On September 19th, we launched a major update to the ADS website. The new design speaks to our focus – building internal applications using Ruby on Rails, and providing rich user experiences with Adobe Flex. Now, we are preparing to begin launching a series of SaaS applications. “Wait, how do SaaS applications fit into your internal application model?” you might wonder. And that is the purpose of this post – to discuss the use of externally-hosted internal applications.

Do all internal applications have to sit behind the firewall?

I think not. At ADS, all of our systems – sales, invoicing, project management, code repositories, etc. – are online. I managed large networks for a number of years, and having to manage servers is something I no longer want to do; so I don’t, and neither does anyone else on our crew. In addition, using existing applications that require little-to-no customization got us going faster.

As a development shop why don’t you build all of your own systems?

My philosophy is that you should not have to change the way you operate in order to use software. Software works for you. In addition, software should enable. What I mean is that when I’m working I shouldn’t have to think about how I’m using my tools. That should be transparent. If you have to actively think about how to use an application so you can get a job done, something is wrong. Going back to the question of why we don’t build all of our own systems, when looking at build versus buy, we have to look at whether or not an application works the way we do. Things such as invoicing and code repositories are easy. Project management and CRM (customer relationship management) are another subject. For CRM we use salesforce.com, which is easily customizable and feature rich. Since we moved to Scrum more than a year ago, we have had trouble with ticket-based systems. One of the applications we are working on is Scrum’d, which will work for you if you follow Scrum.

What are the benefits of externally hosted internal applications?

Our operations are very transparent to our clients. At any time, a client can log into our invoicing site, see their entire history, and make a payment. At any time, a client can log into our project management site, and see the status of their project. Using self-service applications makes us highly efficient, and allows us to focus on our core. And that’s just the beginning. Here are just some of the benefits our clients have gotten from their apps:

• Lower total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Less management overhead
• Faster return on investment (ROI)
• Less setup
• Greater savings over the life of the application
• Ease of access from anywhere in the world

Conclusions

An “internal application” is one that is not accessed by, or accessible to, the general public. Not all internal applications have to sit inside a company however, and there are many benefits to hosting externally. When looking at build versus buy, consider whether or not you’ll have to change the way you work in order to use the application. You shouldn’t have to.

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