3 Cloud Computing Trends to Watch Out for in 2017

Is your business planning to migrate to the cloud? Based on the predictions of Cisco Systems, a US-based multinational technology conglomerate, 92 percent of enterprise workloads will soon be borne by the cloud and driven by Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT). It means 2017 will be a remarkable year when it comes to cloud adoption. From California to Florida, more businesses will switch to a cloud environment to meet their specific data management needs. So, if you own an IT consulting firm in Tampa, watch out for three of the cloud computing trends to dominate in 2017.

1. Increased Cloud Security

Though more enterprises are migrating to the cloud, some businesses are still skeptical about this emerging technology. So, cloud security will be the biggest concern this year. Since more and more firms across all sectors are adopting cloud, data protection will be at the top of their list.

2. Use of Cloud Containers

In 2017, more businesses will use cloud containers to manage their programming code created for cloud-based apps. Early this year, all private and public clouds shall start using Linux containers. It may pose a challenge for those businesses that build microservices. That’s why, all enterprises must assess issues related to security, networking, and monitoring.

3. Hybrid Clouds Will Need an Audit Function

The hybrid cloud model will continue to dominate cloud computing scenario especially because it combines the benefits of both public and private clouds. However, it also has to deal with the associated challenges, which is why one can witness the rise of audit function for hybrid clouds. This will ensure that everything follows protocol and meets user goals. These clouds can check, monitor, and control third-party and in-house contracts, thus enabling small businesses to delineate the services they would need the cloud to serve and manage.

The scalability, flexibility, and affordability of cloud technology attract customers from diverse industries. That’s why many IT consulting companies in Tampa and the other US cities have started offering cloud-based solutions and services. If you are envisioning a cloud-based future for your business, keep the trends that we discussed here in mind.

Does Responsive Web Design Improve Conversions?

Internet access has become possible from numerous devices with varying browsers, resolutions, and screen widths. Companies do not have the time to create multiple versions of the same website for different devices. But if they don’t, they might lose out on valuable web presence. Nowadays, when users come across a site that is not mobile-friendly, they leave quickly. This is why savvy marketers and designers have encouraged responsive web design in Florida and other places due to its capacity for a seamless browsing experience. Let’s find out how responsive web design is responsible for more conversions.

Converting Digital Buyers

According to a comScore report titled 2016 US Cross-Platform Future in Focus, mobile now represents a whopping 65 percent of digital media time, while the desktop is fast being reduced to a secondary touch point for many digital users. In fact, 71 percent of all consumers now use mobile devices for searching various products on the Internet while 27 percent have used their devices at some point to buy products, and will continue to do so in future. Thus, it is no longer an option whether a company has a design that caters to this new and fast-growing audience; it is a must.

Role of Responsive Design in User Conversion

Mobile shopping used to be a pain for users as it took a long time for pages to load. Responsive design changed all of this really fast. It is no longer problematic for businesses to transform a shopping experience into a quick and efficient one. Various companies have found success after they shifted to a responsive web design. This is mainly due to the simple logic – if a company lacks a design that easily adapts to the requirements of different devices, the conversion rate from mobile users is going to remain mostly stagnant. Following are a few other things a responsive web design brings onboard:

Speed

What really sets responsive web design apart from other available alternatives is the capacity to seamlessly and easily adapt to any device. This allows for the optimization of user experience and ensures that buyers get a great browsing experience, irrespective of the kind of device they are using. Responsive web design does not require redirection, which leads to reduced load times. Thus, users who search for items online can locate it easily.

Google-Friendly
Any business that wants to be found in the online world needs Google’s love, and a responsive design makes getting that easier. Since a responsive design uses a single URL and HTML and allows a website to fit according to the requirement of a particular device, Google can index it easily. As a result, the website enjoys a higher rank, which naturally translates into greater visibility and potentially more clients.

If you do not want to lose out on your web presence against a more progressive competitor, then you should start providing your buyers with an excellent mobile experience. What’s more, from a small business in Florida to a bigger Fortune 500 company, a responsive web design is for everyone.  Outdated websites are never good to catch user attention, especially when there are millions of others offering similar kinds of products and services.

How has Personalization become a vital aspect in the Development of Web Applications?

Customization is in. We monogram our bags with our initials, customize our pizza toppings to match our taste, and even swap out regular phone covers for newer, eye-catching ones. Even the IT industry is not immune to customization. Florida, one of the rising tech hubs in the country, has already latched onto the trend of personalized web application development services. But in the web app development field, personalization is more functional. Customized designs aim to offer optimal functionality to meet the requirements of a particular set of tasks in business. The changes in web application design aim to grab the attention of users with meaningful content and eventually lead to their conversion. Here we take a look at the reasons why personalized web application development has caught on.

