Category: Development

Internet of Things (IoT) is a transformative trend making big splashes. With the booming ecosystem of 20 billion connected devices announcing its triumph and widespread adoption on the roll in major industries, it needs no introduction. The only question is what facet of it will manifest the most, and reshape modern products, workflows, and processes. Well, this year will not be the time of IoT revolution as much as it will be the year of infrastructure consolidation, increased investment, and steady growth. The driving force behind these developments comes in the form of following prominent trends.

● Poised for growth

On the broadest level, we see that the whole IoT sector is primed for dynamic growth. More and more devices are coming online with each passing day. By 2030, we could reach a threshold of 30 billion connected pieces. The consumer segment will have the largest share of IoT installed base. Moreover, a lion’s share of the market will be dominated by businesses offering wearable devices, industrial equipment, smart/automated home tech, and high-tech cars.  Retail, supply, and healthcare sector are not lagging behind. In fact, they are expected to undergo a phase of rapid growth as well.

● Increased fragmentation

On the flipside, this proliferation breeds the so-called “fragmentation frustration”. Namely, growth in the area of as-a-service (aaS) and cloud solutions has shown that fragmentation poses a tough challenge for companies. Adoption is not really frictionless and it demands a considerable investment of resources. There are also many compatibility issues because we will have to wait a bit more for device standardization and certification to really kick in. Those who struggle will likely have to rely on leading Internet of Things agencies for everything from strategizing to custom tool implementation.

● IoT and OT convergence

Traditionally, IoT and Operational Technology (OT) were separate domains. Nowadays, however, the gap is becoming narrower. Many companies are realizing the advantage of IoT and OT teams working hand in hand towards more efficient deployment of new solutions and initiatives. What is more, OT will have a profound impact on the design of IoT apps in 2018. They will be more friendly and accessible to end users, such as field workers and plant operators. The advantage is clear: operational decisions can be reached in real-time, by those who are closest to the workflow.

● Heightened security risks

Data breaches galore raise many eyebrows and for good reasons too. Undermined cybersecurity is yet another byproduct of soaring IoT growth. As they become more complex, networks also include more loopholes that have to be addressed. And this is no task for amateurs. Attack surface is bigger than ever, cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, and the environment is largely unregulated. It is up to users to come up with tools and measures for preserving privacy and data safety. Note also that most attacks will be motivated by financial gains and seek to exploit IoT vulnerabilities.

● Mobile gains dominance

The shift towards a mobile-first internet world is old news already, but are we heading towards the mobile-only frontier? This kind of prediction might be premature, but there are signs that mobile platforms are being increasingly used as management systems for IoT devices. Both early adopters and late-comers are transitioning and the booming mobile market will only fuel this tendency. On the other hand, IoT is likely to change the way mobile apps are made. These products will work via new modes of connectivity and lean towards the native and hybrid end of the market.

● Data processing remains a challenges

Staying on top of the immense influx of data across channels is a daunting task, which lies beyond the capacity of human workers. Companies will have to step up the game and use more refined and cheaper methods of processing big data. In this day and age, trends like edge networking and hardened legacy frameworks are a necessity more than anything else because they lead to less network demand and operating costs. And to really harness value from vast data pools, businesses will seek to employ advanced (AI) analytics and machine learning tools capable of real-time data streaming.

● Conclusion

Despite noticeable growing pains and a handful of hurdles, 2018 paves a promising trajectory for gains in connectivity. From there, we can see IoT only going up and up. It is slowly becoming the backbone of consumer value and mainstay of the business growth across industry sectors. Yet, the full potential of this technology is still being realized. We will need even more powerful analytics, machine learning, and AI systems to support rapidly expanding IoT space.  One thing is for certain, though. We are witnessing the emergence of large inroads that will carry this cutting-edge technology to grow and evolve beyond imagination.

References:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2017/12/19/the-top-8-iot-trends-for-2018/#514e3ff267f7

https://www.statista.com/topics/2637/internet-of-things/

https://www.cio.com/article/3246630/internet-of-things/6-internet-of-things-trends-that-will-dominate-2018.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/01/04/the-internet-of-things-iot-will-be-massive-in-2018-here-are-the-4-predictions-from-ibm/#8a71fe8edd33

http://www.digitalaptech.com/3-ways-iot-is-changing-the-future-of-mobile-applications-development/

In a time where it seems that everything is linked to technology: our homes, our cities and of course, ourselves, it is no surprise that there is a view to introducing such practices to something that many of us travel along every day: roads.

Smart roads, much like smart homes and smart cities, have been devised to aid commuters in making their journeys a much more interactive experience.

