FALLS CHURCH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CSC (NYSE: CSC) today announced the release of a 49-page research report on the global proliferation and escalating influence that tens of billions of applications are now having on personal lives, business operations and world economies. Entitled Apps rEvolution, the report explores the impact of apps on an astonishing array of consumer and business activities while simultaneously establishing a new model for how information systems will be built and used in the future, reinforcing the growing “apps economy.”
According to the study, with apps being embedded into just about everything, the growing influence of mobility and cloud are yielding a dramatic change in how applications are designed and delivered and how work gets done as witnessed by the emergence of finder apps, check-in apps, tap-and-pay apps, etc.
Lead author and CSC senior architectural specialist Dr. Erika Olimpiew contends apps are becoming critical to both product and service leadership in nearly every industry sector, representing the future of how enterprises interact with customers, employees, partners and machines.
Olimpiew reports that in redefining how applications are created, distributed and consumed, the revolution is upending the traditional client-server, browser-centric web model and breaking up monolithic applications. Spurred on by the consumerization of IT, employee demand for in-house business productivity and customer service apps has grown, followed closely by demand for enterprise app stores and app management tools in enterprises and government agencies.
Olimpiew argues that the underlying structure of the information technology industry is changing. Lower barriers to entry and new apps marketplaces have simplified production, distribution and consumption of apps, with open application programming interfaces igniting opportunities for innovation. As industries blur, apps are helping to drive deeper integration between people, things, businesses and society. In the report, she concludes by noting that the Apps rEvolution is creating a robust and growing "apps economy."
Within the report are a progression of apps topics and conclusions:
- The user experience of apps combines technical flexibility with an artist’s touch. Engagement and context, such as who you are, activity, place and time, a sense of belonging and real world settings, matter. Interactions are becoming more natural and may include touch, gesture, haptics, emotions, biometrics, brain waves, eye movement and wearable sensors. Through app store ratings and feedback via social media, developers are faced with immediate feedback so the experience can be constantly improved.
- The pervasiveness of apps generates countless new product and service opportunities in home heating/cooling, medical devices, jet engines, cars, home blood pressure systems and more. The machine-to-machine and smart cities phenomena are logical outcomes, and the "Internet of Things" is leading to both better connected industries and societies.
- The wide range of new software choices and architectures used in designing and creating apps is changing the structure of apps. While there isn't currently a definitive "best choice" among native, web and hybrid app architectures, this could change, according to the report. Each individual IT stack has become a mix-and-match stack, and the client device is forever decoupled from the server, which, for the most part, will reside in the cloud.
- The selection of the right enterprise mobile platforms is becoming increasingly important to support business goals. The managed desktop is being replaced by dynamic apps, enterprise app stores and bring-your-own technologies. Cross-functional challenges, such as security and governance, take on new forms as employees bring their own apps (not just devices) to work.
- The emergence of an apps economy will become the main interface to the Internet and the digital economy. Ecosystems are building around connected things, which are increasingly connected to other things and people. Today, the apps economy is estimated to be $25 billion in size with soaring app store sales.
“IT has a golden opportunity but must adopt different, outside-in thinking and create strong relationships with business peers,” said Dan Hushon, CSC’s chief technology officer. “IT can lead the enterprise to a ‘mobile first’ or even a ‘mobile only’ strategy, but IT must know when to champion application programming interfaces and how to attract developers to build apps leveraging these capabilities. The Apps rEvolution, simply put, is about business change – creating new experiences, inventing new products and services, and redefining customer service while improving productivity and efficiency.”
About CSC
CSC is a global leader of next generation information technology (IT) services and solutions. The Company's mission is to enable superior returns on our client's technology investments through best-in-class industry solutions, domain expertise and global scale. CSC has approximately 87,000 employees and reported revenue of $13.8 billion for the 12 months ended June 28, 2013.
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