3 Benefits of Server Virtualization Services

Gone are those days when server virtualization was meant for big enterprises alone. Small to medium-scale businesses are now investing in cloud virtualization technologies to make the most out of a server and desktop provisioning, reduced energy costs and downtime, less use of physical servers, and more. It has become possible because you have more service providers to choose from than you had even a few years ago. If you are in Florida, consider opting for an IT consulting service provider in Tampa that can help you tap the benefits for a feature that has been around for more than a decade.  Here are the three major advantages of virtualization that an IT consulting firm can offer you:

1. Easy Disaster Recovery

With virtualization services, the transition from a virtual machine from one server to the other is easy, safe, and quick. You can back up critical business and customer data fast as you can develop a replication site. Virtualization platforms have software that can automatically move controls to a duplicate system while detecting an error or fault. If data is vulnerable due to a disaster, you have the infrastructure in place for a quick, secure, and effective recovery.

2. Reduced Cooling and Energy Costs

With reduced physical servers and more virtual servers, you will benefit by cutting back on energy and cooling costs. You will also be able to reduce your data center’s footprint that includes the costs of UPS, generator, rack space, floor space, and network switches.

3. Enhanced Productivity

When you have less physical servers, you have fewer things to deal with and maintain. With virtualization services, applications that took several days or weeks to provide something useful to your business will now take only a couple of minutes to deliver the results. This way, your IT team can focus on reducing cost, increasing revenue, and driving new business opportunities or benefits.  

No matter if you are embracing server virtualization services for the first time or have been using it for years, an IT consulting firm in Tampa will help you with enhanced business capabilities. A groundbreaking technology such as virtualization makes your enterprise more efficient than your competitors.

3 Benefits of Using Managed IT Services for Your Business

Employing the cutting-edge technologies is critical for businesses today to achieve their goals and drive growth, although many organizations encounter many difficulties to accomplish it because of limited resources. Besides, the tendency of entrepreneurs to take help from the industry experts adds to the challenge, as quality IT solutions are available in only a few places. For instance, Tampa in Florida, the state with more than 27,000 tech-establishments is one such place where a diverse range of managed IT services for every type of businesses is found. Below are the three key benefits of managed services for your business.

1. Saves Your Money

The capital for purchasing technology, training your employees, operating costs together with time and method always cost higher than the expense of availing managed services. Moreover, an in-house team needs to be paid monthly, irrespective of the amount of work you are getting. The managed services, on the contrary, let you hire experts who ensure weekly or hourly output. There are monthly payment plans too, which are effective to complete your task without draining the money out of your pocket. Finally, by opting for these services, you get more robust and scalable services that yield the best value for your money.

2. Helps You Focus More on Core Business Activities

By outsourcing the IT functions to a technically sound partner, you can stay stress-free and can concentrate on your core business areas that call for a lot of planning and foresight. Ideally, every part of your enterprise should receive particular attention. So, when you hand over the responsibility of the most complicated IT functions to a managed service provider, being attentive to the other tasks becomes easier.

3. Ensures Security

Security management for the IT functions is quite complicated, and it requires continuous monitoring. A dedicated team is essential for evaluating the services, incorporating new technologies and updating the strategies. Moreover, you have to keep an eye on tasks like intrusion detection and management, security audits, firewall updates, patch management, and application upgrades. The managed service providers carry out all these functions seamlessly and therefore, hiring them is beneficial.

Collaborate with a managed IT service provider in Tampa to run your business processes smoothly and efficiently. They undertake all the IT related tasks on your behalf in a more secure and cost-effective way without creating any additional financial burden or affecting your bottom line.

What You Must Know About the Trendiest Responsive Website Designing Ideas

The beautiful beach city Tampa is emerging as the next tech hub of Florida with its web design start-ups, which can surprise the world with their breakthrough ideas. The online space is a unique environment, which is continuously evolving. And with this point in focus experts from the top responsive web design companies in Tampa have shared some of their super trendy ideas for 2017 and onward.

Embrace Virtual Reality

The virtual reality already amazed the gadget world last year. This year it is going to have a significant impact on the responsive sites too. A recent study revealed that interactive 360-degree video tours and life event filming enhance engagement, and increase the conversion rate more than three times than their traditional counterparts and improve the repeated view rate by 30 percent, which makes it a rewarding option for the web marketers.

