Coming up with an app idea might be tricky, but figuring out what to do next is the hardest part.

In this competitive world, you need to consider every step required to reach your end-customers and at the same time fulfilling their requirements.

Let’s discuss how a mind-blowing idea can transform into a promising project. In this article, we are going to discuss how to sell your idea (market your app) so that it benefits you with a good amount.

Here are some points to be clarified before doing mobile app development:

1. What will your applications do? So, here you need to be clear about the functionalities and services your app is going to deliver to the end-users. Say, Whatsapp provides communication between users, and Instagram allows creating posts based on images.
2. How will your application look? Here we talk about the interface (UI/UX) of the application. You should be clear what you want to showcase to the end-users so that they can visit your app regularly.
3. What is your target audience? Be clear about your targeted audience? What kind of personas are going to visit your app?

The detailed answers to these questions will help you cultivate your ideas into a concrete plan.

App Annie forecasts that the app industry is estimated to hit 6 billion dollars by the year 2022

Let’s dive into what to do next…

 A prototype of your app idea

The accumulated data help you proceed in the next stage that is making a prototype of your basic idea.

 The conceptual prototype consists of future app screens that should be created in the early stages of product development. It’s required for more accurate visualization of great ideas for mobile apps.

 The animated prototype makes the UI/UX designer think over and carefully visualizes the process of the program of interaction with the user.

 All in all, prototyping is multifaceted and required at the very first stage of generating Android and iphone app ideas. The prototypes serve different goals but at the end serve the common purpose that is to improve the success of your app idea.

Considering business aspects

Prototype creation is not enough. The next step is to consider business aspects that affect the mobile app profit margins in the market. So, for this here are few points to be considered first.

•   Evaluation of the time and cost of developing the first version of the application
•   Assessment of the time and cost of implementation of the stable app version.
•   Ways to promote your mobile application
•   Financial plan and estimation of the time required to return the investments

The business plan is all set up, it’s time to search for investors. Let’s see how we find investments in the next step.

Find investments

The reason behind some people cannot bring their great app ideas into the picture is the lack of funds. Hire  mobile app developers, testers, deploying an application and promoting is expensive. In this case, collecting a necessary development budget can be a difficult task.

 For investing, you can choose among the various options i.e. Personal savings, on credit, search investors in the market, look out for a partner if anyone interested in your project, collect funds through contests and search for crowdfunding platforms( Kickstarter, Boomstarter, Zidisha, Indiegogo)

Think about marketing

The promotion of a new product in the rapidly growing market is extremely necessary, as the world is full of competitors. Many successful apps are dominating the market right now.

Different ways to launch your app are:

Pre-marketing-it is to start an advertisement launch with the start of application development.

Launching an advertising- landing page showcasing all the unique offers, benefits, and call to action can be helpful.

SEO Traffic and Paid ads-helps you increase app recognition and help you to attract the target audience and stay at the top.

Social Networks- helps share your app on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other networks.

 Build an MVP

If you want a smarter app and faster results, start developing an MVP model.

MVP approach permits you to develop an affordable model of the app and analyzes the end-user responses. MVP model is a good option to save your money and time and also customer feedback time-to-time.

MVP model facilitates you to do simultaneous changes by analysing users feedback. It helps you to understand what your end-users want in your app and also the loop holes required to rectify in the app.

Measuring success with mobile app metrics

Now it’s time to measure your success with mobile app metrics. Before that, let’s see how mobile applications work:

People download apps-

If people like it, they start using it from time-to-time and if they don’t they immediately delete it.

But if people truly like the application, he becomes an active and loyal user and also contributes to the program monetization.

Performance metrics like User engagement, user retention, user activity rates are to be considered for evaluating user’s responses.

That’s all about mobile app performance metrics.

Bottom Line

Your app idea can be a big hit if the process of mobile app development can be done in the right direction. For making a wonderful app you need to be patient enough to understand user requirements and their behaviour. Competitors in the market are set to compete with your idea. There is a big space available for you in the market for proving your capability of doing things the best way, all you need is just a great idea.

Classic Informatics helps you in transforming great app ideas into high-quality apps. Just send us your requirements and get ready for the miracle to happen.

The post Transforming an Idea Into an App- A Roadmap To Success appeared first on Classic Informatics.

Software outsourcing has the potential to enhance business efficiency and growth. It reduces development time and cost if it is done in the right direction and too with the reliable outsourcing provider.

To resist in this competitive world, startups are turning towards software outsourcing development to get immediate growth and success.

Due to the tremendous growth in technologies and innovations, software outsourcing development is highly in demand.

Also read: Agile software development outsourcing for startups : Things you need to know

Common pitfalls in outsourcing software development:

1. Improper communication

Proper and fluent communication is the prime aspect when working with remote developers. Some companies loose projects due to improper communication between teams. To overcome this critical issue, you need to synchronise between different time zones, languages, and cultural conventions.

Establishing and maintaining regular channels of communication with the offshore teams is considered vital when it comes to software success.

2. Ignoring Market trends

One of the best practise that can make your business successful is keeping yourself well up-to-date about the latest technologies dominating the market. This will help the developers to face critical challenges arise during software development.

