When Mobile Apps Meet the Enterprise

Surely by now, you have overcome your picture of a mobile app as some techie way to kill time.  Mobile productivity apps are on the rise and these help employees become more efficient while collaborating on-the-go.  The top goal of these apps is to deliver maximum impact to your business and there’s a good reason that the market for these enterprise apps are growing.  From those apps that allow you to do basic tasks like having access to your contacts and emails, we’re seeing more complex tasks like dashboards and analytics.  We even have social business apps helping teams communicate real-time updates with their peers, wherever they are located in the world. موقع 1xbet

What Can Exactly Go Wrong?

While adoption of enterprise mobile apps is on the rise, your employees may be using those that are not approved by IT and you may just be exposed to security risks (malware, phishing, etc).  How can you protect yourself?  Most seasoned enterprise software developer will tell you that you should:

1.    Spell out how the mobile app will be handled – from conception to deployment.  Guidelines must be established, a.k.a. Governance.
2.    Iterate.  You have to develop and test your mobile apps more as this will be updated frequently by your users.  If you’re running apps on your corporate WiFi, make sure that this is capable of supporting your application’s protocols and its users.
3.    Put security on your priority list, which is a no-brainer.  What standards and practices would you set?  Do you even have a secured VPN connection?
4.    Educate your users.  While proactively posting updates can help your employees remember to download them, you have to document and train your team on how to use the app – from tutorials, user manuals to FAQ sheets.
5.    Measure what you can improve.  This is why it’s important to set metrics to determine if the app is really useful and functional – and how you can make it better for everyone.

The worst mistake you can do when adopting a mobile enterprise app is to separate it from your business process.  Rather, you would want to see it blend seamlessly with the entire organization.  For example, your mobile app allows exchange of notes on this idea map but then, you can’t update the data on your central system that it requires your users to enter details manually – adding more work than ever.  The last thing you need is a fancy mobile app that makes your team work double time.  More so, if you’re running cloud-based platforms, you may just have to build a central hub to integrate existing systems with new ones. لعبه القمار

It sounds simpler than it looks but overall, the point is to start building your mobile app plan that will move your business forward and make your employees happier – minus the risks.

Just another reason… Why You Should Get Seriously Mobile This 2014

What Motivates You?

Remember that very first time a brilliant idea hit you like some meteor crashing on your head? قمار الخيل   Do you even recall what it feels like the very first time you opened your business?  How excited were you? Most important, do you still feel that excitement?  When I started my first venture, it felt like I’m on a very important mission to Mars, seriously.  I want to solve problems through the power of coding and technology.  As years passed by and the business grew, I have to admit how I love the status quo that rocking the boat feels like something totally out of the question.  I just can’t risk it,  given these tough economic times.  I believe most business owners can relate to my experience.  As the adage goes, ‘if you’re not part of the problem, you’re part of a solution’. If I were to rephrase it then, if you’re not creating a problem – you’re not creating a sustainable solution; you’re just waiting for things to magically form out of thin air.

Disruptive Innovation Starts With Disrupting Your Mindset

You’ve probably heard of the ‘Fail Fast’ concept and the idea behind it is to embrace failure as a journey to success.  Makes sense for some and for others, a hot topic for debate.  But why would you even risk failure when things are working just fine?  Suddenly, you start to scratch your head as you see this new competitor shining so bright it threatens the very existence of your business. سلوتس اون لاين   Your brand suddenly feels like a commodity, your bottom line is shrinking and your top people are disconnected with your company’s goals.  In fact, you’ve got more brainpower right now as you’re surrounded by A-level management and you begin to wonder why nobody’s speaking up each time you have a brainstorming session.  What’s the problem?  You.. or them?

Building a Culture of Problem-Solvers

You might agree with me or not: Entrepreneurs who are good at problem solving are best equipped in solving their customers’ pain points effectively.  In the era of rapid changes, creating an innovative culture is not a choice; it is a MUST if you want your business to thrive longer.  How can you adjust your expectations so you can motivate your people to take more risks.. with minimal damage?  How can you reposition your company in your industry?  The answer is simple: Stop Micromanaging.  Treat each team player as a decision maker and give them the tools to solve real problems. مراهنات كرة قدم Get everyone involved in the planning process and you’d be amazed, after all these years, at all those awesome ideas shared and people are super-excited to add value to the table. It worked for me which I’m totally grateful for…and I’d say that passion trumps experience all the time.