Add Premium GIFs and Animations to Static Pages

Incorporating high-quality animations and GIFs is another proven way to get attention from visitors for a longer time. The static pages often appear dull and thus have higher bounce rates. Studies suggest running animations loops in these pages can hold visitors for 2 minutes on an average which is significantly higher than the usual 8 seconds span. For responsive sites, the experts recommend using Scalable Vector Graphics as it is resolution independent and facilitates you to adjust the complex images with just one code.

Make the User Interface (UI) Conversational

This year a large number of brands will adapt conversational interfaces for their sites. Such interfaces improve the retention and conversion rates along with repeated traffic, which in turn allows businesses to improve their bottom line. The conversational UI lets organizations to implement a 24/7 model without increasing the overhead cost for enhancing user engagement.

Be Minimalistic

Minimalistic design is going to be another big topic for the upcoming days. The most noticeable effect of this designing approach is—faster loading speed. Recent research shows 40 percent of the visitors immediately leave the sites, which take more than three seconds to load. It means you are likely to retain more visitors by being minimal.

Grids and wireframes are the two common minimalistic design elements for responsive sites as they provide users with the same experience on mobile and desktop. In addition, you can eliminate the pop-ups too for keeping the site simple.

Opt For Long Scrolling Site

The website visitors usually have a short attention span. It can be even shorter if the reading becomes time-consuming. Thus, the long scrolling screen is being considered as the future of responsive web design as it enables visitors to go through the information on a page uninterruptedly. Moreover, it reduces the need for cutting down or shrinking any of the elements and keeps the site visually aesthetic, which is another bonus. Finally, scrolling is a quite natural movement for touch screen device users, which make these sites a perfect fit for latest mobile devices.

Enhanced visitor experience is at the center of all recent designing trends. Also, the professionals offering responsive web design in Tampa advice not to overlook the need for enhancing the visual appeal of the site with videos, GIFs, and animations to attract visitors.

3 Ways to Protect Your Business from Ransomware

Is your business data safe from massive cyber attacks?  Have you taken any precautionary steps to address this problem? If not, it is time to think about it seriously. Why? Well, a major security threat known as WannaCry ransomware affected organizations worldwide in May 2017. It targeted PCs operating on the Windows OS. The attack targeted approximately 200,000 businesses in 150 countries globally. If it happened to them, it can happen to you as well. Even if you are a small business in Florida, you must learn your lesson from this and opt for IT consulting services in Tampa. While your IT service providers beef up your digital security, you should remember the following three ways to protect your organization from ransomware attacks in the future:

1. Avoid Clicking on Suspicious Links

Be careful while clicking on links or downloading files that look suspicious. These will not only infect your PC but also the network you use. We recommend that you delete unsolicited emails right away.

2. Update Your OS

If you are using Windows, update the OS when prompted. Recently, in March 2017, Microsoft rolled out a security patch to protect PCs from the malicious WannaCry virus. So, if your systems aren’t updated, your data may be at risk. The solution is activating the ‘auto-update’ option if your OS allows it. If not, remember to allow Windows OS updates to ensure that you are using a safe and updated system.

3. Back Up Your Business Data

Make sure that you save all your organization files, information, and documents on another system or drive. This way, you will not run the risk of losing all your enterprise data. Opt for an external hard drive that is not connected to the web. Moreover, always use antivirus application for systems that require an active internet connection.

Get in touch with an IT consulting firm in Tampa to learn about the right prevention method and detection approach to protect your data from ransomware attacks. A reliable service provider will evaluate your organization’s current IT landscape and vulnerabilities to threats, and map out a solution to keep your business data secure.

How Can Small Businesses in Tampa Get The Most Out Of Managed Service Providers?

Tampa is part of Florida’s growing tech corridor, and lots of companies in this region rely on managed IT services to handle domains like help desks and routine maintenance in a cost-effective way. But business owners should look beyond freeing up internal IT staff; they also need to build strong partnerships with the managed service providers (MSPs) to maximize their benefits.

Do Not Try to Cut Corners

Various organizations depend on MSPs to handle their IT elements as required. However, oversupply has led to commoditization in the bottom stack offerings and prompted CIOs to hunt for bargains. Unfortunately, this practice does more harm than good. Always pick MSPs with a proven track record, and check existing customer testimonials to ascertain the same.  Be wary of MSPs that provide a generic SLA (service level agreement). Your goal should be to find an MSP that identifies your business requirements and decides on a course of action to achieve your goals. Their SLA should reflect the customization your business is looking for.