Ignoring the latest tech trends signifies you are not using the latest solutions while making software products. If an outsourced company pays no attention to the latest market trends, then it will definitely lead to the origin of critical problems.

3. Fail to understand requirements and scope

Some startup owners outsource their software development projects without knowing any details about its requirements, technical specifications and scope.

It is an obvious thing that if you don’t have a clear idea about the type of software you are planning to develop then, in that case, it is difficult for the outsourced company to evaluate whether they the development is going in the right direction or not.

The solution to overcome with this problem is that during outsourcing software development, both the parties should agree on what would be the final product to be delivered and how has to be delivered along with the timeframe. This quality is a good sign of an experienced IT outsourcing partner.

Lack of communication about software requirements will create misunderstandings between the two parties. So, it’s better to discuss the milestones and the chain of approvals prior to the collaboration.

4. Unreasonable timeline

To develop a software product in an effective way needs a flexible timeline to encounter bugs and other development solutions. If startup owners do not set the proper timeframe for the software development process with its outsourced partner, then it is quite difficult to achieve positive results.

Timeline in software development should not be compromised as it badly affects the quality of the software developed that too by skilled developers. Instead, work with developers on a flexible time frame that provides them relaxation in working software development cycle.

5. Underestimating the project cost

It is quite a common practise when outsourcing that many companies pick the less costly options available when comes to outsourcing software development. But, is it really worthy?

How can you get the best software and hire highly skilled developers at a less cost? The outsourcing companies should understand that lower rates don’t give you the required results.

If you want to hire a certain level of expertise to build a top-notch product, then have to keep your cost constraint aside.

It’s all up to you to balance the quality of work with the cost, instead of just looking at the cost of development.

Also read: Untold Stories of Successful Software Outsourcing You Can’t Miss!

Wrapping Up

With the increasing popularity of outsourcing every single day, it is going to conquer the entire software development industry in the coming years. To transform your startup business into a dominating market brand, then try to avoid the above-mentioned mistakes.

For startups outsourcing software development is a smart move to play. It provides you with a cost-effective and full-fledged solution that helps the company stay competitive in this fast running digital world.

A good web development company works dedicatedly with emerging startups and provide them with the best outsourcing software development solutions to make their business a successful one.

The post 5 common pitfalls to overcome while outsourcing software development appeared first on Classic Informatics.

API development services come in handy to effectively transmit the request from the user to the provider and then to record the response for the purpose of relaying it to the user. You can approach a web development company to get complete assistance and enjoy the benefits of API development. 

• APIs can also be labeled as a go-to, super resourceful assistant for the developers as they provide outstanding help in speeding the process of application development.
• API involves a productive technology that renders a complicated nexus of recurrent process reusable with the backing of systematized coding. 
• This extendable and flexible storehouse of useful data also aids in user accessibility by easing connectivity among systems which in turn helps in various processes like online shopping or online flight booking. 
• In other words, it contributes to establishing a hotline between the airline’s API and the online travel service or website chosen by the user which in turn guides all the procedures involved starting from seat selection to booking and payment. 

Protective measures that must be implemented to avoid failing at API stage:

• In order to ensure a long term and successful performance of your web or mobile application, a foolproof and strategic methodology of API development is absolutely indispensable as a safety net to avoid putting stability in jeopardy. 
• This should include enhancing and the maintainability of the automation framework by reinforcing the core strength. This can be achieved using resources like application updates of the company, new features, Ul uplifts, and the unrivaled knowledgebase/skillsets of the experienced creators of the system. This will ensure more lucrative results without a lumpsum investment.   
• The API support team must also be brought on board to up the security along with the inclusion of multiple server environments. 
• The blueprint for the manufacture of a cost-effective and hassle-free API constitution must involve a clarified understanding of business objectives and demands of the prospective users which must be in tandem with the automation of mobile app testing and deployment.
• The use of standardized conventions will fortify potent profitability as the developers will take the time and effort beforehand to get to the heart of the problem. This will involve chalking out the symbiotic interrelations between the database entities which constitute the anatomy of APIs. 
• The addition of virtual APIs to your web development to the test regime can help in the smooth successful operation and it also prepares you to cope with the problem of failing APIs. For example, by giving the users options of a longer wait period and trying out again later in case of repeated failures with the assurance that all the useful data has been cached in temporary storage for future retrieval. 
• To doubly assure the reliable performance of APIs without arbitrary glitches, the use of the consistent format of error responses and the appropriate HTTP status codes is mandatory.
• The clients, namely the business investors, will be encouraged to invest as there will be no scope for a shoddy design to incur losses by hindering the developmental progress of a project which will also go on to mitigate the extra stress of troubleshooting procedures. 

