The more accessible an application, the better it is for customers. Though desktop-based applications do not require an active internet connection once the installation process is complete, but this alone is less of an advantage as compared to the business advantages offered by web-based applications. Web-based applications are far more accessible to users than the traditional desktop ones. Above all, we like that which is easily accessible anywhere and anytime, don’t we?
Web-Based Applications VS Desktop Applications
- Web-based applications are delivered over the internet via a browser, whereas desktop-based applications are run locally on a computer device, thus, limited by the hardware on which they run.
- Scalability in web-based applications is controlled by software provider’s hosting infrastructure, whereas for desktop applications, scalability is dependent on the client hardware.
- Web-based applications require no customer installation and maintenance. But desktop-based ones require customer installation and regular maintenance, which many times become a limitation for users.
- Users access web-based applications using the web browser and work with resources available over the internet. On the other hand, desktop applications must be developed for and installed on a particular operating system. Also, they might have strict hardware requirements that must be met to ensure they function properly.
- Web-based applications are easy and quick to update, whereas, updating desktop-based applications is cumbersome as it would be required to install the updates on every single computer separately. Further, these updates may require hardware upgrades or making certain other changes in order to work.
- The existing web browsers have great multimedia capabilities due to which it becomes possible to make the interfaces of web-based applications interactive and media-rich.
How Are Web-Based Applications Superior To The Traditional Desktop-Based Ones?
1. Cost-effective development- Developing web-based applications is cost-effective as it reduces the overall business costs. Since the application needs to be developed only for a single operating system, there isn’t a need for it to be developed or tested across all possible operating system versions and configurations. The makes the development process easy and cost-effective.
2. Accessible anywhere anytime- These applications are accessible anytime and anywhere, just via a PC with an internet connection. The users aren’t restricted to a single computer system in order to access the web application.
3. Improved interoperability- Web-based applications offer a far greater level of interoperability and web based architecture makes it possible to rapidly integrate enterprise web applications, improving work flow and other business processes.
4. Easy customization- The user interface of web-based applications are easier to customize, which makes it quite simple to update the look of the application at any point in time.
5. Easy installation and maintenance- Web-based applications require zero installs since all PCs have browsers. Also, the maintenance of these applications is a less complicated process as compared to the traditional desktop-based applications. Further, there are not updating issues. Installing updates on web-based applications is a pretty easy and quick task. It doesn’t require upgrading each client PC. Businesses aren’t required to spend a huge amount of time in updating the applications on each computer separately.
6. Improved security- Most web-based applications can be monitored by experienced IT professionals, which eliminates the need to maintain various client computers. In these applications, secured connections are implemented and all the data is centralized to ensure that your sensitive company data remains protected and backed up.
7. Easy and quick development- Majority of web-based applications are built using web-based languages like HTML, CSS, and JAVASCRIPT. These languages are comparatively easier to code in and make the process of web app development quick.
8. Higher usage rate- Using web-based applications does not require any installation or download. It just requires a simple login, after which the user can instantly start using it. This has resulted in a higher usage rate of web-based applications.
9. Cross platform compatibility- The web-based application is built browser-specific. So, there isn’t any issue around the type of operating system that the user is operating or the kind of device the user wants to open the application on. Web-based applications are compatible across various platforms, they work across all operating systems and devices, the only constant requirement being the particular browser(s) that the application is coded for.
10. They have an in-built support system- Many web-based applications have built-in support which is accessible online and allow quick resolution of issues and have answers to a range of user queries.
11. There is built-in user tracking- Web-based applications have built-in user tracking with which it becomes possible to figure out what is working well and what isn’t, based on which improvements can be made.
12. Highly Deployable- Since web-based applications are better manageable and are cross platform compatible, deployment of these applications is pretty easy.
Summary :
Web-based installation does not require customer installation and maintenance. Further, they are easy to update, cost effective, compatible across multiple platforms, and most importantly, offer high accessibility to users.
Guest article written by: X