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INTERNET OF THINGS(Content Strategi – SEO)

Internet of things is considered as a third wave of internet helping to revolutionise the world. After several decades of improvements and developments in technology and revolutionising of the world, there have been several changes that have been deemed crucial for better services and improved products across the globe.

It is perceived that in the current generation, companies’ success is dependent on the internet of things to thrive. An overview description of internet of things describes it as a sole platform that connects devices like consumed services and products onto the network and revolutionises management making it highly efficient with expanded room for further developments. It is also considered that consumer demand is an aspect affecting internet of things adoption.

INTERNET OF THINGS TRENDS

Internet of things is mobilising followers in large numbers in its transformations. It helps in bringing about changes in the entire work process, helping in the productivity improvements, cost containment and also helps in the enhancement of user experiences.

Some of the recent trends in IoT are:

APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE (APIs)

It serves as a bridge where it connects useful information and plentiful of data to the IoT. Through the exposure of relevant data to connect devices, it forms a vital interface between the internet and things to actualize previously unseen forms.

SECURITY

Most individuals are highly sensitive when it comes to the issue of security and concerning their personal devices and information and data. This is achieved by all market players doing their part. To attain this level of security, a good system should be employed which can help attain the full potential of Internet of Things.

There have been some reforms that have been undertaken to attain maximum levels of security, and some of the concerned organisations helping in this are Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and IoT Security Foundation (IoTSF).

PLATFORMS

It is an area that received great attention in the previous year. Business goals are attained by giving them the right platforms with right elements. A reliable IoT platform should connect devices, have the ability to gather reliable data, and furthermore accommodate a number of users.

As an addition to the above, a good platform should also have the capability to handle millions of messages at an instance. This makes it an agent of transformation in the business sector.

COGNITIVE COMPUTING

This is where the developed technologies around make the use of IP addresses to hover beyond connection and make it an intelligent feature. It helps different devices to be able to diagnose and adapt to their environment without, or minimal human interference. This has been made possible mainly through the use of sensors.

This feature can also handle large inputs and generate meaningful outputs. It has been able to keep up with the growing complexity of the Internet of Things by managing data.

CHALLENGES OF COMPANIES THAT FOCUS ON IoT

SECURITY AND PRIVACY

There is a notable inadequacy of security of user data. It is a vital problem that is mainly affecting big scale levels. Different individuals, software and products also have a varying level of security needs.

Despite the cited case of insecurity, tremendous efforts have been made to curb this problem.

INCONSISTENT STANDARDS

Product development has been quite rapid over the years, and there is a notable pattern in their variations.

To help curb this, solutions have also been developed to support new development like guidance from skilled individuals and solution integration.

TECHNOLOGY CONSTRAINTS

This is where the developed products lack the efficiency or effectiveness required. It is not considered a problem among many users, but affects a number of individuals and has been solved through technology innovations in the IoT sector.

The need to extract more value from each application.

TOP CONTENDERS FOR THE IoT PIE

There is high competition among companies and individuals but some of the top contenders to watch in the near future, or that have succeeded in recent past are mentioned below:

(a) Honeywell

It is considered a part of the Industrial Internet of Things and is focused in implementing digital technology into the manufacturing sector.

(b) Hitachi

It is a consulting company in Japan well known for helping companies apply IoT solutions in IoT spaces independently.

It is a well-known cable TV service provider and has developed a well-paying strategy to compete in the market.

(d) T-Mobile

It partnered with Twilio to make a cellular communication platform that could change IoT developed works.

Other companies that are succeeding are AT&T, Cisco (CSCO), IBM, Amazon, Skyworks, Apple, Google etc.

KEYWORDS

Internet of things

developments in technology

Trends

user experiences

IoT

Industrial Internet Consortium

IoT Security Foundation

IIC

IoTSF

IoT spaces

IoT solutions

Industrial Internet of Things

Today’s IoT Trends – A Worldwide Phenomenon(Content Strategi – SEO)

IoT is rapidly becoming one of the most looked-into and studied trends in the technological world of today, with many firms, organisations and businesses firmly believing that it is paving new pathways in technological advancement, providing companies with an enhanced outlook and greater chance of betterment.

