Alpha Anywhere 2.0 cuts time it takes to develop business apps by 90%

Business app software firm Alpha Software will release a new version of its development software next week, allowing businesses to cut the time they spend on developing mobile and Web applications by as much as 90 percent. The Burlington-based company's software is called Alpha Anywhere, and is used to develop business-related applications that can run on desktops and mobile phones.   Many businesses use the software for building mobile-specific applications because it's easy to use, Bricklin said. Applications that might have been prohibitive because of time and expense can now be built cheaper and quicker using the latest version of Alpha Anywhere, said company CTO Dan Bricklin.   "Alpha Anywhere makes it possible for developers who are not heavily trained in mobile development to build applications for businesses," he said. With the newest version of the software, developers can build applications five-to-10 times faster than using the traditional method of coding, Bricklin said. The time it takes to build an application varies drastically depending on the business, but Alpha Anywhere's new version could be used to develop business applications in days instead of weeks, or in weeks instead of months, he said. Businesses use the software to develop applications for business operations such as keeping track of inventory and placing orders for products. For example, a HIPAA-compliant health care application was built using Alpha Anywhere, and it's now in use at more than 20 hospitals, according to the company. Thousands of developers have built tens of thousands of business applications using Alpha's development products, according to the company. Customers using Alpha Software's technology include engineering company Golder Associates, which used Alpha Anywhere to build its internal Web and mobile apps, and trucking business eTruckBiz.