Category: Web Development

Web Layouts and 2015: What You Can Expect

February 18, 2015

A web layout helps the reader to locate information on a screen in a way that is cognitively helpful. A web layout should be chosen in such a manner that the desired content is available to be read in an easy and intuitive manner. In fact, much of web design layouts focus on how to make information visible in a way that is not only aesthetically pleasing but intuitive for the web user to find. Intuitive design is an important part of web layouts and that is something that one needs to consider while choosing a layout for a website. Back in the 2000s, there were very few web layouts available and every website looked quite similar. However, with the advent of different screen sizes and different devices, the need for different kinds of web layouts only grew in importance. Today, most of the people use web layouts that are responsive in nature. These layouts automatically adjust to the kind of screen size and device that a user is using without having to prompt the reader to choose a “mobile-friendly” website or a full “desktop-version”. In this article, let us take a look at what we might foresee in the future when it comes to web layouts and their application. Layouts are going to get more flexible This year, we shall see many changes within the various formats of web layouts. Most importantly, they are likely to grow flexible. There are several more devices and screen sizes than there were last year. This means, there will need to be even more flexibility within the layouts. Flexibility will not be restricted to just the structure of the layout but also the functionality of a layout. We are likely to see layouts that have different functions within themselves and those which can easily be customized or changed, depending on our changing business requirements. Layouts will be more intuitive Intuitive design is going to get a lot more important. Though originally assumed to be Apple’s domain, most device manufacturers are focusing on intuitive design. With that in mind, we need to design web layouts that are intuitive too. Depending on the kind of content and the device from which a person is browsing, the layout must be able to adapt. This intuitiveness will prove to be an important factor in judging the value of a web layout. Most responsive layouts today are already intuitive but they will begin to get more amenable to the idea of being more visceral. Layouts will become more design-oriented Layouts had always focused on functionality. They focused on how best information could be placed so that content could be found easily while browsing. Now, we are moving towards a more intuitive aspect of web layouts. Even so, design is going to find more prominence in the coming months. Just having an intuitive interface will not suffice. A design must stand apart from its competitors and be able to grab the kind of attention that makes it possible to attract more leads. Being design-oriented along with being intuitive and flexible will help websites to consolidate their position and relevance through 2015 and beyond. Moving away from templates yet quite not We are going to see more number of web designers moving away from rehashing existing templates and choosing to design original layouts from the scratch. While this may help some people, it may also be unnecessary at times. There is already a number of layouts that are based on existing templates. These templates are future-proof and there is no reason why everyone must start designing layouts and templates from the scratch. Thus, for some people, using existing layouts may work and for others, starting from the beginning may help. It depends on what the client is looking for. Final thoughts Web designers must incline towards the idea of intuitiveness and intelligent design. Moreover, layouts that are flexible will likely dominate the year because of the number of devices that are around in the market. Additionally, using pre-existing templates is not a bad idea as long as it satisfies the requirements. Changes can be made to existing templates and a new design can be built over the skeletal layout. On the other hand, building a template using a layout that is quite radical and disruptive can be an option as well.

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Will HRMS Replace HR Managers?