IoT refers to ‘Internet of Things’, and it is one of the hottest topics in today’s ever-expanding world of technology. Many of today’s firms believe that IoT is the key to all of this. Although there have been many keys, they see this as sort of a master-key – almost like the Holy Grail of business growth, both financially and in terms of viewership. IoT is believed to be able to aid in many things, including enhanced customer relationships, business growth, reduced risk, cost and theft, better insights and improved customer satisfaction – and that is only the tip of the business-expanding iceberg.

How Exactly Does IoT Impact Businesses Who Choose To Focus On It?

Although it is thought to be the answer to all questions, IoT – just like anything else – does come with its setbacks. One of the most major flaws of IoT devices was discovered back in October 2016, when a DDoS attack struck a colossal 1600 websites in the US, crippling their services and distributing important and more importantly, private and confidential information. It proved that IoT devices are somewhat vulnerable and penetrable as opposed to what was originally thought.

Even everyday devices that are powered by IoT such as CCTV cameras and smart-home devices were hijacked and taken control of, then used against the servers. This would be a massive issue for those focusing on IoT in the world of business, because, in a place in which money is at stake, security is of utmost importance. With this hack already making people sceptical, businesses will have to be extra careful to make sure that their own IoT devices are sufficiently protected.

Another challenge that companies choosing to focus and incorporate IoT have to face is talent shortage in the IoT field. Surveys have shown that forty-five percent of IoT companies struggle to find security professionals and thirty percent have the same problems when searching for digital marketers. It seems as though there just aren’t many professionals out there who have adequate training, understanding or experience in the IoT area. Though it seems that in 2017, major vendors must act upon this and are looking to invest in IoT certifications and training. They will make it a part of the mainstream training programs undertaken in the tech industry.

Inevitable Leaps And Bounds

It seems as though with IoT rapidly growing in popularity and becoming more and more of an everyday thing in not just the technological world, but also the normal world, that big companies and businesses are starting to venture down the IoT route. With a lot of corporations beginning to place their focus on IoT devices and programs, there is no doubt about it that others are following suit. Though they may face a heap of challenges along the way and end up having to revise and edit their strategy now and then, it certainly still seems that IoT is the way to go for the corporations and businesses inside of today’s world of technology.

LSI Keywords:

IoT

Internet of Things

Corporation

Businesses

Company

Growth

Technology

DDoS

Firm

Organisation

Digital marketer

Security professionals

The Advantages of Private Equity (Content Princess – SEO)

The benefits of private equity to your portfolio are varied and knowledge of these benefits is valuable to any investor.

Private equity comes with the potential for making discoveries of undervalued companies which would be very difficult to find in the public sphere due to the scrutiny that public companies are under. Public companies must publish details of their finances quarterly, allowing all investors to respond quickly to small changes in profits or losses.

While this leads to a very precise measurement of the valuation of the company, backed up by a multitude of personal valuations of share worth, this also makes it very difficult for individual investors benefit from the acquisition of undervalued assets. In private companies, the absence of the requirement for published financial data means that valuations are significantly more obscure, meaning that comprehensive research is rewarded when assessing the real value of a company.

By performing more extensive research on a company than competitors, individual potential shareholders can act on information which may not be available to competitors.

Public companies are under great pressure for shareholders to maintain profits, lest published financial data leads to a reduction in share value and the selling of assets by shareholders. This need for public companies to maintain short term profits underscores the advantage of private companies, who can afford to maintain a deficit in the short term if it means increased profits later.

This ability to maintain shareholder confidence despite lack of profits in the short term allows for significant opportunities to acquire assets which have been undervalued due to a short-term lack of profitability, even if long-term projections are strong.

Of the 27 million companies in the United States, less than 1{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} are public companies. However, many opportunities for building diverse and profitable portfolios exist in the private sector. Investing in the private sector allows investors to compliment the activities of public sector companies, generating increased profits through supply line facilitation, synergistic co-operation or addressing market gaps which would be too unwieldy for the more restricted public companies to capitalise on. Also, investment in private equity is a means by which risk can be avoided.

The reduced level of scrutiny which private companies are under means that they can make decisions much more quickly than a public company can. This brings numerous benefits for several reasons. These include the fact that global marketplaces change often, with competitors attempting to be the first to respond to changes. Companies must be able to respond quickly to these changes in the market to stay competitive.

By removing the obstacle of being subject to the scrutiny of a greater number of shareholders, private companies can respond to changes in demand more quickly than a public company can, benefiting both consumers and shareholders.

