What Are Composite Applications? Use Cases, Benefits & More

Every organization faces challenges, but with the advent of big data, IoT, and new applications, there are more complexities than ever. Collaboration and information sharing becomes much more difficult when employees can’t operate through a single source of data and need to log in and out of various legacy systems and tools.

Those difficulties can trickle down to the user experience, impacting customers. Low-code can help connect complex tools and data sources through composite application development. By using composite applications, organizations can connect data across systems, ensure data integrity, and improve user experience.

New technology, apps, and IoT give organizations the ability to manage an incredible amount of information, but it also engenders an ever-increasing number of data sources. Having access to all sorts of data is great, but when that data’s in many places, there are different rules for each set, and the volume can be overwhelming.

When information is difficult to access, it’s harder to make decisions, collaboration goes out the window, and seemingly simple processes become more complex through layers of additional workflows.

Composite application development helps cut through the noise. It allows organizations to make applications that pull in functions from various existing tools to create a new solution. The new application can reduce the need to log in and out of other apps and systems, streamlining workflows, improving productivity, and reducing data silos that can harm collaboration. Having one central connected application can often improve user experience as well.

There are many ways to incorporate composite applications into B2B brands, including:

• Dashboards: Creating better client dashboards that pull data from multiple sources of information into one streamlined and easy-to-read view.
• Process: Allowing employees to track different parts from suppliers, monitor equipment, and place new digital work orders from one centralized hub without needing to log in and out.
• Access: Giving customer support teams access to tickets and complaints, as well as the status of each, so that the information isn’t siloed and resolutions can be achieved more quickly.

Composite application development stands out because it allows you to continuously close open loops that can negatively affect customer engagement and productive workflows.

Today’s B2B organizations need to succeed on multiple levels: They must be able to capture and analyze data on the fly, be agile enough to pivot quickly, and streamline and digitize workflows for remote teams worldwide — all while providing more customer personalization. According to Deloitte, B2B buyers are 34 percent more likely to buy and 32 percent more likely to renew a contract with an organization that focuses on personalization and customer experience.

Managing data is an essential part of staying competitive. A study from McKinsey found that 86 percent of B2B brands thought they could be better at managing data, and 72 percent said managing data is a top challenge. In addition, survey respondents cited structural data challenges, such as data being “locked” in existing systems, as a root cause of those problems.

Low-code empowers organizations to build their own composite application frameworks. Using composite apps leverages existing tools into something easier to use while “unlocking” the necessary data, which previously may have been hidden or hard to access. Composite apps also don’t require new legacy systems, expensive IT upgrades, integrations, or months of planning. Additionally, they help to encourage collaboration, removing harmful data silos that can affect everything from idea generation to sales.

Related reading: Vendor Lock-In: 6 Tips to Avoid Getting Trapped

Of course, composite applications aren’t a cure-all. Before employing a composite app, consider the potential disadvantages.

One issue with creating an application that leverages data from other sources is the potential for a domino effect if a third-party tool or system goes down. Because your app relies on data from other systems, you may not be able to use the composite app effectively if something goes down.

Another consideration is that there may be constraints in building an app to do exactly what you want because you’re limited by the systems and tools being connected. You may only be able to create something pretty good, rather than perfect.

Despite the potential drawbacks, composite apps can make all the difference for organizations that want to stay on the cutting edge, connect with customers, and improve processes. With low-code development, companies can deploy applications faster while saving valuable time and resources.

If you’re interested in more information, do read What Are Composite Applications? Use Cases, Benefits & More blog from Mendix.

Posts by Liz Froment