2013 – Page 5 – mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

How to create web reports your executives love

Tell me: Are you happy with your reporting? Or, perhaps a better question: Are your executives happy with your reporting? If you answered “Yes” to both questions, I applaud you. But, you are in the minority.

Reporting is a perpetual problem. It was a problem 30 years ago. It’s still a problem today. Case in point: We recently attended a conference, and reporting was one of the biggest topics of conversation…but not in a good way. Many of the executives we spoke with voiced their displeasure over their company’s reporting.

The big question: How can you improve your reporting? How can you create web reports that your executives will love? While I’ve frequently written about reporting in the past, today I’m taking a new approach. To help answer that question, we’ve solicited input from other experts in the field, and have compiled their advice (as well as some of my own) below. I hope you find it useful: …

How to create web reports your executives loveRead More »

What is n-Tier architecture, and how does it help you?

By Joe Stangarone / Application Architecture

Have you ever wondered why your business applications don’t integrate well with other systems or applications? Have you ever wondered why your applications don’t adapt to changing technology? Have you wondered why it takes so long to add new features to your applications?

Chances are, the problem lies in your application architecture.

While often ignored, architecture is the most important aspect of business applications. Applications built on bad architecture will have all sorts of problems. They won’t grow with your company. They’re less secure. They’re difficult to maintain. I could go on, but you can read more about the benefits of good architecture in this article.

So, what makes good application architecture? How can you build applications on architecture that will grow with your business and adapt to future technology? While you have multiple application architecture options, we prefer the n-Tier approach. Rather than list every reason right here, we’ve created a short video that explains n-Tier architecture and how it helps your business.

Weekly recap: How developers can stand out at work, bad mobile apps, and more…

By Joe Stangarone / Business Intelligence, HTML5, Mobile, Mobile apps

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on helping developers stand out at work, social BI, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Social Intelligence: The new frontier for BI
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, Business Intelligence is moving beyond your database. Social sites, forums, and blogs often contain a wealth of information about your company. The next big push in BI will involve harvesting this social data. …

Weekly recap: How developers can stand out at work, bad mobile apps, and more…Read More »

7 common mobile mistakes that drive users crazy

By Joe Stangarone / Mobile, Mobile apps

As more and more businesses venture into the mobile app world, there’s bound to be some growing pains. That happens with every new trend. Do you remember how bad websites looked when the internet was gaining popularity? Yikes!

Mobile applications provide an amazing opportunity for business, but also represent uncharted waters. How do you build mobile apps that help your business? How can you avoid the mistakes that alienate your users? If your business is building, or considering mobile apps, I’d like to help you avoid these mistakes.

Now, before I elaborate on the most common mobile mistakes, I’d like to quickly clarify the term “mobile app.” Many associate that term with native apps, when in reality, mobile apps can refer to any of three different app types: Native apps, hybrid apps, or mobile web apps (Here’s a table that explains the differences). When I say “mobile app”, I’m referring to mobile apps in general, not simply native apps.

Okay, let’s get into it. If you’re building mobile apps, here’s a list of the most common mistakes that will drive your users absolutely crazy. Am I missing anything? If so, please share in the comments. …

7 common mobile mistakes that drive users crazyRead More »

Business advantages of Java

By Joe Stangarone / Java

If your company needs to build new web apps or just bring your current apps to the web, you have plenty of languages to choose from. Which one is best for your company?

Now, I realize this is a controversial topic, and I’m certainly not interested in starting a big war over programming language superiority. I’ve seen those arguments, and let me tell you…nobody wins.

That being said, I will gladly tell you why we chose Java, and why we believe it is such a great option for business. Rather than write it all in a blog post, however, we created this short video that quickly explains the business benefits of Java. I hope you find it useful.

Weekly recap: A strategy to improve application development, web accessibility, and more…

By Joe Stangarone / Application Development, Big Data, Business Intelligence

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on improving application development, web accessibility, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Most data isn’t “big,” and businesses are wasting money pretending it is
It’s all over the tech sites. You’ve heard the hype. “Big Data” is the next big thing. Quick! Buy expensive software to manage all of your big data! Of course, I’m joking. The fact is, most companies don’t actually have “big data.” Unless you’re dealing with absolutely massive amounts of data, you don’t need “big data” software. You need BI software that will let you quickly analyze your data and run reports. If you’re looking for good BI software, here’s a handy guide that will help you choose the best option. …

Weekly recap: A strategy to improve application development, web accessibility, and more…Read More »

5 common IT practices that waste your time

By Joe Stangarone / Spreadsheets, Time Wasters, web reporting

How much time do you waste at work? It might be more than you think. No, I’m not referring to blatant wastes of time like talking on the phone all day, surfing the web, or even sleeping. I’m referring to work-related practices that keep IT professionals busy, yet ultimately unproductive.

