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An Expert Guide to Bridging the Gap Between Decades of On-Prem Files and Microsoft 365

Carol Donnelly — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 18:24:40 +0000

Moving your data to modern software is the best decision you could ever make. Microsoft 365 offers a wide range of options for your business, especially in terms of databases. Unfortunately, if you’re working off decades-worth of data files, integrating them into the Microsoft 365 platform can be a little challenging.

Luckily, some processes can help create a seamless changeover for your business. By following the right regimen when migrating from an on-prem or networked drive/database to Microsoft 365, you will not interrupt your organization’s day-to-day operations. But this is easier said than done.

How to Transition from an In-House Database to Microsoft 365

To ensure a seamless migration from an on-premise database to Microsoft 365;

Choose the Right Plan

It’s essential to understand Microsoft 365 to know which plan is ideal for your setup. Microsoft 365 has three packages. These include;

Home,
Business, and
Enterprise.

Each plan has different features that cater to different needs. The home plan fits individuals with basic requirements, while the business and enterprise packages are appropriate for companies looking for a wide variety of features. Take time to understand what each package offers, then look at your company’s demands.

If possible, consult with other stakeholders to make an informed choice. Also, consider the cost. Microsoft 365 has a subscription license payable monthly or annually. You might find paying for an entire year has more benefits and is cheaper than monthly.

Understand the Challenges You Might Encounter

As much as you want a seamless transition, challenges are inevitable. Moving to a cloud-based platform for the first time can be daunting. Things are bound to go wrong, and issues will arise. Take time for user training, then draft a contingency plan to handle any problems encountered along the way.

This step is critical if your business is exceptionally reliant on its database system. It might take a while before the entire company adapts to the changes, but the move is worthwhile.

Back-Up Data Before Shifting from an On-Premise Database to Microsoft 365

First things first: make sure that all your business data is in a backup file. It’s not just your files that are important; it’s also their formatting. You can either back up the data using an online tool or copy the database into another folder or a portable hard drive.

Microsoft 365 offers support for the transition process, but there are templates it doesn’t support. You might also have to work with third-party tools to make a move flawless. Understanding the package will enable you to choose the right tools. It also means that you don’t have to work from scratch when launching the new platform.

To make the process easier, work with an expert who can help make a move more straightforward and quicker. As you will realize, it’s not easy migrating decades-worth of data to a new platform.

Secure Your Data

As you migrate to the new platform, security should be a top priority. Apart from losing data, other threats are hackers, and cybercriminals keen on getting their hands on valuable information. Ensure that all of your client’s data is secure before moving it to Microsoft 365.

The database should be stored in a protected server, and the cloud platform should have solid security features installed as well. Microsoft 365 offers different security features depending on the package you choose. You can even choose extra security features depending on your needs.

Allow for Back and Forth Movement

A smooth transition to Microsoft 365 means that your old data should be easy to access, edit, print, or modify. However, a few things are crucial when formatting the data. These include:

File Names

When creating the new files on Microsoft 365, consider changing the file names. It ensures that you don’t overwrite any of your old data and will help with transferring from one platform to another.

Tables and Fields

You might have several fields or tables in your database, but not all of them are necessary for the new system. Make sure that you have all the data in the right places before moving it to Microsoft 365.

The effort will ensure a stable and seamless transition process without interrupting any business activities. It will also eliminate errors and issues that might put your clients’ data or convenience at risk.

Converting Files if Necessary

Microsoft 365 might not support all of your files. This can be a challenge if you have large files with lots of data and formatting. Depending on what type of information your legacy database has, you might have to convert it before the migration.

There are many ways to do this, such as using Microsoft products, online tools, or third-party programs depending on what type of file you’re working with.

Give Users the Lowdown

As a business owner, any changes in the database must become widely known and understood by all stakeholders. This ensures no interruptions in service delivery or misunderstandings that could lead to problems later on. For minimal disruptions, consider making the migration in phases. Most importantly, educate your staff on how to use the new system.

Understand the Third Party Integrations Required

For your Microsoft 365 to function correctly, you may have to integrate it with third-party applications. Among these include documentation applications and CRMs. Ensure you have the right professional to help you with this process. It’s also essential to check whether the applications you intend to use are compatible with the package.

Facilitate Onboarding for Users

User onboarding is crucial when it comes to transitioning from one system to another. It helps staff get accustomed to the new system, reducing confusion and go-slows.

You can either provide a training session or a demo, depending on your employees’ preferences. An expert can offer this service, making the migration less stressful.

Key Point

Research on what’s involved with a Microsoft 365 transition before actually moving your old files into the new platform. Without conducting due diligence, you risk losing important data. You can even consult with professional IT companies who can guide or even assist with the migration.

Entrance is a well-established and experienced company with many years of experience helping wide-ranging organizations find the right software solutions. We’ll not only assist you in choosing the right Microsoft 365 package but also execute a seamless migration that’ll be quick with minimal interruptions to your workflow.

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How to Use Data Analytics to Optimize Internal Use of Your Software

Carol Donnelly — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 17:21:51 +0000

Many organizations invest in software meant to improve internal processes but do not take the time to set up data analytics to measure how well it works. Without this important step, they cannot optimize their usage and may not be getting the full value from their investment. Here, we will discuss how you can use data analytics to measure the internal use of your software and some benefits of data analytics.

According to studies, the average person only uses a small fraction of the features available in most software programs. For example, in Microsoft Office, the average user only uses 20% of the features available. This means that 80% of the features in your software are going unused. This is a massive waste of potential and can lead to problems down the line.

Data analytics can help you see which software features are being used and which ones are being ignored. This information is important because it can help you make decisions about optimizing your usage. For example, if you see that a particular feature is not being used, you may want to consider removing it or making it more accessible. On the other hand, if you see a heavily used feature, you may want to make sure it is up to date and working correctly.

How Can You Use Data Analytics to Measure the Internal Use of Your Software?

1. Look at Usage Data

This includes looking at how often the software is used, what features are used, and what problems users have. Usage data can be gathered in several ways, including:
• Log files: These contain information about when the software is used and what features are accessed.
• Surveys: You can survey users to ask them about their experience with the software.
• Interviews: You can interview users to get more in-depth information about their experiences.

Once you have this information, you can start making decisions about optimizing your software usage. For example, if you see that a feature is not being used, you may want to remove it or make it more accessible. On the other hand, if you see a heavily used feature, you may want to make sure it is up to date and working correctly.

2. Look at Customer Satisfaction Data

Customer satisfactions data can be gathered in several ways, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups. This data can help understand how well your software is working for users. If you see that there are a lot of complaints about a particular feature, you may want to make changes to it.

3. Use Analytics Tools

Several different analytics tools are available that can help you measure the internal use of your software. These tools can track how often the software is used, what features are used, and what problems users have. This information can help you understand how well your software is being used and what changes need to be made.

By setting up data analytics, you can make sure you are getting the most out of your software investment. By measuring internal use, you can see which features are being used and which ones are being ignored. This information is essential because it can help you make decisions about optimizing your usage. You can ensure your software is working for you and your organization with data analytics.

For example, you can use data analytics to identify which employees use the software most effectively. You can use this information to create training programs for other employees on using the software more effectively. Additionally, you can use this information to identify best practices in using the software to share with other employees.

4. Data Visualization

Data visualization is a powerful way to see patterns and trends in your data. By visualizing your data, you can more easily see which features are being used and which ones are being ignored. This information is essential because it can help you make decisions about optimizing your usage.

There are several different ways to visualize data, including charts, graphs, and tables. You can use data visualization tools to create visuals to help you understand your data. By taking the time to visualize your data, you can more easily see which features are being used and which ones are being ignored.

5. Make Changes Based on Your Findings

Once you have gathered data and analyzed it, you can start to make changes to optimize your software usage. This may include removing features that are not being used, making changes to existing features, or adding new features. You can ensure that your software is used to its full potential by making these changes.

6. Monitor Your Progress

After making changes, it is important to monitor your progress to ensure that the changes have the desired effect. This may include looking at usage data, customer satisfaction, and analytics tools. You can ensure that your software is used effectively and efficiently by monitoring your progress.

7. Repeat

As your software usage change, it is essential to repeat this process to ensure that you are still using your software effectively. This may include looking at new data, making changes, and monitoring your progress. You can ensure that your software usage is optimized by repeating this process.

Benefits of Data Analytics

You can derive many benefits from using data analytics to optimize the use of software within an organization. Some of these benefits include:

• Improving the user interface and design of the software.
• Training employees on how to use the software more effectively.
• Identifying best practices in using the software.
• Tracking employee usage of the software over time.
• Identifying trends in usage patterns.

These benefits can lead to improved productivity and efficiency within an organization. Additionally, data analytics can help to save money by reducing the duplication of effort and improving the use of software resources.

Let’s Get Started with Entrance

Data analytics is a powerful tool that can help you optimize your software usage. By looking at usage data, customer satisfaction data, and analytics tools, you can ensure your software is being used to its full potential. Data visualization is also helpful in seeing patterns and trends in your data. By setting up data analytics, you can make sure you are getting the most out of your software investment.

Our goal for every project at Entrance is to enrich your work and improve your productivity with software and apps that bring better business results. Contact us to learn more.

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Building a Budget for a Mobile App

Carol Donnelly — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:14:40 +0000

Mobile applications grew 50% from 2019 to 2020, and 2021 looks like another growth year, with mobile installations increasing by 31% in the first quarter. Financial applications were the most installed applications, followed by gaming; however, eCommerce apps are gaining momentum. Although they had an install increase of only 6%, eCommerce had a session increase of nearly 50%, indicating more frequent use of the app once it’s installed. These are just some of the reasons that the mobile application market reached $112 billion in 2020.

If your business has an older mobile app, you may need to upgrade to add newer features. If you’re looking at your first mobile app, you’ll need to consider features, functionality, and cost. For many companies, the development costs for a mobile app result in sticker shock. However, the costs are not out of line. There’s more to developing an application than companies realize.

As your organization looks at budgeting for a mobile application, here are some things we think you should keep in mind.

Platforms and Purpose

Before investing in a mobile app, what is its purpose? Are you opening up another communication channel? Do you want to increase sales? Can the purpose be addressed through a website?

Web applications are less costly to develop because the web infrastructure takes care of the presentation. Developers do not have to code separate applications based on the browser or device being used. Mobile apps do not have a standardized infrastructure to start from.

Most businesses realize that an app needs to be written for the iOS and Android operating systems. What they are not aware of is the need for backward compatibility. Not everyone has the latest smartphone; in fact, the length of time consumers keep their smartphones has increased from less than two years to almost three. That means a mobile app may need to support multiple versions of iOS and Android smartphones. Organizations will need to decide how far back they want to go with their applications when looking at budgets.

Functionality

Determining functionality means looking at three aspects of a mobile application.

User Interface
Application
Integrations

The choices in each area dictate the cost associated with the development. For example, an app that requires stellar graphics will take longer to develop and have more complexity than a timer app that only displays numbers.

Most apps store data of some sort. If it’s a gaming app, individual progress is stored on a server or the cloud, so players can pick up where they left off. As a result, the application may need to manage data acquisition, storage, and maintenance, which adds to the cost. Data management can increase the time and money to deliver an app.

Banking applications are an example of highly integrated mobile apps. Financial institutions maintain separate systems for consumer and investment banking. When customers want to view all their accounts, the application has to get the information from two systems and present it uniformly. The process of getting data from the banking systems is an example of integration. In many cases, the interface or API is different for each source of information which increases the cost of the application.

Maintenance

Applications require maintenance. They are not a one-and-done solution. Technology changes. New phones or tablets are always being released. That means the software that runs on the devices may need to change.

Something as simple as Amazon changing how it accepts data into its cloud services can require adjusting a mobile app. Companies may want to add functionality or fine-tune the interface after its launch, which requires developers’ ongoing support. Maintenance costs should be part of any application budget.

Development Process

The process of designing and developing software is complex and can be costly if organizations do not understand how it works. Businesses are often frustrated at how long it takes to deliver a solution and surprised at the cost, but building an application is like building a house. More goes into the process than the homeowner realizes.

Design

Let’s imagine that you want to build a home. The first step is to hire an architect to design it. How much the design costs depends on how much you contribute to the process. If you have sketches, the architect can start with those and return with a design close to your vision. If your contribution is — I want to build a house — it will take longer to decide on a design.

Building software works the same. For clients that come in with “I want to build an app,” the design process is longer. For example, an app needs a login page that requires a username and password. A client has a screen layout that shows the look and feel of the app. It outlines what navigation is allowed from the login screen, defines the password requirements, and how usernames are created. With that level of information, the developers will produce a minimum viable product (MVP) that can be refined through use cases. Without the details, the client and developer must work through the login page design, which takes time and costs more.

Development

As development progresses, clients review layouts, features, and functionality. Invariably, clients find something to add or change. These changes in the scope can be expensive, depending on when they occur in the development process. In the home building example, changing the location of a window is a minor change when the frame is going up. It’s a totally different project if it’s done after the drywall is in place.

The same holds true in app development. The earlier in the process a change is requested, the less impact it has on the project’s scope. That’s the value of the MVP. Letting end users evaluate the product provides invaluable input that can be incorporated into the design at a more cost-effective price.

Deployment

Deploying a mobile app has its own set of costs. There are cloud storage fees, plus it costs to have an app on Google Play and the App Store. If the app includes in-app purchases, a 15% to 30% charge may be assessed. Before starting on an app development project, be sure to check the deployment costs to include in a budget.

Budgets

Building a budget means looking at the following:

Platforms
Functionality
Maintenance
Design
Development
Deployment

At Entrance, we help clients develop realistic budgets for their software development projects. Together, we deliver quality applications no matter the project size. If your organization is interested in deploying a mobile app, contact us.

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5 Reasons Your Employees Are Opting for Tools Outside of Your Tech Stack

Kristen Ortwerth — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:47:59 +0000

A tech stack that fosters employee satisfaction with IT and the company as a whole is crucial in attracting and retaining top talent. A bad tech stack can make it difficult for companies to succeed against competitors, and an outdated tech stack can be confusing or annoying. This can drive your employees to opt for outside tools rather than your organization’s tech stack.

Markets are evolving, and tech stacks that fail to satisfy employee needs while working can hinder employee productivity. As business dependence on technology keeps growing, keeping your tech stack nimble and up-to-date is more important than ever when it comes to employee adoption. Technology keeps evolving, and it is advisable to review your tech stack regularly so that you can tweak it to meet the ever-changing employee needs and encourage them to use your tools.

An efficient tech stack is important when your company’s employees will appreciate it and increase employee loyalty. While most organizations think they have a comprehensive tech stack, there is an increasing trend of employees turning to other programs and resources to do their work. Below we detail five reasons why your employees might be opting for outside resources and how you can reverse this trend.

Poor User Experience

Creating a great user interface (UI) helps your employees achieve their goals as easily as possible and improve their user experience (UX). A user-centered design is an important aspect when considering buying or developing tech stack tools. But most companies commit the error of short-term thinking and decide to minimize costs and efforts on the user experience, driving employees to other tech stacks.

You will only recognize the value of implementing a tech stack your employees love by seeing beyond the now. This requires a clear analysis of the current tech stack and a little forward-thinking. It needs you to consider the costs over the lifetime of the tech stack. It’s this longer-term view which reveals the true value of an optimal UX when it comes to employee satisfaction and subsequent adoption of your tools.

Improving the user experience (UX) of the tech stack deployed across the organization offers benefits beyond those you may be aware of. It is important that you get the UX right, and you can do this by involving employees in the process to ensure that you get a full stack that is easy to use, efficient, and helpful in performing tasks. Making good UX a priority will not only eliminate the need for outside resources, but it will also increase employee productivity.

Old Habits Die Hard

Old habits die hard, which is true when it comes to employees opting to use tools they are used to. Employees might be reluctant to embrace the new or recently updated software and keep working with a version they are comfortable with. This might have scant information about the benefits of adopting your tech stack. But how can you reverse this?

Keep it simple. Ensure your tech stack is easy to use, since the easier it is to use, the quicker it is to adopt. Employees hate wasting time on tools requiring complex commands as it feels unproductive and takes them from real work. So select a simple tech stack that is easily accessible, and more employees will adapt to it.

Involve your employees from the start. People fear changing their habits just because it means losing a piece of their identity. Including your employees from the start and doing trials before adopting your tech stack is crucial for successful adoption. Employees need to feel they have control and autonomy over their work and your tech stack aligns with their sense of purpose.

Create a space for feedback. To help change your employee habits can be as simple as being open and positive to employee feedback about your tech stack. Make your employees understand that you will listen to them when they share their suggestions about how you can improve your tech stack. Create spaces for honest feedback about your tool and respond to the concerns they raise. This makes it easier for your employees to embrace your tech stack and help in employee retention.

