Many people associate web application support and maintenance services with examining log files or taking a backup, but these are merely routine housekeeping tasks. Application support and maintenance services aim at assisting the startups and enterprises in developing and refining the code of the existing application, adding new features and functionalities, redesigning the application architecture for better performance, and to ensure the web application is up-to-date, secure, faster, and performs exactly as users would expect while minimizing the cost impact.
Transferring an application to a different server, migrating to a cloud environment, upgrading the application to a more recent version of the technology, or simply, content modification is the most popular tasks that need support and maintenance services.
In This Article
Why is maintenance and support crucial for startups and
enterprises?
Let's take a common model of a home in the world. After you purchase the property or build it, do you simply ignore your home? Or do you consider spending a little time and effort to keep it in a pristine condition for better usability and valuation? The answer is probably the latter, isn't it?
The same principle applies to web-based applications, too, for all support and maintenance operations that take place worldwide to maintain applications. Every project requires some maintenance tasks to ensure that it's running in a steady state. Maintenance is not just about keeping it running but developing and growing gradually.
Every product has to undergo the secure maintenance of the application. If this process isn't taken seriously, both companies and clients may be subject to significant financial responsibility while being impacted by various maintenance issues. This is why regular maintenance of the application is crucial to fix any problems to ensure that the application is running.
Aim of web application support and maintenance
Once a product or application is developed, companies need to determine its readiness for release. Companies often need web application support and maintenance service to address important issues of product testing and bug fixing. Support services can be very helpful if you plan to add new functions to an application, or when you want to increase the application's performance, or feel a need to adjust the application to an evolving environment or new demands. Following are the key objectives of support and maintenance services.
Once a product or application is developed, companies need to determine its readiness for release. Companies often need web application support and maintenance services to address important issues of product testing and bug fixing. Many website owners, business owners, or web developers are afflicted with bugs. Bugs often are the result of development happening in bits and pieces, which makes the code inconsistent. Other reasons are last-minute functionality changes, incompatible third-party tools, and the lack of control over version numbers. Other instances of bug-coding include unrealistic release dates, miscommunications, and human error.Some bugs are very serious and hinder software functionality, while others result in unintentional functions. Whichever may be the case, bugs are undesired pieces of code or wrongly stitched-together code that can cause minor to major problems for the entire application, and therefore their removal is essential before small issues turn into a critical issue. To get the bug fixed, you would need quick web development support from the technology expert.
2. Security Patches/Updates
Web applications and websites regularly need security patches and updates to secure themselves in an environment where hackers continuously look for vulnerable and unsuspected victims. Even if your website was fully secured and up to date when it was developed, chances are that by now it may have become vulnerable to security breaches, or may have become incompatible to incorporate the latest technology solutions.Web development and maintenance support are very helpful in keeping the application up to date. The process of initiating the updating process may be difficult, but you can take help from web development agencies that offer support and maintenance services. This process for updating your software and the application allows it to gain more customers while also gaining 'out of the box' features and dazzling branding. It's the reason why maintenance features of a web-based application offer routine support for customers, resulting in the creation of error-free apps and the creation of an attractive product. These benefits help preserve accessibility, app data, and the development of new and efficient solutions.The most significant changes occur in the update, but it mostly includes stability in security and performance of web applications. The functioning system of updates is dependent on the successful functioning of the maintenance of web applications and their review of the product. It is beneficial to be aware that the latest security concerns automatically solve updating and patching software and applications.The frequent updates allow users to have a smooth experience with the latest apps or software versions. This helps companies avoid the financial penalties resulting from insufficient maintenance on their apps, increasing your reputation by keeping up with the latest trends in app development.
3. Upgrade technology to improve website performance
You may need to upgrade the website’s technology for a variety of reasons including technical, scalability, and financial reasons. Some of the key reasons are listed below. They are merely meant to be a helpful guideline when deciding if your website needs a revamp. Many established organizations in America are still using applications that are based on Microsoft’s legacy technology like ASP .NET Webforms. They may need to upgrade the technology to ASP .NET MVC to make their application scalable and cross-platform compatible. Each business is different, and there could be other factors that impact the choice.
Improve performance of the website in terms of speed, quality, and workflow.
Migrate to new technology for better security,
You want your website to reflect the latest technology of your brand's image and values.