Here’s the tricky part: They aren’t easy to identify. They look like work, they feel like work, but they keep your IT department from accomplishing important tasks.

So, how can you avoid these time-wasting practices and focus your efforts on essential tasks? The first step: Identify the culprits. To help you out, I’ve compiled a list of 5 of the most common, yet unnecessary IT practices that waste your time. If you can think of any others, feel free to share in the comments. …

5 common IT practices that waste your timeRead More »

If you could start over…

By Joe Stangarone / ERP Systems, Modernization

“Why can’t our applications do (fill in the blank)?”

How many times have you asked that (or a similar) question? How many times have you wished that your old business applications were more capable, or included modern features?

Let me ask you a question: If you could start over, and build your applications for today’s world, what would you include? Mobile apps? Maybe email and sms messaging integration? Better reporting, BI, or workflow features? The list could go on and on.

Of course, all of this wishful thinking doesn’t do you any good. You can’t throw out your old apps and systems and build new ones from the ground up. That’s an expensive, time-consuming, and risky project. That’s something most companies just can’t do.

But, here’s something you can do: You can bring these modern features to your old apps and systems. No need to replace it. You can have all of the modern features you want, today! To learn more, this guide explains how m-Power lets you build modern features over your existing system, and even gives you a glimpse of what’s possible.

Weekly recap: 7 traits of effective programmers, most common mobile development trap, and more…

By Joe Stangarone / Mobile, Modernization

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on traits of effective programmers, the most common mobile development trap, and more. I hope you find them useful:

The most common mobile development trap
Are you considering creating mobile versions of your apps or site for your users? That’s a good idea. But, be careful: This article explains one such solution that often seems like the easiest approach…but it’s actually the worst option. …

Weekly recap: 7 traits of effective programmers, most common mobile development trap, and more…Read More »

6 strategic development questions that many overlook

By Joe Stangarone / Application Development, strat, Web Development

I’ve noticed a lack of long-term, strategic thinking in the business application development world. Many businesses build applications for current needs, but ignore the future.

It usually goes something like this: A manager says, “I need an application that does X, Y, and Z. When can we have it?” The developers rush through the project, deliver the application, and everyone’s happy.

Or, at least they’re happy for a year or so. Then the business changes, technology advances, and new trends roll around. Now, the application must also support A, B, and C. But it can’t. It wasn’t built for change. It wasn’t built for the future.

Now what happens? They need new apps. All of the previous work is now wasted because they didn’t build the initial app with the future in mind.

That leads to the obvious question: “How do you build applications for the future?” How do you build applications that adapt to change?

The answer: It starts with asking the right questions from the get-go. Ask strategic, long-term questions before you build your applications. To give you an idea of what to ask, I’ve come up with a short list of strategic questions to consider before building a business web application. While I’m sure there are others, these are all key questions which will help you build applications that last: …

6 strategic development questions that many overlookRead More »

7 major web development trends of the next 5 years

By Joe Stangarone / Tech trends, Web Development

Driven largely by the rise of mobile computing, web development has evolved dramatically over the last 5 years. Just think: Five short years ago, we developed web applications for use on a PC. Now, we develop applications for multiple devices.

While I could list many more ways web development has changed in the last few years, I’d like to instead focus on the future. How is web application development changing? What big trends will shape web development over the next 5 years?

I’ve compiled a list of trends that I believe will shape web application development in the coming years, which includes both my own predictions and predictions from others. While I don’t consider this a comprehensive list, I do believe that each of these trends will affect web development in the coming years.

One more thing: As this is a business-focused blog, the trends below are geared primarily at business application development…though most of them apply to development in general. Of course, if you think I forgot any major trends, please feel free to add them in the comments. …

7 major web development trends of the next 5 yearsRead More »

Workflow application demo

By Joe Stangarone / Workflow

A couple of months back, we released a powerful new m-Power feature: Event-triggered messaging. In short, it lets your applications deliver email or sms messages on a pre-determined schedule, or based on application events.

Now, you can use this feature in all sorts of ways–from running and emailing reports on a scheduled basis to automatically corresponding with customers and everything in between. Really, you’re only limited by your imagination.

Today, I’d like to show you one very powerful use for event-triggered messaging: Workflow applications! That’s right, this new feature lets you create new workflow applications, or even add workflow elements to your existing applications.

Rather than try to explain it, we’ve put together this short workflow application demo video. Hopefully, it will give you a better idea of what’s possible, and even spark some ideas of your own. Enjoy!

…

Workflow application demoRead More »

How to build applications your users will hate

By Joe Stangarone / Application Development, Usability, Web Development

IT departments are often frustrated by poor application adoption. They spend months building applications for their end users, only to see low adoption rates upon completion. The very users that begged the IT department for the application don’t use it once it’s built.

Why? What causes low user adoption? What makes users dislike an application that they themselves begged the IT department to deliver?