Inadequate Training on New Software

Adequate training, not just training per se, can help employees understand your tech stack and the benefits it can offer them. Employee adoption of your tech stack depends on their relative experience, interest, and familiarity with your tools. Ask your employees if they have specific training needs and customize your training sessions to cater to their learning needs.

Tailor-made training will ensure your employees understand your software and become more willing to use it over outside resources. Make sure to give your employees enough room to test out your tech stack so that they can get comfortable using it. Communicate to them how your company’s tech stack will make their work lives better and support their training to ensure they get as much out of it as you’ve promised.

The Inconvenience of the Tech Stack

Employees value convenience when using the software as this makes their work easier and more enjoyable. Employees might prefer using outside resources if they feel it is more convenient than your tech stack. Designing a tech stack that is convenient for them will increase the likelihood that they will switch to using your company’s tech stack.

Inflexible Tech Stack

Is your current tech stack flexible? A flexible tech stack means that your employees will be more willing to use it since it can deliver rapid, enhanced results. Employees value the ability to achieve their goals while using software that is adaptable to their unique needs. By adopting a flexible task that works at every level, you can ensure your employees remain loyal to your software and eliminate the need to use other tools.

As a company, ensuring your employees embrace your tech stack and use it in their everyday tasks can increase their loyalty to you and help you retain top talent. Entrance can help you achieve this outcome by guiding you through the whole journey from requirements, selection, implementation, and integration.

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Custom Software vs Off-the-Shelf Software: How to Choose Best For You

Timothy Brehm — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 05:54:58 +0000

In today’s digitized business environment, applications and software are integral to any organization. The right software makes processes easier, more efficient, and cost-effective. One of the biggest questions that arise when a company is looking for special software is whether to order a custom program or an off shelf-one.

At Entrance Consulting, we recommend that you understand both options and their advantages, weaknesses, and most essential features, so you pick the right software. This blog sheds some light on the differences between custom and off-the-shelf software and the factors that can help you make the right choice.

What Is Off-the-Shelf Software?

Off-the-Shelf software is a ready-made solution that is mass-produced and introduced to a wide variety of businesses and individual consumers. Since it is a product developed for the mass market, it offers more features than a custom solution to respond to the needs of as many users as possible. However, it doesn’t usually meet the unique needs of a business.

What Is Custom Software?

Custom software is a tailored-cut software design to meet the unique needs of an organization. During the development of this software, your business requirements, demands, needs, and future growth are considered. It comes with features that perfectly fit your business’s personality to ensure you and your team can benefit from using all of the tools.

Custom Software vs. Off-the-Shelf Software: Pros and Cons

Now that you understand the primary differences between the two types of software, it is crucial to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each, so you choose your perfect fit:

Off-the-Shelf software

Pros

Cheaper: Off the shelf software is moderately priced and more affordable than custom-built software due to their mass production
Quick installation and use: A ready-made software is designed for quick installation and use
Reference point: It comes with a broad range of users and guides that you can reference before buying one. This helps you determine its suitability for your business.
Community support: Since several other businesses use the software, you can Google or ask others for help when dealing with a problematic bug. With custom software, you must get in touch with the maintenance team to help you solve issues.
Lower training costs: To maximize the benefits of software, you must train the staff on the ins and outs of the software. Ready-to-use products often come with training materials that enable each team member to get familiar with the software on their own. This helps save a lot of learning time and costs.

Cons

Will not meet all business needs: Although off-the-shelf software is a bit cheaper than a custom solution, it often offers half the capabilities and efficiency to meet unique business needs.
Rigid and challenging to modify: As your business grows, you need to make critical changes and upgrades to accommodate the changes. Unfortunately, an off the shelf solution is rigid and difficult to modify
Compatibility issues: There is a high chance that at some point, your business operating systems, devices, and other existing software will clash with a packaged solution at the base level. This makes it unusable or inefficient and therefore useless.
Lack of competitive edge: By choosing off-the-shelf software, you go with a solution that is widely available for all your competitors. This means you won’t get a chance to implement innovative business ideas that give you a competitive advantage over your rivals.

Custom Software

Pros

Perfect solution for your business: Since it is built specifically for the unique challenges of your situation, a custom solution provides the ideal solution for your problem
Wider usage: A custom product can be designed to meet each requirement that you outline in the evaluation phase
Easily modified and expanded: Custom software can be modified and expanded easily to keep pace with changing business needs. The software offers a wide range of possibilities and options to modify and customize it so you get what your business truly wants.
No license fees: Custom product provides ownership, meaning you don’t pay extra for a license fee.
Scalability: A custom solution offers scalability to accommodate current demands and requirements while anticipating a company’s future needs.
Offers competitive advantage: Since it is something that your rivals don’t have, your custom solution is well designed for you, thus helping you get ahead of your competition.

Cons

Costlier: Although it offers more advantages, a custom solution will definitely cost you more than an off-the-shelf product
Longer development time: A custom software solution may take several months to develop. If you need a quick fix, a custom software solution may not be for you.
Overdependence on custom software providers: A custom solution could leave you at the mercy of the custom software provider. If they were to shut down their business or become unavailable for some reason, your business would be significantly inconvenienced.

Custom Software vs. Off-the-Shelf Software: Factors to consider

The following are some of the factors to consider when choosing software:

Scalability

Your business could be small now, but it will likely grow in a few years. When reviewing software, a critical thing to consider is whether or not the software has the functionality and bandwidth to increase in size. Great software solutions should offer long-term benefits rather than just quick solutions.

Customization

Each business is unique with special needs and requirements. It is crucial that you find software that can be customized to suit your company’s needs. The ideal product should be flexible enough to add features you need and remove those you don’t.

Security

With a rising wave of cybersecurity breaches, security is one of the most significant considerations to keep in mind when reviewing software. Go for a product that offers the best possible security to ensure both your data and that of your customers is safe.

Customer support

No software is free from bugs. That is why you need to choose a company that offers real-time ongoing tech support. Customer support is needed when learning about the new product and when recovering business data should anything be lost.

Ongoing maintenance requirements

Another critical thing to consider is the ongoing maintenance of the software. Software isn’t static, and the product you purchase will likely require ongoing maintenance and fees with each new version that is being released.

Custom or Off-the-Shelf Software?

The choice between custom software and an off-the-shelf solution requires a lot of thought. When choosing between the two options, you must look at long-term gains over quick wins. At Entrance Consulting, we believe custom software offers more benefits in the long run than an off-the-shelf solution.

If you need a custom software solution built to care for your current and future business needs, don’t hesitate to contact us today. The highly experienced software developer from Entrance Consulting provides tailor-made software to take your business to the next level. Contact us today to learn more.

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Why You Need to Track Your Supply Chain in Real-Time

Joshua Whitmore — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 14:41:45 +0000

A few years ago, if you asked a business owner how important it was to track their internal supply chain in real-time, they would have looked at you as crazy. “What’s that?” they would say. But nowadays, with the advent of big data and the Internet of Things, businesses can’t afford to track their supply chains in real-time. We will discuss the importance of tracking your internal supply chain in real-time and how it can help optimize your business processes.

1. Help Optimize Your Business Processes

If you run a manufacturing or production business, you know that there are many moving parts. There are raw materials that need to be processed, transportation and distribution to be managed, and orders to be fulfilled.

It can be challenging to keep track of all these moving parts and ensure that everything runs smoothly. That is where real-time tracking comes in. By tracking each step of the unit’s journey, you can gain insights into where bottlenecks are occurring and take steps to optimize your process. It is imperative in today’s climate of increasing competition and shorter product life cycles.

2. Provide Insights into Order Statuses

Another way that real-time tracking can help optimize your business is by providing insights into order statuses. It is vital to offer products or services that have extended lead times. By tracking the progress of each order in real-time, you can keep your customers updated on the status of their order and avoid any potential delays. This transparency can go a long way in building trust with your customers and ensuring their satisfaction.

3. Help You Reduce Costs

According to a study by Boston Consulting Group, real-time tracking can help businesses save up to 5% of their total costs. That is because real-time tracking provides visibility into all aspects of the supply chain, which can help businesses identify areas where they are wasting money.

For example, suppose you are transporting perishable raw materials. In that case, you can use real-time tracking to monitor the temperature of the transportation container and take steps to ensure that the goods do not spoil.

It can also help you avoid errors and mistakes when manual processes are used. For example, if you manually track inventory levels, there is a greater chance of error. It can lead to overstocking or under stocking, which can both be costly. By tracking inventory levels in real-time, you can avoid these errors and save money.

4. Improve Customer Satisfaction

Real-time tracking can improve customer satisfaction by providing transparency and visibility into their order status. As we mentioned before, this can help avoid delays and build trust with your customers.

A recent study by Bain & Company found that companies that provide real-time tracking information to their customers experience a 10% increase in customer satisfaction. That is because customers appreciate the ability to track their order and know exactly when it will be delivered.

In today’s competitive landscape, satisfied customers are more critical than ever. In addition, real-time tracking can help you avoid errors and mistakes that can lead to customer dissatisfaction.

5. Help You Make Better Decisions

Tracking your internal supply chain in real-time can help you make better decisions. With the correct data, you can identify trends and patterns that can help you improve your process and make your business more efficient. For example, if you notice that a particular type of product is selling well in a specific region, you can adjust your production accordingly to meet the demand. This level of insight was not possible a few years ago.

6. Improve Efficiency

Tracking your internal supply chain in real-time can improve efficiency because it allows you to identify and solve problems in near-real time. For example, if a machine in your manufacturing process breaks down, you can quickly identify the problem and take steps to fix it. It helps avoid downtime and keeps your business running smoothly.

7. Increase Profits

In fact, according to the same study, 78 per cent of respondents said that real-time tracking helped them avoid delays. In addition, businesses can use real-time tracking to make better decisions that can improve efficiency and reduce costs. It can help you optimize your process, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. All of these factors can lead to higher sales and increased profits.

8. Provide a Competitive Advantage

In today’s business world, businesses need to do everything they can to gain an edge over their competitors. The ability to track your internal supply chain in real-time can provide you with a significant competitive advantage. By having visibility into every step of the manufacturing process, you can optimize your processes to ensure that each unit is produced efficiently.

In addition, by tracking orders in real-time, you can be sure that you always have the most up-to-date information on hand and can make informed decisions about where to allocate your resources. All of these factors can give you a competitive advantage in the market.

9. Improve Sustainability

Tracking your internal supply chain in real-time can help you make your business more sustainable. It allows you to identify areas where you are wasting resources and make changes to improve your process.

In addition, by tracking orders in real-time, you can avoid stock outs and ensure that customers always receive their products on time.

10. It’s the Future

Experts believe that tracking your internal supply chain in real-time is the future of manufacturing. As the world becomes more connected, businesses will need to be able to track their supply chains in real-time to stay ahead of the competition. As more businesses adopt real-time tracking, it will become the new standard in the industry. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to track your internal supply chain.

Let’s Get Started with Entrance Software Consultants

The increasing importance of tracking your internal supply chain in real-time is evident. With the advent of big data and the Internet of Things, the ability to track in real-time will only become more critical. If you’re not already doing so, now is the time to start. The benefits are too great to ignore.

Entrance Software Consultants provide software development services to assist with your internal tracking. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you get started.

The post Why You Need to Track Your Supply Chain in Real-Time appeared first on Entrance.

How to Determine When Your Website Needs a Mobile App, Too

Joshua Whitmore — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 13:15:40 +0000

Building a website is no longer about being at the cutting edge of technology. It is a necessary tool for any business that wants to get off its feet and thrive in this new age. What’s more, some ventures exist entirely through their websites and are reaping the benefits of having reduced overhead costs. The proliferation of smart devices like tablets and smartphones introduced a new dimension to accessibility for businesses. Mobile applications are a great way to extend the functionality of your website, but they tend to have different quirks. Should you add an application to your website? Let’s find out.

Pros and Cons of Building a Mobile App

Apps can seem like a logical step for any business that wants to have a survival chance. However, like every business step you make, they have both upsides and downsides. What matters is whether the app meets your goals and aspirations. Some benefits of app development include

Increased brand visibility
Enhancing user interaction and experience
Boosting customer engagement
Giving your business a competitive edge
Generating additional revenue

Even though the benefits sound like something you definitely should be doing, there are downsides to app development, such as

The need to have separate development teams for the Android and iOS apps, which means escalating development and maintenance costs.
An app is not a substitute for a website, but a complement.
You’ll have an increase in updating and maintenance efforts across three platforms.
Apps don’t help much with SEO.

How To Determine The Right Time For An App

Developing a mobile application is an arduous process. Also, it’s not a guarantee that it will perform as impressively as others you’ve come across. Before delving into mobile application development, you need to ask yourself a few questions.

Is Your Website Responsive?

By responsive, we mean is your website optimized for use on mobile screens? 87% of mobile phone users in the United States accessed the internet via their mobile phones. For many services accessible via a mobile-optimized website, it may not be precisely prudent to spend a large amount of money to duplicate the functions of your website via a mobile app. Optimizing your website can be cheaper. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly for a strong reason, then developing a mobile app will allow you to reach customers on mobile devices.

Does Your App Solve Your Customers’ Problem?

Websites are versatile, and their accessibility on mobile devices denotes your customers may choose to save space on their mobile devices and use your website rather than an app. Even then, there are use cases where an app solves a particular problem that your website cannot. Your app would best handle cases such as protecting your users’ login information or their financial details. The additional functionality and security imply that your customers can trust your application more than risk their details leaking.

Do You Have a Plan to Monetize the App?

Developing and maintaining a mobile application is a cost-intensive project. You don’t want to keep throwing money at a scheme that isn’t making financial sense. Before embarking on an app development project, you’ll have to brainstorm ways to have the app generate income for itself. One way to bring in money is by mobile ad revenue. The more people who view and click the ads on your app, the more money it brings in. But whether this plan works is dependent on the next point.

Are You Receiving Huge Traffic on Your Website?

The thing about a website is the costs associated with running it are dependent on the resources the website is using up. As more people flood your website, it has to use up surging levels of resources so as not to affect usability. All this costs more. If your website is receiving a lot of traffic from users on mobile devices, it’s time to consider app development. The high numbers of mobile users signify many of them are looking to engage with you with their mobile devices. Therefore, an app makes sense for two reasons.

Your customers can interact with your business at any moment and not risk having a poor user experience.
You can maintain the costs of running your website at an acceptable level.

What Demographics Are You Targeting?

App developers tend to segment age demographics into three categories.

Digital aliens: Those who saw the internet and mobile revolution unfolding. This group is currently 38 years and above.
Digital immigrants: Those born as the internet was unfolding and were young enough when mobile apps became a thing. This group is between the ages of 25 and 37.
Digital natives: They were born in the smartphone era. This demographic is 25 and below.

The digital aliens may see and understand the utility of mobile apps, but can just as easily access your services physically or via your website. For the digital immigrants and natives, they’ve grown up experiencing the joys of using mobile apps. So, if your products or services are currently aimed at the latter two demographics, then having a mobile app makes sense.

What Are Your Competitors Up To?

It wouldn’t be prudent to go swimming with sharks when you aren’t one or don’t have the means to beat them at their own game. While it may not be entirely necessary to build an app, it could be the utility you need to get one over your competitors.

Don’t Know Where to Begin?

Deciding whether you should develop an app or stick to your website can be a bit more nuanced than what this article suggests. To truly make a decision that will have the most significant impact on your business, you stand to benefit remarkably from the advice of competent software consultants. That’s exactly what we at Entrance Consulting do. We can help your business buy, build, and integrate software apps with your business, and see you realize your dreams. To start, get in touch with us today.

The post How to Determine When Your Website Needs a Mobile App, Too appeared first on Entrance.

4 Reasons Why Shadow IT is Taking Over

Timothy Brehm — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 21:45:14 +0000

The term “Tech Stack” is used to describe the collection of approved applications, software, and hardware that individuals or teams within a company use to perform their daily business functions.

The stack includes everything from your company’s communication tools like messaging solutions and email service providers to sales, financial, and HR software that your IT and management have approved for use by different teams to achieve your corporate goals.

However, wherever a company has an established technology program, there is a risk that employees may try to work around it and work outside the stack without consulting the IT department. Although working around approved technology is not a new issue, the recent trend toward remote work and other cultural factors can worsen the problem.

According to a survey by Cisco:

● Most companies use up to 15 times more cloud services to store company information than CIOs authorize.

● While IT leaders estimated that their companies used 51 cloud services on average, the figure is 730.
As a business or IT leader, you need to look out for the following reasons that could drive your employees to use unauthorized or unapproved technology to carry out their tasks.

1. Poor User Experience

A common reason for employees to choose to work outside your corporate tech stack is if your existing technologies and systems fail to meet their day-to-day requirements.
For instance, employees may find that they constantly have a full email inbox and frequently miss notifications of important messages. This situation could mean that your company’s email software lacks the native features needed to keep employees’ inboxes decluttered. As a result, your employees might look to a third-party email service for official communication.

