Category: Emerging technologies

Understanding the Green Cloud

March 9, 2016

Most of us have already begun to opt for cloud computing in one way or another. Whether we choose to automate our HR processes with the help of an HRMS or we choose to install ERP solutions in order to automate business process, most companies today engage in cloud computing. Yet, companies are not aware of the benefits of green cloud computing. In other words, they still need to understand the importance of using the green cloud. Green cloud computing refers to an infrastructure that is less harmful to the environment and that requires less cooling systems to store data and run processes. Obviously, companies that offer green cloud services tend to be more expensive than the ones that offer just cloud computing, without mentioning anything about environmental regulations. It is important to understand that IT infrastructure is responsible for a very heavy carbon footprint and most of us are guilty of causing burden to an already overburdened ecosystem. Thus, the onus is on us to choose services that are verifiably green in nature. That includes opting for cloud services that are green and environment-friendly. Facing the green cloud reality We all know that global warming is a real issue that has not been tackled effectively. In the industry circles, there is a tendency to avoid these issues but what most business owners do not realize is that when they go green, they also improve their brand image. In fact, by choosing to work with vendors who are environment-friendly, businesses can proudly claim to be doing their bit in making the world a better place to live in. Cloud computing infrastructure involves thousands of data centers that utilize enormous quantities of power. While all the data is stored in the cloud and everything is enabled by the internet, physical structures are still very important to running these processes. It is just that cloud clients do not see these physical equipment and imagine themselves to be free from causing power consumption. Unfortunately, most cloud servers still consume a lot of electricity and we are all complicit in leaving behind carbon footprints. Thankfully, there are a number of developments underway already.  Cloud vendors are investing in energy efficient data centers  Vendors have begun to recycle their equipment and discard them safely  Clients have begun to understand that just because they do not use physical infrastructure  does not mean they are no longer responsible for carbon footprints  Both vendors and clients look for projects that come with a green tag so that they can            improve their brand  Most companies are willing to pay a little extra if green technology is involved in cloud      computing What you should do in order to go green Green cloud thus encompasses a variety of strategies that are utilized in order to be environmental friendly. When you choose cloud computing services, it makes sense to sign contracts with companies that are decidedly green. Speak to the representatives and ask them what they are doing in order to reduce power consumption, how safely they discard their electronic waste and if they are actively propagating a green cloud culture. All this will help you to be a part of the green cloud revolution, which helps you to promote yourself as an environmentally conscious company. In today’s world, it is ever more important to be ethical and environmentally conscious. You can start with doing your bit by choosing to work with green cloud computing companies.

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An Overview of Indus Net Technologies’(INT.) Exclusive Digital Marketing Workshops

August 28, 2015

It goes without saying that digital marketing is growing rapidly and has immense potential for further growth. This form of marketing has the best tools and techniques, which can be analyzed to understand what is working and what is not in the marketing attempts of an organization. However, your Digital Marketing efforts should have a consolidated analysis of the inclinations and expectations of the consumers across different digital media channels including direct mail, web, social media, mobile or point of sale. The Importance of Digital Marketing Demystified (DMD) A strategic Digital Marketing method helps the marketers create a consistent and appealing marketing strategy. Such a process enhances the prospect of increasing and improving interactions and relationships with the existing and the potential clients. Founder and CEO of Indus Net Technologies(INT.), Mr. Abhishek Rungta, also a commended Digital Strategy Consultant, strongly believes that like any other initiatives, Digital Marketing needs a proper strategy and creative execution. He says, “deeper the insights about client behaviour and preferences, the likeliness of a higher consumer engagement.” The DMD Workshops of the Year Such a belief has inspired Mr. Rungta to organize several Digital Marketing Workshops across different parts of India. He plays an active role in providing strategic Digital Marketing roadmaps for the leaders and professionals in the Marketing domain. Certainly, this acclaimed specialist with over 17 years of experience in the use of Digital Media and Technology is encouraging Digital Marketing Demystified (DMD) sessions all across India. He is also helping it to gain the requisite momentum. The recent DMD sessions at Oberoi Grand and Hyatt Regency, Kolkata, were quite effective in highlighting Digital Marketing as an important part of a long term business strategies.  However, DMD is not just restricted to Kolkata. Like last year, it has recently travelled in Mumbai at Trident Hotel, in Siliguri at Summit Milestone Hotel, and would also make a move to other renowned cities in the near future. The Big News Besides, Indus Net Technologies (INT.) has also come up with a workshop on “Using Digital Technology for effective Government Citizen Interface,” on 28th August, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. This exclusive workshop on how ‘Digital technology’ and ‘Digital Media’ can be used for better citizen interface demonstrated how technology is transforming the way we work, communicate, or buy and sell. Mr. Rungta also illustrated the use of Digital Technology to gain innovative responses for the needs of our society in various fields. These include healthcare, remote working and collaborative intelligence, education and culture as well as the digital urban transformation. Apart from Mr. Rungta’s session, there were three other eminent speakers in this workshop-  Mr. Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO, MyGov India, spoke about the impact of MyGov in the society  Mr. Sanjeev Gupta, Addition Chief Secretary, Govt. Of Himachal Pradesh, talked about mKisan  Last but not the least, Dr. Ravi P.Singh, Secretary General of Quality Council of India had a discussion on Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED) It is indeed a privilege for Indus Net Technologies  to conduct a Digital Marketing workshop for the Government officials. The Goal These one day workshops have proved to be immensely effective as they’re designed to walk you through the strategy building exercise. The whole purpose is to make the industrial leaders take a better control of their Digital Marketing campaigns. Not only the leaders, people who are seeking more insights and information on what kind of Digital Marketing strategy should be adopted to grow their business can also equip themselves with the best strategy to implement. No doubt, an integrated Digital Marketing strategy offers a strong foundation for all the key online marketing activities and helps in taking the right business decision. To quote Mr. Abhishek Rungta, “Digital marketing strategies enable industrial professionals to progress and make continuous improvement of the key aspects of their businesses.”

