Enterprise Applications

And Bespoke IT
Applications.

Assignment no. 1
Business Analytics

Submitted to :

Dr. KAWALJEET SINGH

DIRECTOR
UNIVERSITY COMPUTER
CENTRE
Submitted by:

Ravneet Singh
MBA-II 3RD SEM
140423361

Enterprise Application
Introduction:
An enterprise application is the phrase used to describe applications (or software) that a business
would use to assist the organization in solving enterprise problems. When the word "enterprise"
is combined with "application," it usually refers to a software platform that is too large and too
complex for individual or small business use. An enterprise application is a business application,
obviously. As most people use the term, it is a big business application. In todays corporate
environment, enterprise applications are complex, scalable, distributed, component-based, and
mission-critical. They may be deployed on a variety of platforms across corporate networks,
intranets, or the Internet. They are data-centric, user-friendly, and must meet stringent
requirements for security, administration, and maintenance. In short, they are highly complex
systems.
Designing and developing such enterprise applications means satisfying hundreds or thousands
of separate requirements. Whats more, every development decision you make to satisfy each
requirement affects many other requirements, often in ways that are difficult to understand or
predict and the failure to meet any of these requirements can mean the failure of the entire
project!
Definition:
Software designed to integrate all aspects of a firm's operations and processes such as
accounting, finance, human resources, inventory control, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and
distribution, and resource planning. Advanced enterprise applications provide linkages with
customers, business partners, and suppliers.

Enterprise Application Requirements

Like any modern application, an enterprise application must be reliable, perform well, provide an
intuitive and efficient user interface, and so on. But beyond these common qualities, it can be
characterized by three specific attributes.
An enterprise application is:

Large

A multi-user, multi-developer, multi-machine, multi-component application that can manipulate

massive data and utilize extensive parallel processing, network distributed resources, and
complex logic. It can be deployed across multiple platforms and inter-operate with many other
applications, and it is long lived.

Business Oriented

Its purpose is to meet specific business requirements. It encodes business policies, processes,
rules, and entities, is developed in a business organization, and is deployed in a manner
responsive to business needs.

Mission Critical

An enterprise application must be robust enough to sustain continuous operation. It must be

extremely flexible for scalability and deployment, and allow for efficient maintenance,
monitoring, and administration.

Enterprise Application Model

Today's enterprise applications are too complex for anyone to grasp completely. No one can hold
all the requirements, option, and design choices in mind at one time, much less understand how
each requirement affects all the others. Designing large-scale distributed applications calls for a
way to simplify all this complexity, and the best approach to managing complexity is through
abstraction. By grouping similar requirements together into a small number of abstract
categories, you can approach them in a more orderly way. These groups can be arranged to show
how they affect and depend on one another, allowing you to break the overall enterprise
application development problem into a small set of more manageable tasks. When you
understand the interactions between groups of requirements, you can tackle them in a systematic
manner, balancing and adjusting each requirement as you go.
The Enterprise Application Model presented here is such an abstraction. The model is an orderly
summation of all requirements that contribute to implementing every enterprise application,
divided into six specific "sub-models." The following table lists these requirements as items to
define or deliver within each model.
Model

Requirements

The development model

Development team Development process Project management Source code

control Testing Application milestones and deliverables

The business model

Business goals Development cost Return on investment Resources needed

Time constraints Security and maintenance Existing infrastructure
investment Business rules and policies

The user model

User interface Ease-of-use requirements Training and documentation

Application support Users desktop configuration and network connection

The logical model

Logical structure of the application Object and data modeling Business

objects and services Interface definitions

The technology model

Component development or reuse Development tools Deployment

platforms System and database technologies Clustering, pooling, and
messaging technologies

The physical model

Physical application architecture Distribution and interconnection of

components End product of the iterative inputs of each of the other submodels

Common Types of Enterprise Applications

Some of the more common enterprise applications include the following:

Automated billing systems

Payment processing

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Business Intelligence (BI)

Business Continuity Planning (BCP)

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

Enterprise Content Management

Enterprise search

Enterprise Messaging Systems (EMS)

