Technology trust is a good thing. Traditional approaches focused on establishing a strong perimeter to keep the bad guys out are no longer enough. In today’s digital world, Zero Trust Security is an approach that is essential for every business that has an online presence. Zero trust is a holistic and strategic approach to security that verifies every person and device that is granted access and confirms who and what they say they are. This blog explains why there is an increasing need for app security and 7 reasons why businesses need the Zero Trust Security paradigm.

Is There an Increased Need for App Security?

Cloud environments host business-critical applications and data, making them vulnerable to attack by hackers who would like to steal, destroy, or hold hostage sensitive data for personal gain. Though the security strategy is not perfect, Zero Trust reduces the attack surface and limits the impact and severity of the attack.
Functionalities in an application increase its vulnerability to an attack and the frequency of the attacks also increases. Identifying vulnerabilities and security threats early on can save a lot of time and money for businesses. App security lowers the number of vulnerabilities, increases efficiency, and improves the speed of detection and time-to-fix.
Watch now: How InfinCE – an infinite cloud platform, is empowering industries with secured next-gen cloud technology!

7 Reasons Why Businesses Need Zero Trust Security

Zero Trust limits the scope of damage if credentials are compromised, or if the firewall is breached. This paradigm secures remote work better than conventional methods. It improves productivity and organizational agility. Here are additional reasons to consider:

1. Increased Cyberattacks

When organizations rely on a single sign-on (SS)) verification method, ensuring people are who they say are may become difficult and risky. To avoid this security gap, SSO should be balanced with other technologies like Multi-factor Authentication (MFA).
In the last few years, MFA has become easier and smarter. While SSO and MFA together create a tight web of security around an organization, they fail to provide a smooth end-user experience.
That is where Zero Trust Security comes in. Zero Trust is based on the assumption that “nothing” and “nobody” are to be trusted.  Using AI and ML in Zero Trust models, organizations can start to learn the normal behavior of their employees. These enable organizations to detect any deviation from their regular pattern and block an employee’s access until he is being verified.

2. Cybersecurity Workforce Outpace Supply

The success of Zero Trust depends on continual monitoring and analytics. When you use automation to evaluate access requests you can judge those requests based on the key identifiers and then automatically grant access. The IT department need not be involved in approving each access request, but look into it only when the automated system flags requests as suspicious.
How can this be of significant benefit? According to Cybersecurity Workforce Study, 2021, 60% of the participants reported that the shortage of cybersecurity staffing is placing their organization at risk. Despite the influx of 70,000 professionals into the cybersecurity workforce, global demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to outpace supply. So, if you can safely automate, you can reduce human resources, and your existing team can devote their time to innovation and improvement.

3. Heightened Security Measure Require More Security Teams

The Zero Trust optimizes your existing security team because it uses a centralized monitoring system. With it, your team can easily generate reliable data and gain insights. As a result, you can maintain a more secure environment even with reduced security staff.

4. Cloud Environment Require Shared Cybersecurity Responsibility

Businesses are moving their critical applications and workloads to the public or hybrid cloud. Given that, cybersecurity leaders must reconsider the security measures they have in place. The cloud environment requires a shared responsibility model. In the Zero Trust model, certain security aspects are provided by the cloud vendor, and others are cared for by the enterprise.
Read more: Why Is Cloud Security Important What Are The Best Practices to Ensure Cloud Security
cloud security

5. Network Is No Longer a Secured Enterprise Network

Work From Home has necessitated intense use of the cloud. This means the internet network is no more secure. The conventional security measures and visibility solutions are no longer practical or robust enough.  Zero Trust rests on the foundation of the “always-verify” principle. It offers complete visibility both in data centers and the cloud.

6. Everyone Need Not Have Elevated Security Privileges

In this digital-first age, users who access an enterprises’ applications and infrastructure are not just employees or customers. Vendors who are servicing a system, suppliers, or partners could also be accessing privileged data.
None of these non-employees need such access. What more, not all employees need access to every application, infrastructure, or business data. A well-executed Zero Trust strategy enables businesses to precisely control access based on key dimensions of trust.