While there’s no single answer, user adoption problems typically stem from several common mistakes. Which mistakes? We posed this question to a few experts and have included their advice (along with some actionable takeaways) below. User adoption problems usually occur when developers…
…

How to build applications your users will hateRead More »

3 reasons to move your spreadsheets to the web (and how to do it)

By Joe Stangarone / Spreadsheets

Everyday, thousands of employees put their companies at risk through spreadsheet misuse. For example, some use spreadsheets to maintain critical business data. Others go even further, and distribute those spreadsheets to multiple users across different departments. Others go further still, and even base business decisions off of these spreadsheets.

If that’s happening in your company, here are two articles you’ll want to read: This article references a study that uncovered a shocking statistic on spreadsheet errors. This website highlights real-life business problems caused by spreadsheet errors.

So, what can you do about spreadsheet misuse? What’s the alternative to spreadsheets? The answer: Put that data in a database, and build web applications over the database. Here are three reasons why that approach is better than spreadsheets: …

3 reasons to move your spreadsheets to the web (and how to do it)Read More »

Weekly recap: 2013 IT salary survey, tech trends for developers, and more…

By Joe Stangarone / IT Salary, Modernization, Shadow IT, Tech trends

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on the 2013 salary survey, tech trends for developers, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Long term tech trends developers need to know
I particularly liked the author’s take on the mobile market in this article: “The mobile market is a merciless meat grinder, a never-ending battle for vendors, consumers, and developers.” He makes a great point. With all of the turnover in the mobile market, we can’t possibly know which platform or device will be popular in even two years time. Kind of makes native app development seem a little risky from a business standpoint… …

Weekly recap: 2013 IT salary survey, tech trends for developers, and more…Read More »

8 advanced BI features that many businesses overlook

By Joe Stangarone / Business Intelligence

When you hear the term, “Business Intelligence”, what pops in your head? Flashy charts and graphs? Executive dashboards? Interactive reports?

If so, you’re certainly not alone. I’d wager that most people associate BI with one or all of those terms. The fact is, those are some of the most common features of Business Intelligence solutions. In fact, I would even add mobile apps to that list. These days, any BI solution worth its salt will include mobile application options.

That being said, I’d like to take a step past those common BI features. Any BI solution will give you charts and graphs. They will all provide dashboards and reports. What features separate the ordinary BI solution from the extraordinary?

Today, I’d like to focus on a few of the more advanced, yet often overlooked BI features. These are features that you may ignore at the time of purchase, only to realize you need when it’s too late. These are the features that will add enormous value to your company, and could even make or break your BI project. So, without further ado, here are 8 advanced BI features that you can’t afford to overlook: …

8 advanced BI features that many businesses overlookRead More »

Weekly recap: 15 most coveted programming skills, why IT projects fail, and more…

By Joe Stangarone / BYOD, IT Skills

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on coveted programming skills, why IT projects fail, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Why tech projects fail: 5 unspoken reasons
Why do tech projects fail? While I recently covered this topic from a development standpoint, this article provides some additional insight for IT projects in general from the viewpoint of a longtime IT executive. It’s well worth a read. …

Weekly recap: 15 most coveted programming skills, why IT projects fail, and more…Read More »

4 great examples of mobile apps improving business

By Joe Stangarone / Mobile, Mobile apps

You’ve probably heard all of the mobile statistics by now. Mobile is the fastest growing trend in history. Tablets will outsell PCs/laptops this year. Smartphone and tablets accounted for 70% of total devices sold in 2012. The statistics paint a pretty clear picture.

But, you already know that mobile is the next big thing. You know that mobile apps are quickly becoming essential to the business world. Recognizing the trend is the easy part. So, what’s the problem? If you’re like many companies, the problem is understanding how mobile can improve your business. What type of mobile app should your company build?

If you’re asking yourself those questions, I’d like to help spark some ideas. This article highlights four innovative ways other companies are using mobile apps to improve business. Along with explaining each app, I’ve also explained how you might possibly apply each example to your business. Hopefully, the examples will spark some mobile app ideas for your company: …

4 great examples of mobile apps improving businessRead More »

Considering mobile apps? Read this first…

By Joe Stangarone / Mobile, Mobile apps

I’ve noticed some confusion surrounding the term, “Mobile app.” People typically associate the term “Mobile app” with apps that are built for a single platform and downloaded from an app store. In reality, those types of apps are native apps, and they’re only one of three mobile app types.

This is where many businesses get confused. They see the popularity of native apps among consumers, and assume it’s the best approach for business. However, while native apps work great for the consumer market, they’re often the worst of the three mobile app options for business.

Why? We’ve outlined the reasons for you in a free white paper entitled, “Native Mobile Apps: The wrong choice for business?” The paper also explains each development option from a business perspective, along with the pros and cons of each.

So, how should businesses approach mobile apps? The video below outlines one method of building mobile apps that’s specifically designed for businesses:

Year: 2013