February 11, 2015

The HR profile in a company has long been a desk job loaded with papers to recruit and pay the employees. The HR executives worked to the best of their potential but often found themselves overloaded with hoards of employee information as the company began to grow. Then came basic HR softwares to store and manage information on computers which eased their pain to a certain extent. HRMS and HR: A changing environment But with the introduction of HRMS (Human Resource Management System), the profile of HR management has been given a new definition. It goes far beyond just managing employee information. HRMS has a strategic importance for a growing company. It is a valuable asset that differentiates a company from its competitors. It has empowered small-scale business owners to think innovatively. It not only helps the employers but also the customers. The role of HR managers will become even more competitive. The question is not about replacing HR managers, but rather about helping them to make informed choices with HRMS. Through its set of modules, HRMS can perform myriad tasks and revive the HR management strategy for the companies struggling with it. The article below will discuss the abilities of HRMS and how it helps HR managers perform better than ever. How does HRMS help HR managers? 1. Recruitment Management Recruitment is an on-going process for an organization. The task is complex as it takes a number of steps to recruit a suitable candidate. It involves creating a job profile, posting a list of openings, short listing the candidates according to the desired skills, scheduling interviews and final selection. If an employee leaves the organization, then you need to post job vacancy and go through the entire chain of recruitment process again. Through its centralized data structure, HRMS can store list of all candidates, shortlist them as per the desired skills and helps in scheduling interviews. It posts a vacancy which is visible to all the employees to open the possibility of internal recruitment. The whole system of recruitment is automated and candidates can apply online directly to the organization. 2. Payroll Management Deducing the salary of employees becomes a tedious task with so many factors involved. Employees have different pay structure as per their hierarchy and department. There are certain employees with a mixture of fixed and variable component, for instance, for a sales executive. The other factors involved include tax deduction, provident fund, investments, declarations, reimbursement, arrears, interest accrued on loans and so on. There can be other factors depending upon the needs of the company. HRMS includes all these factors in the system and automatically calculates accurate amount to be paid to every employee. HR managers also have the provision to do manual adjustments wherever required. The payroll system can also generate automated pay-slips for every employee. Thus, it is a major relief for HR managers to handle payroll. 3. Leave Management Leave management is fully automated with HRMS. Employees can apply for leave online, get approval by their superior and track the leave balance. Leave policy is often different for employees, according to their gender and job profile. Number of leaves, paid or unpaid leaves and carry forward leaves can all be viewed by employees through a self-service portal. It eliminates use of paper and reduces burden on HR managers to answer unnecessary queries of employees. Apart from that, employees can view the list of holidays in the company calendar. 4. Training Management Regular employee training is essential for many organizations to keep their employees competitive. HR managers can create, manage and classify programs that they consider important for all employees or for certain job roles. Common programs might include leadership skills, communication skills, negotiation skills, virtual collaboration tools training, software skills and likewise. Managers can categorize programs into compulsory and optional. HRMS also allows you to form training groups, according to the training requirements and suitability of time. Training schedule can be created and employee feedback can be taken online to improve the training programs. Training budget can be allotted to keep the actual expenses under check. 5. Appraisal Management HR managers often find themselves struggling with appraisal management. A systematic appraisal system ensures transparency and improves employee loyalty towards the organization. Appraisal system can involve many parameters to measure the performance of the employees like objectives, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), experience, targets achieved, skills etc. HRMS cuts down the administrative effort by introducing self-appraisal forms that can be easily filled by employees online. It collects information from employees about their aspirations and career plan. HR managers can track the performance of every employee and decide upon the increment or promotion to be given. The holistic performance of the employees will give an idea to the managers about the progress of the organization towards its mission. They can identify and work to fill those gaps accordingly. 6. General Administration Employee information has to be stored systematically to reduce errors and avoid redundancy. HRMS have templates that allow you to store exhaustive information about every employee like date of joining, past experience, address, contact details, family members, job profile, department, photo and a whole lot of personal information. It stores complete information about their pay package, compensation and benefits. If an employee quits the company, you can capture all the details in the system to identify problem areas, improve the experience of existing employees and generate final settlement slip for the exiting employee. Besides that, you can set notification alerts, birthday reminders or use it for any kind of announcement. It also helps in displaying organizational or departmental structure and employees’ name for reference. 7. Attendance Management HRMS integrates the daily attendance of the employees with their salary computation matrix. There are RFID cards and biometric devices that track the entry and exit of employees in the office premises. The accurate time recorded, thereby, reflects their punctuality, shift time, half-day, overtime and so on. For virtual employees, employee portal can be used to mark online attendance. If your organization has multiple

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Is IT Outsourcing Cooling Off Because of the Cloud?

February 6, 2015

There has been a lot of talk about how cloud has changed the way we understand IT and the way we have begun to handle our technical requirements. Thanks to the cloud, it is no longer necessary to have on-site and legacy systems which were the norm just a few years ago. Shared cloud spaces have helped many companies to access software that they otherwise could not have. For medium and large-sized companies, the cloud has given them an opportunity to reduce costs, cut down on unnecessary projects which were outsourced earlier and also form an entirely new paradigm with respect to how we view IT outsourcing. Does this mean that cloud computing is going to take the steam off outsourcing? Not really. In this article, let us take a look at how the cloud has actually benefitted the outsourcing industry. Of course, there are many naysayers but the fact is cloud has helped software service providers to move to the next level and offer better services at a lower cost. At the end of the day, it is proving to be a win-win situation. IT outsourcing is turning hybrid Outsourcing initially meant that companies sent their software projects and development requirements to companies that offered these services at a lower cost. As outsourcing began to grow as an industry itself, companies began to focus on quality more than the price. It is not an accepted practice to outsource IT development and focus on core competencies. Outsourcing helped small and large companies to reduce the burden of purchasing & installing hardware, software and then running them. It reduced the need to hire full-time employees who obviously come at a high cost. However, the advent of cloud began to disrupt this comfortable position. Cloud allowed companies to take their outsourcing a step further. It allowed them to go hybrid. Companies no longer had to maintain on-site infrastructure nor did they have to outsource everything to vendors. It was now possible to purchase only certain IT services while retaining the rest on-site. Cloud services have grown by leaps and bounds & there are several companies that offer a number of services. It is now possible to not only outsource some of the tasks and projects to different companies but also maintain on-site infrastructure for tasks that are deemed too sensitive. This sort of hybrid cloud computing gave rise to people within the outsourcing industry that the cloud will usurp their traditional domain. These fears were found to be irrational. In fact, the cloud has only helped the outsourcing industry to grow much further. Vendors can now offer a plethora of services over the cloud for an increasing number of clients. This has led to the democratization of IT outsourcing industry; and that is always a good sign. What cloud federation is doing An important development is that of cloud federation. It refers to deploying and managing a number of internal & external cloud computing services. It is almost like a federation of states, of which each has a different role to play. Likewise, all the individual parts within a cloud federation have their own roles to play. However, there is always a sense of cohesion between various IT services managed and deployed over the cloud. Outsourcing vendors have found this model highly effective in encouraging clients to purchase more services, which are customized and tailor-made for their needs. The cloud, as a federation, is an important aspect because as we move from legacy systems to the cloud, we will increasingly need the services of different cloud companies for different services that they offer over the cloud. It is simply not possible to get everything from Amazon. Cloud federation will actually boost outsourcing Whether CRM, gaming, e-commerce, social media, IT or just whatever it might take to run your business, it cannot be outsourced to a single entity. As more vendors move towards the cloud as well, you will have to create your own cloud federation, which consists of a number of cloud services from different providers. This cloud federation will likely dominate the future. It will also help boost IT outsourcing instead of reducing the share of vendors in the market.

