Software : The new face of application development |
- The new face of application development
- Buying Guide: Cool gadgets: The best tech you can buy in 2014
- Industry voice: Three tools every small business can't do without
- Satya Nadella to Microsoft employees: We will focus on IoT, cloud and mobility
| The new face of application development Posted:  Not so long ago, application development was a highly specialised area of expertise that an ordinary organisation simply would not consider taking on themselves. But the app world is becoming more accessible than ever, encouraging businesses to take on a DIY attitude and build custom applications for their enterprise needs. To find out more on this trend and discover how such an approach is benefiting companies, we sat down for a Q&A with Progress Software CTO, Karen Tegan Padir. TechRadar Pro: Why are enterprises increasingly looking to create their own applications in-house? Karen Tegan Padir: There are a lot of advantages these days to building your own application. Enterprises realise that not all business function can be easily addressed just by purchasing packaged software. Furthermore, packaged software almost always requires customisation, which is time consuming and expensive. As deployment environments are rapidly shifting from on premises with a range of different operating systems, to virtualised environments and ultimately to cloud environments, the more you can control, through performing your own application development, the better. The other side of the equation, of course, is that application development is less of a black art than in the past. Tools and platforms – particularly the seamlessness of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) - make it much easier to build, deploy, maintain, and support applications than at any time in the history of IT. TRP: In what instances is a productivity platform preferable to a control platform and why? KTP: In the case of a control platform you get to bring along your own language and development tools. Usually, control platforms are used when you have a pre-existing application that you want to deploy in a cloud. The control platform lets you include the choices you made for an on-premises deployment as part of the stack in the cloud. Without that capability you might need to rewrite your application. On the other hand, a productivity platform delivers functionality focused on time-to market. It's perfect for when you want to create an application, perhaps with the help of your business domain experts, or if you don't want to have to hire a lot of developers and middleware or infrastructure experts. TRP: What are the most important tools needed for successful application development in a business environment? KTP: The most important tools are the ones that are going to allow you to get your product to market quickly and make changes, enhancements or fixes – and then redeploy quickly. Long gone are the 12-18 month developer release cycles. Now, you must manage the notion of a "perpetual beta," with multiple releases over a period of months – sometimes even more than one release a month. Making sure you have tools that allow you to respond to your customers' demand, fixing bugs and adding feature – and deploying those changes quickly – is key. I would also say tools need to help your app be responsive on different mobile devices, whether it is a phone, laptop, watch, Google Glass, or a browser. TRP: Give some examples of tailor-made applications with an impact on business operations KTP: There are so many organisations that have taken this approach successfully that it is hard to pick one. However, we recently highlighted two companies that had a great impact with the tailor-made approach. Good Done Great has built technology using Progress Pacific. Their cloud-based solutions provide easy workflows and community websites for corporate social responsibility groups at many leading companies as well as for charitable foundations and their staff, applicants, employees, and other stakeholders. Another example is from the Netherlands. Integrator and technology vendor Brixxs chose Progress Rollbase, to create numerous Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business applications. In one case, Brixxs is helping registered taxi companies in the Netherlands to quickly comply with new regulations while also improving the quality of their services in larger cities. With Rollbase, Brixxs developed and updated applications that allowed taxi companies to comply within just three days of new rules coming into effect. TRP: What are the benefits of building applications on a unified platform? KTP: A unified platform is a critical tool for allowing the deployment of mobile and web applications much faster than with traditional development methods – and generally with less complexity. A platform that is standards-oriented can help address the major mobility challenges that ISVs and businesses face as they move business applications to the cloud. Additional things that help are taking a model-driven approach and, of course, having easy-to-use features like a drag and drop, point and click interface. A platform should also be able to automatically generate the server objects needed to support a mobile and web application and provide access to business logic and data integration capabilities. TRP: Why is mobility a determining factor in