Treat MSPs as Partners, Not Substitutes

Small businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on external providers to meet their IT needs. However, they can never truly replace internal IT – this is something that business owners need to understand. After all, the goal is to free up the internal IT staff to assign them to more strategic projects; not do away with the internal team. So, hiring an MSP should not threaten the existing IT arrangement within the organization.

Managed IT services have always appealed to small businesses in Tampa and other places that offer a favourable climate for business growth. Although the primary appeal of MSPs is the cost-cutting that they offer, organizations should consider the other important aspects like security, efficiency, and revenue.

Managed IT Services Made Easy For Small Businesses

Big corporations have dedicated IT departments. Small and niche businesses can't afford such largesse. However, to run and manage their operations internationally, even the enterprises of limited workforce need their IT teams to work 24X7. Thanks to the managed IT services, smaller organizations, even from lower tier cities like Tampa can now boast of seamless operation of international caliber.

How MSPs Help SMBs

Managed service providers (MSP) work as extended arms for the enterprise. It can take the heavy load of non-core modules of business off the mainframe, letting the core teams concentrate on their work. MSPs for IT services take care of the computing operations; they set up their dedicated teams to monitor the system and troubleshoot, maintain the back ups, upgrading the security, and applying patches whenever necessary. If a small, or a niche operation falls short on any such IT related issues, they can expect to face substantial setbacks on their business output. They will be gambling away their hard-earned reputation and trust if they do not have dedicated MSPs at their disposal.

People often confuse between an MSP with traditional outsourcing. However, the latter involves the employer firm surrendering the total control over their IT assets; this never happens with the MSP model.  The enterprise decides on sharing the asset details and providing access to the MSPs. They always have the full control of the every aspect of the managed services. The subscription model by which MSPs work offers better control over expenses.

Technological evolution is changing the canvas of IT enabled services, considerably. Once the monopoly of big enterprises, managed IT services are now embraced by SMBs in the emerging business destinations like Tampa as well as traditional IT hubs like Silicon Valley. The small businesses can keep their IT infrastructure up-to-date with MSP. The concern over data theft and security also has made several businesses to seek the help of MSPs. It is always to be safe than sorry. The managed IT services can keep the businesses safe from every windfall.

3 Reasons to Update Your Business Website

Tampa-based web development firms are working in a fast-paced industry where every customer is targeted via multiple digital touch points. They believe in developing clean web page layouts and implementing the latest trends in design and coding for client satisfaction. Without website updates and innovation, you will fail to attract traffic and your business goal. So, if you have a website developed before 2011, it is time that you consider revamping the site with the latest design and content. What is the need for an update? Well, here are three reasons to give your website a fresh look:

1. Coding 

Have you checked whether your business website complies with the current web guidelines? Is your source code still valid? You need to focus more on your site’s usability and ease of navigation to rank better in Google’s search results. When it comes to web rules or standards, they keep changing each year for websites. And if you had last designed your site some six to seven years ago, chances are, the layout and code have now become obsolete leading to slow page load time and poor performance.

2. Attractive and Consistent Design

When visitors land on your home page, they must get a look and feel of your brand. If the web pages have a professional and appealing look together with informative content, users will perceive you as an authority in your field. Make sure that your website highlights your product or service offerings with a harmonious and consistent design.

3. Quality Photos

Include quality photos that have a positive impact on your visitors. A professional website is one that incorporates photographed images. Consider integrating visuals that blend with your business goal. Use only high-resolution images.

Collaborate with a web development company in Tampa if you want an upgraded site with advanced design, tools, and clean codes. A professional team will update your site with relevant information and quality images. Your dated website may look fine to you, but the page components you fail to notice may need a developer’s attention.

Why Is Data Management Important For Your Small Business?

According to statistics released by CISCO, the global Internet traffic will hit the 3.3 zettabytes per year mark by 2021. This might seem like a staggering number, but it makes sense considering how much data companies are storing right now. Because of this reason, the need for effective data management has become all the more important. Now, small business owners should focus on their data strategies as much as any of the larger IT companies in Florida, Silicon Valley, and other places. Why? Because effective collection and management of data can add significant value, especially when you leverage that data for profits. Businesses, irrespective of operations or specialization, will have data that experienced business managers or owners can recognize and use for their own benefit. This data is collected by companies on a daily, even hourly basis. And efficient storage and utilization of this information are possible only through data management.