On a related note, your company’s IT leadership could have attempted to implement the infrastructure your teams need but chosen solutions that are outdated, too slow, or provide users with a poor experience when using them. When your employees face these types of deficiencies, they may feel that they have little choice but to find their solutions outside of your tech stack.

2. Inadequate Training

It is frustrating for an IT leader to invest in a cutting-edge business system, only to find employees resorting to solutions outside the stack. However, this can quickly occur if a company introduces new IT systems without adequate company-wide training for employees on how to use them.

In the email example above, is it possible that the corporate email client has all the features that the employee needs to organize their messages, but they had not received the necessary training to know they existed?

Because people have different levels of digital mastery, you will find that some employees will adapt quickly and almost effortlessly to complex technologies. In contrast, others may struggle to come to grips with your new systems. Due to confusion or frustration, employees who lack the necessary “digital dexterity” could resist adopting company-wide technology initiatives. Instead, they resort to solutions they used before and feel more familiar.

For this reason, your organization must accompany all new devices or applications with a comprehensive training program that keeps even your least tech-savvy staff in mind. Your employees should be completely comfortable with all of the options made available to them, so you should ensure that they know how to use all the benefits and features that your company-sanctioned IT systems can provide. If employees can easily use the technology and achieve the efficiencies they desire, there is no reason for them to look for alternative solutions.

3. Convenience

Another prominent contributor to the phenomenon of unauthorized systems used by employees is the increasing move toward a “bring your own device” (BYOD) culture in today’s corporate environment, with a Bitglass report showing that 76 percent of organizations now have BYOD policies.

There are many good reasons why your company would allow employees to use their own devices for work, with the main one is convenience. Your employees are familiar with their devices, and the applications installed on them and, therefore, find them easier to use than your approved corporate systems.

What’s more, whenever your employees carry their tasks away from their desks, work from home, or check email messages on the go, they introduce an additional dimension to the equation. Applications run on your company computers should also work flawlessly on portable devices like tablets and smartphones. If your business technologies cannot support multiple devices, you could find your employees looking to applications outside your tech stack to stay on top of their assignments while away from their desks.

However, suppose your IT department cannot govern employees’ devices appropriately and mitigate unauthorized applications’ possible security risks. In that case, there is massive potential for the compromise of confidential business information.

4. Force Of Habit

A recent Help NetSecurity survey sheds more light on why many employees today work with applications outside the company’s tech stack. The report claims that millennials are commonly dissatisfied with standard in-house tech solutions, especially if they are familiar with other applications that can carry out the same functions.

As a generation that grew up online, millennials have used a range of communication and collaboration technologies that they can quickly download and easily install onto their devices or work computers. The survey findings are worrisome because many of the respondents say they will use technologies they are used to, regardless of the security risks.

A big part of the problem is how younger employees approach collaboration tools compared to their more seasoned colleagues. According to the survey results:

● Nearly half of the millennials polled prefer communicating through chat and instant messaging tools, compared to only 36 percent of baby boomers.
● Forty-seven percent of young adults choose to work online, while only 75 percent of baby boomers prefer in-person meetings.

Let Us Help You Get Your Team Working On Your Approved Technologies

As you can see, shortcomings in your existing technology stack are the key drivers to your employees using unauthorized, third-party applications and systems. Entrance Consulting has the expertise to provide full-featured custom applications for your organization and provide the training your team needs to make full use of all the features of your business applications. We also offer secure integration if there are applications outside your stack but which can extend the capabilities of your in-house solutions.
Contact us today to learn more about our exceptional ccustom app development and systems integration solutions.

The post 4 Reasons Why Shadow IT is Taking Over appeared first on Entrance.

Why a One-Man Army is Bad for Software Development

Joshua Whitmore — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 19:25:46 +0000

You’re a midsized company. You’ve got the need for some IT staff, but not much. You’ve got somebody managing your email and whatnot.You’ve got a small custom app, either a mobile platform or some line of business functionality living between your off-the-shelf pieces. So what do you do? You hire a part time dev from Fiverr, or maybe bring in someone full-time to support you.

Why not? The software is a core part of your business, and having a dedicated person to keep it running smoothly is only smart…right?

WRONG.

The truth is, with the same expense you put in on a full-time-developer, you can get a team of experts to step in when needed, then get them out of the way again.

The Good Things About an In-House Employee

Hiring an employee to handle your IT needs in-house means that you have a number of obvious advantages.

They’re On Call, Dedicated, and Full-Time

An in-house IT specialist will spend 40+ hours per week dedicated just to your system. They’re on call when you need them and available to answer any questions that you might have, regardless of when those questions arise. Having a full-time, in-house IT specialist also means that you don’t have to worry about small questions or solutions.

100% Familiarity with Your Code Base

When you have an in-house IT specialist, they are completely familiar with exactly your tools, your code, and your information. You know that they know your code inside and out, which means they may be able to make changes quickly when needed.

The Bad Things About an In-House IT Employee

While having an in-house IT specialist certainly has its advantages, it comes with some key disadvantages, too.

They’re Full-Time

When you have an in-house IT professional, you’re paying for full-time service, even when you don’t need it. You’ll also have to pay for:

Benefits (including health insurance, PTO, etc)
Office space
Equipment

And all the other potential costs related to a full-time employee.

Stale Skillsets

Many times, in-house employees don’t have the tools to expand their skillset–or you’ll have to pay for training for them to go out and learn those skills. In many cases, you may find them experimenting on your project as they attempt to expand their skills and grow.

Experience Challenges

Sometimes, you may find yourself overpaying for the experience you need, since you may struggle to get the right team–especially if you’re hiring a single employee to take care of your coding needs. In other cases, you may hire someone who simply does not have the skillset you need. Good developers need to grow, and you have a set ceiling for your needs that may influence the way you interact with your developer.

One dev also means that you’re dealing with one person’s experience. There’s no one to talk issues through with at the company, at least not anyone with a signed NDA, and any individual developer may not have the specific skills needed to achieve your goals or to handle the problems you may face.

Hiring Developers Isn’t Your Core Competency

You likely don’t specialize in coding or IT, which means that it may be difficult to even determine whether you’re hiring a developer with the skills you need. You don’t know what you don’t know–and you may not know how to ensure that you’ve found a competent developer.

Support and Coverage Gaps

When you have a single developer on your project, you don’t have anyone to cover during holidays and illnesses. As a result, you may find yourself scrambling to handle any problems that crop up during those times.

Entrance Can Help

The Army of One strategy might not work as well as you might have hoped when it comes to software development. By working with Entrance, however, you can get the support you need.

The Retainer SLA Gets You Help When You Need It

Call in when you have problems and let us take care of them, no matter when they might occur.

Employee Longevity Helps

Our employees tend to stick with the team long-term, which means we’re still familiar with your code base even after years have passed.

Fresh Ideas, Current Standards, and Comprehensive Support

Our large team is constantly learning and growing. When you don’t need us, we’re busy working on other projects, which means that we’re constantly learning more about our field. We’ll be able to bring fresh ideas and current design standards to your business, helping you to continue to grow and stand out in your field.

In addition, we’re ideally positioned to provide the specific support you need, including a team with a diverse skill base. Get an architect when you need one, and a developer when that’s the skillset you really need.

Burst Development Helps

Burst development helps get your software out the door faster–or take care of any problems immediately. One developer is always one developer, no matter how many tasks you put on your employee’s plate. With Entrance, on the other hand, you can get the unique configuration of team members you need at any given time. We can be one architect, then three devs, then .25 dev-hours, depending on your specifc needs.

Get Built-In Oversight

Not only do you get the developer support you need, but that developer has the whole Entrance organization to call on, complete with architect support and oversight.

Who does the guy in your server room call when he needs help? At Entrance, there’s always someone to call on when things aren’t going according to plan.

Better Total Cost of Ownership

When you’re considering the cost of hiring a consultant, make sure you understand your actual costs. The general rule of thumb is that consultant costs are around 1.25 to 1.4 times the salart of a standard employee. A retainer for $80k, for example, is approximately the same as the cost of a $56k employee when you consider the cost of equipment, computers, workspace, and office space, even if they don’t get extra benefits.

The Middle Way

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing! We have some clients with a one-man army that have hired us to back them up, providing all those benefits while they keep an in-house specialist as the manager and first line of defense. The first 40 hours of work a week go to him, while the variable amount past that goes to us. That means that the in-house specialist gets to leverage our team for backup, including for vacations, and has access to an architect for discussing designs as well as ongoing support as he manages his daily challenges.

Are you ready to start making more out of your software development solution–to shift away from the one-man army approach and try something new? Contact us today for more information.

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7 Ways a Software Consultant Can Help You See Around Your Blind Spots

Timothy Brehm — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 17:36:36 +0000

You know your business like the back of your hand. You’ve been in it for years, and you know every inch. But even the most experienced business owners can have blind spots when it comes to their industry. That’s where a software consultant can help. They can provide an outsider’s perspective that can help you see around your blind spots and make better decisions for your business. We’ll discuss how a software consultant can help you and give some relevant statistics to back it up.

According to a study by Bain & Company, 70% of businesses said that they don’t have the right tools and processes in place to identify their blind spots. Another study by McKinsey & Company found that 41% of executives believe their biggest challenge is making decisions without complete information.

These studies show that even the most experienced business owners can benefit from the help of a software consultant. Some of the ways a software consultant can help include:

1. Providing an Objective Perspective

When you’re too close to your business, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. You’re so focused on the day-to-day operations that you can’t step back and see the big picture. But to stay ahead of the competition, it’s essential to take a step back and examine your business from an objective perspective.

That’s where a software consultant comes in. A software consultant can help you see around your blind spots and identify areas where your company can improve. Additionally, a software consultant can provide expert insights into the latest industry trends. By taking advantage of a software consultant’s expertise, you can ensure that your business is continuously operating at its best.

2. Providing Unbiased Feedback

Many businesses rely on software to help them run their operations, but not all businesses have the in-house expertise to choose and implement the right software solutions. That’s where software consultants come in. A software consultant can help you see around your blind spots by providing unbiased feedback on your business needs and goals.

They can also help you assess the capabilities of different software packages and choose the one that best meets your needs. In addition, a software consultant can provide training and support to ensure that you get the most out of your new software. By helping you see around your blind spots, a software consultant can help you make better decisions about your software needs, saving you time and money in the long run.

3. Offering Expert Insights

As any business owner knows, it can be challenging to see the weaknesses in your own company. You may be too close to the problem or too invested in a particular solution to identify the root cause of an issue. This is where a software consultant can be invaluable.

By taking an objective look at your business, a consultant can help you identify blind spots and recommend changes that will improve efficiency and productivity. In addition, a consultant can provide expert insights into the latest software developments and trends. One can use this information to decide which technologies to invest in and how to use them best to meet your business goals.

Whether you are looking to improve your existing software infrastructure or implement new systems, a software consultant can provide the guidance you need to make your business more successful.

4. Providing Fresh Perspective

Anyone who has ever tried to solve a complex problem knows that it can be challenging to see all of the potential solutions when you’re too close to the problem. It is often referred to as “in a rut” or “stuck in a rut.” This is where a software consultant can be invaluable.

A software consultant can help you see around your blind spots and identify potential solutions that you might otherwise have missed by providing a fresh perspective. In addition, a software consultant can help you to avoid common pitfalls and mistakes by sharing their wealth of experience and knowledge.

As a result, working with a software consultant can help you solve complex problems more effectively and efficiently.

5. Enabling You to Understand Your Data

Data is becoming increasingly important in the business world, but it can be challenging to know what to do with all available information. A software consultant can help you see around your blind spots by helping you understand your data and make use of it to improve your business.

By helping you understand your data, a software consultant can help you make better decisions about your marketing, product development, and operations. In addition, a software consultant can help you identify trends and patterns that you might otherwise have missed.

A software consultant can help you see around your blind spots and make better use of your data to improve your business.

6. Providing Support and Training

Anyone who has ever tried to learn a new skill knows that seeing your blind spots can be challenging. Without feedback from someone else, it can be easy to continue making the same mistakes repeatedly. This is where a software consultant can be invaluable.

A consultant can help you identify and correct your blind spots by providing support and training, allowing you to learn more effectively and become more efficient in your work. In addition, a consultant can also guide best practices in the software industry, helping you stay ahead of the curve and stay competitive in today’s ever-changing marketplace.

7. Helps You to Save Time and Money

Time is one of the most precious commodities in business, and it is often in short supply. As a business owner, you are always looking for ways to save time and money. However, there are some areas where you may be blind to potential savings.

This is where a software consultant can be beneficial. A software consultant can help you see around your blind spots and identify areas where you can make changes that will save you time and money. In addition, a software consultant can also help you create systems that will automate tasks and processes, further saving you time and money.

As a result, hiring a software consultant is an excellent way to improve your business efficiency and bottom line.

Get a Fresh Perspective with Entrance

While it’s essential to have somebody in your corner who is willing to give you an honest assessment of your business, it’s equally important to have somebody who can help you see around your blind spots. A software consultant can provide this valuable perspective, offering insights and recommendations that you may not have considered. In addition, a software consultant can help you understand your customers’ needs better and identify potential areas for improvement. Working with a software consultant can gain the objective perspective you need to take your business to the next level.

At Entrance, we offer a wide range of software consulting services to help you improve your business. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you see around your blind spots and take your business to the next level.

The post 7 Ways a Software Consultant Can Help You See Around Your Blind Spots appeared first on Entrance.

7 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing Software Solutions for Your Business

Joshua Whitmore — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 17:39:23 +0000

Choosing the most appropriate software solutions for your company can be a daunting task. With so many options on the market, it can be quite challenging narrowing down your list and settling on the right software solution. Make the wrong choice and you’ll lose precious time and money implementing and uninstalling it later.

Here are seven key questions you should ask yourself before selecting the right software solution for your business:

1. What does your business need and what does it want?

You need to have a constant understanding of what your business needs in the short and long term. What’s your minimum viable product? You may have strategize ways on how you can make it achievable. Keep in mind that anything else will cost money and eat into your budget unnecessarily.

You may go through a scenario of an email coming in assuring you of a system that allows you to close huge deals with good profit margins. This may be both exciting and enticing but you need to set your priorities straight. Your software solution needs an invoicing solution to streamline your finances more than it needs the lead-generating system.

While many organizations may jump at the mouth-watering deals they get, sit down and evaluate what software solutions your business needs the most.

2. What specific metrics are you looking to improve by using this software?

It is important to sit and quantify if there is anything you are gaining from using your new tool. It would be best if you were a little more specific with this, as it will enhance your accuracy when a need arises, and you will need to research and incorporate more prospective software solutions for your company.

3. Will the team adopt the new solution?

As the sole business owner, making decisions that your team will accept should be a high priority. As a business owner, every decision you make should be a good thing for your Team. You may decide to have your Team assist you in making key decisions for the organization. However, this shall be dependent on the size of your organization.

If you are a strong leader, you still need to incorporate different decisions from your staff. You are confident that every decision and step you make is for the good of the organization and the Team as a whole. Once the core members give you the green light to proceed with implementing some of the decisions, it is time to take a step.

4. Does your business and your team have the necessary resources to integrate the software?

While the software is a perfect fit for your business, you need to curate the resources you will need to implement it. Some solutions will take you months to integrate into your system. You need to ask yourself if you are fully prepared to wait this period and if the business will remain functional while the system gets integrated.

Allowing implementation of some solutions may be a loss for your business, considering the period it takes to implement. An example is an online payment solution. If you must have that integrated, it is important to have an alternative before the tool is fully up and running.

5. What does the future hold for this particular software? Is it the right time?

In business, timing is key. Technology is changing by the day, and you need to be up to speed with these changes. As a business owner, you need to understand the market, especially in your industry. If the trends show that more innovations are taking place, you may need to take some time before you implement your software.

Waiting a while does not necessarily mean a loss for your business; it means waiting for the opportune time when you are sure that your software will have tremendous changes. You should especially be looking for software providers asking you for contracts. You may get yourself into a five-year contract while missing important opportunities within this period.

6. What do you perceive as your business greatest strengths and weaknesses?

You need to take a critical look at where your business performs best and its weak areas. This will assist you in seeing where the software can come from and make great improvements. For example, you may be giving excellent customer service but are constantly making shipping errors. Benchmarking such strengths and weaknesses is implementing software that will strengthen the weak areas.

7. Where would you put emphasis on regarding price, quality and service?

Price should always be a factor in making a large capital investment. However, this should not be the only determinant in helping you make the right decision for your software solutions company. Find a solution that meets your needs and provides the level of service that you envision it will. You must also be willing to tweak your budget a little for your business to accommodate this software.

While speaking to multiple software companies can be exhausting, knowing the most important aspects of the software you need is most important. It is a good way of helping you narrow down the list.