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Do You Need to Invest in Rich Internet Applications?

February 4, 2015

Rich Internet Applications are web-based applications bearing the similar function as traditional desktop applications. In the market for quite some time, this technology has enabled the businesses to reach its huge mobile customer base in a short time. RIAs can be rapidly built at a low cost. The time to market is very less with a meager maintenance cost. These flexible and platform independent applications support animation, A/V application and provides great user interactivity. Adobe Flash, Java FX and Microsoft Silverlight are the three most common platforms used by RIAs. With the increase in internet bandwidth, HD videos and audio, RIAs become more relevant as they can be run on various internet connected gadgets. RIAs hold a promising future in web development and are sought-after by all sorts of businesses across the world. The article below will highlight the importance of RIAs, enterprise challenges in RIA adoption and the potential of RIAs for you to decide if they are worth your investment. Evolution from HTML pages to RIA In the beginning of internet evolution, HTML-based pages delivered static documents through internet browser. Even rich content like graphics, video and multimedia files could be delivered through HTML. Gradually .Net framework came into existence to deliver dynamic content to users based on back-end business logic and database content. Developers started using JavaScript, VBScript and components like Applet and Active to meet the demands of business applications. With the growing complexity in user demand, all these traditional internet applications were rendered incapable to meet these demands as their fundamental approach was still synchronous and document driven. Inability to handle complex data and facilitate interactive manipulation by users posed a major obstacle for users. The development of RIA holds a great potential with a power to combine intuitive user experience of desktop applications with internet. Characteristics of RIAs RIAs are based on Rich Client Deployment Model i.e. deployment of a compiled client application through a browser rather than thin-client server model. It makes the application highly responsive and interactive with its easy to use graphical interface. Maintaining a balance between server and client resources was never so easy. RIAs enable the server to handle higher load. They don’t need any major installation. Its patch releases are easy and are updated automatically. Security is improved through sandboxes and auto-updates but extensions are subject to vulnerabilities. It is more accessible as compared to native web applications. It enables quick search and filtering. How is it important? RIAs are web-oriented applications that allow client engine to intermediate between application server and user. With the launch of RIA, the client engine downloads the data. The client engine acts as a browser extension to handle server communication and user interface besides supporting extra downloads. Following are the key benefits of RIA: 1. Responsiveness and interactivity The processing part with RIA is skewed towards the client’s CPU resulting in reduced network traffic and faster response. The faster response is also because of asynchronous reloads. As soon as the page URL is clicked, it is only the particular section of the page that reloads and not the entire page. 2. Rich user interface RIA offers rich user interface including graphics and high audio/video quality at par with traditional desktop applications. 3. Broad reach RIA makes it possible for every user connected to internet, access the application. This surely broadens the reach of the application. 4. Real-time communication Users can use instant messenger, video on demand, audio/video conference to collaborate with other users connect to internet and facilitate real-time communication. 5. Increased productivity Multi-screen interface has been a major irritant for users in traditional desktop applications. RIA, on the other hand, offers a single application view and reduces iterations in business processes, thereby, enhancing user productivity & satisfaction. 6. Increased customer loyalty It enables e-commerce business users to make payment, manage account information, track order status and reorder. Companies can use other innovative ways to enhance user experience to garner increased customer loyalty. 7. Get new customers Besides retaining customers, RIA allows the organizations to double up the first line of interface with the end-customer. Such interaction goes a long way in acquiring new customers. 8. Low operational cost RIA helps in reducing the load on the server and bandwidth usage by shifting the processing towards web browser. Common RIA platforms Microsoft Silverlight This cross-platform web browser plug-in features animation, vector graphics and A/V playback. Silverlight is supported for .Net framework making it more interactive to RIAs. It includes Deep Zoom technology for images, enhanced media features and limited file system access to applications. Adobe Flex & AIR This open-source cross-platform technology runs on Flash plug-in. It is primarily used to develop RIAs. Adobe AIR, a runtime environment for building RIAs, can operate both offline and online. Java FX This cross-platform Java technology is used for building immersive media and content enriched internet applications. It helps to create interactive applications for desktop, mobile and TV. AJAX AJAX is another commonly used technology to develop RIAs. It includes XHTML, CSS, Document Object Model and JavaScript. Deployable to any browser, AJAX applications are widely adopted. Challenges in adopting RIA technology 1. Finding common grounds There has been a lot of debate over lack of standardization in RIA. Many developers question the use of AJAX and Flash. AJAX tools have constantly faced issues of cross-platform and cross-browser adaptability. Many open source companies are working together to solve these issues and make AJAX a more usable platform. 2. Security issues Again, AJAX-based RIAs face a major security issue. There are many worms that hamper client-side AJAX framework putting confidential information at risk. 3. Limited accessibility The dependency of RIA on JavaScript for improved interactivity is a cause of concern for many developers. AJAX implementations are often deemed unsuitable for screen readers, text magnifiers and other such tools. 4. Market is still in infancy There are a number of small players emerging in RIA market with cost-effective solutions. There is still no established player who rules the market. Organizations need to carefully select their vendor by prognosticating all

