Much has been written about the potential of blockchain technology in the financial services industry. Indeed, the world’s largest banks have pledged resources to test enterprise-scale applications. But despite all this positive sentiment, there are still major practical challenges that need to be overcome before blockchain can become an integral part of the financial sector. Perhaps most notably, today’s complex and risky financial processes will not simply disappear. Smart contracts must offer clear advantages over existing infrastructures if they are to succeed. After all, a smart contract does not add value in and of itself.

What is a Smart Contract?

Smart contracts are a key feature of blockchain technology that supports the Bitcoin currency. In essence, they are small computer programs running on decentralized networks and have been described as “digital contracts”.

Digital contracts are not new to finance and already exist in many forms – legal documents, house deeds, government records, etc. For many years there has been discussion about how to reduce the time and cost of executing legal agreements by computerizing them. This has been achieved in practice using technologies such as PDF, HTML and Java applets but these are brittle solutions with low security (they can be hacked), high complexity, non-standard formats and expensive to maintain.

Blockchain technology has overcome the issues of previous digital contract solutions by creating a distributed database where data is reliably and permanently stored in many locations (nodes) on the network. The nodes are, in essence, copies of the same database that have been synchronized so they all contain an identical record of transactions. This ensures that records cannot be altered once written because any node can verify their validity by referencing other nodes. It also maintains confidentiality by encrypting and decrypting transactions using private and public keys.

In summary, the Bitcoin blockchain is a decentralized database linked across nodes hosted on servers all over the world. As a result it has several key properties:

These properties make blockchain networks ideal for recording and storing data associated with financial contracts such as paying a deposit for a car rental, buying a house or making payment of salaries.

Smart contracts were developed to enable automatic execution of the terms of legal agreements (“agreements”). Once programmed into blockchain networks, they execute automatically when predefined conditions are met. These digital “contracts” are stored in the blockchain and can be enforced by code allowing parties to rely on the execution of contractual obligations even in cases where one or more parties might attempt to breach the contract.

In practical terms, smart contracts are digital contracts stored in a blockchain that can be executed automatically without any human intervention. So, if for example, you were going to rent a car and you used a blockchain-based payment platform , the payment and the booking of the car rental contract would take place automatically and simultaneously as soon as the deposit was paid. The details of the transaction, such as who is paying whom for what, how much it will cost, and when it will be executed, are all stored in advance in a smart contract that cannot be altered or modified once written.

Some use cases for smart contracts within the financial services industry are:

Banking & Payments

In the context of banking and payments, smart contracts have been developed for cross-border money transfers where banks typically charge high fees depending on the amount transferred. Blockchain smart contract services such as BitPesa and Ripple have been developed to allow peer-to-peer payments at a lower cost than traditional international bank transfers.

KYC (know your customer) Procedures

KYC procedures are used in financial services to identify customers and ensure they are authorized to use the services. Smart contracts can be programmed with personal information, such as a person’s date of birth or passport, so that any time they want to access their account the required information must first be verified by one or more parties before it is automatically released. Banks are considering using blockchain technology to keep track of customers’ identities and other relevant information. This would serve as a secure, digital repository for KYC documents and the regulator could access these records in real-time to check that banks are complying with their requirements.

Trade Finance

In the context of trade finance, smart contracts can be used to facilitate invoice discounting or open accounts receivable facilities for a corporate borrower. These enable banks to offer financing facilities denominated in foreign currencies to corporate borrowers on more competitive terms. For example, sellers of goods and services can be invoiced in one currency (typically the buyer’s local currency), but payment will be received in a different currency which can subsequently be used to pay import bills or service supplier facilities denominated in the same currency.

Clearing & Settlement

In the context of clearing and settlement, smart contracts can be used to provide a secure and cost-effective record system for settling trades between brokers, exchanges and other financial institutions. This could eliminate many of the physical processes required to settle trades in securities such as equities or derivatives. In terms of clearing and settlement, a key benefit of using smart contracts is that it would eliminate the need for counterparties to locate and exchange assets or cash against a contract at the point of settlement. In this way, smart contracts can reduce “counterparty risk” which is one of the most significant costs associated with clearing and settling trades in traditional capital markets.

Economically, smart contracts will have little impact on financial institutions because they will simply provide a more efficient and secure record system for settling trades, rather than a new means of conducting trades.

Conclusion

Based on the information provided in this article, it is clear that smart contracts have a significant potential to make a positive impact across many different areas of financial services. While no bank currently relies exclusively on smart contract technology, many are exploring its use for certain types of transactions. They offer banks an opportunity to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency by making systems more transparent and secure.

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

It’s no secret that the environment in which doctors operate has changed dramatically. With health reform, many people are now required to have insurance and can shop around for providers more freely than ever before.  The challenge is that hospitals and physicians feel the pinch of this increased patient load, as reimbursements rates go down due to cost shifting from premiums to overutilization. The greater number of patients in the system affects how practices are run, including staffing, equipment needed to perform procedures or tests, and revenue targets that have to be met.

So how do you effectively optimize your practice’s performance? Here are 5 ways to increase revenues:

1. Participate in a Healthcare Exchange (if applicable)

If you’re in a state that has implemented the ACA (Affordable Care Act), it’s crucial to participate in its exchanges.  The past few years have shown how much of an impact these have made by driving down costs and increasing access for consumers.  It provides a platform for patients who are required to purchase health insurance to view the available providers and their associated pricing for covered services.  By participating in a healthcare exchange, you can also generate leads and increase awareness of your practice.

