A CIO's approach to custom application development in Industry

Custom application development within industrial spaces is becoming increasingly necessary, as businesses who are keen to leverage the power of new and novel technologies come to understand that off-the-shelf options are simply incapable of being moulded to fit your precise organisation, its processes, and its legacy technologies.

As a CIO, the buck on this often stops with you and making the right choices to facilitate custom application. This article explores the need, what you should be looking for (hint: an integrated Data, AI + IoT platform), and benefits.

The need for custom application development in Industry.

Industries worldwide are facing an increasing need for digital transformation to compete in a data-driven world that's becoming reliant on AI, machine learning and broader Big Data set analysis in real-time to extract productivity, efficiency, and HSEC improvements.

Developing custom applications is at the forefront of this transformation. It enables businesses to tailor solutions to their unique needs, streamline operations, improve efficiency, and drive innovation - all without having to dramatically add to, reengineer, or restructure their broader technology stacks.

Exploring Platform Options for Custom Application Development.

As a CIO in the industrial sector, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to platform options for custom application development.

You could take a traditional route, choosing separate platforms for different tasks, start from scratch and build your own, or you might also be tempted by the emerging crop of specialised, niche platforms, offering hyper-focused solutions for specific parts of your operation.

These can all seem attractive, but integrating them seamlessly with your existing technology stack and facilitating real-time data ingestion and analysis from multiple sources can be a massive challenge, not to mention the inefficiencies and potential security vulnerabilities that can arise from juggling multiple platforms.

The integrated Data, AI + IoT Platform: a comprehensive solution for industrial custom application development.

But, what if there was a way to streamline all these functionalities into one platform? Enter the integrated Data, AI + IoT platform - a unified SaaS-based solution that brings together data platform, AI platform, and IoT platform capabilities into a single tool.

This type of platform takes care of all your custom application development needs, simplifying the entire process and removing the need for managing multiple platforms. Its integrated nature not only makes the development process faster and more efficient, but it also ensures that your applications are built on a solid, cohesive foundation.

This cohesiveness extends to your entire technology stack, making it 'real-time' ready. All components of your stack can communicate seamlessly, which leads to better data accuracy, improved decision-making capabilities, and ultimately, higher operational efficiency.

Benefits of using an integrated Data, AI + IoT platform for custom application development.

Using an integrated Data, AI + IoT platform for custom application development offers numerous advantages compared to traditional methods.

1. Multiple Application Abilities: These platforms offer a single environment where you can develop, deploy, and manage multiple applications for different industrial use cases (see here for some examples). This centralisation enhances consistency, facilitates collaboration, and makes application management more efficient.
2. Middleware Capabilities: Middleware serves as a bridge that facilitates communication and data exchange between various systems in your IT infrastructure. An integrated data, AI + IoT platform can integrate with anything in real-time, giving it next generation middleware capabilities that simplify connectivity and makes it easier to develop and deploy applications that leverage data from multiple sources.
3. Real-Time technology stack: By enabling real-time data collection, processing, and analytics in real-time, coupled with its interoperability functionality, these platforms can make your entire technology stack operate in real-time by giving all your systems the data they need, when they need it. This increased not only enhances decision-making and improves your existing technology stack, but enables you to improve response times across your business to deliver bottom-line, safety, environmental, efficiency - and just about any other - benefit.
4. Industry 4.0 Tools: A Data, AI + IoT platform is equipped with a suite of Industry 4.0 tools, such as machine learning, predictive analytics, and automation capabilities. These tools empower you to develop applications that drive operational efficiency, enhance productivity, and capitalise on the opportunities presented by Industry 4.0, such as AI-led decision-making.
5. Hybrid IT Infrastructure: These platforms can seamlessly blend cloud and on-premise resources, enabling a hybrid IT infrastructure without changing your broader stack. This allows businesses to leverage the scalability and flexibility of cloud solutions while retaining the security and control of on-premise systems, delivering the best of both worlds and offering more flexibility in application development and deployment.
6. Affordable application development: By consolidating your development environment into a single platform, you reduce the costs associated with managing multiple systems and tools, as well as avoid future development and maintenance costs in the process.
7. Speed-to-deployment: Integrated platforms offer pre-built modules and templates that speed up the development process, allowing for quicker deployment of applications. You also don't need to waste time building out and adding capabilities to the platform itself.
8. Scalability: As your organisation grows, your application needs will also evolve. Platforms that offer scalability can easily accommodate this growth, allowing for the development of more complex applications as needed.
9. Security: With robust security measures in place, these platforms ensure that your applications and data are protected from threats.

Exploring custom application development capabilities for Industry.

As a CIO in the industrial sector, understanding the landscape of custom application development is crucial. With the right platform, you can leverage data, AI, and IoT technologies to develop tailored applications that drive your organisation's digital transformation, enhancing efficiency, innovation, and competitive edge.

Rayven's integrated Data, AI + IoT platform built with an emphasis on providing a fully integrated environment for custom application development. Rayven provides all the benefits mentioned above and more, so whether you're developing a single application or an entire suite, Rayven offers a flexible, efficient, and secure solution to meet your needs.

Speak to us today to explore how you can develop custom applications, simply, and leverage the power of an integrated Data, AI + IoT platform for your multiple IT-use cases.