7. Work From Home Increases Security Risks

In the post-pandemic era, Work From Home (WFH) has become the new normal. Location-based security technologies like the company’s headquarters are no longer relevant. Unsecured wi-fi networks and devices increase security risks. Assuming that their employee’s WFH setups and environments are not as secure as the office, businesses must depend on the overreaching system like a Zero Trust framework.
Work devices are traditionally managed, patched, and kept up-to-date with security tools and policies, not so with BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices). Some employees may forget basic cyber hygiene skills. The Zero Trust Security can control the potential for a security breach as it enforces access controls at every point within the network.
Watch now: Shifting to a remote work environment? Learn why InfinCE makes the best remote work companion!

Adopt Zero Trust Security 

Zero Trust Security paradigm ensures each request undergoes evaluation based on micro-segmentation of user types, location, and other identifying parameters. Only after such intense scrutiny does it determine when to trust, what to grant access to, and how long that access should be enabled.
Zero Trust Security returns immediate gains through risk reduction and security control. But there is more. It improves visibility, increases productivity, makes better use of your IT resources, and facilities compliance. In a nutshell, Zero Trust Security helps your organization build strength and resilience.
Decision-makers and security leaders of an enterprise should consider leveraging robust layers of defense through the Zero Trust model. Zero Trust Security tightens controls over access to information through network perimeters and the implementation of strict authentication measures.
Security experts at Fingent are working with the Zero Trust model and have honed their skills in providing bulletproof security for our clients’ systems and networks. Give us a call and see how we can help you.

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    About the Author

    ...
    Sreejith

    I have been programming since 2000, and professionally since 2007. I currently lead the Open Source team at Fingent as we work on different technology stacks, ranging from the "boring"(read tried and trusted) to the bleeding edge. I like building, tinkering with and breaking things, not necessarily in that order.

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      “The human language, as precise as it is with its thousands of words, can still be so wonderfully vague.” – Garth Stein, American author.
      Human language is unique and complex. Encoding human language is considered a difficult task. For starters, you can arrange words in infinite ways to form a sentence. Also, each word can have several meanings. Training machines to communicate as humans do is a gigantic task. In recent years, Natural Language Processing (NLP) enabled computers to understand human language and respond sensibly. It is the intersection of computer science, linguistics, and machine learning.
      NLP is the driving force behind technologies, like virtual assistants, speech recognition, machine translation, and much more. This blog discusses the importance and top benefits of NLP. It will also explain how businesses can foster the power of NLP.

      Importance of NLP

      Machine translation is the most widely used NLP application. NLP methods enable the machines to understand the significance of sentences, thus improving the effectiveness of machine translation.
      NLP is important for businesses as it can detect and process massive volumes of data across the digital world, including social media platforms, online reviews, and others. Also, NLP technology is able to offer businesses valuable insights into brand performance. It can also detect any persisting issues and take necessary risk mitigation measures to improve performance.
      NLP can achieve all of this by training machines to understand human language faster, more accurately, and in a reliable way. Because NLP can monitor and process data consistently, brands can remain updated with their online presence.
      NLP is a valuable asset for sentiment analysis as it helps businesses recognize the sentiment of their customers from different online posts and comments.

      Top Benefits of NLP and How Businesses Can Foster the Power Of NLP

      1. 24/7 Go-To Customer Support

      AI-based chatbots use NLP to help customers get immediate answers to any query 24/7. What if the queries focus on the same themes? Chatbots can play the role of a customer service executive by using predefined answers. They can even provide specific support like booking a service or finding a product. Thanks to NLP techniques that analyze specific words, chatbots can now detect a user’s intention.
      We live in an era where a person looks for an immediate answer to his question. If not, he switches to a competitor. Chatbots are the perfect solution! They can even convert prospects into a customer by providing ultra-attentive service.
      Read more: 5 Leading NLP Platforms that Support Chatbot Development
      NLP Platforms

      2. Save Resources

      A business is successful when it begins making a profit. It was predicted that NLP-powered chatbots will save businesses over $8 billion per year. It can free up employee time, allowing them to focus on the creative tasks that engage customers and boost your bottom line. What’s more, NLP-based software can be improved automatically, often without investment.

