But that doesn't mean it's simple to manage these new environments. Petrie says companies can ease development work by standardizing on a single browser brand and version. Otherwise, the company will have to give up functionality by writing the application to the lowest common denominator browser in use. He advises IT managers to avoid the latest major versions of browsers, opting for a few debugged and fine-tuned sub-versions. "I like to see a browser version get some traction before I deploy it," Petrie says.

He also cautions managers that Web applications are introducing more complexity into business computing. Most Web apps run with a separate database server, in addition to Internet and application servers. "There are many points where a Web application can break," Petrie says.

The immature nature of Web software technology, coupled with the rapid development pace for these apps, increases the likelihood of one of these apps breaking down.

The biggest challenge to managing Web applications rests with the other components that help the applications run, such as database servers or network connections, says Brian Gilmore, a manager of Web technologies with Delta Technology Inc., the IT subsidiary of Delta Air Lines in Atlanta. He advises IT managers to plan for components to fail and build robust redundancy behind them. "You can't talk about Web applications without talking about infrastructure," Gilmore says.

Gilmore says the key to Delta's successful use of Web applications has been their centralized deployment. Centralized management can help companies better plan for the hardware and capacity demands Web apps will generate.

Nevertheless, companies are continually expanding internal Web application usage. That means making clear to management that IT needs money to make ad hoc upgrades as systems stress out.