Automated billing systems :

Automated billing is an action in which the invoicing for goods and services occurs
without the need to prepare the invoice by hand. Many billing systems of this type
provide the ability to generate and send electronic copies of the invoices to customers.
The use of this type of billing software makes it possible to manage the invoicing process
with greater efficiency, saving the company both time and money.
There are several features that are common to automated billing software. In most cases,
the software is designed to allow the creation of customer profiles which contain all the
data needed to accurately prepare the invoice. This data will include the customer name,
billing address, billing contact, and an email address if the invoice is to be sent
electronically. In most cases, the automated billing program will collect data from other
sources that have to do with customer usage, or allow for the manual entry of orders once
they are fulfilled. The processes within the billing system then apply the proper rates for
each order and create an invoice.

Electronic Shopping Carts & Payment Processing

An electronic shopping cart is a critical aspect of en e-commerce business. The shopping
cart is the software (or series of scripts) that allows users to select products from your
Web site, save them and check out when they are done shopping. In the early stages of
electronic shopping, the shopping cart was usually a basic HTML form from which a
customer selected the products he wanted to purchase. Long before using a credit card
over the Internet was widely accepted, it was common to find that you would need to
print the form and mail it along with a money order or credit card information to the
company. Over time, as e-commerce grew and online stores began to offer hundreds, if
not hundreds of thousands of products, obviously a better method for storing a customer's
purchases and placing an order was needed.

CRM - Customer Relationship Management

Customer relationship management (CRM) entails all aspects of interaction that a
company has with its customers, whether it is sales or service-related. While the
phrase customer relationship management is most commonly used to describe a businesscustomer relationship (B2C), CRM systems are also used to manage business to business
to business (B2B) relationships. Information tracked in a CRM system includes contacts,
clients, contract wins and sales leads and more. CRM solutions provides the business data
to help you provide services or products that your customers want, provide better
customer service, help sales teams to cross-sell and up-sell more effectively, close deals,
retain current customers and to better understand who your customers are. Organizations
frequently look for ways to personalize online experiences (a process also referred to as

mass customization) through tools such as help-desk software, email organizers and
different types of enterprise applications.
The Benefits of CRM
The biggest benefit most businesses realize when moving to a CRM system comes directly
from having all your business data stored and accessed from a single location. Before CRM
systems, customer data was spread out over office productivity suite documents, email
systems, mobile phone data and even paper note cards and Rolodex entries. Storing all the
data from all departments (e.g., sales, marketing, customer service and HR) in a central
location gives management and employees immediate access to the most recent data when
they need it. Departments can collaborate with ease, and CRM systems help organization to
develop efficient automated processes to improve business processes.
Other benefits include a 360-degree view of all customer information, knowledge of what
customers and the general market want, and integration with your existing applications to
consolidate all business information.

ERP - enterprise resource planning

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is business process management software that allows
an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and
automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human
resources. ERP software integrates all facets of an operation, including product planning,
development, manufacturing, sales and marketing.
ERP software is considered an enterprise application as it is designed to be used by larger
businesses and often requires dedicated teams to customize and analyze the data and to
handle upgrades and deployment. In contrast, Small business ERP applications are
lightweight business management software solutions, customized for the business
industry you work in.

BI - business intelligence
The term business intelligence (BI) represents the tools and systems that play a key role
in the strategic planning process of the corporation. These systems allow a company to
gather, store, access and analyze corporate data to aid in decision-making.
Generally these systems will illustrate business intelligence in the areas of customer
profiling, customer support, market research, market segmentation, product profitability,
statistical analysis, and inventory and distribution analysis to name a few.
Most companies collect a large amount of data from their business operations. To keep
track of that information, a business and would need to use a wide range of software
programs, such as Excel, Access and different database applications for various

departments throughout their organization. Using multiple software programs makes it

difficult to retrieve information in a timely manner and to perform analysis of the data.
Business intelligence software is designed with the primary goal of extracting important
data from an organization's raw data to reveal insights to help a business make faster and
more accurate decisions. The software typically integrates data from across the enterprise
and provides end-users with self-service reporting and analysis. BI software uses a
number of analytics features including statistics, data and text mining and predictive
analytics to reveal patterns and turn information into insights.

