The Internet of Things, the cloud, social and other trends have deservedly grabbed their share of headlines - but there’s a crucial common denominator that may just surpass all of them in importance: the application. By 2017, the combined value of paid apps, app-enabled purchases of goods and services, and in-app advertising is expected to double to $151 billion in the US. Welcome to the application economy. Once considered nice-to haves, applications are now one of the primary interfaces connecting companies to their customers. The feel, functionality and performance of your applications have a direct effect on your business and your brand.