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Why You Must Include Developers in the Design Process

February 2, 2015

It is often accepted that designers need to know a little bit of programming. The industry demands that web designers know at least a little bit of coding if not how to develop a website completely from the scratch. Yet, it seems that it is only the designers who are coaxed or cajoled into learning a little bit of coding. The web developers themselves are not asked to learn the design aspects. Developers might be strictly into hardcore coding but only they are not. They, eventually, have to try their hands on designing as well and will have to consult with the designers. This collaboration requires that the developers know a little bit of design as well. Most companies, however, do not encourage their developers to learn web designing. In this article, let us take a look at why the developers need to know about design as well, just like the designers need to know about web development. Of course, there might be initial reluctance from the development team but eventually, they will realize that learning basic designing skills are not only good for the company but for their own careers as well. Developers can provide new insights Developers are trained in programming, coding and all things that are considered “uncreative” by some people in the creative field. Only, development requires a lot more creativity than is, usually, assumed. Developers have a unique insight into how a website might function better and thus, which characteristic of a design is better than the other. These useful insights help designers to create better designs and ultimately present a website that is strong both in terms of development & design. Designers and developers, usually, have a tug of war between them. This helps the designers to understand that even developers can provide useful thoughts that can ultimately lead to better interfaces and better looking websites. Developers need to make design decisions too It is not just the designers who need the insights of developers. The developers themselves need to know how design works and why certain things are terrible for a website even if it works well from a development point of view. Usually, developers look at the functionality while the designers look at aesthetics. When developers too begin to look at the aesthetic appeal of a website, they will begin to code in a way that will ultimately help the website to look and feel better. Developers might, thus, gain from consulting and even get trained on basic design skills. A greater sense of collaboration There is always an argument about designers and developers & each finds the other intrusive. Developers find it intrusive when a designer tells that something doesn’t look all right. The developer probably had spent a lot of time working on that before presenting the project. When the developer knows basic design skills, he or she will be able to learn from the designer’s perspective. For a designer, this will only help because he or she will have to spend less time explaining the benefits of aesthetics. At the end of the day, more than a sense of rivalry, learning design will help developers to understand and collaborate with designers. Similarly, designers too can learn a little development in order to be able to collaborate better. A cohesive and inclusive environment is necessary Collaboration between developers and designers can go a long way in ensuring that the final website looks great. This is a very crucial part of web development, which both developers and designers need to recognize. Designers need to ensure that developers are included in the design process. Designers need to consult with developers just as developers often consult with designers. While no task is better than the other and both are equally dependent on each other, it is important to stress on a sense of collaboration between developers & designers. It might take a while for your development and design team to work as a single team, instead of as two different entities. However, when the design and the development teams begin to consult, collaborate & exchange ideas with each other, things will begin to start looking better.