You'd like to make your website simpler to navigate and use.
You're launching an innovative product or service
You should re-energize your marketing efforts.
You must add new technology and features
These reasons are merely meant to be a helpful guideline when deciding if your website needs a revamp. Each business is different, and there could be other factors that impact the choice.
4. Functioning of connected API’s
Many enterprises use Third-party APIs to perform certain functions or to incorporate popular tools on their website. Integration of third-party APIs and their proper functioning is an integral and crucial part of the customer experience and sales process on these business websites. When the third party changes or upgrades their APIs, the users of that API also need to make code tweaking to ensure the APIs are functioning. Enterprises and startups often seek web development support to ensure the proper functioning of APIs. The slow performance of the product is a result of the maintenance of the application isn't regularly and promptly updated with the appropriate API system. This type of maintenance is not routinely monitored, as the most current web application services constantly support both the new and old APIs.Most often, programmers start 8 to 16 hours to update the product through the maintenance process for applications. It's usually performed to facilitate the API developed by a third party, to make the product's functions and systems operational, more quickly, and more precise.
5. Scaling from MVP to Full-scale application
Once the MVP version of the application has proved the viability of the business model, startups often need to revamp the website to enable it to support a growing number of website visitors. Upgrading the MVP version of the website to a full-scale application may include the addition of more functionality, increasing the bandwidth, adding security features to secure the customer profiles, or adding third-party APIs to the website. By now the company has crossed the application development phase and has entered the stage of scaling up the application. At this juncture, they need web development and support for continuous improvement and variation to further evolve the product.
Another need for maintenance for applications is at the time of incorporating new functionality to the application. It is fairly commonplace, involving different options. It is a value-added task and battling against tough competition about applications and products. It improves the functionality of products thanks to the addition of new features in the maintenance process of the application. In maintenance for applications, the development of new features becomes the main aspect. Businesses and customers must focus on the particular issues that arise in developing a product. The feedback from users is essential to increase the functionality of the application or software.
7. Monitoring of an application is crucial for a flawless user experience
The last step in the maintenance of the software is the overall monitoring. Bugs can cause major problems for the software, affecting the proper functioning and causing a major problem in the operations. The bugs can cause crashes, alter the application behavior, mismatch the outcome or the result, causing inconvenience to the user or hampering the day-to-day business. If you have support services, the developers will be there paying close attention to the anomalies. An effective strategy for ensuring solid monitoring of the app and maintenance of its app is to engage an IT firm that has years of experience monitoring the product's app. This can assist developers in getting rid of routine maintenance problems and receiving direct notifications regarding the development of the app. Additionally, IT companies can develop products about regular updates, continuous changes, web app development, and prompt resolution of issues with the app.
How to Reduce cost of Support and maintenance services?
Most companies have a small in-house IT team to look after the ongoing and never-ending maintenance of business web applications. But maintaining a small in-house IT team to look after their business applications and websites becomes an operational challenge for organizations as it costs a huge amount of budget.
In-house IT team costs huge
The in-house team adds to the project cost as the company not only has to spend on the salary of the staff, it requires investment in health insurance, travel allowances, and other mandatory benefits to meet government compliance. Startups face an additional issue of renting office space for the team. Regular budget allocation for maintaining an in-house team and office setup further hurts the cash flow when the work is not regular or there is a slow down in the market.
Outsourcing is your best bet
A growing number of companies have found a solution in the outsourcing model to offload the in-house team and reduce the operational cost. They hire an offshore IT company from India to take care of routine web application maintenance work. They have found this model to be cost-effective and efficient. Lee Kuan Yew, ex-Prime Minister of Singapore, says, “If you deprive yourself of outsourcing and your competitors do not, you're putting yourself out of business”.
Conclusion
Maintenance and support for applications aim to ensure that the applications are reliable, highly accessible, and in line with the changing business requirements. According to one of the surveys, it averages 75 percent of the total costs of ownership of software over its life.
The importance of website maintenance is needed for both short-term benefits and long-term gains, during the initial development of a product as well as in keeping it up to date as the customer and business growth. Effective bug fixes, improvements, and updates are essential for maintaining the loyalty of your customers. Regular maintenance of websites or web applications keeps your customers satisfied and helps keep costs under control and manageable.