Technologyhasgrippedhumanlifesimilartohowtheinventionoffirechangedour
worldviewthousandsofyearsagobutonlyinamorechaoticfashion.Afterthedigital disruptionstartedin2000,over52%intheFortune500listmerged,wasacquired,dropped offthelistorsimplywentoutbusiness.Theworldofbusinessisnotthesameanymoreandinthis increasinglydisruptiveworld,businessesneedtostandtheirgroundwithasteadyandinnovative supportofITinfrastructure.
Ontheotherhand,ITinfrastructuresolutionprovidersalsohaveataskcutoutforthem.Stayingon topofinnovationanddeliveringvalueinrealtimearenolongerupfornegotiations.Thisisanything butthegroundreality.Hence,itisimportantforITinfrastructureproviderstobracethemselveswith expertdesign,installation,maintenance,andpersonnelsolutions.
Theconcretepartoftheinfrastructuresolutionoftenhassomefascinatinganswers.Duringour research,InsightSuccessvariousinnovativeITinfrastructuresolutionsincludingwaystogivevoice toeveryemployeetoturnanorganizationintotheblossomingorganicentity,itismeanttobein spirit.However,oftenduringthediscussionofITinfrastructuresolutions,theemployeetrainingpart isnotdiscussedindepth.Thisisperhapsmostorganizationsforeseelimitationstotheirabilityto trainemployees.But,duringourresearch,wewerelefttowonder,withtheincreasingtechnologyat ourdisposal,canwenotfindmorewaystoexploreanddiscovereverycornerofhumanpotential.
Hopefullysomeday,inthisincreasinglydisruptiveworld,technologywillhelpusdiscoverthe fireinsideandmakeanintegralpartofourworklives.
AfterwitnessingtherisinginnovationandscalabilityofITinfrastructuresolutionsacross numerouscontinents,InsightsSuccesshasshortlisted“The10MostInnovativeIT InfrastructureSolutionProviders,2018,”whichareusingtheirextensivebusinessknowledge toprovideasteadybackbonetosupporttheevergrowingneedsofbusinessesintheincreasingly disruptiveworld.
FeaturingasourCoverStoryisPresent,whichenvisionsafuturewhereITinfrastructure supportsorganizationsandemployeesgetthemuchrequiredsupporttobalancetheirpriorities. ThecompanyapproachestheITinfrastructurefromthepointofviewsupportingincreasing growthfororganizationsbyprovidingcomfortableandrelaxingmeansforemployeesto dedicatethemselvestotheirwork.Theirvisionforthefutureisinlinewithourownandwe salutetheirjourneyandexperiencesasoneofourveryown.
Alongsidethisthemagazinealsoincludes,Scalr,whichbelievesinprovidingautonomyand operationalflexibilitytoemployeestoboostgrowthwhilemaintainingafirmgripon compliance.
ThesecompaniesareredefiningthetermpartnerfirminthecontextofITinfrastructure solutions.Acompanythathastakenthisnewlydiscoverimaginationtoawholenewlevelis CyclosIT.ThecompanyprovidesaMobileandonlinepaymentsoftwareplatformforvarious financialinstitutes,commercialentitiesandorganizations.Ifyouwouldliketowitnessmore innovationinthisindustry,youwouldalsolovetoreadaboutPeoplePower Acompanyasits namesuggestsoffersspecializedinuniquehomeofferingsandhelpingitsserviceprovider clientstodeliverthemusingtheirbrandname.Wehavealsofeaturedastandoutcompany, INSTANDAwhichhasbuiltuniqueandLeading-edgecloudbasedinsurancesolutionsfor thousandsofclients.
Also,makesuretoflipthroughourarticles,writtenbyourin-houseeditorialteam;aswellas CXOStandpointsofnotableindustrypersonalities.
Let’s start shall we?
Ajit Balkawade
Wehaveentereda renaissanceera;exitingthe ‘modern’worldand enteringthe‘postmodern’world.Inthe modernworld,itwasacceptable,even admiredtoworklonghours,to sacrificetodayforabettertomorrow,to betired,tobeunderstresseven.
Inthenewworld,the‘postmodern’ world,wewanttobehappy,enjoylife, havefunatworkandwewantmore timeforourpassions.Itismoreradical withthemillenniums,butitcanbe observedatallagesnow
Butneverbeforehavewehadsomany demandsonus.Weneedtobefastand weneedtodomorewithless,asglobal competitivenessincreaseseveryday, andmostpredictionsindicatethatit’s onlygoingtogetworse.
Thesetwosituationsareconflicting. Howisonesupposedtodelivermore andmorewithoutspendingtheirlife workinginanincreasinglydemanding environment?
Presenthasadapteditsoffertomeet today’schallengingITdemandsin businessandasimportantly,workwith individualstodelivermoreandsave timeandstressforamorebalanced life.
Presentachievesthisbyuncovering andfocusingonthedreamresultsfor itsclients’company,thedepartment andtheindividuals.Then,itpullsall resourcestogether,bothinternaland external,withtheirnetworkof partners,distributorsand manufacturers,toworktowardsthe dreamsituation.
Thisistheholisticvisionofthe companyforitsclientsanditstrives everydaytoworkwiththemto achievethis.
Presentdistinguishesitselfwitha uniquevisionandaniconicleadership. ThecompanyisledbyMarc Beaulieu,theFounderandPresident ofthecompany
overandover,englobingthesaying “theonethatsurvivesisnotthe strongestbuttheonethatadapts”. Also,heknowshowtomakelifefunto workasateamandchosespeoplethat willworkwelltogetherandthatcreate outstandingvaluefortheclient.
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We set up IT infrastructures with greater agility, and much shorter response times, with the ultimate goal being to rethink the customer experience and operations as well as reinvent business models.
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Inthepast,ITwasworshippedwithin thebusiness.ITearnedrespectbecause ithelpedcompaniesbysavingcosts, providingspeedandautomationtothe business.Butinthenewmillennium, ITgraduallybecameacommodity,a servicetothebusinessandacost center,evenreferredtoas“the frustrationcenter”attimes.
AccordingtoMarc,“Peoplenow realisethatitwasamistakeandare workingtoputITbackasastrategic allyandatruecontributortothe business”.Buttherearechallenges:the speedofbusinesstodayissofast,and ITneedstobedeployedsocarefully, thatthereisaclashbetweenbusiness needsandwhattraditionalITcan deliver
Marcstartedouthisprofessionalcareer asanITdeveloper,wherehebeganto seetheneedforITcompaniestobetter servetheirclients.Hiscolleagues describehimassomeonewhonever runsoutofideasandopportunitiesto betterservehisclients.Hisvision constantlydrivesthecompanyto reinventbusinesspracticesandstay aheadoftheracetomeetthe requirementsofitsclients.
Inthe27yearssincetheinceptionof Present,Marchasexperiencedhis shareofturbulenttimesbuttookthe difficulttimesinstrideandviewed themasopportunities.Histrackrecord isproofhehasreinventedtheofferings
PresentworkswithITinregaining speedandleadershipinthebusiness andtoprovideproactiveideasand solutionstogrowthebusinessand contributetoprofits.
Thecompanyworksonwhatitseesas coreITchallengessuchasmeetingthe needsofallbusinessapplications, deployingnewapplicationsfaster, upscalingapplicationstodeliverbetter performance,reducingITcostsand ultimatelyfreeingupresourcestohelp ITcompaniesfocusoninnovatingcore productsandservices.
Keepinginmindthattechnologyis boththedriverandtheenablerfor rethinkingtheefficiencyandeventhe
survivalofenterprises,Presentworks withcompaniesofvarioussizesin gainingleadershipbyproviding innovativetechnologicalapproaches andsolutionsthatdeliverrealvalue.
TheyprovideagileITsolutionsthat respondtofastandevolvingbusiness demandsandfreeupemployeesso theycanworkonprojectsthatmatters tothebusiness.
ThepostmoderneranowrequiresITto havegreateragility,andmuchshorter responsetimestotheirdemands,with theultimategoalbeingtorethinkthe customerexperienceandoperationsas wellasreinventbusinessmodels.
ButITisstilllargelymonopolizedby thetasksassociatedwiththe maintenanceandavailabilityof infrastructuresinheritedfromthepast.
Withsuchdailychallenges,it’seasyto forgetthatapplications,not infrastructure,shouldbetheirprimary focus.
Today,itisimperativeforITtoreverse thetrendtotrulybeableto:
Ÿ Meettheneedsofallthebusiness’ applications
Ÿ Deploynewapplicationsfaster Ÿ Manageapplicationrequirementsin termsofperformance,availability andplacementonsiteandinthe cloud
Ÿ ReduceITcosts Ÿ Freeupresourcesandtimefor innovation
ForIT,thismeansadopting,instages, anarchitecturalflexibilityinorderto dynamicallyplacebusinessworkloads wheretheymakethemostsense.
Thecornerstoneofthisstrategyisthe establishmentofasoftware-defined
datacenterusinghyper-converged technologies.
Withtheircentersofexpertisecovering infrastructure,cloudandmanaged services,Presentsupportscompanies intheirmodernizationeffortstomake infrastructureasunobtrusiveas possible,allowingITtofocusonwhat reallymatters:theirapplications.