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Cloud Computing Changing the Health Industry Arena

January 28, 2015

Cloud computing has largely been accepted in various sectors including financial services, manufacturing & IT/ITES businesses and virtual business sphere. The time is ripe for it to take a giant leap in the healthcare sector. Healthcare applications have largely remained scattered and disintegrated. It has been challenging for doctors and hospitals in the past to have a comprehensive look at the patient’s profile. But now cloud-based applications are noticing a surge across the healthcare industry changing the very definition of healthcare. The effort is skewed to be more patient-centric and data-driven. Instead of just focusing on healthcare employees, the cloud is rapidly being adopted in other sectors like operating models, service offerings, collaborative capabilities and end-user services. Electronic Health Record based on cloud has become immensely popular among US doctors and physicians. This systematic collection of patient’s information can be easily shared across the cloud networks enabling smooth access to relevant patient data. Why is it so popular? 83% of IT healthcare organizations in the US are using cloud-based services as per the 2014 HIMSS Analytics Cloud Survey. The common reasons for adoption are to counter higher maintenance costs, increase speed of deployment and meet staffing challenges. Microsoft, Qualcomm Life, Philips, Verizon and AT&T have already launched cloud-based vertical solutions aimed at the healthcare sector. It clearly shows the extent of scope in implementing cloud-based services across the world. Thus, the cloud computing presents ample opportunities for healthcare sector and it is poised to bring a wave of IT innovation. The article below will discuss the potential reforms in the sector using cloud computing. Exploring the potential for reforms in healthcare sector Adopting new business models Healthcare sector has often lacked investment, especially, in the developing economies, which made infrastructural reforms difficult for the Government. The number of diseases, the patient overload and the loads of data is getting multifold. In such a scenario, management and development becomes extremely challenging. The cloud-based model has entailed healthcare businesses to think innovatively. Their business model has encountered a drastic shift from traditional business models. For instance, the healthcare equipment manufacturers need to develop devices that can accommodate cloud technology, get inter-connected and make information sharing an effortless task along the value chain. Cloud service providers need to be capable of ensuring convergence between clouds, allow data mobility and data analysis in a cost-effective manner. Instead of focusing on B2B model, the alignment needs to be more towards B2C model for targeting end-users through personalization. The changes in US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic Clinic Health Act (HITECH) have made it mandatory for healthcare service providers to create more control over data and interaction between different aspects of healthcare. The adoption of EHR systems has been primarily driven by Government incentive schemes to deploy IT in healthcare. Various EHR applications and technologies are moving to S-a-a-S based delivery model to manage hoards of data. Immense scope of helping the patients with instant data availability and data security The EHR systems are moving towards creating a global database containing the entire information about the patients including medical history, scan images, blood type, allergy etc. Such database will be accessible from every corner of the world through a secured authentication by the patient. The deluge of internet-connected devices in the market including smartphones, tablets, wearable gadgets and more have empowered the healthcare sector with an ability to rapidly share medical information on the cloud platforms. As a result, cloud technology is going to have a transformative effect on the way personal healthcare is delivered. The critical health information is not limited to the local hospital but can be shared with anyone who needs it instantly. It is of immense help to the patients as pharmacists can view patients’ allergies before issuing a prescription, paramedics can check blood type during accidents and scanned results can be shared with specialists anywhere in the world to get quick recommendations supported by complete medical record of the patient. Chronic ailments and treatments can be easily monitored & travelers can be diagnosed across the world by local doctors. Furthermore, it is the public cloud that provides a solution as compared to private clouds because public clouds will be under tighter scrutiny, ensuring strict compliance with the regulatory guidelines. Consequently, cloud service providers are engaging in higher levels of data protection and privacy to be successful. Healthcare delivery at the comfort of home Approximately 80% of ailments in US are chronic and as we know, chronic ailments need regular care; it increases the load on hospitals, doctors and nursing staff and ultimately results in a higher treatment cost. Cloud solutions will make it possible for doctors to monitor the patients sitting at the comfort of their home through cloud applications. Remote medical devices linked to cloud platforms will give predictive analysis. There can be a setting, wherein, a doctor can set various parameters to monitor the health of multiple patients at the same time. If any parameter goes haywire, the doctor will be alerted to diagnose the problem. It will help to reduce home visits for the doctor and hospital visits for the patients, saving travel time & cost for both. It will also help to reduce carbon footprint in the economy of the country. Moreover, blood, saliva, urine and feces can be tested at home & the results can be delivered through cloud. Healthcare providers have started using video communication links, wherein, doctors, patient and specialists can all be interlinked whenever necessary through centralized health call center. Therefore, this invigorating concept will enable preventive interventions and facilitation of healthier lifestyles for the general welfare of the society. Pre-emptive data analysis and integration with social media Cloud-enabled applications will generate a lot of data. Such data can be used by researchers and doctors to do analysis. Huge data sets can be subjected to predictive modeling and profiling. The data access needs to be given only to the authorized party maintaining patient anonymity. A

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How to Mitigate Risk during Software Development