Why do APIs fail:

• Non-updated APIs, due to their non-compatibility with the current version of the program, will interrupt the seamless operation of the application which will further lead to faulty outsourcing of data with disagreeable configurations. Even the incorporation of backward compatibility fails to combat this problem in some cases.
• The erratic transfer of control from a group of experienced consultants/full-time mobile app developers to junior engineers can thwart the longevity of quality assurance promise by putting the health of API at risk which in turn runs the unavoidable risk of inconveniencing the consumers. 
• Lack of accountability, responsibility, understanding of the consumer’s feedbacks/needs in relation to the specified tangible product after thorough market research and a watertight navigation manual to construct a crackerjack infrastructure. This can only be made possible by the presence of a tightly knit work efficient group under the expert leadership, training, mentoring and code reviewing program executed by an experienced leader. These leaders need to prudentially enforce all the necessary actions needed to anticipate and tactfully tackle the aberration of the system healthy.
• An API can also start to malfunction when the data connection has incongruent formatting both in terms of the API and the other program. The damage can further be aggravated if the other program fails to generate an error code which does not give any leeway to diagnose and redress the problem. This is why validation of data, strict filtering out of useless junks and a persuasive checking for type and formatting slip-ups is extremely essential.
• A sudden problem can be encountered in the running of the communication portal which is usually contingent upon a matrix of cloud-based servers due to timeouts or clogged traffic caused by too many requests. Immaculate redirection might not always be present as a savior to promptly lead you to an alternative address. Problems with security certificates or other credentials and DDoS attacks can lead to a non-responsive API which in turn can hijack the proper functioning of application programs.  

How To Find Success In API Stage

In order to present a detailed and comprehensive overview of API development company or services, here’s a list of some salient points which will enable the readers to have a quick rundown on the essential features of API:

• APIs have been a pioneering invention in recent times which have been specially designed to further boost up the administration of business in smart tech and sleekly digitized world. 
• It is inconceivable to function without accessing the well-developed mobile apps, which has made life simpler by catering to various mundane needs like ordering food or booking flight tickets and APIs serve as the fundamental components for their efficacious operation. 
• Although there can be chances of courting technical impediments, they can be successfully avoided or minimized by undertaking certain precautionary mechanisms to curb the loopholes in the automation framework and earn the thriving rewards of consumer satisfaction.

API integration can enable you to make two of your applications interact and share data for better client-side app development. It acts as the intermediary between two apps, takes the data, interprets it, and sends it to the other app. By having a fail-proof API stage, you can ensure your application runs smoothly, is modern and fully secure from all the bugs online.

The post How To Avoid Bloopers At The API Stage When Working With Mobile Projects appeared first on Classic Informatics.

Technology is evolving at a breathtaking pace.

Every month we witness one techno-innovation or the other that overwhelms us, leaving us with a wide spectrum of applications that might have been super-essential some time ago but are nothing short of a legacy burden now. Sadly the overwhelming number of such systems and the budget devoted to them make us think twice before discarding them completely.

This is where legacy system modernisation comes into play.

Outmoded systems, whether they are a couple years old or belonging to the past decade, can be upgraded using such top class modernisation services. Whether you want to move to the Cloud/SaaS model, micro services architecture or get the systems fully re-engineered, legacy system modernisation can help you be in sync with the current technology trend.

These alluring services are tempting enough to avail, but seeing how time-consuming and costly this affair is, we cannot fully jump into this process without knowing whether our systems actually need modernisation or are old-enough to be discarded. Spending your fortune on nothing doesn’t really make sense.

Hence, we bring you this list. Developed using our years of expertise in the field, these points have helped a lot of different organisations ferret out the legacy systems that need a makeover!

10 Telltale Signs that your Legacy System Needs Modernisation

1. Performance Issues (Slow and cumbersome)

Probably the first thing that makes you feel like ‘Yes, it’s time for a system up-gradation’.

In this 5G world, slow systems add on to your already high work pressure. Even a minute lost could cost us a lot. Imagine frequent hanging of applications when you are conducting a transaction worth millions. Frustrating, right?

If your system is dead slow and faces multiple glitches while working and has been such since long, it’s safe to say that it is asking for an up gradation.

Quality issues can be a challenge and can be corrected with quality management and testing, but if you pride your systems for their supreme quality, you might have to get them re-engineered for an improved performance and efficiency.

2. 3rd Party Software Support Failure

Dependency is not a bad thing, but if it directly affects the working of your software, you might want to re-think. Many organisations rely on the third-party software to run effectively and thus, face the huge risk of falling if the vendor is slacking on timely maintenance and updates.

Things get worse if your provider company gets trapped in an unavoidable situation, like an acquisition or merger. They will undoubtedly face a huge shift in their company policies, and chances of them terminating the software support are pretty high.

This is the cue for you to reconsider your service provider, frankly.

3. Device Dependent & Immobile Systems

If your software is incapable of being accessed from anywhere but the device it is installed in, you might want to get it upgraded. Immobility is just not an option in this highly competitive world. On-premise software is good, but it lacks the dynamics of a cloud-based system.

In fact, just introducing yourself to enterprise mobility strategy can help you increase your organisation efficiency to multiple folds. Give your legacy applications a mobile touch, if you can’t implement a full-blown modernisation framework.

4. Incompatibility with the Modern Software

There are loads of integration challenges associated with SAAS/Cloud up gradation.

Compatibility matters a lot, whether it’s personal, or well, technical. Most of the old systems don’t accept such changes easily and need a number of customisations to have new tools work effectively on them. You might want to reconsider spending a hefty amount on them.

For a smooth business process, assure the tools you are trying to adapt integrates with your legacy software without glitches.

