6 IT Trends to Watch in 2016

We were treated to a plethora of game changing tech-innovations in 2015 in the fields of virtual reality, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and cyber security. As it gives way to another new year, it is time for small business decision makers to align their strategies around the trends that are predicted to rule the business arena in the coming months. Here are a few trends in the fields of  IT services that Tampa tech firms are banking on:

Rise of Contextual Data

The past year has witnessed an unprecedented growth in the area of IoT innovations. This year IoT will drive growth in the area of contextualized analytics.  This in turn will allow enterprises to create a more valuable information experience not only for clients, but also for employees and business partners.

Boost for Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS is going to dominate the enterprise infrastructure space by capitalizing business owners’ growing interest in public and hybrid cloud. However, Microsoft Azure will continue to be a strong competitive force. 

Forward March of Open Source 

2016 is likely to see the CIOs embracing open-source-software-first approach. More open source businesses are likely to enter the public markets in the upcoming months. 

Security 2.0

In 2016, a new class of security solutions will emerge. They are premised at ‘machine learning’, a branch of computer science that leverages pattern recognition to identify malicious intent and can predict attacks.

New Market Opportunities in the East 

With more than 352 million Internet users, India is going to emerge as the strongest market for US-based enterprise software companies. The subcontinent will also be the chief driver for enterprise cloud and analytics spending.

The Rise of Business Relationship Management

In an effort to expand its bottom line, IT enterprises will embark on business partnership with the right organizations. Termed as business relationship management (BRM), this type of business venture will benefit both IT companies as well as their non-IT partners. Non-IT enterprises will gain access to the right information and technology and be able to speed up their time-to-market. On the other hand, it will enable tech-companies to drive more innovations in the digital space.

When it comes to IT services, Tampa-based firms are all geared up to make the most of these new trends. They are on their way to create a solution line-up that is perfectly aligned to the needs of the new-age entrepreneurs. 

3 Awesome Tools for DIY Data Recovery

Trying to bring your data back from the dead? Let special applications give you a hand. Although, storage media options have already been upgraded into failsafe platforms for data storage and transaction, disasters do happen (occasionally). The best way to save data from unexpected issues is preparing beforehand. Special tools and applications can positively recover data from your storage devices. However, for complex business data recovery, your best hope is expert assistance of IT companies in Tampa and in other IT hubs. There are a few applications that are capable of handling simple recovery processes, but they cannot put back the puzzle together for data recovery from multi-layered storage architectures. 

Let us discuss about three awesome tools that recover data when professional assistance is unnecessary and too big a leap.  

Recuva

This application can help you to find and restore lost pictures, documents, audio, and video files. Once installed in your computer, it tracks your available storage options and allows you to either go for a complete scan or select files in specific location. It uses a red, yellow, and green light indication system to explain the recovery expectancy of your files. This application has a nice interface and an easy to use system.

PhotoRec 

This application is designed and developed upon some fairly simple work systems and ideas, thus making it easier for the users. PhotoRec can help users to keep their storage partitions intact, because it simply ignores the partitions as it searches the disks in a read-only mode. Although, its name has the word ‘photo’ in it, you can use the application to find and recover more than just image files. 

Undelete Plus

Undelete Plus works on all versions of Microsoft Windows operating system and on FAT and NTFS file systems. If you are planning to do-it-yourself, then Undelete Plus would be one of the best available options. This application has a user friendly GUI and it presents recovery expectancy ratio for every single file. It comes with a fast scanning process that can quickly generate accurate results. You can personalize the application through the settings window.

These three applications can make your data recovery a cakewalk. However, it is best not to use these applications for critical business data retrieval. Business data recovery requires surgical precision and extensive professional knowledge. When in need, it is better to hand that job over to experience IT companies. In Tampa, like in many other growing US cities there are many such expert IT solution providers you can count on. All you need to do is find the right one for your business. 

Why You Need Preventive and Personalized Maintenance for Business Growth

Continued technological improvement has presented IT solutions that promise business growth. IT facilities have introduced a better business perspective by simplifying complex multi-layered operations. From managing resources to enhancing productivity, IT service implementation can help your business to spearhead new operations. However, such services need maintenance and supervision to maintain its edge. Preventative maintenance, an important aspect of the many IT solutions offered in Tampa and in many other cities, can assure work accuracy of your expensive and critically important business assets. 

What is Preventative Maintenance (PM)

As the name suggests, this is the regular maintenance job performed periodically when a system is still in a working condition. The primary role of PM is to bring critical issues into light offer actionable insight on deterioration in operation integrity, and reduce the possibility of downtime. 

Difference between Planned and Unplanned Maintenance

Preventative maintenance programs are the result of precise planning and continued supervision. On the other hand, unplanned maintenance suggests implementation of generic strategies that never play well with unique business architectures. For instance, without the complete knowledge of the software installed and the systems operated, it might be difficult to identify the real issue. This will result in lost time. Each company or business entity has more than a couple of operations to care about, and without continued supervision of IT sources and assets the results rarely impress. Having a near-perfect maintenance plan in place can certainly guard the work standards and assure continuity.

Implementing unplanned or generic maintenance solutions is like forcing a wrong piece in the puzzle to complete the set. If your IT requirements are not handled carefully, the whole process can backfire and cause a costly eruption. As a business entity, sustaining service consistency should be your primary concern. Fortunately, planned and personalized maintenance solutions can help you in making consistency a business trait for your brand. Making better and safer plans for business growth is easy with preventative maintenance offered as part of IT solutions in Tampa and other growing US cities. All you need to do is choose a dedicated and reliable service provider that is sensitive to your business needs.

Web Application Development Trends That Will Rule 2016

Just like mobile apps, web applications are also a big part of the tech world. Web application development in Tampa and other growing US cities is steadily changing the landscape of the nation’s IT infrastructure. And with tidal changes of innovations taking place in the industry every year, we can surely expect to see some promising developments in the coming year. 

Here are five web application development trends that we can expect to see in 2016:

1. The Rise of Node.js

The focus is gradually shifting towards using a single language on web projects, and this is where JavaScript server-side frameworks come into play. Being a cross-platform, open-source runtime environment, Node.js is the forerunner that has made things a lot simpler on both the front end and the back end.

2. Exciting JavaScript Features

As browsers keep improving their speed and compatibility, an increased number of JavaScript features, such as WebGL 3D, will come into the picture. Furthermore, use of offline web applications along with two-way data binding will see a massive growth in the coming months.

3. Foundation for Fluidity

If you are tired of working with Bootstrap, Foundation can come to your rescue. This responsive front-end framework offers an awe-inspiring collection of JavaScript extensions and interface components such as navigation, forms, typography and buttons. Foundation’s grid system, especially the block grid feature, considerably enhances the fluidity of the development phase.

4. NoSQL will Take Over

2015 has been a year where numerous big brands have adopted NoSQL in order to shift to the cloud. In fact, many companies in Tampa opted to use Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and get on board NoSQL. From its already rising popularity, we can safely predict that this highly scalable solution is here to rule 2016.

5. Single Page Applications

We saw an increase in the number of web Application Program Interface (API) this year. This has become a popular practice, as it’s easy to maintain a single codebase. This, along with the other technological developments, will give rise to more single page applications in the coming year.

If you are looking for web application development in Tampa or any other US city, work hard to find the most reliable application development company in order to reap the best rewards. Know the trends and keep updating yourself to benefit in the long run.

Why Businesses Need To Outsource Their IT Support

The small and medium businesses (SMB) are keen on finding IT solutions that are cost-effective and easy to use. With Tampa flourishing as the IT hub of Florida, SMBs are looking forward to reliable support services, including technical troubleshooting. There is little wonder that when it comes to IT support, Tampa is rising up to the challenge.

Small businesses are finding it extremely difficult and expensive to maintain their in-house IT needs and stay ahead of emerging technologies. Consequently, SMBs are realizing the need to contract out their IT support to cut back on infrastructure, training and costs. There are manifold benefits of IT support outsourcing. Here are 3 of them:

1. Make the Most Out of the In-house Staff

When you’re shifting the responsibility of managing your IT department to a third-party, your internal resources are freed to a considerable extent. Use them to realize your company’s goal and expand your business.

2. Reduced Cost of IT Staff

The average pay of an IT manager in Tampa is $108,152 per annum. Besides, there are other expenses such as related perks and benefits, cost of preliminary recruitment and training to make sure that your IT staff is skilled enough to work with the latest technologies. Lowering cost is the primary reason to switch to a third-party IT firm in Tampa.