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What Is Green Information Technology?

July 22, 2015

There is no doubt that today’s environment is significantly different from the environment of 20 years ago. There are a lot more cars, industries and pollution from all kinds of sources. With developing countries consuming more than developed countries, it is becoming an unsustainable scenario where millions of tons of waste is generated on a continuous basis. Amid all this, there is also the problem of information technology. As IT grew, people and organizations began to buy more computers, devices, servers and other peripherals, leading to more electronic waste. Some of this waste is very hazardous and polluting to the environment. Moreover, computer peripherals tend to use a lot of energy and companies that make profits from the IT sector have a unique responsibility towards their environment. With this in mind, Green Information Technology is the practice of environmentally sustainable computing. Green IT, as a philosophy, came into being in 1992 when the Energy Star labeling system was unveiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is a labeling system that helps companies to reduce greenhouse emissions and save money as well. It does this by identifying superior and green products that reduce greenhouse emissions & energy consumptions. With this in mind, we can kind of gather where the philosophy of Green IT comes from. Now, in order to understand green IT in today’s context, let us take a look at some of the problems that are pulling us down as a society. 1. Electronic waste Today, companies generate a lot of electronic waste. This includes computers, laptops, batteries, chips, smartphones, silicon and a host of other waste products. All this pollute our environment greatly. Green IT involves safe disposal of electronic waste and dealing with companies who will also engage in safe disposal of their electronic waste. Adequate waste disposal methods need to be put in place in all IT departments and this actually needs to be a part of IT governance. 2. Increased energy consumption The more we consume energy, the scarcer coal, water and other products will be. Nuclear technology has its own risks. The best we can do is to reduce energy consumption. It order to do this, companies can adopt cloud computing, instead of buying their own personal infrastructure. Shared platforms and infrastructure help companies to reduce their greenhouse emissions & energy consumptions. It becomes our moral responsibility to choose products and services, which work towards reducing energy consumption. Cloud computing will definitely be one of the preferred options because of this. 3. Culture of replacing products, instead of repairing A number of companies continue to replace their devices and peripherals even when it is not required. These older devices can easily be fixed and used for a few more years. Companies need to actively encourage repairing devices rather than replacing them. This is an important part of green IT. When we repair existing products, waste generated by our companies will be lesser. 4. Using low quality products Low quality products consume more energy and emit more greenhouse gases. They might also be manufactured with unsafe and toxic materials, which do not degrade biologically. In order to avoid this, we will need to invest in high-quality and energy-efficient products, which are green and environmentally friendly. They might prove to be expensive in the beginning but you will save a lot of money in the long term. Low quality products do not go through the standard testing protocols and some of them fail emission level tests, hazardous materials test and other such tests miserably. They are also known to drain electricity more than high quality products. Looking ahead Green IT is only going to grow bigger. As global warming is becoming more important to tackle, we all will need to focus on green IT. This begins with doing business with companies that are green and sustainable. It becomes our responsibility to push green philosophy for the sake of environment. It becomes a moral responsibility not only for companies but also for end users and clients. Unless you go green, people might hesitate to conduct business with you. In the near future, we can see a growing awareness about environment-friendly behaviors and people will likely prefer to use products & services from companies that stand up to their green ideals.