Correct Data Management Means More Savings

Though small businesses collect data that is basic and minimal, managing it properly can improve the bottom line drastically. Proper data management helps companies process large data volumes, allowing them to create illustrated tables, produce statistics, and summarize data in a cost-efficient and timely manner.

Incorrect Data Management Affects a Business Negatively

Data mismanagement can have severe consequences for small businesses. For starters, lost or corrupt data can affect existing customer bases, and make it harder for companies to get new clients. Moreover, keeping track of the cash flow can become complicated and slow down overall productivity.

Stable Data Management Is Important

Every company knows how important it is to keep their own as well as the clients’ data safe and secure. For this reason, many companies prefer to back up their data to the cloud. The question is, should small business rely on outside data management companies? Well, they should, if necessary! For example, if your small business is growing rapidly and you’re struggling to keep up, or you lack proper data management capabilities, you have no choice but to opt for professional assistance. Why? Because the alternative would be a lot worse.Plus, proper storage and management of company data will provide more opportunities for researching and analyzing the collected data. Also, it will help identify potential areas for profit-making, expansion, and overall growth.

While it’s true that data management is essential for IT companies in places like Florida and Silicon Valley due to the huge data volumes being handled by them, small businesses owe a lot of their success to effective data management. Cutting corners, in this case, can lead to serious problems for a business. So, if you feel you are ill-equipped to handle data management on your own, seek professional help to get the most out of your data, and experience numerous advantages.

3 Super Elements of a Winning Software Application

Although the importance of rolling out a bug-free application can’t be denied, there lies the uncertainty in integrating the right components for an enhanced user experience. And if you have a business based out of technology hubs such as Florida, you can partner with an IT solutions provider in Tampa to develop enterprise apps that unlock new possibilities.However, the need for application development differs from one company to the other. So,you need to include the right ingredients while designing successful software products. To make your job easy, we have picked three of the most essential components. Take a look:

1. Solid User Interface and Experience

An enterprise app with a robust design and simple user interface (UI) help your customers get their tasks done effortlessly. A poor UI, on the contrary, that is hard to use is off-putting for users. A delightful user experience is derived from clean coding, minimalist design, and seamless app navigation.

2. App Functionality

Successful software products have an inherent quality of making a user’s job simpler. A functional app is one that makes complex tasks easier, opens new opportunities, and solves a user’s problem. Else, no customer will take the trouble to download and install an overly complex app. Your applications should be intuitive. For example,if you are developing an app for cabs, you need to make it more perceptive. If a passenger books a cab daily from the same location, the application should prompt the user to save his or her favorite pickup point.

3. Seamless Connectivity

Though the internet connectivity has improved over the years, many cities and towns have lanes or alleys where data connection fails. It is one of the greatest challenges for users and developers alike. Therefore, you must design an app that lets people use it even without data coverage. Customers should be able to use the app offline as well.

It is not difficult to collaborate with a reputed IT solution provider in Tampa if you know how to choose one. Rope in a technology partner for whom app development is a core service, and not just a passion.

3 Ways Outsourcing Your Web Development Tasks is good for Your Business

When you’re a kid, parents and teachers expect you to give everything you do your 100 percent. Got a “B” in History? Study more, and you’ll get an “A” the next time. Finished fourth in the race? Train harder and you’ll perform better. In the same way, your business too requires constant attention and care to grow and earn more profits. But the process of expansion involves providing clients with better, more nuanced services that fulfill their requirements. And all these services may not be suited to your expertise. So, what can you do in this situation? The same thing your parents would do if you were lagging behind in your studies and required assistance – hire someone on the outside who can fill the gaps in your knowledge and help you achieve your educational goals. For kids, this “someone” is a private tutor; for businesses, it’s a web development company based in a tech hub like Tampa. Find out more about the benefits of outsourcing your web development activities below:

1. A Better Website

You’ve all heard how content is king, and the quality of content can make or break a website. The truth is, there’s more to your business than good content. Your website, for example, plays a big role in attracting more business. The trick is to be unique while highlighting the quality of the service you provide. When a potential client wants to know more, your website is the first place they will visit. Thus, it’s important for your site to create a great first impression. Outsourcing web development lets you hire a team of experts who understand what you need and deliver a website that plays up your strengths and creates a strong online presence.

2. Rapid Business Growth

Business owners often try to do everything themselves, which is a mistake. They only end up wasting time trying to figure out how web development works, and how they can create a website that stands out. Unless you have in-depth knowledge about the process, you are bound to fall short of user expectations. Instead, it is better to outsource highly technical jobs to an outside group, leaving your own employees free to work on core business tasks.

3. Cost-Effective Services

Running a business also means managing a limited budget. Though outsourcing your business might seem unnecessary in the beginning, it is cheaper compared to hiring your own in-house web development team. You have the option to outsource jobs as a monthly arrangement or on a per-project basis. This also helps you choose the right people to hire. For example, when you think another web development service can serve you better, nothing prevents you from switching to them.

Web development firms in Tampa and other major tech hubs provide the best web development services to companies across the US. They stay updated on the latest industry trends and help your business realize its full potential.

The Transformation of Managed IT Services from a Highly Expensive to Cost-Effective Outsourcing Model

We are living in a service-centric world where enterprises are leveraging a host of multimedia applications to address their customers' requirements. While meeting the demands of end users is a top priority for them, they must do so within budgetary restrictions. In emerging IT hubs like Tampa, more and more managed service providers have come up with new outsourcing models that would allow these companies to do just that. These new-age business models involve forging strategic partnerships for risk sharing. These services pave the way for the emergence of new frameworks that would, in turn, enable entrepreneurs to roll out a portfolio of innovative services for savvy customers. So, what prompted the evolution of managed IT services in Tampa and other places? Let’s find out.

In the nascent stage of managed services, MSPs mainly provided hardware and software for their clients. They used to deliver their services through data centers and command/control facilities, and customized tools. Since all these required costly investments, MSP services were pricey and, as a result, more suitable for the big enterprises. Most of the managed service offerings were out of the reach of SMBs.

The advent of remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools changed this scenario. RMM paved the way for the emergence of small-size value-added resellers (VARs) that set up their managed IT services businesses. RMM tools allow these VARs to deliver a host of services to their remote clients over the Internet without having to establish costly data center infrastructure. Their services include emergency online repairing of PCs, servers, and other hardware among the others. When done on site, these jobs involve spending a lot of time and resources. But the VAR model helps to make it cost-effective.

Today, the MSP model has matured further, thanks to the easy access to third-party RMM and NOC products. These allow MSPs to partner with reliable and scalable businesses – ones that have the technical capabilities to maintain the infrastructure and provide technological support.

Today's MSPs can thus help their customers focus on their core businesses to grow revenues. They, in turn, partner with third-parties to overcome the cost and labor challenges. This arrangement allows MSPs to build their accounts for the full-scale utilization of their advanced service offerings.

No business these days can do without the IT support. If you lack the resource for maintaining a separate IT team, outsource the job to experts. New-age MSP models will allow you to drive growth and serve your clients better, without having to break your bank. In a city like Tampa, you can find many efficient managed IT service providers. However, research the market before selecting your MSP partner.

Magento for E-Commerce

Looking to create your presence in the competitive e-commerce space? First, you will have to select the right e-commerce development solution. Read this article to know why Magento can be your best bet.

What Is Magento?

When it comes to developing a fast-loading, feature-rich e-commerce site, Magento is the first choice of both merchants and developers. It's an open-source e-commerce platform that allows merchants to create an online storefront just the way they wish. Magento’s intuitive administration interface gives these vendors freedom to change the look and feel, the content and functionalities of their sites from time to time. The platform comes complete with an array of default merchandising, marketing and content management features. Store owners can even customize these features to fulfill their unique business needs.

If your company is growing at a fast pace, you will find the Magento platform especially suitable as it will allow you to expand your store in response to your business growth.  What is more? When you opt for Magento as the foundation of your e-commerce site, you can rest assured that it will be ready in no time.

How is that possible? 

Magento developers enjoy the backing of an active community of Magento experts that create a robust support network for professionals using this platform, subsequently helping them finish their task quickly and with perfection.

The global e-commerce domain is rife with competition. To stand out in this space, you must make your websites extremely attractive and user-friendly. Magento can help you do just that. That Magento is far ahead of othere-commerce development solutions like Shopify and BigCommerce, (it currently powers 16 percent of the top one million websites) proves the efficacy of this open-source platform. So, if you are looking forward to creating an impressive storefront, embrace Magento. Also, hire a web development company that has a successful track record in Magento development.

Necessary Security Measures to Implement During Web App Development

While web application development continues to progress at a rapid pace in prominent tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Florida, the recent spate of malicious cyber-attacks has made the task more challenging for developers. Integrating security into their methodologies has become the top priority for tech companies. No longer can they postpone the implementation of certain security measures until the app goes live. Unless suitable precautions are taken during the developmental stages, not only does the program remain susceptible to outside threats but fixing any problems after deployment becomes extremely difficult. Therefore, web developers need to adopt several security measures on day one of the development. If you are on your way to get your custom app created from scratch, make sure, your app-partner incorporates the following features into it:

Implementation of Content Security Policy

This feature allows for the integration of an alert system into your application. Turning on alerts allows you to keep track of the latest developments while the developers work on the web application. Building an app retroactively into your website is problematic – you either have to build an expansive inventory, poring through every aspect of your application to ensure nothing’s missing, or add so many white lists that it hampers the functionality.

Switch X-Frame-Options to Block Mode

Prevent framing attacks and click jacking attacks by putting your X-Frame-Options into block mode. Complete this step during development. Otherwise, sites start framing your app over time and using it in that manner. This makes it difficult for your site to update its links.

Add Nonces to Your App

Your app should have anti-CSRF cryptographic nonces for all secure functions. What are nonces? Well, they are one-time tokens connected to user sessions. You need to place these nonces in every form and validate them to prevent your app from performing actions forcibly. Retrofitting these tokens means touching a shared memory or database on each hit. This trick will save developers from having to insert the code into every page with a form and subsequent function to validate the nonce.

Improve Security for Sensitive Information

The moment an app is compromised, all sensitive information – passwords, credentials, secret questions – in the answers storage is up for grabs. So, to prevent hackers and other malicious parties to get their hands on these details, plaintext and obsolete hashing algorithms like MD5 should be removed. This technique will helpto prevent attackers from accessing the info in the event your entire database getting copied off.

Web applications are designed to facilitate the growth and success of a businessand help achieve its objectives quickly. No wonder, web application development is amillion-dollar industry in emerging tech hubs like Florida. However, you should be careful while hiring your app development partner. You must keep your application protected from malicious cyber practices. So, select a company which has a track record of employing the cutting-edge security measures.

How to Make Your Web Designs Code-Ready

Though web designers and programmers have few things in common, seamless communication and uninterrupted workflow can translate an average app development project into a successful one. To take their online projects to the next level, small and medium-sized businesses in the USare looking for custom development. Florida, for example, like many other technologically advanced states, has a bright future when it comes to fully coded web apps or websites. Therefore, if you are seeking first-rate web application development, Florida is the place to be. Here are a few tips to make your designs code-ready:

Include Comments

There are design aspects that are not obvious for coders. For instance, if you are creating a navigation menu that will glide down when a user moves the mouse to the top section of the screen, leave a comment. The best way to do it is by using the Note Tool in Photoshop, which will make comments appear whenever a programmer opens the particular file. It also offers easy readability and helps coders understand what a designer wants to do.

Provide Design Details

To ensure that a programmer employs your design to the minute details, make sure you provide the coder with specific design details. You must specify things like margins and padding, colors, style, font, and more. With more information provided, the chances of revisions are reduced to a considerable extent. It will help you deliver the project on time without spending too much.

Talk to the Programmer

Communicate with the coder regularly to ensure that s(he) has all the necessary information to translate the design into codes. A professional coder will appreciate your communication efforts to ensure a smooth project delivery.

To take your project to the next level, collaborate with a web application development company in Florida. Make your web designs code-ready for developers to build a powerful and functional site. It will make coding easy, cost-effective, and improve your web app’s performance to give you a competitive edge over others.

3 Super Tips to Develop a Killer Web Page

Web designing and development is progressing at a rapid pace, particularly in US states such as Florida, now one of the emerging tech hubs in the country. A killer web page design is something businesses look for when it comes to greeting first-time visitors. Your web pages are digital welcome signs for users showing interest in your products or services. So, if you want to keep your prospective customers glued to the web pages and retain them, look for a web development firm in Tampa that has the knowledge and expertise in creating clean, non-intrusive page designs, and user-friendly navigation menus. Here are three top tips to build a killer web page:

1. Use the Right Colors

Colors have an important part to play in web page design and development.  While designing pages for the global audience, you must use colors carefully because different colors have different connotations. Therefore, while planning the color scheme of the pages, focus on color symbolism. For example, if you have a website selling kid’s toys, use bright yellow as it signifies cheerfulness.

2. Keep the Page Layout Clean

Design pages that are clean and clutter-free. That’s because visitors are often puzzled if they are bombarded with chunks of content and images. Your website will look cleaner, professional, and organized if the layout is neat and tidy. Always place all content and visuals above the fold to grab visitor attention.  Avoid cluttering the pages with too many pictures, clip arts, icons, and texts.

3. Improve Navigation

If users are not presented with a smooth browsing experience, they will leave your site. Therefore, design navigation menus and buttons that are direct, clear, and easy to understand and use. Your visitors must not be confused while navigating your site.

If you are a Florida-based business, hire a professional web development company in Tampa to design your website. An experienced web development firm will not only take care of the proper designing aspect but will also look after the functionality of every element. In a world where the customer is king, websites rule. After all, a proper website is the first step to creating a wonderful user experience.

Why is it Better to Hire a Third-Party IT Consultant than a Full-Time Employee?

Every business relies on a sound IT infrastructure to maintain efficiency and performance. They seek to create a careful balance of hardware and software to benefit the organization. However, not all entrepreneurs are comfortable in looking after the IT needs and hence hire dedicated teams to take care of these aspects. But often this is not the best solution because such full-time dedicated employees often do not have enough contribution to the day-to-day functioning of the organization and simply maintain the business’ status quo in operational effectiveness – a task that doesn’t really require full-time workers.The solution? IT outsourcing to capable IT consulting firms at places such as Tampa where the technology sector is booming.  Do you why you should do that?Find out below:

More Disciplined, More Efficient

If there’s one thing IT consultants excel at, that’s discipline. Most SMBs require their employees to wear two hats and call upon them to perform tasks outside their job description. While this isn’t a problem per se, it does cut into the time allotted to the employees for gaining IT-related experience. Hiring an IT consultant solves this problem since most of them are experts specializing in a particular set of technical skills.

Flexible Services

The nature of service offered by IT consultants is flexible, which means business stakeholders can ask them to drop by when needed. This is beneficial for the company as the consultant’s know-how and talent can be put to good use on important projects without paying a fixed salary.

Cost-Efficient

From a financial standpoint, hiring an IT consultant makes more sense. Full-time employees tasked with handling IT needs within the organization need to be paid a sizable salary with benefits. These benefits cost the business a lot of money – something that can be avoided if the company hires an IT consultant. Third-party IT specialists charge by the hour for the work they perform.

When it comes to overall effectiveness, IT consultants have the edge over regular staff. They are more proficient, more experienced, and they encounter different types of IT infrastructure on the job, which makes them perfect for handling any IT crisis. No wonder, so many companies are opting for IT consulting in Tampa and other places known for their technological expertise and advancement. If clean and prompt troubleshooting of your business’ IT problems is something that interests you, you should contact a good IT consultant now. You won’t regret it!

Necessary Security Measures to Implement During Web App Development

While web application development continues to progress at a rapid pace in prominent tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Florida, the recent spate of malicious cyber-attacks has cast a shadow over the industry. No longer can tech companies postpone the implementation of security measures until the app goes live. Unless suitable precautions are taken during the developmental stages, not only does the program remain susceptible to outside threats but fixing any problems after deployment becomes extremely difficult. Some of the necessary security measures web developers need to adopt are discussed below:

Implement a Content Security Policy

Integrate an alert system into your application. Turning on alerts allows you to keep track of the possible security loopholes of your web application. When it comes to building an app retroactively into your website, you can proceed in two ways –  you either can build an expansive inventory, poring through every aspect of your application to ensure nothing’s missing, or add so many whitelists that it hampers the functionality.

Switch X-Frame-Options to Block Mode

Prevent framing attacks and clickjacking attacks by putting your X-Frame-Options HTTP response header into block mode. Complete this step during development. Otherwise, sites start framing your app over time and using it for launching clickjacking attacks (the malicious practice of hiding hyperlinks beneath the clickable content in your app, thereby inducing your users into performing some undesired actions).

Add Nonces to Your App

Your app should have anti-CSRF cryptographic nonces for all secure functions. What are nonces? Well, they are one-time tokens connected to user sessions. You need to place these nonces in every form and validate them to prevent your app from performing undesired actions. Retrofitting these tokens means touching a shared memory or database on each hit, aside from having to insert the code into every page with a form and subsequent function to validate the nonce.

Improve Security for Sensitive Information

The moment an app is compromised, all sensitive information – passwords, credentials, secret questions in the answers storage –  is up for grabs. So, unless you want hackers and other malicious parties to get their hands on these details, do away with plaintext and obsolete hashing algorithms like MD5. Introduce contingencies during the development stage so that even if the whole database gets copied, the attackers cannot access the info without cracking the codes in individual rows.

Modern web applications facilitate the growth and success of an organization and help achieve its objectives quickly. As a result, web application development has surged in popularity, in Florida and other emerging techhubs. These thriving IT destinations are home to numerous app development companies that employ highly skilled development professionals.  Their understanding of the local markets help them tailor the apps to the unique needs of their clients.

5 Factors That Are Required For Successful Web Application Development

Web application development is progressing at a tremendous pace, especially in areas like Florida and Silicon Valley that comprise major tech hubs. This might have something to do with the fact that consumers spend 85 percent of their time using native apps on their smartphone (Source: business.com). If you are considering developing web applications for your business, look for the following features:

Greater Control

You enjoy complete control over the process of web app development. This means that you are in charge of ensuring that everything goes in the right direction. However, you need to possess in-depth knowledge about web development to deal with the service provider easily.

More Flexibility

The online landscape is changing every day as more innovations come to the forefront. You need to be smart enough concerning the changes associated with web app development. Otherwise, there is a chance that your company might fall behind. So, you should think ahead about your long-term business plans, and adopt suitable measures to induce flexibility in the web app design.

Improved Security

Irrespective if the nature of your business, it is vital to secure data. If you value your firm’s reputation, you should focus on protecting your client’s information. Be agile and smart, and you’ll be able to handle the various risks connected to the Internet.

Faster Delivery

Businesses prefer the web platform due to its speed and efficiency. It’s important to trump your competition and stay ahead in the game at all times. To achieve this, you must employ smart strategies and facilitate improved communication.

Teamwork

Successful web app development does not occur alone; it is a combined effort. Web app developers need to work in harmony if they want the client to reap the full benefits of an application.

The function of web apps is not limited to collecting and providing data. They are used to create experiences and deliver seamless interactions with end users. This is why web developers are growing in number. Florida, one of the upcoming tech hubs in the US, has various high-quality web application development service providers. These companies are experts in creating customized web applications that understand the needs of users and provide them with quality solutions within deadline.

4 Types of E-Commerce Solutions You Can Use to Boost Sales

Selling your products online enable you to transcend the geographical barrier, reach out to more customers, and bring in more sales. No wonder, regardless of their sizes or types, more and more businesses are setting up e-commerce stores to bring their products (or services) to a larger audience. However, you will have to invest in the development of the right e-commerce solution to reap online advantages. Here are four different types of solutions you can opt for:

Shopping Cart System

Already have a site? You can quickly turn it into an e-commerce site by integrating a shopping cart feature into it. This feature provides shoppers a location to store their chosen items, and when they are done, proceed to the checkout and make payments. Paypal, Shopify, and Google Checkout are some of the major providers of shopping cart services. Businesses avail this service to boost the sale by making shopping more convenient for their customers.

Custom E-Commerce Solutions

If you have the budget, opt for a customized solution that you can make from scratch to meet your unique business needs. These tailor-made systems are built on e-commerce platforms like Magento and leverage content management systems like Drupal. Besides a substantial capital, they call for continuous maintenance. If you are anticipating a healthy flow of revenues in the near future, you may invest in one.

Hosted E-Commerce Solution

In this system, your web host provides you the e-commerce functionalities (shopping cart, transaction processing, order management, and more) along with traditional hosting services. This makes an ideal solution for start- ups.

Outsourced E-Commerce Solution

Many firms offer a comprehensive e-commerce package that includes everything from building an online store to providing online marketing and even customer support services to businesses. If you are into high-value software or branded consumer products business, and enjoy millions of dollars turnover, then this solution is for you. Expect to share 20 to 30 percent of your revenue with the service provider. 

Outsourced E-Commerce Solution

Regardless of the type or size of your business, you can invest in a suitable solution to set up your online store. Although a variety of solutions are available in the market, investing in the development of customized e-commercesolution always makes sense. However, be sure to choose a reputed name in the market to do the job for you.