2. Review Past Reimbursement Data

The majority of doctors do not do this regularly enough to realize that they are being reimbursed less than what should be.  By reviewing past billing and reimbursement data, you can determine where your practice is underperforming in sales without the added pressure of a heavy patient load.  This analysis could identify key areas that need to be improved or help you find solutions for an already overbooked schedule.

3. Update Your Technology

Many practices have tried to keep up with the times without realizing that there are new applications or devices out that can help increase revenues.  By looking at the latest technologies being used by larger healthcare organizations, you will learn how to improve your efficiency for patient care and staff efficiency.

4. Seek Out Strategic Partnerships

One way to accomplish your revenue goals is to team up with other providers in your area. There are many different venues through which you can seek out these partnerships, including health-focused websites and social media groups. Many of these may offer incentives like advertising or compensation for referrals.

5. Train Your Staff

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, you should make sure that your staff is utilizing all the tools they have at their disposal.  In addition to ensuring your scheduling software helps them optimize patient flow throughout the day while keeping overbooking to a minimum, it’s important for staff members to be able to effectively communicate with each other as well as the general public.

This list is by no means an exhaustive one, as there are so many things that a healthcare organization can do to stay ahead.  However, it does offer some practical areas where you can focus your efforts to increase your medical practice’s revenue. Working with a practice management software provider can help you become more efficient as well.

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

Convenience is more critical than ever for shoppers, whether they’re asking questions about products on social media or researching items prior to arriving in a retail store. This has prompted retailers large and small to embrace new technology that enhances their in-store experiences, allows them to be more competitive and generates additional revenue from customers who shop online.

Here’s a look at eight tech trends that are reshaping retail:

1. Intelligently Tailored Experiences

Now that customers can compare prices online and read reviews of products in a matter of seconds, retailers have to put even more effort into the in-store experience. By coupling customer data with sensors and cameras that track shoppers’ movements and preferences, stores can deliver highly customized experiences that are tailored to individual shoppers’ needs.

2. Allowing Customers To Buy Anytime From Anywhere

Today’s digital native shoppers want anytime/anywhere access to a retailer’s products. They also expect the ability to buy online from their mobile devices, and any retailer that doesn’t offer this convenience will fall behind.

3. Generating More Revenue In-Store And Online

Retailers are seeking tech solutions that allow them to capture both in-store and online sales. By leveraging the internet of things to help visualize products within a store, retailers can offer shoppers augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) experiences that encourage them to buy in-store as well as online.

4. Improving The In-Store Shopping Experience

Retailers are also focusing on better ways to engage shoppers in-store by offering helpful technology, such as the ability to connect with a customer service representative through an app. Once connected, customers can scan products’ barcodes or take photos of items they want more information about and receive instant answers.

5. Increasing Brick-And-Mortar Sales With Online Technology

In addition to engaging customers with AR and VR, retailers are seeking technology that helps them more effectively leverage physical products. The idea is to let shoppers view these items virtually in the same manner as they can arrange furniture and other household goods through sites such as Houzz , then place an order for delivery or pickup from a nearby store location.

6. Building A Stronger Relationship With Customers

With more than half of U.S. shoppers using social media to research products and services, retailers are turning to this channel — particularly Facebook — as an effective way to better engage with consumers online. Retailers also are using chatbots on messaging apps such as Kik and Telegram that let them send shoppers information about products directly on their smartphones.

7. Improving Store Operations And Marketing

Retailers also can use smart technology to alert store associates or managers when certain items sell out, which helps them restock shelves more quickly — and strike up conversations with customers who might be interested in other merchandise nearby.  Plus, analytics from the technology can help retailers track their marketing campaigns with data about how many customers visit stores and make purchases after seeing ads on specific media.

8. Engaging With Customers Using Voice Assistants And Virtual Assistance

Nearly half of consumers who are aware of voice assistants such as Amazon, Alexa, or Google Home use them to shop for products, according to a survey by Accenture. And retailers should be prepared to leverage these tools by examining how they can tap into voice assistants to find out if shoppers need help with any products or to answer product-related questions.

These eight retail trends offer a starting point for store owners who want to increase traffic and sales using technology.  While each trend entails a different level of investment, the return on that investment can be significant. For example, retailers who go for an in-store AR experience for their customers will need to invest in technology and training employees to use it effectively. But they’ll also have an opportunity to better engage with shoppers and increase sales as well as customer loyalty.

With so much at stake, technology — not just in-store demos and other high-tech marketing tactics — should be part of any brick-and-mortar retailer’s strategy.

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

These days, more and more practical applications are being developed for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as computer vision and machine learning. AI has gradually spread into our daily lives: from automatic camera/audio control to facial recognition systems in mobile devices. With AI’s continued development, it’s likely that we will see AI integrated into more of our everyday experiences.

One of the biggest advantages AI has to offer is real-time object detection and recognition. An increasing number of mobile devices come with built-in cameras, making it possible for any user to capture images or videos on the spot without resorting to extra peripherals. However, these users may sometimes encounter problems in real time, such as poor image quality, inappropriate exposure or focus level setting, and so forth. Therefore, applying AI to real-time video processing will help solve these problems.

Here are five ways to apply AI to real-time video processing.

1. Capture High-Quality Images With AI Image Enhancement

The first and foremost application of AI in real-time video processing is to enhance the quality of captured images, especially if the camera has a low resolution or poor shooting angle. For example, you can point your mobile phone camera at an object that’s 30 meters away from you, but if the pixel density of your camera is low, it will be difficult to get a clear picture. AI image enhancement can help solve this problem by improving image quality and reducing noise.

2. AI Video Light Control/White Balance Adjustment With Fast Response Time

A major shortcoming of video cams that capture images in real-time is that they can’t automatically adjust for lighting. If you’re taking a video at night, the image will be dark; if you’re shooting in bright sunlight, every shot will turn out too bright. However, AI technology can analyze video light and make real-time adjustments to improve color saturation and exposure levels — without restricting users from changing camera parameters manually.

3. Fast and Accurate Face Detection With AI Facial Recognition

Being able to detect faces in real-time will allow you to take shots with proper framing, as well as adjust for additional parameters like focus level and shooting angle. There are already numerous examples of facial recognition systems appearing on mobile devices in the form of automatic camera/audio control, but with AI technology, it’s possible to do much more than that. By analyzing facial expressions of the subject — such as whether he or she is laughing, frowning, or making a goof face — you can also apply some fun effects in real-time during video recording.

4. Real-Time Object Tracking and Dynamic Scene Recognition

For those into selfies, a smartphone is all you need to capture your image. However, if you are taking pictures at a wedding or party, it’s likely that there will be other people in the frame — and these people would usually like to participate too. With AI technology, it’s possible to recognize where an object is located in the frame and capture photos of the bride, groom, or other wedding guests. In addition to still images, AI can also be used to analyze video frames in real-time — allowing you to track objects that move between shots and recognize them, even if they appear partially obscured or in shadow.

5. AI Face Recognition for Verification Purposes During Video Chat

When it comes to online chat, most users are familiar with video chatting via Skype or FaceTime. However, during the process of making a video call, how do you know that your interlocutor is really who they say they are? With AI technology, passwords and passcodes will become things of the past — as long as both parties have their faces in view of the camera, AI will be able to recognize them instantly. Furthermore, users can also set or change their own passcode for added protection — and all of this happens without either party losing sight of their interlocutor’s face.

In conclusion, AI technology has already begun to make its presence known in many industries and applications. However, as the technology continues to evolve, we’ll begin to see AI applications that are more relevant and practical in nature. Real-time video processing is still a relatively new field; however, with improvements in visual recognition algorithms and other functions for object tracking and motion detection — AI will be able to make a huge impact on this market right now.

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

One of the awesome things about the mobile market is its rapid growth and introduction of new technologies. However, with this expansion comes many security issues that should be addressed and improved upon by application developers. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some app development best practices to ensure that your app stays safe from possible hackers!

1. Secure Your App With Encryption

Encryption prevents a third party from accessing and using the information that is stored on a device. The stolen data will be encrypted before it can be used by a hacker, meaning that he has to decrypt the data in order to gain any useful information. Your application should account for this encryption measure at all times; even after the application is closed.

The best way to account for encryption measures is with your own API. If you have a large data file that needs to be encrypted before it can be used, then use your own API to encrypt and decrypt the file whenever the user enters or exits an app area/screen.

2. Do Not Allow Your App To Access the Internet Without a VPN

Many mobile applications collect data, but they do not have any security measures in place to protect that data. Hackers are always looking for unsecured channels or unprotected networks, because once they breach them, they can gain access and control of your application. This is why it’s important that you secure your data before it leaves the device!

3. Do Not Store Any Passwords, IDs, or Encryption Keys in a Config File

If you’re like most app developers, then you’re probably using some coding framework to create your app. In order to quickly and efficiently code new features for your app with these frameworks, you will need to keep track of a lot of different types of information.

One example of this information is encryption keys, which are used to encrypt the data files on your app’s device. You should never store these keys in a config file that can be accessed by other developers or engineers without undergoing a serious security check first!

4. Transmit All Sensitive Data via SSL

As explained in #2, your app should not access any unsecured networks or channels to transmit its data. Hackers can easily access unprotected network traffic, and you do not want them to be able to steal the sensitive information that they’ll find there! If you need to transmit sensitive information over an insecure channel, then secure it with SSL before you send it.

5. Never Use Code That Someone Else Has Created for Your App

This is a big one. Every year, there are thousands of applications added to the global marketplaces by independent developers and engineers who want to make some extra money on the side. Most of these individuals are not trained on how to code mobile applications, so they often post their applications with security flaws or they download insecure code that has already been written by someone else.

If you do not thoroughly check every line of code before it’s installed onto your app, then you’re leaving your application vulnerable to a large number of possible attacks and breaches. Never download code from an untrusted source, and always make sure that you are using secure coding practices for all of your mobile devices.

6. Verify the Identity of Any Person With Admin Privileges

As the creator or manager of a popular app, you may be interested in recruiting new developers to help out with some aspects of your application’s coding. Some hackers are very good at pretending to be developers or engineers, and they will often find their way onto your team with the intention of stealing data or gaining control of sensitive functionality in your application.

Make sure that all new hires pass a thorough background check before giving them access to your app’s source code!

7. Avoid Using Temporary Passwords To Keep Your App Secure

In order to gain control of a device, hackers will try many different methods in order to guess the user’s password. One popular method is called “bruteforcing”, which involves trying every possible combination of letters and numbers until the hacker finds the right one. To protect against bruteforcing, you should never use temporary passwords. Instead of using a code that a hacker will eventually crack, use two-step authentication to ensure that your app’s data is secure.

8. Check the Permissions for Any New Software Before Downloading It

As an app owner or manager, you’ll receive thousands of emails everyday from different companies and engineers that want your business. One popular way for these companies to get your attention is by sending you a notification whenever new software is uploaded to the Google Play store or Apple App Store. If you see an email like this, then make sure that you check the permission settings for any new applications before downloading and installing them!

9. Encrypt All Private Data

In addition to your encryption keys, you should also use SSL to encrypt all of the private files and data that are stored on the devices where your app is being used. When a user opens his or her app for any reason, they will start communicating with the application server. You can prevent hackers from intercepting this data by encrypting it with SSL.

10. Check the Code Before Sending It to App Stores

As mentioned in #5, you should never download code that someone else has created for your application. Not only do you not know what this code might contain, but you definitely don’t want to give a hacker access to a program that is being used by thousands of people every day.

Take the extra time to check every line of code before sending it to app stores. Remember, once the download button is pressed you won’t be able to change anything on your app!

11. Don’t Host Sensitive Data in a Public Database Dump

If you’re working with a team of other developers, then you should seriously consider hosting all of your sensitive data in a private database dump. Public databases can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection, which means that any hacker can still gain access to your application’s data store if they’re determined enough. This represents a serious threat to the security of information stored on your app’s servers, and it should be avoided at all costs.

12. Use a Security Policy for Your App’s Data

The downfall of many great applications is poor security procedures, so you should certainly take the time to make a comprehensive policy that outlines how users can collect sensitive information on their mobile devices. This policy should include such features as password requirements, error logs, and authorization protocols for any private data stored on your app’s servers.

13. Store Your App’s Information in Multiple Secure Locations

Another great way to protect your application from hacker attacks is by storing all of its sensitive data in more than one location. There are many ways that hackers can gain control of a device, so you shouldn’t rely on any single server in order to keep your app’s information safe.

If you’re using Google Cloud Platform as your default data store, then be sure that you have a backup copy of all private files stored somewhere else!

14. Check the Code Before Letting It out the Door

Most software engineers will tell you that a vulnerability is lurking within every program, which means that your app isn’t completely secure until the day it’s released. If a hacker has already discovered one of these vulnerabilities before an app has been launched, then they’ll most likely exploit this weakness as soon as possible.

Before releasing any program to the general public, make sure that you check your code for vulnerabilities. You don’t want to let any hacker into your app’s servers because of an oversight on the part of your development team!

15. Use a VPN Whenever Possible

Using the same network to surf the web and download apps can put your personal identity at risk due to default settings in most ISPs. A VPN can be used to create a secure ‘tunnel’ between your device and the internet, which will completely hide your identity when sending data via online servers. Always use a VPN whenever possible to prevent hackers from finding out what you’re doing on the web!

Conclusion

Of course there are many more tips for securing your app’s servers, but these 15 best practices should be enough to keep you safe in most situations. Just remember that the digital world is constantly changing and adapting, so you’ll have to be vigilant if you want to protect your valuable software from cyber-thieves!

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

A major area of concern for software engineers is the cost of developing custom applications. Software development costs can be greatly reduced by applying methods to make the system design flexible and versatile.

The first step in understanding how to reduce software development cost is to understand where those costs come from. Here are some areas that contribute significantly to the overall cost of developing custom software:

Personnel Training

Training for the development team must be provided in order to develop an application. This training includes instruction in both the underlying technologies and the methodology that will be used by the development team. The base cost of this training is often overlooked by those who are not experienced in software development. The cost of training includes both the direct costs of providing training and the indirect costs of lost productivity while team members are in training.

Training is typically provided by an outsourced partner or through a third party vendor/service provider. This additional cost may not be easily quantifiable, but should be understood during the development process. Your main objective is to minimize your training cost by providing your partner or vendor with the tools and resources that they need.

Training can also be provided by the development team itself. This is very common when developing in-house applications. Developers will often learn new technologies and methodologies through self-study or by attending local meetups, user groups, conferences, etc .

Development Tools

Software developers use a number of tools to develop software applications. These tools include version control software, issue tracking tools, task management applications, requirements tracking and management tools, defect tracking tools, source code control systems etc. The cost of these tools needs to be considered during the development process.

These costs will vary depending on the development team’s needs. Some teams may use a common set of standard tools for all projects while others may need highly customized solutions.

The cost of these tools is usually built into the overall development costs. This may result in higher than actual costs, but can help to ensure that a large number of developers can easily utilize these applications and reduce their training time.

Architecture and Design Costs

The architecture and design phase is one of the most important phases of the development process. Poor architecture and design decisions will have a direct impact on the cost of developing custom software.

The cost of this phase is often overlooked because it is not directly associated with the actual coding that takes place during the development process. This leads to poor application designs which result in increased coding costs, higher defect rates, maintenance costs, etc.

The cost of this phase is greatly impacted by the overall approach used to develop the solution. Agile approaches may require less detailed architecture documentation, but may result in higher design costs due to the increased need for architecting and designing more complex applications. Waterfall approaches have traditionally focused on documenting every requirement before developing a single line of code, which results in higher design costs.

Design only occurs after the requirements are documented and must be completed before development can begin.

The best approach is to define a balance between architecture requirements and coded design at an early stage of the project as part of the initial planning process . Pushing an excessive amount of design documentation throughout the project will overcomplicate the development process, while not creating enough design detail may result in less than optimal solutions.

Design Cost Example

An example design cost is hard to quantify due to the wide range of requirements documentation and code samples that can be used as part of an application architecture or design phase. The key objective here is to ensure that at a minimum your solution complies with industry best practices.

Developing software is a complex process that can result in high costs if not managed properly. An upfront focus on reducing these development costs will have a direct impact on increasing your returns and overall profits .

The best way to reduce your application development costs is to understand and plan for the various processes involved. This will help to ensure that your development team (and budget) is as efficient as possible .

Methods to Reduce Software Development Costs

The following are some of the key methods for reducing software development costs.

Manage your Project Properly

An indirect method of reducing software development costs is to ensure that you manage your project properly. This means setting realistic goals and deadlines, managing the work load of the developers, identifying potential issues early in the process, and adjusting timelines as needed, etc.

This may be one of the most difficult methods for reducing development costs since it requires a lot of attention to detail and ongoing project management. Developing custom software involves a number of complex processes and certain patterns will inevitably emerge over time such as poor code quality, high defect rates, slow deployment times, etc. Identifying these situations early and addressing them immediately will always result in a greater ROI.

Working with Agile or Waterfall

The methods used to manage your software development project can have a significant impact on the overall cost of developing your application, as explained above. For this reason, using an agile approach for managing your project is going to be more flexible and cheaper in the long run.

Agile approaches focus on prioritizing work and shifting priorities earlier in the project, while following a flexible development process that allows changes to be made as needed. This approach is more cost efficient because changes are less likely to result in rework or additional costs due to shifting deadlines or objectives . Waterfall approaches tend to have more upfront costs and are not as flexible, which can make it more expensive for you to adapt or pivot when needed. For these reasons, agile is the preferred approach for most companies .

Understand Your Options

While certain factors will directly impact the cost of developing an application such as the number of features required or the number of developers working on a project, you will also want to be sure that you are using the most efficient technologies for your needs. Choosing the right database (relational vs. non-relational), platform (Java vs. .Net) or frameworks (Spring vs. Hibernate) can have a significant impact on the time and cost of developing an application.

Another area of importance is the various available options for deployment. It is important to understand your options so that you can make an informed decision about how best to deploy your application and get it up and running as quickly as possible.

This includes: understanding your development environment (e.g., Linux, Windows) and what operating systems are compatible; understanding how your application is going to be deployed and where it will run (e.g., cloud, server, desktop); choosing the appropriate development platform or programming language; etc.

Planning for Quality

Testing properly and following a good development process are both cost effective methods of ensuring that you have a solid application with minimal defects .

In most cases, thorough testing helps to identify defects early in the process and allows for quick fixes that will not require any significant rework. This is especially true if you are using agile or iterative development methods .

Similarly, following a good development process such as test-driven development (TDD), which requires developers to write unit tests during the development process, will help ensure that all components have been tested and provide a level of quality assurance after deployment .

Conclusion

Reducing the cost of developing your application may require adjusting timelines and resources, changing development methodologies, making appropriate technology choices or reducing the amount of time that you need to deploy. While there are numerous ways to reduce the costs associated with developing your custom software, having a solid understanding of how these factors will affect your specific project is essential for making an informed decision about how to proceed. In general, choosing agile development methods, which allow for flexibility and change throughout the project will provide you with a higher return on your investment.

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

The Apple Watch has brought to the market a very interesting device, with several capabilities and lots of possibilities for developers.

This device is a watch, yes. But in addition, you can take calls from your iPhone without using the earpiece or microphone of that device; control your music collection and see at a glance the song titles and artists; get information about directions to travel or ask for weather forecasts; keep track of our health through monitoring heart rates and quantifying the number of steps we’ve made; and even see what happens around you from our iPhone camera.

The Apple Watch is a device with an extension (or a peripheral) of your iPhone and can be used as such. It has a screen, but it doesn’t have a keyboard or mouse or any kind of traditional interface for interacting with the device, so it should be considered as a small terminal for getting information. It can’t perform any kind of complex operations or control our digital devices in the way we’re used to seeing with other computers and smartphones.

The great thing about the Apple Watch is that developers can create apps for it, and there are several points to consider before doing so. We’re going to take a look at creating apps for Apple Watch, the things we need to know and some practical examples.

Designing Apple Watch Apps

Apple Watch is a square device (1.32 inches by 1.5 inches) with a screen, and app developers can create applications for it in the same way they would do for other devices, but we must keep several things in mind when developing apps for this small terminal.

It’s not possible to know exactly how the elements in applications are going to display on a specific Apple Watch, since we can only see the screens on iPhone and not on their extension devices. Thus, it’s necessary to leave a margin of 1-2 points between buttons and images so that they don’t appear cut when seen on other types of watches.

In the case of applications with text elements and labels, these need to be bigger than on a typical iPhone, taking into account possible difficulties in reading them from watch size.

