Friday, July 31, 2009

Advent and Relevance of Custom Software Development in India and Other Asian Countries

The concept of custom software development has redefined the trends existing in the IT industry. With the transformation of the business world and its inclination towards new concepts and technological tools, many firms are trying to bank on the benefits of custom software development. Today, the IT world is changing with respect to innovations and inventions which are pouring out at a frantic pace. Software development from offshore service providers have resulted in savings of billions of dollars, especially in the western world. Now all companies, big or small are inclined to opt for offshore software consulting services and try to avail its large benefits and services.

Taking the present IT scenario at a glance, the importance of customized software cannot be slackened. In the race for software outsourcing services, custom software development services deserve a top priority to maintain an edge over competitors. The development process does not only save money for clients worldwide but reduces the time period too.

Here is where custom software development plays an important role. As competition between companies is increasing day by day, offshore software development centres seek to capitalize on their manpower and economy to promote cheap services in the IT field. It has been proved time and again that offshore development centres in India, China, and Phillipines have been instrumental in the profitability of many western markets within US and UK. Reports suggest that companies tend to save at least 75% of the costs through outsourcing software services to the eastern countries.

Additionally, every firm is searching for custom software development services in India for its cost-effectiveness, high quality software solutions, and a financially cheap workforce which can perform and is result-oriented. The offshore partners also invariably use cutting-edge technologies for providing state-of-the-art services tailored towards a firm’s business needs. Another benefit of custom software creation and development is that companies need not buy generic office software and then adjust according to the software’s features.

It is advisable to find a software developer who has expertise in relevant field and can easily comprehend the nature of your business along with your needs. Also look in to the benefits what the developer will offer other than its monetary benefits like the time required for development, the maintenance work which will go on after the software is made. In addition to this, it is essential to confirm whether the company is well-versed in multi-platform project management.

It is very important for business owners to state their requirements succinctly and to define the different fields of responsibility, so that developers have clarity on the project and can estimate the staff-hours which will be required for the task. Also, both the client and the provider should be well aware of the terms and conditions which are put forth before the awarding of the project. Custom software development is a lucrative option if used wisely enough.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Database Archiving Solutions Help to Meet Data Retention Compliance Standards Efficiently

Large enterprises today are neck-deep with information flooded from all directions in their respective storage mediums. Unused data is continually eating up resources, and gobbling up the organization’s profits. Megabytes gave way to gigabytes, gigabytes have acceded to terabytes, and in the near future, terabytes is sure to escalate to petabytes. The data is growing relentlessly with organizations waking up to the reality of data explosion. The latest data retention clauses for pharmaceutical companies are at least 20 years while nuclear facilities will have to hoard data for 50 years. Database archiving helps in reducing costs, retaining data, and also aids in complying with regulation procedures.

The latest compliance measures cited by the government have made it mandatory for all organizations to retain much of their company data for inspection. These regulations were mostly proposed and enacted by the government in the light of several recent corporate accounting scandals. These laws state the procedures and rules to be implemented by various organizations for handling their business-critical data. The US government actually wants the companies to handle their corporate information in the best way possible. Out of all the regulations, the most critical and important happens to be periods specified for data retention compliance.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, HIPAA and BASEL II are some of the laws and regulations related to data retention. It has been estimated that there are over 150 federal and state laws which elaborate extensively on the subject of data retention in the US. Today, the retention period is basically determined by the government itself. The data retention period which ranged from five to seven years are now crossing the barriers of 20 to 70 years.

In the face of exploding data filling up servers in the world over, information lifecycle management has become complicated to be implemented efficiently. Database archiving helps in managing data effectively; releasing data is rarely used or redundant to other cost-effective storage mediums. Data retention compliance issues are also resolved through such an approach.