Ask the right questions with Entrance

Your business should be an important priority, and so should your decisions. As a business owner, making the right decisions and asking the right questions can be tough. But you can’t afford to go wrong when choosing the right software solution for your business. If you need help with your software, please contact us today.

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Legacy System Modernization Approaches And Strategies

Timothy Brehm — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 16:00:55 +0000

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Think legacy system modernization is just for big tech giants? Think again: The GAO (Government Accountability Office) found that the Air Force was spending at least $35 billion annually to support a COBOL-based wartime readiness platform. Last year, the Air Force migrated to a cloud environment. The savings: $34 million annually.

Modernization is for all of us.

As technology evolves, once-perfect solutions become obsolete. You notice that your users are less interested in your software. And, the ones who regularly use it complain about bugs and performance issues. You also find it challenging to hire employees with the skillsets to support your application. Worst of all, the manufacturer has sunsetted the product. So, contacting customer service is out of the question.

The new era of AI advances and data-driven business models require a fresh look at legacy systems. If you’re contemplating modernizing your legacy system but aren’t sure where to start, this post is for you. Today, we’ll focus on the most efficient legacy system modernization strategies, their limitations and benefits, and why you need to modernize your old platforms.

What Is a Legacy System and Legacy System Modernization?

Gartner defines a legacy system as “an information system that may be based on outdated technologies, but is critical to day-to-day operations.”

Legacy systems typically run on customer-owned and hosted hardware. Although the legacy applications are still functional, they require difficult-to-find IT skills to maintain, which are costly to procure. In addition, they are housed in monolithic and tightly coupled environments, which may hinder innovation. Perfect examples of legacy systems are federal and corporate IT apps from the 90s or early 2000s written in COBOL or Fortran.

Finally, legacy system modernization refers to the process of updating legacy software to enhance its operational efficiencies and address technological constraints.

6 Legacy System Modernization Approaches in 2022

If you’re stuck maintaining older, costly applications that can’t interoperate with new technologies, it’s time to consider modernization. However, you’ll need to do extensive research and assess your current system before choosing the ideal legacy modernization strategy. The most commonly utilized approaches include:

Encapsulation

Encapsulation is one of the fundamentals of object-oriented programming (OOP). It involves the bundling of data and methods that work on that data within one unit.

It is a software modernization process of re-using the system’s main components and wrapping them in new access layers via APIs. This legacy modernization approach involves replacing the legacy interface to utilize the new app functionalities. It helps extend the value of the existing infrastructure by making it easily accessible to other software components.

A significant drawback to encapsulation is that it doesn’t solve the typical maintenance issues of legacy systems. It’s, therefore, the best option when you only want to change the interface. Encapsulation is also a great choice when looking to reduce modernization risks and costs.

Migration to the Cloud

Cloud migration involves moving data, applications, and other business digital assets from on-premise infrastructure to a virtual computer server with shared resources. Migrating your legacy systems to the cloud comes with several benefits, including:

Cost savings: On-premise IT operations come with high infrastructure, staffing, and maintenance costs. Legacy system modernization can help decrease rack space, power usage, and IT staffing requirements. Notably, cloud computing can reduce IT labor costs by 50 percent.
Scalability: In the cloud, you can add or remove resources from the network at any time.
Mobility: Employees can access work-related documents anytime and anywhere. This significantly improves productivity rates.
Security: Cloud servers tend to be more secure than on-premise servers. There are stringent requirements in place for monitoring to guarantee enterprise levels protection.

Legacy systems can be migrated using an array of integration tools such as the Astrea Centerprise Data Integrator and Talent Data Integrator. These tools help users extract data from legacy systems and transfer them to a staging area. In the staging area, the data is cleansed and prepared for final migration to the cloud.

Code Refactoring

Refactoring involves making specific improvements to pieces of an existing program’s source code without affecting the hardware or structure of the application as a whole. Refactoring is ideal for making it easier to maintain and extend the codebase.

It can also be used to solve tech issues that would otherwise need an entire system overhaul. For businesses already in the cloud, it’s an ideal option to migrate from containers to Microservices to increase scalability and component isolation.

Rearchitecting

Rearchitecting is the altering and tweaking of an application’s architecture to solve its shortcomings and improve performance and scalability. It’s generally a complex process that must be undertaken by professionals with advanced technical skills. Rearchitecting helps improve a system’s capabilities while simplifying the process of integrating new features in the future. However, the approach carries the risk of affecting the way the system works in general.

Rebuilding

Rebuilding is a massive undertaking, but it’s also the only option that provides exceptional custom solutions. In a complete rebuild, legacy components are removed entirely, and processes are renormalized to match the current needs of the business.

A full rebuild allows you to customize the system to meet modern requirements. If some legacy systems components are still useful, you can opt for a partial rebuilding and save on project costs. Some of the main advantages that come with rebuilding legacy systems include:

Improved user experience: Rebuilding allows you to add features to enhance user experience. Before any project is undertaken, it’s important to analyze how your users navigate your software and how you want it to perform. Once you’ve understood the behavior of your users, you can rebuild the system to enable more engagement.
Better infrastructure: After gaining knowledge of what worked well (and what didn’t) with your legacy systems, your project team has opportunities to create cleaner and better codes. Ideally, rebuilding allows you to start from the beginning and avoid old tech pitfalls.
Optimized internal processes: With rebuilding, you get opportunities to adjust your business processes to meet current market demands. Rebuilding software allows you to modernize all aspects of your internal processes. It allows you to adapt to a new business environment and innovate to gain a competitive advantage.

Replacing

There are instances when it makes more sense to entirely replace the system rather than invest in its modernization. Replacing involves a level of reengineering or customization of packages to build a system that meets current business needs.

How to Prepare For Legacy System Modernization

Modernization may not require a complete transformation of your entire IT stack. However, it needs an honest assessment of the parts that need transformation the most. Before you implement any modernization approach discussed above, be sure to do the following:

1. Define Your Goals

Your modernization efforts should be informed by specific business goals. Some of the goals for software modernization include enhancing scalability and platform security. You should also identify how legacy system modernization will impact your revenues, market share, and the customer experience.

2. Assess the Current System

You should also measure where your current system is underperforming. Understanding the state of your current system, its strengths and weaknesses, is crucial when creating your ideal roadmap for modernization. It helps you prioritize the changes and integrations you need to modernize your systems.

3. Choose an Excellent Legacy Modernization Strategy

The data that you collect in step 2 above will help you define your ideal modernization process. It’s also essential to work with a professional custom app development company to perform a technical assessment of your system and identify the best legacy system modernization approach for your unique business situation.

Why Do You Need Legacy System Modernization?

High Legacy Maintenance Costs

Legacy systems require significant investments for their maintenance. A recent Government report reveals a staggering $337 million is being spent annually to maintain just 10 of the federal government’s legacy platforms.

Generally, legacy systems feature a large codebase and complex functionalities that require substantial time and financial commitments.

Lack of IT Support

There is an acute shortage of professionals who can support legacy systems. The systems require specific skills and expertise, which most developers lack. Finding people to operate and run the systems is not only challenging but expensive.

Platform Inflexibility

Legacy software is relatively inflexible and can’t adapt to modern business requirements, thereby slowing revenue growth. Companies running on old technologies lose business opportunities to competitors who have modernized their systems.

High-Security Risks

Perhaps, the most critical reason for legacy system modernization is that unsupported software is vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Rogue actors know exactly which malware can penetrate these platforms. A recent alert released by CERT warned about a surge in hacker interest in legacy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

Compliance Issues

Legacy systems were developed before current regulations such as CCPA, GLBA, and HIPAA. You, therefore, need to update the systems to adhere to all regulatory requirements.

Our Consulting Team Can Help With Legacy System Modernization

There’s no doubt your legacy software applications helped fueled your growth in the past. However, as they advance past the maturity stage, these systems quickly pose a huge liability to your business. As you adopt new business tools such as social media marketing, SMS messaging, analytics, and cloud strategies, you need application modernization services that help you optimize efficiency and improve the customer experience.

Our IT experts at Entrance are ready to unlock the data and intelligence held in your legacy systems and include them in your digital transformation journey. Our modernization goal is to improve system performance, enhance the structure of front-end components, and create a flexible and secure system that works to meet the current needs of your business. Contact us today to learn more about our exceptional application modernization services.

The post Legacy System Modernization Approaches And Strategies appeared first on Entrance.

What is a legacy system?

Timothy Brehm — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 16:16:12 +0000

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As we head into Q3 2021, digital transformation is more important than ever. Currently, 70% of businesses have a digital transformation strategy, and 55% of startups have already adopted one. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most digitally advanced organizations successfully filled tech jobs (75%). So, as comfortable as your legacy systems appear to be, it’s time to reinvent or modernize your legacy system.

That said, how should you go about it?

For centuries, people used the term “legacy” to refer to items of value handed down from generation to generation. However, in the IT world, the term carries a negative connotation, conjuring up images of outdated, underperforming systems that struggle to retain their relevance in a digital-first marketplace. In this era of accelerated growth, organizations are discovering that their once efficient systems are now unable to meet their business objectives.

What Is a Legacy System?

Legacy systems are defined as those that rely on older or obsolete technology. This includes not only outdated computer hardware but also programming languages and software applications that can no longer support an organization’s technology needs. The criteria given below serve as a checklist for determining what a legacy system is.

A system unable to support an organization’s software needs
The requirement of personnel with archaic technology skill sets
Excessive costs associated with maintenance
Substantially decreased system performance
Cost-prohibitive to upgrade
Inability to handle the required number of users simultaneously

Legacy Hardware

The underlying hardware of a legacy system generally runs older applications and operating systems due to their limited memory and processing power. Examples of these components include the following:

Mainframe Computers
These massive, powerful systems are mainly used by large organizations such as banks, insurance companies, credit card companies, universities, and government agencies. The high cost of migration and likelihood of service interruptions are why many organizations continue to retain their legacy infrastructure.
Older Personal Computers.
Computers using older Central Processing Units (CPUs) with 32-bit architecture that limits the amount of memory they utilize. Outdated systems utilizing pre-USB ports such as parallel ports or PS/2 ports. Obsolete processing systems such as Pentium II.
Outdated Network Equipment
Obsolete network devices that are no longer supported for standards such as 802.11b WiFi.

What is Legacy Software?

Legacy software systems are also responsible for costly delays and disruptions. Maintaining legacy software can expose organizations to data breaches due to outdated security measures, performance issues, and non-compliance to security standards. To determine exactly what legacy software is, consider the following conditions:

Older software supported with feature updates but no security patches
A platform incompatible with new systems and drivers
Software that’s non-compliant with recent standards
Software that requires new updates to be functional

Examples of Legacy Software

Microsoft Windows 7: Windows 7 officially became a legacy operating system in January 2020 after Microsoft halted security updates and support for it. However, over 100 million machines continue to run this operating system.
COBOL: Common Business-Oriented Language or COBOL is still used 55 years after its development. Forty-eight percent of businesses and government organizations reportedly depend on this language more than others.
Discontinued Oracle products: Oracle database software such as E-Business Suite and Peoplesoft.

Legacy Systems Versus Modern ERP Systems

Enterprise resource systems (ERPs) are especially affected by outdated software and hardware components. While companies strive to retain their competitive edge, their legacy ERP systems hold them back from achieving continued growth and profitability. Legacy ERP systems are unable to keep pace with evolving supply chains and rapid product launches.

The major difference between legacy ERP and modernized systems is in their deployment. Legacy systems use company-owned, on-premise computers and servers. This results in limited access since users must be at the location to use the system or any specialized software applications.

Essentially, companies retain sole responsibility for maintaining legacy ERPs. Ensuring data safety and integrity requires resources that can substantially detract from revenue earnings, however. In addition, expanding the system as the company grows may be cost-prohibitive.

On the other hand, modernized ERP systems exist on Software-as-a-Service (SasS) platforms, meaning a subscription fee covers all software rights. Thus, businesses can access the applications anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

The cloud vendor prevents unauthorized access to data with strong encryption tools. Unlike legacy systems, modernized cloud systems facilitate scalability and agility. In addition, any hardware or software upgrades are handled by the provider.

Why Do Businesses Continue to Use Legacy Systems?

Despite their inefficiency and high costs of maintenance, many governmental systems around the world still use outdated software. In fact, countries that use legacy systems admit that the software has even exceeded its end-of-life date. Recently, the inability of state unemployment servers to keep up with application demands highlighted the difficulties of maintaining legacy platforms. Compounding the problem was the lack of COBOL programmers to maintain the legacy on-premise infrastructure.

In addition, a June 2019 report by the U.S. General Accountability Office revealed ten critical legacy systems in need of modernization. Meanwhile, many retail, ecommerce, and manufacturing companies still rely on legacy systems. Common reasons for not modernizing include:

The lack of financial resources to support the transition
The fear of major disruption to the business during the modernization
A lack of ability to retrain staff and prevent service delays
The overwhelming prospect of upgrading an unwieldy system

The Challenges Posed by Legacy Systems in the Modern Marketplace

Healthcare facilities, in particular, often hesitate to modernize due to the possibility of costly interruptions that can affect patient care. A 2019 ProPublica study showed that healthcare legacy systems put the medical data of over five million patients in jeopardy since they can be easily hacked online.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services admits that the facilities are applying “bandaids” in an attempt to thwart devastating data breaches.

The recent Colonial pipeline system hack that brought down a critical fuel pipeline constitutes another prime example of the challenges legacy systems present. The costly breach caused by a ransomware hack resulted in the company having to pay a $5 million ransom to restart the system.

While these companies prefer staying with legacy systems, the risks will continue to affect their bottom lines, making legacy system modernization an inevitable choice down the road.

Legacy System Conversion Planning

Research firm, Gartner, details how organizations should strategize their plan for the conversion in a three-step evaluation process.

Evaluate the legacy system’s architecture, functionality, complexity, and risk. Applications no longer providing value to the company, are unable to keep pace with digital business demands, and are too costly to maintain, are modernization candidates.
Evaluate options to the modernization process. These include extending application features as APIs, rehosting to other infrastructures, migrating to new runtime platforms, restructuring and optimizing code, or rewriting or replacing the applications altogether.
Choose the modernization option that will benefit the company the most in terms of architecture, functionality, and cost.

What It Takes to Modernize Your Legacy System

Enterprises that choose to upgrade their legacy systems should do so with reputable providers offering application modernization services. This process uses the following steps:

Evaluation of the current legacy system to determine which components to eliminate.
Evaluation of project goals and resource requirements including application source code and data conversion milestones.
Rewriting and restructuring of applications as well as staff retraining.
Implementation of the modernized application with verification of functionality, scalability, and reliability.

Top Legacy System Modernization Trends

Aside from migrating to the cloud, important tools to modernize legacy systems and increase an organization’s operational efficiency include:

Automation
Legacy systems often lack automation in many areas. By automating repetitive tasks, human errors and operational costs can be eliminated.
DevOps
DevOps consultants and engineers can assist in selecting the most efficient services to use. The DevOps approach to programming results in increased ROI with faster delivery times.
Container-Based Applications
Using containers in the migration process allows applications to be easily moved between infrastructures with minimal code changes.
Microservice Architecture
This approach uses separate codebases for each service. It enables the deployment of a service without the expense of rebuilding the entire application.

Work With Entrance Consulting to Modernize Your Legacy System

Legacy systems still used by many governments and private entities carry substantial maintenance costs and present increased security risks. This was made evident by the bottlenecks observed in state unemployment systems as well as the Colonial fuel pipeline shutdown.

As digital transformation continues to accelerate across every industry, businesses must keep pace or face mounting costs from operational slowdowns. Fortunately, there are several legacy system modernization approaches which will result in greater efficiency and profitability.

Entrance Consulting, the number one most trusted custom software company in North America, can improve your productivity rates with legacy software and application modernization. Contact us, and schedule a consultation to learn how our team can help modernize your legacy system today!

The post What is a legacy system? appeared first on Entrance.

What is the Value of Progressive Web Applications?

Joshua Whitmore — Tue, 18 May 2021 21:22:13 +0000

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Developing software to engage with your customer base is challenging. Knowing how to best spend your dollars developing content that will help and retain consumer interest can be difficult, especially in today’s rapidly changing mobile environment. Creating a website and waiting for trafﬁc to appear is no longer a strategy that guarantees success. The introduction of Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) may begin to shift the web’s marketing power back in your favor.

While cross-platform development costs a lot of time and money, PWAs allow you to develop cross-platform compatible applications with a single code base. In addition, PWAs utilize a development approach that allows them to work on any smartphone. When over half of all business on the internet is conducted on smartphones, you must plan a cross-platform strategy or fall behind your competitors.

PWAs are ﬂexible; they allow you to widen the reach of your website marketing circle or be used as a comprehensive part of a cross-platform strategy. But what are PWAs, how do they differ from mobile websites, and how can they beneﬁt your business?

What are Progressive Web Applications?

A Progressive Web Application is an application and website hybrid. You can run it on a browser without it needing to be downloaded from a store. It contains web pages but mimics the interface of a mobile application.