      3. Moderate Content on Websites

      Businesses can use NLP technology to enforce spam filters and block unwanted content on websites and in email. It enables you to maintain your forum’s quality while avoiding unsolicited advertising, controversies, or backlinks to malicious sites.
      Furthermore, the NLP model can even detect hate speech. How is that possible? Advanced NLP models can learn to read the context of a sentence and classify it into the appropriate group. By using the appropriate token, the NLP model can read a user’s emotions. This unique technology allows you to tailor the solution to a specific audience or place, as the language may differ from place to place.

      4. Boosts Conversion Rate

      Converting site visitors to customers is the key for businesses and NLP solutions are experts in conversion optimization. Along with the chatbots, features like auto-complete text and more advanced search functionality aid in conversion optimization.

      5. Enhances End-User Experience

      As you may have already noticed from the above points, NLP technology improves the end-user experience. The growth of your business depends on your users having positive experiences throughout their customer journey. And all these factors have an impact on whether they will talk to others about your products or services.

      6. Empower Your Employees 

      NLP solutions are AI-based. So, NLP software can handle the most time-consuming, routine tasks like answering repetitive questions, scanning documents for keywords and filtering them, spell checks, and many more. When these tasks are automated, you will see employee satisfaction shoot up, job engagement improve.

      7. Search Engine Optimization

      Every business wants to rank high. NLP solutions can analyze search queries to identify and suggest related keywords. Doing so saves time spent on research, and you will be able to better target customers and create more focused campaigns. As a result, your company will become more visible.

      How NLP Is Transforming The Future 

      NLP regulations are advancing speedily like never before. Experiments are conducted to help the bots remember details associated with an individual discussion. We are likely to reach the developing level shortly. Though NLP technology is far from perfect, it is definitely getting harder to tell whether we are talking to a human or a machine.
      We are living in an era where machines can communicate with humans. Hence, NLP utilization possibilities are endless. Businesses are expected to reap are staggering future benefits. NLP market size is anticipated to reach 35.1 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 20.3% during the forecast period. As seen above, NLP improves the quality of life by a significant margin. As the world revolves around automation, we can expect NLP to affect more and more aspects of our lives.
      Read more: Using Technology to Build Customer Trust: Your Business Plan for 2022!

      How Can Fingent Help Deploy NLP?

      As businesses increasingly talk to their customers in their own language, the demand for NLP modules is steeply rising. In a world filled with time-pressed shoppers, businesses are expected to get things right the first time. NLP can get you there.
      Fingent top custom software development company helps businesses master e-commerce personalization with content, discovery, and engagement. We can help businesses with their use of chatbots or automation for sales, customer support, brand engagement, and human resources. Fingent can also provide a host of apps and analytics dashboards for the holistic management of multilingual customer interactions. As you can see, the possibilities are endless.
      Let’s talk and identify which powerful features of NLP your business will benefit most from!

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        About the Author

        ...
        Vinod Saratchandran

        Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.

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          Over 95% of businesses struggle to manage unstructured data in their day-to-day operations. Inability to decipher data prevents them from navigating the market successfully, making business forecasts, and customizing their offerings to match the changing market trends. This proves why data analytics is crucial in enterprise strategy planning. By 2030, the global big data and analytics market value is expected to touch $684.12 billion. As more companies embrace data analytics to enhance customer experience, optimize existing business processes, and lower costs, it’s important to take note of the data and analytics trends that will hold the reins in 2024 and beyond.
          Here’re ten trends to behold:  

          1. Scalable and Responsible AI

          Research and Markets report that AI makes analytics 48% more effective for industry applications. Traditionally, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques were applied to analyze historical data. However, unpredicted events such as the COVID-19 pandemic increase the demand for real-time data analysis. Adaptive machine learning promotes scalable, responsible, and intelligent AI that offers insightful business analytics even with smaller datasets. Scalable AI will enhance learning algorithms, reduce time-to-value, and make business systems and data more interpretable. AI integration will increase the precision of data analysis in 2024.
          Read more: 6 Ways Artificial Intelligence is Driving Decision Making 

