Page 94 - DMGT505_MANAGEMENT_INFORMATION_SYSTEM

Unit 5: Business Hardware Software and IT Infrastructure

5.7 Enterprise Software Notes

Enterprise software, also known as enterprise application software (EAS), is software intended
to solve an enterprise problem (rather than a departmental problem) and often written using an
Enterprise Software Architecture. Due to the cost of building what is often proprietary software,
only large enterprises attempt to build such enterprise software that models the entire business
enterprise and is the core IT system of governing the enterprise and the core of communication
within the enterprise.

As business enterprises have similar departments and systems in common, enterprise software
is often available as a suite of programs that have attached enterprise development tools to
customize the programs to the specific enterprise. Generally, these development tools are
complex enterprise programming tools that require specialist capabilities. Thus, one often sees
in job advertisements that a programmer is required to have specific knowledge of a particular
set of enterprise tools, such as “SAP developer” etc.

5.7.1 Types of Enterprise Software

Enterprise software is often designed and implemented by an Information Technology (IT)
group within an enterprise. It may also be purchased from an independent enterprise software
developer, that often installs and maintains the software for their customers. Another model is
based on a concept called on-demand software, or Software as a Service. The on-demand model
of enterprise software is made possible through the widespread distribution of broadband
access to the Internet. Software as a Service vendors maintain enterprise software on servers
within their own enterprise data center and then provide access to the software to their enterprise
customers via the Internet.
Enterprise software is often categorized by the business function that it automates - such as
accounting software or sales force automation software. Similarly for industries - for example,
there are enterprise systems devised for the health care industry, or for manufacturing enterprises.
Enterprise application software is application software that performs business functions such as
accounting, production scheduling, customer information management, bank account
maintenance, etc. It is frequently hosted on servers and simultaneously provides services to a
large number of enterprises, typically over a computer network. This is in contrast to the more
common single-user software applications which run on a user’s own local computer and serve
only one user at a time.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
13. Enterprise software, also known as enterprise application software (EAS), is software
intended to solve an enterprise problem and often written using an ...............................
14. Enterprise software is often categorized by the ............................. function that it automates-
such as accounting software or sales force automation software.
5.8 Groupware

Groupware refers to programs that help people work together collectively while located remotely
from each other. Programs that enable real time collaboration are called synchronous groupware.
Groupware services can include the sharing of calendars, collective writing, e-mail handling,
shared database access, electronic meetings with each person able to see and display information

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 89