December 31, 2014

A software development process has to keep pace with the changes upstream and downstream. This implies the changes that transpire during the lifecycle of the project. Such changes may include changing user requirements, technological changes, changes in the external system on which the new software is dependent. During the course of software development, one needs to ensure that steps to mitigate risks are undertaken. In this article, let us take a deeper look at this. Risk mitigation by developers 1. Taking a low risk approach Software development risks can vary a lot. For instance, risk associated with inter-system communication, incapability to manage offshore development group, compatibility between system requirements and need of the users. Consider a controlled delivery of software as it helps you to do reality check and facilitates in providing a feedback to the users during the course of the project. 2. Tackling computer crash Computer crash often results in the loss of crucial data. Loss of data permanently is a matter of great concern both for the client and the credibility of the developer. A client needs to ensure that the developer takes multiple backup copies of the software in development and all the code & documentation files need to be saved in multiple locations. 3. Late delivery issue A timely delivery of the software is crucial for many companies. Software incorporation plays an important part for the client from strategic point of view. A late delivery will dampen their growth plans. Stringent checkpoints need to be created by the developer to ensure that the development is progressing with respect to the delivery deadline. In case there is any delay due to unavoidable reasons, extra efforts need to be made to meet the deadline. 4. Coping with lack of experience in the development team The development team leader needs to ensure that the team members know the languages and techniques necessary for the project. The team member with maximum experience in that particular kind of project needs to be used effectively to train other members. His ability and talent needs to be used to create benchmark for the entire team. Furthermore, each team member needs to help his fellow team member to ensure comprehensive software development. 5. Stabilize database system Database error can arise due to poor programming and error checking. Developers who are in constant touch with the database system need to ensure that other members are informed about the errors instantly and corrective measures need to be taken to avoid such problems in the future. The database needs to be left in its original form to locate possible issues. 6. Maintain the quality of documentation The documentation personnel need to be in regular touch with the developers. Documentation suggestions need to be taken and then a call needs to be taken about documentation changes & additions. This ensures that documentation is up-to-date. Unnecessary documents need to be removed and the developer team needs to be alert to spot any missing documentation. 7. Avoid deviation from software engineering standards In case the deviation occurs, steps need to be taken to match the project with the standard documented procedure. The team members need to possess a thorough understanding of the software process. 8. Re-check your risk-handling capacity During software development, a reality check is important. You need to find out the duration of the iteration. It could range from a few days to maximum of four weeks. If it still looks like three months long, then your process could still be waterfall with long feedback cycles and a high risk factor dangling over it. Each iteration cycle needs to deliver some portion of actual working software to the users. It ensures opportunity of giving a feedback before it’s too late. 9. Follow the basic norms Try and adopt iterative risk driven approach. Senior management needs to be a part of the project since the beginning. Their commitment and involvement will keep the development in track. Apart from that, team leaders need to ensure that there is seamless communication between the team members and users. Moreover, the development team has to be highly skilled. Visual modeling techniques need to be given a priority. Having a rigorous change control system in place is equally important. Let us take up these points one by one. a. Iterative risk driven approach Iterative approach helps to create portions of the software over a short period so that it can be demonstrated to the users to get their feedback and suitability. This ensures risk minimization at an early stage itself as the development focus is more towards functionality. b. Senior management commitment Software development is a complicated task. Commitment from senior executives is extremely important to ensure that the development is heading towards the end goal. Moreover, in case of software failure during the development, the developers might feel dejected after all the hard work being put in. Senior management helps them to take corrective measures and boost the morale of the developing team. c. Seamless communication among team members and users The entire course of software development needs to be accompanied by communication with the users. It ensures that all aspects of functionality are being considered right from the beginning. It also helps in incorporating ideas that are generated during the development phase. d. Highly skilled development team The development team needs to have a high aptitude to produce productive results. Periodic training of developers is important so that they are aware of the updates in process and techniques in the software industry. You can consider hiring a project consultant who can keep a check on the quality of the developers. e. Change control mechanism One thing is for sure that you have to maintain a flexible approach in terms of accommodation during the software development process. Many a times, it happens that a development phase has been completed but suddenly a change is required to be made. How well you are prepared to accommodate such changes and what effect it has on the economics of the project become significant factors for a successful project.

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What is a GitHub?