ADifferencethathasaBigImpact
Oneofthemaindifferentiatorof Presentistheunderstandingofthe visibleandhiddenneedsandproblems. Thecompanycomesinwithadifferent setofglasses,whereitisnotonly respondingtoneedsandcertainlynot pushingitsproductsbutlayingouta planforthebiggerpicture.
Thecompanypridesitselfbybeing clientcentricandwilldoeverything possibletogiveaworldclassclient experience.Sinceitapproachesthings
We are a team of passionate IT experts who are driven by helping our clients succeed in their projects with cutting edge technological solutions and our unparalleled experience in the implementation.
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fromatotallydifferentangle,theend resultisnotonlyaninnovative infrastructuresolutionbutabetter valueandperceptionofITinthe businessandmorepride,freedomand pleasureatwork.
AnAll-EncompassingBeneficiaryto Clients
Presentisatruecontributorthathasa methodologyandinveststhetimeto immerseitselfintheclient’sbusiness andbecomesanextendedteam towardstheirsuccess.
Theleadershipatthecompany believes,intheend,itisabetterlife foreveryone;fortheITteam,forthe restofthepeopleinthebusinessthat
areimpacted,fortheendclientsthat willbebetterservedandthe stakeholdersbecausetheywillhave betterresultsandlessproblemsto solve.Marcoftensays,“Whenyou makea360analysisoftheimpactsof doingthingsdifferently,youactually seethoseelementsthatareso profitable,bothfinanciallyand emotionally”.
Withacombinedapproachbasedon vision,valuesandmethodology, Presentisatruepartnerinproviding valuetoclient’sbusinesses.Ithelpsits clientsbysolvingrecurrentproblems thathavebeenaroundtoolong.Such
problemscanoftenbecomeaccepted asa‘necessaryevil’buttheycosta fortuneintermsmoneyandstress.
Presentisstirringthepotbyraisingthe barwithnewstandardsandaimingto delivereverythingitsclientswantand need.Thecompanyoftengoesbeyond thecallofdutytorecognisedeeper problemsandpossibleopportunities withanobjectiveandbalanced perspective.
Thecompanyenvisionsabrighter futureonthehorizonfortheindustry wherethereisanopportunityto recreatetheITecosystemwherethe clientalwayscomesfirst.
The end result of our work is not only an innovative infrastructure solution but a better value and perception of IT in the business and more pride, freedom and pleasure at work.
“ “
Cyclos demo.cyclos.org
eleven-x eleven-x.com
INSTANDA instanda.com
HenkvanArkel CEO
DanMathers President&CEO
TimHardcastle Co-founder&CEO
Cyclosisamobileandonlinepaymentsoftware.Forbanks, microfinanceinstitutions,bartersandcomplementary currencysystems.
Eleven-xisaCanadabasedlowpowernetworkenablingIoT& smartCities.
INSTANDAoffersSaaSinsurancesoftwarethatallowsclients tobuild,configureandlaunchproductsonlinewithinshort timelines,andamendthem.
Network-Value network-value.com
ChrisSargent Co-founder&CEO
NowITMatters nowitmatters.com
PeoplePower peoplepowerco.com
Present present.ca
Signaturit signaturit.com
Scalr scalr.com
WorksComputing workscomputing.com
TimLockie Founder&President
Network-ValueoffersITAssetProcurement,ITAsset MaintenanceandITAssetDispositionservicestoitsclients.
NowITMattersspecializesinSalesforceimplementationsfor nonprofitsofallsizes.Italsoprovidestheinformation management,tech,andstrategyconsultingsolutions.
GeneWang CEO&Co-founder
MarcBeaulieu Founder&President
PeoplePowerisasmarthomeservicesenablementcompanyfor energy,security,andcare,headquarteredinPaloAlto, Californiawithofficesworldwide.
PresentoffersacomprehensivepackageofITservicesincluding dataprotection,networkmanagement,workstationperfomance, etcasanITpartner
JuanZamora CEO&Founder
Signaturit’selectronicsignaturesolutionallowsclientbusinesses tosendandsigndocuments digitallyandmakesecure transactions.
SebastianStadil Founder&CEO
Scalrprovidesahybridcloudmanagementplatformwhich promisessecurity,cost-savingsandefficiencyforenterprises.
MitchBrown CEO
WorksComputinghelpsbusinessesmeettheirenterpriseITgoals throughpersonalizedservices,hardware,softwaresolutions.
Fatima Al Shirawi, Founder of The Gracious F is the leading Color Consultant in the Middle East who has been collaborating with International luxury brands through the years.
As an educator, she works with Government and Corporate Entities and Educational Institutes on delivering the Science of Colour to learners in their elds of expertise.
Launchinganichebusinessconceptinacompetitiveenvironmentrequiresamindsetthat
constantlylooksfornewchallengestoexplorenewventuresandsetprecedents.Ilauncheda fully-fledgedcolorconsultancybusinessintheMiddleEastadecadeagoatatimewhenthe regionwasjustestablishingitselfasaninternationalhubforartsandcreativity
Manyperceivecolorconsultancyasabusinessthatassessesindividuals’colorprofileshenceits associationwithfashionandstyling.Inanagewhereknowledgeisthecoredriverofcreativityand versatility,Ihavetransformedtheperceptionofthisindividual-centricbusinesstoabusinessthat serviceskeysectorsthatinvolvehumaninteraction.
Thescienceofcolorpsychologyisaccuratetotheextentthatitcanbeusedtoachievesalestargetsfor anybusiness.Internationalbrandshavealwaysbeenaheadofthegameinusinginnovativemethodsto
drivetheirsales.WiththeMiddleEastbeingakeymarket forgrowth,Iworkedwiththesebrandsbyutilizingthe scienceandpsychologyofcolortoenhancetheshopping experiencefortheirtargetclients.Fromengineeringthe storeinteriorsandvisualmerchandisetotheactualselection ofgoodsthatappealtothesophisticatedbuyermeanwhile standingoutinacompetitivelandscape.Timeaftertimethe scienceofcolordidnotfailourexpectations.
Anotherimportantelementofsuccessiscollaboratingwith businessesoperatingindifferentsectors.SocialMedia channelshavemadeitsimplertokeepupwithtrendswhich pavesthewayforsuccessfulcollaborationstotapintonew marketsandchallengebusiness’screativity.The collaborationofbusinessesfromdifferentsectorshas becomeincreasinglycommoninthisdayandage,asthey allaimtoinnovateanewexperiencefortheircustomers. Localandregionalbusinessesarechallengedtooutperform astheyareconstantlycomparedtotheirinternational counterpartsonsocialmediachannelsandonlinemedia platforms.
Thekeybenefitofresearchandkeepingupwithtrendsis understandingthechallengesthatbusinessesface,which createstheopportunitytocollaboratesuccessfully.Agood exampleofacross-sectorcollaborationwouldbealigning mycolorconsultancybusinesswiththeF&Bsector,which haswitnessedgrowthinrecentyears,wherecustomersare alwaysonthelookoutforthenextnewdiningexperience. Utilizingcolorpsychologyofhumanbehaviorandpeople’s perceptionofcolorswasthecoresuccessfactorbehind suchcollaboration.Wherethefinediningrestaurantseta precedentindesigningacustomizedmenuincorporating theflavorsandcolorsthatbestsuitMiddleEasterndiners meanwhilemaintainingitsFrenchcuisineoffering.Diners enjoyedtheexperiencesthatactivatedtheirsenseswhilst theywerebriefedonthepsychologyofcolorandflavors behindeverycourseoftheirdinner ThankstotheColor Affectstheory,theyleftwithsatisfiedtastebudsand inquisitivethoughtsofthecolorgroupstheybelongedto.
Sharingknowledgeisthekeytogrowth.Withovera decadeofknow-howandexpertiseintheevolving
landscapeintheMiddleEastandhavingworkedalongside regionalandinternationalentities,itwastimetosharethe know-howwithyoungminds.TheAcademicsectorisone ofthekeysectorsthatinteractswithyoungmindsand exportsknowledge.Itisthereforeextremelyimportantto metoworkwithacademicinstitutionsbytrainingyoung studentsfrombothartsandbusinessrealmson understandingtheimpactofcolorpsychologyandthe importanceofimplementingitintheirareasof specialization,withtheaimofgrowingtheirskillsetsand improvingtheircareerprospects.
Takingthebusinesstothenextlevelmeansexploringnew sectorsthatyoucanworkalongsidewithandunderstanding thechallengesoftheever-evolvingbusinesslandscape. Confidenceinyourbusinessanditsofferingmakesthat possible.Itisimportanttohighlightthatdeepknowledgeof thenewsectoryouplanonworkingwith,createsabetter opportunityandtransformscollaborationstopartnerships.
Creativityremainsthecorechallengetobusinessesacross sectors.Itisimportanttounderstandthepsychologyofthe consumerandcolorpsychologyisoneofthemethodsused todecipherconsumerbehavior.Commitmenttoyour businessandbusinesscounterpartsisthekeytosustainable success.Itisimportanttobearinmindthatalongwiththe highriskcomesrewardswhichiswhatsetsyourbusiness apartfromitscompetitors,byemergingasakeyplayerin themarket.
Colorconsultancyremainsanichebusiness,yetitwas eminenttohuntforopportunitiesthatcapitalizeonsucha scienceinanagewhereoureyesarebusywithourportable devicesandourmindsareconstantlydistracted.Versatility, adaptabilityandventuringintonewbusinessareashas transformedtheperceptionofmybusinessfromonethatis associatedwithfashionandartstoabusinessconsultancy thatcomprehendscustomerpsychology,visual merchandize,andengineersinteriordesignsofhomesand stores.
