Musato Technologies Blog

Database automation

Published February 20, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Database automation drives DevOps into the persistence layer

The adoption of highly scriptable cloud-based technologies, along with the emergence of continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) tools, has created an environment in which every operations process should be scriptable and all manual processes targeted for database automation. Organizations with a DevOps approach to application lifecycle management should automate every process imaginable, but they often hit a wall when they reach the persistence layer. Emerging technologies have the potential to make that limitation disappear.

Apply DevOps lessons to database release management

“Database release automation is a real problem,” Datical CTO Robert Reeves says. “You’ve got lots of great ways of automating the application and provisioning servers. But we are still asking DBAs [database administrators] to just work faster, work harder, as they do manual updates.”

So, why can’t we take the lessons we learned from Agile or the progress DevOps has made and apply them to the persistence layer?

“Because of state,” Reeves explains. Unlike applications, a database can’t simply be deleted and recreated on the fly as though you were deploying and undeploying a microservice packaged in a Docker container. “You can’t just zap it.” Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Database, Database Management, Enterprise Software | Tagged Data, Database, Database application, Database automation, Musato Technologies

Accounting Software Solutions for SMEs

Published February 19, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Accounting Software Solutions for SMEs: Cloud vs Local

According to a report by Small Business Advocate, of all the companies in the US, 99.7% are small businesses, and that number’s not at all surprising.- Accounting Software Solutions

Small businesses — also known as small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs — are the backbone of any economy, but they also face some of the most difficult challenges in their day-to-day operations. Challenges such as targeting new customers while retaining current ones, raising brand awareness, finding competent and motivated employees and much more are a daily struggle. And they have to do all of this while keeping a finger on the pulse of the current trends and technologies in their industry.

Still, one of the biggest problems businesses face is cash flow issues. While sometimes that’s a result of economic downturn, more often it’s caused by poor planning within the company.

That’s why professional accounting software solutions for small business is in such high demand. Many savvy small business owners are realizing that in order to ensure steady growth of a business, they must utilize professional accounting help. Continue reading →

Posted in Accounting Services, Accounting Software, Application Development, Applications, Apps, Cloud Computing | Tagged Accounting Software, Accounting Software Systems, Applications, Business Software, Musato Technologies, Software

Technologies disruption in 2018

Published February 17, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

12 technologies that will disrupt business in 2018

From artificial intelligence to augmented reality, these dozen disruptive technologies and trends will begin driving how business gets done at forward-thinking organizations this year. – Technologies disruption

In 2018, disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and computer vision are maturing, going from game-changing ideas to foundational tools for business. This year, we’ll see these and other technologies drive how business gets done and what new products will launch in the near future.

To get a sense of what’s ahead for this year, we looked at the technologies experts say are most likely to affect a wide variety of organizations as they undergo digital transformations. Pros in these fields gave us their top picks for what should be on your radar, as well as some insight into the implications of adopting these new technologies.

Smart health tech

Last month, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced a joint venture with a focus on using technology to offer their employees and their families “simplified, high-quality and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost.” Health insurance stocks dropped on the news, as industry watchers theorized how new technology might broadly affect health care.

Some analysts see gains already being made in preventative care. In 2018 Tech Market research firm ABI forecasts that businesses will widely adopt remote patient monitoring, with 18 million wearables incorporated into corporate wellness programs. The firm predicts that number to jump to 44 million by 2021. Continue reading →

Posted in IT, IT Services, Software As A Service, Software Design, Technology | Tagged ICT, IT, Musato Technologies, Technologies, Technologies disruption

Mobile app development

Published February 15, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

The changing shape of mobile apps

In the mobile device world, there is no such thing as one size fits all. Although just two mobile platforms dominate the market today – Android and iOS – applications will need to work well on devices of all shapes and sizes, from the sleekest smartphones to the bulkiest tablets.- Mobile app development

Apps might also need the ability to support new classes of a mobile device as and when they take off, such as smartwatches or augmented reality viewers such as Microsoft’s HoloLens. And the explosion of fixed and mobile connected sensors and appliances – the internet of things (IoT) – opens up countless opportunities
to develop ever more useful mobile apps that control and/ or communicate with these devices to enable innovative capabilities and services.

