Application lifecycle management trends in SA

Haydn Pinnell, Divisional Director of EOH Global Applications Solutions, says the trend is prevalent not only in South Africa but worldwide. "Customers are spending more and more time thinking how they can sweat their assets to do more with less. This has become our new reality, which adds a great deal of complexity to the application lifecycle management (ALM) environment."

Cellphones are getting bigger and laptops are getting smaller and thinner, says Pinnell. "The desire to have functionality and content at our fingertips is driving the new wave surrounding ALM, demanding versatile and adaptable applications that are interactive. There is a definitive drive for organisations to build applications not just in the cloud, but to make that functionality available to mobile devices."

Applications are costly investments or assets, necessitating thinking out of the box. "Service providers are breaking their application offerings down into optional components, allowing clients to utilise the parts they need instead of an entire solution. It translates into a really good value proposition from a South African perspective. However, designing and implementing functionality that is aimed at mobile devices adds another layer of complexity to an ALM offering, especially where only parts of the application are utilised," explains Pinnell.

It seems the biggest drive at the moment is complexity, which is prevalent across the market in general, says Pinnell. "Technology providers such as HP are taking positive strides in dealing with the added complexity that an effective ALM process is expected to deliver. The challenge lies in the software offering more visibility, control and efficiency to an ALM solution at a lower cost with fewer resources. For this reason, organisations need to be able to assess and measure the effectiveness and value of new and existing applications, especially from a change perspective, in order to ensure that they stay on top of their game.

"We find ourselves in a changing business environment where rapid technological developments and the economic environment are changing the way we do business. An organisation needs to offer superior applications and services, and the only way to achieve this is by utilising an ALM process that is visionary, adaptable and in tune with developments across the globe," Pinnell concludes.

For further information, visit www.eohgallium.co.za or contact +27 (11) 607-8100.