Software vendor TIBCO has launched a new system that it claims will allow users to build cloud applications without any knowledge of languages or programming.

The Simplr tool is an attempt to extend the consumerisation of IT, as witnessed in mobile apps, to enterprise cloud computing, according to TIBCO CTO Matt Quinn. The system is designed to give business cloud subscribers the same user experience they may get from their phone, according to TIBCO. The barrier to productivity gains, however, is that it’s currently impossible to provision infrastructure and organise resources without knowledge of several computing languages and operating systems. TIBCO Simplr is a new business service built on a ‘no-code’ principle, it says.

The beta version of the system has been made public for cloud users to conduct free trials.

Personal automation allows the non-programmer to easily create a ‘recipe’ (as TiBCO calls it, i.e a simple set of instructions) for automating tasks. This might mean setting up a system for taking an input of sales leads from a Salesforce application then creating an instruction to filter out leads on a distinct set of criteria and having that data automatically flowed into a Google apps spreadsheet.

Another user-defined application might involve a marketing executive creating several questionnaires using a variety of systems such as Surveymonkey, Wufoo and TIBCO Formvine. The user could then set up a ‘recipe’ that forms a set of instructions to compile the emailed survey answers and automatically enters the results into relevant parts of a Google sheet.

Other potential self-made applications could move files from Box to Dropbox and Google drive, or swap sales leads between Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.

“People have become accustomed to great app experiences on their personal devices, and they want their business applications to provide that same level of speed, quality, configurability, and ease of use,” said Quinn.