The plan is to revamp the way we see our highways and streets to provide live feedback on traffic, weather, and road conditions and find solutions towards harnessing and generating solar energy to help usher in the age of autonomous vehicles.

Benefits of Smart Roads

Everybody, at one point or another, has experienced the loathsome drag of sitting in traffic that stretches as far as the eye can see. We have all found ourselves coming across an unexpected delay that disrupts the journey and leads to apologetic phone calls explaining that arrival may be a little bit later than expected.

Smart roads look to eliminate such issues. There are those digital road signs which inform you of slow traffic in the next ten miles, there are those that warn to slow down due to motor accidents, but this technology is painfully outdated and there is no guarantee that everyone will pay attention when passing them.

So, what if you could receive this information directly to your vehicle way ahead of time and suggesting alternate routes without the grating whine of Google Maps telling you over and over again to turn around? Having traffic information sent directly to your dashboard will warn you ahead of time if you need to make adjustments to your route.

Another positive is the ability to generate solar energy to help light the way, as well as aid the charging of autonomous cars to reduce battery loss.

The emphasis on green, renewable energy has encouraged people to look towards alternative methods of transport such as carpooling, public transport, or cycling. This is not always possible for long commutes, though, and so there are still many cars on the road that produce carbon emissions every day, to and from destinations.

Using solar energy will allow for a reduction in such emissions. As more people adopt electric or autonomous cars, the added bonus of charging-while-driving offered by smart roads will demonstrate a reduction in harmful gases polluting the air every day.

Challenges in Transition

There are however challenges associated with making the transition from traditional roads to smart roads. Currently, the primary reason is that not enough people own cars that would benefit such adaptations.

While there has been a surge in purchases in the last four years, there are just 150,000 owners of electric cars registered in the UK. It is not yet viable for governments to implement smart roads across the country because the market share does not suggest such actions would be a sound investment.

As autonomous are not yet commercialized, the cost to undertake these changes would not be beneficial. As attractive as a self-driving car might seem to some, there are still doubts regarding their safety. The recent Uber accident has brought many people back down to earth and made them realize that even though we have the technology, a driverless future is still far from reality.

Prominent Smart Road Nations

Wanting to stay ahead of the curve and demonstrate a willingness to start thinking about the planet, there are a number of nations that are committed to working on, developing and eventually introducing smart roads across their land.

Thoughts immediately go to the likes of the USA, the home of prominent electric vehicles like Tesla, but it is not just Elon Musk and his merry band of geniuses, as well as Smart America, who are focusing on such developments. Just recently, Sweden introduced their first smart road that charges electric vehicles while driving.

The road itself is merely a pilot scheme covering a two-kilometer stretch just outside Stockholm, but should it prove successful, it shows that this technology can be effective and might even prompt more people to invest in electric cars.

Smart Roads in the United Kingdom, http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5251763

(Copyright Bill Boaden and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.)

Countries such as the UK have also been planning for smart roads for some time and have recently begun to implement these in 2017/2018 as seen above. In 2015 testing for charging-while driving began to solve the long commute issue. Another country that appears to be leading the way is China, which has been working on their first-generation smart road products that include solar panels generating energy.

New Road, New Technology

Solutions to adapting our roads from the old ways to the new may not entirely remove the potential for road damage, but they can help in other ways. Solar energy is now cheaper to develop than ever before, and using this to help power streetlights and road markings will reduce the amount of electricity needed to be produced.

Norway is working on fiber-optic technology to install under the surface that records information about passing traffic to provide real-time updates to drivers and help them understand what to expect during their journey.

Sweden’s aforementioned smart road utilizes charging strips along the roads, assisted by a robotic arm that connects to such strips while driving. It is not that the driver can sit back and relax – they are still responsible for steering – but the charging strip will help them avoid needing to stop and charge during long journeys and keep the car powered throughout.

Linking the roads themselves to vehicles through the Internet of Things will make the typical travel experience much more interactive. Traffic updates, roads that honk, renewable energy are all aspects that can be considered for inclusion.

A Road To The Future

Technology is always looking for solutions to make our lives easier. Smart roads have the potential to be just what weary commuters are looking for. Autonomous vehicles working in tandem with smart roads would allow for some extra sleep on the way to work, help towards fixing the environment and perhaps even solve congestion issues on busy highways.

While there is certain to be delays and issues with the installation of smart roads, finding the right systems that benefit both the driver and the planet will help other nations adapt and develop similar technologies for their own use. Countries such as the USA, UK, Sweden, Norway and China have already begun, should their methods prove successful, the rest of the journey could be easy riding.