BCP- Business Continuity Planning

Short for Business Continuity Planning, BCP a term that covers both disaster recovery
planning (DRP) and business resumption planning. BCP is the preparation and testing of
measures that protect business operations and also provide the means for the recovery of
technologies in the event of any loss, damage or failure of facilities.
Disaster recovery plan DRP:
Short for disaster recovery plan, DRP is a plan for business continuity in the event
of a disaster that destroys part or all of a business's resources, including IT equipment,
data records and the physical space of an organization.

EAI- Enterprise Application Integration

Acronym for enterprise application integration. EAI is the unrestricted sharing of data
and business processes throughout the networked applications or data sources in an
organization. Early software programs in areas such as inventory control, human
resources, sales automation and database management were designed to run
independently, with no interaction between the systems. They were custom built in the
technology of the day for a specific need being addressed and were often proprietary
systems. As enterprises grow and recognize the need for their information and
applications to have the ability to be transferred across and shared between systems,
companies are investing in EAI in order to streamline processes and keep all the elements
of the enterprise interconnected.
There are four major categories of EAI:
1. Database linking: databases share information and duplicate information as
needed.
2. Application linking: the enterprise shares business processes and data between
two or more applications.
3. Data warehousing: data is extracted from a variety of data sources and channeled
into a specific database for analysis.
4. Common virtual system: the pinnacle of EAI; all aspects of enterprise
computing are tied together so that they appear as a unified application.

Enterprise Content Management

Abbreviated as ECM, Enterprise Content Management is the document management term
which describes the technologies used by organizations to capture, manage, store, and
control enterprise-wide content, including documents, images, e-mail messages, instant
messages, video, and more. ECM software is used to assist in content control associated
with business process, and can be used to assure compliance (Sarbanes-Oxley , HIPPA,
etc.). ECM has emerged from the convergence of many related technologies such as
document management, Web content management, and collaboration.

Enterprise Search
Enterprise search is an extensive search system that provides the means to search both
structured and unstructured data sources with a single query. It addresses the needs of
businesses that need to store, retrieve and track digital information of all kinds. Data
sources in enterprise search systems includes information stored in many different
containers such as e-mail servers, application databases, content management systems,
file systems, intranet sites and external Web sites. Enterprise search systems provide users
with fast query times and search results that are usually ranked in such a way that the
information you need is easily accessible.
Enterprise search systems typically do not search the public Internet, but rather
everything that is contained within the organization's own private corporate network, on
the inside of the firewall.

Enterprise Messaging System

Abbreviated as EMS, an enterprise messaging system is an enterprise-grade system that
enables "program-to-program" messaging between applications and systems throughout
an enterprise. Enterprise messaging is widely used today for integrating various disparate
enterprise applications. It is a software interface that enables loosely coupled
asynchronous data (messages) to be sent by one program and stored in a message queue
until the receiving program is able to process it.
Its important to note that while the term messaging can be used to describe e-mail, fax,
instant messages and other services where humans read and send the messages, in EMS
terminology the word messaging is used to describe asynchronous messages that consists
of requests, reports or events that are consumed by enterprise applications and not
humans. These messages contain information that is needed to coordinate systems and
track progress of the enterprise.
Enterprise messaging systems, which are language and platform-independent solutions,
are also called messaging services, or more formally, messaging-oriented middleware
(MOM).