These applications only need to be developed once but work everywhere. The same code that allows it to work on a laptop or desktop also will enable it to work on a smartphone without losing any functionality. A user doesn’t have to download a PWA to their phone, increasing the chance that they will use it, and they still have an option to create a shortcut to it on their opening screen.

But, what are the benefits of a PWA over a native application or a proper hybrid application?

What are the Benefits of Progressive Web Applications?

There are several benefits to using a PWA over a hybrid or native application:

Functionality

A PWA uses the same code that a web page does. Although you get the benefits of a web page (running it from a browser without downloading it), it functions like a native application allowing the use of the smartphone’s camera, GPS, Etc. It has all the power of a web page but acts as a regular application for the user.

Progressive

PWAs work on older devices and outdated browsers and adapt to the screen resolution the customer is using. Thus, PWAs don’t require expenditure on new technology from the user’s point of view.

User Engagement

Although mobile users continue to increase, mobile websites don’t do a good job of keeping most users engaged. The average bounce rate is 42 percent lower for a PWA than a mobile website. Companies using a PWA recorded up to an 80 percent increase in application use, 154 percent overall increase in engagement, and 88 percent faster app load time. Thus, with increased attention comes more marketing opportunities.

Increased Conversions

Customer engagement and sales conversions go hand in hand. PWAs work better with social media than native apps, allowing you to get more eyes on your company and, in turn, more sales. PWAs are proven to increase conversions, and, in fact, Google states that a PWA increases conversions by 52 percent.

More conversions mean a higher ROI. PWAs are easier for users to install than a traditional application and can frequently be completed as a seamless chain of actions for the users accessing your site.

Secure and Efficient

Native apps can have security breaches that expose the users to hackers. PWAs use HTTPS to protect users as securely as a web page. Furthermore, just like a web page, any updates needed for PWAs are downloaded promptly. Along with offline access, PWAs are more efficient than just using websites alone.

Speed

Consumer attention spans are brief, and loading times matter. PWA loading times are faster than native apps and, in some cases, even beat website loading times. Your clients can also find PWAs using the search engine of their choice, making it easier to find your product.

How Entrance Consulting Can Help

Entrance Consulting is the most trusted software consulting and development company in North America. If you’re wondering whether PWAs can help your business, contact us and let’s talk about app development that meets your business needs.

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Ed-Fi Compliant Data Exchange vs. Custom Data Warehouses

Timothy Brehm — Thu, 06 May 2021 18:45:28 +0000

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Not too long ago, data exchange standards didn’t exist in academia. And, custom data warehouses were unheard of. Generally, teachers had to log in to multiple systems to access student data, assessment tools, and progress reports. Each of these systems had individual login credentials and user interfaces.

Luckily, all of that has changed. Academic institutions handle and produce lots of data daily, hence the need for a single data repository. Today, educators can log in to one system to access academic data from multiple sources, thanks to the Ed-Fi platform.

What Is Ed-Fi Compliant Data Exchange (CDX)?

Specifically, Ed-Fi CDX is an open-source platform that allows education stakeholders to collect, preserve, and analyze data from multiple sources. It enables essential academic info to be gathered and stored in a single system. It also allows individual states and school districts to maintain complete control of this data. Stakeholders can access the system through a series of ODS, Ed-Fi API, plugins, and a dashboard.

The platform was developed with input from the U.S. Department of Education, local and state education agencies, and educators.

Pros Of Ed-Fi CDX

Combining all this data into one system certainly has its perks:

Real-time monitoring of student performance can be used to calibrate classroom instruction to improve student performance
Its open-source nature enables custom-made versions of the platform to be created
Offers flexible implementation options: data centers, cloud-based ODS, Microsoft Azure, or Amazon AWS
Timely report submission hence better data collection and analysis, saving time and improving decision making
Provides easy, efficient, and streamlined access and exchange of data between disparate systems
Supports interoperability or integrations with disparate systems

Cons of Ed-Fi CDX

Nevertheless, large concentrations of data in a single system can prove challenging for an institution:

It’s expensive and has a high overhead due to the sheer volume of incoming data
Vendors custom-mold the Ed-Fi system to create low-level, high volume, and complex data ecosystems that don’t truly live up to the goal of complete interoperability.
Violation of privacy, choice, and consent in the collection, access, and sharing of individual data to 3rd parties as stipulated by the GDPR
Under the principle of data integrity, security safeguards such as anonymization and de-identification of data make it harder for cross source sharing and new data incorporation.
There’s little or no accountability for non-compliance with privacy rules and the misuse of data.
It increases the chances of cybersecurity threats such as ransomware and solicitation.

How Custom Data Warehouses Work

Academic institutions have various complex data processing systems, each requiring different people to operate. This sheer volume of data can be overwhelming to anyone managing it, creating the demand for a data warehouse within the institution.

Data warehousing is based on the OLAP system. The latter enables the storage, filtration, and retrieval of large amounts of data using SQL queries. For a more personalized touch and to meet an institution’s unique data needs, a custom data warehouse may be a good option.

How It Operates

There are various stages data goes through in the data warehouse:

Data collection from multiple sources such as databases and transactional systems
The ETL (extract, transform, load) process fetches, normalizes, and unifies the data
Storage in the warehouse
Data retrieval, cleansing, and analysis

SQL queries filter only the data a teacher needs to view, thus optimizing data retrieval. Additionally, the institution can opt for a data mart (a scaled-down version of a data warehouse) that aggregates data for specific users for academic intelligence purposes.

Benefits Of Custom Data Warehouses

While a data warehouse won’t prevent hardware and software issues at your institution, the innovations used can:

Significantly optimize the majority of your institution’s processes
Provide lighting fast and advanced results using SQL queries
Help in accessing and retrieving historical info for in-depth insights
Include report templates for faster and easier reporting
Serve as a solid platform for data analytics and custom reporting without the need to constantly “shop” for your data
Produce filtered, clustered data that you can export to a location of your choosing
Improve the quality of data by counterchecking and cleansing before storage to the warehouse core

Custom Data Warehouse Over Ed-Fi CDX

Ed-Fi CDX is becoming popular among academic institutions across the country. However, many states and school districts still lack the budgetary capabilities to implement it. In most cases, a custom data warehouse may prove to be the best option.

At Entrance, we understand the enormous volumes of academic data your institution handles daily and the need for optimal storage and retrieval. Talk to us today, so our experts can develop a custom data warehouse that’ll meet all your unique data needs.

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Elasticsearch vs. InfluxDB For Time-Series Data

Joshua Whitmore — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 15:51:22 +0000

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Time-series databases (TSDB) have grown in popularity, eclipsing even the use of Hadoop data stores. In particular, TSDBs are used for DevOps software development, asset tracking, and business intelligence. With voluminous incoming data from internet of things (IoT) devices, it’s essential that databases can handle large time-series records. Below, we explore InfluxDB and Elasticsearch, two data storage solutions that developers are increasingly adopting.

Elasticsearch Features and Use

Elasticsearch, based on the Apache Lucene library, premiered to great fanfare in 2010. Today, we commonly refer to it as ELK Stack since it includes the additional core products of Logstash and Kibana.

In particular, Elasticsearch is a free open search and analytics engine. It supports many types of data such as textual, numerical, geospatial, structured, and unstructured. Elasticsearch also supports many programming languages, including Java, JavaScript Go, .Net, PHP, Perl, Python, and Ruby.

Its speed and scalability promote efficient indexing of related content types. In fact, developers made it possible for the Elasticsearch index to be split into shards that replicate automatically, allowing greater horizontal scaling and data parallelization. Each shard comprises an Apache Lucene index. As a result of these versatile abilities, Elasticsearch is widely used for the following applications:

Application, website, and enterprise searches
Log analytics
Business and security analytics
Application performance and infrastructure metrics and container monitoring

Elasticsearch uses an inverted index data structure to enable rapid full-text searches. The inverted index contains a list of all unique words and the location of those words in any document.

How Elasticsearch Works

Within Elasticsearch, we store documents in indices. Each index is schema-free, allowing documents with varying structures to be used. When you insert documents, Elasticsearch splits the values of the document fields into tokens and adds these tokens into the inverted index. When someone searches a phrase, Elasticsearch splits the phrase into tokens and matches the tokens to the inverted index.

There are several benefits to implementing the Elasticsearch engine:

As a near real-time search platform, it’s well-suited for time-sensitive use cases such as security analysis and infrastructure monitoring.
The distributed nature of Elasticsearch allows data redundancy in cases of hardware failures.
Elasticsearch’s numerous features enable efficient storage and searching.
Data ingest, visualization, and reporting are simplified.

While Elasticsearch brings various features and benefits, it does present some restrictions.

Elasticsearch can’t effectively store large portions of binary data.
Elasticsearch V5.0 and later don’t contain site plugins such as Paramedic and Kopf and don’t provide support for them.
The transport client remains incompatible with cloud-hosted Elasticsearch clusters at V7.6 and later.

InfluxDB For Time-Sensitive Data

InfluxData developed InfluxDB as a comprehensive platform to collect, store, analyze and visualize time-series data. Also known as the TICK stack, this time-series database technology is accurate to the nanosecond. This makes InfluxDB an ideal engine for the storage and analysis of sensor data with time stamps such as those used in IoT devices or scientific measuring instruments.

The four components of the TICK stack facilitate the collecting, storing, visualizing, and alerting of time-series data. They work seamlessly together. TICK comprises the following elements and functions.

Telegraf
Collects time-series data from a variety of sources
InfluxDB
Chronograf
Visualizes and graphs
Kapacitor
Alerting, ETL, and detection of anomalies in time-series data

In particular, InfluxDB uses a built-in time service to ensure system synchronization.

InfluxDB’s retention policy is the engine’s most essential feature since it explicitly defines how long data will be kept. Take, for example, a typical application: real-time monitoring of server infrastructures for failure detection purposes. In this case, retaining the data for months proves unfeasible, so a smaller retention policy is defined. However, with IoT devices, data retention would be defined for a longer period.

Typical InfluxDB applications include the following:

DevOps monitoring of services and server clusters
Monitor IoT devices and sensors to ensure accurate and instant metrics
Time-series monitoring for industrial plants to monitor components in the production chain

Should You Choose Elasticsearch or InfluxDB for Time-Series Data Storage?

While both Elasticsearch and InfluxDB are robust time-series database engines, the decision to use one over the other comes down to application time dependency and data types. Each has its own set of benefits and restrictions. However, you can leverage both solutions in a single project.

InfluxDB is best for time-critical applications that need real-time querying. It can handle a higher number of writes than Elasticsearch. However, Elasticsearch is more suitable for textual data such as log messages, requests, and responses. Because it promotes textual data searching, Elasticsearch remains a superior option for querying by content.

Retaining data in InfluxDB while using Elasticsearch for metadata can be an effective solution for storing impeccable time-series records. Elasticsearch can quickly locate text-based events with timestamps of events and InfluxDB can then run calculations as the data comes in.

At Entrance Consulting, we assist companies in the purchase, building, and integration of software apps for efficient business operations. Contact us for more information on our complete line of custom software and app development solutions today.

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When to Use NoSQL vs. Relational Databases

Timothy Brehm — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 20:42:21 +0000

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Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, and SQLite are just a few of the relational databases that have dominated the development landscape since the 1980s. However, the rise of the internet, including Web 2.0 and Big Data, has complicated things for SQL databases and led to massive changes in application development.

Relational databases, with their normalized structures and enforced relational integrity, are struggling to keep pace with the realities of modern computing and Big Data. Currently, organizations in many industries have adopted NoSQL database technology to facilitate fast, efficient data storage.

Below, we look at when NoSQL is a good choice for building applications.

WHEN SHOULD YOU CHOOSE NOSQL OVER SQL?

You can adopt NoSQL database technology in any of the following situations:

NEED FOR A FASTER PACE OF DEVELOPMENT

If you need to fast-track your application development, NoSQL may be your best choice. The pace of development with NoSQL databases is a lot faster than with an SQL database.

With a NoSQL database, developers can rapidly change datasets without maintaining a specific data model. SQL databases, on the other hand, require DBAs to re-organize the structure of the tables after every change.

Even if the development database is entirely in the hands of developers, updating the forms to ensure the referential integrity and optimized storage structure of the database (SQL model’s primary benefit) remains a time-consuming process. These changes also cause conflicts with the team, as data structure changes need to be merged with each other.

HANDLING OF DIFFERENT FORMS OF DATA

A NoSQL database enables developers to handle and evolve the structure of several different forms of data efficiently. NoSQL databases are better designed to handle, store, and model structured, semi-structured, and even unstructured data in a single database. In essence, you can use NoSQL databases to store data in a form similar to objects you usually use in your applications to help you avoid translating data to a form that it will take in the code.

LARGE AMOUNTS OF DATA

NoSQL was born out of frustrations with SQL. SQL databases can’t efficiently serve up a large amount of data for many applications. On the other hand, NoSQL database formats enable effortless scalability and are speciﬁcally designed to handle Big Data. Unlike SQL databases, the NoSQL databases can handle web-scale applications without a need for additional engineering.

RAPID DATA GROWTH AND SCALABILITY

You may also need to use a NoSQL database if you expect trafﬁc levels to rise or experience increased lag time or disruptions. Most NoSQL databases feature a scale-out strategy that offers a clear path to scaling the amount of trafﬁc to guarantee zero downtime. The scale-out strategy provides several beneﬁts, including the ability to upgrade your database or change its structure to achieve zero downtime when experiencing large volumes of concurrent trafﬁc performance.

The scalability of NoSQL means that one database can serve both your transactional and analytical workloads. Essentially, a single platform supports horizontal scaling across commodity servers. However, in SQL databases, it’s best to use separate application and data warehouse databases to avoid having calculation-intensive analytics queries affect the performance of your production application.

If your data is structured or lends itself to high normalization, your best option may be some flavor of SQL. A great strength of a relational database over its NoSQL counterpart is its enforced structure. This ensures the maintenance of data relationships over time. Another benefit of SQL is its level of maturity and high level of application support.

WHEN DOES A SQL DATABASE MAKE SENSE?

If your organization needs to store structured data, an SQL database may be the best option. A great strength of a relational database over its NoSQL counterpart is its portability and transaction security.

Entrance Consulting Can Help With Your App Development Needs

There’s always a massive amount of innovation occurring in the app development sector. If your organization has more dynamic needs, you’ll do well with a NoSQL solution. This may include scenarios where the number of users accessing your databases via their mobile apps keeps fluctuating dramatically and rapidly.

Additionally, you may also need a NoSQL solution if you need to store and access data across several servers locally or in the cloud. Companies that experience sudden and explosive growth in database use should also consider adopting a NoSQL solution. If you need help getting your project off the ground, contact us. At Entrance, we’re focused on your success — let’s talk app development today.

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How to Know If You Need a Native Mobile App

Joshua Whitmore — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 16:48:22 +0000

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Today, mobile apps are coded in various languages to reach a diverse audience. While developers continue implementing more responsive designs for mobile web apps, native mobile apps are often necessary to ensure efficient access to device-specific functionality. But while they have much to offer, native apps may not be suitable for all product and service offerings.

WHAT IS A NATIVE MOBILE APP?

Unlike cross-platform apps that can function across several mobile operating systems, such as iOS or Android, native mobile apps are coded for specific operating systems. Apple’s iOS system, for example, uses Objective C or Swift coding while Android apps use Java code.

Coding for a native system results in apps with high performance and reliability.

Additionally, native mobile apps allow full integration with device hardware features and operating system elements. Many cross-platform apps, on the other hand, experience integration challenges with target operating systems.

BENEFITS AND RESTRICTIONS OF NATIVE MOBILE APPS

Creating native mobile apps requires careful consideration of their advantages and disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES

Performance and stability
Since native apps correspond to the OS they run on, they offer robust efficiency and access to the device’s exclusive APIs and components. This results in optimized displays for screen sizes and operating system versions. Native apps also have greater stability.
Enhanced security
Because they run on a device’s native operating system, native apps can utilize the operating system’s strong security features.
Greater access to developers
Many programmers specialize in native app development and are well-versed in the behavior idiosyncrasies of their OS of choice. They can better advise on technical solutions to expedite an app’s release.
Improved UX/UI
Programming to the OS enables higher performance and smoother operations. This leads to improved user experience (UX) and interface (UI).

DISADVANTAGES

Higher development and maintenance costs
Native apps can be more costly to design and maintain when they must be duplicated for compatibility with multiple different operating systems.
Time-consuming to update
Since developers must update the app for each supported operating system, it takes time to complete tasks for every platform. This also adds to the cost of developer resources and can lead to slower response times when fixing critical issues.
Support issues
The bugs and errors on each platform may not be easy to fix, resulting in a loss of app efficiency. In addition to bugs and errors, keeping app rules aligned across multiple systems poses a critical challenge.
Varying app store guidelines
Each app store has its own set of requirements for app design. As a result, familiarity with each store’s guidelines is essential for the app to be approved for release.

PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS: AN EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE

If native apps aren’t a practical choice, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) offer many similar features such as push notifications, local storage, and an offline mode. PWAs run in browsers and function like native apps. This means PWAs can utilize existing website frameworks.

The following list summarizes the benefits of deploying PWAs.

They utilize common web technologies.
PWAs offer a variety of screen sizes.
They are less expensive to develop and maintain.
A single codebase ensures the same functionality for all users.
PWAs are more accessible to users since they appear in search engines and can be installed through the browser.
PWAs feel and act like native apps. This gives users an immersive experience. Push notifications can also be integrated to encourage prompt updates on the part of users.
PWAs also allow access to the same device features as native apps, such as cameras, fingerprint scanners, and GPS.
PWAs use the Native File System API, allowing the apps to access the device’s file system with permissions.

This app technology is quickly gaining in popularity and rapid growth has been projected, with 24% of online retailers considering them for optimizing their mobile traffic.

DO YOU NEED A NATIVE MOBILE APP OR PROGRESSIVE WEB APP?

Native mobile apps and PWAs each carry unique capabilities, benefits, and limitations. As a result, there’s no absolute answer to which type should be deployed. When selecting the app type to build, it’s best to address the needs of the business and target audience.

Determining app features and exploring whether users have the data connection and hardware to support them are important considerations. How users will utilize the app for their needs should also be a part of the decision-making process. Finally, it’s important to consider development and maintenance costs, especially for small businesses that have budget constraints.

At Entrance, our team specializes in custom application development services for all business sectors. Contact us to schedule a consultation and find out how we can assist your company in its next app development project.

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An App Modernization Roadmap for Manufacturing and Energy Firms

Callum Byers — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 18:11:40 +0000

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Is your organization still relying on legacy systems? If so, you aren’t alone. Two-thirds of businesses agree that legacy systems lack flexibility, due to dated languages and infrastructures. Yet, 74% of modernization efforts fail. Most modernization projects follow a waterfall-type model, incurring 80% of the costs and 20% of the ROI. Meanwhile, the agile model flips those figures on their head. One consistent formula for an app modernization roadmap builds on the agile model, a process of continuous development that aligns with market demand.

IF/THEN/THIS: MANUFACTURING

First things first: You’ve decided your app needs to be modernized and have determined your needs. You want increased productivity, on-time deliveries, and improved labor rates. One valuable way to get your team to implement continuous modernization is to build If/Then/This statements. Here are two actionable strategies for your manufacturing app modifications:

EXAMPLE 1: LEGACY AND NEW MACHINES

If you have legacy machines that don’t yet align with modern infrastructure and market demands
Then your first app modification goal should be to assess the complexity of your current infrastructure, pinpoint inefficiencies, and determine its capacity for modernization.
This can be done by identifying redundancies and uncovering possibilities for making real-time changes, a hallmark of continuous modernization.

EXAMPLE 2: THE INTERNET OF THINGS

If your company is still mired in desktops/laptops that lock you into software that may or may not be compatible across the enterprise
Then it’s time to go completely mobile, using cloud frameworks to facilitate continuous software delivery. This kind of holistic process will give you the ability to utilize data at every level. You reduce the risk of data loss and simultaneously save on on-premise infrastructure costs.
This will entail such steps as digitizing your inventory management to enable real-time quality control. For instance, a modernized app can diagnose issues before products move further down the line. Smart tablet modeling that flags issues at every stage lets employees know exactly how the product should look as it moves from one stage to another. This eliminates errors before the next production step begins, resulting in faster completion rates.

IF/THEN/THIS: OIL AND GAS

Historically, the oil and gas industry has often lagged in its adoption of disruptive technology. The boom and bust cycles that are characteristic of the sector mean that, in a boom, getting the product out of the ground is a priority. App modernization takes second place within this context.

Meanwhile, in a bust, budget limitations arise. Thus, app modernization falls by the wayside in response to reduced capital expenditures. However, modernizing apps may be part of the answer to prolonging the booms and alleviating bust cycle challenges.

If your business case shows that both cost reduction and business value are necessary for your app modernization goals
Then arguing for a move to a cloud enterprise can be proposed as an answer in both cases
This will include modernizing your oil and gas applications by leveraging AI and machine learning to automate the gamut from subsurface applications to SCADA control of remote sites. For instance, rather than having an army of lease operators checking a range of sites on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, the system can pinpoint issues in progress. You can also leverage predictive and analytic algorithms to make environmental assessments and determine the sustainability of new projects. As a result, you move from reactive to preventive mode. This means less human intervention, fewer manual errors, and improved production rates. Studies show that the adoption of disruptive technologies and app modernization increases oil and gas reserves by 5%.

Work With Entrance to Develop an Agile App Modernization Roadmap

The above comprises just several examples of how two key industries can modernize apps more efficiently. Unquestionably, there exist significant benefits to agile app modernization. First and foremost, its feedback-focused nature facilitates increased user satisfaction.

Thus, creating a modernization plan that focuses on microprojects and continuous development is key.

For more information about creating an effective app modernization roadmap for your organization, contact us. At Entrance, we specialize in agile app modernization that aligns with evolving market demand and increases your competitive advantage.

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7 Timely Questions to Determine the Efficacy of Your Tech Stack

Timothy Brehm — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 20:40:52 +0000

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As the market evolves, tech stacks that fail to keep pace can become an actual hindrance to employee productivity. When it comes to your tech stack and whether it’s still working for your employees, asking the right questions is important.

A tech stack, after all, comprises the building blocks of any mobile or web application. And, with digital transformation a necessity in our current business ecosystem, keeping your tech stack nimble is more important than ever. Below, we detail seven questions and considerations to get your team working like a finely oiled machine.

#1 Do Your Employees Have Transferable Skill Sets?

Contemplating React Native? Creating native apps for iOS and Android should be a cinch if you have Javascript developers on board. Transferable skills like data warehousing & analytics, Agile/Scrum methodology, SharePoint, MySQL, API design, and cloud security are also critical if you’re contemplating app modernization.

#2 Will Your Tech Provider Continue to Support Your Current Tech Stack?

For instance, Microsoft continues to have a vested interest in providing strong support for Visual Studio. Whether Facebook will continue supporting React Native is an open question — but there’s also Node.js, supported by non-profits. Of course, any tech stack should ideally be open-source. Here’s why: open-source alternatives allow you to own your data.

Specifically, an open-source tech stack gives you 100% control over the process of collecting and processing consumer data. This is critical when it comes to complying with global privacy standards like GDPR and LGPD.

#3 Does Your Current Tech Stack Meet Your Modernization Goals?

Where apps go, Version 10.1 will always have fewer bugs than Version 1.1. You also need to know how third-party apps will sync with your new tech stack.

For instance, does your current tech stack enable IoT connectivity? Creating solutions within the manufacturing industry involves architectural complexity of the highest order, and older tech stacks simply can’t compete.

With IoT, manufacturing industries can realize the built-in potential of predictive maintenance, which promotes increased productivity (47%) and operations optimization (56%). In particular, IoT tools that facilitate machine overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) optimization and cross-vendor shop-floor integration will be critical to business resiliency in an ever-competitive marketplace.

If your current tech stack can’t support digital transformation or your modernization goals, it may be time for a change.

#4 Does Your Current Tech Infrastructure Address Security Concerns?

Beware legacy tech stacks that represent a security nightmare. One sign of a strong cybersecurity culture is the ability of a tech stack to accommodate a zero-trust approach. In the education industry, multi-factor authentication technology remains a critical protection. A zero-trust approach, however, isn’t about zero-tolerance — it involves authenticating users based on identities rather than network IP addresses.

This kind of security protects teachers, administrative users, as well as students. Building in secure identity and access management (IAM) can be expensive and time-consuming, but it’s also the bedrock of sustainable cybersecurity. And, a robust, flexible tech stack is essential to this kind of security.

The education industry isn’t the only one that can benefit from a zero-trust approach, however.

Between HIPAA considerations, the rising tide of ransomware attacks, and an alarming increase in insider threats, the healthcare industry also needs end-to-end security.

#5 Does the Current Stack Require Extensive Updates?

If perpetual update cycles are required to keep the app operating well with the most recent code base, that’s a problem.

#6 How Flexible Is Your Current Tech Stack? Are There Weak Links in the Chain of Dependencies?

Particularly in the energy sector, every element related to producing, refining, and storing consumable fuels is interdependent. By stepping into a flexible tech stack that works at every level, you can hold onto what your team has already accomplished and leverage tools like Azure to increase drilling hit rates, improve reservoir production, and manage asset lifecycles.

With Azure, you can build out a managed app platform to automate decision-making and achieve rapid, enhanced results — and that’s just the beginning. You can also explore options to create and code your own, customized IoT solutions.

#7 What Are Productivity Levels in Your Current Tech Stack Environment?

An analysis from 451 Research reveals nine key indicators that should be considered when balancing your current environment against the possibility of change:

- Alignment: With the shift to remote working, have your employees rallied around new workflows within the current tech stack?
- Automation: Have you achieved business process optimization at the highest possible level?
- Capacity: Can employees take on new work at reasonable levels without risking burnout?
- Collaboration: Has “meeting culture” overwhelmed productivity efforts?
- Effort: Do employees spend enough time on critical activities?
- Focus: Do employees have time to focus on specific responsibilities without interruption?
- Process: Are workflows effective and efficient?
- Rework: Must you continually revise individual workflows to achieve some semblance of operational integrity?
- Velocity: How long does it take to achieve reasonable goals? All things considered, what will improve if you choose to disrupt the current environment?

To learn how to create the best tech infrastructure for your organization, contact us. Join our clients in the manufacturing, oil & energy, healthcare, engineering, and education industries in achieving optimized operations and increased revenues.

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3 Valuable Insights That Guarantee Success in B2B App Modernization

Nate Richards — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 19:49:07 +0000

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In an ever-competitive marketplace, app modernization isn’t a value-add feature but a fundamental requirement for success. Digital transformation can reduce IT costs by 40 percent, bump productivity by 40 percent, and increase customer satisfaction rates by 30%. Unfortunately, fewer than 30 percent of modernization attempts succeed.

Why? Because companies often fall into the trap of scaling too quickly. They pour a significant amount of capital into trendy platforms, based on nothing more than mere promises. This often leads to cost overruns and bland tech stacks that fail to meet niche industry requirements. Chances are, you haven’t yet pursued digital transformation. Your current tech works, and your team is familiar with it.

So, is change necessary?

The answer is, yes. Digital transformation isn’t about mass-scale changes or trendy new solutions. Companies that win digital transformation start by modernizing their core apps — not replacing them.

What is App Modernization?

App modernization involves transforming legacy apps into future-proof, cloud-native solutions using infrastructure deployment plans, container-based workloads, and a variety of cutting-edge IT techniques. The raw benefits of modernization are profound.

In healthcare, IT modernization can prevent up to 95 percent of adverse drug reactions. It also reduces the risk of death, improves quality-of-care, and decreases end-to-end costs by 7 to 11 percent.

Similarly, oil & energy companies that have implemented app modernization see 2 to 10 percent improvements in yield and 10 to 30 percent reductions in costs. And, energy isn’t the only industry that has benefited from app modernization.

According to several Deloitte surveys, higher education leaders are realizing cost savings and improved student learning outcomes from digital transformation. In other words, app modernization provides tangible and deep layers of value to nearly every industry.

Unfortunately, many companies assume that app modernization requires massive budgets and a multi-year timeline.

When your company hears the terms “digital transformation” and “app modernization,” it’s easy to think about grandiose, large-scale deployments that single-handedly transform a business overnight. That’s almost never the case. Most digital transformation campaigns occur in small, purpose-driven chunks. For example, your company may modernize a mission-critical finance app first and follow that up with point solutions and integrations.

In fact, McKinsey suggests digitally transforming in “bite-size” portions — noting several energy companies that made critical transformations using 80 to 90 percent of their original app code. The goal of app modernization isn’t to tear down your core business and replace it with a shiny new one. It’s to purposefully change your core by upgrading critical applications without negatively impacting day-to-day workflows.

Prioritizing the Right Apps for Modernization

Modernizing an app is relatively simple. You hire the right team, set some objectives, and implement your new technology. Obviously, that requires a chunk of time, resources, and energy. Yet, it’s not the most complicated component of the app modernization process. Seventy percent of healthcare transformations fail because of poor organizational health and planning.

Winning your modernization war starts by picking the right systems to modernize. Ok, that’s easier said than done. Many organizations — especially in mid-market healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and other highly-specialized industries — have clunky IT architectures stemming from custom-brewed legacy systems.

They’ve spent years building an intricate web of integrations on custom pieces of technology. So, simply onboarding a cookie-cutter ERP or point solution to replace that existing stack isn’t a feasible option.

In fact, McKinsey notes that most transformations in the oil & energy sector fail due to onboarding solutions that don’t account for the unique challenges of the industry. App modernization is the cure to this woe — but only if you pick the right apps.

So, how do you find the needle? Better yet, how do you find the needle without throwing a torch straight into the haystack?

#1 Start By Analyzing Your Apps

The single biggest modernization mistake is tackling your highest-value app first. That may not be the right move. Monolithic solutions like legacy ERPs that are weaved into the core of your business likely have hundreds of apps connected to them. If you modernize the ERP first, you may lose access to all of the other custom apps and point solutions. That can hurt productivity. Instead, measure apps by both value and difficulty of modernization.

IBM suggests plotting your apps on an X and Y-axis. However, we recommend starting with smaller apps that have a high value. The X, Y-axis can easily be disrupted by ERPs — since they have such immense value, they can skew the distribution. You don’t want to interrupt your workflows by modernizing the heart of your entire stack.

Instead, identify apps with moderately high value and low dependencies. Once you tackle a few apps, you can start to work your way towards your ERP. By the time you get there, your most critical apps will have been modernized. This way, once you modernize your core, you can begin working on peripheral apps without too much impact on your overall core business model.

#2 Outsource, Outsource, Outsource

Unless you’re a massive enterprise with a billion-dollar R&D budget and a jam-packed IT unit, app modernization should be outsourced. You can’t afford to simultaneously modernize and maintain core business practices. It’s a recipe for disaster. The same goes for the strategic layer of app modernization — partner with tech-savvy third-party buying consultants or purchasing experts.

Your goal is to minimize disruptions while maximizing value. Outsourcing helps you tackle app modernization without the massive budget. You can onboard experts, get in touch with high-value consultants, and strategize with true experts. Ideally, you want to find a company that provides both strategy and modernization under the same roof.

Otherwise, you’ll have to hire a consulting company along with an outsourced development company, which simply introduces more communication barriers and costs.

#3 Develop a Plan With Your Technology Partner

Once you understand which apps you want to modernize, strategize with your outsourced app modernization partner to develop a core plan for the modernization process. This should include project goals, resource requirements, any milestones for data or code conversion, and an implementation strategy. Once this plan is complete, your technology partner will handle the bulk of the work.

They’ll rewrite and restructure your apps, provide Ops training, and handle data migration. In addition, they’ll walk you through the implementation stage and offer post-implementation change management services.

Implement Seamless App Modernization With Entrance Consulting

Digitally transforming your company reduces costs, improves productivity, and increases client satisfaction. But, the transformation won’t happen overnight. Start by modernizing your core apps to meet the demands of today’s digitally-charged IT architecture.

Need some help? At Entrance, we provide end-to-end app modernization services coupled with our world-class consulting capabilities. Contact us to learn more about how we combine strategy and technical expertise to bring you the best in digital transformations.

The post 3 Valuable Insights That Guarantee Success in B2B App Modernization appeared first on Entrance.

How to Prepare Your Business for a Software Transition

Joshua Whitmore — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 14:42:57 +0000

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Undoubtedly, technology evolves at a startlingly furious pace. New tech, coupled with changing market demands, will directly impact the trajectory of your business. At some point, you’ll be faced with a choice: upgrade your existing software or opt for a software transition.

Regardless of your choice, adopting disruptive technology is a must. According to Forbes, 27% of companies believe that keeping up with new digital solutions is a matter of survival. In fact, 56% of those that embrace emerging tech trends report significantly increased revenues.

If your company finds itself ready to upgrade or transition its software, a systematic approach pays dividends. Below is a step-by-step guide for implementing an efficient software transition.

Phase I: Make a Plan

The first phase of software transition involves the planning activities that precede implementation. This includes establishing the scope and requirements of the upgrade.

Communicate With Affected Personnel

The first step is due diligence. To achieve your objectives for a transition, identify key stakeholders who utilize the current system. From the end-user to the network administrator, try to understand what each team member needs from the new software.

Perform a System Review

Software integrations can be an undeniably complex process. Your existing software has already been fine-tuned to support the needs of its users and any necessary interactions with external systems. So, before creating an upgrade plan, take an inventory of what works and what doesn’t in terms of your core business.