A lot is written about the effect that the streaming era might have on television. The widespread assumption is that a growing variety of streaming options are giving birth to a generation of “cord-cutters” who will ultimately dismiss television (and perhaps movie theaters as well) entirely. The data backs up the idea. A 2017 analysis revealed that while the transition is somewhat slow (a predicted decline of 1.5% a year in cable subscriptions over the next decade), it is happening. The notion of conventional viewing entertainment may look very different in a matter of years.

What we don’t spend as much time writing or talking about however is that the emergence of “streaming” as its own portion of the Internet is also spawning new entertainment industries altogether. It allows those who enjoy television, film, gaming, etc. to have more control over what content they access, and in some cases, it even enables closer interaction with that content.

The clearest examples of this can be found in some of the newer streaming options that have become available to consumers. YouTube TV may be the first that comes to mind – a platform that essentially operates as a more comprehensive version of Sling, providing a variety of cable channels, as well as a very robust DVR system to its users. However, while YouTube TV is certainly one of the more competitive alternatives to cable, it’s also a fairly basic concept already. It’s an adaptation more than a new concept.

We can look to more niche streaming options as indications of new industries, per se. For instance, one of the most recent to come about is ESPN+. Faced with a rapid change base of consumers with a variety of different preferences, ESPN introduced this platform not as an app version of its TV network, but rather as a sort of catch-all for interesting, streamed sports content. Users signing up for the service can enjoy everything from live games to, for instance, a new exclusive program in which ex-NBA star Kobe Bryant breaks down the tactics of a recent basketball game. Again, it’s less a version of the ESPN you can get with a basic cable package (or YouTube TV or Sling for that matter), and more an alternative form of streaming sports content.

In other areas, streaming platforms are also enabling fans to take part in the action rather than simply choose what action they’re seeing. Most notably, live streaming has become a very significant part of the online betting Singapore and others in that industry. Through platforms like YouTube and Stitch, as well as those dedicated to specific sports, games, or activities (like, say, horse racing or poker), live streaming is able to create a gaming experience that’s almost as good as being in the thick of it. In this instance, not only can fans choose their content and access it live – they can use that real-time access to make informed betting decisions on the content, should they so choose.

Taking all of these developments together, we begin to see the emergence of new industries spinning would-be television content (or in some cases events that are simulated or would never have been on TV before) into specialized and/or interactive entertainment. Streaming platforms, ultimately, have the power to give each individual almost exactly what he or she wants out of viewing entertainment. And we’re starting to see things moving slowly but surely in that direction.

Time and Tide wait for none and so is the case with the increasing trend of purchases from an eCommerce website.  According to an estimation, there have been 1.66 billion people from across the globe who made the online purchases from a different eCommerce website. Based on this trend, there has been a projected growth of 4.48 trillion USD by the year of 2021. Obviously, these figures are capable enough to enchant the big names to go live to expand the reach of the customers but it is equally important to ponder over some criterion that makes your eCommerce website development a successful and fruitful venture be it the user experience or the overall performance of your website when it goes live.

Here are some intuitive tips that will definitely help you create a custom e-commerce website of your dream.

• Enchanting Design responding exactly to the visitors:

The simple message that I wish to convey here is that while you are planning to create an eCommerce website, it is inevitably crucial to take care of the Responsiveness of your website be it to a mobile device, desktop, or a tablet. It has to be so mainly because, according to a survey, 62% of mobile devices users have preferred to make their purchases through Smartphone in the past few months and the same trend are still expected to grow in numbers.

Hence it is more advisable to equip your website responsive using effective CMS platforms to make your website Smartphone user-friendly in order to grab a maximum number of customers for the products or services you are offering online.

• Checkouts:

The most successful online businesses are expected to have the complete details of the visitors visiting their websites and for it, they need to create an ideal checkout funnel with which one can access to the information of the visitors for future follow-up and/or for the communication of new products launches.

However, every customer may not prefer to register at your website or may avoid the filling up process. And hence, it would be ideal to design the Purchase Process in such a way that the customer is required to fill the necessary details and creating an account on your website (guest purchase).

• Ideal Site Search Options to glide through the website:

It is interesting to note here that when a visitor lands on your website, he would first prefer to go to the Search Option to select the product of his/her choice. Hence, it is desirable to equip your e-commerce website with Product Search Option with automated details filling facility which will ease the comfort of the visitors. This functionality will definitely reduce the pain of their search in terms of the size of the product, color, category, price range, availability etc.

• Strong Security Checks:

Before you boost your e-commerce website marketing strategy, this aspect is very crucial to be taken care of. Because every individual making an online purchase expects that his/her personal information relating to his debit/credit card, bank account number, and password are secured with proper encryption of the data he is submitting online. For this, your website is required to be equipped with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which ensures the encryption of the data. This feature on your online website will help you earn the trust and loyalty of your customers.