December 22, 2014

With over 3.4 million users, GitHub is one of the world’s largest open source communities to collaborate and share project development through collective contribution to the repositories. GitHub is a platform that has encouraged developers across the world to be pro-active and contribute generously. Centralized repositories are used to store these revisions and keep the whole project together. Applications are constantly revised after its initial release as we frequently encounter the release of new versions of the application. These revisions are contributed by the developer community across the world. They make constant changes to the code. Whenever anyone has to make the changes they download the latest version from the repo to their local computer, make the changes and then upload the revised version in the repo. Every project has its own repository with a different URL. More about GitHub Specifically, Git is a version control system designed to manage and store revisions in the project. It was initially developed by Linus Trovalds, the man behind Linux OS, in 2005 for Linux kernel development and has since then gained the reputation of being the widely-adopted version control system for software development. Git is a highly efficient and capable system to make, store and maintain file integrity. GitHub has both public and private repositories. While public repository is available for free, private repository VCS is sold to enterprises and is a source of money for GitHub. GitHub Enterprise, meant for large enterprises, allows them to host the repository within the firewalls of their company. Challenges faced prior to GitHub Contribution to open-source projects was a complicated process before. You were supposed to download project’s source code to your local source; and then make the changes and create a list of changes termed as “patch”. This patch was then e-mailed to the project’s maintainer. The maintainer was then supposed to evaluate the patch and take a call whether the changes need to be merged. There are many other version control systems like Subversion and CVS used by the developers but GitHub has been the most preferred version control system due to its various features like bug tracking, issue tracker, feature requests etc. Features of GitHub: While Git is a command line tool, GitHub offers a web-based graphical interface with easy integration with desktop and mobile. GitHub offers access control and collaboration features such as task management tools for every project. Code review facility in GitHub workflow allows discussion around the proposed changes. As soon as the pull request is made, a review session begins which is open to feedback. The project maintainer can see the contributor’s profile, which includes all his contributions to GitHub in the past. If the patch is accepted, the contributor is given due credit on the website, which is also reflected in his/her profile. The most important functionality in GitHub is forking. It allows a user to copy a repository from one user’s account to his account. This way, even if he doesn’t hold the access rights to the code, he can still modify the code and send a pull request. The original code owner can then merge the changes with the original repository. Thus, forking provides seamless collaboration among the users. Besides handling codes, it can be used to manage non-code files like word documents and final cut projects. It uses a simplistic way for text formatting through GitHub Flavored Markdown, which offers additional features as compared to Standard Markdown. Project’s issue page tracker is fairly easy to use making your life simple. You can filter by assignees, labels, milestones and by open & closed issues. Both registered and non-registered users can view issues on public repositories and only users with a profile can create, manage, discuss and contribute content to the site. But the same is limited to teammates and collaborates on private repositories. GitHub offers its users vibrant social networking functionalities like feeds, followers, wikis and a social network graph to display how developers work on their version of repository. Apart from that, GitHub can render 3D files that are previewed using STL file viewer displaying the files on a 3D canvas.  It even allows you to host small websites from its public repositories.

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What to Do When Your Site Gets Hacked

December 8, 2014

Our websites are almost like our own private homes and if someone hacks it, it is as bad as someone mugging our own houses. Naturally, we are first shocked, scared and then we desperately try to seek answers. When we do not receive answers, we despair. Moreover, when a website is hacked, it could be for a very short period or the website could be completely defaced or even deleted. Your shock and despair depends on how much damage has been done and how much of a security threat the hacking incident was. With that in mind, most people and businesses do not understand what to do the moment their websites get hacked. Scary it might be but before you seek professional help, there are a few things you can do yourself. In this article, let us take a look at what you possibly could do as a novice, with absolutely no knowledge about development or IT security. 1.      Inform everyone that your website was hacked It is very important to inform people that you were a victim of a hacking incident. Take to social media, e-mail people you know and even call up your clients or acquaintances. Inform them that your website is hacked and you might probably even receive help sooner than you expect. A lot of people on social media invariably know someone who can be trusted with your website and the hacking incident can be attended to. 2.      Inform your hosting company The next thing you need to do is, contact your hosting company and inform them that someone unauthorized had access to your website. They might remove the line of code or prevent further unauthorized access until all the problems are resolved. Sometimes, you might not be able to retrieve all your posts and data if the hackers had permanently deleted them. However, if you act soon enough, you will probably avoid permanent loss of data. 3.      Fix the problem Hire someone who knows how to deal with a situation like this. Hacking websites is becoming extremely common and there are a lot of malicious people out there who know how to do it quite well. Thus, you need to be on guard and the moment you realize something is amiss, you need to contact a specialist who can fix your website and restore security settings. 4.      Change your passwords One of the most important things to do is to change all the passwords. You need to change your FTP password, login password to your hosting account, passwords related to your banking, e-mail and other accounts which you use normally. You need to make sure that you have stored all your passwords in a safe and secure place, preferably, somewhere a hacker cannot access again. 5.      Use firewalls A firewall helps to protect you against malicious threats such as hackers. It is important to install firewalls on your browsers and even on websites. This ensures that unauthorized access can be prevented, especially, if something looks suspicious. There are several good firewall programs available online and some are even free. 6.      Always have backups Make sure that you always backup all your files and data. Whether it’s a blog or a website or some media, ensure that you have a copy of all your data before hacking even occurs. You need to assume that you are at risk even before it happens. This ensures that you always have a copy of all your data even if you are attacked. One of the worst things that could happen is you write a number of posts on your blog and one fine day, the hacker deletes everything and you do not have a backup. Final thoughts It is important to choose a good hosting agency that has a dedicated customer support. It is also important to have a good social network online so that people notify you when they notice something wrong on your websites or your social accounts. Also, make sure to keep in touch with IT security professionals who can go an extra mile to help you thwart future attacks by installing good firewalls and other security programs. Last but not the least, always remember to change your passwords frequently and use complex passwords.