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The Five M-Learning Myths that You Need to Move Past

July 13, 2015

M-learning, the most widely used name for Mobile Learning, is believed to be the emerging trend in the e-learning sector. Though it has gained enough popularity since the starting of the 21st Century but still the industry experts consider it to be in the nascent stage; and the sole reason behind this being the myths of mobile learning, which are hindering learners from embracing the new opportunities related to this relatively new mode of learning. Hence, it’s time for you, as a learner, to move past these myths and take a step forward towards the technologically advanced world. Here are some of the most significant myths that you are expected to rule out at the earliest: 1. M-learning means “learning on the go” It’s just an assumption. Instead, m-learning is much more than “learning on the go”. In fact, through mobile learning, you are accompanied by learning tools even in the static places. Though most of the learners resort to m-learning to learn on the move but it’s certainly not restricted to this. It’s just that it makes learning more flexible. 2. M-learning points at learning through mobile phone It is surely a misconception. Mobile phones aren’t the sole device used for mobile learning. M-learning even includes into its periphery the devices like laptops, notebooks and tablets. To be precise, any device that does not restrict a learner’s mobility is considered suitable for mobile learning. However, mobile phones are among the most widely used devices for m-learning as these handheld devices can be used by a learner without any inconvenience. 3. M-learning is actually related to mobile devices It’s off course about mobile devices but not just about that. Instead, it’s all about technology. After all, technology is the enabler of learning activities, which some people misperceive to be the driver. In fact, it is the integration of educational technologies into the learning sphere that enhances the overall mobile learning experience. Hence, it has nothing to do with just mobile devices. 4. M-learning is mobile-based e-learning Some people are of the opinion that mobile learning is nothing but e-learning through mobile devices and that it offers just snippets of the learning materials. Though it is true to some extent but still m-learning is something more than this. This view does not actually take into account the fact that mobile devices have a number of additional affordances like location awareness, collaborative communication etc. 5. M-learning caters to distance learning and not classroom based trainings It is absolutely a misinterpretation of mobile learning. M-learning does not restrict itself to distance learning. It is equally effective for classroom based learning, if the homework, museum visits, field trips etc. are taken into account. Mobile learning helps you review learning materials, collect and analyze course related details through a handheld device, which is not just easy to carry but is even easy to store information in. Now, as you know that mobile learning is not a “15 minutes of fame” categorized learning support system and has already been projected by the industry experts to be a predominant learning method in the near future, it is advisable that you move past the aforementioned m-learning myths at the earliest. After all, mobile learning wouldn’t be a choice anymore; rather, it would emerge as a compulsive learning mode to stand apart.

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Infrastructure as a Service: A Beginner’s Guide