5. Difficulty in Getting Required Skilled Labor for your Systems

Before the much-required technology boom, the software systems required a really high-skilled workforce that could handle the complicated systems aptly. However, hiring such years-trained labor for our legacy systems in today’s time is like searching water in a desert, possible but pretty challenging and expensive.

This reason should be enough for you to adopt system modernisation. If you hire inexperienced staff to make the outdated system somehow, it might affect your organisation’s efficiency.

6. They No Longer Meet your Requirements

Quite obviously, why would you want to keep a software in its native state if it no longer meets your requirements? It might have been a lifesaver back in the days, but you need to move on now or it may cost you revenue and efficiency. Typewriters and cordless phones are nice but smartphones are nicer.

7. Nonscalable and Inflexible Systems that are a Hindrance to Business Growth

We would definitely not want to keep a system or a software that is highly stiff and not scalable and cannot keep up with the constantly evolving business atmosphere. They might keep you back from increasing your ROI, being a hindrance to your growth.

You have two options now. You can either completely discard them or make them go through a legacy modernisation.

8. Weaving Value additions is almost Impossible

As explained above, legacy applications pose the biggest challenge in terms of flexibility and adaptability. Such systems might refuse to take up any value additions other than their core functionality, whether it is due to the outdated technology stack or a complicated architecture.

If your system requires more time and effort to adapt, it’s time for you to avail legacy modernisation.

9. Are Vulnerable to Cyber Security Breaches

Cyber breaches are increasing at a rapid pace, to nobody’s surprise. And more often than not, old and outdated systems are the ones that fall into the hacker’s trap easily. Old encryption algorithms can no longer help you protect your beloved systems, and you might find difficulty in looking for updated security patches for them.

10. High Operating & Maintenance Costs

All the points mentioned above can truly tell you how expensive keeping legacy systems in their native state could be. Add in maintenance and operating costs and game becomes even more challenging.

In clear words, if you have difficulty in operating your software and keeping it running at all times, you might want to adopt legacy system modernisation.

It is a given that running your business on such out-of-date legacy systems can lead you nowhere. They hardly contribute to ROI and even take up precious office space to no avail. Hence, legacy system modernisation is an important part of any organisation. Implement it well and you will be able to mitigate business risks effectively.

The post Legacy Systems Modernisation: How to know if it’s finally time for you to upgrade your outdated software? appeared first on Classic Informatics.

Web and Mobile Integrations are Saving the Day but What is Making this Integration Possible?

Web services or API is the key to such developments. Let us try to understand how enterprises are making the most through their webservice development:

Coming to the importance of Webservices Development / API development for your Business applications, it is a fact that the largest user base of the Web APIs belongs to the web development space. Yet, end users can also benefit from them. Let’s take a look how:

1. Integration : APIs enable the web developer to integrate the applications with advanced functions.
2. Interactivity: End users find it easier to interact with the application.
3. Creates value for providers: A well coded API can become the brand of a provider.
4. Adapts the mobile interface: Lightweight APIs make it possible for faster downloads, upgrades in case of mobile.
5. Expandable: APIs that are expandable make it possible for OS upgrades in phones and tables

Different enterprises are using web-mobile integrations in their own customized ways. We need to understand how these integrations are being effective in increasing their visibility as well as their sales. Lets quickly go through the various forms of enterprises and the different integrations they are going through:

1. B2C

These are enterprises which directly face the end user. An integrated app for such enterprises becomes indispensable. This can allow tapping of the festive seasons for more ROI. The integration needs to concentrate on performance of the mobile application. e.g. Facebook after launching a hybrid app got a head start in the initial days of the smartphone market. Once the smartphone market grew out of bounds, Facebook released its native version for iOS and Android and chucked out the previous hybrid app.

This way Facebook didn’t have compromise on its performance and also could go launch themselves before the peak time had arrived. B2C enterprises are making using of these integrations to respond to customer instantly whenever an opportunity knocks. Native versions shall be required when there’s too much traffic. This shall only make the application more scalable and will give the users a better experience.

2. B2B

These enterprises deal with other enterprises. The web-mobile integration will have to be thus used a little differently for the benefit of such enterprises. Usually such enterprises have a range of applications with its own set of functionality designed for its respective partners and stakeholders.

These companies use a mobile framework or API alongside another reference application. This reference sometimes serves to integrate backend processes for big partners to collaborate or also can be used as a mobile application for clients without the basic IT teams or third party vendors.

3. ISV

Technology and product enterprises use these integrations to add value to their old customers. Software product companies get started by enabling the existing customers to write their own mobile applications via APIs. Examples include SAP, Salesforce; among others

What Makes These Integrations Great?

Let’s try to understand by a simple example of how these integrations are actually so useful. Let’s take into consideration the example of recruitments that are now integrated on the mobile. Ultimate Recruiter’s Guide to Mobile for 2015 notes that 3 in 5 job seekers are now using mobile devices for jobs and 51 % of applications submitted on Indeed.com are via mobile. With the use of ATS (Application Tracking System) and the right integration, even recruitment methods will undergo a makeover. Responsive designs have enabled better rankings of mobile friendly pages.

