Enabling Application Agility - Software as A Service, Cloud Computing and Dynamic Languages.
Dave Thomas · The Journal of Object Technology · 2008
For the past decade, application developers have been forced into an increasingly complex labyrinth of multi-tiered hardware, complex OO frameworks and middleware and associated tools.Each year, developers have faced new frameworks and a sea of new APIs.Instead of making the life of application developers easier and reducing the cost of application development, these technologies have done just the opposite.We are only now beginning to understand the expense of the middleware legacy.The good news is that application developers are on the verge of being liberated from the tyranny of middleware.Next Generation IT will leverage a new computing platform which makes the development and delivery of applications significantly easier than it is today.This new platform consists of Cloud Computing, Software As A Service and Dynamic Languages.Cloud Computing [1] offers mainframe or better infrastructure through a small set of services delivered globally over the Internet.Software as a Service is a new delivery model which provides flexibility to both the provider and the customers.Dynamic languages and modern frameworks lower the barrier for application development and enable the rapid development of applications. SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE (SAAS) -ALWAYS UP TO DATEThe great benefit of SAAS is the ability, though hopefully not the requirement, to run the most recent version of the application.The pain of installation and upgrading is replaced by a simple request to run a specific version of the software.It eliminates the need to install hardware or software on the client premises.A major challenge for SAAS providers is ensuring the security and privacy of client data which is held outside their organization.SSL VPNs and client based encryption as well as mission critical fault tolerant, environmentally and physically protected data centers are minimum capabilities to enable the use of external service