The best way to quickly get an idea of how your application will be displayed is by using the Preview app on iOS 8 for Apple Watch. The app lets you see how your design elements are going to look like when viewing them both with horizontal and vertical screen orientation.

Preparing Apple Watch Apps for Development

To develop applications for Apple Watch, you must first have access to the iOS 8 SDK because it’s necessary to submit your application to the App Store. It is free and open source so everyone can download it from the official website of Apple. Just remember that before doing so, you need to set up your Mac that will be used for developing and then install the Xcode 6.3 IDE, since it’s necessary to build apps for iPhone and Apple Watch.

Once you have done all of this, you can start testing your applications on your devices by registering developer accounts in the App Store section of iTunes Connect. You need to indicate how much you would like to spend and how much time you are willing to wait for your app to be reviewed.

The process of developing an application is the same as with other iPhone programs, but there are some things we should keep in mind:

• When working with applications that contain actionable cells, it’s not possible to use a UITableView, and thus we should use a subclass of NSObject so that the table is displayed as an outline.

• We must import the WatchKit framework in our program to enable communication between iPhone and Apple watch.

• It’s not possible to launch applications made for iOS 8 from the lock screen, and if this happens we’ll see a message telling us that we must unlock our device first.

• The applications designed for Apple Watch are launched from their iPhone, and thus we can’t use third party libraries during development. Also, it’s not possible to add buttons in the UIInterfaceOrientation.landscapeLeft mode since this will cause problems when the application is running.

• The classes in WatchKit are derived from WKInterfaceController, but they don’t support the viewDidLoad method and thus we’ll need to implement them in our program instead of using it.

• The label classes are new and they are not supported by Xcode, so we’ll have to change the name of their methods when working with them.

• An application uses interface objects like switches, sliders and action sheets that aren’t shown on Apple Watch; in order to show screen elements on a specific device, it’s necessary to specify this within the WKInterface object.

Now that we know how to develop applications for the Apple Watch, let’s take a look at some of its features.

Receiving Notifications on Apple Watch

The first thing we can do with our device is receive notifications when an event occurs in other applications, or when something important happens in the device or in a sub application.

To do this, we’ll need to specify our program’s name within the “Watch Notification” option of our iPhone program so that each time an event occurs, it will notify us with a vibration and displaying text on Apple Watch or iPhone depending on how many times you’ve pressed the digital crown of the Apple Watch.

To configure notifications, we’ll need to go to our “Summary” tab, and then assign a name for each application we wish to receive notification from. Then, with these names that Apple gives us in its official documentation, we can manage this process in our program.

The next step is to implement a method that will be called each time we receive a notification, so that we can perform actions depending on the notification. In this case, it’s not possible to present view controllers for managing notifications because they are directly shown on Apple Watch and instead of entering our application with the required data we’ll need to show some basic information.

Apple Watch has different ways of showing notifications that are just as effective as clicking directly on them, but that depend on your program’s purpose.

Adding Glances to Apple Watch

The next step after receiving data from your application is to give users a way to see its main information, like a list of the latest news or a timer that shows how much time is left for our cake to be ready. That’s where Glances come in handy; they are quick views that display the most important data on the Apple Watch and can be shown by simply swiping from top to bottom, either with your finger or using the digital crown to help you navigate through your glances.

Glances are created by using a class called WKInterfaceController; they show information on the Apple Watch and are seen on the top of our device. The data that we need to display is sent from our iPhone application but it’s not filtered or manipulated, so we’ll have to do this manually in our Glance.

The first step is to create an interface controller for Apple Watch; to do this we need to drag a new view controller inside the storyboard and then specify that it implements WKInterfaceControllerDelegate. Then, using the “Identity” inspector, assign a name for your glance.

Now that we’ve assigned a name to our glance we can create an instance of WKInterfaceController and assign it to our glance. But first, we’ll have to add a selector for the “Watch Notification” method that will be called each time we receive data from our iPhone application, in order to inform us about new news or other information.

To do so, we can use the “Implement watchKit App Delegate methods” option located on the left-hand side of our program’s storyboard; select it and then choose the appropriate method in your controller.

Now that we’ve assigned a name for our glance and assigned a selector for handling notifications, we can implement the initialization code. To do this, go back to the InterfaceController.swift file and import WatchKit.

In the “Supported Interface Orientations” section, select only the orientation you want to support; in our case, we’ll pick “Portrait” since watches always show notifications in a vertical position.

That’s it! You’ve successfully added a Glance to monitor data from iOS devices onto Apple Watch – now let’s check if everything works as expected.

To do this, you can test your Glance by using an Apple Watch simulator; to do so, select one of the four buttons at the bottom corners of your program’s storyboard and then tap on “iPhone”. Using a simulator is way easier than setting up and running tests on actual devices – especially if you need to test over multiple models like iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

As you’ve read in this tutorial, developing an app for the Apple Watch is not that difficult. If you look at it from a developer’s point of view, having to choose between developing an app based on an iPhone or for Apple Watch might be the easiest decision you’ll ever make. The Apple Watch offers new ways of interacting with your phone, making it extremely responsive and useful; let’s not forget about the vast amount of information you can access from one single place.