Web mobile integrations have created new scope for customer interaction, retention and means of communication. Enterprises no longer need to depend on a website but have more customizable means to establish relationships with their customers. API development has made these integrations possible. They also are great time savers. Sharing is made possible because of these integrations. Sometimes it has to be agreed that third party webservices meet a sudden death when companies decide to intentionally block, limit or shut down APIs. Take for example: Shutting down Google Health led to an end of all the applications that had its APIs. Nevertheless, integrations have made it possible for more interconnectedness. There is more interlinking and the internet has become more navigable. So let’s quickly outline how the internet has become friendlier.

The post Ways How Web And Mobile Integrations Are Saving The Day appeared first on Classic Informatics.

Web development has entered into an exciting phase as it enters 2016. It is going through a complete makeover and hence it becomes interesting to predict what awaits us in 2016. As time rides by, a lot of visual information and graphic appeal becomes defunct. So what would stay and to what shall we bid farewell remains an important question at this juncture? What are we looking forward to then in terms of look, content, branding and data management? Seems like 2016 is the year when a lot of elements of the webpage shall see the new and bury the old. Lets run over the contents quickly. 

• Background images

Website speed and performance have become one of the primary factors as we approach 2016. With internet spreading across the globe and reaching out to the remotest corners of the planet, the web is being served on portable platforms. High quality background images are going to be a matter of the past. Innovations in typography are expected as they will be required to replace the background images. So say hello to your blank background and say yes to speed, better performance and better text.

This brings us to the point of the “almost flat design approach”. It is not that it is a new trend for background images to take the backseat – we have been gradually reaching this point over some good period of time. The following image illustrates the almost flat design approach. In this, the idea of a complete flat design is negated by using depth to elements to create a sort of balance and appeal.

Back in 2014, high quality images were the trend and it had gained its share of popularity only to take the downfall in 2015. By 2016, we expect the same trend to continue.

• Card Based Design

The card based design is indeed the current trend now and it shall only continue to be so. In this re-architecture of the web, cards enable the user to create a personalized space with individual content. With internet gradually shifting from computers to tablets, from laptops to the mobile phone, the card based design has become a great design pattern. Already the big guns like Twitter and Google have made the move to cards. The Google Search has become more personalized with the introduction of Google cards in mobile phones.

In the evolution of the modern civilization, cards have always played an important role in trade, celebrations, funerals and intimate events. Hence there is a psychological impact made by the cards as they enable the user to have an intimate space within the larger scope of the world wide web. In the fast paced pay per click world, cards have become story telling agents and effectively push stories quickly. The success story of Pininterest highlights the impact of the card based design. 2016 shall just see more of it as more websites take the baton and move to cards.

So, say hello to more information in less time.

• Digital first branding

Brands do no longer work if they haven’t yet embraced the digital revolution. Brand retention value has been transfigured and digitized. 2016 sees the same trend as it reaches its culmination point and more brands take the plunge into digitizing themselves.

According to Aberdeen research, a 336% quicker conversion rate of vistor to buyer year over year has been achieved by companies that use mobile touch points. The customer lifetime value also increases by 4.8% v/s the 0.3 % for those who do not acknowledge the digitization move.

Digital first branding enables users to interact with brands which adds value to the relationship between a customer and a brand. The rules of branding have definitely changed and web development shall have to appreciate the same and adapt. A swipe to new information is now deemed more personal and interactive than a static piece of information. New advances in UI design shall be accompanied with enhanced interactive tools. Be ready for the micro-experience.

• Open Data

It is a historic moment to quote that open data has become a reality. According to a report in the “The Guardian”, open data has entered digital policy packages and transparency initiatives across the developed countries. There are still setbacks to the same but open data has a bright future. In predicting upcoming trends in web development, 2016 open data ranks as one of the pioneers that shall redeem its true value and importance. It’s been 5 years since the first pan global meet on open data took place in Warsaw and now it is here to stay to offer public service and value.

• Responsive Design Evolved

This has already reached its culmination point and yet it shall keep continuing being the industry standard. With new inventions coming up and newer platforms being accessed for the web, responsive design is a pre-requisite for every website. The focus area in responsive design has been navigation. The input method is expected to go through a change in the 2016. Audio input already exists in the form of Siri and hence with the rise of wearables like the Apple Watch, even other sensory inputs shall be involved. From screen agnosticism we shall gradually move to screen independence.

• Isomorphic javascript

Termed as the future of the web, 2016 shall see more of websites adopting isomorphic javascript. The advantage of an isomorphic javascript is performance as it takes into account the best of both the client side and server side programming. New players in frameworks other than Reach and Meteor will join in. Isomorphic javascript makes programming straightforward and enable UIs with a more interactive feel to the same.

• Vibrant Design

With the almost flat design approach to the web, a flash of colors to add depth and visual appeal will be the trend. Websites will become more vibrant with various interesting color schemes. Look forward to vibrant headers and quirky illustrations painted in a flat backdrop with a range of colors.

What’s hot in 2016 might not be in 2017. Till then, let’s hope the predictions roll for good as web development ages by another year. The future of web development can be safely translated as a trend of an interactive user experience.

The post Predicting Upcoming Trends in Web Development 2016 appeared first on Classic Informatics.

Where do Enterprises Go Wrong?

