Contrary to popular belief, web development involves a lot more than just programming with web tools. This is especially true if we are talking about a new commercial website. Think about all the things needed to launch a new website.
- A good domain name that is relevant to the product or service you sell
- A decent domain registration company
- A reliable company to host your website (I like ICDSoft – cheap, reliable, great support!)
- To Install and configure software on this server (think performance and security)
- To plan your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy – people need to find your site!
And none of the above address actually building your website. Fortunately, we’ve been through this process more than I care to admit, so although we are technically web developers, we can help you with the entire process of launching a new website, from domain name selection through web programming.
Before we take a look at the technologies we use to build cutting-edge (.a.k.a. cool) websites, let’s talk a little about building web applications. Web development is the process of building a complete website, whether for commercial or internal use. A web application is an application that is accessed via a web browser over a network, such as the Internet or an Intranet. When we talk about web development (and web applications), we are referring to database-driven websites utilizing one or more of the following technologies:
- ASP.NET Framework (Microsoft Technology)
- Microsoft SQL Server
- PHP/MySQL (Open Source Technologies)
- Java, AJAX and other web technologies
Before we go any further, I’d like to mention something very important to your project. I’m referring to web standards.
Why Web Development Standards Matter
There are standards for just about everything, and web development is no different. All our web applications conform to World Wide Web Consortium (W3C.org) standards, guaranteeing interoperability with current and future web technologies. Our applications also comply with government accessibility laws, including Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act. When we develop your web application, you can be sure it will run predictably and be accessible to all users for many years to come.
Web Applications Are Everywhere
As I mentioned previously, we only build database-centric applications. Today we build more web applications than any other type. The growth of the Internet has led to an explosion in demand for web applications, especially those involving database functionality. If you think about it, most sites that you probably interact with (eBay, Amazon, Yahoo, Google Search, etc.) all have database capabilities. If a site is dynamic, it almost always has a database driving it.
Why Web Applications Make Sense
Not too long ago desktop applications were the standard within many organizations. You would install the application on your personal computer, and then access a shared database located on your internal network. Typically these desktop applications were client/server based, but not always. There were several problems with these type of solutions. For one thing installation was tedious. It was not uncommon for an IT staff member to go to each user PC to install and configure the application. This wasted a lot of time for the IT department, and the user base.
Managing updates was another problem. Every time a new version was released it had to be rolled out to the user base. Again, this was time-consuming and tedious. Well, along came the Internet and browsers, and the rest is history, as they say.
Old Is New Again
The web browser became the universal user interface for applications of all shapes and sizes. Instead of deploying application changes on each user’s PC, these changes could be deployed on the central server. This way everyone always has the latest and greatest version of the application. In many ways, the Internet has turned the IT world on its head, reverting back to a mainframe model of servers and dumb terminals (remember those green screens?). But with today’s powerful PC’s our web applications are far more powerful (and useful) than those old dumb terminals were!
Recent Web Applications
We build database-driven web applications using a three-tier client/server design pattern. It’s how most professional web developers do it. Let’s look at a few of our recent web projects (see our latest work).
Universal Studios was struggling to manage their $2.5 Billion theme park expansion project in Orlando, Florida. Islands of Adventure desperately needed a comprehensive cost tracking system, so we were hired to design and develop it. Our SQL Server-based solution was used exclusively to manage this massive project, which we delivered on time and within budget.
CBS Radio is one of the largest major-market operators in the United States, with stations covering news, sports, talk, rock, oldies and more. CBS Radio contacted us to help them design and develop a custom database solution to manage their advertising client information. This multi-user system allows upper management to create and track sales metrics, produce comprehensive reports, and more.
Mosquito Squad offers effective barrier spray to control insects, reducing the risk of harmful viruses. They approached us to develop a custom CRM Web application to manage their leads and prospects. To reduce costs, we customized SugarCRM, providing a great value solution.
Links to Other Resources
If you’d like to learn more about web development, here are a few useful links: