Develop Mobile Applications Quickly and Cost-Effectively

The process of developing application software for low power handheld devices such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones is referred to as  mobile application development. Mobile application development attains greater significance in today’s business scenario where consumerization of IT has resulted in more and more enterprises supporting the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). According to Gartner, by 2014 approximately 90% of organizations will support corporate applications on personal devices.

Today mobile devices such as tablets, Smartphones, iPhones, iPads are fast replacing laptops and desktops. As per Juniper research, the number of mobile devices used in the Enterprise software  worldwide will increase and may be it will be more than double at the end of the year 2014. According to them, the number will reach up to an approximate 350 million in the year 2017.

Previously, mobile applications offered general productivity and information retrieval services. However, the immense popularity of mobile devices coupled with greater demand for next-generation technology resulted in the development of innovative applications that keep up with the customers’ ever-changing digital and social lives. Mobile application developers race with time to live up to the expectations of today’s sophisticated end users who require mobile applications with more processing power, flexibility, reliability, security and integration with other applications.

Considering the fact that today’s users want next generation applications, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) must partner with  product development services leaders with expertise in developing mobile applications. Here is a look at the capabilities of a good mobile application development company with a deep understanding of Location-Based Services (LBS), mobile media streaming, presence & social networking, messaging & syncing, mobile advertising & Ad engines, mobile VoIP and gaming.

·         Developing mobile applications in J2ME, BREW, Android, iPhone, Symbian,Windows Mobile and BlackBerry

·         Conceptualizing mobile applications and eliciting requirements(e.g.,UI design,prototype,wireframes,user stories)

·         Designing, developing and QA testing applications

·         Porting mobile applications between platforms and devices

·         Developing server-side and infrastructure, including for location & mapping services

·         Integrating third-party components on the server side (e.g.,SMS/MMS, billing,feeds,ads,content,etc.)

·         Integrating carrier,SMSC and billing systems (e.g.,LBS platform for location determination)

·     Coordinating with carriers and device manufacturers for mobile application testing and certification(e.g.,NSTL, JavaVerified)

·         Launching and distributing mobile applications

·         OTA download (e.g., install & upgrade)

·         OEM embedded

·         Application Stores (e.g.,iPhone App Store,BlackBerry App World,Android Market, Samsung App Store,etc.)

·         Carrier Catalogs and Storefronts

·         Providing maintenance and product support services

Thus, collaboration with such mobile application development companies  helps ISVs to develop mobile applications quickly and cost-effectively.

Related Links: healthcare software development , Mobile social networking apps

Making The Most of eCommerce Solutions

The modern day consumer has the access to a wide selection of products online owing to advancements in internet technology.From books, gadgets, clothes, groceries, accessories and other products the internet has made it possible for the consumers to select products of their choice and it gets couriered to their place. This means consumers no longer need to visit the marketplace, but rather can place their orders through the internet with just a click of the mouse. This lead to the eCommerce boom eventually.The majority of business houses have undertaken this approach with an objective to garner more business to their company. It apparently seems to be a cost efficient and beneficial way for business expansion in international avenues.

Keeping this in mind,the ultimate objective of eCommerce solutions offered by service providers today is to make the online customers purchase the products and services from the website.Therefore, while setting up an eCommerce solution it is essential that companies are required to integrate a host of online selling strategies.

Keeping in mind the modern day technological era, eCommerce websites are aptest way for improving marketing programs.With the help of an effective program, the website owners can endorse a diverse range of products through the World Wide Web.This further enables the consumers with multiple payment modes, through debit card, credit card, cash on delivery payments and much more.Keeping In mind that there is zero interaction between the seller and the consumer, the expense of selling is way lesser than the conventional mode of selling. In this way the process of selling is way more efficient and quicker. Identified as an easy and pocket friendly way of business promotion,the development of eCommerce websites are increasing at a fast speed.

Along with this the speed of eCommerce solutions too are increasing with service providers specializing in product engineering foraying into the market. These companies makes use of business intelligence tools and come up high-end eCommerce solutions focusing on areas such as:

· Online, social and mobile commerce

· Web portals for specialized services

· Interactive advertising

However,the primary aspect of attaining a competitive advantage in the expanding eCommerce market is by ensuring a great consumer experience. In order to attain this advanced eCommerce solutions have inbuilt features that make use of a sharp user interface, safe data management,quick performance, a Solid POS and the capacity to manage huge amount of web traffic.