Is is important for enterprises to fix this issue and complete the transition. It has to be understood also that it is not a simple job to move these mission critical applications. Security is the highest concern. It also involves the availability of the technology to support these apps. Since the cloud is still going through its maturing phase, there’s scepticism as well as complexity involved in making the shift. This has created a gap in strategy between the critical apps and the non critical apps.

However, this too shall pass. New innovations in cloud technology to meet the demands of the mission critical apps are already around. With time, a more mature and stable phase of cloud shall emerge which will make it more convenient for enterprises to move their critical apps to the cloud. Then the benefits of cost, efficiency and agility will come a full circle and not be limited to non critical apps.

Let’s try to understand as to how enterprises can make the complete transition before their competitors start making benefits out of the same. The approach to cloud services definitely needs to shift from infrastructure to application-centric(SAAS Application Development). Lets outline the 3 steps involved in reaching out to our goal:

1. Identify a new route to availability

High availability is the first key and is absolutely non-negotiable. But then if we look at the recent Microsoft’s Azure cloud service outage, we can see for ourselves the downside of high availability. If you think that spotty availability is the only obstacle, then you are wrong.

• It’s therefore important to chart new route to availability rather than looking at it as a one way street.
• The orthodox hardware based infrastructure centric approach doesn’t match with the fluid dynamics of the cloud environment.
• The application centric approach comes into use now when we approach availability with the concept of software defined availability. Recovery becomes much more simplified via this approach.

This minimizes the risk involved in moving the critical apps to the cloud and doesn’t require any re-engineering. Also it is a time and cost effective approach. This simplifies most of the complexity involved in the transition.

2. Strengthen the orchestration abilities

Orchestrating the cloud resources is the next step for a successful transition. Exact pocketing of data where it needs to be(the right time, the right place aphorism) is taken care by strong orchestration capabilities. Its noteworthy to point out that critical applications do not have a static requirement. They are also fluid in nature and do not remain mission critical at every point of the timeline.

For example in a Christmas season, a payment processing application becomes critical and during the start of every month, financial services in the form of salary transactions become critical. Hence scalability needs to be incorporated according to the need and time.

• A dynamic application configuration approach will also reduce the need for rewriting applications.
• Dynamic orchestration in the cloud enables deployment of an application only when that degree of maximum availability is required.
• Without any interruption of any services, this saves money and effectively manages the computing resources.

3. Tapping open source technologies

Open source definitely cuts down on costs. Proprietary technology always bring along with it expensive licenses, fees and miscellaneous expenses.

• Tapping open source technologies like Linux, Kernel-based Virtual Machine, OpenStack can drastically change the ball game and make cloud services more profitable than they otherwise were.
• These technologies also provide the enterprise with software defined availability and allow strong orchestration.

Open source technology is here to stay and is only bound to grow. Hence harnessing the power at the earliest would be a wise business policy.

Conclusion

 To be a step ahead in the race for cloud applications, the critical apps need to be immediately moved to the cloud. It is indeed a complex and a risky affair but then with the right kind of approach the risks can be minimized. Before the competitors fasten their belts, enterprises need to make the move and look forward to having a successful transition to the cloud. With cloud getting into its mature stage, the prospects only look brighter. The traditional methods of hosting applications need to be given up for good and cloud needs to be embraced in the most effective way possible. The leap to the cloud is easy if done the right way.

Remember to tickmark the following before making that move:

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In a competitive scenario, you will need to be prepared to fight the basics. For instance, you will need to have to decide between outsourcing projects versus choosing the seemingly more reliable option of staff augmentation. Here is a look at what a normal IT Consulting firm has to take care for instance.

For them, staff training is important, as well as the question of security. Staff augmentation can take care of both these incidents but it might not be able to solve network or software issues that the in-house team cannot handle. For that, they might need to outsource the projects.

What is Staff Augmentation?

Staff augmentation can be a great way to reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies. If you’re looking to expand strategically and are looking for more human resource, staff augmentation is the way to go. Staff augmentation refers to where can add in staff to your organization as you want. Staff augmentation refers to adding in staff as per the needs of the company. You do not permanently hire the employees so you can scale up and down as needed, offering you the flexibility to manage important projects and needs as well as avoiding the liabilities of hiring full time employees. After the work is complete, the staff will no longer need to be paid by the employer.

What is Project Outsourcing?

Suppose you’ve a specific task that needs to be done. You might not have the staff expertise to do it. This can put you in a dilemma. What do you do to ensure that you’re right on track with the project? Project outsourcing helps outsource specific tasks and resources with other people or agencies. Sometimes, project outsourcing can even take the shape of staff augmentation, but in a different way. Let’s say you outsource the work to Company B, which uses staff augmentation in its own workplace to complete it.

The Statistics

The wrong strategy can have an effect on employee morale. For one, the wrong HR strategy made an employee vent his frustration on the company, equating employees with staff augmentation. A recent survey stated that the outsourcing market in the U.K. is expected to grow, with service providers meeting expectations more often than not. The survey, carried out by Whitelane Research in collaboration with PA Consulting Group, had 69% of respondents stating that they will increase the amount of IT services that they get from their service providers.

So, which one’s the better option?

That’s the billion-dollar question. It’s like asking, should I prefer a Chocolate or a Strawberry cake. You need a strategy that can help you complete your projects on time and within budget.