Identify Transition Requirements

Next, it’s time to evaluate all hardware specifications and intermediate software upgrades. You can then form a solid transition plan that identifies:

Affected parties
The upgrade team
Necessary resources
Custom elements or integrations
A time frame for the roll-out

Phase II: Prepare for Implementation

Phase II is the lead-up to implementation. It includes all the background activities necessary to put your transition plan into practice.

Backup Critical Files

No matter how solid your implementation plan is, there’s a level of uncertainty when upgrading your company’s core systems. Before initiating any changes, back up critical information so that functionality can be restored in case of an emergency.

Perform a Trial Transition

It’s useful to perform a dry run prior to initiating your full-scale upgrade. Doing a mock transition using a simulated version of your system can help iron out any potential kinks ahead of time.

Establish Your Staging Environment

The final preparation involves setting up your staging area. Specifically, this means shutting down general access and preparing your live system to receive critical upgrades.

Phase III: Go Live

The third phase involves implementing the new software, testing the fidelity of its integrations, and providing ongoing support to end-users as the new software goes live.

Testing and Configuration

Testing is needed to ensure the security and operational integrity of your system. Quality assurance is critical at this stage in order to resolve all issues promptly before the upgrade goes live.

Once testing is complete, it’s time to make sure all settings are optimized for your end-users. Take time to configure your new software environment to match your organization’s business-critical tasks.

Train Key Personnel

Be sure to train key personnel, including end-users and IT professionals, regarding the update’s key features. For one thing, the more training you can provide prior to the final implementation, the smoother the transition will be.

You’ll also want to avoid underestimating the importance of documentation. Be sure to compile user manuals and a detailed log of customized settings and integrations that are crucial to your new software.

Go Live With the Transition

Once all issues are resolved and key staff is brought up to speed, the penultimate step is taking your upgrade live. Of course, you have the option to phase out the older version slowly. However, that may not be in your best interest.

For many companies, operational integrity is reliant on impeccable logistics, procurement, and demand planning optimization. Your new software needs to be up and running on Day 1. All things considered, working with professionals to identify organizational constraints and keep the migration timeline on track reduces unforeseen risks.

Offer Ongoing Support

The transition process doesn’t end when the upgrade goes live, however. You must provide end-users with ongoing support after the update is implemented. This support is critical to business operations and should be viewed as a vital task that directly impacts the health of your business.

At Entrance, we specialize in custom software development services for the manufacturing, healthcare, engineering/construction, oil & energy, and education industries. If your company is looking for a seamless software transition, our team can help. For more information on creating a mobile and cloud-optimized tech stack for your business, contact us today.

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B2B Custom Software Solutions for 4 Industries

Carol Donnelly — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 14:36:08 +0000

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Every B2B company experiences challenges that are both unique to its organization and type of industry. Whether it’s labor shortages, fragmented patient data, or falling Math and reading scores, the complexity of challenges often keeps industry stakeholders up at night. In light of this, custom B2B software solutions offer a means of achieving organizational integrity and operational excellence.

Industrial/Manufacturing Challenges

1. Industrial/Manufacturing Labor Shortages

The pandemic has brought the skilled labor shortage to the fore, setting off critical challenges in the midst of double-digit unemployment. According to Deloitte, two million skilled jobs will go unfilled between 2015 and 2025. In addition, roughly 25% of the manufacturing workforce comprises workers above 55 years of age.

Despite apprenticeship opportunities and fast-track training programs at colleges, the industrial/manufacturing sector continues to lack skilled workers.

However, B2B custom software solutions allow manufacturing/industrial businesses to track and manage a contingent workforce in light of labor shortages. And, in particular, workforce management software facilitates a seamless experience across a diversity of channels. Workers get visibility into timesheets, attendance records, shift changes, and weekly income from tablets, mobile devices, and desktops.

Customized B2B software solutions promote flexibility, transparency, and workforce optimization, a plus for the manufacturing/industrial sectors during this critical time.

2. Managing Multiple Industrial Job Sites

B2B software solutions can transform job site management. Knowing where your assets are, from company trucks to heavy equipment, allows you to make better logistics decisions. You’ll be able to place the right equipment and the right operators at the right locations, without having to duplicate equipment across multiple job sites.

That same B2B software can remind operators to perform critical maintenance tasks or bring their equipment in for maintenance at specific intervals.

Worried about the cost? Software customized to manage your assets can pay for itself in the first year simply by reducing maintenance and replacement costs. In fact, the global workforce management software market is expected to increase to more than $3 trillion by 2026 and grow at a CAGR of 4.21% between 2021 and 2026. The trend towards remote working has only increased the need for flexibility, workforce optimization, and operational agility.

If you’re looking for answers to unique challenges, see Entrance Consulting’s past transformational work on creating customized software solutions for the industrial/manufacturing sector.

Healthcare Challenges

3. Managing a Patient’s Care Across the Spectrum

The fact is that healthcare organizations continue to struggle with data siloes, relying on manual processes to glean needed information. When you add paper health records in physician offices and testing facilities, assessing real-time data becomes a nearly impossible task. All things considered, the cost of extracting data from isolated platforms may prove prohibitive to institutions already struggling with limited resources.

But, there’s hope.

B2B custom software facilitates data migration and integration from disparate sources. This results in improved patient care and fewer errors on the part of healthcare practitioners.

If you’re interested in how custom software can assist your organization, please see Entrance Consulting’s work for the healthcare industry.

Education Challenges

4. Reaching the At-Risk Student Before It’s Too Late

Making sure students get what they need on an individual basis has always been a challenge. Unquestionably, schools collect large amounts of data pertaining to attendance, classroom performance, and behavioral assessments. However, siloed data prevents educators from getting an integrated picture of student needs.

Custom B2B software solutions that integrate all available data can reveal important trends. In turn, teachers can implement changes, long before the student drops out. With custom software, educators receive a more granular view of student performance.

For example, have students experienced cataclysmic changes in academic performance? Do attendance records and grades point to a need for intervention? Custom software development solutions can help educators access and leverage data effectively to increase student motivation and engagement.

Regardless of the issues, Entrance Consulting can help. We have created seamless technology ecosystems to help school districts manage payroll, student data, teacher recruitment, and workforce optimization. Read about how our customized education software can help your institution. Then, get customized solutions for your unique challenges by contacting us today.

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Streamlining Your Apps For Remote Work Efficiency

Nate Richards — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 13:39:55 +0000

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It’s obvious that the pandemic has had a profound impact on our lives and promoted a seismic shift to a work-from-home culture. Today, at least 33% of Americans work remotely on a full-time basis. However, with this transition comes the demand for practical software applications that facilitate remote work efficiency.

Employees need an adequate means of collaborating with their peers, completing assignments, and communicating with their management teams. For this reason, it’s more crucial than ever that apps provide optimal support for the remote workforce.

Key Areas Impacted and How Apps Can Facilitate Remote Work Efficiency

The work-from-home transition highly impacts communication between project team members and management staff. This, in turn, affects project goals and other deadline-oriented tasks. As a result, remote workers will need a new arsenal of apps to assist them in sustaining collaborative efforts and accomplishing tasks. The following are commonly used apps that can help workers in these areas.

Screen Sharing
Team members must be able to share desktop files and other data from their remote locations. Screen sharing applications fill this need, providing a “look over the shoulder” view that facilitates collaboration.
Video Conferencing
Phone conferences can never replace the impact that face-to-face meetings have. However, video-conferencing apps fill this void and allow team members to interact as if they were in the same room. Viewing the gestures and expressions of participants also keeps the meeting more engaging, thus increasing the exchange of ideas.
Team Chats
In between video conferences, chat apps are used to organize group conversations and messages. Efficient apps allow workers to tag others to include in the conversation.
Office Suites
Office applications like Microsoft Office have transitioned online. Connected apps promote the easy sharing of documents, slides, spreadsheets, and project timelines. In addition, team members can add comments in real-time as well as edit files.

Increasing App Efficiency for Teleworkers

In the remote working environment, employees must have access to dependable apps to assist them with daily work responsibilities. Specifically, these apps must be efficiently programmed and extensively tested for dependability as well as efficient response times. The following are some best practices that ensure business apps will run without interruption and latency issues.

Network Optimization

Packet loss causes excessive latency, resulting in slow app responses. Any application can be negatively impacted by packet loss. However, video and audio apps are especially prone to intermittent freezing or buffering issues.

A major cause of packet loss is network congestion. But, it can also be caused by hardware issues along the data path. Packet loss issues can be resolved by ensuring connections are secure, network software is up-to-date, and inefficient hardware is replaced.

A higher bandwidth may be necessary to provide more efficient data transmissions and reduce congestion. In particular, a private backbone is a viable solution to reducing latency as it streamlines the network path and provides direct communication between nodes.

Improve App Loading Times

A significant source of frustration for remote workers is slow-loading apps. Over 50% of users surveyed say that this issue is a major source of frustration. Slow-loading apps cause work-flow disruptions, negatively impacting productivity rates.

Surveys reveal that most users are willing to wait an average of 6-10 seconds for mobile apps to load before abandoning the app completely. Only 31% of users expect load times to be a bit slower on their phones than on their desktops.

One solution to reducing app load times is to scatter site information across various servers through a Content Delivery Network (CDN). The latter uses web servers that are closer in proximity to the end user’s location to transfer static files such as JS and CSS. Using cleaner code, compressing text data, and switching off plug-ins can also help speed up loading times.

Build Efficient APIs

A poorly designed API can cause decreased app performance. This is especially the case for mobile apps, where an incomplete or sloppily designed API can cause many issues. Workarounds can also tax network limitations. The API design should have consistency and completeness with reduced workarounds.

Enable Image Caching

Each device used to access online data has memory limitations. To improve app performance, enabling image caching is advised. Doing so will also reduce the number of server requests at the host.

Disable Unnecessary Background Processes

Background processes can substantially slow loading times since they are memory and battery-intensive. Disabling them will positively impact the app’s performance.

Work With Entrance Consulting to Achieve Remote Work Efficiency

While remote working presents some challenges to every organization, efficient apps can promote communication and collaboration. App quality is critical to preventing excessive retransmissions and latency issues. Additionally, apps must be able to function with lower network speeds since many teleworkers may not have the capacity for high-speed data transmissions.

Entrance Consulting specializes in custom software development, Microsoft 365 consulting, and data management for the manufacturing, energy, education, engineering, and healthcare industries. Struggling with slow loading apps and network latency issues? Contact us to schedule a consultation and explore our custom software solutions.

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How App Speed Affects 4 Key Analytics Measurements

Callum Byers — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 19:57:40 +0000

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You’ve heard it often: Slow websites or apps can cause a loss of credibility. This, in turn, negatively impacts employee productivity and revenues. But, what exactly does this mean in practical terms? For example, how is app loading speed related to productivity?

Let’s get down to specifics. The better you understand the relationship between app speed and analytics data, the better you can identify what needs improvement.

1. Visitor Count

The number of visitors your site gets is critical. If people aren’t visiting your site, it doesn’t matter how exciting your content is. If users predominantly visit your homepage and ignore other pages, your engagement rate will dip. In addition, if the page loading speed is too slow, many people will just give up and leave.

We aren’t just talking about page load times. How long pages take to be fully loaded is less important than how long it takes to reach a usable state and how responsive it is to user interaction. All things considered, loading images is less important than getting key features up quickly so visitors can begin accessing the content.

A site that’s speed-optimized gets repeat visitors. If download times are slow, your visitors may not return. Users expect a page to load in less than two seconds, three at the most. In fact, 40% of users will abandon a page if it takes more than three seconds to load. If your site has a fast reaction time, visitors will come back and recommend the site to others.

We recommend using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to evaluate your site speed and identify what steps you can take to improve.

If your visitor count is rising but your engagement rate remains static, that’s a likely sign your site is suffering from performance problems. It may be handling more traffic than it can adequately process.

2. Bounce Rate

The bounce rate is the percentage of users who visit just one page and then leave without taking further action. The typical cutoff is 30 seconds. Some are just visitors who realize that your site isn’t what they’re looking for. Visitors accustomed to instant gratification, however, won’t tolerate slow loading speeds.

A high bounce rate can have many causes, including unattractive page design and poor SEO. Slow load times are a leading cause of bounces, however. Home and gateway pages shouldn’t be overloaded with functional features that slow them down.

3. Exit Rate

The exit rate is a per-page measure and differs slightly from the bounce rate. It indicates how often visitors exit a particular page.

Every session eventually ends, of course. However, a page that’s intended to inspire further engagement should have a low exit rate. A high rate indicates that users are leaving without taking any tangible action.

If these pages take too long to load, they become lost opportunities. The problem, however, isn’t necessarily load time. If an icon that’s supposed to show product information has trouble loading, users may abandon the page altogether. A quick response will keep users browsing, accessing data, and performing expected actions.

4. Engagement Rate

The ultimate goal of any web app is to get users to take action. Every step along the way needs to be optimized to maximize the engagement rate. What counts as a good engagement rate depends on the site (and industry). For manufacturing apps, you want to provide users with real-time data about industry tips, news, and trends. A mechanical engineering app, for example, will make conversion formulas accessible to users.

Poor performance is a common reason for low app engagement.

These factors all overlap. A drop in visitors or rise in bounces will increase the exit rate from gateway pages. Either one will mean fewer visits to key pages, leading to disappointing results for app usage.

Undoubtedly, all parts of a web app need to perform well. Homepages can have great engagement, but if the other pages are sluggish, the outcome will be poor. Bottlenecks anywhere in the application must be addressed to get the best results.

The best way to avoid slow-loading web apps is to work with experienced developers. At Entrance, we excel in creating custom apps for the manufacturing, healthcare, oil & gas, engineering, and education industries. Get in touch with us to learn how we can create a custom app that will be a pleasure for visitors to use.

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Outsourced Software Development vs. In-House: A Step-by-Step Comparison

Daniel Arwe — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 19:03:48 +0000

Every company needing custom software is faced with two options for development…hiring a team of in-house developers or outsourcing building or maintenance to an external team. While many companies are opting to slim down their in-house development staff in favor of outsourcing, its important to understand the rewards and pitfalls of both options.

Access to Talent

Whether you’re a startup or an established organization, outsourcing software development gives you the choice of top talent for building your team. Often you can view qualifications and narrow your options before you even pick up the phone to engage directly with anyone. Having a close-knit team, in-house, that is intimately familiar with your business needs can seem like big plus. Yet, you also have to weigh that against the chops that an external outfit, whose business is software, will bring. Chances are they’ve used a similar tech stack on multiple projects, and have probably built apps with features similar to your vision. It’s also likely that they’ve encountered problems similar to the ones you are trying to solve.

Flexibility & Scalability

As a software project progresses, there is often a need for diverse skill sets. Some of these skills are only needed temporarily. Addressing this via in-house employees can be a bit of a heavyweight solution and few companies can afford to have workers sit idle during downturns. And let’s face it. Downsizing is painful and not helpful to team morale. Outside developers have the skills needed to fill a temporary void and their cost is targeted to your specific requirements. And when your needs change, upscaling and downscaling are easily accomplished. It is important to consider the following. How quickly do you need to kick off a project? Do you have free resources available or will you need to hire more people? How might demands change in the future?

Collaboration & Commitment

Before running out and hiring an outsourced software development team to tackle your custom software project, it is worth noting some of the main benefits of keeping things in-house. For one, the team you hire will be directing all their efforts toward the success of your particular project. Also, since everyone is under one proverbial “roof,” collaboration is seamless and your team can more quickly react to issues that arise. Outsourcing to the wrong company can mean their commitment to you only lasts as long as the project at hand. With the right due diligence, this can usually be avoided. Great software companies should have no problem providing you a long list of delighted customers that will crow about how awesome they are. They will also be able to offer examples of apps they have built or upgraded, the problems they encountered through those experiences, and the approach and technologies they used to formulate solutions.

Time & Cost of Development

Often an organization’s decision to outsource or not depends largely on the longevity of the project. Like many things, the cost must be weighed against both short and long-term benefits reaped. The question “Is it worth the time, effort, and expense to build an in-house team of software developers?” depends on your situation. If the software you plan on building will require a long-term commitment, then an in-house team may be the way to go. A look at the time and cost factor is enlightening. Let’s consider the time it takes to find good employees with a specific skill set. The hours saved not creating job adds, scheduling interviews, or sifting through stacks of resumes are hours that can be invested in other areas of your business. Think about a homeowner hiring a general contractor, instead of single-handedly managing plumbers, carpenters, and painters. With outsourcing software development you leave the talent acquisition to a trusted partner and they bring their team of tech rock stars to your project’s needs. Also overlooked is the cost involved in building an in-house team of developers. Given the fact that the team you build will more than likely include one or more experts, the salary numbers alone can easily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Also, consider the additional compensation, in terms of insurance and other benefits, that it takes to attract and retain top tech talent, and the upside of using an in-house team is dwarfed for all but the largest ongoing software projects. And those are costs that exist regardless of how busy or idle those developers are. Suffice it to say, building an in-house team of developers is costly.