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

Online marketing is all about engaging your customers and providing them with a customer experience that they will rave about. Traditional marketing takes place offline, but the rise of social media has meant that consumer attention has become more fragmented. It’s now even easier to find negative feedback and complaints online by searching for your company name or brand, so it’s important to manage your online presence and make sure that there are positive comments out there.

Without further ado, here are some ways you can help increase the online presence for your business.

Incorporate a Blog

An excellent way to improve your online presence is by incorporating a blog into your website. A blog provides you with an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and expertise on a specific topic. This will help to build trust in potential customers as they know that you actually possess the skills and background necessary to do what you are saying, rather than simply trying to sell a product or service.

A blog is also a good way for regular site visitors to get to know you on a personal level and see who you are as an individual. This can get the conversation going about your business with customers who want to learn more about you. 

If you try out this tactic, make sure that it fits in with your business. For example, if you are in the tech industry, then having a blog about your hobbies probably won’t work very well for attracting potential clients. However, it can be extremely effective for developing long-lasting relationships with customers and getting people to notice who you are as a person.

Community Engagement

Another way to improve your online presence is by participating in online communities and forums. Participating in these types of online platforms will allow you to get your name out there and have conversations with people who would not normally be exposed to your business. 

The most important thing is to participate actively if you decide to go this route. Don’t just post a message once, rather, keep it updated and keep the conversation going. When people see that you are active and involved in a community, they become more inclined to buy your product or service because they want to be associated with your online persona.

Make sure that you are putting out helpful content in these communities; otherwise you may give off the impression that you are only looking for sales opportunities rather than having a genuine interest in the groups you are posting in.

Get Active on Social Media Platforms

If you already have accounts on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, etc., make sure that you are utilizing them to their full potential. Participating in these types of online communities not only allows people to interact with your business, it also gives you the ability to create relationships with other people who have similar interests as you. Interacting with others on social media can help strengthen current and future relationships, which is extremely important for long-term success.

The great thing about these social media platforms is that they allow you to interact with people all over the world. This gives you a chance to connect with individuals who would not normally have an opportunity to do business with your company. It opens up the possibility of getting additional clients and/or customers because they can tell their friends or family members about your business.

It is also important to make sure that you are using the right type of content to get online users interested in what you have to offer. There are certain things you should avoid posting on social media platforms at all costs, because they will give off a negative impression and actually hurt your business rather than help it. For example, avoid posting about controversial topics because they will immediately turn away potential clients.

You should make sure that you have a strong online presence, as it can influence people when making decisions regarding your products and services. If your social media profiles are not up-to-date or filled with outdated information, chances are the individuals who do business with you will be unhappy. This can lead to a customer service nightmare and ultimately affect your business’ reputation.

In order to protect your online presence, you must make sure that any information about you or your company is up-to-date at all times. Some good examples of this include facts such as the date that your website was launched, the date that your company was established, etc.

Overall, it is very important to make sure that you have a strong online presence because it gives potential customers and clients the opportunity to learn more about you and what you have to offer. If they trust you and know what your business can do for them, they are much more likely to buy something from you.

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

Often, your business depends on data. Corporate decisions are based on information from various sources, including internal and external systems. This information is produced either in a searchable format or automatically converted to that format when it’s available. Every company needs data in an easily accessible state for effective decision-making processes – no matter what industry they’re competing in or how much competition they face. All this data is eventually stored somewhere, most likely in a database. And because you can’t get rid of it, you have to store the data securely and make it available whenever needed – 24/7 worldwide. Businesses that deal with large amounts of sensitive personal customer information are subject to strict reliability standards and regulations regarding access control over their data. That’s why they need to invest in digital transformation.

However, investing in data storage is not enough for any company that wants to succeed on the market nowadays. You have to process it as well – analyze and transform it into information and use that information for decision-making processes. The good news is, you can process your stored data at a lower cost than if you were collecting it from scratch and building a database from the start. If you are able to collect raw customer data through digital channels, then it would make sense to invest in big data solutions and apply advanced analytics techniques developed for processing this kind of complex information at scale. This way, your business will be able to automate key processes like order fulfillment while great insights will be available to help improve customer experience and boost sales.

But is digital transformation really worth all the effort? Yes, it is! Big data analytics platform solutions provide valuable insights that can only be revealed by analyzing massive amounts of data.  It enables better decision-making processes and cost savings in the long term. That’s why digital transformation is a great opportunity for any business willing to gain an advantage over their competitors.

As previously stated, digitalization has become a new engine of economic growth in large corporations. For example, according to Accenture research “67 percent of executives surveyed believe that customer experience will be the primary driver of growth versus only 23 percent who think it will be price”. When we look at how consumers use internet today (and what they expect from brands), there’s no question about which direction our economy is heading towards – people are more interested in experiences than products or services. And good experiences are based on data, not intuition!

Here are three reasons why you should invest in digital transformation.

1. Improve Customer Experience by Automating Processes That Drive Customer Satisfaction and Retention

Improved customer experience is the number one reason for businesses to invest in digital transformation. This way, you can transform your business from an analogue “push” system into a digital “pull” system – a huge competitive advantage that will help you retain and please more customers than ever before. For example, when companies implement advanced automation processes they can reduce order processing time from days to minutes or even seconds. In addition, it will remove ambiguity of the process allowing every employee to be 100% sure what their responsibilities are while providing ability to manage at scale without violating service standards and policies.