application development? KTP: Mobility is an inescapable reality. Individuals and businesses know this and expect nothing less. The idea that you have to be in some particular place to access data or perform key tasks – especially the ones associated with your job – is now actively rejected by individuals. That's what's driving not only the BYOD movement but the BYOT (bring your own technology) approach now favoured by some. Business isn't far behind. Decision-makers know that mobility is not just a matter of convenience – it is a key factor for productivity. People must be ready and able to act wherever they are. As a result, application developers have had to sometimes move out of their comfort zone. Of course, mobility isn't always easy. There are immediate functional issues and requirements to operate across multiple platforms and to do so seamlessly. Of course, there is also a definite need to be secure. All of this is a great opportunity to ratchet development practices up a bit; to make them more modern and efficient and to leverage the cloud where appropriate. In short, it's a great time to consider platform-as-a-service, which can embed the capabilities and tools you need in a consistent, shareable, and accessible way. You really want to be able to meet your customers where there are. For example, when you go to an Apple store, the point-of-sale is no longer the register; it is where you, the customer, happen to be standing. That is where you want the buying decision to occur, because if people have to stand in line to finalise a purchase, they may get distracted or change their minds. Ultimately, your application needs to serve your customers. TRP: Why is rapid application development increasingly becoming a business priority? KTP: Rapid Application Development was always something of interest to organisations. Projects are notorious for taking longer than expected or for costing more. In the worst case, they are delivered after requirements have already changed. However, today, cycle times are way down. No one talks about years to field an application. Even months can be far too slow, in many cases. This is partly driven by the competitive, global nature of business. The world of mobile and mobile-centric thinking is also pushing this development. We definitely see more customers embracing RAD as a necessity. Because there are RAD tools, people with business domain expertise can now create a better application. If those people have to explain to a developer a complex function, like how healthcare claims are processed, there's a good chance something will get lost or misinterpreted. So, allowing people with domain expertise to be able to create applications saves time and energy and can lead to better results. TRP: Is there still a role for deep-coding skills or will the so-called 'citizen developer' prevail? KTP: The answer is definitely "Both." Clearly citizen developers – or business domain experts -- will be everywhere and there is no way to discount their impact. It's like when cars became so easy to drive that even people who could afford chauffeurs didn't want them any more. On the other hand, there are some tasks that are extremely complex and for which tools and platforms can only provide a certain amount of assistance. Again, to make an analogy, when you visit a doctor, many tests and data points are automated; helping to yield faster and more accurate diagnoses. Still, there are conditions where a medical expert is needed to weigh subtleties and craft a unique clinical response. In a similar way, deep coders will be with us for a long time. |
| Buying Guide: Cool gadgets: The best tech you can buy in 2014 Posted:  Cool Gadgets 2014: the best tech money can buyIt's our mission at TechRadar to help you find the tech products that are best for you. That's why we review the specific products we do, while offering a veritable smorgasbord of helpful buying guides and product round-ups to help you find the perfect play things and workplace wonders. Whether it be an ideal camera phone for your mum or a kick-ass Blu-ray player to pair with your new TV, we've got the experts on hand to offer the very best buying advice on the internet. Here you'll find a comprehensive repository of all that expert knowledge. With buying advice and specific product recommendations, look no further for your best chance of finding all the cool gadgets available today. Phones and tablets
Best mobile phonesWhich one should you buy? We've played with nearly every device on the market and have found the ten best you can spend your money on. It needs to be good, after all, given it will reside in your pocket for the next two years. Our ranking of the best mobile phones available in the UK today celebrates the brilliance of the smartphone: we love handsets that add in functionality to enrich our lives in so many different ways. We also partially take into account the price of the phone too - meaning a low-price handset doesn't always need to have high-spec functions to be in our top 10.
Best Android phonesComparing the best Google phones There's one key way in which Android is massively different from its Apple-branded smartphone competition - the number of phones out there running Google's hot mobile OS. So here they are - the best Android phones money can buy today. For many, many different reasons. Read: Best Android phone 2014 - which one should you buy?
