Our journey, so far...
Previously on AppsAnywhere...
It’s always time to lift the lid on the next stage of AppsAnywhere. So, let’s kick things off with a little introduction...
The story of AppsAnywhere 3.0:
In 2021 we released AppsAnywhere 2.11 which included a new look and feel for the portal. It was optional for those that wanted to try it, and it gave us insight into how we could develop the front end further. This was something we'd identified as fundamental to the user experience and so formed one of our product pillars that we created as a guiding element of our strategy.
(The product blog starts here!)
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AppsAnywhere 2.12
We took all that insight and feedback from customers and in June 2022, we released AppsAnywhere 2.12, putting Search and Collections front and center. It was a more modern interface with the intention of making it even easier for students to access their applications; with the ability to launch an app straight from the search results or from an app collection.
It also had greater accessibility following consultation with digital accessibility experts. But it wasn't just about the user experience.
We completely changed the underlying architecture of the portal; to future-proof the technology and to make it easier to develop changes to the portal moving forward. An essential requirement for a SaaS (software as a service) product and an aspiration for the future of AppsAnywhere.
AppsAnywhere 3.0
Development then began on version 3 of AppsAnywhere. The focus of this was to provide value across all our product pillars. We're releasing our first iteration of this latest version in December.
So why have we labeled this 3.0? When we moved to 2.0 it was the shift from Software2 Hub to AppsAnywhere; a significant milestone in the product. We see version 3 as an equally significant moment. It’s not just a step change for the product in terms of providing broad value across the pillars (although it is that!). It also represents a new beginning for the future of AppsAnywhere; the launch of AppsAnywhere Cloud.
Our ambition is to deliver a fantastic student experience, with all the power and flexibility you've come to expect from the core product but in a cloud-hosted, easy-to-configure, service. So that’s why we’re launching AppsAnywhere Cloud alongside 3.0. The choice is yours whether you want AppsAnywhere 3.0 deployed on-premises or whether you’re looking for a cloud solution. Either way, we’ll continue to iterate on this latest version.
The exciting challenge for us as a development team now is to keep improving 3.0 - delivering more features and acting on your feedback to increase the value across all the product pillars - whilst at the same time building on the AppsAnywhere Cloud capability. You can expect to see more about how we’re going about it in future blogs, such as how we plan to adapt our release process to get minor changes out to you more quickly, and how this links in with the cloud.
I can't stop dreaming about post-it notes...
The plans are starting to take shape, but we won’t be waiting until they’re completed to tell you all about them. In The Roadmap I’ll share more with you about our thinking and process (such as how we’re incorporating ideas from our innovation competition earlier this year – AppsAnywhere Fest) and in our Feature Focus series, we’ll deep dive into specific product functionality to show you what it’s all about.
Keep checking in here as we peel back the curtain on our amazing product journey.
Spencer, AppsAnywhere Product Manager