          2. Hybrid, Multi-cloud, and Edge Computing

          According to McKinsey, 70% of companies will adopt hybrid or multi-cloud technologies and processes by 2022. Hailed as the hallmarks of distributed IT infrastructures, multi-cloud management and edge computing enable companies to extend their computing capacity to the edge of their networks. This allows businesses to reach more data-hungry devices as the data is analyzed locally, close to the data source. Edge and multi-cloud reduce latency and improve decision-making with advanced, on-demand analytics. Today, every business generates volumes of unstructured data. Relying on traditional batch-based reporting to analyze big data cannot help anymore. 2024 will see the rise of distributed cloud models powered by hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge environments.
          Read more: Future-proof Your Business with 5G, Edge Computing, and Cloud
          5G

          3. Data Fabric Architecture

          Data fabric architecture supports businesses to seamlessly navigate the complex digital business landscape that generates a lot of unstructured data every minute. It allows organizations to adopt a modular approach, known as composability, through which organizations can integrate new capabilities or features as low-code, reusable, individual components. Unlike the traditional monolithic architecture, composability allows businesses to integrate new features and changes to their enterprise applications without redoing their tech stacks. According to Gartner, data fabric reduces the deployment time by 30% and maintenance time by 70%. The ability to reuse technologies and capabilities from numerous data hubs, data lakes and data warehouses is expected to go a long way in tailoring analytics experiences.

          4. Data Democratization and Self-service Analytics

          The rise of low-code/ no-code digital platforms is accelerating the shift to self-service analytics. These platforms empower non-technical business users to access data, garner insights and make faster decisions. Today, self-service analytics is improving business response, enterprise agility, speed-to-market, and decision-making. InfinCE, a low-code workplace orchestration platform enables seamless team collaboration by extending your ability to integrate multiple business apps. Its data-powered business dashboard software supports marketers and non-technical users to analyze data, glean insights, track KPIs, and make strategic decisions. As data becomes the key to unlocking business value, 2024 will see the democratization of data extending beyond the realms of technical analysts and data scientists to ensure better inclusivity.

          5. XOps 

          The merger of development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) has given rise to the “Ops trend.” The list of acronyms with the suffix Ops is expanding pretty fast. XOps aims to bring all these terms (DevOps, DataOps, MLOps, ModelOps, etc.) under one umbrella to advance automation and AI adoption, and minimize the duplication of technologies and processes. XOps enables data and analytics deployments to function effectively in tandem with other software fields. In 2024, more data analytics experts will start using XOps to operationalize and automate their processes in conjunction with the software development cycle. This eliminates data management and insights generation challenges from the very beginning of software development. XOps will augment the power of enterprise technology stacks to deliver high-quality on-demand analytics.
          Read more: DevOps: Building a New Culture of Software Development and Delivery 
          DevOps

          6. Graph Analytics

          Gartner estimates that by 2025, 80% of data and analytics innovations will be crafted using graph technologies. Graph analytics employs deep learning algorithms to correlate multiple data points (entities such as people, events, things, locations, etc.) scattered across various data assets by exploring their relationships. This offers businesses a holistic understanding of the market, customer segments, consumer preferences and behavior, logistics, and risks. Graph analytics improves contextual understanding which enables businesses to identify problems and address them faster. SAP HANA is a leading graph database that comes with built-in processing engines to perform context-based data search. It allows users to access the correct data quickly. In 2024, graph technology will be used widely in search engine optimization, fraud and identity detection, supply chain logistics, social network analysis, and so on.
          Read more: SAP HANA Helps Unlock Massive Health Data 
          Healthcare

          7. Small and Wide Data

          Until 2020, historical data replicating past conditions was enough to train AI and ML models. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak have made such past data obsolete. It means that data analytics professionals should find new ways to use the available data more effectively. “Small data” and “wide data” techniques reduce the volume of data required for training AI models and help extract more value from diverse and unstructured data sources. By 2025, 70% of organizations will switch from big to small and wide data, improving contextual analytics and making AI systems less data-hungry.

          8. Decision Intelligence

          Decision Intelligence (DI) is a data analytics discipline that analyzes the sequence of cause and effect to create decision models. These decision models visually represent how actions lead to outcomes by observing, investigating, modeling, contextualizing, and executing data. DI helps make faster and more accurate decisions that result in better outcomes. Gartner forecasts that in the next two years, one-third of large corporations will leverage DI to augment their decision-making skills.

          9. Generative AI

          Generative AI is an artificial intelligence technique that uses existing text, images, and audio files to generate new content. This technique proves to be highly useful in producing new and authentic data that mimics the original in data-scarce situations. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) are the two key technologies that support Generative AI. By 2025, generative AI will account for 10% of all data produced, up from less than 1% today, states Gartner. In 2024, Generative AI is expected to augment targeted marketing, drug development, and software code creation.

          10. Natural Language Processing

          If you’re using Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, you’ve already experienced NLP in action. NLP supports data analytics in multiple ways by leveraging techniques such as speech recognition, machine translation, chatbots, text classification, sentiment analysis, and so on. It offers business leaders, marketers, salespeople, and researchers with the precise insights needed to make better decisions. Reports show that the rising demand for advanced text analytics is driving NLP adoption in sectors like healthcare, social media analytics, and consumer and market intelligence. 2024 will witness the rise of no-code and low-code NLP platforms that will make AI and ML more ubiquitous.

          A Chief Data Officer (CDO) survey held by Gartner in 2021 found that 72% of data and analytics leaders are involved in their organization’s digital transformation initiatives. More organizations are now realizing the tie between building a data-driven business and steering digital transformation. Start your data-driven journey with customized data analytics solutions built by Fingent. Leverage our top data analytics and visualization techniques to boost your business and customer intelligence, optimize strategies, and enhance productivity.
          Contact us to know more!

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            About the Author

            ...
            Vinod Saratchandran

            Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.

            Talk To Our Experts

              Over the next three years, 66% of healthcare executives are planning to increase their investment in digital twin, states a recent digital health technology report. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital twin technology has been playing a key role in aiding healthcare professionals. Digital twin is used to optimize the usage of ventilators for critical patients, support contactless temperature scanning, reduce person-to-person contact, trial drugs, and prevent the risk of disease transmission. In the post-COVID-19 era too, medical researchers can leverage digital twins to analyze the existing data and study the impact caused on the human body.
              In this blog, we’ll take you through what is digital twin technology and how it’s creating an impact in the healthcare industry? Let’s checkout!

              The Role of Digital Twin in Healthcare

              Digital twin technology allows you to replicate the physical world in a digital layout. A digital twin is a virtual model of a device, object, or process that operates in real-time to update data when changes are made. Researchers rely on digital twins to test new scenarios in real-life environments with improved safety and cost-effectiveness. In the past, the application of digital twins was limited to sectors such as industrial engineering and manufacturing. It was economically unviable to build digital twins in other fields like healthcare and education. The proliferation and affordability of innovative technologies such as IoT, AI, ML, AR, VR, and XR are accelerating the adoption of digital twins in healthcare.
              Read more: The Application and Impact of Information Technology in Healthcare 
              Healthcare
              The healthcare industry is constantly striving to enhance patient outcomes, reduce operating costs, and address unforeseen medical crises effectively. The US-based Digital Twin Consortium observes that digital twin technology has the potential to improve patient turnaround, reduce patient wait times, optimize equipment utilization, cut staffing expenses, and minimize bed shortages. It helps personalize medicines based on real-time data and improve the operational efficiency and performance of healthcare organizations by identifying workflow bottlenecks and scheduling optimization.