Database Archiving is a widely-used process of plucking out selected records from operational databases which are not to be used quite often. The archived data is then stored in a non-erasable format like XML files where they can be searched and retrieved if needed.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Software Testing Services: In Aid of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing and offshore software testing services surely have a great connect. Right from the start, it has been difficult for assessing the feasibility of cloud computing solution and its usage within the business’ context. Business requirements have always been the key drivers to the success of the solution. It has also been seen that today businesses are not wary of offshore software testing and outsourcing their non-core services and get testing solutions. Most companies undergo the process of several linear workshops to get hold of what the business actually requires. This ultimately will save time and money in the SDLC (Software development lifecycle) by removing potential flaws in the initialization and planning phase.

Cloud computing solutions are said to be scalable on demand. Businesses verify whether they can handle the workload of the proposed project by load or stress testing. These types of offshore software testing services can prove that the developed solution is scaleable according to the requirements. By applying techniques which can ascertain the load, the estimates can be given efficiently.

Most performance testing techniques measure and verify systems performance accurately. Using both performance testing and load testing in consonance, the user allows an accurate image of the solutions ability over the cloud to be created. Security testing helps in providing assurance that critical data related to a business is stored and delivered safely. Offshore software testing methods like penetration testing help in proving that the mechanism that are developed to maintain security will remain intact.

It is important to note that before consideration of any deployment it is extremely necessary to prove that all the system functions are according to the proposed design, and that the components will perform together in tandem, and the overall results of both inputs and outputs are satisfactory.

Other offshore software testing techniques like integration testing help the business in the verification of the compatibility of the cloud solution with the current infrastructure and test environments. This step is to prove that any cloud solution does not detrimentally impact any existing systems.

In the end, all the business requirements are verified and validated to effectively prove that computing cloud surely meets up with the documented needs of the business. This will be further seconded with the use of User Acceptance Testing. In terms of versatility through offshore software testing process, the location independence of cloud computing scores full marks. Much infrastructure needs get lessened by the benefits of offshore software testing as well as onsite base, and they are well documented and present as an instant option for testing cloud computing solutions.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Saving on Costs with Custom Software Development and Offshore Outsourcing Services

Most custom software development companies prefer outsourcing their non-core services without realizing as to why they are doing it. Many are following suit of the companies in the market and hearing stories of how they are saving on money big time. Every body is trying to find an offshore partner just because their rivals are interested. Is that it? Absolutely not!

The reality is that developing software in the western world is an expensive proposition. It is common enough for companies there to charge $75-$100 on an hourly basis. To be realistic enough, are there many businesses which can afford it? Obviously, not many can. Hiring full-time staff which are diligent, hard-working, talented, and those who fit the bill too is quite something to ask for. Hardware and software costs combined with the taxes, emoluments, infrastructure bills, they add up pretty fast. Custom software development offers a way out.

But what is obligatory is sound software assistance and that is what every company needs in spite of the nature of its core services. Maybe the financial software is not working or requires updating, or a manufacturer needs a new software application to manage the inventory and reduce costs. There is immense need for software developers, but they should not be too heavy on the pocket either.

Nowadays, industries and companies of various sectors choose to outsource their projects to offshore companies. Yes, this approach does have its share of pitfalls. For instance, there is no direct way of knowing whether intellectual property rights and confidential information will be protected or not. Also it is difficult to know whether the assigned project was completed according to recognized coding standards. In the event of a dispute, it is very difficult for the client to take action in a foreign country. Custom software development and offshore software outsourcing of projects does become tedious and heavy-handed here.

Though custom software development has its own share of minuses, if one finds out the right software provider for their needs, the chances of making a neat profit are round the corner. The development process starts with understanding of business requirements, creation of records, primary software execution plan, followed by the software development lifecycle processes (SDLC) at various stages of the project.

It is advisable to find a software developer who has expertise in relevant field and can easily comprehend the nature of your business along with your needs. Also look in to the benefits what the developer will offer other than its monetary benefits like the time required for development, the maintenance work which will go on after the software is made. In addition to this, it is essential to confirm whether the company is well-versed in multi-platform project management. Finding the right custom software development company while picking up an offshore outsourcing partner is crucial for the client company to achieve its goals and concentrate on its core service areas.