Related Links: Social commerce platforms , android software development

Deliver High Quality Products with Effective PLM Solutions

In today’s highly competitive business environment, quality of the product plays a key role in the survival of any enterprise. Hence, the software product development is carried out in a distributed environment to leverage the benefits offered by multiple geographic locations. Distributed software development helps in developing a best in class product that has a competitive edge over its competitors. However,with software development operations being carried out in different locations, there is the need of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to streamline the distributed operations.

In the embedded Agile software development space, technology innovation is driving rapid changes. For instance, an Agile and Scrum-based method for distributed software R&D is supported by a collaborative platform and frameworks to enable rapid product lifecycle management.This combination of methodology and state-of-the-art product lifecycle management tools overcomes the challenges of working across a distributed environment to deliver high-quality products while accelerating timelines and reducing development costs by up to 30%.

This method enables clients to balance innovation, cost, time-to-market and product quality by relying on three strong pillars namely well-defined roles, artifacts and communication models. Its emphasis on incremental development helps to quickly adapt to changing requirements while maintaining product quality and successfully meeting launch deadlines. The teams work in short, time-boxed cycles resulting in a fully tested, potentially shippable product each time. This approach enables clients to present a working demo to their customers and gather valuable feedback that will fine-tune the software product development process. Here is a look at some of the significant aspects of this method thus making it different from other lifecycle management processes.

  

· Structures team communications around short meetings and a more disciplined utilization of tracking 

and wiki systems

· Utilizes a cost-effective suite of integrated tools to provide complete visibility and traceability

· Creates more in-depth product requirements and design processes

· Builds cross-functional teams to avoid dependence on a specific team member

· Utilizes more automation and asynchronous steps for the design and code review processes

· Includes product maintenance and support processes to cover the complete product lifecycle

· Ensures simple implementation by wrapping existing engineering practices (e.g., Extreme Programming, 

RUP, etc.)

· Provides consistency and product stability through clearly documented work practices

· Checks the code base into a common repository to enable various teams / members to build incrementally

· Defines an automated functional testing framework early to enable regression

This Agile and Scrum-based method when combined with excellent Agile lifecycle management tools bring more benefits.

  

Related links: mobile application development , agile product life cycle management,

Choosing an E-Commerce Solution – An Important Aspect of Online Shopping

Retailers are constantly seeking new paths to grow. With the Internet becoming an  integral a part of our life, there is definitely an increasing requirement for businesses to make use of eCommerce. As the revenues plateau in developed markets, expansion into developing markets is a popular means for reaching new growth targets and boosting returns in overall portfolios. Global e-commerce is thriving as infrastructure, laws, and consumer preferences evolve.

Retail expansion is increasingly occurring through online channels as a way to tap into growth markets, build brands, and learn about consumers while investing less capital than traditional formats. However, with so much choice with how you set-up your online store, it can be difficult choosing the right platform for your needs. Hiring someone to code your website is one option. It is important to choose a vendor whom you can partner with, and when  researching e-commerce companies, look for a vendor that will work actively with you. It's crucial to have that kind of relationship in order to be sure that you will have the support and maintenance you need. Keep the following in mind while looking for a solution-provider:

· Ask the company for live instances of their work
· Provide  a detailed brief on the site that needs to be created.
· Ensure that there is an understanding of the price that is being charged
· Make certain there is a signed agreement or contract before work commences
· Check whether the designers will host the site and if it will be possible to make updates yourself or if 
all updates must go   through the design agency at an additional cost
· Ensure there is a copyright of your design to be assigned to your company, as your website is an 
important part of your business' intellectual property

The e-commerce solution needs to be compatible with the  actual systems that are being utilized. Ensure that the actual e-commerce solution contains all of the appropriate features and abilities that the business demands. Ultimately, the thing to note when attempting to decide upon the best option e-commerce solution, is to think about what your business really wants, and also precisely what your clients want. First identify the precise needs of your business, and then see if the eCommerce solution will be able to provide those functions in an easy-to-use manner.

So partner with a reputed service provider with dependable advisory services and ensure that the solution you choose has efficient reporting tools to provide eCommerce  distributed agile development  services that are consistent and cost-effective.

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