Can I Have One Common Code Set that Runs Across Various Devices for My Mobile Apps?

Last week, Tim Cook unveiled the latest iPhones – the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C – to reporters at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California. While the iPhone 5C will be Apple's first plastic phone, making it more affordable for those who want an iPhone on a budget, the iPhone 5S will include fingerprint recognition software, a dual LED camera lens and a 64-bit A7 processor. This is a far cry from 2007 when Steve Jobs was explaining what the original iPhone was to reporters at MacWorld. In fact, Cook remarked that over 700 million iOS devices have been sold since 2006.

However, Apple is not the only name in town when it comes to mobile devices. In fact, it's not even the biggest name – that would belong to Google. There are many different types of devices that use the Android operating system and the total amount of those devices combined far surpasses iPhones, iPods and iPads. And let's not forget about Windows. Although much smaller than the other two, Windows has seen 133% yearly growth and has over 3% of the total market share. Because of the divided market and various devices out there, businesses have a dilemma on their hands when it comes to app development.

There's no question that a business can hire third party developers to create apps in a native environment for each type of device and operating system, but this would be very expensive and difficult to update and maintain. Rather, many businesses are looking for a way to have one common code set that can be across a wide variety of devices for smart app development and maintenance. They have found their solution through the IBM Worklight platform. Here are several ways customers can benefit from this mobile application platform.

• Savings in Development: Worklight enables developers to use and reuse most of the coding for every platform. In addition, only one project is created rather than a single project for each specific platform.
  
• Savings in Integration: Rather than hire a third party developer to develop and integrate software, must of the work is done internally when using Worklight. This creates savings now and in the future for the development and integration of apps down the line. As with development, integration can be done in a single project to simplify the process.
  
• Savings in App Maintenance: Once you develop and implement a mobile app, you're not completely done with it. Correcting bugs, upgrading content and adding functions are just of the many things included in app maintenance. By using the IBM Worklight platform, you save greatly over having to perform these tasks for every single project in a native environment.

For more information on the IBM Worklight platform, contact an iSOA representative today. We specialize in systems integration consulting and can help you determine if the IBM Worklight is right for you.

How Can Businesses Stay One Step Ahead of Hackers?

For those out there who think that e-commerce is the future of retail, you’re slightly right, but many would argue that e-commerce is dominating the present as well. In 2012, shoppers in the US spent $226 billion on goods in online stores. That number was up $24 billion from the year before. By 2016, Forrester Research Inc., a global research advisory firm, estimates that online sales will go up to $327 billion. This number will account for nine percent of all sales. While this is great news for online retailers, it also creates some headaches for them in regard to data security.

Earlier this past summer, five men were charged with the largest cybercrime case of all time. It’s estimated that they were responsible for more than $300 billion lost for various companies and organizations, including J.C. Penny, Visa, JetBlue, Carrefour SA, and Nasdaq. According to the indictment, the five men would steal credit card numbers through hacking into the various networks and hide their actions through anonymous web sources. Although two of the five men are behind bars, there are a number of hackers behind them ready to jump in their place.

You’ll need an answer to withstand their efforts.  An IT consulting firm can help you find the best security solution for your particular business, but how do you choose?
You’ll need an IT consulting firm who has

• A proven history of implementing integrated software solutions
• Partnerships with IBM and other top technology providers
• Certified professionals who are experienced in a wide variety of industries

We are iSOA Group, and we’re an IT consulting firm who can help secure and integrate your business environment for online sales.  We will help your business stay on top of security on your web and mobile services through IBM DataPower SOA Appliances. As an IBM Premier Partner, our certified professionals have complete knowledge of DataPower and can tailor a solution that is unique to your needs.

For more information on what we may be able to do for your e-commerce strategy, please be sure to check out this Case Study on our work securing online transactions for a large specialty store looking to expand their online revenue. With the right partner and solution, your business can fully benefit from the expanding e-commerce market without the security threats that can accompany it. Contact us today to get started.