Developments are rapid, especially in the field of technology. That offers opportunities. But what does that mean for the choices we make where standard applications are concerned.

Whereas at the beginning of the IT era applications were still custom-built, these days it's all about standard software, of course. But how standard is this still?

Is standard like armor into which the organization must fit or is it flexible and there are plenty of opportunities to mold it into a model that fits. The most efficient way, of course, is to adapt the process to the application. That is fast, cheap and has minimal risks, but unfortunately that is not always possible. If the process cannot be turned around, for whatever reason, then one chooses a standard with flexible design options possibly with additional applications (AddOn's) for sub-areas/branches within this standard.

There are also opportunities to make adjustments deeper into the source of the standard, bringing process and application even closer together. Even in cases where solutions are not available as standard, they can thus be integrated into a standard solution.

Such flexibility makes the chosen standard seen by organizations as a foundation on which to continue developing. Why not everything in one application? There are various reasons for this, such as specialization on a functional/technical level or the use of different platforms, think of the development of web applications and apps. Choosing partial solutions is already becoming commonplace due to all the developments around us. Multiple standard applications work together in the process both in the cloud and on-premises.

With the intensive use of tablets and mobiles, more and more small applications (APPs) are being developed to support part of the process. So these are small partial solutions and each organization makes a choice whether to use them or not. Making choices is important to prevent a proliferation of the use of anything and everything within an organization that could jeopardize manageability. Not everything fits together and that is certainly something to think about. What are the consequences of this, how is continuity guaranteed and how secure is the data being stored. Internet of things throws another scoop on top of the developments that were already there. Technological developments follow each other in rapid succession and applicability is increasing. Even in the area of interfacing (API) with which data is exchanged between applications, the trend is more flexible and faster.

The above are all about standard functionality but there are other options in the form of standard tooling. It is a technical framework that can be used to build applications. Quickly and in a WYSIWYG like manner one broadens the support of the process. Technically a standard but functionally not.

That doesn't get us there yet. Another sub-area that can be labeled as tooling is Business Intelligence. Not as part of a standard solution but as a standard solution in itself. The various sources in which data is stored are combined to present the right information. Besides databases, whether in the cloud or not, the Internet is an inexhaustible source that people also want to consult. Results are offered in the form of dashboards, statistics and reports. Not everyone is steering for the same information. Being able to quickly navigate the data is one of the strengths of the standard. It's about insight, overview and analysis.

So how standard is standard? It is ultimately a consideration of what the contribution is to the process, the level of investment, the return to be achieved and the risks. The flexibilization of the labor market certainly affects this as well. The possibilities are diverse and with today's developments, the number of applications and application areas is growing rapidly. A glance at mobile or tablet says it all.

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