Reduced levels of scrutiny mean that private companies are much easier to influence when it comes to the decision-making process. Public companies are managed by boards of directors who may or may not take into consideration the views of individual shareholders. On the other hand, Private companies usually display a greater likelihood for shareholders to influence the direction of the company, allowing you more freedom to make your perspectives and contributions known.

There are likely to be many other advantages to private equity not mentioned above, including the ability to support causes which have personal significance to the investor.

Keywords

benefits of private equity, Private equity, undervalued companies, public companies, undervalued assets, shareholders, shareholder confidence, acquire assets, diverse and profitable portfolios, private sector, public sector companies, private companies

Watch Your Funds Grow (Content Princess – SEO)

In today’s world of a strong financial market, many are questioning if wealth is added to a portfolio by investing higher rates of private equity funds. Many investors and CFP’s are looking to these private equity funds as an additive to portfolio and in the past much care has been taken to preserve the mutual fund mix as opposed to these funds. The size of the mutual fund market always made it the most attractive portfolio base. There are some groups such as the Pensioners Fund that restrict a number of private equity funds to less than 10{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} of the mix in the portfolio. But perhaps in the current environment, the reliability of these funds has proven that private equity assets are a good fit into a profitable portfolio.

There are many investment strategies used with private equity funds in portfolio management. One strategy that is most effective is a hybrid strategy which allows for about a 25{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} private equity allocation and the remaining 75{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} comprised of mature funds investment. This combination assurance is a hedge against any area of non-performance while assuring the private equity strong returns. For many CFP’S this hybrid combination is safe, conservative and functions well for most portfolios.

There are some that prefer a higher rate of private equity funds. The high entry barriers have to be overcome to have a higher rate of private equity funds in the portfolio. The investment threshold for the private equity fund has been raised to $10 million which makes it substantially more attractive to the investor and so they are opting for higher rates of private equity and mutual funds ration.

The private equity managers are looking to help the investors such as the 401K and the IRA accounts into a greater proportion in the assets class of private equity funds. When the investor wishes for greater private equity options, they are looking at the goal of either going for long-term growth rate or wanting a high yield in the portfolio. The answer to this is usually brought to a private equity multi manager. Firms that use high rates of private equity have a group of funds that they are most likely to recommend. The managers explore the value of many companies to determine their viability and growth potential so that these managers are the most prepared to point out the pluses and the minuses of the various private equity firms for portfolio inclusion. Again depending on the end result desired by the investor, different private equity firms may be recommended.

There may be an extra fee for including certain private equity firms in a portfolio depending on how much research is involved into the company before it is recommended as stable assets. Some firms do not pass this fee to their clients but consider a due diligence service. Everyone knows that the research only offers a suggestion, but it is an informed guess as are so many other suggestions in the world of finance. The financial climate does appear attractive to include private equity funds at a rate that is comfortable for the investor about their investment goals.

Keywords: private equity funds, private equity,

Innovative Startups: Growth Is More than Money (Content Princess – SEO)

India has the distinguished honour of being in the top 5 countries in the world for innovative startups. There have been many recent startups in India that have mastered the art of expansion in every type of business from food to community. The booming growth and economic power add steam to this tidal wave of innovation. However, companies need more than money to appropriately and successfully scale up new businesses.

Steps to Success: Build a Brand

One of the most important aspects of growing a business is building a recognisable brand. Startups often begin with a fantastic idea that could change the landscape of business, but without a recognisable logo and value structure, the company is unlikely to drive forward into a larger entity.

Wow!Momo is a perfect example of branding. Their logo is instantly recognisable, even from a distance, immediately attracting attention and attracting customers. This may seem like a difficult task, but there are companies available that can assist you in building a strong, visible brand. Don’t be afraid to outsource!

Steps to Success: Market Targeting

If you have a great product or company, customers are sure to quickly and easily find out about you, right? Wrong! To properly scale up a business, you need to reach out and find more customers. To find new customers, you conduct market targeting. Market targeting will help find your consumer base and let them know your company exists. Successful targeting can bring in new clients by the thousands giving your business the foundation it needs to grow.

Batman Delivers an ideal example of a company with targeted marketing. Using a darker superhero image plays well to the late night video gaming crowd who would use their anytime delivery service. Do you know how to approach market targeting? If not, there are consulting companies (often the same ones that can help with the brand building) that can help you achieve good marketing.

Steps to Success: Finding Talent

One of the most challenging aspects of growing a business and scaling up production is finding and hiring the proper talent. With good people, your business could grow exponentially through the application of skills. The main trouble is finding those people. There are a great many options for finding talented people but if you don’t have the expertise or the time, consider using a specialised company to do it for you.

Steps to Success: Social Media

Nowadays, social media can be either a hindrance or help to scaling up your business. Social media can provide a broad audience and customer base, but if your company is poorly represented, the word can spread quickly.

The key to social media is a polished presence. PassItOn is an excellent example of a company that has a strong social media presence. They have great looking photos and videos and stay connected with their audience. There are many consultants available if you aren’t tech savvy but the most important part of social media is to make sure you’re engaged with people.

Steps to Success: Networking

While social media can lead you directly to the customer, networking can lead you to expansion opportunities. If you are creating a product, proper networking can lead you to stores that could carry your product. Likewise, a service provided well to one company is often recommended to other businesses.

This can be one of the hardest steps to complete when scaling up your business. What do you do if you don’t have industry contacts? Find a company that does! There are consultants out there whose sole purpose is to help network your product to larger companies. Another approach could be to use professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, but cold calls are often ignored when this method is taken.

Conclusion

When looking to scale up and grow your business in India, look beyond funding. Funding is a good start but to be truly successful you will need a strong foundation of support in talent, marketing, branding, and networking.

Keywords: Startups, innovative, brand, scale up, business, market, company, targeting, grow, India, success

Why and How do downstream fast supply chain systems benefit from IOT? (Content Strategy – SEO)

IOT (The Internet of things) has trended very popularly with manufacturing and businesses. A research firm (Gartner) has researched the huge surge and predicted that by 2020 a supply chain system would operate significantly different than in the past.

How does IOT impact the supply chain system presently?

Currently IOT offers the following:

M2M (machine to machine) contact
Devices can be monitored, and instantly recognised if not running correctly.
Everything will be internet connected.
Supply chain leaders can gain much more information on their technology.

In 2015, the IOT market was sized at $900M – McKinsey (see source) predicts that by 2020 the industry will grow to over $3.7B.

A downstream supply chain system

Downstream just means where the company takes part in production; upstream is manufacturing raw materials, whereas downstream is closer to the end user.

Although IOT is very vast amongst business and isn’t a one size fit all, we can use the oil industry as an example and how the players have benefited from using the internet of things.

Upstream supply chain system

Production and exploration

Midstream

Transportation and storage

Downstream

Petroleum retailers and refineries

Let’s look at the benefits of IOT for Petroleum retailers.

The figures:

In previous years’ oil rose to $100 per barrel. However, new technologies recently enabled prices to drop to $20 – $30 per barrel.

This has resulted in well-performing oil companies to preserve top and bottom lines.

Source here

How does IOT help with a downstream supply system?

It will solve a lot of challenges that petroleum retailers face, especially with the following factors:

Outlets will be better at organising assets.
Easily manage supply chains.
Better customer relationships.

Most lucratively, IOT will provide information on every element of their business.

This can include monitoring of petrol pumps, equipment, health and safety, precise logistics handling, stock control and IT equipment.

Can it help downstream players with marketing?

The new IOT system offers more efficient advertising, by expanding visibility into the hydrocarbon supply chain and reaching new consumers through digital marketing.

This is just sticking to the example of a petroleum company; it can fit any business to improve performance, reliability, save costs, and work to maximum efficiency.

How IOT can change how downstream view suppliers

The system can provide retailers of all the suppliers available, an accurate reading of delivery, who’s got the best value stock and to check their reliability.

This will cause much heavier competition between the suppliers, as areas where they lacked before, will need more attention because of higher visibility to clients.

In Summary

Looking at why and how IOT can help a downstream fast supply chain system, we can see the countless benefits it can do to improve a business – and it doesn’t stop there because it’s only still the beginning with this new technology.

When we do reach the year 2020 (when the IOT industry is expected to expand in value by $3), the technology available will ultimately change how the business landscape works altogether.

Keywords:

IOT, supply chain system, the internet of things, upstream supply chain system, downstream supply chain system, How does IOT help with the downstream supply system? How IOT can change how downstream view suppliers, hydrocarbon supply chain, improve business performance

Industry 4.0 Series: Inside the factory (Content Strategi – SEO)

Industry 4.0 means that the number of network-connected sensors and devices could more than double or perhaps triple to 23 billion by 2021. This type of mass explosion of the Internet of Things forms a technology that includes the capability of advanced analytics which helps the business decision makers make better decisions involving the changing vision of the business space. The current usage with the anticipated future usage promises to change the face of manufacturing forever.

U.S. Manufacturers

In the United States alone more than one-third of the participating manufacturing companies use IoT processes. Based on research done by the IndustryWeek research team (www.ge.com/digital/sites/default/files/industrial-internet-insights-report.pdf), more than half of the U.S. manufacturers use IoT to collect machine data and a significantly smaller percentage of 44{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} collect data from sensors embedded in their products. They use the sensors as a critical component in their management research and consumer research as it proves to be a reliable and widespread indicator of consumerism. More and more industries and management are ready to include IoT into their processes for data collection and product usage.

Network Security

Many of the U. S. Manufacturers using the IoT manufacturing data collection processes report that there are still issues that need to be resolved in the data collection processes of using the Internet of Things as their only data collection efforts. One of the issues is the network security and data collection capabilities. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/industrial-products/next-manufacturing/big-data-driven-manufacturing.html. The concern for security management is at the heart of most of the objections to using the IoT, but those are finding out that networks are sophisticated to handle the data collection that is embedded in products that the concern is lessening.

Concern for Security

A concern still exists for the internal network of a manufacturing company being able to scale up to handle the increased requirements for them. Many management companies are monitoring current usage and depend on Network Solutions Company to help them scale to unbelievable levels to handle the IoT requirements. Current IoT has built in capabilities to monitor the working systems and gauge as usage becomes abnormal or needs improvement. Some improvements to the system include development equipment time, using the data to open new markets and measure machine performance and of course quality control of products to ensure the best quality.

Analytics

Using IoT American manufacturers are forced to become more analytical in their critical management decisions. For example, the IoT requires constant monitoring of network usage. This requires increased training for current staff and the employment of the directorate staff that are versed in network processes. The ability to overrun the competition is, of course, the end run of the business, but it is important that the IoT companies use the analytics that is generated to the most productive advantage of the enterprise.

Human Resources

Collaboration in many departments that historically did not interact becomes increasingly important in IoT management and manufacturing. Human Resources now form an integral part of the management team in addition to the keeper of benefits. Having the appropriate personnel to handle and understand the analytics is imperative to the growth of the company.

Keywords: IoT, Manufacturing, Collaboration, Management

Why the Construction Industry Must Align with the Current Mobile Digital Revolution (Content Strategi)

Mobile digitisation is growing at an exponential pace making application development and deployment more convenient than ever. To remain competitive, the construction industry must align with ongoing trends and embrace the mobile digitisation revolution on an organisation-wide basis.

The Nature of Mobile Digitisation in the Construction Industry

As per the Roland Berger study, an increase in the productivity of the construction sector is desirable, since there was only a 4{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} improvement during the past ten years, implying that these companies were far from being competitive. Even with the widespread availability of sophisticated mobile applications, only 3{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} construction industry players realise that digitisation is important.

Digitisation can affect companies regarding improving access to stakeholders including customers and suppliers, ensuring optimal data usage, enhancing automation, and promoting better connectivity.

Digital applications create endless possibilities regarding saving costs, focusing on logistics, optimising the supply chain, and making economical storage possible.

Contributions by Next-Gen Visual Builders

Contemporary visual builders for mobile applications enable a wide range of capabilities regarding front-end features, back-end capability, data processing ability and workflow management aspects. Construction industry players can instantly take advantage of drag and drop UI editing features, with full support for modules, optimal navigation structuring, customisable properties, single-click publish, and testing on real devices. Visual business data binding with embedded maps and graphs from multiple data sources, support for complex logic and workflows and convenient app distribution empower construction businesses.

A Note about Democratising App Creation

Democratising the mobile development process is desirable since it enables employee empowerment across the organisation for true business transformation and innovation. Mobile apps which are in line with the expectations of users regarding simplicity and create code automation environments which make it possible to achieve ideas.

Democratisation makes it possible to transform a vision into a running app for iPhone or Android, which can be designed instantly, and although not production-ready, is available on the app store, and can be a magnet for stakeholders and investors.

The Future – Bimodal IT regarding Gartner’s Vision

Gartner proposes a combination of traditional and modern IT practices in the realm of enterprise IT, which it calls Bimodal IT. As per Gartner proposal, future IT organisations will operate through two flavours, one based on the traditional IT approach for efficiency and stability, and the other based on an agile, experimental organisation, for least time-to-market and rapid evolution in a tightly aligned business space.