In-House Vs Outsourced Software Development: Summary

In the world of custom software development, the only constant is change. Building software that can weather that change requires well-designed architecture and the experience to address and overcome obstacles in ways that are maintainable in the future. For companies with a consistent workload, bigger budget, and focus on building their culture, in-house development may be the way to go. For scenarios with less predictable work-loads, and companies with an eye on cost reduction, improved speed, and the flexibility to work with exactly the talent needed, software development outsourcing makes a lot of sense. Only you can truly assess which option is right for your organization. At Entrance, we would be honored to walk with you through that decision. We’ve helped businesses find top talent for their in-house team and also played various roles in meeting our clients’ outsourcing needs.

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Is Your App’s UI/UX Up-to-Date?

Daniel Arwe — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:56:48 +0000

When it comes to the apps today’s companies rely on to turn prospects into leads, leads into customers, and customers into loyal clientele, staying on the cutting edge of app evolution can leave even industry-leading companies gasping for breath. The experience a user has with a business online, in the space of less than a minute, can furnish it with a reliable revenue stream or relegate it to the e-commerce dustbin.

What is UI/UX and Why Does It Matter?

Starting with the broad view, UX, or user experience, deals with how the user interacts with a company and its services or products. UI, or user interface, deals with interactive features, such as menu bars and buttons, that serve as touchpoints between a user and an application. How that user experiences your business, through the lens of your application, is almost always their first—and perhaps last—impression of your company. With so much riding on that interaction, you can’t afford not to think about UI/UX. While the old adage “You can’t judge a book by its cover” may be true, the reality is users judge companies by their websites regularly. An outdated interface will undermine user confidence and encourage them to shop more modern competitor sites. Attractive graphics, intuitive navigation, and ease of use can make a big difference in traffic and retention of customers, helping separate you from the competition. While the skeptic in you might say, “But my app has a good time-tested UX that users are familiar with. It works and has a good conversion rate.” While button colors and background style may seem like small potatoes, studies by Forrester Research, an independent information technology research company, show that on average every dollar invested in design brings in $100 in profit. Fair or not, when users see an outdated app, it affects their perception of not just your app, but of your company as a whole.

How Do I Know If My UI/UX Needs an Update?

Often knowing what you want starts with understanding what you don’t want. Before we can appreciate what good UX is, let’s explore what it’s not. With new apps coming out every day, it’s easier to find an alternative than for a user to deal with a clunky, outdated app that doesn’t offer what they are seeking. Let’s look at the main reasons for app abandonment.

An app doesn’t meet users’ needs. Simply stated, a user downloads an app to solve a problem. If it doesn’t do that, chances are excellent there is one out there that will. Often, this happens when developers don’t grasp how users interact with their app.

Load time. The percentage of users who open a website or app and leave without taking any further action (such as clicking a link or visiting another page) is the “bounce rate,” and it increases dramatically as load times increase from 1 to 10 seconds.

Bad onboarding. The process by which users learn to navigate a new app is critical. Annoying popups that cover up information, confusing input forms, and unclear navigation steps are just a few UX aggravations that drive customers into the arms of your competitors.

Privacy concerns. Frankly, with many users wary of companies that sell information to third parties, track their location, or leave data poorly protected, giving them the assurance that their data is secure and confidential is a must.

On the flip side, let’s look at the things that will help your business stand out and drive users to your site or app.

Responsive Design & Cross-Platform Functionality. When mobile devices began to gain market traction, there was a need for specific UIs for desktop, mobile, and tablets. Now, when you embrace solid design principles for your app, one layout can be tailored to dynamically adjust to any device, making the UX across devices. Since the length of the average user interaction shrinks with the size of the screen of the device used, your UI needs to become increasingly efficient the smaller the device.

Updated Visuals. Changing the UI/UX of your app is a great opportunity to make it really pop visually. A wide array of fonts are now available, allowing you to branch out from the standard Google fonts for website visuals. Custom photography is another way to distinguish your business. If your business is to stand out, why use the same images everyone else is? Also, embracing minimalism in logo design and other graphic design aspects can speed up load times. Finally, the digital card trend that has gone viral with blogs and websites provides an efficient way to present visual content and thus has begun finding its way into business applications.

Keep Users Front-of-Mind. The whole point of a change in UX and UI is to deliver value to your users. To that end, pay close attention and take the time to understand who uses your application, how they use it, and what they like the most. Early on, focus groups and wireframes can get things off to a solid start. Later, usability testing allows users to complete a set of tasks and looks at how they do so. This reveals opportunities to improve by simplifying processes or making them more intuitive. Integrating feedback must be done surgically, prioritizing the most frequently-reported issues or those that have the greatest impact on a user’s experience.

Since, in most cases, a UI/UX redesign is not your company’s forte, choosing the right partner to come alongside you in this process is critical. At Entrance, we take the time to understand our clients, their business, and what their users and industry demand. Let us give your users the kind of experience that sets you apart as the company whose app is exactly what they are looking for. Contact our office to arrange a sit down with one of our team members.

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How to Make Sure Your App Is Compatible With Windows Updates

Joshua Whitmore — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 19:36:55 +0000

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You’ve invested considerable time and resources to create an amazing app — but it crashes every time a Windows update is released. To say you’re frustrated would be an understatement. Late last year, Windows 10 updates caused app crashes left and right. Users reportedly had to re-enter their app credentials each time they re-started Windows 10. Fortunately, this bug has been fixed.

Still, how can you make sure your app maintains its functionality through succeeding Windows updates? Read on to find out.

Keep Your App Updated

If you’ve built a custom app for your employees or customers, implementing proactive measures to avoid Windows update disruptions is a must. To start, make sure you’re performing regular updates on your app.

As a developer, you know that the work of creating an app is never done. However, to maintain the credibility of your brand in the long term, consistent maintenance is important. With new software being released every day, it’s important to keep on top of industry trends and ensure that your app is keeping pace.

Besides, your employees and customers expect updates. Infrequent updates can lead users to doubt the quality of your app. So, it’s a good idea to update every 30-40 days. Tell users that you’re updating to enhance the UI interface, introduce new features, or release fixes for app bugs. And — ask for feedback. You’ll get a granular view of user preferences and wish-lists. It’s a gold mine of data you can leverage to make your app better and more relevant for your users.

Check the App’s Storage Size

Essentially, size and loading speed can make or break your app when it comes to Windows updates. Ideally, your app won’t monopolize hard drive or mobile bandwidth — that could lead to huge challenges. Note that the App Store limits the size of the apps users can download over a mobile connection. In addition, mobile devices have limited storage and user data plans may not adequately cover long download times.

A large file download can overload operating systems and cause crashes. Make sure your app isn’t causing a data bandwidth bottleneck, as that’s a sure-fire way for it to crash during a Windows update.

Test Your App With Different Anti-Virus Software

Sometimes, when Windows releases a security patch, it can cause app instability and crashes. Before releasing your app, test it on multiple platforms using different anti-virus software. You want to make sure that antimalware or third-party endpoint security options won’t cause glitches on your app.

Ideally, you’ll want to disable third-party antivirus programs during app updates. After the update is complete, you can enable them again. Meanwhile, consider using Microsoft Defender to protect app security during updates.

Make Sure Nothing Is Crippling your App’s Performance

Regardless of when Windows updates are released, you want to make sure nothing is stunting the performance of your app. If your app performs real-time data streaming, you’ll want to optimize end-to-end performance.

Here’s why:

The COVID-19 crisis has precipitated a staggering rise in video streaming over smartphones. Users are streaming sports events, musical performances, and concerts over mobile devices. Since Q1 2020, streaming has increased by 12% and traffic has increased by 30-50% across mobile and fixed devices.
Movie and video streaming have increased by leaps and bounds. Youtube users watch over one billion hours of video every day on the platform. In 2021, the number of OTT (over-the-top) video service users in America will reach 198 million (up from 170 million users in 2017).
As of 2020, 29% of video time is now spent on mobile devices.

Poor end-to-end performance can affect how your app holds up during Windows updates. This is important because 37% of users will think negatively of a brand if its mobile app crashes or causes errors. In addition, nearly 50% of users will remove the app altogether. To maintain user satisfaction with performance levels (and prevent Windows update crashes), you’ll want to implement mobile application performance monitoring.

How Entrance Consulting Can Help

Reach out and contact us today, and we can walk you through all the steps needed to safeguard your app from any new Windows updates that may affect it. At Entrance, we build custom apps and are familiar with the challenges of doing so.

Our team can provide guidance at every step of the process — from the creation of your app to its maintenance years down the road. We can help make sure your app will continue impressing users for the long term!

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How to Motivate Your Employees to Drink the Modern App Design Kool-Aid

Callum Byers — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 20:44:18 +0000

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Today, businesses work tirelessly to create apps that offer enhanced user interfaces. This is where modern app design proves its value. A well-designed app can increase employee engagement, collaboration, and productivity.

In the past few years, application development has significantly pivoted towards user-centered design.

At its heart, user-centered design incorporates user feedback at every step of the process. Developers use mockups, usability evaluations, and site maps to develop iterations. The ultimate goal is to meet the business needs of employees and other end-users.

Modern app development also supports a multi-client or multi-architecture framework. These apps provide a consistent API for accessing features and functions. Businesses that embrace modern app development realize higher employee satisfaction and lower turnover as they are able to address employee needs and pain points.

Principles of Modern App Design

Modern app design offers scalability and the ability to deploy on modern cloud platforms. It has proven to be a game-changer for business growth in an ever-evolving market. At its heart, modern app development focuses on leveraging the 12-factor app methodology to build resilient software-as-a-service apps for enterprise organizations.

Essentially, modern app development delivers changes (iterations) over time, with the end product as originally conceived, but tested and calibrated along the way to meet employee needs.

Below are the key modern app design principles you can sell to employees as infuse modern app design into your workplace culture.

Architecture

Container-based microservices tops the list of modern app design architectures. Companies that embrace it and best practices like Agile and DevOps can quickly adapt software applications to employee needs and market trends. With APIs, businesses can get better insights from connected apps and data. The microservices approach ensures that code is isolated. So, you can make small changes and test those changes without compromising the whole project.

Essentially, modern app design allows you to build and deploy apps affordably and efficiently.

Usability

By and large, your dev team needs to assess an app’s effectiveness, ease of navigation, efficiency, and error tolerance before deploying it. Designing apps for optimum usability builds trust and confidence, facilitating greater employee engagement.

In modern app design, we see clear, intuitive navigation menus contributing to an organic arrangement of data. This ensures that content isn’t fragmented but accessible in orderly sections. Meanwhile, the core functions are appropriately highlighted, and users can find secondary information via the search bar. Optimized load times also contribute to usability. Studies show that apps with faster loading times average session lengths that are 70% longer and bounce rates that are 35% lower.

Fast loading times can go a long way towards convincing reluctant employees to embrace your new app.

UI/UX Look & Feel

Modern UI design is essential in establishing your brand’s credibility. Your dev team needs to adapt to usability patterns and visual trends to appeal to your employees.

UI consistency, for example, helps users engage easily with your apps. Your team can also adopt purposeful animations and gradient visuals to encourage interaction. As busy professionals, your employees will likely also appreciate smart forms/inputs that only ask for what’s needed.

Dev teams can leverage Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa to create convenient voice interactions that enhance the user experience. Modern app design is consistently shifting towards AI-powered voice-controlled technologies. Keeping in step with this evolving trend ensures greater employee satisfaction.

Passwordless authentication has also taken center stage, with numerous apps adopting biometric recognition features. As an illustration, facial identification, fingerprint scanning, and pattern detection don’t require your employees to remember and keep track of passwords.

If you have a diverse workforce and employees with disabilities, incorporating accessible design features is a critical investment. In-app voice navigation tools and gesture-based vibrations for biometric authentication need not constitute a time-intensive investment. Including them can transform employee perceptions of your organizational culture. In particular, point out to late-adopters that modern app design facilitates inclusivity and accessibility.

Change Management & Incentives

To encourage a high rate of user adoption, leverage change management practices to support your employees and achieve a successful app rollout and implementation. For example, use in-app “wizard” tutorials & walkthroughs to provide a visual highlight of improvements and changes.

A knowledgebase or wiki can increase employee confidence when navigating your new app. You can also reward the employees who have given the most feedback, logged into the app at the highest rates, and mentored the most people in adopting your new app. In light of COVID-19, companies are increasingly using gift cards and merchandise as incentives. Essentially, you’ll want to use incentives as a change agent.

Finally, include a feedback mechanism so employees can share frustrations, report bugs, and suggest iterative changes. This can go a long way towards motivating employees to accept the principles of modern app design.

Drive Success With Modern App Design

Getting your employees to adopt modern app design will transform your app development process. Subsequently, an effective app design process results in enhanced user adoption and satisfaction.

App modernization can also impact your bottom line positively. With multi-container orchestration frameworks, microservices, or DevOps-based approaches, modern app design is full of possibilities. Entrance Consulting can help you assess your legacy apps and leverage modern app development to meet your goals. Let us evaluate your business needs today to create a customized app modernization process for you!

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What App Modernization Is and Why You Need It

Nate Richards — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 16:01:49 +0000

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Staying current with technology can be a challenge for many businesses. However, to facilitate operational efficiency, it’s essential to audit and update legacy IT infrastructures. Yet, although businesses know that digital transformation and app modernization is essential, many still avoid change. Why?

According to Cisco’s 2020 Small Business Digital Maturity Study, the COVID-19 crisis has precipitated increased digital transformation in the SMB world. However, in both North America and Western Europe, digital transformation is still mired in the early stages (> 50%). Meanwhile, Latin America lags far behind: more than 55% of businesses still rely on manual processes and there’s little tactical investment in digitalization.

In eight markets (France, Germany, the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Chile, the U.K. & Mexico), only 4% of businesses have achieved digital native status. Small businesses that have undergone digital transformation see 8x faster revenue growth than their digitally indifferent counterparts. Yet, many SMBs balk at change: Fear is an overriding factor.

What Constitutes a Legacy App?

According to Technopedia, a legacy app is a “software application that is considered obsolete or that is based on technology…older than the current standard.”

A common occurrence with such apps is that they don’t integrate well with newer systems and fail to perform to their utmost potential. Additionally, they may also conflict with newer security standards, which can make them vulnerable to data breaches.

Still, employees appreciate the familiarity of legacy apps. More than anything, these apps reflect a vast investment in time and resources. However, legacy code can precipitate costly interruptions in business operations. As a result, app modernization becomes a necessity rather than a mere policy choice.

Why Replace Legacy Apps?

There are several reasons to undertake an app modernization project. Modernized apps have the following features:

Overall cost reduction in ownership
Enhanced response times
Scalability of operations
The replacement of obsolete, costly technologies that support the legacy app

Essentially, app modernization constitutes the repurposing or re-coding of legacy code to meet modern business requirements.

Evaluating App Modernization Approaches

Research firm Gartner provides a three-step evaluation process for modernizing apps.

1) Determine what issues, concerns, and impediments the app is creating. Business fit, value, and agility must be considered from a business perspective. From an IT perspective, cost, complexity, and risk must be closely examined.

2) Carefully weigh modernization options that pose the least risk to business processes. These options are as follows:

-Encapsulating the data and its functions, which will expand the app’s features
-Redeploying the app to a virtual or cloud infrastructure without modifying the code
-Migrating to an entirely different platform, allowing only minimal changes to the app
-Optimizing the existing code, improving its nonfunctional attributes
-Making changes to the code to shift to a new application architecture
-Rebuilding the app from scratch but preserving its original scope and specifications
-Eliminating the app and replacing it with a new one that fits end-user requirements

3) Determine the appropriate modernization approach by considering the one that brings the most value to the organization.

Best Practices For App Modernization

Success in modernizing legacy apps can be attained with consideration of the following factors.

Setting goals to measure the success of app modernization and working to stay within the intended purposes of modernization
Identifying how app modernization can address COVID-impacted production schedules, cash flow, and supply chain resiliency with the least interruption in daily operations
Utilizing internal digital talent (staff knowledgeable in Java, .Net, Mobile, and API) to fuel digital transformation

App Modernization With Entrance Consulting

In the era of digital transformation, businesses can retain their competitive edge by leveraging disruptive technology. Essentially, core apps must evolve with the business climate. In light of the current crisis, security is a top consideration.

Obsolete legacy apps often conflict with advanced security models. They are also costly to maintain. As a result, the modernization of these apps, whether through an upgrade or replacement, is necessary. In any case, modernizing the app will enhance its security and protect against malware attacks and cyber breaches.

Entrance Consulting is a custom software development company with extensive experience in legacy app modernization. Contact us for more information on our complete line of software application solutions that can keep your business a step ahead of the competition.

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