              Top 5 Applications of Digital Twin in Healthcare

              Digital twins allow the creation of handy virtual models and medical simulations based on the data gathered from wearable devices, patient records, drugs and pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, and other healthcare departments. This helps streamline the overall clinical and caregiving processes. Listed here are the top five applications of medical digital twins:

              1. Customize treatments and drug administration

              Digital twins allow physicians, hospitals, and clinics to deliver patient-centric care by leveraging precision medicine. Data stored in healthcare mobile apps, medical software, wearables, fitness trackers, and other medical devices can be captured into digital twins which enables doctors and front-line health workers to address patients with persistent or critical conditions. For example, combining AI-powered anatomical analysis with the virtual model of a patient’s heart helps understand the progression of heart diseases over time. It enables medical researchers to identify how the patient will respond to new drugs, treatments, or surgical intercessions. Digital twin experiments are also conducted to analyze the progression of neurogenerative ailments such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

              2. Advance surgical procedure planning

              Digital twin technology enables brain and heart surgeons to run virtual simulations of surgical procedures prior to executing complex surgeries. Testing pre-operative and post-operative surgical procedures and outcomes on a digital replica of human body parts reduces the risk of hampering human health. Advanced, patient-specific computational models of human organs help plan and augment complex surgical interventions with improved precision and care.
              Read more: How Virtual Reality Benefits Autistic Patients
              Virtual Reality

              3. Enhance caregivers’ efficiency and experience

              Digital twins support caregivers to gain a consolidated view of patient data scattered across various medical applications, physicians, and specialists. Technologies like Natural Language Processing (NLP) help infer the data and summarize the medical history of each patient. Capturing patient-specific information onto your medical dashboard throws better light into the context of each patient. This improves your clinical decision-making ability.
              Digital twin model of a hospital allows you to measure the impact of organizational changes. For instance, you can use the virtual model to test new operational strategies, care delivery programs, staffing rotation, appointment scheduling, hospital bed facilities, surgical schedules, and so on. This helps redesign your organization’s workflow, improve coordination among various departments, and reduce the treatment window.
              Case Study: How Fingent’s healthcare technology solution helped improve collaboration between doctors, patients, and caregivers

              4. Test new medical devices and drugs

              Federal drug regulators such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency as well as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) propose using AI algorithms to determine the safety and effectiveness of pilot drugs. Digital twins can simulate the health traits of a larger number of patients which helps analyze how a drug’s usage will impact a wider population. Using several inclusion and exclusion paradigms, AI helps pace up drug trials by identifying the willingness and availability of patients. Digital twins can also mitigate the harmful impact of experimental drugs and reduce the number of patients who need to undergo real-world testing.
              It takes more than $2 billion to manufacture and launch a new drug into the market. Trial phase alone costs heavily and over 90% of treatments fail during this period. Capitalizing on technologies like machine learning and computational modeling helps expedite the early stages of drug design, development, and safety evaluation. Digital twins integrate the test data across various samples to give a holistic picture of the drug’s effect on patients.

              5. Improve supply chain flexibility

              The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic weakened our supply chains due to the lockdowns and transportation bans across various countries. This resulted in the shortage of essential healthcare supplies. Digital twins allow healthcare organizations to create robust contingency plans to address such unpredicted events, increase bed capacity, manage emergencies during shutdowns or shortages, offer remote patient care, and design and construct new medical facilities to reach out to more patients. Hospitals, labs, and healthcare establishments can remodel their supply chain relationships to create alternative plans, improve collaboration with suppliers, and team up with authorities to plan and negotiate.
              Read more: Why is it better to outsource custom healthcare software development
              Custom healthcare software development

              Make The Most of Digital Twins with Fingent

              Healthcare application development experts at Fingent help you overcome the hurdles that defer digital twin adoption such as data gathering, quality of clinical trial datasets, and information security and privacy. We develop custom healthcare apps leveraging technologies such as VR, AI, ML, and IoT that enable you to virtually test innovations and deliver exceptional patient care. These solutions can be tailored to optimize both your clinical and operational functions. For instance, we help you develop virtual simulators for ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support System), accident trauma care standard operating procedure, an orthopedic or cardiac surgical procedure involving complex tools, and Neo-natal Resuscitation Simulator (GOLDEN MINUTE PROTOCOL).
              Read more: How Virtual Reality Improves the Standards of Medical Education and Training 
              Besides VR, healthcare providers can benefit from various customizable solutions such as connected healthcare apps powered by IoT, integrated medical dashboard software, remote patient monitoring systems, and healthcare analytics applications. Improve your organization’s technology ecosystem with Fingent top software development company. Contact us to design digital twins and drive innovation.

