The history of the human race can be divided into distinct eras, with each era reflecting the dominant culture, and the dominant products, of its time. When human beings first emerged as a species, our needs were pretty simple, as were our means of meeting them. Hunting and gathering were the order of the day, and the best berry pickers and animal trackers were rewarded with ample food and full bellies. Next came the agricultural revolution, with its reliance on stable food production and the ability to feed a growing population. In that era, the best farmers were the ones who were admired and copied. As the agricultural revolution gave rise to the age of machines, the industrial age took shape, and the creators of those machines ruled the day. While agriculture and manufacturing are still vital parts of the economy, the 21st century is clearly the information age. In the 21st-century, the men and women who control the flow of data will be the ones who rise to the top, and much of that rise has already taken place. Google is not the dominant search engine because of its clean design; it rose to the top because it provides the best and most useful search results. Smartphones by Apple and Samsung dominate the market because of their superior interfaces and ease of use. 21st-Century Products for a 21st-Century Business For those who want to survive in the 21st-century world of business, it is all about harnessing information. The world is becoming more data-driven with every passing day, and as storage capacities and technological capabilities increase, the value of information will also increase. That means that individuals and small businesses that can create quality smartphone and tablet apps for data-driven companies are the ones most likely to succeed. The apps themselves may be quite different from one another, but they all have one important thing in common. Harnessing the Power of Information That common denominator is the ability to harness large quantities of data and present it in a user-friendly and easy to understand manner. Whether it is information on how a teenager is driving and handling the family car, analytical data on which products are selling where or information on the best way to ship goods from warehouse to customer, data-driven apps help business leaders make decisions, allow individuals to act in smarter ways and make the lives of real people better in countless ways. A Low Barrier to Entry Many tech-based business opportunities require a great deal of upfront investment and an even higher level of technical know-how and expertise. Mobile app development is an exception to that rule, and its low barrier to entry is one of the driving forces behind its success. If you have a great idea for a mobile app, one that will aid the data-driven revolution and help real people solve real problems, you can hire a company like SDI to flesh out that idea and build the accompanying app. Services like the ones SDI provides help to level the playing field even more by removing one of the last barriers to entry. Now, entrepreneurs with great ideas can get instant access to the marketplace, and share in the billions of dollars of wealth the mobile app business world has created. Common Traits of a Great Data Driven App Regardless of their industry focus, data-driven mobile apps have a number of important things in common. These common traits are a driving force in the success of any app, and would-be developers should consider them carefully when building their businesses and fleshing out their ideas. No matter what else they do, successful apps for data-driven businesses provide for the automation of business processes, as well as the handling of common problems and the harnessing of opportunities. This combination of traits allows businesses to make the most of the opportunities that come their way, even as they create new opportunities of their own. The most successful apps for businesses also have the ability to draw in diverse data from multiple sources and make sense of the results. A typical app might bring in data from the production line in China, the warehouse in Illinois, the trucking company in California and the retailer in Indiana, all while helping the business owner make sound decisions. The Best Apps for the Data Driven Business Quality apps for the data-driven business will also have the ability to make the resulting information available to everyone who needs it, from the customer service rep taking phone calls to the retail clerk on the front lines to the manufacturing supervisor on the factory floor. Regardless of their job or location, the workers in these data-driven organizations have the information they need at their fingertips. This combination of operational and analytic capabilities is at the heart of the data-driven revolution, and the apps that create this combination best are the ones most likely to survive. If you have a mind for business and the technical skills to make it happen, you could be the next one to strike it rich in the brave new world of data-driven apps. Even if you do not have the technical know-how, companies like SDI can help you turn your great idea into a great business. The life cycle of the successful mobile app for data-driven businesses starts with an identification of the problem continues on through the gathering of relevant data and ends with a real and profitable solution. SDI can help you turn the first step, namely problem identification, and turn it into a true benefit for today’s data-driven organizations. To get started now, call us at 408.805.0495/408.621.8481 – or contact us here!