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Spotlight
Create Web apps without coding
PK4’s zeroCode toolkit enables it to develop Web applications
without writing a single line of code. The company is focusing on SMBs to fuel
its growth says Mohd Shariff PA
Bangalore-based PK4 Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd’s unique selling proposition
rides on the fact that it develops Web applications without having a huge team.
With its zeroCode software toolkit, PK4 can quickly put together Web applications
for its customers using existing resources. The company boasts of clients from
various verticals both domestic and globally such as Alps Engineering (Japan,
US), Federal Express (US), Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (India), Prometeo
(Italy), Telecom Ita (Italy), Transtar Metals (US and China), Unisource (US)
and UTI Bank [Axis bank] (India). zeroCode raises productivity, reduces time
to deliver and helps deliver bug-free, scalable software all while reducing
the complexity of software infrastructure.
Narasimhan (Kishore) Mandyan, CEO, PK4 Software Technologies said, “We
believe strongly in putting our money where our mouth iswe offer customers fixed-price
estimates on time and effort, clearly defining what they can expect from a PK4
solution. We deliver practical solutionson time and within budget, guaranteed
to increase customer profitability and productivity, while reducing costs. Our
experience, accrued body of knowledge and usage of tools ensures that we can
build a custom solution faster and more effectively than most anyone else.”
Having the customers across verticals, PK4’s solutions cover sales force
automation, reporting, portals, eCommerce and operational systems on mainframes,
IBM AS/400s, UNIX servers and Windows operating platforms.
Mandyan said, “We back our services on state-of-the-art solutions and 24/7
support for customers world-wide. Our combination of services skills and product
technologies is ideal for long-term relationships that deliver continuing value.”
The company released its business application builder named zeroCode in 2006.
This application is designed to allow small and medium business (SMB) users
and small workgroups in enterprises to quickly and easily construct business
applications online. Mandyan quotes Forrester Research which says that 71% of
the US SMBs use custom-developed applications.
zeroCode is an interesting framework for tech savvy business people to create,
build and deploy their own Web-based applications. According to Mandyan, a basic
framework of Web applications can be created with just five clicks. zeroCode
uses a visual, model-driven approach that help business users and enterprise
IT teams develop complex business applications, without having to write a single
line of code. It is an application generator that builds database-driven Web
applications and can rapidly create visually stunning, feature-rich applications
with database access and security. Here zeroCode accelerates development of
Web applications by eliminating routine infrastructure programming, giving users
easy-to-customize and ready-to-deploy applications.
Complex Web transactional applications that access a variety of databases such
as DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL can be built in just days.
Focus on maturing SMBs
Mandyan said, “A custom built Web application is always going to match
the customer’s requirement and fit their business process better than a
packaged application. While SMBs are short on resources, they still want to
add layers of functionality and flexibility to their business applications as
their business operations grow. Do-it-yourself business application development
using an externally- hosted service is a great choice for SMBs.” According
to Mandyan, over the last few years, several customers such as FedEx, Transtar
Metals, UTI Bank and World Minerals have used zeroCode to quickly build and
deploy Web-based business applications. With zeroCode in the SaaS model, the
company now brings the power to SMBs worldwide.
Customers download and install zeroCode using a standard browser and Internet
connection. Once it is pointed to an existing database, zeroCode quickly builds
a sophisticated database-connected application. And it generates the applications
user interface, including Web pages, master-detail pages, menus, and search
and navigation components. Once the basic application is built, the application
designer uses a drag-and-drop visual environment to add custom business logic
for the business.
Mandyan explains, “Looking at the Indian market where
SMBs are emerging and maturing at a fast pace, we see a tremendous growth in
this space in the shorter run. Moreover the mid-size market has shown reluctance
to go for high-end, proprietary solutions and we think that, we have timed the
Indian market well.” With the release of zeroCode Version V3R6 the efficiency
of running multiple zeroCode applications has been increased dramatically. This
has given much mileage to the growth of the product across verticals. Previously,
each zeroCode-created application was configured to run in a separate Jetty
Web server with unique port numbers. Each zeroCode application used to require
a separate Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to run. With this new release, multiple
zeroCode-created applications can be configured to run under a single JVM, drastically
reducing memory requirements and the resources required to manage multiple applications.
“With this release of zeroCode, we have reduced the complexity of managing
multiple zeroCode applications running on the same server. At the same time,
we have made it easier for zeroCode built applications to be integrated into
popular Web application servers, making the apps themselves much more scalable
and robust,” said Mandyan. As it offers a free evaluation of zeroCode,
designers can modify an existing database or use their own database to evaluate
zeroCode. They will have access to support forums, online chat and discussion
groups for troubleshooting.
Mandyan said, “In business intelligence situations, the most important
strength one needs is an understanding of the data model. Developers must recognize
and remember data model details and build reports and analyses based on that.
zeroCode does away with these complications.”
The company claims that over 60% of BI reporting needs can be constructed in
minutes using zeroCode. Where analytics is needed, external analytical engines
can be integrated and used directly. Users who can work with the sophisticated
requirements of desktop-based BI clients can continue to do so, while zeroCode
satisfies the needs of the rest. With the popularity of social networking on
the rise the company intends to innovate in that direction to increase the popularity
of its product.
mohammed.shariff@expressindia.com
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