Microsoft introduces service for companies to create their own apps

Microsoft is coming with a service called PowerApps that makes it possible for companies to create apps with a gui that use their own data. The apps can use data from both cloud storage services and the company’s local storage.

PowerApps is currently in a preview phase. The apps can be made with a simple gui in Windows, iOS and Android. This compares Microsoft with Office. The apps are stored within PowerApps, but not exported as standalone applications. Instead, the self-developed apps are always opened within PowerApps. The advantage of this is that an app can be shared within the company by means of only a link. The apps can therefore be developed and used on all three platforms.

Microsoft provides examples of apps that help plan events, provide insight into sales figures, reserve equipment for employees, conduct employee polls, and maintain an interactive catalog of inventory. Microsoft also provides multiple templates to facilitate development. The Azure App Service also allows developers to create APIs that PowerApps can use again.

The cloud sources Microsoft mentions are Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Bing, Salesforce, Twitter, Office 365, Dynamics CRM, and Yammer. In addition, PowerApps supports the local systems of SharePoint, SQL Server, Oracle and SAP. Prices for the service are not yet fixed, but it is already known that costs are calculated per user per month. There will also be a free trial version of PowerApps with limited functionality.