Evaluating internal tools solution: 4 Critical Aspects
Tags: showdev, appdevelopment, nocode, internaltool
Published: 2020-11-23 10:42:23

Internal tools refer to software applications that are [built internally by an organization](https://www.dronahq.com/templates/?ref=dev-to) to aid their internal operations. They may be tailored technical tools or apps designed to enhance efficiency or apps with CRUD interfaces to support employee and customer-facing activities like self-service modules and customer support.

Selecting a solution to build internal tools is indeed a challenging task because you need to understand your problems and opportunities at a very high level. To do that you need to first jot down your requirements, pain-points, and ways to overcome them. Many factors can influence the criteria to select internal tool solutions for various use-cases and industries, but the main motive behind using internal tools is to get more out of less, i.e. more productivity with less efforts.

If you are looking for a solution for internal tools to create or replace your current tools, here’s a list of questions to ask yourself:

**1. Is the solution reducing dependencies on the engineering team?**
You’re considering an internal tool because:
* You want to accelerate growth in your organization
* You want to empower developers with solutions that offer a higher level of abstraction
* You want to build apps that provide seamless integration with legacy systems, line of business processes and databases
* You want to spend significant IT resources developing items of greater importance

If that’s the case, be confident that the solution you choose for internal tools helps to reduce dependencies on your engineering department.

**_TRY_**: You certainly need a solution that allows your enterprise users teams to create their internal tools. In such a case, a low-code platform will be the best fit to build business solutions. Look for the low-code platform that is intuitive and easy to use, and encourage your business users to try their hands over the platform to create tools to fulfil their business requirements.

**_AVOID_**: Many low-code platforms are targeted towards developers and enterprise users who are tech-savvy and have some technical knowledge. Go for a low-code platform only when your enterprise users understand some tech. elements or there is an IT team to assist them with their low-code internal tools projects.

**2. Is it flexible to satisfy future business requirements of the organization?**
At first, you might not know what tools you may need to develop in the future. But you know what your specific business requirements are, and you may have some use-cases in mind that you might incorporate in the future. Ensure that the solution you select is flexible to fit with your current business requirements, and can support the numerous use cases that you have identified.

**_TRY:_** Select the solution that offers enough flexibility to build the tools according to your requirements. Select the tool that provides the ability to create customized interfaces, along with a variety of app components (list, tables, checkboxes, buttons, etc.) to select from, and can incorporate business rules in the app workflow, integrate databases and other third parties applications with minimal support from the technical departments.

**_AVOID_**: Keep a check on the resources that you are willing to devote to create internal solutions. Avoid solutions that require complex engineering work, time and efforts of technical teams to make any modifications- unless you’re ready to allocate those resources.

**3. Does it provide enough security to protect business-sensitive data?**
Internal tools always require access to sensitive internal data. Data of sensitive nature is not just limited to business data, it also comprises employee information, bank details, and other information that employees and businesses consider private. Security is the most sought after aspect when it comes to selecting any platform to build internal tools. The best advantage of using an internal tool solution is that the user need not to worry about the security of the internal tools. All the security parameters and considerations have to be fulfilled by the vendor.

**_TRY_**: Many low platforms have strict security certifications in place to protect enterprise data. Select the platform which provides access to actions and data at granular levels. Also, look for enterprise-grade security features such as DLP controls, Remote Wipe, IP restricted access, SSO, biometric controls, and access control configurations so that your business users can create enterprise apps without worrying for the security of the app.

**_AVOID_**: Always look for data security constraints and policies and avoid solutions that do not have well-defined standards, policies and regulations for data duplication, inconsistency, data insecurity and violation of compliance or regulatory standards.

**4. Will it be scalable to adapt according to my requirements?**
Internal tools always reflect modern features and functionality the company provides, so they need to update regularly with the dynamicity of business scenarios. Look for a solution that lets you update your internal tools whenever there is a change in requirements. Also, select the platform which provides enough space to deal with your future business needs (the use-cases that you may add in the future) to incorporate with your existing business tools.

**_TRY_**: Low code platform can be the answer to the most sought after question of app scalability. Many low platforms allow users to scale their projects according to the no. of users transactions. Business users can scale up or scale down their internal apps without worrying about the managing or provision of servers for the app. The vendor takes care of load balancing.

**_AVOID_**: Avoid internal tools solutions that require extensive technical team support to deal with updates and modifications. What’s the benefit of using an external solution to develop internal tools when at every instance, your engineering team is fixing the changes. So, ensure that your internal tools can grow as your business grows.

##Driving the Digital Change

[DronaHQ](https://www.dronahq.com/?ref=dev-to) allows you to assemble your internal tools using the model-driven development approach. Build internal tools, map your business workflows and add automation and business logic. DronaHQ also offers sheets as database and ready connectors to integrate your external databases and other third-party applications. The low-code platform also provides enterprise-grade security to secure your enterprise data. You can create an app from scratch or can choose from ready to use apps from DronaHQ’s marketplace and customize them according to your business needs.

Don’t know how to evaluate a platform to build internal tools? [Download this low-code evaluation tool now.](https://www.dronahq.com/evaluating-internal-tools/?ref=dev-to)

Originally published at [https://www.dronahq.com](https://www.dronahq.com/evaluating-internal-tools/?ref=dev-to).