Let’s talk about investing in project outsourcing while not compromising on staff augmentation. Here is a table for what works for both and where they lack in.

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1. Huge Customer Base

Thanks to the social network – more than a billion people are now connected on the same platform. So an enterprise that acknowledges the power of the web is going to exist for the billion online users for whom everyday new content is being created.

These users are being converted into customers via inbound and content marketing. This has ensured the right traffic to the products they want to own or the services they seek. Every other second innumerable leads are tracked to find potential customers. To reach to a huge customer base has become easy and users are a click away if an enterprise understands how to leverage the power of the web.

• The mobile revolution has just spearheaded the same and markets like Korea and Japan have responded to the same already positively.
• The other countries on the same page are Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.
• Also the customer demographic has become youth centric and hence the web’s user base that is pre-dominantly the youth can be targeted via the proper approach to enterprise application development and enterprise web development.

The first step even before having a website is to have a Linkedin profile for the enterprise – this enhances the visibility of the enterprise and makes it available for notice by the huge customer base. It also adds a layer of credibility. For enterprises who have always followed the traditional methods should understand that their customers are already online if they are not.

2. A store that never closes

The web is a store that never closes – the customers never sleep. Across various time zones, different users at different points of time are seeking out products and services and choosing content to read from that leads to these services.

• According to a study made by Lloyds Bank and Go ON UK, it reflected that 1.2 million small business owners did not have the simple digital skills and have thus not been able to avail the power the web beholds.
• It is simple mathematics as to whether a 9-5 store that has its share of weekends would do well or a 24 * 7 store.
• Web enables customer interaction at every hour. This enables enhanced customer satisfaction, feedback and increases the conversion rate of customers into trusted customers.

3. Networking opportunities

The power of the web primarily lies in networking. Customers have become tech savvy. They demand better applications, interactive content and improved services. Networking can facilitate potential investors to find enterprising businesses.

Networking can be used to find clients on a pan global scale and to reach out to customers in a more effective manner. Enterprise application development needs to be stressed upon to develop applications that tend to the demands of the Web 2.0. customers.

The mobile revolution has already impacted enterprises by making them create content for the mobile phone.

• By the next year, wearables will be the next in thing and enterprises will have to drive networking via that medium.
• Inbound marketing and content marketing approaches can help enterprises create an effective profitable network of customers.
• Take the case of ecommerce and how it has boomed. In ecommerce it can be noticed as to how customer interaction takes place before buying a service or a product. The enterprise exists at the helm of service and product demands and possible customers and users interact via the web development model of the enterprise.

 4. Cost Effective

Incorporating an enterprise web development model is cost effective. The idea of creating a brand has become outmoded with flexible branding being the in thing for customers.

• The web allows aplenty cost effective solutions to customize branding and personalize it for individual customers.
• The direct channels of luring a customer to buying a service or a product via advertisement and expensive marketing platforms have been replaced by content and inbound marketing which don’t cost a dime.
• Customers are now rather driven by content than by interruptive commercials, print ads and radio ads.
• Customers communicate via the application the enterprise builds for the required customer engagement. Hence an enterprise application development model needs to be integrated to harness the power of the web.

 5. Communication

From an one sided affair of communication between a customer and an enterprise, we have moved into an interactive phase. How is interaction monitored, channelized and harnessed? The web does provide channels to maintain the degrees of freedom that communication deserves.

• According to the platform being used for the communication, applications need to be sized and structured to make it comfortable for the user to navigate.
• For instance banking transactions also happen via the web but then if the platform being used is the mobile phone, then a busy web page will defeat the idea of the banking transaction and it is bound to fail causing inconvenience to the customer.

For an engaging communication, applications should be designed according to the suitability of the platform the potential customer is going to use. There’s a lot more to how enterprises can leverage the power of web. The power of web exists in infinite possibilities and it is hence important for enterprises to harness it as soon as possible.

Huge customer base, a store that never closes, networking opportunities, cost effective, communication

Enterprise Web Development, Enterprise Application Development

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No doubt, enterprises are reaching the pinnacle of success after employing the right set of digital marketing strategies. Special stress on strategies (just in case you overlooked!).

Just having an enterprise page on Facebook, a profile on LinkedIn and twitter doesn’t work.

You should have a strategy. You need to allocate resources for each digital channel (email marketing, SEO, SMM, PPC, content marketing and the likes) you want to invest into and look upon to get results.

Randomly posting and updating once or twice in a month will surely not help, and this is the reason that you are not getting enough returns via enterprise digital marketing.

Sounds true?

Now let’s have a look at some of the mind blowing statistics.

• As many as 50% of the companies are making use of enterprise digital marketing, but sadly, don’t have any plan or strategy to execute that!
• As many as 83% of the consumers were found reporting that they were not happy with the experience of social media marketing that brands cater.

And guess what, you can simply win the race by staying ahead in competition – making the most out of social media marketing – leveraging the best out of social media channels – strategizing and planning the digital marketing campaigns to provide a better experience to your customers and more!

But Why Having A Digital Marketing Strategy Is As Important As Having Digital Marketing Itself?

• To have a proper direction

If you are one of those companies which is not yet making use of a proper digital marketing strategy – do you clearly have your goals defined?