Mobilewalletsaretakingthe worldbystorm.Whether itisforshopping, businessespurchasesorpaying governmentdues,mobilewallet offersaglimpseintothebrightfuture offinance.Itprovidescustomers withathoroughrecordof transactions,unparalleledlevelof convenience.However,therestill remainssomelegitimateconcernin themarketaboutdigitalwallets.
Thereexistsalotofcompetition amongvariousprivateplayers,and thereisalsoagrimpossibilityofa possibleconflictofinterestbetweena mobilewalletplatformanda businessthatispotentiallyatits mercy
Unlikeothers,Cycloshasmoved pastthesemajorconcernstodelivera groundbreakingnon-profitdigital walletventure.Beinganon-profit business,itallowstheorganizationto deliveracompetitivelowcost productandspreadacrossmultiple countrieswithoutadelay.Cycloshas itsofficesinTheNetherlands,Brazil andUruguay
AnAchievementWrappedin NumerousHallmarks
Cyclos’sjourneysofarisatestimony topurededicationandconsistency towardsitsobjectives.Thecompany haswonnumerousrecognitionsfrom prestigiousentities,whofurther verifythesuccessofthecompany anditsnumeroushallmarks.Anideal examplewouldbewhenthe companywonETA’sE-pay Innovationawardbackin2014to establishitselfasaleadingmarket player
Thecompanywentontoaddnearly 10millionend-usersin2016. Additionally,italsowona prestigiousprizefromtheGates FoundationandtheEuropeanUnion. Thecompanyreceivedaspecial mentionintheEUvision2020for aidingseveralkeyprograms,like spreadingsocialbenefits. Additionally,inthehighend Europeanmarket,theorganization providesanewapproachtoenable accesstocreditforcompaniesthatup tillnowarenotserved.Inthe approachclientsforcreditarelinked totheirsupplychainaresmartly
connectedtoincreasetheirsales. Cyclosalsoprovidesamarketplace forbusinessestoreachcustomers. Overtheyears,Cycloshas empoweredseveralkeyshareholders inthemarketincludingsmallbanks, bartertradeclientsandMFI’sto buildastrongereconomyforthe future.
DistinguishedFeaturesanda UniqueApproach
Cycloshaslaunchedvarious productsinamarketwhichcontinues toredefinemobilebanking.Its premierproductisthe Cyclos 4 PRO, whichpaymentplatformcanserve groupsandsub-groupsofbusinesses. ItisbasedonJAVAenterpriseand canbeinstalledonaprivateserver Boththeapplicationserversaswell asthedatabaseserverarefully clusterable.Itoffersmobilebanking whichembedsthelatestbanking solutionsincludingmobileapp, SMS,USSD,IVR,onlinebanking andmanymore.Theproductalso containsspecialfeaturesand technologytoincreasetheimpactof expendituresinregionswherethe economyunderperforms,inlinewith
thelargervisionofitsparent organization,SocialTrade Organization(STRO)
TheaimofSTROistomakemoney moreeffective,justandsustainable, andavailablewhereneeded.Based onthatvisionCyclosappealsto variousstakeholdersinthe marketplace.Forexample,Cyclos enablessmallbankstodeliverpoor clientshighlevelservicesby providingthemwithcost-effective stateofthearton-linebanking,SMS banking,POSandmobilebanking services.Thiscontributestowards buildingastrongbankingsector,and inreturnCycloscontinuesto experienceincrediblegrowthfrom servingtheirusersincludingsmall banks,largeorganizations, businesses,microfinance institutions,governmentagencies andeducationalinstitutionsaswell.
ALeadershipthatTurns ChallengesintoOpportunities Duringthe1980s,theleadershipat CyclosanticipatedthatIT
applicationswouldchangethevery natureofmoney.Hence,inorderto beapartofthisinnovation,an intensiveR&Dprogramwasstarted, whichresultedinCyclossoftware. HenkvanArkel,theCEOofthe organizationleditwithhis courageousbeliefs.Hissloganfor divingintotheunknownterritoryof innovationwasthat–“aproblemis merelyanotyetfoundsolution.”The organizationappliedthetheoryin practicefortwentyyearsandcreated awide-varietyofinnovative monetarysolutions.
Cyclosleadershipcontinuestothis day,torespondtogrowingand emergingtrendsinthefinancial market.Onesuchgrowingtrendis Blockchaintechnology While currently,theconnectionbetweenthe assumedworthofBlockChainandits productivecapacitiesisdebated, Cyclosmixestechnologiesnewand proven,centralizedanddecentralized basedonprovenperformance. Hence,Cyclosleadershipcontinues toemphasizeoncreatingpayment
systemswhichreinforceregional economiesanddecreases speculation.
Cycloscontinuestoemergeasakey anduniqueplayerintheglobal financialmarket.Themanagementat Cyclosalsohasitssightssetona brightfutureahead.Theorganization expectstoreachhundredsofmillions ofusersbasedonitsrecentsuccess andadvancements.Thisuserbase willgraduallybeofferedoptionsyet notavailableinthemarket,suchas counter-cyclicalcredittechnology andtechnologythatincreasesthe impactofmoney.Cyclosultimately aimstohelpcirculatethelarge proportionofthe500billiondollar remittancesmarketmoreeffectively inordertoallowthecreationof hundredsofmillionsjobsasareal possibilitywiththetheincreaseof therecirculation.
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SaaSorSoftwareasaServiceisacurrentphenomenon intheworldoftechnologynowadays.Itisanon demand,cloud-baseddeliverymodelforsoftware applications.Overtheyears,SaaShasgrownquitesteadily However,thesesolutionsarebecomingmoreandmore popularnowadays,thankstotheadvantagesofcloud computingandrageofbenefitsitoffers.Whenitcomesto SaaS,aserviceproviderhoststheapplicationataremote location,andtheusercanaccessthatbyusingawebbrowser.Withtheyearstocome,usageofSaaSisonly expectedtogrowevenfurther.So,herewearelistingout fewtrendsthatcaneventuallyshapetheindustrylateron.
ConsideringtheeffectivenessofSaaS,ithasgrownahead itselftosomethingnewtermedasXaaSmodel(Everything asaservice).Nowadaysthemajorityofmanufacturersand channelpartnersareusingpay-as-you-gomodelsto computetheirorganizationsastheywelcomethelatest technologythroughcloudbasedservices.Itisbelievedthat XaaSwillbringmoreinnovationstocloud-based businesses.
Accordingtothelatestindustrytrends,feworganizations aretryingtomigratetheirdatatocloudsoftwareand platformservices.However,fewofthecompaniesare seekingforserviceresolutionsinordertomergewithinthe currentinfrastructuretomakeitbetter Withthepresenceof legacysystemsandconcernsrelatedtodatasecurity,the responsibilitycompletelyliesonSaaSMSP,whenitcomes tofullintegrationwithoutleakinganycriticaldata.
Withtheconstantlyevolvingtechnologymarket,soon DaaS(DataasaService)willhaveasignificantpresence. ThemainideaofDaaSistohelporganizationswiththe widevarietyofcloudbaseddataatveryminimalcostso thatorganizationscanbecomesmarterwhenitcomesto decisionsrelatedtostrategyplanning.
Securitywillplayaveryimportantroleintheupcoming days.Withtheriseofsmartphoneusers,nowcyber offendershavemultipleentrypointsforsecuritybreaches, exposingpersonalandenterprisenetworks.Asmentioned, remoteworkingexposesemployeestopublicopenspaces withunencryptednetworksmakingthemmorevulnerable tovariousthreats.Nowadaysmalwarecanbeinjectedinall kindofdevices,whichcaneventuallyinterceptthe transferreddataleavingmoretobeprotected.So,withmore andmoreinnovationsonecaneasilyexpectincreased securitysolutionsintheupcomingyears.
Soonsmartphone-friendlyappsaregoingtobenormin theindustry.Thankstothegrowingusageofsmartphones andtabletsamongsttheemployeesandcustomers. Accordingtorecentsurvey,35percentofrespondentssaid thattheyareplanningtoincreasespendingonmobile
systemsin2017,amongalltherespondent’s10percentare currentlybeta-testingappsand21percentarelookingto addteammemberswithmobileapplicationanddevice managementskills.Withthegrowingusageofmobility, organizationsaresavingcosts,andnowtheycanwork remotelyandcanincreasecustomerresponsetime.
ArtificialIntelligencewillplayabigpartsoon.Lastyear, GoogleHome,AmazonAlexa,andSiri’sMacbookdebut broughtAIpersonalexperiencewithinreachofpeople.The sametrendcanbeanticipatedthisyearwhenhome enhancementandsimplificationisthekeytrend.For example,therewillbedevelopmentsineverydayactivities suchasswitchingonlights,opening,andclosingofgarage doors,switchingsirconditioningonandoff,etc.Allthese willbepossiblewiththehelpofasmartphone.
Accordingtoarecentstudy,tilldate,morethan75percent enterprisedon’tpossessacompleteorganizationcohesive cloudstrategy Withouttheclarityintowhatsoftware employeesareusingfortheirdaytodayprocesses,CIOs arefailingtoregulateprocesses,createplans,andpreserve acriticalbusinessdata.So,todiscovervariousshadowIT departments,soonSaaSdiscoverytoolswillfunctionto alertorganizationsandtofindsolutions.
Withinaveryshortperiod,anincreasingnumberof financiallypowerfulcloudapplicationMSP’sareadvancing abovethemarkof$50millionmark.Whichiseventually helpingthemtoproduceasurplusofventurecapitalfirms whoareonthelookoutofmakingnewinvestments.The resultisanexplosioninthesectorofSaaS,however,soon thefundingwillbecomeincreasinglycontroversial.
SaaSapplicationsareeasyfitforsmallbusinessesand startups,wheredeployingandmanagingon-premise infrastructureisnotagreatidea.Accordingtorecent research,morethan6,000Europeanorganizations,which rangefrompre-startupstoestablishedsmallbusinesses foundmanygrowthoptions.Whereasmorethan64percent ofthesurveyrespondentswerealreadyusingthecloudbasedsoftware.By2017,thepercentageisexpectedto growupto78percent.Aspertheresearch,financial management,projectmanagement,customermanagement, andmarketingarethekeyareaswheretheorganizationsare seekingsupportfromSaaSvendors.
So,herearesomeofthekeytrendsofSaaS,thatcan eventuallychangethemarket.However,westillexpect moreandmoreSaaScompaniestoexpandtheirlimitsand moveintodifferentsegmentswhileevolvingfromsingle productservicestoplatforms.
Entireorganizationsaredrivenontechnologythatno longermeetstheexpectationsofendusers. Particularlyinthefinancialspace.Financial institutionshavenotoriouslystruggledtokeeppacewith technology.Many,ifnotall,desktopsthatpowerWall Streetareprogrammedinwhatarenowreferredtoas “legacy”languages:Java,.NET,andC++.Thisbecomes increasinglyproblematicthelongertheysitthere.The degradationofuserexperienceandfunctionalitycreates seriousconsequencesforaproduct(andthebottomline), especiallywhencomparedtotheirmoderncounterparts.
TheriseofmodernUXandUIhasfundamentallychanged thewaybusinessleadersandorganizationsthinkabout productdevelopment.Astechnologyevolvedoverthe years,sodidconsumerexpectations.Engineersimproved theirmethodsandcraft,betterproductsweredelivered,and consumersreapedthebenefitsofaninteractive,intuitiveUI thatdeliveredagreatUX.However,thatsamedeliverable quicklyconditionedandinfluencedusers’expectations, makingitevenharderforengineerstokeeppace.Users wantand expect abeautifullydesigned,modern,interactive experienceonanydevice,anywhere.
Dan Schleifer Co-founder ChartIQ
In today’s world of hyper expectations, user experience must be the leading driver in determining product strategy.
Webtechnologies—HTML5,CSS,andJavaScripttoname afew—arewhatdeliverthemodernUXthatusershave cometoexpect.Thesetechnologiescameandconquered. They’reresponsibleforthe“mobilefirst”andcloud movementsthattransformedbusinessesaroundtheworld. Webtechnologieshavehadsuchabigimpactonthebottom linethattheyarenowacornerstoneofanygreatcompany orproductstrategy
Butthefinancialspaceisalwaysalittletough.Developing toolsforfinancialprofessionalsisn’tthesameasbuildinga taxiserviceapp,achatplatform,orafooddeliveryapp. Theneedsoffinancialprofessionals—analystsandtraders inparticular—arefarmorecomplexandrequiretechnical sophisticationandindustry-specificintel.
Withhelpfromexpertsinthefield,institutionsbeganto delivertheexperiencemodernusersdemanded.Web technologiesplayedahugeroleasdevicesproliferatedand
cross-platformtechnologybecameessential.Butthroughall ofthis,therewasonedeviceandtoolthatwasoverlooked: thedesktoptradingterminal.Thelastmileofweb technologiesisbringingtheirinherentadvantagestothe institutionaldesktoptradingstation.
Thedesktopiskinginthefinancialindustrythankstoits sheerpower,performance,andefficiency.Rightnowa proprietaryterminalsitsonthedeskof325Kofthemost influentialdecision-makersinfinance.Closeyoureyesand imaginethetradingfloorfullofpaperticketsandrunners. OneofthefirstindustryrevolutionsmovedWallStreet fromprinttocomputers.Andnow,we’reinthemidstof anothergreatrevolutionasHTML5,CSS,andJavaScript arebeingappliedtofinancialtechnology.
Powerusersinfinanceneedaccesstoalotofdata—and quickly.Thisexplainsthelargeinvestmentinthedesktop computerand12+monitorsetup.Butwhatifyoucould takeallthedatawithinthosemonitorsandhaveeach monitor’scontentstalktoeachother,fitononescreen,or stretchoutacrossmanyscreensdependingonyour preference?Whatifyoucouldfillmultipleareasonyour screenwiththedatathatmatteredmosttoyourown organization?Andwhatwouldhappentoyourbusinessif youcouldintegrateyourlegacyandnativeapplicationsinto thesameplatformasyourmodernwebtechnologies?AND theycouldallinteroperate?Thisisthefutureofthe desktop:oneexperiencepoweredbymanyapps.Itssmarter, better-looking,andmorepowerful.Andit’sfinallyhere.
Financialfirmsemploythousandsofdesktopappsfor trading,marketresearch,andcollaboration.Theycanbe modernorlegacyapps.Theycanbelicensedfromthirdpartyvendorsorbuiltin-house.Theycanbebuiltwith differenttechnologiessuchasJava,.Net,Angular,orFlash. Butnomatterthesituation,financialinstitutionsarefaced withahodgepodgeofdisparate,splinteredapplications acrosstheentireorganization,anddefinitelyontheuser’s desktop.Theseappsmightprovideinsightandpowerand individuallybegreat,butthey’rejustasingleappona page,unawareofitssurroundings.
Withinthelastfiveyears,softwareframeworkscalled containershavegivenustheabilitytohavemultipletypes ofapplicationsworktogetheronthedesktop,regardlessof language.Thelatesttechdevelopmentisbuildingadvanced functionalityontopofthecontainer,becausethecontainer isn’tenough.WhenHTML5andJavaScriptareusedontop ofacontainer,theycanleverageAPIs,amicroservice architecture,andmodernfunctionalitytobringusersanew platformexperience—anopenterminalexperience.
Anopenterminalexperienceisexactlywhatfinancial institutionsneedtosolvetheheadachesassociatedwith theiroutdatedtechnology.Itallowslargeorganizations,
steepedinlegacyarchitecture,achancetopreservethe currentappsthatpowertheirbusinesswhilesimultaneously buildingforwardinHTML5.Theopenterminal accomplishesthisbymakingitpossiblefororganizationsto embedtheirownnativeapplicationsintoamodern, interoperatingplatformthatconnectsandsyncsdata.The finalproductisthefunctionalitythatenduserswant.And that’sbeenalongtimecomingforWallStreet’sdarling:the desktop.Yourchoiceofdataandcomponents.Allworking seamlesslytogether.
“The move to bring powerful web functionality and integrate disparate systems into a unified user experience is redefining the institutional trading terminal as we know it.”
Individualwindowscanbeeasilyconnectedwiththetouch ofabuttonsothattheycommunicatewithoneanotherand synchronizedata.Thisallowsforafederatedapproach, wherecomponentsarelooselycoupled,butintegratedintoa unifiedwhole.Withthesenewdevelopments,organizations can,forthefirsttimeever,reducetheirdependenceonthe proprietaryterminalandchoosethedatathatisrelevantto theirorganization.Whendatasourcesareinterconnected, synchronized,andorganizedtobestmeettheendusers’ needs...theentireworkflowismadeefficient.
AtChartIQ,we’vebeenworkingwithHTML5foryearsto guidelargefinancialinstitutionsthroughtheinevitable upgradeprocess.Webuiltouropenterminalplatform, Finsemble,tohelpthesesameinstitutionsdelivera compellingandefficientuserexperienceonthedesktop. Finsembleisamiddleroadbetweenthepowerful-but-rigid legacyenvironmentandthedynamic-but-constrained browserenvironment.APIsallowwindowcommunication andsyncing,andclient-sideintegrationisfastandeasy You canlearnhowtostartrevolutionizingyourdesktoptrading terminalat chartiq.com
WithFinsemble,customizedworkspacesandworkflowsare quicktoassemblefordevelopers.Andtheyareflexible,so theuniquerequirementsofeachandeveryorganizationare individuallymet.Embeddingnativeapplicationsintoan HTML5environmentallowstheselarge,legacy-drivenorgs tofinallydeliverthebestpossibleuserexperience.
DanSchleiferisaCo-founderofChartIQ,afront-end softwarecompanythatspecializesinHTML5functionality andAPIsforcapitalmarketsclients.ChartIQprovidestools thatmakemigratingandupdatingtomoderninterfaceseasy forlargefinancialinstitutions.Learnmoreat chartiq.com
Youcanbeforgivenfor believingthattheworldof insuranceisstaidandboring; theindustryisgenerallyregardedas oneofthemostpassiveofall. However,youwouldbewrong,andthe reasonwouldbeINSTANDA
INSTANDAisaninsurancesoftware providerchallengingthestatusquo.It hascreatedastateoftheartSaaS (SoftwareasaService)insurance softwareplatformthatallowsyouto buildyourproductsfromscratch, configurethemtosuityouandyour clients,andthenlaunchthemonlineat drastically-shortenedtimescales. Amendmentsnolongerrequireweeks ordays–theygolivewithinminutes.
Thisleading-edgecloudsoftwarehas completelyrevolutionizedhowthe insuranceindustryoperates.Fifteenof theworld’slargestcarriersintheU.S., Canada,LatinAmerica,U.K.and EuropearealreadyusingINSTANDA software,andthecompanyisfielding widespreadinterestfrommanyothers.
INSTANDA’sappealliesinits unrivaledversatility,acharacteristic thatisliterallyunheardofininsurance.
Theplatform’susershavethepowerto configureanyproductinanywaythey want,fromthemostcomplex
commercialscenariowithsophisticated ratingsandextensivedocumentationto simplegadgetoptions.Thedistribution phaseisasuser-friendlyand compatiblewithanydistribution channel(s)acrossmultiplebrands, currencies,languages,andtaxregimes.
Notemplatesmeannolimitations. INSTANDAisbringingtheageofthe off-the-shelf,one-size-fits-allmodelto aclose.
Themanbehindthisextraordinary rethinkisINSTANDA’sCo-founder andCEO,TimHardcastle
Timhasalonganddistinguished careerintheinsuranceand underwritingindustry.Hehasheld positionsofleadershipatFTSE10and FTSE250corporations,wherehis commitmenttofusingtechnologywith insurancehasearnedhimwidespread recognitionandregard.
PriortofoundingINSTANDA,Tim wastheCIOatHiscoxandhasworked onstrategicconsultingprogramsfor majorinsurerslikeChubb,ArthurJ. Gallagher,andJLT.Thisaccomplished backgroundandthelessonslearnedat theseprestigiousinstitutionsformthe foundationonwhichTimhasbuilt INSTANDA’sstunningsuccess.
Twomajorlimitationscontributetothe bulkofthechallengesfacedbythe insuranceindustry
Thefirstoftheseisthatthearenais dominatedbylegacysystemsthatare typicallythreetofourdecadesold.In almostanyotherindustry,theywould berelicsfromabygoneera;theyare incapableofmeetingtheneedsof consumersintoday’sdigitalworld.
Ittakesthemanenormousinvestment oftime,manpower,andmoneytogeta productlive.
Theothersignificantfactoristhe difficultyinreplacingtheselegacy systems.Atypicalimplementation takesbetweentwoandfouryears,and coststensofmillionsofdollars. Complicatingmattersfurtheristhe realityofthe‘changefreeze’that necessarilyoccursduringsuch implementations.
Asaresult,insuranceprovidersare acutelyaversetochange.
INSTANDAgiveseveryinsurance companytheabilitytoconquerboth theseobstacleswithasinglelow-cost, easily-appliedoption.Theproduct developmentandreleaselifecycleis shortenedtodayswhilethereisno
changefreezetolimitflexibilityand innovation.
Thesavingsoftimeandother resourcesarephenomenal.
INSTANDA’sinnovativedesign philosophyhelpsitaddresschallenges thathaveplaguedtheinsurance industryforageneration.Usinga combinationofcutting-edge technologyandinventiveproblemsolving,itishelpinginsurersreimagine whatispossible.
Herearefourkeyfactorsthatdriveits success.
Straight Through Processing (STP)
Giventhattheworldisincreasingly relyingoninstantconnectivitytomake purchases,INSTANDAwasdesigned withafocusononline/self-service interaction.Itsend-to-endSTPmodel provideslimitlessscale,reach,and deliveryatmarginalcost.
Self-Service and Control
INSTANDAhasgatheredwhatis arguablythemostexperiencedand
innovativedesignteamsinthe industry Theyhavecreatedaplatform thataddressestheinherentcomplexity ofvaryingregulatoryandcompliance guidelines,fluctuatingappetitesfor risk,andinconsistentinformation presentationformats.
Themodernconsumerischoosyand willingtotaketheirbusinesselsewhere iftheybelievetheirneedsarenotbeing adequatelymet.Bygivingthem unprecedentedflexibilitytochoose exactlywhattheywant,INSTANDA helpsinsurersretaintheirold customersandattractnewones.
TheINSTANDAplatformcanhandle anynumberofproductsoverany numberofchannelsormarket segments,andeachisunderthedirect andinstantaneouscontrolofthe businessuser.Thisflexibilitycanbe delivereddirectlytotheconsumeror viaanintermediary.
WhenINSTANDAbeganworkon theirproprietaryplatform,theyhad
Tim Hardcastle Co-founder &
onlyafewdedicateddevelopers.That, ithastodaytransformedintoateamof 60full-timeemployees.
Veryearlyintheirjourney,the companywasaccordedlifetime membershipoftheMicrosoft Accelerator’sglobalAlumniProgram.
Anotherresoundingsuccesscame whenthecompanywasoneofjust175 fromapoolof8,500start-upsselected bytheworld’sbiggeststart-up accelerator,PlugandPlayTechCenter, fortheirInsurTechprograminearly 2017.
Overthelastyear,INSTANDAsawa fivefoldincreaseinthenumberoflive clientsonitsplatform.Theriseinthe numberofproductsthoseclientsoffer wasevenmoresignificant–a5,000% increasefrom8to400.
Withsuchmajorachievements markingitsstill-youngjourney, INSTANDAisperfectlypoisedtobe oneofthekeyplayersthatwillshape theinsurancesectorforalongtimeto come.
Today we are a dynamic team of diverse, experienced practitioners and subject matter experts. Our developers and designers work alongside senior consultants to deliver large-scale technical projects for major insurance providers.
CEO
ADisaster Recovery Plan (DRP) isabusinessprocessthatdescribeshowworkcanberesumedquicklyand effectivelyafteradisaster.Disasterrecoveryplanningisjustapartofbusinesscontinuityplanningandapplied totheaspectsofanorganizationthatrelyonITfunctions.Itisaquickandinformativesolutionusedasa proactivebackupforITInfrastructure.
ThecreationofaDRPbeginswithaDRPproposalforupper-levelmanagementsupport.AnInformationTechnology DRPisdevelopedthroughthecombinationofabusinesscontinuityplan.Thestrategiescoveredundertechnology recoveryprocessaredevelopedtorestorehardwareandapplicationsolutionswiththebusinessdatarecoveryprocess. However,incompanies,employeesuseelectronicmailandVoiceoverInternetProtocol(VOIP)telephonesystemsto communicate.Also,ElectronicDataInterchange(EDI)isusedfortransmittingdatawhichincludeordersandpayments informationgeneratedfromonecompanytoanother.
TheobjectiveofaDisasterRecoveryPlan(DRP)isusedtominimizethedowntimeanddataloss.Theprimary objectiveistoprotecttheorganizationinalleventswhereallofitsoperationsandcomputerservicesarerendered unfeasible.Theplanminimizesthedisruptionofoperationsandensurestheleveloforganizationalstability&orderto
recoverafterdisasterimmediately. Thetwomajorconceptsthatmeasure minimizingdowntimeanddataloss are Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and the Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
TheRTOisbasedontime componentofthebusinessprocess. Businessmustberestoredaftera majorincidenthasoccurredinorder toavoidunacceptablefailure.The processisassociatedwithabreakof timecontinuityunderbusiness process.AndtheRPOistheageof fileswhichisrecoveredfrombackup storagefornormaloperationsto resumeifacomputer,system,or networkgoesdown.Theprocessis thusthemaximumacceptable amountofdatalossmeasuredin time.
TheDisasterRecoveryPlan(DRP)is distributedinthreebasicstrategies wherefeaturesarecoveredinall theseplans:
1. PreventiveMeasures
2. DetectiveMeasures,and 3. CorrectiveMeasures.
The Preventive Measures isfeatured processwhichpreventsits functionalitybeforedisastertake place.Thisprocessmeasuresrisk factorsandreducesrisks.The Detective Measures istheprocess usedforidentifyingthepresenceof anyunwantedeventswithintheIT infrastructure.Itsmainaimisto uncovernewpotentialthreatsand detectoruncoverunwantedevents. And Corrective Measures includes
protectingcriticaldocumentsused underDRPorsecuringproper insurancepolicies.
GeoffreyH.Wold,awell-known authordescribesdisasterrecoveryin hisjournalinasignificantmanner. Hedescribesthecompleteprocess throughdistinctivetechniques.These techniquesarederivedfromavarious combinationofinformationand procedureusedinarecoverysystem.
AsuccessfulDRPistheforemost responsibilityfortheplanlayontop management.Organization managementensuresitsfunctionality withintheorganizationandalso
considerasitsrecoveryplan.Theprocessisalso responsibleforallocatingadequatetimeandresources requiredforthedevelopmentofaneffectiveplan.Also, managementusedtheseconsiderationswithboth financialandpersonalinvolvement.
Aplanningcommitteeisbasicallyappointedtomanage developmentandimplementationoftherecoveryplan.It includesrepresentativesfromallfunctionalareasofthe organization.Thekeycommitteememberscustomarily includetheoperation’smanagerandthedataprocessing manager.
Theriskassessmentprocessevaluatesthesafetyof criticaldocumentsandvitalrecords.Usually,thefireis thegreatestthreattoanorganization.Itisanimportant aspecttoassesstheimpactsandconsequencesresulting fromlossofinformationandservices.Theorganization analyzesthecostsrelatedtominimizethepotential exposures.