So how do organizations achieve the agility they need to develop useful and compelling mobile apps and services, in a timely and repeatable way, that continually delight customers? Should they opt for cross-platform web apps or create separate native apps for Android and iOS, optimized for different-sized devices? And what is the best way to organize development teams and processes? Among those at the forefront of mobile innovation, opinions on the most productive approaches to mobile development vary, but it is possible to draw out some common threads.

Native versus cross-platform apps – Mobile app development

On the question of whether it is better to develop native apps or go for a cross-platform approach, there is no right or wrong answer – it depends on the business’s needs and its customers’ preferences. Many organizations deploy both.

Innovation consultant Nick Lansley spent three decades at Tesco, including over 10 years as head of research and development and latterly as head of open innovation at Tesco Labs. Having talked to many customers, he believes that although there are pros and cons to both the native and cross-platform approaches, native apps generally offer
the most advantages for retailers. Continue reading →

Posted in Mobile app development, Mobile application, Mobile Apps, Software Design, Software Designing Tools, Software Development Tools | Tagged Mobile App Development, Mobile app development in Durban, mobile app development in South Africa, Mobile Applications, Software developers, Software Development

Software engineering that spurs innovation

Published February 10, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

How component-based software engineering spurs innovation?

Demands for digital transformation in business may ring hollow to some architects. However, componentization can play a key role in making business innovation a reality. – Software engineering

Architects and developers have too many priorities and too many high-level goals as it is. The introduction of broad business imperatives, such as application modernization and digital transformation, do little to create a technical approach or define a software architecture.

The best way to really approach these demands is to get your terms straight, frame applications along modern cloud component lines, introduce component-based software engineering to make processes match business needs and recognize productivity and technology trends as equals.

The strategy – software engineering

A primary technical step in creating a business transformation bridge is to focus on component-based software engineering, part of which involves having a componentization strategy. Componentization is driven by two forces: functional requirements from the business transformation side and technical requirements from the application modernization side.

The functional side of componentization is created by the tasks workers perform and the application tools they use. The goal of functional componentization is to create components at the highest level and avoid a specialization of functions that limit sharing components among applications. Continue reading →

Posted in Software Design, Software Development, Software Development Tools, Software-as-a-Service | Tagged Apps, Information Technology, IT, Software Development, Software engineering

Emerging trends in software development

Published February 9, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

What are the emerging trends in software development?

Make software engineering quality job one

It seems like every year will be — or at least should be — the year of software engineering quality, but somehow 2018 feels different. Pride in workmanship is what drives developers to create better software, and that can’t be software development standardized.

A 2017 survey conducted by research firm Coleman Parkes for the software analysis and measurement company Cast asked developers what factors led them to produce high-quality software. Respondents didn’t cite industry standards much (just 8%) and instead said they were inspired by pride in workmanship (20% of those surveyed).That’s great, as far as it goes, but Bill Curtis, chief scientist at Cast, said much bigger forces will also put software engineering quality under the microscope.

Security breaches and app failures mean quality is now a boardroom-level issue, he said, and that will mean sweeping changes in software development trends. In 2017, just one-third of developers were actually graded on software engineering quality, the Cast survey showed. That will change. “IT organizations will demand greater accountability from their software suppliers and will request a certification of code quality, with penalties when it is insufficient, in 2018,” Curtis said.

Software engineering quality has been completely insufficient for far too long, according to app users, said Theresa Lanowitz, head analyst at Voke Research. Consumers are tired of apps that don’t work, and she tied that directly to the trend in software development to focus on speed rather than quality. Continue reading →

Posted in Information Technologies, Mobile application, Musato Technologies, Software Design, Software Designing Tools, Software Development, Software Development Tools | Tagged App Development, Application Development, Musato Technologies, Software Development

Artificial Intelligence

Published February 9, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

All areas of IT must brace for artificial intelligence impact

Throwing artificial intelligence (AI) at your data to answer business questions is like using a tornado to blow out a match. In other words, just because artificial intelligence tools can provide answers doesn’t mean you should use them. If good old business intelligence tools do the job just fine, stick with what you know. But AI is a great way to uncover information hidden within vast amounts of data – as long as you’re willing to use the information that surprises you, according to Jana Eggers, CEO of Nara Logics, a synaptic intelligence company based in Cambridge, Mass.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies

“If you aren’t willing to learn, don’t do an AI project. Do a regular analytics project,” Eggers said during her presentation at the TDWI Accelerate conference in Boston earlier this year.

