Progress® OpenEdge® App Development Platform — How 55K Organizations Rapidly Build & Deploy Applications to Stay Competitive

TL; DR: Advancements in cloud technologies and the increasing demand to efficiently manage more data is driving enterprises to seek application modernization solutions to remain competitive. Progress® OpenEdge® is an application development environment that simplifies the development and delivery of mission-critical business applications. The platform provides a high-performing, reliable database and offers a number of tools, including a rules engine, workflow processes, and analytics, among others. By offering a versatile and scalable platform, OpenEdge facilitates quick and effective application development, deployment, and modernization, which is why more than 55,000 businesses are using the solution. //

The need to modernize legacy applications isn’t news to most enterprise-level businesses. According to a recent study, 60% to 80% of IT budgets are earmarked for the maintenance of current systems and apps that have become slow and outdated in today’s data-hungry world.

It’s no surprise, then, that more than $150 billion in software spending is going toward modernizing these legacy applications to keep IT maintenance expenses under control — and help businesses remain competitive in markets that demand speed and efficiency. Astute software business managers know how much time is sacrificed to modernize legacy apps. Fast turnaround and ROI must be considered to keep costs down and manpower focused on the day-to-day operations of the business. That’s where Progress® steps in to help.

Progress® OpenEdge® enables businesses to efficiently modernize old apps and create new ones, and its straightforward syntax is easy to learn.

The application development platform provides a high-performing database known for its scalability and reliability and offers a number of technology components, including a rules engine, workflow processes, and analytics, among others. OpenEdge adapts to any type of business and offers one of the lowest total costs of ownership.

By quickly and effectively bringing outdated legacy apps up to speed, Progress’s solutions are helping businesses optimize user experience, which ultimately works to drive revenue and encourage customer loyalty. That’s why more than 55,000 businesses across an array of industries have been using OpenEdge to develop and deploy the applications of tomorrow.

OpenEdge is a versatile platform for creating modern applications. Updated and existing apps may be deployed across different platforms and interfaces — including mobile and cloud.

Progress’s WebSpeed apps can be migrated to the Progress Application Server (PAS) to take advantage of new coding tools for upgrading. The Progress Application Server bridges the gap between older legacy software and newer, more secure software by using fewer resources and implementing a built-in security framework.

PAS reduces the amount of time and effort needed to refine old programs, thus lowering overall ownership and operational costs. The OpenEdge development platform effectively reduces costs by 30% compared with other platforms, and the money saved from not having to reinvent old applications can instead be spent on the development of new apps.

The platform’s scalability runs in both directions. Applications can either increase capacity when busy or scale back to save resources when not needed. Increased automation and reduced costs free up resources and give businesses the competitive edge.

In a constantly changing marketplace, businesses must adapt to stay afloat. The transformation of legacy apps into modern iterations helps retain customers as well as draw in new ones by improving user experience (UX).

Apps with user-friendly interfaces that run smoothly and without hogging resources are always preferable. Streamlined applications open up new revenue streams and maintain current ones to keep businesses running by remaining in touch with their user base. UX is not just about the interface, however. Design thinking plays a huge role.

Graphics, intuitiveness, usability, look and feel, and the interface all come into play when thinking about UX, and that’s how Progress approaches app development. Progress acquired Telerik in 2014, directly resulting in the creation of Kendo UI Builder. This tool allows for the transformation of an OpenEdge application to deliver web applications with elegant front ends. This means the quicker development of applications that meet the needs of end users and provide the best possible experience.

A certain number of potential customers exclusively use tablets and phones, and businesses can’t afford to neglect mobilization. Companies who take advantage of mobilization have the opportunity to open up a less saturated and more untapped stream of revenue.

Akioma Software and Westminster Financial are among the thousands of businesses OpenEdge has helped develop, deploy, and modernize applications.

Akioma Software operates with a mission to simplify the complexity of the often burdensome task of developing new quoting tools. With the help of Progress OpenEdge, the company built Akioma.config, which cuts development times for configurator tools significantly. The same configurator that traditionally took nine months to write now takes a mere two weeks to develop and deploy. Akioma’s Complex Offer Management Software lets large companies offer custom product and service quotes to clients based on customized rules.

Meanwhile, Westminster Financial, another OpenEdge client, knew the need to reduce human error was essential. The company required a more secure and efficient way to manage the generation of reports and databases.

Previously done manually, these tasks would become automated with the help of a new cloud-based application designed with Progress’s Rollbase. As a result, data entry errors were reduced by 20%. These and many other real-life examples show how working together with OpenEdge leads to mutually beneficial business relationships resulting in fewer errors and higher ROI.

Progress is dedicated to building and deploying the apps of the future. Yogesh Gupta, Progress CEO, recently announced the upcoming release of OpenEdge 12 and redoubled the company’s commitment to innovation that started 35 years ago with its investment in OpenEdge. In March 2017, Progress delivered OpenEdge 11.7, which offers increased high availability, scalability, and security.

“Our customers rely on the OpenEdge platform to develop and deploy the applications that drive their businesses. They depend on us to push the boundaries of the OpenEdge platform with every release, to ensure we’re providing what they need to stay competitive,” said Colleen Smith, Vice President and General Manager of Progress OpenEdge. “With the release of the OpenEdge 11.7 platform, we are building on this tradition of excellence with capabilities that provide additional assurances of uptime, security and accurate analytics.”

By using OpenEdge, a multitude of businesses have made the step into the 21st Century. Incorporating OpenEdge into one’s business model is not only a smart way to increase efficiencies — it’s also very effective at increasing bottom lines.

With Progress, IT departments no longer have to dedicate 60% to 80% of their resources to maintain out-of-date systems. Businesses must invest in the future, and Progress has all the tools necessary to save time, energy, and money long-term.