mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

Join us in exploring the world of modern development, evolving technologies, and the art of future-proof software

Cloud Computing

How to integrate cloud data into a dashboard (using web services)

developmentDo you remember back when cloud computing was a new trend? Back then, most businesses ran their software on-premise. Cloud computing was viewed as a security risk and many doubted whether or not it would ever see mass adoption.

Fast forward to the present and cloud computing has most definitely experienced mass adoption. Most businesses these days use multiple cloud services/applications in their day-to-day operations.

In fact, businesses rely so heavily on cloud apps and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) they now face a growing challenge: Their data resides in multiple places. How can they pull data from their disparate cloud apps into a single place for reporting and analytics?

It’s easier than you might think. We just created a video that shows you how quickly you can integrate cloud data (from multiple sources) into a single dashboard using the m-Power Development Platform. In this video, we show you how to:

– pull data out of cloud applications (using web services),
– create web apps and reports over that data,
– and combine those apps and reports into a dashboard.

You can watch the video below:

Do you want to see a solution like this in your company? Setup an m-Power demo here.

8 questions to ask before developing applications on the cloud

EducationSummary: It’s a growing trend in the business world: More application development is moving to the cloud. More developers are opting for cloud-based development platforms, and more businesses are moving their application development off-site and onto a cloud host. The problem is, many make the move without understanding how the cloud changes development. In this article, we explore a few of these changes and outline important questions to ask before making the move.

5 cloud computing advantages (and 5 potential problems)

EducationSummary: Cloud computing offers considerable advantages to businesses, but also comes with it’s fair share of risks. While the pros and cons vary by company, it’s important that you understand both sides before moving towards the cloud. Here are 5 of the biggest advantages, and 5 potential problems associated with cloud computing.

8 questions to ask before developing applications on the cloud

EducationI’ve noticed a growing trend in the business world: More application development is moving to the cloud. More developers are opting for cloud-based development platforms, and more businesses are moving their application development off-site and onto a cloud host.

Why? Many don’t want the burden of maintaining hardware. Others don’t want to bother managing backups or setting up redundant systems. Others like the scalability offered by the cloud. The advantages to such a move are fairly obvious.

photo credit: francisco.j.gonzalez via photopin cc
photo credit: francisco.j.gonzalez via photopin cc

Now, am I suggesting you should move your development to the cloud? Not at all. I believe in development freedom. If that calls for in-house development, so be it. If that means you move your application development to the cloud, that’s fine too. The most important aspect of development isn’t WHERE your applications are developed, it’s HOW. Focus on building flexible applications that port anywhere–to the cloud or in-house. This opens your future options to make a move to the cloud (and back), if so desired.

That being said–if you are considering moving your development to the cloud–how does this affect development? What changes (or surprises) can you expect when you move your application development to the cloud? What questions must you ask before making the move?

We posed those questions to a few experts in the area, and have compiled their advice (along with some of my own) below. If you’re considering moving your application development to the cloud, here are 8 essential questions to consider:

Weekly recap: 6 traits of successful CIOs, how IT departments waste time, and more…

EducationEvery 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 successful CIOs, how IT departments waste time, and more. I hope you find them useful:

PHP is the right tool for the job (for all the wrong reasons)
This “Pro-PHP” post highlights the big reason why PHP is so popular: It works, out of the box, for people who don’t know what they’re doing. While I understand how that would attract a large user base, it sure doesn’t sound like a language I want to build a business on.

Weekly Recap: How to avoid mobile app failure, hidden HTML5 tags, and more…

EducationEvery 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 avoiding mobile app failure, hidden HTML5 tags, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Hidden HTML5 tags every web developer should know
If you’re a web developer or designer, HTML5 puts some great new attributes and elements at your disposal. While you may be familiar with some of the more popular new tags, here are some little-known capabilities that might prove quite useful.

Weekly recap: 19 principles every IT leader should heed, how to improve website load time, and more…

EducationEvery 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 principles every IT leader should heed, how to improve your web site/app load time, and more. I hope you find them useful:

How to improve website load time
Slow web apps/sites are a sure way to annoy your users. If your web apps don’t load as fast as you’d like, this article gives some great tips on fixing the problem.

Weekly Recap: 3 ways IT still fails itself, developer’s checklist for the cloud, and more…

EducationEvery 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 3 ways IT still fails itself, a developer’s checklist for the cloud, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Enterprise software: Win over the staff and you’ll win over the business
With the rise of mobile apps and consumer-focused web services, end users demand more out of their enterprise applications. They expect everything to be as simple and intuitive as the applications they use everyday. This puts added pressure on the IT department to meet the end user’s rising expectations.

Weekly recap: The future of IT, omni-channel mobile development, and more…

EducationEvery 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 future of IT, the need for ‘omni-channel’ mobile development, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Forrester: Mobile app dev needs ‘omni-channel’ perspective
Rather than simply devising a mobile strategy, mobile apps must be part of a larger “omni-channel” application architecture. Businesses must understand that mobile devices are just one method for accessing their applications. Applications must be accessible across all devices.