Joe Stangarone – Page 24 – mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

New feature helps you automate manual processes

In a recent article, I outlined 5 common IT practices that waste your time. One such practice listed in that article: Repeating manual tasks. If you find yourself repeating the same task on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, you should ask yourself this question: Can this task be automated? Chances are, automation could save hours of time.

The question becomes…”How?”

If you’re an m-Power user, we recently released a new feature that will help you with automation: The Messaging and Scheduled Tasks enhancement. It lets developers build applications that perform tasks or send email and/or sms messages based on a predetermined schedule or event. While this is useful in all types of ways, here are a few tasks it could automate for you: …

New feature helps you automate manual processesRead 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.

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 »

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 »

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 »

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: …

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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:

Weekly recap: 10 development predictions, the need for adaptable ERPs, and more…

By Joe Stangarone / Application Development, ERP Systems

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 application development predictions, why ERP systems must adapt to business changes, and more. I hope you find them useful:

SMEs must be able to adapt their ERP to business change
A recent study by Aberdeen Group highlights the importance of being able to react quickly/inexpensively to business change without major disruptions. In a growing organization, change is inevitable, and companies stuck with inflexible ERP systems will ultimately suffer. If your company is stuck with an outdated ERP system, this guide outlines one way to fix that problem. …

Weekly recap: 10 development predictions, the need for adaptable ERPs, and more…Read More »

Build web-based pivot tables (and more) without programming

By Joe Stangarone / Web Development

If your development process is too slow, or if you just want to build web applications without programming, you should really sign up for a free m-Power Trial. It’s completely free, and guides you through the process of creating enterprise web applications using m-Power.

Here’s the best part: We’ve recently updated the m-Power Trial with additional guides to walk you through the creation of even more types of web applications! Now, Trial users can build any (or all) of these web app types:

1. Web-based pivot tables (like this example),
2. Interactive reports (like this example),
3. Database CRUD applications (like this example), and
4. Database lookup applications (like this example).

Each application only takes about 15-30 minutes to build, and the whole process is entirely point-and-click. Want to get started? Sign up for a free m-Power Trial right here.

Weekly recap: 5 ways devops can help companies, tablets outsell PCs, and more…

By Joe Stangarone / Application Development, Mobile, Shadow IT

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 how devops can help companies create applications faster, why “Shadow IT” must be embraced, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Shadow IT: Once hidden, often hated, but well worth embracing
The concept of “Shadow IT” is becoming more and more prevalent. Tired of waiting around for the IT department, end users are now buying and using SaaS services without the IT department’s knowledge or approval. IT departments are scrambling to adjust, driven by the fear of being bypassed altogether. The solution: Give users a development platform that meets their needs, while giving the IT department control over data and user access. …

Weekly recap: 5 ways devops can help companies, tablets outsell PCs, and more…Read More »

4 steps to create a more agile IT department

By Joe Stangarone / Application Architecture, Shadow IT

Many IT departments have developed a reputation of being slow and difficult. They make users jump through hoops and then take months to deliver requested solutions. The business users often feel like IT stands in their way, or even holds them back.

The problem is, business users now have other options. Many are bypassing IT altogether and using unsanctioned SaaS options to accomplish their goals. If IT can’t (or won’t) deliver solutions in a timely manner, they find another way.

IT departments have no choice: They must become more agile and responsive to the business user’s needs, or risk being bypassed.

The question is…how? How can a slow IT department become more agile and responsive?

We posed that question to a few industry experts, who delivered some excellent advice. You can read their tips below, as well as some of my own. I hope you find them useful: …

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Think your outdated ERP keeps you from mobile apps? Think again…

By Joe Stangarone / ERP Systems, Mobile apps

“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 system.

If you’re in that boat, I have some good news: You can still build mobile apps even if you’re tied to an old system. Better yet, you can even integrate these modern apps directly with your enterprise system…all without any modifications to the underlying code. To learn more, check out this video:

Author name: Joe Stangarone