What are you waiting for then?  You won’t know unless you try…

Thinking Outside Multiple Boxes

Or, thousands of them.  In today’s ever-shifting business environment, those who can think and act strategically are worth their weight in gold.  I’m pretty sure that at some point, every company has a need for strategic leaders – and it’s always an urgent job vacancy that remains unfilled for many.  Innovation is quite overrated these days that you have to really understand just what makes leaders strategic and what are they supposed to do in your organization.  Is strategic thinking simply a mindset, or a set of specialized skills?  How can you even encouraged strategic thinking when immediate actions are often rewarded over long-term idea generation and planning?  These are just a few questions to consider.

The Leadership Mystery We Fail to Solve

Despite numerous attempts to define leadership at its finest, there’s still a grey line somewhere on what makes a true, great leader.  Opinions vary and theories are many when it comes to the nature of leadership.  Is it more than just the art of dealing with people and having a vision?  There are lots of right opportunities to develop people into highly effective leaders; they don’t simply sprout like some micro-organism in a Petri Dish.  Perhaps, they may be born with the gift, but those with the right type of training, tools and experiences have an increased ability in strategic thinking.  Developing an exceptional leader is not some secret craft made only for the elite few – if management will reward people for thinking and keeping them updated with what’s really happening.  Communication and transparency are not really a mystery after all. العاب على الهاتف

What Makes a Good Strategic Thinker?

It’s a tough job; make no mistake about it. To sum it up, strategic leaders are those who:

•    Think Clearly and Act Quickly when issues and opportunities arise
•    Deliver Value to the Business
•    See the Organization’s Vision in a bird’s eye view and anticipate beyond what’s directly ahead
•    Questions everything without fear
•    Love to explore new products, services and markets
•    Proactively find ways in achieving complex goals
•    Test assumptions and integrate multiple sources to come up with a well-informed, sound and smart decision
•    Build Passion, Drive and Inspiration among the team
•    Embrace Change with open arms
•    See Failure as a journey; not a destination

Obviously, no one person is born with all these skills and learning it can be daunting.  In large organizations, there may be one or more strategic leaders who complement each other as they work towards a common goal.  Now, I’d like to leave you with one question:

Do You Have What It Takes?

Fear the Rise of the Machines

I’ve been asked one time by this small business owner why he should outsource data mining tasks when he can use an intelligent web scraping tool that does the same job – for less. Besides, the pay-as-you go model costs way cheaper than the hourly rate of an outsourced data miner. Truth is, even those third party vendors are consumers of cloud services and it’s a no-brainer that you can also learn how to use these tools yourself.  When the cost of labor rises each year, enterprises are forced to look for integrated solutions that offer convenience, flexibility and security. betfinal Some may argue that outsourcing may cost more in terms of investment and the headaches that come with it may not be well worth it.  When more businesses are going global, it’s only smart to find the balance between the best talents and cost-effective technology around.

Winning in the World of Agile Outsourcing

If you’ve been in the outsourcing industry for quite some time, you know that challenges abound – from management, compliance to something as mediocre as time zone differences.  Now, those running a BPO need not to panic as cloud adoption is not yet that ripe to affect the business model in a huge scale.  Yes, the threat is there especially when cloud adoption is disrupting the sourcing marketplace.  Sure, there will be negative and positive consequences to watch for.  Those who are looking at the cloud for some leverage may be doing so because this is closer to the business – which means not having to oversee teams in multiple locations, not to mention having to deal with cultural and language barriers.  Would you say that everyone wants instant gratification these days?  There’s just this grey line between automation and outsourcing I can’t define, for argument’s sake.

Are You Ready for a Hybrid IT Outsourcing Model?

No doubt that we will see more companies looking for smaller, affordable deals that pack a punch. كيفية لعبة البوكر   Last time, I told you that 2014 will be the year of the Hybrids.  If IT service providers want to profit and compete, they have to look for ways to use automation to their end and bank on their customer satisfaction guarantee to ensure that clients will be loyal to their business.  Besides, these customers are smarter; they’ve realized that outsourcing is full of empty promises and they might be better off doing the jobs themselves (or, with the help of these new tools).  Outsourcing vendors need to step it up a notch and find new ways of differentiating themselves in a saturated marketplace.