What you want to achieve?

Are you going to focus more on gaining new customers or engaging the existing ones?

A proper strategy is thus necessary to provide clarity on the goals without which it is more likely that you won’t achieve them.

• Be agile enough to stay ahead

Look at various online brands – Dell, Google, Amazon, eBay – they all are dynamic – have wonderful digital marketing strategies – have their own voice digitally and thus manage to stay ahead. Where do you lie?

Clearly, without a proper strategy, you cannot achieve anything – let it be digital marketing.

Now that you are convinced of having a proper strategy for your business, let’s see how to do it?

Ways to Have a Productive Digital Marketing Strategy

• Are you personal enough?

Personalisation is a major factor that attracts customers – and this is what the global corporations focus on!

As many as 37 percent of the enterprises consider personalisation as one of their top priorities.

But how do you get more personal with customers?

This is fairly simple!

You can make use of automated tools – like adding the first name to an email that you send to your customer. Or wishing your customer the happy birthday.

Won’t you like such gestures?

• Are you using the technology the right way?

If you study the digital marketing strategies of global enterprises, it is easy to conclude that they employ technologies in order to manage social media, content, data and audiences well.

Making use of cloud marketing solutions or software that aim to improve customer satisfaction could be a good idea.

Your chosen marketing technology should be fully integrated with your existing system – and should be secure and scalable with perfect customer services.

• Choose the digital marketing channels wisely

You can choose to have paid media or owned media accounts.

Paid media includes sponsored posts and articles. While owned media helps an organization to manage the customer experience.

This occupies 31 percent of the expenditure and includes having websites, email lists, databases, apps and other stuff.

Why Social Media Marketing Strategy?

Alright, so all set to employ a digital marketing strategy?

Go ahead!

So what medium are you going to start with?

Amid email marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing – which one do you choose?

Confused?

Allow us to help you and provide you with enough reasons why social media marketing should be in your list!

• 46% of the web users will look upon social media before they purchase anything.
• 37% of the twitter users will surely make a purchase from the brand that they follow.
• And yes, the biggest of all – more than 72% of the users active on internet are also active on social media.

This thus concludes that social media marketing for enterprises is the way to go!

Of course, you simply won’t like to ignore a platform that already has so many active users.

But then again, just social media marketing for enterprises won’t work without any strategy.

And how will it?

As already discussed, you need to employ a proper strategy to make the things work out for you.

Proper strategy involves everything – the correct timings of the post, the engaging content generation, the study of the collected stats and data, the paid ads – everything!

How to Play Your Cards Well With Right Social Media Marketing Strategy

Social media marketing strategy is a summary of all the stuff that you intend to do – the current status of our social media accounts and where you want to see them in next six months and the tools you would be making use to reach those goals.

Keep your social media strategy to the point, achievable and realistic.

Let’s see how to do that.

• Are you clear with your business goals?

Every single strategy you employ caters to the success of your goal.

You can’t just blindly move ahead without knowing your goals. Further, without proper goals you won’t have any way to gauge your success levels.

Your goals could vary depending on your plans, but there are a few goals that all companies should have in their strategy – increasing awareness of your brand, reducing costs, retaining customers and so on.

• Did you set marketing objectives?

You need to see your way through to the end.

Set yourself objectives of marketing that you’ll accomplish, in order to stay successful. Goals are nothing without a proper objective.

Let’s say, one of your goals was to generate leads. So how many leads you expect to generate to call it a success? Make sure that your objectives are time bound, realistic and achievable.

• Who are your targeted audiences?

There are a lot of people on social media who would not serve the purpose of making your business a success.

Hence, be very prudent when it comes to identifying the customers who will be useful to you.

You should have sufficient info about age, occupation, interests, demography, interest, habits about your customers.

• Are you close enough to your competitors?

Just working on your business would not be completely fruitful.

You need to know of your rival businesses as well, so that you make new strategies to outrun them in the race.

How many posts are they doing per day? Are they running any contests? And so on.

• What all channels and tactics are going to cater to?

You can create profiles in all social media networks and keep posting stuff. But, that is no way going to help you.

Research on which channel is best for your business and work specifically on it, with tactics that assure success.

• Is the content engaging enough?

The content you choose to put up in the social media plays an imperative role as well.

Be selective and cautious about content you put up as that will have an impact on your customers.

Users won’t bother to give 2 seconds to the boring content, and soon it will be lost in the news feed. Definitely not what you want!

• How much do you have in your pocket?

Make budget plans that will fit your business investments. Of course, if your monthly budget is of $100 and you are planning to achieve the targets of $500, you are sure to create a mess.

You could choose to do all of this on your own or choose to do better by selecting a social media marketing agency to do it.

By hiring an agency, you not only save a lot of time which you can utilize for other things that would improvise the quality of the business you are promoting.

But, choosing a marketing agency also guarantees you of the tools and technologies, data and stats, strategies and plans that they will be using to ensure that you reach the top.

This definitely is difficult to achieve otherwise.

So, when do you plan to include digital initiatives in your marketing strategy or are you doing it already? Do you have any questions or points to add here? Please feel free to leave your comments below and thanks for reading!

The post A Definitive Guide to Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing for Enterprises appeared first on Classic Informatics.