That’s sound advice in a time when all we hear about is the power and promise of AI technologies like cognitive computing, natural language processing, and machine learning. Using AI judiciously can save companies a whole lot of time and money on a tech that’s exciting but may not be appropriate for the job. It’s also important to carefully Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Artificial Intelligence, Data, IT, IT Services | Tagged AI, Artificial Intelligence, Musato Technologies

Cryptocurrency

Published February 5, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Is your computer secretly being used for crypto mining?

It’s staggering to realize that Bitcoin, the very first cryptocurrency, splashed onto the scene almost a decade ago. It’s only been over this past year that digital coinage has really gained its tremendous popularity. As of January 2018, there are well over one thousand varieties of cryptocurrency in circulation — Bitcoin, Monero, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, IOTA and many more.

But whether you participate in the buying and selling of cryptocurrency or you know nothing about it, you could be a victim of cryptojacking. Oftentimes, people don’t even notice that their machine has been hijacked. Here’s what you need to know in order to defend yourself.

It’s the age of cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is digital money you use to make secure and anonymous online payments without involving a bank. All the purchases and transfers are encrypted, stored, and recorded in a ledger. The later is known as a blockchain, a kind of living history book of cryptocurrency. All its data securely encrypted with uncrackable code.

Every single transaction for every single bit of cryptocurrency is recorded in the blockchain. This requires an enormous amount of computer processing power, and that’s where the cryptominers come in. Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Virus, cryptocurrency, hacker attacks, Malware | Tagged bitcoin, bitcoin mining, crypto mining, cryptocurrency, cyptojacking

SaaS solutions

Published February 1, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Leadership, strategies, and vision in SaaS Solutions

CEOs play a number of vital roles in their organizations: leader, strategy setter, steward and primary visionary.
Achieving those leadership goals, strategic plans and visions are easier and more effective for CEOs who embrace one of the key enablers of business change today—cloud services. SaaS solutions

In the current era of rapid and often unpredictable change, CEOs can find it difficult to keep their organizations relevant, profitable and competitive—corporate upheaval is often just one rival’s innovation or one unforeseen geopolitical or economic development away So what do you, the CEO, need to know about Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and how that can enable your organisation to transform for the digital business era?

It’s one thing to know that cloud computing offers so much for any business that wants to serve customers and stakeholders 24/7, from anywhere and via any device. But CEOs must also understand the complete business case for Software-as-a-Service—the financial impacts, risk aspects and other potential competitive advantages.

To fully comprehend all of the business implications of cloud computing, CEOs need to keep the following in mind: Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Software Development, Application Development, Applications, Apps, Cloud Computing, Software As A Service | Tagged Applications, Cloud, SaaS solutions, Software, Software As A Service

Meltdown and Spectre

Published January 30, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Meltdown and Spectre: Is your PC vulnerable?

A new app gives you a simple overview of your system’s vulnerability status, as well as what kind of performance hit the patches might be having.- Meltdown and Spectre

Want to know if your PCs are vulnerable to the Meltdown and Spectre attacks? Want to get an idea of the sort of performance hit the patches might entail? Want to temporarily disable the update for testing purposes? There’s an app that can do all this.

Enter InSpectre, yet another excellent freeware utility created by Steve Gibson of GRC.com.

Using InSpectre is about as simple as it gets – download the 126KB file (yes, kilobytes, not megabytes!), and on first run (no, there’s no installation process) it will give you a clear overview of your system’s Meltdown and Spectre status, as well as offering an indication as to whether the patches have an impact on system performance (this is based on the processor/operating system information and not a benchmark).

InSpectre can also be used to disable protection on PCs (note that enabling and disabling protection requires a reboot)? Why might you want to do that? Well, you might want to do this for testing purposes or to regain lost performance. Continue reading →

Posted in Meltdown and Spectre, Processor, Processors | Tagged Meltdown and Spectre, Processors