Best Windows PhonesWhich Windows Phone 8 handset is for you? The recently launched Windows Phone 8.1 replicates the popular features of Android and iOS whilst combining the comfort of home computing with the convenience of mobile. We've looked at the Windows Phone devices on offer and picked out the best ones around to guarantee you get the best bang for your buck. Nokia still dominates the list but as a Microsoft entity, that's no surprise. Read: Best Windows Phone 2014
Best cheap phonesTesting all the best budget blowers! With the mobile marketplace teeming with a multitude of highly priced smartphones, one might wonder whether cheap phones still have a place in the mobile infrastructure. With massive innovation in both hardware and operating systems, phones now do a lot more than just let you talk and text, with handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5S stealing headlines around the world these days. Sadly all this innovation isn't cheap – and most of it is reserved for high-end contract handsets. So, is there such a thing as the 'best phone on a budget'?
Best phabletsThey're big, bad mobile machines Our hands might not be getting any bigger but our phones certainly are. As flagships like the LG G3 andOnePlus One creep up to 5.5 inches, phablets are starting to resemble small tablets, arguably filling the roles of both a smartphone and a slate. If you think that one device is better than two, or just have really big hands, then there is a growing selection of phones to suit and these are the ten best.
Best tabletsAll the top tablets compared Tablets are taking the world by storm. Just a few years ago they were an unknown for many people, but nowadays you've got more choice than you can shake a mildly agitated badger at. And with choice comes decisions - difficult decisions. Do you eschew Apple's high prices, join the Android brigade and find the best iPad alternative? Or jump on board Cupertino's lovetrain, and use one of the most popular tablets on the planet? We've made it easy for you and pulled together the top 10 tablets of the moment available. Read: 10 Best tablets 2014
Best cheap tabletsSpend a little, don't spend a lot Tablets are fast replacing laptops as the must-have computing item, and the good news is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get one. While the iPads of this world will always be out of many people's budgets, there are plenty of tablets out there available at much lower prices. We wouldn't recommend spending less than £100 on one - you'd regret it - but here's a round-up of our favourite tablets under £250! Best cheap tablets: top budget options Home Entertainment
TV Buying Guide 2014Choose the right size, screen tech and price There has never been a better time to buy a new TV. Gone are the days when 32-inch TVs weighed 16 tonnes and cost £1,500. These days you can pick up a 50-inch LCD TV for closer to £300. LCD panel technology has well and truly matured, and while brands like Sony and Panasonic push the boundaries of performance, you'll also find names like Toshiba doing very exciting things in the budget TV sector. The practical upshot of this is that no matter what you're after, how big you want to go or how large your budget is, there's a perfect TV out there for you. So which one is right for you, your family and your living space? In this buying guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about being a new TV.
Best 32-inch TVsThe perfect size for bedroom TVs or sets for smaller rooms Most living rooms can't physically take a TV much bigger than 32-inch, making this size by far the best for a lot of people in the UK. But within this size division, there's plenty of choice. A basic HD-ready set can be found for less than £300 is you search hard, though it's just as easy to spend over £2k on the best ones. There's only one certainty at this size – your new TV will be a LCD TV. If you're lucky it could have LED backlighting, but it won't be a plasma; LG used to make plasmas at this size, but there's not one on sale currently. Read: 10 best 32-inch TVs in the world today
Best 40 and 42-inch TVsThe sweet spot for plasma TVs offers lots of bang for your buck Once known simply as 'plasma screens' in the collective consciousness, the 40-42-inch size is where the flatscreen dream started in the late 1990s - and where it's still at its most innovative and best. Now a lot more varied, with plasmas rubbing shoulders with (and quickly being outnumbered by) LCD TVs and their ultra-modern LED TV makeover, 40-42 inches is still the sweetspot for anyone not overly concerned with ruining the interior design of their living room. Read: 10 best 40 and 42-inch TVs |
