The Business Agility Blog

If you’ve been reading The Business Agility Blog, you’re well aware of our new AppStore. The AppStore (available to the public soon!) offers all kinds of widgets, themes, and application add-ons that can be used in any application built on the Mendix platform. The Google Maps add-on is currently the most popular in our AppStore, so why not discuss this little gem a bit further. Here are some interesting ways it is sprucing up applications powered by Mendix.

1. Track and Trace

The Google Maps add-on brings a heavy dose of visual functionality to any application. Addresses entered into the application populate the ever-expanding map automatically. Using this add-on as a track and trace module, supply chain managers can get visual representations and real time updates of their shipments. Shipping logistics can now be measured within the application and used in conjunction with another popular app – the Carbon Reductions Suite.

2. Track Asset Ownership

In many industries, accurately managing and reporting who owns what is elemental to successfully providing value to their clients. For example, an underwriter may want to see what kind of risk they are insuring for their client who owns multiple assets. Now these applications can segregate the who, what and where of assets being tracked in the system. And because these applications integrate with any IT environment, any preexisting enterprise systems will now gain this feature.

3. Territory Heat Map

Another great use for the Google Maps add-on is, albeit simple, the territory heat map. Want to know where your customers are located? Hook this feature into your Mendix CRM system and you have a regional heat map of where you do business. Need to know which regions your sales support is going to? Now you’ll have a visual display of spend activities.

I am sure that our insightful users will think up more ways to use this add-on, and as more developers get creative with map functions, the Business Agility Blog will aptly report them. Check back for more updates on the Mendix AppStore and the infinite ways our users are reaching new heights in business agility.

It’s always nice to read about companies that agree with our sentiment about software modeling. In this case, the almighty Google has introduced ‘App Inventor’ to the world, fueling discussion between the masses similar to those we’ve prompted for years. As for the idea of providing nontechnical people a tool for creating applications, we agree that abstracted software development is a trend bigger than all of us – Google, Mendix, and everyone in between.

In an unexpected and commendable twist of fate, the users and believers, members and readers of Mendix just may know a thing or two that Google hasn’t calculated into its plan. We have heard the thoughts of our technical veterans, who dispel our modeling beliefs faster than they can address a letter or open their watch.

In the case of App Inventor, these applications serve the masses of the Android market – an interesting group of people even less technically savvy than our own modern business engineer. The reactions to App Inventor are altogether predictable; one of my favorites here…

“Great. Now any schmo can claim they have created a “program” just like any schmo can click the shutter of a digital camera and claim they have made a “photograph.”

And then there are the future-minded individuals who offer yet another perspective…

“So why assume that somehow coders/programmers are more creative than non-programmers, or that they automatically do a better job? I’ve used plenty of apps for computers that were solidly coded but their UI bordered on inscrutable. This may very well *raise* the quality of apps, because people with a good idea can build it themselves instead of trying to get a programmer to understand what they want.”

Either opinion is as well argued in the countless threads of comments about Google as they are in our own experience with modeling. The difference between modeling business applications and modeling for your cell phone brings an interesting question of value to mind:

What makes software valuable?

A. Its ability to solve a problem.
B. The speed at which it can solve a problem.
C. Both. The positive change that is attributable to its implementation.

In enterprise software, the answer is undoubtedly C – a combination of the speed at which it can be implemented and its ability to solve a problem for an organization. If it doesn’t solve a problem, there is no reason for it – and if it can’t be implemented, it won’t be… simple as that. In the Android market, it seems as though Google wants these apps to solve an immediate problem that developers haven’t thought of or had for themselves. In the case of personal electronics, where utility is equivalent to profit, the answer is still C.

Software modeling, agile development, and business agility sit on a branch of software’s family tree that is growing eagerly. Our clients increase their bottom line because we’ve given them a tool that allows organizational evolution to mirror environmental change, AKA business agility. Google on the other hand, provides a tool for consumers to create added utility on their own mobile device. In either case, the end user is given a more direct role in creating their application.

Changes in application creation are never taken lightly. As one commenter puts it…“Creation? Man should not meddle with such power.” Here at Mendix, we will always stand behind the idea that abstracted development isn’t a way for business people to take work from IT people; it is a way to enable better collaboration between the two. Google has a solid track record of introducing game changing products to their enormous market, and when they back our own ideas as closely as App Inventor does, we look forward to playing the new game in ours.

Mendix, the leading agile software development platform is now certified to integrate applications on top of SAP Enterprise Resource Planning systems. The Mendix platform, known worldwide for its speed and flexibility, now adds SAP Certification for Integration with SAP NetWeaver to its list of certifications. Mendix on top of SAP offers the advantage of flexible extensions of these systems in order to increase business agility.

Whereas SAP provides industry-standard ERP software that give customers the ability to automate many generic processes, today’s business environment fuel demand for additional web applications that add functionality quickly and cost effectively. By unlocking valuable data within ERP systems, investments in preexisting IT environments gain renewed value.

Derek Roos, CEO of Mendix, sees a growing trend in companies trying to get the most out of aging information technology: “More and more SAP customers are turning to Mendix for web applications with quick time-to-market that leverage their ERP investments. This certification by SAP only underlines the complimentary value and technical solidity of our approach.”

Web applications built on the Mendix platform can be deployed in days or weeks, rather than months or quarters. Initial cost savings generated by the speed of development are dramatic. Intrinsic to the platform’s innovative business modeler, Mendix enjoys a track record of 100% requirements attainment due to superior collaboration between business and IT.

