Building on customer and market demand for closer collaboration in the development process between business and IT users, Microgen Plc (LSE: MCGN) has today launched Version 4 (V4) of Microgen Aptitude, the firm's flagship enterprise application platform, with a new 3D Navigator module and Business User Diagrams.
Microgen Aptitude V4 enables business and IT teams to quickly and collaboratively design, develop and deploy business-critical applications on an in-memory, high volume, transaction processing platform.
The Microgen Aptitude platform provides an intuitive, graphical approach to development and the (full suite of) technology components required for application development. On a single platform, users can define business processes and rules, build application logic, integrate data, define database procedures and implement web applications.
All of this can be done without the in-depth technical knowledge typical of other development approaches. These often require the use of multiple hieroglyphic coding languages or syntax-heavy software packages along with teams of IT specialists to develop and combine disparate technologies. Implementing a new enterprise application, for example, typically requires many discrete development efforts: (1) web development (2) defining business rules (3) database coding (4) developing interfaces and APIs and (5) integration of the four technologies used to perform the preceding tasks. IT development teams exert considerable effort just to coordinate this complex set of activities, adding cost and complexity to the development of enterprise applications.
By contrast, Microgen Aptitude V4 provides a route for enterprises to quickly exploit new opportunities or changes in market conditions, by enabling both business and IT users to work together to rapidly deliver new services and automate complex business processes.
3D visualisation redefines enterprise application development
The Microgen Aptitude 3D Navigator module allows business and IT teams - for the first time - to visually 'see' how all the processes and elements in an application fit together. Teams can dynamically interact with applications in real-time and easily understand dependencies and relationships betweeeen project elements. In addition to supporting rapid application development, the Microgen Aptitude 3D Navigator reduces the time and cost to enhance or change existing applications.
Business User Diagrams ("BUDs") - The smart way to create business-centric applications
Microgen Aptitude Business User Diagrams ("BUDs") are used by business and IT teams to capture project requirements and form a link between project documents, processes and application logic. BUDs emulate the typical 'white boarding' design process, fully integrating it into the application development environment. This further helps to bridge the business and IT gap and reduces inefficiencies caused by miscommunication between business and IT stakeholders.
Big Data
Microgen Aptitude V4 also empowers enterprises to more rapidly process Big Data volumes, enabling the processing of hundreds of millions of transactions per hour1. Teams can easily integrate data from across the enterprise and leverage both in-memory and in-database processing to achieve processing performance without the usual lengthy optimisation cycles. By consequence, enterprises can increase the pace at which new applications are implemented and therefore the speed at which systems are able to deliver business results.
David Sherriff, CEO of Microgen, said: "Both the pace of change facing enterprises and the complexity of some technologies have increased magnificently in recent years. In that sense, Microgen Aptitude V4 is a game-changer for businesses looking at quick and accurate application development within the enterprise to support growth and change. It removes the need to be reliant on the dated approaches provided by other software packages, ERP systems and traditional coding environments."
Mr. Sherriff added: "Microgen Aptitude V4 is the fruit of close collaboration with our customers across all major business sectors - to deliver a platform that will help them achieve their key business priorities through simple, efficient and truly collaborative application development."