• Well Optimized Performance:

What if your e-commerce website does not act as it is expected to perform. It is the most common experience of major website handlers that when it takes too long to load a website, then the possibility of the switching over to another is always greater. And you need to take care of this element mainly because of the multi-tasking trend prevailing among today’s mobile devices users.

This load time issues can be eliminated by:

• Combining the CSS files to boost the speed of the website in respect of the load time your website is taking.
• In the same, graphics or images should be compressed to a comparatively small size as it would also help in reducing the load time.
• Proper management of the data transportation between the website server and database server.

There is a law in economics, that as the demand increases, the price for the same goes down and I would love to add to it considering the current mindset and time that as the Demand increases the multiplicity of choices increases and every business needs to cope with this with an ideal e-commerce website that matches rightly with the expectations of an end-user.

Legal professionals have pervaded every aspect of the lives of the common man, from businesses, or writing a will to going through a divorce or buying a home. However, this traditional image of legal services is all set to change with large scale disruptions through in the introduction of innovation and the growth of automation. The rise of the Internet has made consumers go online to seek advice and guidance on legal matters that were hitherto given by experienced lawyers. Hence to stay relevant it is necessary that the legal luminaries adapt themselves to the changing times.

What has made things easy for technology to bond with the current legal setup; is the tremendous scope for innovation in this field. Legal services that have recently changed little is now being forced to come out of its comfort zone. The rise in communication technology has led lawyers to outsource legal services and upload documents to experienced agencies seamlessly and in a fully secured environment. Consumers too have gained a better insight into the legal profession through online searches giving rise to concerns about fee structures especially among low-income groups. This has led to pressures for reduction of existing charges.

These factors have led to law firms exploring the legal support services market so that new innovations and automation can streamline the legal sector.

One of the ways that automation and advanced technologies will take over the legal industry will be the manner in which the courts function, in fact, the whole legal profession. The focus now is on local jurisdiction or domestic jurisdiction and even national jurisdiction. In the modern era of globalization all that is set to change. Businesses operate in a global environment and they would want a network where they can have easy local access to arbitration or dispute resolution. This is regardless of the country they are operating from.

The key here is that courts of the future will be connected and the concept of standalone courts will slowly pass into oblivion. A somewhat similar exposure of the legal profession to international levels was witnessed with the rise of external legal support services that provided impeccable and top quality legal backup to law firms from around the world. This was when these firms realized that to improve the bottom line, there was no alternative to outsurcing.

Today, a great deal of thought is being given to use Blockchain technologies and increase operating efficiencies of the legal sector. What will be embedded into the Blockchain; will be for example smart contracts, smart laws, smart regulations. It is quite possible that the judge might have to be an expert in coding apart from being an expert in law. The point then is that if innovation and automation have to walk together, a new set of training programmes and courses have to be structured that takes all these things into account.

However, implementing these new changes requires a radical and paradigm shift in the manner in which courts and the legal profession function today. Hence, the movers and shakers of the profession have to come together and decide on the future of law, future of courts, future of arbitrations and how these issues can be addressed.

Some of the areas where legal professionals have been forced to acknowledge current realities of innovation and automation are –

• Ranking and review information – This was previously a very difficult proposition. But today, all details about the legal profession are increasingly available and clients can before retaining them assess the quality of their work. Similarly, law firms can evaluate the worth of external agencies before deciding to outsource legal services.
• Online service delivery – The legal profession is increasingly taking the benefit of several online digital platforms currently available to serve clients based in remote locations with the same level of efficiency as before.

Summing up, it can be said that innovations in and automation the legal sector is not about minor process improvements only. There is potential to redefine the practice of law and take it beyond international borders in keeping with the modern globalization trend prevailing in all industries around the world.

Image Credit:

Shutter Stock

Summary:

Innovation in technology is driving every business process and legal sector is no exception in this regards. After so many decades, working with piles of paperwork, researching for information in the library; legal companies have left behind their traditional models and embracing advanced automating tools.

Tags:

Legal, Automation, Blockchain, Outsourcing, Technology, Law Firms, Lawyers

Author Bio:

Alika Cooper writes about outsourcing, technology and the business. She is passionate about customers and building products that change the way people run their business. She is also a big supporter of the startup community and teach professionals how to think about and use technology in their business and does regularly for her clients at Cogneesol.com.

Android apps are famous for inadequacies when it comes to security. For this reason, it is the responsibility of each Android app development company to take some assured security measure to guarantee that they develop safe apps.

