ESSENTIAL TECHNOLOGY: MAKING IT ON THEIR OWN

摘要

End-user development may soundlike an oxymoron-or worse, a CIO's nightmare-but thousands of end users develop software every day. For some, the process entails nothing more than entering formulas into a spreadsheet, but others are turning to end user development tools that provide far more power. Whether a user is creating ad hoc databases, building enterprise application prototypes or reconfiguring business rules on the fly, this new crop of tools offers the promise of rapid idea-to-deployment times and lower support costs for IT. But such development can also force CIOs to deal with software built without the normal controls found in normal IT projects. The key is finding a balance that gives users tools they can use effectively without turning the application environment into a support quagmire.