It will all come down to value-added services that offer real solutions to business problems; not just  a band aid fix.  On a lighter note, people are good at adapting to radical change so they may just find new jobs managing these machines.  Now, that’s ironic.

Should You Hire a Chief Innovation officer?

Call them the new ‘CIO’ or ‘CINO’ – this new breed of consultants are catalysts of change who have developed a well-rounded set of technical expertise, business cunning, excellent leadership and people skills all-rolled-into-one.  They are not merely growth hackers predicting the path to business success, but they are also stewards mentoring every business unit to make sure that the plan is implemented accordingly.  If you’re asking whether you should hire a CIO for your organization or not, you must be asking yourself how to find one instead.  The ability to continuously improve and innovate faster has never been easy.  Finding someone who can deliver impact to your business is like searching for the rarest of gems. ترتيب البوكر You’ll need all the luck!

Innovation’s Best-Kept Secrets

Think of your Chief Innovation Officer as the final block to complete the 3D puzzle.  Just type the word ‘innovation’ on search engines and you’ll see lots of resources on ways to innovate.  Sometimes, you have to look beyond the usual way of things if you really want real change.  Thanks to technology, hiring someone outside your own comfort zone adds diversity to the organization.  Bringing in people from different culture and experiences may just open your mind to what you’ve been missing in the way you do business with your customers.  As Steve Jobs said, ‘Put a Dent in the Universe’.. and that may literally translate to having someone who may be the exact polar opposite of people working in your office.  Radical? Yes. Sometimes, you have to rock the boat a little, shift the balance of power to get from points A to B – faster.

What Questions You Should Be Asking Instead

As I mentioned from my last post that this year will be exciting as hybrid talents are on the rise, as the key decision maker, you should ask:

•    How can I gain a sustained competitive advantage in a saturated market?
•    Who can I trust to implement a successful innovation strategy from ground-level..up?
•    Who are insatiably passionate about what they do and are willing to push the limits to explore new ideas?
•    Who can collaborate with different departments and act as an ambassador of idea generation?
•    Who can successfully pilot your innovation road map to align with your business goals?
•    Who is realistic enough to allow room for growth while minimizing risks that come with failure?

Probably by now, you have the answer to this question which can only be summed up by a talented CINO.  The business world is facing major changes and the only way to become a game changer is to be as creative, as fearless and as realistic.  You’ve got to be unconventional this time or you may simply bring in someone who will relentlessly focus on how to grow your business for the long run. سباق الخيل

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. استراتيجية الروليت To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – Buckminster Fuller

Working in a Multi-Dimensional Zone

If finding the right IT skills for the job was that easy, we wouldn’t have headaches right now.  It is not new to us that many tech professionals are still stuck with traditional roles, and they may not have the business and people skills needed to become A-players in the enterprise.  How many developers out there are social-media savvy, cloud-smart and an e-commerce maverick?  A very gifted few, I’d say.  How many more in the IT care about understanding their business goals and its customers?  One may argue that this is like becoming a Jack-of-all-trades which may devalue their worth in the jobs market. العاب بوكر On the contrary, it’s all about making yourself more valuable in the eyes of the employer with a few expertise that will help their business stay competitive – even if there are cheaper alternatives.  It’s about custom-fit skills made for specific needs.

Hybrid IT Roles Will Become Mainstream

IT has morphed beyond recognition and with new technology comes new shoes to fill in.  We may see a growth in demand for enterprise architects who know how to integrate cloud computing with existing systems too.  Sustainability and scalability are crucial when companies are adopting cloud models in their business. There is also a demand for business analysts who have a few data scientist skills so s/he can look deeper into all those numbers and come up with an intelligence that will drive more sales.  Then, large organizations may be looking for those IT folks with social skills to help make security and compliance policies easily understood from bottom-up.  Of course, software developers shouldn’t just code, but they should understand customer experience when someone navigates a website… and many more, I guess.  Everything’s integrated.