Bimodal IT can accelerate delivery of business apps. The characteristics of the two modes are designed to support different types of business projects targeted towards different business goals, from disruptive innovation to stability and maintenance. These different modes are available to cater to the differing needs of projects regarding requirements for business involvement, the requirement for frequency of updates, and faster turnaround times.

Two separate delivery methods which are in coherence with each other enable the advantages of predictability on one end of the spectrum, and exploratory approach on the other end. Simply put, there is a plethora of technological expertise available, and the present market is tuned to offer digitisation at its best to the construction sector. Construction businesses following a combination of traditional and modern business models are in the best place to decide the practices in mobile digitisation that will suit them best and take them to the next level.

References

https://dzone.com/articles/app-development-should-be-democratized

Assembly: The Art of Play & the Democratization of Design

The democratization of app building has created a new paradigm

http://www.cio.com/article/2875803/cio-role/what-gartner-s-bimodal-it-model-means-to-enterprise-cios.html

What does bimodal IT mean?

Bimodal IT and Remodeling Traditional IT for Greater Agility

http://e.huawei.com/us/publications/global/ict_insights/201701051027/analyst-corner/201701060859

Advanced Technology Migration, Development and Maintenance Services for “Open Solutions” (Rank Princess)

Comprehensive Deployment and Ongoing Services via DOT NET, Oracle and SQL Server Platforms – A Journey of Cohesion, Scalability and Security for Banking Technology Provider “Open Solutions”

Geographically Distributed Reach and Broad Domain Expertise of Open Solutions

As a Banking Technology provider in the global domain, spread across geographies and catering to a wide customer base, Open Solutions carries a very broad portfolio of products and services. Their suite of myriad solutions is designed to enable technology to minimise workload and maximise efficiency for Banks, Credit Unions and service providers of Financial Services. Open Solutions primarily automates Core Banking and General Ledger Activities for its clients, in addition to Customer Relationship Management.

Open Solutions’ Unique Market Position in the Banking Sector

Open Solutions has gained broad market acceptance based on its ability to deliver fast paced customer centric solutions, which are user-friendly and reliable.

Clients depend on Open Solutions primarily due to the integrity and dependability of the underlying technology support system.
Open Solutions is constantly looking for ways to modernise its technology architecture that can cater to bulky, time intensive calculations. The speed and accuracy of the solution are paramount to remain competitive in the Banking market.
Due to the nature of the domain that Open Solutions operates in, a secure system is a top priority for every client associated with Open Solutions. As a result, all systems deployed by Open Solutions are built on a rigorously tested and impenetrable security layer.

To provide the best of breed applications to its clients, Open Solutions is continually looking for interoperable and scalable technology solutions with the aim of maximising their customer satisfaction.

Core Challenges Faced by Legacy Technology Architecture of Open Solutions

Open Solutions, in their endeavour to expand business operations underwent a number of acquisitions of companies in the similar domain. Evidently, this led to the integration of a number of products that were built on multiple technology platforms.

Low Efficiency and Speed – Overtime, the overall efficiency and speed was compromised due to the presence of multiple software platforms that were unable to perform smooth handovers.
High Costs – Even when higher costs were incurred, the legacy system failed to provide expected results.
Issues During Customisation – Customisation of existing products was difficult since some of the modules were hardwired into the code. Besides, it was time-consuming and sometimes led to a loss of integrity.
Scalability Concerns – Scalability was a major issue and support for localisation and internationalisation was becoming increasingly difficult.

When Open Solutions found themselves overwhelmed with the demands of multiple technology platforms that had to operate together to accomplish common tasks, they approached R Solutions for a planned software architecture.

Initial Need Assessment by Open Solutions

As part of the future roadmap and planning process, Open Solutions needed to accomplish the following shared goals:

The single technology platform for all products and services for smooth and seamless interoperability between application systems.
A secure and multi-channel architecture that would cater to cross-domain requirements, now and in future at a fraction of current costs.
A scalable system that is built with ease of enhancement and customisation of existing products and services.
A thorough analysis of the functionality offered by current suite of products and services and its comparison against industry standards to enhance existing functionality for customer delight.
A mechanism to ensure that client activities of over 300 banks and credit Unions across North America go unhindered during the transition. The need for a no impact migration process from the existing to the new software platform was identified as a critical objective.