2. Gain Competitive Edge Through 24/7 Worldwide Service

Another reason is that digital transformation provides new growth opportunities for businesses by making it easier to provide 24/7 worldwide service. By investing in digital transformation, companies are able to support customers at any time and from any location. This way, they can gain competitive advantage over brands who don’t invest as much into their business processes or data optimization technologies.

3. Get Precise Insights Into What Your Customers Want and How They Feel About Your Company

And last but not least – analysis of customer behavior based on real experience will give you precise insights about what your customers want and how you need to improve your services to become more successful in the future. With all this information collected from multiple sources (like social media channels, mobile apps, websites and live chat solutions), you can easily understand how your customers feel about your company. The next step is taking action to actually transform your business into a new digital brand!

There are many reasons for businesses to invest in digital transformation (as we have discussed above). It’s time to make the right decision based on what works best for you. By implementing smart technologies such as big data platforms, you will not only be able to transform your business from an analogue system into a digital one but also stay ahead of competition while adapting to new customer behavior patterns. Digital transformation brings competitive advantage that cannot be ignored by any business today!

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.

The Internet of Things offers a plethora of fancy new ways to connect devices, apps and services. This vast network holds incredible promise for users worldwide, especially in terms of personal wellness. This is true regardless of the segment analyzed: health, fitness and wellbeing; connected home; or smart cars and transport services. Yet not all devices are equally easy to use, so how do we ensure that they are designed to be used by human beings? What will the experience of using these devices be like, and what factors may influence it?

Before attempting to answer these questions, we need a clearer idea of how the Internet of Things is likely to evolve in the coming years. The IoT market is becoming increasingly fragmented and heterogeneous. Early devices were often stand-alone products with little or no connectivity to other smart objects: wearable technology such as the Pebble watch, for example, or the Aria bathroom scales from Fitbit. But over time, the trend has been towards devices that connect to one another and to the Internet. Today, “smart” objects are proliferating in homes, workplaces and public spaces: smart light bulbs from Philips Hue or LIFX; smart thermostats from Nest or Honeywell ; wireless baby monitors from Motorola…

LIFX light bulbs are part of the Internet of Things trend on account of their smartness. But what does that mean? In our view, an object is a connected device if it connects directly to the Internet using its own IP address. At this stage, an IP address is the minimum requirement for being part of the IoT ecosystem. Moreover, in order to be connected to other smart objects, an object needs a network connection (for example, 802.15.4 or WiFi). And lastly, it should have some sort of wireless interface (Bluetooth Low Energy [BLE] or Wi-Fi). Using these criteria, we have identified 11 types of connected devices, which we will examine one by one.

The simplest and most widespread type of connected object is a sensor. A sensor continuously monitors properties such as temperature, pressure or humidity. The data it produces are often used to send alerts and control other devices (for example, to switch on a light when the front door is opened). In the future, we can expect sensors to monitor many more parameters in different fields: from health and sports to industrial uses. We will be able to measure our blood sugar level with greater accuracy, detect leaks faster or optimize an engine’s performance.

We are already familiar with the first generation of connected objects, such as wearables. These are primarily wristbands that combine digital technology and wearable design (such as the Fitbit or Jawbone UP bands), smart glasses (Google Glass) or watches (the Apple Watch). Wearables usually measure physical activity and sleep patterns and have a social dimension: we can use them to stay in touch with friends through connected apps.

Connected vehicles are also a relatively familiar category of smart objects. The first Internet-connected cars (such as the Audi Q7 or the Tesla Model S) offer advanced driver assistance systems that warn drivers about dangerous maneuvers and automatically brake when they detect an obstacle. These features will be available on more affordable new vehicles in the coming years.

The smart clothing category currently consists mainly of intelligent shirts that track heartbeats and BP measurements. In the future, we can expect many more types of bodywear to join this market. For instance, it is perfectly feasible to imagine connected underclothes able to track our body temperature and other vitals.

The Internet of Things, as the name suggests, connects objects based on protocols that govern their communication. This means devices are not only connected but also can communicate with each other or interact autonomously. For example, home automation systems allow us to control lights, energy and air conditioning remotely. Sensor-equipped devices can be used to automate our homes by switching on the oven when we leave work or turn off a light when no one is in the room. As these systems become increasingly complex, they will require more powerful interfaces (for example, via mobile or TV apps). Connected home devices will also allow us to monitor in real time whether everything is as it should be.

What’s Next for Connected Devices

The trend toward greater connectivity in everyday objects will continue over the coming years. The Internet of Things will become the main channel through which many business sectors interact with their customers: we can expect connected devices to influence consumer behavior, improve product design and enhance product development.

In the short term, we can expect an increasing number of devices to be connected to both local and global networks. In fact, the five scenarios in which connected devices will play a dominant role (providing comfort, services and security; acting as gateways; collecting critical data; interacting with the physical world; and connecting objects themselves) will generate a colossal amount of data.

Sunvera Software develops next-level software applications from start-to-finish. We are a premier software and mobile app development agency specializing in healthcare mobile app development, custom mobile app development company, telehealth software, sales dashboards, custom mobile app development services, retail software development, supply-chain software, ecommerce, shopify, web design, iBeacon apps, security solutions and unified access software.

We are proud partners with Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business, or you can give us a call at (949) 284-6300.