June 15, 2015

The way computers and data storage work are very different from what how it used to be. The way storage works, has changed drastically since the emergence of cloud. The cloud has literally changed the way we do business, connect with people and deploy IT solutions. It has also reduced cost burden and increased productivity among companies. This has helped companies to focus on their core competencies, while using services on a shared platform. Most importantly, the cloud evolution has helped companies to establish themselves firmly in the IT sector, which earlier was too expensive. Finally, cloud computing has helped companies to access software and infrastructure which otherwise could not have been possible. There are various services a company can purchase through cloud computing models. One of those is Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS. What is IaaS? Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a kind of cloud computing where a 3rd party provider hosts internet based virtualized computing resources. It has started to replace the server you might have once used happily. The trend has changed so much that now you can see companies, who host these servers and allow you to pay for the use of the hardware that they house. IaaS is seen as a cost-efficient and scalable solution as it doesn’t require the same hardware that was previously required. For instance, servers are very expensive to purchase and maintain. Smaller and medium companies simply cannot afford to have an entire server setup built for themselves. It is also quite unnecessary for larger companies to have their own servers when much of their infrastructural needs can be outsourced. Whilst IaaS cuts costs and ensures good service, you need to pay attention to the platforms and software you are using as well. Let us look at some advantages of installing IaaS: 1. No maintenance costs Yes, you heard it right. It is not low maintenance cost but no maintenance cost altogether. Since, cloud computing is done over the Internet, companies don’t have to invest in the hardware required. All of it is handled by the IaaS vendor the company chooses. It also means that companies don’t have to worry about maintenance and replacing old equipment. When there is no maintenance cost, the companies can invest in other things. It also saves on the time to check maintenance and when it comes to business, then time equals to money. This is a very interesting aspect of cloud computing as most companies find it difficult to maintain infrastructure. It costs a lot and is very time consuming. Companies simply cannot take the responsibility of hiring maintenance staff full-time as that is going to cost a lot. The obvious choice is then to outsource to a cloud vendor. 2. Pay-as -you-go model As we discussed earlier, investing in infrastructure can be a very expensive affair. No company can afford to invest so much money in infrastructure when it can be used on a safe and secure shared platform. If need be, cloud computing also allows dedicated servers, which need not be bought. It will be maintained and allotted by the vendor and the client only has to pay for renting the services. This is one of the biggest advantages of IaaS and the pay-as-you-go model essentially means that the use of IaaS is metered in such a way that companies only pay for the services they use & how much they use it. There is no fixed monthly price tag, which is a welcome. Enterprises will know exactly where and how much are they spending & whether it is worth it. If you have used less of IaaS, your costs will match that. If you have used it excessively, your bill reflects that. The payment charges are transparent and therefore, you don’t have to doubt the credibility of the service. 3. Multiple user access IaaS provides multiple user access, which acts as one of its key points. In an era that has to make do with virtual teams, this aspect of IaaS comes in handy. Multiple User Access ensures that the confusion and the chaotic situation where a single user trying to handle multiple responsibilities is avoided. It also helps in improving the efficiency and the speed of work & definitely contributes in reduction of cost. It offers a great solution to start-ups that can’t afford to pay separately for each user. At the end of the day, it boosts flexibility and versatility within an organization. This is important to maintain the cohesiveness that exists within a company. 4. Strong reliability and performance IaaS is a very reliable option and its performance is, without a doubt, excellent. As IaaS reduces cost and time in maintenance & provides multiple user access, the performance of the company increases too. The IT team won’t have to worry about maintaining the hardware or keeping a track of it. It can concentrate on improving and adding new contributions to the company. This also brings us to the question of IT teams innovating and adding value to their home organizations. Instead of spending precious man-hours on infrastructure, they can focus their time on more complex and valuable tasks. 5. Scalability When it comes to business, nothing is the same as the previous day. The work structure can change from week to week, which demands for a dynamic infrastructure that can handle a large variety of requirements that are placed upon it. With IaaS, resources can be made instantly available for the ever so fluctuating activities. It also effectively eliminates any kind of downtime needed to add to or adjust infrastructure requirements. For example, if there are some new demands that suddenly arise, IaaS services can upscale quickly and easily to meet the growth. If there is a drop in demand, services can scale downward and save resources from being wasted unnecessarily. This shows how IaaS can mold itself to fit the company’s needs. 6. Easier access IaaS also provides easier access for employees and entrepreneurs who

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Twitter’s Tale of the Month – Introducing Group Direct Message and Mobile Video