So, here are seven ways they can do this:

1. HTTPS Security Is the Key

Secure Socket Layer, also known as, Transport Layer Security (TLS), is utilized very often as an essential component of communications between serves and users that are encrypted. Nevertheless, it has been witnessed that the Android app developers sometimes utilize this security measure the wrong way. This makes an Android app’s data vulnerable to interception by hackers. For this reason, it is suggested that an Android app development company must incorporate security measures carefully.

Rather than using HTTP or SSL, HTTPS is a great way to go. Android app developers can guarantee the app is protected from malicious attacks over the network, by using this connection on a server that is set up with a certification that’s been allotted by a licensing authority that is trusted.

Installing a code signing certificate is the best option for Android Apps and software because it allows developers to add a layer of assurance. It indicates users that application can be trusted. Code Signing Certificates help to protect software script and code without any security breach or modification. Want to buy one for your Application? Here is a list of cheap code signing certificate providers that provide the highest security at less price.

2. “Threat Modeling” Ensures Data Isn’t Leaked

The data leakage is one of the biggest ambiguities that all Android app developers face. They often fail to understand that the data saved on the app is perhaps read by other apps. Additionally, app data that has been kept on various devices is perhaps retrieved without one’s knowledge. Threat Modelling is very important when an Android app is being tested.

This procedure assists an Android app development company to guarantee that data that is confidential is not being leaked and stolen by malicious bodies. One of the most important steps while developing an app is aggressive testing. This is to guarantee that app is secure.

3. Limit Permissions

It is always a better idea to keep the permissions your app to just minimum when you are developing an Android app. It is good for Android app developers to circumvent asking the user access to private permissions, for enhanced security. The logic is very simple; there are lesser chances of users trusting you if there are the higher number of permission you request access.

It is clear that a user would not feel relaxed giving an app access to things like their calls, contacts, and photos etc. In this way, Android app development companies will follow the tracks of iOS like placing high limitations on apps and having the aptitude to interfere with users’ confidential data. For example, a security measure like restricting approvals encompasses teaching users to physically remove data when they are utilizing an app that permits them to get freedom from unwanted images on their SD card.

4. Use ProGuard

The information of an Android app can be completely negotiated if hackers in some way manage to attain hold of the source code. That is the point where ProGuard comes into play. This tool, which comes with the Android SDK, can be utilized to obscure the source code so that it stays safe from malicious security outbreaks.

5. Encrypt Every Last Bit of Saved Data

If confidential data really requires being protected, it is the responsibility of an Android app development company to encode this information by incorporating AES. In this scenario, passwords are required to be stored locally. It is best to permanently store a hotchpotch, and then draw a comparison between new password’s hash value and resultant. Android application developers must always guarantee to do this. This is because it is their obligation to develop the secure app and keep confidential data protected.

6. Validation Is More Important Than You Think

It is the duty of an Android app development company to authenticate input fields like usernames and passwords. With the assistance of SQL injection queries, intruders can simply attain private data which is the serious concern. It is very easy for this to occur, and yet — all it takes are Android application developers who do not authenticate fields. Yes, that is it. For this reason, it is imperative to incorporate technologies like DEP and ASLR to comprehend the security concerns of an Android app.

7. Wrap Your App

‘App wrapping’ is one of the quickest and easiest methods of carefully positioning an Android app. If Android app developers wrap the app from everything else of the gadget and summarize it, it will flourish better in an environment that is its own and will be secure and safer.

Author Bio:

Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 15 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writing and Digital Marketing with IQVIS. He has worked with several clients from all over the globe to offer his services in various domains with a proven track record of success.

The technologically advanced, digital age that we are experiencing has led to an exponential multiplication of data, generated by sensors, online transactions, smartphones, and social media channels amongst other things.

Consequently, big data, the term used to describe the inundation of data, is creating a stir around organizations and becoming the latest buzz word, but is the hype is well-justified?Absolutely!

Look around you; the changing business dynamics have resulted in stiff competition in almost every industry; competition between thriving e-commerce businesses and the conventional brick-and-mortar stores, increasing accessibility to international markets leading to declining revenues for local businesses, multitudes of online businesses offering top-notch services at competitive prices.

In a drastically changing economic environment where companies are vying to gain traction, big data analytics could be the game-changer for your organization.

Smart companies utilize the massive accumulation of data for keen analysis to gain valuable insights into the changing trends, both positive and negative.This crucial information enables companies to make strategic business decisions leading to higher profits, something which was not possible previously with small, isolated sets of data.

Unfortunately, only 23% of organizations are ’smart’ and have a viable big data-strategy, while just19% have access to high-quality data, and almost 15% of the marketers surveyed in Crain’s B2B magazines are still unsure of what is big data.