Connecting in a Hybrid World of Hybrid Skills

It sounds funny if we say that IT skills are mutating and we may just label ourselves as mutants in the job marketplace.  Turns out that technology is also undergoing some supercharged metamorphosis – from open hybrid cloud models to enterprise computing.  There’s just this need to have a centralized approach where IT governance is concerned. كيفية الربح في الكازينو Everyone wants to control big data with cost-effective cloud components and there’s a gold mine of opportunity here.  While many are debating who owns the cloud in the Amazon developer’s jungle, take note that in order to succeed these days – you may just have to create a demand.  Manipulative?  Maybe.  For the same reason that I’ve asked you from my last post if you can create value through innovation, this time, let’s make a swap and ask ourselves on how we can create innovation through solutions that provide real value to the business.

Did you know that 90 percent of data online is unstructured? Now, that’s a cue for you to come up with ways of filtering the signal from all these noise.  Good Luck!

Revamping Your Business Model

I would lie if I tell you that innovating your products and processes is easy.  In fact, it is expensive and time-consuming in most parts. Coupled with a certain level of uncertainty on growing your profit and adopting change, I can’t blame companies why they would put a lid to innovation before it even begins.  If you take the time to look at your Point of Difference, or what makes your product/service quality different from the rest – you would have found your master key that will unlock the elusive door of success in your marketing and sales strategies. بلاك جاك   It’s not enough to simply make a list of the benefits your business has to offer, but you should find new areas where your competition does not act.

Are You Ready to Compete on User Experience?

I’d like to throw this question your way.  It’s not new to you that more companies out there are using digital marketing to reach their customers and build relationships with them.  Problem is that it’s getting tougher to get your message out there in the tidal wave of information. Digitally-savvy customers are harder to engage this time, even with all the deals and freebies that you can find to lure them to your site. مواقع المراهنات الرياضية You’ve got to be credible, authentic and transparent to gain their trust. You have to find more ways of making them feel part of your brand; not just mere observers.  You have to put yourself in their shoes and think of what they value the most.

Change is Good

When the bar is set higher, how you do business is more important than what you do.  Your customers carry an invisible score card each time they interact with your brand. For this reason, I have created Simple Pay Finance to address the pain points of many in the dental profession who is suffering the ‘Empty Dental Chair Syndrome’.  To sum it up, I’m bridging the gap between dentists and their patients through hassle-free financing.  We get more patients in the door and give patients the friendly support they need.  Everybody’s happy then which makes for a win-win case.  Moral of the story is: Take some time to think of how you can solve your customers (and even their customers’) problems and make solving it a breeze.

You’ve got technology at your disposal and the possibilities are endless!

**We’ll be at the 2014 RMDC (Rocky Mountain Dental Convention) this January 23rd…  Do drop by to say hello and double your chance of winning a MacBook Air HERE

Responsive design is here to stay and it’s becoming the new normal in web standards. Take my word for it.  Problem is, it’s not quite easy as it sounds.  How do you get started with that mobile-friendly site?

Start With These Six Responsive Web Design Tools…

Responsive Wireframes

You want to visualize how your site will look.. but don’t know how to get started?  You can use this experimental tool with simple layout to help you simulate how each page would change responsively – with HTML and CSS only.

Gridless

If you need a boilerplate for making that responsive website with ease, this site may work for you.  It also promises beautiful typography – simple and straightforward.

PhotoFluid

You want to test first your website in various screen resolutions and sizes.  All you have to do is Launch the app, enter the URL and select your chosen dimension. Have fun and test your site!

Adaptive Images

If you’re not keen into having major changes, you can set up and run this tool that works on your existing site.  This can be useful as it detects your visitor’s screen size and automatically creates, caches, and delivers a re-scaled version of your web page’s embedded HTML images. كيف تربح المال من النت

Style Tiles

Whether you are the client or the designer, having a common visual language helps improve discussions – without wasting time on creating multiple design mockups.  This is great for exchanging feedbacks and coming up with the right design for your site. لربح المال

Foundation from Zurb

Dubbed as the professional choice for designers, developers and teams – this tool provides you everything from semantics, mobile, customization, rapid prototyping and a whole lot more.

and here’s 50 more tools that you can check to help you get your site responsive.  Now, if you’re clueless about all the coding works and would like to build your website from scratch – you can check out StudioPress (also known as the Genesis Framework) which comes with responsive and mobile-friendly templates and themes.

At the end of the day, we’re all looking for the same thing: a functional, simple, responsive and beautiful website.. minus the coding nightmare.  Hopefully, the experience will get more effortless as fully-integrated CMS lets you create such and manage content in a breeze.