Benefits of Enterprise Application Development for Enterprises

Business is not only buying and selling things. Its about building a system which can
make our day to day work easy for each concern team which is involved in that business
and generate huge profit. Starting a business and taking it to a next level of success are
two different things. Many businesses fail at a certain point because it lacks lot of things
like appropriate funding, better business process and proper technology implementation
etc. Business performance depends on two things; first its output (here its related to
sales) and second is return on investment (cost to company) . At initial stage business
does not require much investment but when it reaches at enterprise level as business
grows it demands regular investment. For better business performance investment should
be low and sales should be more. This is the point where business needs enterprise
applications. Lets see how enterprise solution can be helpful for businesses.
1. It reduces development cost and complexity
Most enterprises have multiple entities which separately work as a company. Developing
separate application for each entity could be costly because different entities require
different hardware, software and other resources. The most fascinating thing about
enterprise application is that all tasks can be performed through a single application and
you do not need to create a separate application for each. You get everything in a single
package which can be easily handled by the all entities who are involved to form an
enterprise. There are various enterprise technologies available and enterprises select them
as per the business needs like Microsoft SharePoint, IBM WebSphere, and Siebel CRM
which are used to create enterprise solutions.
2. It simplifies the manageability

Manageability is very important for enterprises where multiple processes work

simultaneously. Creating different applications for each process can be time consuming
and costly as different applications run on different hardware, software and need different
resources to manage each. Enterprise application does not require separate platform to
run. The whole enterprise application runs on a single platform which is easy to manage
and needs less resources.
For example; D&M, is a privately owned electronic company headquartered in Japan,
holds multiple companies. After its acquisition of many companies there were more than
200 consumer websites which were based on nine different technology platforms such as
PHP, and Adobe cold fusion. It also relied on different services of multiple hosting, thirdparty design and development firms to maintain these websites and they were not have
centralized control over their website source code or content. After implementing the
legacy platform (enterprise solution), developed by an enterprise application development
company, they could manage all consumer websites through a single centralized control,
as per a case study.
3. It helps in better business process integration
As we know that in an enterprise business multiple processes work simultaneously. If the
processes are not connected properly with each other within the system then system will
not perform better. In big enterprises where multiple processes like marketing, finance,
human resource and more work simultaneously it is important that each process should
be connected with each other for better system performance. It is not possible through
simple application but can be done through enterprise solutions.
4. Better Centralized Control
Another advantage of implementing an enterprise solution is its centralized data control.
In general scenarios enterprises that run global business have many entities (websites) for
different market segments. It is very critical and time consuming for enterprises to
manage all entities at a time. In todays business landscape enterprises have to take into
consideration many aspects such as localization, collaboration, usability consistence and
branding for better business growth. To manage all these things through many websites is
very critical and not optimal as per current business trend. Enterprise application
solutions enable enterprises to manage all these things through a single data center with
minimum localized changes.
5. Better User Experience, Collaboration and Global Brand Building
Enterprise application provides enterprises a common infrastructure for all websites and
applications. The most benefits of having a common infrastructure for all websites is
greater consistence, improved navigation, better collaboration and re-usability.

It is essential for enterprises that run global business to leverage the power of enterprise
application solutions. Many global businesses are adopting this to reduce cost.

Bespoke Software
Rather like bespoke tailoring, bespoke software is software that is tailor made for the
client. Its an exact fit with the clients requirements, eliminating many of the
compromises that are built into Off the Shelf software. The software can be developed
to do exactly what the client requires, no need to accept the compromises of Off-theShelf software applications. Bespoke software can be based on your current working
methods, thereby using terminology your staffs are already familiar with, thereby
reducing training times. We develop software solutions that validate user input, thereby
ensuring the data in your system is as accurate as possible and is able to produce reliable
trusted outputs. Bespoke software is adaptable, as your business evolves so can the
software, building on your original investment, rather than starting over from
scratch. This means you can start by developing a bespoke software application that
covers one area of your business, and expand this later to cover other areas.
Bespoke application software is tailor made for a specific user and purpose. For example
a factory may require software to run a robot to make cars, however, it is the only factory
making that car in the world, so the software required would have to be specially built for
the task.
Other examples might include software for the military, missile/UAV operations, software
for hospitals and medical equipment, software being written inside banks and other
financial institutions.
Advantages of Bespoke Software

Customized software application will work with you

Bespoke software is easy to
use because it works the way you work.
Ease of use of a custom software solution You are in control - changes can be
implemented quickly, as your business grows, or to meet new legislation or client
requirements.
Ease of use of a custom software solution Bespoke software precisely matches your
working practices, resulting in improved efficiency, less supervision, fewer errors
Greater efficiency from a bespoke software application
Bespoke applications
increase productivity, and reduce costs by automating repetitive tasks.
Innovate and be creative with software only you use Your own software differentiates
you from the competition with unique and better products and services.
More intelligence in a bespoke solution makes understanding your information simple
Business information is easier to understand because bespoke applications incorporate
your business know-how.