June 1, 2015

Among Twitter’s numerous updates, the one that caught our attention is its recent launch of Group Direct Messages (DM) and Mobile Video to share more content, photos, videos, links, tweets and emoji. Twitter, now enables users to send direct messages to a group of up to 20 followers unlike before. Users do not need to follow one another to participate. What is so different with Group Direct Message? Group Direct Messages do not appear in the public timeline. The direct message has up to 20 participants. However, additional users can also be added to the conversation at any time and by any member of the group. It gives users the option for how and with whom they can communicate. Merchants can use group messaging via desktop as well as mobile devices. Online retailers can discuss their business activities in a private setting with a selected group of individuals. Group messaging can collaborate privately with other members of your business, social media team or workplace. How to create a Group Direct Message? You can start your direct messaging session by clicking on the ‘Messages’ tab. Once you click on the ‘New Message’ icon on the top of your screen or the speech bubble icon on your mobile, you can search for the names of the people you’d like to add. When users are added to a group message, they’ll get a notification informing them that they’re a part of a group direct message. In the address box, enter the name(s) or the @username(s) to whom you want to send a message. Now, click ‘next’, type the message and click on ‘send message’. When you’re initiating a group direct message to share a tweet or discuss something, you can begin chatting directly from your timeline on the web. Now select ‘Share via Direct Message’ after clicking the icon on the three dots at the bottom of any tweet. How Merchants can Utilize DM? Merchants follow four different ways to use Group DM. They can use group messaging to showcase new product and receive feedback or leap ideas off a select group of customers. By giving your loyal followers a glimpse of your upcoming services, you can receive valuable feedback. This is an excellent way to build strong relationships with the customers. Group DM can engage users with Hashtag chats without disrupting the public timeline. This is a popular form of Twitter engagement. For encouraging retweet, merchants can select a loyal group of Twitter-connected customers and share public tweets through Group DM. With Group DM, a long conversation can be continued without interrupting the public timeline. With Group DM, merchants can communicate with their followers more easily and swiftly. Group DM is a great way to help your followers find what exactly they’re looking for. Sharing messages with brand advocates can become more efficient if they’re done as a part of a group message. If you do not provide the product or service that they’re looking for, you can always refer them to the relevant service providers and in a way, engage them in 3-way conversation. What’s Next? Besides, Twitter has also introduced a video capture feature for the iOS and Android apps. It allows users to capture, edit and share videos up to 30 seconds directly from within the mobile app. They appear as thumbnails within your timeline that play when tapped on. Twitter video involves three stages: 1. Capture: You can hold down the record button to capture video content, if your message contains videos. 2. Edit: You can delete clips and rearrange others by utilizing a drag-n-drop process. You can hold the thumbnail image of the clip and drag it onto the main screen, if you have to remove the clip. A trash can icon will appear. 3. Share: Once the recording and editing of the video is done, it appears as an image in the posting area & is ready for sharing with the followers. How Does It Benefits the Online Merchants? You can always ask your audience to share their videos using your products or request for video testimonials. This helps you to measure your product performance. If a customer is unaware of how to use your products, the recorded demonstration need not take more than a minute to explain in details. This is a great way to share product knowledge without having to make the customers get annoyed. It is easier to influence the potential customers with a quick 30 second video portfolio that they can view without leaving Twitter. Group messages and videos offer new opportunities to host competitions & other offerings. The ability to converse, maintain confidentiality and show a quick video give online merchants more options for how & with whom they can communicate on Twitter and spread their brand name.

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Will Net Neutrality Receive its Due Justice?

May 25, 2015

Now your experience of watching videos online could soon become a hit or flop experience….you might experience either a flawless and smooth network or it could be extremely frustrating with interrupted services; and the reason behind this uncertainty has nothing to do with technology but with money making policy. It is to check how much a company is willing to pay to provide content faster onto internet connections. New Regulation against Net Neutrality Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voiced their concern against Net Neutrality as whether all content need to be treated equally or not. They emphasized on ‘paid prioritization’. They are trying to create a two-tier internet system – two virtual lanes; one fast and one slow internet. Now, this is something which is not fair enough! Recently, many internet service providers including Time Warner Cable, Verizon or AT&T strike deals with YouTube, Facebook and other web content firms for priority internet access to consumers. This means a content providing company can pay to an internet service provider company like Verizon or AT&T to have its traffic on the fast lane for better user experience. Similarly, many such other companies will follow the same rule. In a way, the internet service providers make more money and the costs for content providers shoot up. Now, the question lies how would the content companies recover these costs? They are left with no choices but to charge their customers more. The net result is that you and I will have to pay more for everything on the internet. Nonetheless, the start-up businesses will have a tough time to compete in the market. In fact, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) planned to block apps and websites to extract more money from businesses and consumers. It supported extreme violation of Net Neutrality. Airtel and Internet.org are two entities that were a threat to Net Neutrality. Both of them were offering plans that involved using websites and apps free of cost. Apparently, they looked like good plans; however, the real cleverness lies in their strategy to charge more money from you for data packages. The Ongoing Debate However, the FCC’s and TRAI’s attempts to execute enforceable and sustainable rules to prioritize internet access to its users have been twice struck down by the court. The debate is still persisting as what’s good for corporations vs. what’s good for citizens of the nations? Net Neutrality is not only a fight between the big tech companies but its existence will highly affect the future of how billions of people access the internet. The Cause behind Net Neutrality Network Neutrality or Net Neutrality is the concept of treating all traffic equally, regardless of what data is being sent – it could be VOIP calls, emails, web searches or streaming videos. Internet Service Providers cannot block traffic to certain sites, in order to allow higher traffic to some other sites to get through. Any individual who have access to the internet needs to be able to find what they need online without any kind of hindrances. Net Neutrality advocates that internet is too important to the economy and democracy. It is a critical tool to conduct commerce, communicate, educate, innovate and engage in the world around. Supporters of Net Neutrality Supporters believe that consumers are already paying for connectivity and they certainly deserve to get a quality experience. Violating the core rule governing the internet will be a ruinous way of delivering justice. They say ISPs… Need not be allowed to accept money from companies to make internet service run faster for subscribers Need not strangle user’s bandwidth, if they reach a fixed data cap Need not block competing websites from subscribers Need not exempt companies from data cap for paying more money The Open Internet Order The order is in support of transparency when it comes to broadband providers’ responsibilities. They need to be sincere when it comes to management practices, performance reviews and terms & conditions of the services. Also, they cannot discriminate transmitting lawful internet traffic to websites. Absence of Net Neutrality and Its Impact on the World of Commerce If companies providing internet service makes it difficult to get access to internet, numerous commerce platforms would have a negative impact on hundreds and thousands of SMEs that rely on them as a means to reach their existing customers & prospects across the world. Net Neutrality reduces the barriers of entry for entrepreneurs, by ensuring that the web is a fair field to work on. It is only because of Net Neutrality that entrepreneurs have been able to thrive on internet. The internet needs to be open to foster job growth, innovation and competition; and without Net Neutrality, ISPs would seize every possible opportunity to earn profit. Letter to FCC (Source: Bussiness2Community) Major tech companies including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon and more asked FCC to encourage Net Neutrality. The letter says, “Instead of permitting individualized bargaining and discrimination, the Commission’s rule should protect users and Internet companies…against blocking, discrimination and paid prioritization….” What’s Next? With opponents challenging the new rules in the court and some Republicans in Congress upholding open-internet legislation that would supplant the new regulation against Net Neutrality, the Federal Communications Commission finally approved the policy of Net Neutrality by a 3-2 vote. They ensured that no corporate or governmental body should rule free open access to the internet. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg says he is no enemy of Net Neutrality. On the other hand, over 10 million emails have already been sent to TRAI to prevent Net Neutrality in India from being manipulated. It has also received around 7-8 lakh comments on its discussion paper to preserve the Internet’s free and open character in India.