3. Effective Data Management

Hiring a team of big data analysts to get actionable insights is a not a feasible option when you have budget constraints. Outsourcing the job gives you the same benefit, but at a much lower cost. You still have access to relevant resources and advanced technology to make the most out of your business data. This gives you a competitive advantage in the market.

When it comes to outsourcing IT support, Tampa provides loads of opportunities for SMBs to cut back costs, reduce risk and focus more on developing their businesses. Make the most of the situation and outsource your IT needs to the experts.

Protect Your Midsize Business with Powerful Network Monitoring Services

There is no denying the fact that it is the small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) that are spearheading the economy in the post-recession era. According to recent data released by the US government, over 60 percent of the private sector workforce in the country is currently employed by companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. In Tampa, too, the sector has experienced tremendous growth. However, that doesn’t make these companies hack-proof. Out of 783 data breaches in 2014 (Source: Identity Theft Resource Center), most were small to mid-sized organizations. These companies are a soft target not only by their competitors, but also by many of their own employees. Realizing that cyber risk is here to stay, many of these firms are turning to network security technologies. When it comes to investing in IT services, Tampa’s mid-sized firms are therefore selecting packages that include network monitoring services, among others. If you are concerned about the security of your midsized company, here are four specific benefits that you can expect from the network monitoring services:

Customization

Tampa-based IT firms are developing tailor-made network monitoring solutions for their clients. This helps meet and scale to the specific needs of growing organizations.

Hardware Installation

To facilitate effective monitoring, service providers install some specialized hardware that direct traffic to security applications for analysis.

Multi-Dimensional Defense Mechanism

They offer multi-dimensional defense mechanisms by integrating several technologies such as firewall, anti-malware solutions and more into a single application. This helps automate security monitoring, which in turn minimizes false-positive alerts. This improved visibility helps cut down malware remediation time.

Centralized Management

With the right network monitoring services in place, firms no longer have to use disparate systems to identify or nullify threats. The security of the entire organization can be managed from a centralized location, providing a unified view of risks and a better analysis of threat trends. This in turn will help prioritize remediation efforts, ultimately minimizing wastage of time.

With hacking and data breaches becoming increasingly sophisticated, investing in network monitoring has become imperative for all companies, including those in the small to mid-size category. If you are planning to invest in security-focused IT services, Tampa-based tech companies can help. Research the market and choose a trusted name in the industry. Mitigate risks to your valuable digital assets cost-effectively.

Three Benefits of Application Performance Monitoring

Tampa has emerged as a center for small and medium-scale business over the last few years. The IT firms in the city are making the most out of this situation. There may be numerous tools available to the IT companies in Tampa. Out of these, application performance monitoring (APM) has the maximum impact on a business. That’s because APM helps in identifying and addressing performance issues in an organization. Identifying issues and resolving them is important to prevent productivity problems, response time delays and customer dissatisfaction. APM also helps businesses to figure out the root cause of all performance issues. This is just one benefit to mention.

Here are three more benefits of APM for businesses.

1. Business Continuity

Downtime is something that most of the IT firms simply can’t afford. Interrupted business activities will lead to poor productivity, loss of revenue, harm to brand reputation, regulatory penalties and loss of consumer loyalty. Businesses investing in APM gain a competitive edge as a result of business continuity. This is achieved through timely troubleshooting, availability of core services, modification of application infrastructure and secures upgrades. APM and IT operation analytics offer useful information to help your IT department to foresee and avoid downtime. According to IT specialists, businesses investing in APM can cut back downtime by 70 percent.

2. No or Little Revenue Loss

We live in an on-demand economy. You can grow or lose your customer base with the click of a mouse. Let’s explain this point with an example. For instance, during the Christmas shopping season, a flawed component in your online store will lead to shopping cart abandonment and consequently loss of revenues. This is where the importance of an APM system comes into play. It will proactively recognize the problem to help your IT team prevent cart abandonments.

3. Increased Customer Satisfaction

The primary benefit of APM is that it ensures increased consumer (internal and external) satisfaction. When it comes to external customers, they will move to your competitor’s site if performance of one of the applications degrades. A slow internal application will lead to increased support calls and bad productivity. An effective APM solution prevents performance issues and improves customer satisfaction.

Businesses, especially the start-ups, strive hard to gain a competitive edge over others. These benefits will help IT companies in Tampa achieve their business goals. Be prepared and build a robust APM system in your organization.