more about functionality, not about extraordinary design

Though we shouldn’t underestimate the role of UI/UX design for enterprise software products, it’s not the most important thing. In the case of apps built for a broad audience, innovation can become a key factor that will push users to start getting familiarized with a product. However, UI in business solutions has a different goal. It should be simple and intuitively straightforward. Though it still should be pleasant to interact with, it is better to concentrate more on convenient content location than following any modern trends. In addition, good UI/UX  in enterprise software should allow employees to quickly learn the entire app functionality and demonstrate excellent error-free performance.

Focus on scalability and productivity

Speaking about enterprise software development best practices, it’s important to mention that your solution should be capable of processing huge volumes of data simultaneously. And high load and many integrations shouldn’t influence the performance. Of course, all this must be carefully tested before you start launching the system.

Consider cloud computing for your software

Today we can observe a shift to cloud infrastructure in the sphere of enterprise app development. Cloud platforms help businesses to avoid expenses on on-premises infrastructure and, as a result, reduce operational costs. Moreover, it is much easier to organize remote work with cloud solutions and reach the necessary software scalability.

Make data security one of the top priorities

Your business workflow may include storing and processing vast volumes of sensitive data related to your enterprise and your clients’ business and private information. That's why such things as secure login, biometric or two-factor authentication (2FA), and data encryption are a must. In addition, possible data leaks and hacker attacks can lead to irreparable damage to business reputation and result in significant financial losses.

We can also recommend you organize data privacy training for all employees, including those who have been working at your company for many years. Moreover, such training can become a part of your onboarding program. Also, it will be sensible to regularly track your system for unusual activities to find any risks as soon as possible and minimize the impact of their consequences.

Carefully compose an integration plan

It’s essential to plan the process of integrating new applications into the software system that already exists at your enterprise. Mind possible connectivity issues and try to foresee them in advance.

Power app with reporting and analytics tools

We recommend enriching your enterprise solution with reporting and analytics tools. They will help you eliminate vast volumes of paperwork, minimize risks of human errors, organize efficient planning, and ensure high forecasting accuracy.

Create comprehensive training materials for employees

To ensure that you all are fully efficient, it is necessary to organize a good training process for your employees. You should define what skills and knowledge are required to operate your app and help your staff gain them.

Choose a reliable development team

Suppose your in-house developers and their skills are sufficient for building your solution. In that case, this point on our list of best practices in enterprise application development is not relevant for you. However, if you need to hire external specialists, be careful. Pay attention to their experience portfolio, and do not forget to read the reviews written by its clients. In our blog, you can find an article devoted to different business models that can establish cooperation with software development teams. You can find it here.

So, what is the formula of a perfect enterprise app? It depends. Enterprise solutions are a broad category of software products, and it unites very different outcomes. However, three main characteristics should be integral for every enterprise app. They are:

• security 
• scalability
• efficient dealing with clearly set tasks

Wrapping up

As you see, the development of an enterprise solution requires serious preparations and preliminary analysis of your ongoing issues and needs. The well-conducted study will become a strong foundation for your future solution to bring real value to your business.

Suppose you have any questions regarding this stage or further product development, or you need any help from seasoned technical experts at Geomotiv. In that case, we will always be happy to support you in this aspect. Contact us via our website, and we hope that we will become your reliable IT partner for many years.