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Platform Independent, Web-based ApplicationsWeb-based applications — accessed either through the Internet, a company’s Intraweb, or Internet-enabled handheld devices — are typically both interactive and highly customizable. They also provide a tightly integrated end-to-end solution that includes functional design, development and testing, operational management, and ongoing user support and enhancements. Companies who adopt Web-based applications no longer have to worry about the version control, access, upgrades, and maintenance that goes along with traditional desktop software packages. They also don’t have to worry about platform compatibility, since Web-based applications are platform-transparent to the end user. MACCIUS has achieved remarkable success with Web-based applications developed on Mac OS X and deployed on Xserve. “We have found markets for our Web-based applications in the government sector, healthcare and biotech, and education,” Ben says. In education, for example, Web-based applications can allow campuses and universities to post and manage online jobs and courses in real time, allowing various departments to manage their own sector of a larger database. In healthcare, the interactive model is especially advantageous. Monitoring patient care via a website allows patients and doctors to upload and download information through their web browsers, an application downloaded to their desktop, or through an Internet-enabled PDA or mobile phone. The applications can be made compatible with a multitude of medical devices for health data uploading, management and clinical trial monitoring. “In some cases,” says Ben, “patient information has also been downloaded, stored, and transferred via the iPod.” ”MACCIUS is actively working with developers to deploy these applications using subscription-based software as a service model,” says Ben. “Most importantly for Apple developers, however, is the fact that with this model, platform compatibility is no longer an issue.” Rapid, Easy Development on Mac OS XMac OS X technology enabled the rapid development of the MACCIUS Web-based applications. Much of the user interface was created using Interface Builder, an easy-to-use graphical editing environment for UI design provided free by Apple as part of a complete development suite known as Xcode Tools. Also critical was Mac OS X’s broad support for industry standards and the inherent stability and security of the operating system, conferred by its Unix core. ”Because Mac OS X is based on Unix,” Ben says, “it has exceptional capabilities as a secure, robust platform for Internet services and Web-based applications. This presented an ideal opportunity for MACCIUS to take a leading role in a growing market and address the need for a managed services company specialized on the Apple platform.” ”We relied on the security and stability of Mac OS X to keep our machines up and running not only each day but for months at a time,” says Ben. “The tools we used also accelerated the development process, like the Mac-only BBEdit and an optimized Photoshop and Illustrator. For database and application work, we were able to set up a Mac OS X development area in minutes, compared to the hours it would have taken on another platform. The ease of use of Mac OS X truly saved us time and money.” ”Our success wouldn’t have been possible without Mac OS X and Xserve,” Ben continues. “We were familiar with Free BSD Unix, so it was easy to move to OS X; in addition, OS X has a great user interface for developers and is very easy to use. Xserve is competitive with Dell servers but more reliable. All of this makes our jobs easier.” Xserve is Apple’s powerful 1U server that provides complete, out of the box support for Mac, Windows, UNIX, and Linux clients. Xserve has advanced workgroup and Internet services, making network services fast to set up and easy to monitor. “Mac OS X and Xserve are the best of Apple and the best of Unix combined,” says Ben. “I call Xserve the Ultimate Hosting Machine.” Lowering Barriers to Market Entry”One of the key foundations for the software as a service market, which is growing 30% per year, is the service provider,” says Ben. “Today, as more of the infrastructure hardware, networking and software required for software as a service has become commoditized, service providers have diversified to serve multiple market and customer requirements. MACCIUS, for example, is one of only a few managed service providers that specializes in helping the Apple community make the move to the Web-based application model.” Because Web-based applications can be deployed in the software-as-a-service, subscription-based model, developers who take this approach are able to lower the barriers to entry for their customers and reduce their capital outlays, dramatically reducing cost as a barrier to entry and accelerating market adoption of new application services. Thus, comprehensive, Web-based applications enable solution developers of all sizes and capabilities to improve their competitive position and add new revenue opportunities to their business. The platform-independent nature of these applications opens up large new markets for products developed on Mac OS X. In conjunction with the Apple Developer Connection, MACCIUS offers managed hosting solution discounts to ADC Premier and Select members. For complete information about MACCIUS, visit their website at www.maccius.com. |
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