To make matters worse, most businesses analyze only 12% of their data while the rest of the transient digital information is lost, taking along with it the many valuable insights.

Therefore, to keep abreast with the innovations and gain leverage as an entrepreneur you need to implement a big data strategy to revolutionize your business model and increase profits:

1. Well-informed decision making

Businesses thrive on the astute judgment of their leaders, who try to make smart, objective decisions that are most beneficial for their organizations. However, they are bound to experience an occasional error in judgment and make mistakes.

Moreover, when different individuals are involved in the decision-making process, there are conflicts and difference of opinion.

Predictive analysis of big data enables business owners to come to a definitive solution backed by hard evidence. Also, as the companies analyze more and more data, the actual outcomes are compared against the predictive results which further enhance the analytics engines.

When decisions are based upon concrete evidence, as opposed to personal intuitions, they are more productive for the company in both the short and long term.

2. Gauge customer behavior

Businesses are all about profitability, and profits are acquired by attracting customers. Big data allows you to understand what really captures a customers’ attention.

When consumers interact with a business through emails, websites, phone calls, social media, etc. they provide significant information about their experience with your product or service. They share their expectations with your company and positive and negative feedback about your products; a wealth of knowledge pertinent to customer satisfaction waiting to be explored. However, much of this data is unstructured and unanalyzable by traditional means.

Big data is revolutionizing how companies gain greater insights about customers’ responsiveness by analyzing the accumulated customers’ communications. This helps companies understand their customers intimately and provide them with better services.

According to a Forrester study, 44% of the B2C marketers are using big data and analytics to improve responsiveness while 36% are utilizing it to establish more relationship-driven strategies.

3. Improved marketing campaign

In recent times, marketing strategies have evolved tremendously, and businesses utilize a varied number of tools and platforms to engage customers.

Terminologies like click-through rates, browsing behaviors, social media interactions, online purchase data, etc. have an immense impact on marketing campaigns and the sheer size of customer data collected every day is unimaginable and incomparable to anything marketers had to deal with previously.

Big data can facilitate marketing practices in some ways:

• It provides insights into the customers; where they are, what their expectations are, how they prefer to be contacted, and much more, leading to a marketing campaign which revolves around customer satisfaction
• It enables you to understand what drives customer loyalty and retention so you can implement it in your marketing techniques
• It allows you to divide your marketing techniques amongst the different marketing platforms, depending on the previous effectiveness of each channel, to gain an optimal You can also continuously test and analyze your methods for improved efforts

According to research, 54% of the Chief Marketing Officials (CMOs) believe that, in the long term, big data and analytics will be integral to their marketing strategy, thus, signifying the proficiency of the system.

Hire a marketing leader with a pristine CMO resume.

4. Successful customer relationship

We have already discussed how big data helps expedite marketing efforts and enables businesses to gain valuable customer insights to enhance the overall buying experience. When companies shape their efforts according to the customers’ requirements, they ensure improved customer relationships, with increased loyalty and greater customer lifetime value.

Moreover, Forrester also concluded in a study that big data analytics enhances a marketer’s ability to go beyond campaign executions and focus on establishing abetter customer relationship. Try not to spam your users with a lot of ads on their mobile phones. Subsequently, companies enjoy repeat business, better customer acquisition, and retention rates, leading to increased profits.

5. Consistent business performance

A business’s success depends largely on its employees and their performance. Whether they function individually or as a team, their competence at their jobs directly affects the scalability of the business.

Big data can help drive productivity through evaluation of the employees’ work habits and activities and indicate the areas that require improvements. It can be used to provide constant feedback and create opportunities for continuous performance improvements.

In an interview with the NewYork Times, Google’s head of people’s operation, Laszlo Bock, explained how they accumulate feedback to promote self-motivation. He said,

“One of the applications of Big Data is giving people the facts, and getting them to understand that their own decision-making is not perfect. And that in itself causes them to change their behavior.”

Use of big data to endorse self-improvement is far better than a one-off training seminar, as it is an on-going resource for optimized performance.

6. Smarter hiring choices

As mentioned above, big data allows for informed decision-making; one such scenario is when you are hiring new employees.

The tough hiring landscape makes it extremely challenging for the hiring team to choose the most proficient staff. In the current economy, brimming with technological revolutions, highly qualified individuals are integral to a company’s growth yet they are a scarce commodity.

Josh Bersin of Deloitte Consulting highlights this issue in his report on corporate talent, leadership, and human resources and explains that data-driven companies like Google employ big data to develop algorithms which predict the engagement of prospective employees and assists the management in hiring the most competent individuals.