| Industry voice: Three tools every small business can't do without Posted:  Technology can make or break a small business, both at launch and when success has it scaling up. Here are three-must haves to ensure professionalism, maximize productivity, build market share and save money for businesses with 1-10 employees. TelephonyThe phone is still the most common way that your customers, partners and suppliers will communicate with you, so don't cut corners. But don't spend more than you have to, either. For starters, get a dedicated business number. There are services that offer a free basic phone number, or, based on your business needs, you can get a low-cost monthly subscription virtual PBX service, like Cloud Phone, that allows you to get a toll-free or local number with more advanced business features, such as ability to add employee extensions. Next, decide whether your employees really need deskphones or whether tablets and smartphones are a better fit for their work styles. If it's the latter, eliminating deskphones can easily save a couple hundred bucks up front in hardware, plus $30 or more per month per employee in service fees. Those savings are a major reason why so many businesses are ditching deskphones in favor of VoIP softphones on tablets, smartphones and laptops. Many businesses have bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies. If yours does, consider a cloud-based telephony service that makes each BYOD smartphone reachable with a second phone number just for your business. That helps separate business and personal use. The best cloud phone services also provide customized greetings, call recording to eliminate the need for notes and finger pointing, and voicemail transcription, all of which make employees more responsive and productive while giving your small business the cachet of a large enterprise. If you have a distributed workforce, cloud telephony is ideal because it provides all of the above benefits even when employees work from home or spend a lot of time on the road. Furthermore, cloud phone services aren't vulnerable to fires, floods and other disasters that would wipe out a phone system that's based entirely in your office. Web presenceWhen was the last time you reached for the phone book to find something for your home or business? If prospective customers can't find your company, you'll lose revenue and spend more than you have to on cold calling and other outreach. A broad Web presence avoids that problem. Consider your customer types when deciding where to invest. For example, if consumers are your target market, Facebook and Twitter are ideal places to start. If you're selling to other businesses, a professional-looking, frequently updated website is critical. LinkedIn and Twitter are two other options for supplementing your website. And take a look at where your competitors are online to make sure you're not ceding any channels to them. Marketing automation toolsAs your business ramps up, so does the challenge of keeping track of all your existing customers, as well as prospects. Consider CRM tools such as Insightly to streamline tasks such as saving and editing customers' and prospects' contact information. For example, if you're communicating with them via email, Insightly lets you link that message to the task you're performing with them and save the attachment with their project. Focus on these three technologies, and your small business will be on course to save and make money. Kevin Hertz is CTO of Voxox |
| Satya Nadella to Microsoft employees: We will focus on IoT, cloud and mobility Posted:  Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sent a letter to employees detailing the company's future. In the note, Nadella said Microsoft will emphasize the Internet of Things, mobility and cloud in its endeavors. Microsoft will focus on providing "digital work" and "digital life" experiences for its customers, according to the letter. The foundation of these experiences will be centered on connecting "sensors, screens and devices," and generating insights from these experiences. "We will create more natural human-computing interfaces that empower all individuals," Nadella wrote. "We will develop and deploy secure platforms and infrastructure that enable all industries. And we will strike the right balance between using data to create intelligent, personal experiences, while maintaining security and privacy." Collaboration and productivityNadella also emphasized collaboration. He said Microsoft's mission will be to "harmonize the world's devices, apps, docs, data and social networks in digital work and life experiences" in order to empower users to do more with technology. "Productivity for us goes well beyond documents, spreadsheets and slides. We will reinvent productivity for people who are swimming in a growing sea of devices, apps, data and social networks," he wrote. The company's cloud operating system infrastructure, device operating systems and first-party hardware will be built to "enable broad ecosystems" in order to improve collaboration and productivity, Nadella wrote. Microsoft will begin to create apps that will be designed to partition data between work and home use. The apps will also be built so that people can use the apps regardless of which device they're working on. Recent announcementsMost of the information contained in Nadella's letter is evident in Microsoft's recent initiatives. It announced on July 9 the release of three new Office 365 licenses for small and mid-size businesses (SMBs). The new plans will replace Microsoft's existing Office products for SMBs. Changes include price reductions, increased seat caps and more flexibility to upgrade to Office 365 Enterprise. Microsoft also launched the StorSimple 8000 series hybrid storage arrays, which include two new Azure-based capabilities to centralize data management. Both platforms leverage Azure Storage as a hybrid cloud tier for automatic capacity expansion and off-site data protection. In addition to collaboration and cloud, Microsoft has been busy building out a mobile device management and data intelligence footprint. |
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