Web Applications
One of the most important new uses of the internet is web applications. There are quite a few successful web applications in use today, but in my opinion their use is about to explode. It is important that we all understand what they are and how we can use them.
What is a web application?
A web Application is a computer program designed to run on a web server, and which may be accessed by any computer, anywhere in the world, through a web browser.
A web application can provide any functions that may historically be found on a desktop computer. There are web applications to provide weather information for your locale, to track sales calls for a sales force, or sales expenses, or on any topic at all. The facilities to file your tax returns on line is a web application, as are the functions that your bank provides you to pay your bills online.
Defining The Terms:
Lets clear up a few different internet terms. eBusiness applications are web applications that involve running business applications from a web site. Procurement systems, systems to receive employment applications on line are examples of ebusiness.
(Both ebusiness and E-Business are used widely. I don't think there is a right or wrong because it is a recently coined word. The same applies to ecommerce and E-Commerce)eCommerce refers to the selling of products or services from a web site.eBusiness and ecommerce are subsets of web applications. Ecommerce is a specific ebusiness application.
Current Examples:
There are some very sophisticated web applications available for you at this time. Here give some examples.
Salesforce.com
Have a look at http://www.salesforce.com
This a wonderful example of a very successful web application. This is a CRM (Customer Relationships Management) application. Explaining CRM is beyond my purpose here, but you can purchase a CRM system for your company from many vendors. This web application is a new way of delivering software to users. Instead of purchasing a program , and then installing it on your computer network, you simply pay to use their programs on a monthly basis. Maybe pundits say that this is the wave of the future, that software will be distributed in this way more and more.