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Using Your Existing Magento Platform for B2B Enterprise E-commerce

Using Your Existing Magento Platform for B2B Enterprise E-commerce

October 30, 2014

No matter which business model you are into, it is utmost important to equally focus on the B2B (Business to Business) needs of your business while you run a retail e-commerce business; focusing solely on the normal B2C (Business to Customer) is not enough. Now, you must be wondering why. Here are the key reasons for your consideration and business success: The first and foremost being B2B enterprise e-commerce always co-exists with B2C business. Almost every retail online portal necessitates having the presence of distributors, resellers, sales employees, wholesalers etc. for a continued business growth with sustainable revenue from these business stakeholders. After all, a considerable amount of revenue that gets generated from this channel can be used for boosting marketing campaigns and increasing sales for your B2C business. It’s true that Magento, like any other SaaS or Open Source software, mainly supports B2C model; however, Magento is flexible enough to be attributed with a number of B2B features. This blog would take you through a detailed synopsis of which B2B features Magento can be configured with and which B2B features e-retailing often needs. B2B features Magento can be configured with Some small changes in the As Is Magento installation can provide you with almost all the B2B features required for your business. As nowadays, B2B portal needs are similar to the fundamental B2C business needs, it’s not too difficult to customize Magento with the following features that are mostly required by retailers, resellers etc. like you: Discount details Downloadable data sheets and manuals Invoice and order history Live customer help Order and shipment details Product details with multiple images Product suggestion and wish list Quick re-ordering Video tutorials B2B features your e-commerce portal might need Though B2B business needs are widespread and even 25% of those requirements can hardly be predicted, but here are some of the most common B2B features that e-commerce businesses generally need: Company Account:  If you are into e-commerce business, you would know that the basic difference between B2C and B2B modes of business is that in B2C mode, an e-commerce portal is browsed by consumers, whereas, in B2B mode, partner companies access an e-commerce website. Hence, if you fall within the latter category, your e-commerce business would necessitate having a company account with a list of contact persons who are authorized to place online orders against the name of his or her company. Financial Data Management: If your business deals with bulk orders from companies, then your e-commerce business might need to disable or hide financial details from contact persons of those companies when they browse through your e-commerce website. This B2B feature in Magento would help you do that. Payment Method Integration: B2B businesses depend on different payment modes than B2C businesses. B2C businesses mostly use payment gateways like Authorize.Net, PayPal etc., whereas, B2B e-commerce businesses prefers using conventional or offline payment modes like credit limit, purchase order etc. However, many companies nowadays think it to be wise to use both. If you are among those companies, you would surely need this B2B feature in Magento. Now, Magento includes purchase order by default but to make it more B2B business friendly, it’s necessary to include such a feature that would allow contact persons to attach a PDF based purchase order if they like to. Moreover, credit limit that you can set for your partner companies at the onset of a financial year is something new for Magento. You can set this credit limit on the factors like order frequency, average order amount and payment status etc. Automated Order Approval: You, as a B2B business owner, might require approving orders and hence, need to have a prearranged order approval process in place. However, it’s always good to have an automated order approval process for your business that would enable your Magento based e-commerce website to automatically approve orders based on some criteria like total order amount, quantity etc. However, to set such a criteria specific automatic order approval process, your e-commerce website needs to have a rule engine through which you would be able to set criteria against each organization account. Organization Account Management: Sales employees who are mostly responsible for managing organization accounts associated with your B2B e-commerce business often require doing the following things: Creating and updating organization accounts Placing orders on end customer’s behalf Checking order status and updating contact persons Quickly finding out an organization account in Magento Placing quotations in Magento Now, to make organization account management easier for your sales employees, it is important to feature your Magento based e-commerce website with this B2B module. Other  key B2B features that you can achieve through Magento extensions Company specific product catalog Company specific product pricing Quotation placing in Magento B2B e-commerce requirements are very much business specific and unique for the organization. Through this blog post, we have tried to cover the most common features of B2B e-commerce model. Apart from the aforementioned B2B e-commerce features, there are many other features that Magento can be configured with. Feel free to book a no obligation consultation session with our e-commerce specialists for more details related to B2B features in Magento. FAQs : How can I use my existing Magento platform for B2B enterprise e-commerce?  To use your existing Magento platform for B2B enterprise e-commerce, you need to customize the platform to meet the unique needs of B2B customers. This may involve adding features such as bulk ordering, account-based pricing, and multi-user support. 2. What are some of the benefits of using Magento for B2B enterprise e-commerce?  Some benefits of using Magento for B2B enterprise e-commerce include its flexibility, scalability, and ability to handle large product catalogs. It also has a wide range of features and integrations that can help streamline your business processes.   3. What are some of the challenges of using Magento for B2B enterprise e-commerce?  Some challenges of using Magento for B2B enterprise e-commerce include the need for customization to meet the unique needs of B2B customers, as

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