While Open Solutions identified the need for a new software architecture, their underlying goals would be accomplished only after a thorough assessment and detailed re-design of the current system.

The legacy system at Open Solutions used three different platform architectures for their Core Banking, General Ledger and Customer Relations Management systems. The use of COBOL, Java, DB2, VB, Oracle, Centura and SQR produced a setback in major critical tasks performed by Open Solutions, compromising efficiency and effectiveness of software performance.

Proposed Requirements, Design and Planning by R Systems

R Systems put forward a detailed proposal entailing comprehensive Analysis, Design, Development, Testing, Maintenance and Support to meet future functional and technological goals of Open Solutions.

On the functional side, R Systems identified the need for a single interface for authentication and authorization of three different system user profiles. Seamless integration of all modules and advanced reporting was at the core of the proposal.

On the technology front, the goal of R Systems was to identify and implement the best approach through which all software systems would interoperate seamlessly. In this context, the final architecture would envisage the use of DOT NET architecture, backed by Oracle and DB2 through SQL Server and its reporting services.

During the initial Requirements Gathering phase, R Systems performed an in-depth analysis of current system architecture and products. During this phase, R Systems identified design areas that needed refurbishment.
The rather recursive and vigorous Development Phase focused on the production of a common architecture and authentication mechanism across products, the design of reusable components (DOT NET controls) and required Reporting capabilities in accordance with intended Regulations and Customizations. In the end, a no-impact migration procedure was carried out for the Database and Middle Layer
During the thorough Testing Phase, R Systems imbibed Functional, System, Integration, Regression, Performance and Load testing alongside Release Management according to industry standards.
R Systems is currently engaged in ongoing Support and Maintenance activities on the entire platform architecture devised for Open Solutions. R Systems provides regular defect analysis, timely hotfixes and system updates, and onsite as well as offshore implementation support when required.

The R Edge for Guaranteed Cohesion, Scalability and Security of the Proposed Solution

R Systems offered a competitive and cohesive unified platform architecture to Open Solutions by providing a Robust, Scalable, Interoperable and Secure Software Design.

R Systems enabled the competitive edge for Open Solutions across software development phases:

The Development Phase

During the design and development phases, R Systems focused on maximising customer satisfaction. This was achieved by ensuring that the software adhered closely to the requirements of Banks, Credit Unions, Thrifts and Financial Service providers catered to by Open Solutions.
Ever since the idea of a new system was conceived by R Systems, their goals revolved around providing an interoperable, distributed system. This objective was met through an interoperable, Distributed Accounting system. Besides, integration with third party systems including TEFBV, DOMI and SPEI was implemented
Extended functionality was always part of the planning process. As a result, key features of the new system included CECOBAN Clearing Processing, Regulatory Reporting, Interest Rebate processing, Bill Payment Processing and Bar Code support. Further, the system supported Reward program for Savings account holders, comprehensive Loan and Interest features including Debt Restructuring, detailed Taxation and reporting, VAT accounting and Inflation accounting to site a few.
Among other added conveniences were support for Thai calendar and User interface design in the local language.

The Migration Phase

The major activities undertaken by R Systems during migration were the deployment of a unified DOT NET framework to successfully eliminate all fragmented activities from the existing legacy system. The major work undertaken was for supporting a Distributed Accounting system and eliminating redundant functionality through the use of reusable components.
R Systems implemented a Single Sign-On feature as part of its interoperability core goals, including authentication and authorisation of system users and accomplishment of common functions including creation and maintenance of Customers, Members, and Accounts as primary entities of the distributed system.
Among important efficiencies introduced as part of the transition were ease of navigation throughout the application, increased usability and user friendliness, and easy plug and play and integration with third party applications.

The Support and Maintenance Phase

R Systems efficiently aligns the issues reported by Open Solutions along three different pre-determined strands for optimal resolution in minimum time frame. R Systems internally classifies these strands as Application Code issues, Operational Issues and Non-Issues.
Operational and Non-Issues are resolved by guiding the client to several Business processes.
To deal with critical issues that need immediate attention, R Systems supports Open Solutions thorough Hotfixes for the fastest possible resolution.
R Systems deploys the best minds as part of its support team to resolve all maintenance and support tasks via an Onsite – Offshore model.

