App Tools Offer Choice, but Could Impact Manageability

Numerous application building tools and environments are offered by Microsoft. These vary in characteristics such as type, complexity, security, and manageability of applications produced; products, services, and developer skills required; and expected future Microsoft investment.

IT staff should be aware of these tools to ensure appropriate policies, security configurations, and support channels are deployed for applications created and used throughout an organization. Developers should evaluate the tools to determine the most efficient one to use for each application project. Knowledge workers may be able to use tools on this list to create solutions without impacting full-time developer resources.

The “Skill Level” column describes the level of developer experience and skill required to build applications with each tool or environment. “High” indicates a tool or environment that is typically used by full-time developers. “Low” indicates a tool or environment that could be used successfully by novice developers or non-developer “power users.”