SAP solutions customized using the Mendix Agile Business Suite deliver the additional benefit of integrating systems along the value chain quickly and easily. Mendix unlocks these systems for more flexible utilization.

In the recovery of a global economic downturn, maximizing ROI on software investments is of great importance to organizations of all sizes and geographies. Management at Mendix expects continued growth in demand of software that increases ‘Business Agility’ by renewing value in old IT investments.

(dutch)

SAP certificeert Mendix software voor flexibel ERP maatwerk

SAP heeft deze maand het Mendix Platform officieel gecertificeerd voor integratie met SAP ERP-systemen. De SAP-certificering stelt SAP-gebruikers in staat om hun systeem snel en eenvoudig uit te breiden met flexibele en gebruiksvriendelijke webapplicaties. Data in SAP kan nu eenvoudig worden ontsloten via moderne portal applicaties, die makkelijk aan te passen zijn aan dynamische processen.

Derek Roos, CEO van Mendix, constateert een groeiende trend in bedrijven die het maximale rendement willen halen uit bestaande systemen: “We zien steeds meer klanten die kiezen voor een hybride oplossing, waarbij een standaard ERP- of CRM pakket wordt uitgebreid met flexibel, webbased maatwerk, bij voorkeur in de cloud. In plaats van bestaande systemen aan te passen, wordt gekozen voor een oplossing als Mendix, en kan er op die manier sneller en tegen lagere kosten ingespeeld worden op nieuwe behoeften vanuit de business. Deze SAP-certificering bevestigt onze complementaire waarde en de technische kwaliteit van onze aanpak.”

The Mendix AppStore was launched only a month ago, with dozens of prefabricated apps, widgets, and themes. Developers using the Mendix platform have these add-ons at their disposal to help them improve ROI and shorten time to market. Though the AppStore is currently only available to Mendix partners, it will be opened to the public soon.

Three of the most exciting entrants in the Mendix AppStore portray the vast array of industry verticals these developers are working in. Each piece of software will allow application developers to speed up their process and increase their ROI. Mendix Partners, in addition to the Mendix services division, have aptly shared their creations with the Mendix Community for the betterment of agile software development.

Google Maps

Business engineers and developers can now incorporate the world into their applications. The process of adding Google Maps into a web application has been demonstrated in front of a live audience in only minutes. Adding this functionality to a Mendix-built application is as simple as looking up the Google API and downloading the free add-on via the Mendix AppStore. The uses for this feature are nearly endless, ranging from CRM mapping to logistical routing in a user friendly interface.

HR On-Boarding

A human resources On-boarding solution has also been added to the AppStore. The On-boarding portal enables a shorter time to maximum productivity, increased employee retention, and a more engaged employee overall by creating an automated, single point of entry for new employee intelligence. The application offers the supportive tools to automate basic processes such as form completion, email reminders and benefits enrollment – making human resource data management simple. Additionally, the Mendix platform allows this system to work on top of preexisting SAP applications.

Carbon Reduction Suite

Initiatives in environmental sustainability are at an all time high, and information technology solutions to track these initiatives are a priority to many developers using the Mendix platform. A Carbon Reduction Suite, created by Cape Groep, has been provided to the Mendix Community via the Mendix AppStore.

The Carbon Reduction Suite consists of four central components: The Carbon Product Footprint provides insights into the real cause of CO₂ emissions. The Carbon Corporate Footprint explains the cause of CO₂ emissions within a company as a whole. This is useful for setting up a CO₂ administration for minimizing your carbon footprint.

The Carbon Product Indicator calculates expected CO₂ emissions, providing a method of determining the most sustainable choice of transportation. Finally the Carbon Product Forecast offers customers insight by using their order history simulations to show the effects of their transportation choices in relation to CO₂ emissions.

These three examples are just a few of the highly functional applications available in the Mendix AppStore. Mendix will continue to focus on growing its partner network, and expects the AppStore to grow in parallel.

Working for a Dutch software company, there seems to be only one thing worth writing about – well maybe two: soccer and modeling.

As our US office watches these games with a keen interest in the cultural phenomenon that is “voetbal” – our Dutch counterparts are virtually cut off from reality, entrenched in their teams every move. And they should be, for the Netherlands is now in the World Cup Final, one win away from immortality.

So America, what’s the deal? Why can’t we get into this sport the way we do American football, hockey or baseketball? I ask the same question to the programmers who defy software trends and ignore the strengths of modeling. Is increased ROI and shortened time to market a moot point? Are fast-paced, sometimes violent games with minimal commercials too much for US audiences? I think not.

Fortunately, we are in an era of change for both of these cross cultural intersections. According to Google Trends, Americans have been consistently more interested in soccer over the past two World Cups. Unsurprisingly, software modeling was at its most popular after the tech bubble, and is gaining in popularity after a low point in 2008.  There is no obvious correlation here – but the team at Mendix is riding these trends like a wave to utopia, filled with soccer parades and modular software. Geeky, I know.

As we watch the World Cup Final this Sunday, Americans will tune in to the European equivalent of our Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and Stanly Cup combined. Which will come first – the US winning the World Cup, or the World Cup winning the US? We look forward to finding out, as we continue to enlighten our readers on the promises of business modeling. Though we can only watch and hope the popularity of soccer grows in the US, we are downright certain that the future of modeling software is a bright one.