Hard-working, skilled employees, are the backbone of any enterprise, and one of the key components essential to yield amplified profits.

7. Right pricing

Product pricing is an extremely critical aspect which requires great consideration. It is estimated that on average, a 1 percent increase in price results in 8.7 percent increase in operating profits (assuming there is no loss in volume).

In addition, 75% of the revenues generated by a company are from its standard products. However, 30% of the pricing decisions made by businesses fail to deliver the right price resulting in a massive loss of revenues.

When pricing a product, companies decide on an optimal price that the customers are willing to pay. Ideally, they also take into consideration the cost of the competitive products and the value they offer to consumers. But for large enterprises, producing thousands of products, assessing the numerous pricing variables for each product becomes too complicated and overwhelming.

Enter big data. Harnessing the power of big data available in the form of customer interactions enables the companies to price their products, appropriately, resulting in increased profits.

The evaluation of pricing variables is automated to expedite the process. Despite that, the entire process may not be easy and highly complex but ignoring the deluge of accumulated, valuable data is akin to forfeiting the rights to acquire hundreds of millions dollars in profits.

Big data is the next big thing. Employing big data strategy and analytics can supplement your business transactions and expedite every aspect of your business model from staffing to marketing to customer acquisition and retention.

Moreover, studies suggest that the average Fortune 1000 company can:

• Improve their revenue generations by more than $2 billion per annum by increasing data usability by only 10%
• Increase return on equity by 16% by enhancing the data quality and improving the ability of the salespeople to access it by just 10%
• Increase return on investment (ROI) by 0.7%, which equals to $2.87 million, by enhancing the intelligence and accessibility of the data by only 10%

To conclude, if you want to acquire better profits, you should jump on the big data bandwagon to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Author Bio:

About Alma Causey:

Alma is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on

@AlmaCausey.

With many new startups popping up every day, it’s only a matter of time before your business gets lost in the crowd. This is because every established name out there has something new business lack, in particular, credibility.

The very first step to achieve that credibility is, of course, to come up with a professional name using a business name generator. Without a credible name, your business will have a hard time convincing new customer into buying your products or services.

What’s more, stockholders will be even more skeptical before they decide whether it is prudent to invest their money into your growing business. The best way to convince all of these skeptics and eliminate any remaining doubt about your business is by first establishing some credibility and these are the seven ways to do so.

1. Listen to your consumers

Let’s face it, nobody likes it when their opinions don’t matter and their voices fall on deaf ears. As Mike from Bootstrap Business puts it, establish credibility by listening to your customers. Be known as the brand that actually cares. If your target audience thinks something is a really bad idea, consider changing it and let them know you are doing so. For example, just recently EA games broke the record on Reddit by getting the most downvoted post in the site’s history with their post about microtransactions in their new Star Wars Battlefront 2 video game. The backlash was so severe that they have removed micro-transactions completely in the end. Therefore, make sure that your community is behind you or you’ll find yourself with no one to sell your products to.

2. Provide only the best quality products or services possible

Let your product speak for itself. If you offer the best burgers in town, for a reasonable price, it’ll do the marketing for you. Word of mouth marketing is essential for new businesses as this will be the thing that establishes your credibility with your initial customers. Moreover, if you develop a bad reputation at the very start it’ll be increasingly difficult for you to find and retain new customers. Don’t go down that road and offer only the best quality services that you can.

3. Be honest with your customers

There’s nothing worse than blatantly lying to your clients. Eventually, the truth will come out and your credibility will take a huge hit from which it may not recover. If the jackets you’re selling aren’t made of real leather, then say so. If you do, your business will become known for dishonesty and that’s not something that just goes away. In the business world, honesty goes a long way and it’ll do wonders for your credibility with both partners and clients alike.

4. Be reliable

You’re the new kid on the block, you need to prove yourself first. Don’t make the mistake of being all talk and no action. Establish your credibility by consistently being reliable. Let business partners know that they can always count on you to uphold your end of the bargain. For example, reassure them by offering a performance bond to your clients as insurance that you’ll get the job done. In other words, make them an offer they cannot refuse.

5. Get client testimonials

If you’ve been doing business for some time now, you’ve probably come across partners and other business associates on your entrepreneur journey. Chances are they liked working with you and are more than willing to vouch for your good name. Use this to your advantage and put the testimonials of these clients on your website. Just make sure that they don’t have a bad reputation, otherwise, you’ll do more harm than good to your brand.

6. Announce reached milestones

People absolutely love to see progress. Get the hype train going and post about the progress your business has made on the internet. Has your business received a large outside investment? Announce it on your website. One hundredth customer milestone reached? Post it on Facebook and Twitter. Moving to a new office, introducing a new quality management document control and so on and so forth. Whatever it takes to keep the momentum going, just remember to stay positive.