Uncluttered User Interface

Earlier, web pages were static in nature. Their only goal was to relay the necessary information to users. In the past decade, however, the situation has undergone a sea-change. The motto of a website has now switched to interaction with the end users. Websites now seek to gather details on existing and prospective customers, fulfill their requirements, and resolve their issues. Still, if the user interface lacks any logical coherence and is riddled with unnecessary elements, the users would not be able to understand how the website could help them. They would look for solutions elsewhere. The situation is same with web apps. Developers have realized that a clean UI is instrumental in the popularity of web applications.

Specific Tasks and Goals

Any business that wants to hire web app development services for personalized software should focus on the word custom. This means a “one-size-fits-all” solution is never going to work as different demographics have different requirements. So, businesses have started defining their tasks and goals as clearly as possible and relaying the same to the custom web app providers who are then devising an effective app to help the business achieve the desired rate of conversion.

More Value

Personalized web apps believe in the power of reciprocity. That means they continue to give without any expectations. As these apps provide something of value, customers are eager to return. They are careful not to aggressively demand self-disclosure from the customers at an early stage since they do not want to scare the consumers away.

Web apps are no longer limited to simply collecting and offering data. They build experiences and facilitate seamless interactions with end users, and that is why web developers are in huge demand where the business environment is fertile. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of web developers is predicted to grow 27 percent in a decade starting from 2014, which is way beyond the growth rate of any other profession. Florida, being the next big tech hub in the United States, predictably has many reliable and quality web application development service providers.  They are trained to create personalized web applications that know what users want even before the users know it themselves. 

Watch Out For These Enterprise Software Development Trends In 2017

Enterprise software development in Florida and other US states is now fast evolving. But for quite some years, it followed a fixed and rigid model, leading to a fixed set of activities which mostly included requirement assembling, requisitioning, writing code, testing, and the final delivery of the product. So long, many organizations that are averse to taking risks stuck to the traditional methods of application development. But customer demands are fast changing with the change in developing technologies. This is the reason IT solution providers in Tampa are shaking off the dust and doing away with older technologies. In fact, they are reinventing themselves and watching out for some of these latest trends in enterprise software development in 2017.

Functional Programming Gaining Center Stage

Functional programming is the latest buzzword. It involves the design and development of applications for performing specific tasks. More and more developers are adopting the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach, a lighter version of a full-blown app. MVP lets software developers use the ‘abridged’ version as a sample for testing an app’s specific features, collect user feedback, and integrate the changes before launching the final product.

Enterprise Software is Leveraging Simplicity

Enterprises have now become more agile and flexible to grab opportunities as they come. They are always striving to exceed customer expectations and reinventing themselves to stay relevant in competitions. Therefore, enterprise applications, on which most workflows and business processes operate, need to be simpler, flawless, and agile. In fact, enterprise software should make the most out of simplicity and deliver a user- friendly interface while integrating the most powerful features of the application.  With so many options available in the market, it is only natural that users today have a low tolerance for errors or bugs in apps, and so developers should implement fast and efficient updates.

Cloud is Taking the Development World by Storm

Though a few businesses are still reliant on in-house servers, most enterprises are switching to the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model to ensure greater flexibility, accessibility, and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO). The SaaS model also incorporates mobility to help businesses stay connected anywhere, anytime.

To stay safe, relevant, and in competition, businesses in Tampa and other fast developing regions should choose IT solutions that offer a gamut of software development services to deliver custom enterprise apps. Enterprise software development is now a real game changer and is evolving as a continuous process. 

Responsive Web Design Allows For Better Conversions

You can access the Internet from numerous devices with different browsers, resolutions, and screen widths. All web design companies in the US may not have the time to create multiple versions of the same website for different devices. But if they don’t, they might lose out on valuable web presence. Responsive web design agencies in Florida, for instance, are trying their level best to enhance user experience and help clients get more leads or conversions through mobile-optimized design. That’s because if users come across a site which is not mobile-friendly, they leave quickly it for another that provides an enhanced experience. This is why savvy marketers and designers have encouraged responsive web design in Florida and other US places due to its capacity for a seamless browsing experience. Let’s find out how responsive web design is responsible for more conversions.

Converting Digital Buyers

According to comScore, a global media measurement and analytics firm based out of US, mobile now is the primary growth driver, representing a whopping 65 percent of digital media time, while the desktop is fast being reduced to a secondary touch point for many digital users in the US. In fact, 71 percent of customers now use mobile devices for searching various products on the Internet, while 27 percent have used their smartphones at some point to buy products, and will continue to do so in future. Thus, it is no longer an option whether a company has a design that caters to this new and fast-growing mobile audience; it is a must.

Role of Responsive Design in User Conversion

Mobile shopping used to be a pain experience for users as it took a long time for the pages to load. Responsive design changed all of this really fast. It is no longer problematic for businesses to transform the shopping experience into a quick and efficient one. Various companies have found success after they shifted to a responsive web design. This is mainly due to the simple premise – if a company lacks a design that easily adapts to the requirements of different devices, the conversion rate from mobile users is going to remain mostly stagnant.