All knowledge from one source Information can be integrated from existing applications,
suppliers and customers.
Examples of Bespoke Software
Below are examples of bespoke software applications developed for clients, mainly in the
UK.

Members Database: Members details include: mailing, background, health,

consent, emergency contacts & past productions (Workshop attendance and
payments; comprehensive reporting for Arts Council funding requirements)
Crew Certification Database: Records crew members and the certificates they
hold (Crew lists generated for each sailing; import and export of crew records
between ships and HR)
Invoicing and Account Management: Generates monthly invoices using a range
of pricing plans and tiered discounts (Account management, ordering of
consumables, service calls, stock tracking)
Event Planning Database: Manages invitations, registration, and seminar places
(Task allocation, budgets and purchase ordering)
Bespoke Software for the Press Office: Media & resource database, press
release distribution (Event planning, and clipping database, foreign language
features)
Sales Training Database: Records skill levels and supporting evidence
(Management reports of personal attainment history and team performance)

Bespoke Application Development

Moore Stephens Consulting (MSC) is the IT consulting arm of Moore Stephens LLP, the global
accounting and consulting Firm. Founded in 2002 MSC has developed a range of products.
Alongside its suite of products, Moore Stephens Consulting provides a range of services.
They delivered a large variety of applications, from small departmental solutions through to
large-scale enterprise solutions, deployed as both Windows and web applications to users, and as
services exposing programmatic interfaces to other solutions. Solutions have ranged from clientserver applications to N-tier solutions deployed to a distributed environment.
As a result of expertise, they can define and develop very high performance, XML-based and
scalable applications that will support our clients today and continue to support them into the
future.
Examples of bespoke applications they developed

Working with the emergency services developing bespoke systems to monitor and control their
training / development, an incident management system and StARS, a staff attendance and
rostering system.
Developing a reservations system for a cruise operator, utilizing leading edge technologies to
reduce booking times and improve customer service.
Development of a surveying management, cost and project planning tool for a property
management company.
In addition to the bespoke application development work, Moore Stephens has a wealth of
experience in the design and implementation of data warehousing and business intelligence
solutions.

Case Study:
Thermal Power Company Improves Payroll Management with Integrated System
Country or Region: India
Industry: Utilities
Customer Profile: Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited is a Government of Jharkhand undertaking
and a thermal power plant, generating electricity in the state of Jharkhand.
Business Situation: The Company was using a Microsoft DOS based bespoke applications to
manage payroll, which was old and unreliable. Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited (TVNL) wanted
to upgrade its payroll application to improve HR management such as salary pay outs and leave
calculation.
Solution: With the help of Microsoft Certified Partner, Samadhan, TVNL customized
Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4.0 solution to consolidate data and automate processes.
Benefits:

Provides seamless integration

Enhances stability and security
Increases productivity by saving manpower o manage the operations

Improves speed and access to information

Enhances business decision making

With Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4.0, Tenughat Vidyut Nigam has a reliable platform for
growth by consolidating and integrating business processes.
Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited (TVNL), specializing in thermal power projects, has a
generation capacity of 2x210 Megawatts and revenues of INR 40 Crore in 200708. It was
operating a Microsoft DOS based payroll application, which did not effectively manage all HR
operations e.g. salary, leave management, arrear payment, and statutory reports. To improve and
simplify these operations, the organization decided to upgrade. Working with Microsoft Certified
Partner, Samadhan, TVNL implemented Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4.0 to centrally manage
all financial and payroll related functions. The new solution ensures data is easily accessible, upto-date, and accurate, and has streamlined operations across the business.