7. Stay active on social media

Finally, get noticed on social media to gain some credibility there as well. Now, this kind of credibility is a bit different but it’s important nonetheless. Social media platforms are a good way to interact with your customers, the main thing is to stay consistent with your tone, so people can get to know you in a sense. For example, look at Wendy’s fast food chain. Their snarky tweets and rough comebacks made their Twitter profile go viral overnight. Now they use this roasting strategy as their social media trademark, it’s what defines them as Wendy’s and sets them apart from McDonald’s and Burger King.

In conclusion, establishing good credibility in the early stages is crucial if you plan on really kickstarting your business later on. Hence, don’t shoot yourself in the foot by offering poor customer service and bad quality products or you’ll just lose the same. Be ahead of your competitors and lead by example.

Software Development is currently considered the world’s best job. This is because we all use some sort of software in our everyday lives ranging from Wall Street to your living room and oil rigs to video games. Considering these things, 2018 will prove to be an important and exciting for developers and software.

Without additional upheaval, we are presenting 5 software development trends that will govern 2018.

Infographic created by Donnelley Financial Solutions, a financial consolidation software provider

1.  Demand for Blockchain Developers Will Dramatically Upsurge

The blockchain is a constantly expanding list of records, known as blocks; they are secured and connected using cryptography. This technology has dignified to revolutionize almost every industry.

In 2018 it is expected that companies in all industries are going to create apps on blockchain platforms. This indicates that demand for blockchain will dramatically upsurge. According to the various analysis conducted in 2016, the number of blockchain developers worldwide was 5000 only. With the conviction that quantity increased in 2017, nevertheless, it still diminishes in contrast to more than 18 million Java developers. 2018 will prove to be a gold rush for developers who commit themselves to the blockchain, and the majority of them will come away a whole lot richer.

2.  IoT Gets Pushed To The Edge

Wearables like Apple and Fitbit get the majority of the public attention; however, they are just a niche in the enormous IoT ecosystem. Almost all the things are transforming into the data-gathering device; from living rooms to sea oil rigs and from roads to cars. These devices collect the huge quantity of data, and IT companies are researching about the quicker and cheaper techniques of processing it all. This is where edge computing is expected to play its role in this year.

Edge computing utilizes a set of microdata centers to practice data close to the device, or at the “edge” of the system. Giving out on the edge saves money and time from transferring all of the data to a consolidated data center. This means IoT devices will be able to implement quicker actual-time data analytics, despite being in a place that has poor connectivity. This a big blessing for end users.

3.  Cyber Security Reaches A Modulation Point

There are two categories of cybersecurity initiatives: internal and external. Under internal cybersecurity initiative, businesses concentrate on creating security within their software. DevOps teams must concentrate on systematizing security testing into their software development lifespan. This will assist to make sure that susceptibilities are not familiarized during development.

Under external cybersecurity initiative, venture capitalists are overflowing cybersecurity startups with capital, to $3.4 Billion in 2016. As per Cruchbase Unicorn Leaderboard, there were five cybersecurity startups of worth exceeding one billion dollars in 2016. In 2018, we are expected to see more. You can follow CNS blog to keep track of the latest cyber security trends.

4.  Artificial Intelligence Becomes The Basic Need

Forrester forecasts that AI will haze the limitations between unstructured and structured data, and 50% of CDO’s will begin to report straight to the CEO. As a consequence, more than 13% of data relevant jobs on Indeed.com are of data engineers, in comparison with one percent of data scientists. This replicates the requirement for action-oriented, practical data professionals that can unswervingly influence the bottom line.

5.  Virtual Reality Perhaps Go Mainstream

2017 was a complete year of commercially-available, high-end VR headsets. Facebook’s HTC Vive and Oculus Rift commanded the technique in full-power VR systems (as opposition to smartphone-powered systems like the Galaxy Gear VR), but acceptance has been dawdling. Forecasters predict less than one million units to be sold between the two.

However, both of these systems are expected to make big moves in a market in 2018. HTC and Facebook have both decreased the prices significantly on their top headsets. HTC proclaimed a separate headset just weeks after Facebook exposed the Oculus Go. Both of these “lite” headsets will begin at a lower price point to appeal new users (the Oculus Go will begin at $199).

Conclusion

After viewing the discussion above, it can be said that all the software development companies must keep an eye in these trends. So, that they could incorporate them into their business practices while developing a software.

Author Bio:

Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 15 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writing and Digital Marketing with IQVIS. He has worked with several clients from all over the globe to offer his services in various domains with a proven track record of success.