Speed

What sets responsive web design apart from other alternatives available to businesses is the capacity to seamlessly and easily adapt to any device. This allows for the optimization of the user experience and ensures that buyers get a great browsing experience, irrespective of the kind of device they are using, such as tablets, smartphones, or laptops. Responsive web design does not require redirection, which leads to reduced page load times. Thus, users who search for items online will be able to locate it easily.

Design

Responsive web design allows small business owners a chance to use various resources for transforming their old, boring web design into something that is trendy, eye-catching and provides a mobile-ready solution to the visitors. There is no need to spend your marketing dollars for a complete redesign. Instead, you can choose a responsive theme without breaking your bank.

If you do not want to lose out on your web presence against a more progressive competitor, then it is time that you start providing your buyers with an excellent mobile experience. Places like Florida have already embraced responsive web design, and you should too. Responsive design should be your mantra if you want more conversions from your website.

Why Should Law Firms Avail IT Services?

In 2010, CompTIA, a non-profit trade organization for the IT industry, conducted a study named IT Opportunities in the Legal Services Market that revealed that one out of every five surveyed law firms indicated an interest to increase their IT budget. Fast forward to 2017, and you will see that from Philadelphia to Florida, more and more law firms are hiring IT companies to handle their specific needs. If you want your practice to stand out in a competitive market, IT managed services can help you in the following four ways:

1.    Improved Productivity

Cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization will allow your employees to work remotely, access client data securely, and communicate with one another on the go. This round-the-clock service will enhance your firm’s brand image. In addition, a proper backup plan will enable you to protect and retrieve your clients’ sensitive data.

2.  Guaranteed Confidentiality

Protecting your client’s sensitive information is your core duty as an attorney. Failure to maintain confidentiality can shatter your reputation in the market. Therefore, it is essential for you to store your client’s data in the most secure location. IT companies can help you develop multi-layered cyber security strategies to keep your database, IT assets, mobile devices, and all online endpoints protected from malicious intrusion.

3.    Enhanced Flexibility

Walk into any law firm and one of the first things you will probably notice are piles of documents. Legal business involves a lot of paperwork and record maintenance. And often the law firms cannot afford to part with any of the documents for good. Even if you digitize all your papers, your growing company will need large server spaces to backup these files safely. Cloud computing technology not only allows you to store extra-large files but also to share and sync them without investing in storage servers and without having to hire a maintenance provider. Above all, it will enable you to access your confidential files remotely from any mobile device, allowing you to work with greater flexibility.

4.    Protection of Data Through Disaster Recovery

      You don’t have to be a lawyer to guess the extent of hard work that’s needed to build up a case. Just imagine losing all your research to a natural catastrophe, system crash, or a malicious attack. You will never have to endure this blow if you have a disaster recovery plan in place. This is one IT service which is vital not only for law firms but for business of all sizes and types.

      A law firm’s IT needs can be grouped into two broad categories – the data it creates and the scalable systems it requires to manage them efficiently. Several IT companies in Florida and other parts of the US offer customized services for the billion-dollar legal industry. If you feel that your growing practice can benefit from these services, hire a provider who can help you out.

The Three Basics to a Successful MSP Business

Medium or small-scale enterprises in Florida or the other states in the US know how challenging it is to build a flourishing MSP business.  When it comes to a successful transition to an MSP model, the risks are high, especially when you’re moving from one point to the next, and adopting evolving technologies. But with more commoditization of hardware and software, the motivation for developing a managed service provider business in Tampa, the Sunshine State’s leading IT hub is greater than ever. But what are the key elements to consider that help you to build a successful MSP business? Read on to get answers to your questions.

1. Employees

People are one of the most important pillars to help you in the growth of your business. Your employees can make a lasting impression on your prospective clients and, so you must hire only the best IT talent in the industry, who have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the services. MSPs are service-oriented organizations, and therefore you cannot hire people just to fill up chairs. Hiring the best people for the job and retaining them will eventually increase your business’s efficiency and customer satisfaction, which in turn will lead to growth and success.

2. Business Process

By adopting a dependable business processes, you can improve your operations, maximize profit margins and grow your business. Not only the IT helpdesk, but processes should also cover all the segments of your business, especially sales and marketing. Through strong sales processes, you will be able to improve your lead generation, management, and closing strategy. This will also help you figure out the factors affecting your conversion ratio.

3. Technological Innovations

You should apply technological innovations to every aspect of your business to thrive. You can introduce integrated platforms in your organization that will help your employees to access information from a single place, and whenever required.

If you are not sure, consult a reputed managed IT service provider in Tampa. They know how to leverage the three key elements to the best interest of customers.