“We’d love to build mobile apps, but we can’t because our business runs on an ancient ERP system.” I’ve heard that phrase (or variations of the phrase) with increasing frequency recently. Many people think that mobile apps (or modern apps in general) aren’t even an option because their business still runs on an outdated enterprise… Continue reading »
Mar
19
7 development mistakes that make you look bad
Have you ever used a web application that made you ask, “What was the developer thinking?!” Maybe it had a confusing interface or didn’t work right in your browser. Maybe it just didn’t work as expected. Over the years, I’ve seen all types of application development mistakes, ranging from confusing to downright annoying. I’d even… Continue reading »
Mar
18
What to look for in a good Business Intelligence solution
Business Intelligence (BI) solutions come in all shapes and sizes. Some emphasize architecture while others tout their flashy interface. Some cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, while others cost hundreds. With all of these options, how do you separate the good from the bad? We just released a BI Guide aimed at helping you do… Continue reading »
Mar
12
Application architecture: Ignore at your own risk
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in the world of business web applications. It seems that emphasis is shifting away from application architecture and shifting towards application design. These days, flashy interfaces beat out well-built web applications. Why is this happening? I recently read an article over on techrepublic.com that highlights a major factor driving this… Continue reading »
Mar
05
5 ways software vendors try to trick you
While speaking with one of our customers a few years back, he remarked that our software didn’t have any “gotchas”–bad surprises that spring up after the purchase. In dealing with software vendors for many years, he told me that he had come to expect “gotchas” in all software purchases. In other words, he actually expected… Continue reading »
Feb
26
5 uncommon reporting features that will impress your boss
When your boss (or any other executive in your company) asks for a web report, what do you create? Do you create a standard web report that displays the necessary data, includes some interactive charts and graphs, and lets the user drill down to more details? Those are all nice features, but they’re fairly standard.… Continue reading »
Feb
18
More questions to ask before building a mobile business app (Part 2)
A few weeks ago, I started a two-part article for businesses who are considering building their own mobile apps. As mentioned in that article, smartphones and tablets are spreading faster than any other technology in history. As businesses rush to take advantage of this trend, they often dive into mobile without a proper understanding of… Continue reading »
Feb
12
7 key security features of business-class development software
Working in the business software industry for over 30 years, I’ve seen my fair share of pretenders–amateur software posing as professional business software. The problem is, this “amateur software” is often hard to detect. It looks great in the demo. Unfortunately, its limitations become apparent after you’ve already purchased the software…when it’s too late to… Continue reading »
Feb
05
How to build a dashboard that your executives will love
A recent study by Aberdeen Group uncovers some surprising information about the need for real-time data. In that study, 42% of respondents claimed they needed to make decisions on business events within the day that the event occurred. Going even further, 28% put the time frame at one hour. All in all, Aberdeen finds that… Continue reading »
Feb
04
How to turn a spreadsheet into a web app in 3 minutes
I’ve mentioned the dangers of spreadsheet misuse on many occasions, and explained why it’s so important to put that spreadsheet data into your database. However, I realized that I’ve never showed you how to turn your spreadsheets into database-driven web apps. So, we created a video to do just that. The following video explains why… Continue reading »
About the author
Joe Stangarone is a 30+ year veteran of the IT industry and president of mrc—the software company behind the award winning development platform, m-Power. Joe shares his leadership and technology insights through the Cup of Joe Blog, focusing primarily on ways businesses can save time, money, and increase productivity using technology.
m-Power Test Drive
Follow us!