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How Does Responsive Checkout Play a Significant Role in E-commerce?

May 22, 2015

The mobile space has gradually begun to dominate the online space and this is true of e-commerce websites as well. In an effort to capitalize on the mobile traffic, many e-commerce websites began to design mobile websites. Of course, this is a redundant exercise now, considering the changes within the design community. As devices became increasingly diverse and the screen sizes began to vary, developers began to adopt responsive design. Based on the philosophy of flexibility and intuitiveness, responsive web design rapidly became popular not only among the design & web developer community but also among clients. Today most well-designed websites are responsive in nature. E-commerce websites, which usually cater to an active audience, which is mostly interested in shopping or cataloging, started to toy with responsive design much later. This was because it was harder for e-commerce websites to come up with ways to make websites that worked well on both computers and mobile devices. This was, especially, true when it came to the checkout process. E-commerce websites today have begun to adopt responsive checkout, which helps in a mobile-first paradigm. This helps e-commerce website owners to concentrate on building businesses, instead of running after incomplete purchases made from tawdry mobile websites of the past. In this article, let us understand the need for responsive checkouts and how they help e-commerce websites. Responsive Checkout by Shopify Exceeding number of people have begun to use their smartphones to make purchases. Shopify, the Canadian e-commerce company launched its version of Responsive Checkout in October 2014 and the popularity of the tool has only grown ever since. This points toward a phenomenon that is increasingly mobile in nature. More than 50% of traffic to e-commerce sites today comes from smartphones and tablets. It is very important to ensure that your online stores use responsive design practices as discussed above. Responsive Checkout is a tool that helps customers to view layouts that automatically adjust to the screen size of their mobile devices. This avoid scrolling endlessly, entering a lot of information and other discomforts all of which add up to the risk of a customer not making a purchase. Whether a person uses a laptop, smartphone or a tablet, Responsive Checkout ensures that there are no abandoned shopping carts. With all the A/B tests, improving and iterating in order, Responsive Checkout by Shopify is one of the better solutions today. How does responsive design help e-commerce websites? As the usage of cellphones increases, the rate of abandoned shopping carts increases too. Smartphones and tablets have a greater chance of distracting the customer. A message could pop-up, a call might just arrive or the customer might feel like taking a selfie. Without being crude, it is important to state that we need to make sure the customer makes the purchase as quickly as possible, without unnecessary distractions. Responsive design ensures that the customer does not have to scroll down, navigate or enter information on a screen that is already small. Responsive design also ensures that companies are able to hasten the process of checkout so that more sales arrive from mobile devices, which are today’s primary source of traffic. Responsive design will eliminate the need for frantic calls and emails that one, usually, makes when there is an abandoned shopping cart. By ensuring that sales happen more often, Responsive Checkout helps e-commerce websites to tap into mobile market, instead of being unnerved by it. What is the future of responsive design with respect to e-commerce stores? The current trends indicate that people will continue to purchase on mobile phones and tablets, driving a growth for responsive design. E-commerce websites will find it increasingly important to withhold the attention of their customers. Thus, to avoid abandoned shopping carts, it will become necessary to employ responsive design within the checkout process. Shopify’s Responsive Checkout already exists but you could also speak to professional designers and developers who can help you arrive at custom solutions to create responsive checkout pages. This will help you to reduce lost opportunities and thereby, increase your profits in both short and long terms. Certainly, responsive design will be an important focus area for designing checkout pages on e-commerce stores.

