Platform as a Service: From Spark to Business Reality

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) is no longer just a ‘nice to have’ for the chosen few. It is now becoming a reality in more and more businesses. Today, we’re seeing an increasing number of decision makers looking to PaaS as a means of reducing the time it takes to develop and deploy applications. This movement is being swept along by the grassroots enthusiasm of citizen developers looking for ways to develop tailor-made apps to personal business specifications. With demand for PaaS on the rise, businesses are looking for ways to ensure a smooth, trouble-free implementation of the platform. The following considerations of choice, speed and integration sum up the factors that can dictate success versus failure.

Choice

No business is the same. Therefore, a cloud offering that is binary by nature will be doomed to failure. Thankfully, cloud technology is set up to accommodate all budgets, timelines, priorities and locations. A recent Vanson Bourne study has shown that 57% of IT decision makers feel that their current infrastructure makes app development difficult. Meanwhile, 41% said their set-up actually made deployment problematic. Businesses can mitigate development and deployment constraints by implementing a PaaS that easily aligns with existing infrastructure.

Speed of delivery

The need for speed is a familiar concept across all business departments. Teams look to technology as a means of facilitating efficiency, agility and collaboration. Despite concerns around security, cost and skills, individuals outside of the IT department want the tools to build tailor-made applications in real-time. 85% of respondents to the Vanson Bourne study say that there is a demand within their organization to reduce the time it takes to build and deploy new apps. PaaS is the fastest delivery option available. The democratization of app development will equip everyday users with a visual programming environment to build their own apps. The resulting ease of pressure on programmers and the IT department will speed up delivery and deployment.

All in one

Given the fast moving nature of technology trends, businesses must build apps that can adapt to new devices, platforms and data. As a result, buying a PaaS solution must be as much about flexibility as it is about cost. By way of an example, it would be no use buying a PaaS that only allows you to develop web apps. Apps must now be able to transcend devices and work across phones, tablets and computers to combat the challenges created by an increasingly mobilized workforce. Although 51% of those surveyed within the Vanson Bourne study see the increased mobility of their workforce as a driver for ‘mobile first’ apps, only 22% of new apps created are being built as ‘mobile first’. In other words, all-in-one PaaS offerings allow organizations to change focus where needed and explore new trends and opportunities.

Demand for PaaS will continue to rise, breeding a whole new generation of app developers. To stay ahead of trends like mobility and cloud, your business needs a reliable platform that enables you to rapidly build data driven apps and deploy them on any cloud or device. To get an idea of how others in the industry are using PaaS, check out our infographic below, and then download a free trial of Progress Pacific today.

Does PaaS Pay Off? Vanson Bourne Survey Results