Inorganizations,eachdepartmentisconcernedwith criticalstages.Enlargingprioritiesisanimportantfactor becausenoorganizationpossessesinfiniteresourcesand criteriaforsafety.Itmustbesettoallocateresourcesfirst forsaferecovery.Someoftheareasoftenreviewduring theprioritizationprocessthroughfunctionaloperations, keypersonnel,andtheirfunctionsalongwithexisting
documentation,historicalrecords,andthedepartmental policiesandprocedures.
Duringthisstage,DRPisamostpracticalwayfor processinginformationaboutdisastergeneratedthrough researchandevaluation.Allaspectsoftheorganization strategiesincludes,physicalfacilities,computer hardwareandsoftware,communicationslinks,datafiles andanyotherprocessingoperations.
Inthisphase,acollectionofdataisanimportantaspect ofthewholeprocesswhichiscarriedoutthrougha recoverysystem.Datagatheringmaterialsand documentationoftenincludesvariouslists,inventories, anddocumentation.AfterDatagatheringprocess, organizingitsfunctionalityisabetterdatarecoveryplan.
TheDRPgetsapprovedbytheorganization’s managementwhenaplanisintheformofwrittenand tested.Managementisresponsibleforenhancingthe policies,procedures,andresponsibilitiesofplanning, reviewinganddocumentingsuchreviewsinwriting.
However, Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) issafe,quick andeasyaccessiblesolutionsforallITInfrastructureand Businesssolutionswhichprotectenterprise’sdata, employeesandbusinesswithaneffectivemediumof solutionglobally
HumanizingtheInternetof Things(IoT)isn’teasybut onecompanyhasplacedthat goalatthecenterofeverythingitdoes.
PeoplePowerisanaward-winning IoTsoftwarecompanythatspecializes inhelpingserviceprovidersdeliver differentiatedconnectedhome offeringsthroughtheirbrands.They enabledigitalserviceproviders,retail energyproviders,telecomscompanies, andmanufacturerstorapidlyconnect, engage,deliver,andmanageIoT devicesandprograms.
Itssolutionsarebuiltwiththefuture proofingandflexibilitythatIoT demands.BybringingArtificial Intelligence(AI)toIoTforrecurring revenueinsecurity,energy,andhome careservices,PeoplePowersolvesreal challengesforpeopleeveryday.
GeneWangistheCEOandCofounderofPeoplePower.Heis committedtothedevelopmentof meaningful,differentiatedIoT solutionsthataddresshigh-growth
opportunities,andisleadingthenext waveofAIandIoTdevelopmentsby revampingthetechnologybehind smarthomesolutions.
GenewaspreviouslytheChairmanand CEOofBitfone,anindustryleaderin mobilephonedevicemanagement whichwassoldtoHewlett-Packard.He alsoservedasCEOandChairmanat PhotoAccess,whichwasboughtby Agilentin2000.GeneledComputer Motion,aleadingmedicalrobotics firm,throughasuccessfulIPOin1997 asitsCEO.
AsanExecutiveVicePresidentat Symantec,Genemanagedfour divisionsandhelpedmorethandouble annualsales.AsVPandGeneral ManageratBorland,hedrove developmentandsalesofC++tomore thanamillionusers.Geneisalsothe co-founderofGoldHillComputers,an ArtificialIntelligencecompany
DespitePeoplePower’scurrent dominationofthesegment,itwasnot initiallyapartoftheirbusinessplan.
Thecompanyjusthappenedto recognizeanuntappedniche-helping serviceproviderscreaterecurring revenuestreamsbyofferingnewvalueaddedservicestotheirexisting customers.
ThisnewB2B2Cgameplanhas allowedPeoplePowertodiversifyand expandthroughserviceproviders ratherthanbuildaconsumerbrand fromthegroundup.Thecompanynow leveragestherespectedbrandpowerof itscustomerstodeliverwhite-label energy,security,andcareto consumers.
PeoplePowerstartedouttryingtohelp solveconsumerenergyefficiency challengesthroughmobilesolutions. Theyquicklyrealizedthatbusinesses andbuildingmanagersalsowantedto controlenergycostsandreducetheir owncarbonfootprints.Meanwhile, utilitiesprovidershadtomeet governmentmandatestoinclude renewableenergysourcesandreduce demandthroughenergyefficiency.
Withitsglobalworkforce,the companywasabletocreatevalueand deliveraward-winninguser experiencestopeoplearoundthe world.Itdesignedanddelivered breakthroughenergyefficiency projectsforclientsfromCapeCodto Hawaii,whilehelpingconsumers betterunderstandhowtosaveenergy athome.
PeoplePower’snextventurewassmart homesecuritywithitsfreePresence app.Suchinnovativeproductsand servicesresonatedwithboth consumersandserviceprovidersbutit wastooearlyforwidespreadadoption asIoTwasstillanascenttechnology. Today,thePresenceapphasbeen downloadedover1.5milliontimesand sentmorethan190millionvideo alerts.
PeoplePowerisalsoservingsomeof theworld’slargestserviceproviders, includingOriginEnergy(Australia), Innogy(Germany),ChinaMobile (China)andtier-1US-basedretail
energyproviderswithwhite-label connectedhomesolutions.
Theycontinuetoinnovateandhelp serviceprovidersquicklyaddenergy, security,andcareservicestotheir productportfolios.
AnExcitingFuture PeoplePower’sIoTsystemintroduces machinelearningandtrueintelligence intotheconnectedhome,something thatnoothercompanyhasyetbeen abletodo.Itenablesserviceproviders toofferuniquemicroservicesto consumerswhileshiftingrevenue modelsfromhardwaredevicesalesto recurringservicerevenues,theHoly GrailbusinessmodelforIoT initiatives.
PeoplePowerhasrecentlyenteredinto acommercialpartnershipwithoneof thelargestutilityprovidersinthe UnitedStatestolaunchatotalhome andlifestylesecuritysolution.Smart homesandsecuritywillmeettocreate smartsecurity.
AnotherpartnershipandaU.S. governmentgrantareallowingthe companytodelvedeeperintoutility andprogrammanagement.Itisalso workingwithStanfordChangeLabsto betterunderstandconsumerbehavior andthendesignanddeliverservices thattheytrulyneedandwant.
Therearecountlessopportunitiesfor IoTtocompletelyrevampthesmart home,energy,security,andcare industries.Theorganizationis completelyfocusedondelivering highly-personalized,AI-powered solutionstoautomatedesired outcomes.
PeoplePowerisworkingwithservice providerstohelpconsumersmonitor andreducetheirenergyconsumptionin waystheycouldn’tbefore.Itis simplifyinghowpeoplesafeguardtheir homeswithsmarthomesecurityand helpingtheelderlylivemore independently.
Our AI-based IoT services incorporate machine learning algorithms while operating in the background of your life.
“
Gene Wang CEO & Co-founder
AnyonecansaythattheyofferITservices.Butare theyprovidingtherightkindofserviceforyour business?It’simportanttoasktherightquestions whenmakingyourdecision.Wehavecompiledalistof queriesforyoutoensureyouhavethetoolstoidentifyif theITproviderofyourchoicecantrulyfulfillyourneeds. YouneedtomakesurethattheITprovideriscompetent andexperiencedinservingyourorganization,putsyour needsaboveallelse,andhasthetoolsandresourcestoget thejobdonesecurelyandefficiently
AccordingtotheUSSmallBusinessAdministration, roughly50%ofsmallbusinessesfailwithinthefirst5 years.It’simportanttobeabletotrustandrelyonthe companyofyourchoice.It’simportanttoknowhowlong they’vebeeninbusinessaswellashowsuccessfulthey havebeenoverthattimeasitwillgiveyouabetter assessmentoftheirabilitytofulfillyourneeds.
Ifthecompanydoesn’thaveinsuranceandsomethinggoes wrongorsomeonegetshurt,theymaynothavethefinances ontheirowntosalvageeverything.
Ifthey’veonlyfocusedoncompaniesentirelyunrelatedto howyouhandleyourbusiness,theymaynothaveasmuch expertiseorinsightasanITproviderthathashadmany differentclientsinavarietyofindustries.
ThebestITprovidersstafftheirownhelpdesksupport onsite,attheiroffice,sotheycantrainthem,keeptheir certificationsupdated,andmakesuretheyhavegood peopleworkingforthem.Itshouldbeimportanttothem thattheirstaffhasintimateknowledgeofwhatyour businessdoesandtheirclientbaseinordertoprovidethe bestassistanceandcustomerservicepossible.
Youwanttomakesurethereisalwayssomeonethereto helpifsomethinggoeswrong,nomatterwhen. Emergenciesdon’twaituntiltheweekendorholidayis over.ThebestITprovidershaveabilitytohelpyou24 hoursaday,365daysayear.
AqualityITprovidershouldbecallingclientsand performingsurveys.Theclientschosenshouldberandom (notjusttheirhappyclients.),andshouldratetheir customerserviceexperienceon:reliability,performance, security,problemresolution,friendliness,professionalism, andtimeliness.
AftersigningthecontractwithanITprovider,youmayfind aftersometimethattheyarenotagoodfitforyou.What happensthen?Areyoustuckinalong-termcontractwith themanyway?OrdotheyhaveanysortofOutClausein theircontractthatwillallowterminationifyourneedsare leftunfulfilled.
IfyourITproviderusesoutdatedtechnologyandaren’t alwayskeepingtheireyesopenfornewtechnologies,they maynothavethecapabilitytodothejobright.Anddon’t justtaketheirwordforit–makesuretheycanproveit.
It’simportanttohaveagoodideaofhowlongittakesthe providertotacklewhateverissuesyourtechnologymay comeacrossandmakesureit’swithinareasonabletime frame.TherightITprovidershouldofferyouaService LevelAgreement(SLA).TheSLAindicatestheresponse timethattheirteamguarantees.
YouwanttoensureyourITproviderisusingthemost advancedmethodspossibletokeepyourdatasecure.TwoFactorAuthenticationisanextralayerofsecuritythat requiresnotonlyapasswordandusernamebutalso somethingtheuserhasonthem,suchasapin,fingerprint, IDcard,etc.
AcapableITproviderhasthelatestsecurityfeaturesto ensureyourpersonalinformationiskeptsafe.Ifyoucan’t trustanITprovidertokeeptheirsystemssecure,canyou trustthemtoprotectyours?TherightITproviderwillstore allpasswordsinapasswordrepositorysystemwhich requires2-factorauthentication.Theyshouldalsohave proceduresinplaceincaseofanemployeeterminationto ensurethereisnoriskofunauthorizedaccess.
ManyITprovidersmayofferbusinesspenetrationand securitytests,buthavetheybeentestedthemselves?Many ITprovidershavenothadtheirownsystemstestedbya3rd party.Otherswhohavebeentestedhavefoundthattheyare notassecureastheyadvertisethemselvestobe.
ChoosingtherightITproviderisnotaneasydecision. Therearenumerousfactorsthatneedtobeconsideredthat shouldnotbetakenlightly.Usingthequestionsabovewill beveryhelpfulinthevettingprocesstoseparatethestrong contendersfromtherestandassistyouinmakingafinal decisionwithconfidence.
ChristopherColuccio is the CEO & Co-founder ofTechworksConsulting, Inc. From his early years,Chris had a love of computers, coding his first program at the age of 8. He went on to studyComputer Science at DowlingCollege. During that time, he worked on projects such as the “Big Dig” in Boston and large construction projects in Manhattan. He went on to become the ITAdministrator of one of the largest print manufacturers on Long Island. It was around that time that he met his business partner, Keith, and the building blocks ofTechworks began. Incepting in 2002, he was able to make their dream a reality
Chris is widely-recognized for his vigorous advocacy of technological innovations and high standards for quality support and services. Having over 20 years of experience in the IT industry,Chris has worked with numerous companies spanning various industries providing services to keep their organizations running smoothly and securely Chris is also the co-chair of the HIA-LITechnology for Business Committee.
Innovationistakingtwothingsthatalreadyexistand puttingthemtogetherinanewway,andwhenwetalk aboutinnovationsintheITinfrastructure,itisgoing leapsandbounds.Thisindustryhasbeenboomingever sincetheadventoftechnologyandthewidespread acceptanceithasreceived.Basically,ITinfrastructureis mixtureofthefirm’shardware,software,networks,data centersandrelatedequipmenttodevelop,test,operate, monitor,manageand/orsupportinformationtechnology services.
InformationandCommunicationtechnology(ICT)is acceleratingeversincepersonalcomputerscameintothe picture.ITinfrastructureisasetofcomponentsrequiredto runatechenterprise.Themaincomponentsinclude NetworkSwitcheswhichprovidesconnectivitybetween
networkdevices,Routerswhichhelpdevicesconnectedon differentLANstocommunicate,Firewallsarethe protectorsattheedgeofnetwork,Serversallowmultiple userstostoreshareandviewtheirresources,Physical Plantsareallthenetworkcabling,SoftwareInfrastructure andDataCenterarethelocationwherealltheserversare situated.
Themostcommonlyusedandwidelyacknowledged disciplineistheconvergedinfrastructure(CI).Itoperates bygroupingmultipleinformationtechnologycomponents intoasingle,optimizedcomputingpackage.CIcomprises ofvariousinformationtechnologycomponentsintoone completepackage.PartsofCIincludehardware,software, servers,datacenters,ITinfrastructureandnetworking equipment.
ConvergedInfrastructureprimarilyfocusesonreducingthe coststhatareassociatedwithcabling,cooling,floorspace andpower.CIcombinesstorageandcomputationintoa singlephysicalappliancethatissmall,dynamicand powerful.
AnothertypeofITInfrastructureisthedynamic infrastructure.ItisanITparadigmconcerningthedesignof datacenterssothattheunderlyinghardwareandsoftware canresponddynamicallytochanginglevelsofdemandina moreefficientmanner Thebasicpremiseof‘Next generationdatacenter’istoleveragepooledITresourcesto provideflexibleITcapacity,enablingtheallocationof resourcesinlinewithdemandfrombusinessprocesses.
Thisisaccomplishedbyusingservervirtualizationtoolsto poolcomputingpropertieswhereverapplicable,and
allottingtheseresourceson-demandviaprogrammedtools. Thisallowsforfreightbalancingandisamoreproficient approachthankeepingenormouscomputingresourcesin backuptorunchoresthattakeplace,forinstance,oncea month,butareotherwiseunder-utilized.
TakingITinfrastructureupanotchisthehyper-converged infrastructure.HCIisasoftware-definedITinfrastructure thatvirtualizesalloftheessentialsoforthodox“hardwaredefined”systems.ItrunsonCOTSservers.HCIcontains theabilitytoplugandplayintoadatacenterpooloflike structures.Themostsignificantbenefitofhyper-converged infrastructureisthatenterprisesdonothavetodependon differentcommuteandstoragesystems.
AcloudcomputingSoftwareCompanywhichismakinga markinthisindustryisNutanix;foundedin2009by
DheerajPandey,MohitAronandAjeetSingh.The enterprisebelievesvariouscomponentsofconverged infrastructurecanbereplacedwithasolohyper-converged solutiontocreateanagiledatacenterthateasilyscaleswith yourtrade.Thefirmwhichisknownforitsinnovationhas joinedhandswithIBM,oneofthebiggestcompaniesinthe US.Boththecompanieshavecollaboratedtodeliverthe industry’sfirsthyper-convergedplatformonthePOWER architecture.
ThelatesttypeofITInfrastructureisthesoftware-defined infrastructure(SDI).Itisatechnicalcomputing infrastructurecompletelyundertheroofofsoftwarewithno machinistorhumanintervention.Itoperatesfreeofany hardware-specificdependenciesandisprogrammatically extensible.
Infrastructureasaservice Infrastructureasaservice(IaaS)denotestoonlineservices thatdealwithhigh-levelAPIstodereferenceseverallowleveldetailsofessentialnetworkinfrastructures.Itisoneof thethreedivisionsofcloudcomputingservices.Computing resources,scaling,backup,location,datapartitioning, safetyareafewimportantnetworkinfrastructures.IaaScloudprovidersoffertheseresources(ITInfrastructure)ondemandfromtheirenormouspondsofequipmentinstalled indatacenters.Forfar-rangingconnectivity,consumerscan useeithertheInternetorcarrierclouds(devotedvirtual privatenetworks).Theconsumerbindsandmaintainsthe operatingschemesandtheapplicationsoftware.Cloud
supplierssendsbillsbasedonthesumofresources allocatedandconsumed.
Softwareasaservice Softwareasaservice(SaaS),alsoknownason-demand softwareisanewandalternativewayofaccessing software.Thesoftwareislicensedonasubscriptionbasisto theconsumers.SaaSisacentrallyhostedservice.The softwareisusedviathinclientandthenviawebbrowser. SaaSdoesn’trequirephysicaldistributionwhicheradicates middlemanthussavingonthecosting.Thisserviceis commonlyusedinofficesoftware,gaming,virtualization, contentmanagementandhumanresourcemanagement.
Platformasaservice PaaS,alsoknownasplatformbaseserviceisacategoryof cloudcomputingservices.BusinessesrelyonPaaSfora specificsetofservicessuchasJavaDevelopment.PaaS servicesareaccommodatedinthecloudandareaccessed bytheusersviatheirwebbrowser VitalbenefitsofPaaS includeconvenienceandsimplicity
Tosumitup,ITInfrastructureisoneofthebiggest industriesinthemarketwhichissettoboomdrasticallyin allthesectorswithsoftwareasitsforte.
Cloudcanbeadouble-edged swordforenterprises.Onone hand,itpromisesincredible speed,flexibilityandtheabilityto capitalizeonnewbusiness opportunities.Ontheother,ifnot managedproperly,cloudcanintroduce securityexposuresandrunawaycosts, andactuallyslowoperations.With growingadoptionoflarge-scale,multicloudenvironments,there’sarealneed forfreshinnovationsthatboostcloud’s benefitsandholdtherisksatbay.One ofthetopcompanieschallengingthe statusquoandusheringinaneweraof agile,safe,cloud-savvyenterprisesis Scalr
Scalrhelpsenterprisesmakethe promiseofmulti-cloudarealityby empoweringgroupswiththeflexibility andautonomytheyneedtomovefast, whileensuringcentralITdoesn’thave tocompromiseoncost,securityor compliance.TheScalrHybridCloud ManagementPlatform(CMP)makesit easytoautomateandstandardize applicationdeploymentsacrossmulticloudenvironments.Usingitsunique ScalrOrganizationalModel,which combinesproactiveandreactive policieswithahierarchythatmapsto eachorganization’sstructure,Scalr enablesadministratorstofinally
balancetheneedsoffinance,security, ITanddevelopmentteams.
Scalr’snovelapproachtocloud managementhasmadeittheprovider ofchoiceforsomeoftheworld’smost prestigiousorganizations.The companycountsSamsung,NASAJPL, GannettandtheU.S.Food&Drug Administrationamongitsclients.
DeliveringSpeedandControl EnterpriseITorganizations, particularlythoseinheavilyregulated sectors,faceatoughchallenge. They’reundertremendouspressureto deliveragileplatformssouserscan workatmaximumproductivity.Atthe sametime,they’reexpectedto maintainstrictcompliance,costand securitystandards.Theirusers, however,arecomingfroma completelydifferentmindset.
Usersarefocusedongettingtheirjobs done,notoncostsandrules.They expectaquickandconvenientselfserviceexperienceandwanttousethe latestcloudtechnologiestocomplete theirtasks.Sowhathappens?Theyend upbypassingtraditionalITSM(IT ServiceManagement)processesand, asaresult,budgetsareblownand complianceauditsfail.
ScalrenablesITorganizationsto eliminatethisfalloutandprovidethe bestofallworldstoallstakeholders. ItsCMPgivesenterprisesasinglepane ofglassformanaging,monitoringand provisioningresourceswhileenabling self-serviceandenforcingcost, securityandcompliancepolicies.
Scalrhasachievedmanymilestonesin itsjourney.However,onethatstands outaboveallisitsuniquelybalanced approachtocloudmanagement.Scalr providestheonlyCMPthatgives developerssecureaccesstocloud nativeAPIsanddifferentiatedselfservicewithinanorganizationalmodel thatdelegatesITautonomytodifferent groupswhileensuringtheycomplyto corporatepolicies.Contrastthiswith otherCloudManagementPlatforms, whichfollowtheoldmodelofIT wheredevelopershavetomake requestsandgainapprovalfrom centralITbeforetheycanaccessthe resourcestheyneed.WhenITis continuallyoverwhelmedwithrequests byvariousdepartmentstoaccess resources,individualstakeacostly, riskyDo-It-Yourselfapproach.
Scalrmodernizesthemanagement
processformulti-cloudandenablesa wholenewlevelofagilityandcontrol. Itdifferentiatesfromcompetitorsin threemajorways.
First,Scalr’sarchitectureallowsitto maptoacompany’sorganizational hierarchy.Thismeanspolicies,catalog items,reports,oranythingelsewill adheretothestructurethatmakes sensetothatbusiness.This OrganizationalModelcreatesa “FederationofIT,”wherecentralIT candelegatecloudenvironmentsto differentbusinessunits,departments, orteams.Ateachmanagementlevel, policiescanbeconfiguredandthen inheritedbylowerlevelsof management,whocanalsosettheir ownpolicies.Thisslashes administrativeoverhead,supports autonomyandensuresbusinessunits complywithrequired,higher-level policies.
Second,ScalristheonlyCMPthat offerscustomizedself-serviceportals toallusertypes,fromthosewithbasic needswhovalueeaseofuse,to
DevOpsengineerswhovalue operationalflexibilityandrequireAPI access.ITadminscandeliverservice catalogs,powerconsoles,andAPIkeys thataredesignedforeachuser,while allprovisioningmethodsaresubjectto policies.
ThirdisScalr’srobustpolicyengine thatenforcespoliciesaroundaccess, automation,cost,security,workload placementandmore.Thepoliciesare conditionalandcanadapttoworkload type,useridentity,cloudenvironment, OS,etc.Forexample,adminscanseta baselinesecuritypolicythatsaysthat allLinuxworkloadsinthe “STAGING”environmentmustusethe “ALLOW_SSH”securitygroup,while Windowsworkloadsmustusethe “ALLOW_RDP”securitygroup.This andotherpolicies,suchasinstance sizelimitations,network,storage,and taggingpolicies,canbesetinasingle, conditionalpolicyprofile.
AnIntuitionBornfromExperience Scalr’ssuccessfulapproachtohybrid cloudmanagementwasenvisionedby
itsFounderandCEO,Sebastian Stadilyearsbeforehestartedthe company
Inapreviousjob,whenSebastianwas managinganAWSaccountforaclient, hesawthatmigratingtothecloudwas challengingevenwithasmallnumber ofusers.AsthecompanyanditsAWS footprintgrew,peoplewereinterfering witheachothers’work,usingthe wrongresourcesandcreatingsecurity risks.Sebastianrealizedthisproblem wouldbeevenmoremonumentalfor largeenterprises.
HeoriginallycreatedScalrtomanage andscalewebapps.However,over timeitwasnaturallyadoptedmoreand morebyenterprisesbecauseofthe complexityoftheirorganizationsand hybridcloudenvironmentsandScalr’s uniqueabilitytomanagethem.
SebastianisontheCloudAdvisory BoardsforbothGoogleandMicrosoft. HeisalsothefounderoftheSilicon ValleyCloudComputingGroup,which comprisesthousandsofmembers.
We modernize the processes for managing multi-cloud environments so businesses can move fast, safely.
Sebastian Stadil Founder & CEO
Longago,whentheInternetwas young,andtheterm “smartphone”didnotexist, onlinee-Commerceseemedlikerocket science.Fewpeoplemanagedtoadda producttotheonlinecart,andeven fewerwerebraveenoughtopunchin theircreditcardnumber
Today,everyoneIknowshopsonline fromtimetotime.Some communicationpatterns-or stereotypes-haveemerged.Ifyourun adigitale-Commercewebsite,you havetoknowthislanguage.
Herearethefirstpagesofe-Commerce phrasebook.
1.
Thatcouldbetranslatedas:“This product is expensive, and you will pay for the luxury.” Visitapple.comfor instance.Rightnow,thereisasingle imageofiPhoneXabovethefold(and alotofwhitespace).
2.SmallImages,LotsofTextand Buttons
Everythingclumpedtightlymeans: “We offer you the lowest prices in the market.”It’slikeafoodmarketina crowdedplace.Probably,thewebsite ownerhassimplyabandoneditand doesnotcareabouttheupdates.
3.
Salesonallitemsarelikesaying: “This place is a tourist attraction.” Unlessit’saholidayseasonwhenall storesaredesperateforcustomers.
4.Exclusive
Severaltime-limitedpromotionsona coupleofproductsmean: “We want to keep you interested, check back often.” Whenthediscountisonly5-10%, nobodytakesitseriously.Ifitis25%+, customersreallystopandthink.
5.
Livechatwithaconsultantonline translatesto: “We are mature enough to have someone on staff to answer your questions.”
Livechatthatpopsupimmediately asking:“How can I help you?” actuallymeans: “We really, really want to make a sale, and we are not afraid to be annoying.”Mostlikely,this popupwillhauntyouoneverypageof thiswebsite.
6.
Weirdproductnamesanddescriptions areliterallytranslatedfromtheforeign language.Inmostcases,it’sbecause thesellerhaspoorknowledgeof English,ordoesnothavetheresources toinvestintoaproperproduct presentation.Itisalsoanindicatorof theproductquality
7.BestSeller’sTitle
CallingyourselftheBestUltimate AbsoluteSuperTopSellerwhatever means: “I want to sell it so hard.”Nomatter whatitisandhowgooditis. Experiencedshoppersintuitivelyavoid suchtitles.
8.AnnoyingAds
Adsalloverthestoremean: “We can’t make a profit out of our own goods and are looking for other ways to make money.”Thesadpartis,ifyour productsarenotgoodenough,youdo notgetgoodtraffic.Therefore,theads willbringyounomoney
9.Advanced
Multiplecurrencies/languagesto choosefromisastrongpositive message: “We have clients all over the world, and we want to make sure using the website is convenient for them.” Thislistcouldgoonandon,butthe
truemessageis-weallknowthis anyway.Everytimeweopenthenew e-Commercewebsite,wequicklyscan it,andinunder7secondstranslatethe visualsintoourownlanguage.
Iftheshopownerspeaksourlanguage -great.Ifweseesomethingstrange, wedonottrustthiswebsite-wego away.Bye-bye,storeowner The experiencedstoreownersknowthat theyshouldstudytheircustomers’ language,ortheyrisklosingrevenue.
AmonthagoIwasapproachedbythe clientwhosaid: “Look, all of my customers are artists. They don’t want to be distracted by colors or graphics on the website. I want my new website to be purely black and white, with a minimum of graphical elements.”
Atfirst,Ididn’twanttocomplywith theserequests.However,Igaveitsome thoughtandrealizedthatthisperson knowshercustomersperfectly,andshe isreallyonthesamewavelengthwith them.Speakingyourcustomers’ languagemattersmorethanoffering lowpricesanddiscounts.Doyouwant moresales?Talktoyourclientsintheir language,firstofall.
Icouldalsotalkaboutpublicrelations onTwitter,theimportanceofprompt responseonFacebook,orLiveChat’s bestpractices.Allofthese communicationareasareimportant, butnotasmuchasthefirstimpression. Thefirstmessagesyouexchangewith yourpotentialcustomersdefine whethertheywillmakeapurchasein youronlinestoreormoveontoyour competitor
Roman Korzh Chief Partnership Ofcer Zfort Group is a at , a full-service IT provider. With more than 10 years of experience in the software development industry, Roman is a senior level results-driven leader with exceptional knowledge of establishing long-term cooperation and generating revenue.