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YouTube Card- The New Tool of YouTube Video Marketing

May 18, 2015

YouTube is not just a forum to watch the most desired videos; it is also an opportunity to market your business to millions of people. The platform is perfect for building business client relationships and to reap the benefits of creative marketing strategy. Most importantly, there are no big budgets. If YouTube is still not a part of your social media business marketing, it’s high time that you consider this medium for your business growth. As people are treating YouTube channels as almost like a homepage of a website, YouTube introduced YouTube Cards that allow you to add more interactive cards to your videos. The elements including custom images, titles and call-to-action text integrated within YouTube Cards add an extra layer of interactivity to your video content. YouTube Cards YouTube Cards are side bar options shown on YouTube videos. They allow users to place external links, call-to-actions and other YouTube related videos. You no longer have to anticipate whether your audience would remember your website address you mentioned or check the video description for a link. They can simply click on your video card to check for any important information. The Six Different Types of Card you can add to your Videos Merchandise Card Merchandise card helps in promoting a creator’s licensed merchandise directly from the video. Fan Funding Card This type of card allows your fans to appreciate your videos and make monetary contribution directly to your video page. Fundraising Card This card link viewers directly to the projects on whitelist fundraising sites. Video or Playlist Card This card helps in linking to another public YouTube video or playlist, which can interest other viewers of the current video. Playlist Card Playlist card helps in promoting various playlists on YouTube. Associated Website Card You can directly link your viewers to your website through YouTube card. Ensure whichever card you use aligns with the goals of your YouTube video. Features that make the card widely accepted among its users It is easy to customize the card with images, titles and call-to-actions. If you use three cards or less, you’ll have higher click-through rates. Although cards are available to open and view at any time, you can choose any particular time for the card’s teaser to appear in your video. Users can make the card icon appear and click the ‘i’ tab for getting the desired card. YouTube cards function across all mobile and desktop devices. This is a great advantage, especially, for those who gets frustrated by the lack of annotations when they watch YouTube video on Smartphones. The card’s performance can be checked in YouTube’s Analytics. YouTube is still surfacing the most relevant card teasers, based on fan behaviour, card performance and the devices users are using to watch the videos. Here’s how your business can benefit from new school of YouTube Marketing You have more audience to your website Each video you create needs to have a clear goal; and this is where the call-to-action is important in your card. YouTube Card allows you to send viewers to other pages on your website. However, ensure that you know where they need to go and what you want them to do once they get there. For instance, if your video is about ‘how-to-guide’, you can accordingly use a card and send it to your audience to discover the tips and guidance on your site. You might also add the link of your ‘how-to-guide’ video to your blog. Your audience are well-aware of your brand Video marketing is an effective way to make your prospects aware of what’s new and happening within your brand. Use YouTube card to discuss a particular topic, about products and services or answering common questions, especially, when your website has blog articles & valuable information for the viewers to read. Direct promotion of your products and services YouTube video cards are quite impressive when it is about promoting your products. One great way of showcasing your products is by creating and publishing a series of short videos for your viewers to know who you are. You might also create a video that demonstrates what you’re selling or how to use your products. Once you’re done with your video, incorporate a YouTube card to promote the entire product and a link & call-to-action to buy them. You have your viewers’ email addresses Email list is a significant aspect of customer relationship development in your business. As YouTube video can have up to 5 YouTube cards, one of them can be an enticement to sign up for email address. Place a URL to one of your lead magnets where users will have to share their email addresses to receive it. Email marketing is crucial to stay in touch with your audience, warm them up and promote your products & services. While you offer free content in exchange for an email sign up through YouTube card, you’re actually giving your potential customers the opportunity to learn more about you and your offerings. So, here’s your chance to make your YouTube channel a destination to generate more leads.

