Banking on Cloud Technology
Over the past few years, cloud computing has been gaining considerable ground and is becoming more widespread throughout the business world. Cloud computing is the definite wave of the IT future for companies of any size, available in three forms – public, private, or hybrid – to fit their needs. As our professional and personal computing demands have risen with each passing year, there has also been a corresponding increase in energy consumption. With the on-demand model of this latest technology, cloud computing can provide significant advantages to an organization’s bottom line. In a recent study, it was found that migrating applications to the cloud could decrease energy consumption by up to 30% for large companies and over 90% for smaller companies. As more and more companies search for ways to achieve economies of scale, here are 5 reasons to keep in mind: Energy costs: A company’s energy costs can be significantly reduced on an annual basis, providing a net benefit over the long term. This translates to a lower power bill, which greatly impact a company’s operating costs as well. Hardware costs: Organizations can provide computing and storage capacity with less hardware (i.e. servers). A company can consequently reduce [...]
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Six Thinking Hats are Better than One
Ever wonder why some CEO’s are so good at making decisions that ensure their company’s success? Is it their astuteness, their instincts or a mixture of both? In reality, the art of decision-making is a skill that can be learned and, of course, improved upon. In today’s business world, there are many tools you can use to your (as well as your organization’s) benefit. Rather than just writing an old-fashioned laundry list of pros and cons or using the more contemporary P/M/I (Plus/Minus/Interesting) strategy, we now have a wide array of decision-making methodologies at our disposal. While research shows that only 95% of individuals approach a problem by using any particular strategy, it is still worthwhile to explore these models – a structured thought process is better than nothing at all. When it comes to decisions, even electing to not make a choice is a decision in and of itself. As a result, decision-making strategies have been developed to help organizations make choices that appeal to the various components that comprise decisions: social, emotional, and political. With this in mind (pun intended), the Six Thinking Hats method demonstrates the six different states in which the brain identifies and considers the [...]
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IT’s Time for a Change
Organizational change is a phrase that can spark a healthy dose of anxiety in employees. Sprinkle in yet another term – information technology (IT) – and you have a professional cocktail that inspires a bit of unease. For starters, some people simply don’t like change because it means having to navigate uncharted waters. Undergoing change infringes upon their comfort zone, because they will be asked to do away with many of the day-to-day functions with which they are familiar. To ease this apprehension, here are a few points to help facilitate the transition during IT-related organizational changes. Why is change necessary for our organization? Often, the organization must update outmoded technology which is negatively impacting the workflow. – Beware of resistance from staff and management. Any delays in implementation can actually compromise the expected savings of the anticipated changes, and lead to increased costs. How can upgrading our IT systems help us? Changing the IT infrastructure can contribute to creating more efficient work processes. However, it is important to obtain the buy-in and support of management and staff – Beware of the tendency to provide too much technical information. Employees are not necessarily interested in the IT jargon – they [...]
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Agile Development – What is it anyway?
Agile Development is an innovative approach to managing information technology (IT) development teams and projects. This broad term generally refers to incremental software development methodologies (such as Scrum, XP, and Crystal) which integrate continuous feedback to facilitate progressive improvement. While these software methodologies are all distinctive in their own rights, they also share an inherent adaptability. Their flexibility allows for the project and software to constantly evolve through continuous planning, continuous testing, and continuous integration. This very process results in generating cultural changes in the workforce that have actually been driven by technology. As these types of software continued to create new paradigms in the software industry, there arose a need to more formally define this innovative approach. In 2001, the Agile Manifesto was created to establish the commonalities of “agile” software. The Manifesto emphasizes the value of individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, and response to change. In fact, the agile approach and the ensuing changes involve not just the software developers, but also the managers and clients of the project. Based upon the formulation of the Manifesto, it became evident that Agile Development is actually more of a philosophy with a set of specific variables and principles. [...]
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The “Right” Move: Writing and Testing from Requirements
How can you ensure that you are on the path to developing the “right” software that will guarantee your project’s success? You must first be sure to acquire the proper techniques for writing the user requirements. Next, you need to identify the set of tests that will appropriately cover those requirements. Only then can you determine whether your software innovation is functioning as planned. Sometimes, the biggest challenge in a project’s requirements phase can lie in simply trying to comprehend the testing requirements. If the particular requirements are not adequately written, then the testing will not accurately measure those requirements. Our course will help you better gauge this delicate process by providing you with the tools for: Designing and executing tests that confirm what the software is intended to do Developing software that meets the needs and expectations of your clients and users In the first part, pertaining to writing testable requirements, you will learn: What are testing requirements? How to design well written requirements so that they are written in a testable manner? How to identify poorly written requirements? What is the impact of incorrect and/or missing requirements in the software development process? In the second part, relating to [...]
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