Do you need help coming up with a responsive web design?  Just Ask!

Putting Your Business-on-the-Go

Your target market expects a mobile-friendly site. While there are predictions that 2014 will be the year of responsive design, one thing’s certain though – more people are demanding a seamless user experience when shopping online.  Mobile users are on the rise and for the same reason that demand grows for mobile payment solutions.  You may have done business on the road and that person would have bought on the spot if only they’ve got enough cash.  Thanks to mobile credit card terminals that can turn your smart phones or tablets into payment portals, that minor inconvenience costing you business profit is resolved.  You can even send mobile invoices.

Are You Ready for Mobile?

It’s useless to drive your customers to your mobile site or app if you don’t create a great user experience to start with.  This is why it is crucial that you clearly map your goals for your mobile marketing campaign – whether your goal is to drive awareness, signups, customer loyalty, testimonials or redeemable deals.  For this reason, I’m sharing with you the very basics of building a strong mobile presence for your brand:

1. You’ve got to be uniquely consistent with your brand image and message.
2. Personalize the experience.  Here’s where you can give your audience an extra nudge with custom offers based on their location and searches.
3. Keep it Simple.  What’s great about responsive design is that it renders your content properly no matter what the screen size is.  Everyone loves an app that loads faster, easier to navigate and downloads in seconds.
4. Combine the best of SMS text messaging with rich media.  You can always ask people if they want push notifications on your weekly specials – mixed with rich media messages.  Be very careful not to annoy users with frequent messages though. kjope ivectin
5. Get creative with your content.  With mobile marketing, content get shorter and you’ve got to find ways on capturing your customer’s attention in a span of a few seconds.  Think Vine.
6. Bring gamification to new heights that will compel people to click.  People love competition and rewards.
7. Get social with your mobile marketing by complementing it with social media.  Did you know that more than 1 in 6 people access Facebook on their phones?
8. Don’t forget to measure your brand engagement when you’re doing targeted mobile ads as this will help you polish your mobile marketing’s conversion funnels.
9. Maximize your mobile campaigns with loyalty and customer referral programs. ivermectin for rabbits fleas
10. TEST. Continuously improve what works and what doesn’t when it comes to content, functionality and design.  Simple tweaks can create a huge effect in your site visits and conversion.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  In my next post, I will be discussing about tools you can use to create a responsive web design.  Watch out for that!

Do you think that mobile will completely take over desktop this 2014?  Let me know what you think in the comments…

Happy New Year! 

From Vendors to DIY Outsourcing

As the year closed, we saw trends in businesses taking outsourcing matters into their own hands.  For the same reason that online freelancing workplaces are growing its user base.  Even small businesses are becoming huge players in the IT outsourcing field.  Are we seeing the death of the middleman in sourcing transactions?  Too soon to tell.  As many are pushing for flexible pricing terms and automating certain back office functions, we may see a tug-of-war between offshore and domestic service providers. ربح حقيقي من الانترنت

Content Taking Context

Content marketers will have to step up their game this year and add more value so they can guide their audience to their conversion funnel.  Accountability in marketing ROI is called for and those who can’t deliver may crack under the pressure. كازينو مباشر   We’ll we ever see the rise of targeted content that caters to the mobile crowd? Positive.  Some things are certain though:  There’s no such thing as free lunch and brands need to get smarter in choosing the best distribution channels + networks for their message.

Disruptive Innovation Meets Regulation

Surely, we’ve been fascinated with 3D printing and wearable tech as the year closed.  As these and more new technology come in contact with our daily living, we’ll see more debates in coming up with laws and regulations that aim to protect user data and privacy.  Work will be disrupted by automated machines, technology and processes in a good and bad way that policies need to be implemented by the book in many enterprises. تعليم القمار   Will the Internet of Things become the precursor to deployment of the hybrid cloud model?  Let’s wait and see.

You may say that this post sounds cryptic as I didn’t include specifics.  Thing is, there might be something new right now that we haven’t heard of.. which may become the latest buzz in the next 24 hours.  The possibilities are limitless, the risks are many.  Trends come and go in the IT world but overall, we feel optimistic as we keep a watchful eye.

You May Also Read:

Cloud Computing Predictions for 2014 – Forrester
SaaS Predictions for 2014 – PC World
Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2014

Do you have trends and predictions you wish to share?  Add them in the comments, thanks!