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Understanding Dynamic Cloud and Its Future

March 23, 2015

Even as we struggle to understand what cloud is, there is already a new term that has been doing rounds – dynamic cloud. What could dynamic cloud be and how could it be different from the regular cloud computing that many people are still trying to understand? It turns out, dynamic cloud is really dynamic. It is the way things are going to be and the way we shall use software, hardware, cloud and even business processes on the cloud. It is a flexible, adaptable and scalable model that will outlive most of the other models that we are seeing currently. Dynamic cloud is not really a hybrid model of cloud computing but something that is unique. It is the freedom that a company or organization will have to use any application on any platform to do any given job without having to worry about different businesses and technological ramifications. In fact, dynamic cloud has almost become a revolution of sorts. It has helped businesses to become more agile and the ones that are at the forefront of innovations have already embraced the concept of dynamic cloud. In short, we can describe dynamic cloud as a barrierless method of doing business and meet customer needs as soon as possible. With an enormous opportunity to use software, infrastructure, platform and human resources as & when we want, dynamic cloud presents a new paradigm shift that was long-awaited. In this article, let us take a look at some of the most important characteristics of dynamic cloud, with its future in context. We shall look at dynamic cloud as if we were looking at our own futures, in the near and the distant future. Innovation We are at the forefront of something that is changing dramatically. Even as we try to understand cloud computing and try to sell it to our clients in the easiest baby-speak possible, we ourselves are confronted with the changes that the juggernaut of technology presents with. Technology is changing so fast and the world in which we live in is changing even faster that we have to innovate or perish, to use a cliché. Innovation and coming up with newer ideas to solve existing problems have always been the focus of science and technology. With dynamic cloud, this involves fixing existing loopholes within cloud computing and searching for deeper meaning, as it were. This means, understanding how cloud could grow, how we could bring cloud computing to the most difficult of customers, how to provide a seamless experience to our customers and clients when they begin to use our applications & last but not the least, how to innovate when it comes to using information technology. The spirit of innovation will be central to cloud computing and dynamic cloud in general. Integration When we speak about integration, we speak about various technologies, software programs and methods that can be integrated to form a hybrid solution. Integration happens at many levels. Today, it is happening at the platform level where cloud services are provided in a hybrid format. However, integration will have to go to a newer level. Integration of cloud services will have to be so deep-rooted that we need not be speaking about the cloud at all. It needs to be just the way we do business and the way we run our applications. We are moving towards a reality where all this is going to happen, including integrating cloud computing at the most structural and basic level. This might take time but dynamic cloud is all about waiting for those changes and paradigm shifts to take place. Sooner or later, cloud integration will take place at the very basic level. This top-down approach is what we, usually, see in most new technologies and cloud computing is not an exception. It will be interesting to see how cloud computing will be integrated at a structural level so that it can become truly dynamic. Cooperation While our societies have fragmented and we are moving away from cooperation, the cloud is getting evermore cooperative. The cloud has become so cooperative that it is offering new platforms for both proprietary and open source developers to come together. Both these often-differing communities are now learning to learn from each other. Companies that are rivals often share the same cloud space and sometimes, even learn from each other. Software programs that are debated for and against are used by both the proponents & the critics. Thus, we are seeing cooperation at every level even as our societies are becoming fragmented. The kind of cooperation that we are about to witness on the dynamic cloud is going to be phenomenal. It is going to be even more rooted in the concepts of helping thy neighbor and learning from your community members. This means, while businesses compete with each other, the dynamic cloud will also open up space to new cooperation, collaborations, partnerships and boost existing relationships. This might come at the business, technical or human-human level. Experimentation The dynamic cloud is one that will be based on experimentation. The cloud will be a place where companies will experiment with technologies, ideas, methods, structures and strategies. Each of these experiments will be replicated, if found successful. This might involve using a lesser known software app on a platform that is not really the usual choice. If this works, they will learn from the original experiment and be open to more adventurous ideas. In software development and cloud computing, this sort of experimentation is required. This is similar to using metformin, an anti-diabetes drug, for halting the ageing process or to increase longevity. Pharmaceutical companies have begun to toy with the idea of using an existing drug for a health issue for which it still hasn’t been experimented upon. Similarly, we might begin to use software, platform and infrastructural remedies for issues that we didn’t know could be treated with existing methods. Experimentations might go wrong but they are required to remain scientific and

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