The R Experience and How it Can Serve YOU Better in Your Projects

R Systems deployed one of the best platform architectures in banking domain for Open Solutions. This proved superior and highly competitive as compared with most other counterparts available in the market today:

Close Attention to Present Needs: The software solution was designed with close alignment to the needs of Core Banking, CRM and General Ledger requirements, which were critical to Open Solutions
Unmatched Software Architecture: DOT NET Platform over Oracle/DB2 and SQL Server reporting was the best choice of architecture for Open Solutions and their needs for an interoperable, distributed, reusable and scalable solution were met thoroughly and meticulously.
Cost Reduction and Efficiency Maximisation: Due to the nature of the software architecture, elimination of redundant activities, reusable functions and user acceptance came naturally with the deployment and migration to the new system. As a result, the new system was up and running at only a fraction of the current costs and performed the tasks with higher efficiency and greater throughput.
Successful Implementation of Major Enhancements: The new system proposed by R Systems carried many more features that were not part of the legacy system. The new interoperable system not only implemented desired functionality but also enabled scalability and easy plug and play to cater to any future requirements.
Thorough Support and Maintenance Function: The support and maintenance tasks undertaken by R Systems were critical towards satisfying the needs of Open Solutions. Thorough internal planning and classification of critical and non-critical issues through professional expertise was ideally deployed through an onsite-offshore model.

R Systems has a culture of innovative, transformational solutions that meet challenging expectation on time, and on target for mission critical application systems. Using a customer-centric approach, R Systems achieved high efficiency at reduced costs and seamless integration and scalability for Open Solutions’ architecture targeted at the Banking and Financial domain.

Dandruff V/S Dry Scalp: Differences and the Best Treatments (Rank Princess – SEO)

It is very easy to confuse dandruff with a dry scalp because they are flaky and are found in the scalp area. Dandruff flakes are caused by excess oil in the scalp. When there is excess oil on the scalp, yeast forms on the scalp.

This yeast feeds on the oil and keeps growing, and thus, dandruff is formed. In dry scalp condition, when yeast feeds on the oil that is produced by the scalp, the scalp dries up. This causes the skin of the scalp to clamp and flake off. For this reason, people assume dandruff and dry scalp to be same.

How to Identify Dandruff from Dry Scalp

If your scalp seems yellowish white in colour, it is dandruff. Dandruff has larger and off-whitish flakes while dry scalp has flakes which are white and smaller. Dandruff Flakes are more difficult to remove from your scalp.

An easy way to identify dandruff from the dry scalp is to scratch your scalp and smell your fingers. If there is a certain smell, then that is the smell of dandruff.

Treatment for Dandruff

Vinegar- Every time you wash your hair, mix two drops of vinegar with water. Not only will it remove dandruff, but also make your hair shinier.
Keep Your Hair Clean- Wash your hair at least twice a week with anti-dandruff shampoo. However, do not overdo it as it may lead to hair damage and friskiness.
Lemon and Coconut Oil- A perfect remedy from grandma’s kitchen, the anti-bacterial properties of lemon are a sure treatment for dandruff. Just mix a few drops of lemon juice with coconut oil and let it seep through your hair. You will notice a visible reduction in dandruff in just one wash.

Treatment for Dry Scalp

The causes of the dry scalp are not as complicated as dandruff, and hence, the treatment is not as complicated either. Here are a few simple tips you can follow:

Let Your Scalp Breathe – To improve your dry scalp condition, you have to give your scalp a chance to breathe. Avoid using hair products that clog your pores. Leave-in conditioners, oils, etc. may have their advantages, but they don’t give your scalp a chance to breathe. It is better to stay away from them at least until the time your condition improves.
Use the right hair products – Using hair products according to your hair type is very important. Use hair products that give your hair the chance to adjust to the temperature of your surroundings. Use a moisturising hair shampoo, Avoid using dry shampoos as they tend to escalate the dry scalp condition.
Avoid scratching your scalp – Dry scalp causes a lot of itching, but you may want to resist the temptation of scratching. Scratching causes your scalp to flake. This not only shows on your clothes but also cause wounds on the scalp. These wounds will take a while to heal and worsen your dry scalp condition.
Drink Water-Always keep your body and scalp hydrated. Drinking water will help the blood circulation in your scalp, improving your scalp health.

LSI: Dandruff, Dry Scalp, Treatment for Dandruff, treatment for dry scalp

Author: gaia