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                About the Author

                ...
                Vinod Saratchandran

                Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.

                Talk To Our Experts

                  Applications are at the front and center of business strategy today. Software-driven business transformation requires new apps that can be developed and delivered faster. Organizations need a new platform to support these changes – one that can deliver high-quality apps.
                  Globally, cloud platforms are redefining the way enterprises scale their businesses. Enterprises are under tremendous pressure to develop and deploy applications faster and more efficiently. Cloud-native applications help tech-savvy enterprises stay ahead of the competition.
                  Today, cloud-native application development has emerged as an innovative concept. It has altered the way software applications are developed, shipped, and managed. This article discusses in detail what cloud-native application development is. It will also explain how cloud-native application development is empowering app delivery.

                  What Is Cloud-Native Application Development?

                  A cloud-native application is designed for cloud computing architecture. These applications are built and hosted in the cloud. Cloud-native application development is an approach that exploits the flexibility, scalability, and resilience of cloud computing. It includes various tools and techniques used by software developers to build applications for the public cloud.
                  Cloud-native takes full advantage of the cloud computing model. Therefore, it efficiently combines architecture and technology that enable the design, development, and operation of workloads in the cloud. Cloud-native application development empowers you to gain a competitive advantage by quickly bringing ideas to market.
                  Cloud-native applications have shorter application lifecycles and are highly resilient, manageable, and observable. They speed up the development of new applications, optimize existing ones while connecting all of them.
                  Cloud-native application development is mostly based on microservices. Microservices are discrete and reusable components that can be used in any cloud environment. It is a multidimensional approach. It represents a cycle where complete focus is on the journey rather than the destination. Hence, it is all about building new applications and modernizing the existing ones on the principles of the cloud.
                  Read more: A Comprehensive Guide To Modern Cloud Application Development
                  Cloud application development

                  What Is Cloud-Native Architecture and How It Empowers App Delivery?

                  Cloud-native follows five architectural features. These features are microservices, APIs (application programming interfaces, containers, backing services, modern design. These help businesses ship products faster, implement their customer’s needs, create value quicker, and aid collaboration between developers and IT specialists. Let’s consider each of them:

                  1. Microservices

                  It becomes easier to scale when a monolithic application is broken into many smaller pieces. These pieces are called microservices. Each of these microservices is designed to be autonomous, independent, and self-contained.
                  This approach is advantageous as each microservice can be deployed, upgraded, scaled, and restarted: without impacting the end-user. Microservices are independent and so you can eliminate dependencies and coordination efforts. The teams can work parallelly, thereby increasing velocity. Microservices enable elasticity-a key attribute of cloud computing.

                  2. Containers 

                  Containers are crucial for packaging and running cloud-native applications. Microservices are grouped into container images and deployed onto a host operating system as they are faster and lighter.
                  Containerization allows the bundling of a cloud-native application into a single unit. This unit may contain libraries, configuration files, or other components that the application needs. The containerization process makes it easy to test, move, and deploy the applications.
                  Because of its agile nature, you can start or stop a container at a moment’s notice and remove any defective instances. Container system guarantees consistency and increases application portability across cloud systems.

                  3. Backing services 

                  Cloud-native systems depend on ancillary resources. These resources include data stores, message brokers, monitoring, and identity services. These are called backing services. You could develop them in-house or simply select from a rich assortment of managed backing services offered by vendors. The latter is a better option as it can significantly save you time and labor.
                  As backing services can be bound dynamically to a microservice, it acts as an attached resource but decoupled from the application and remains interchangeable. In a nutshell, backing services can be attached to and detached from a microservice using a configuration management tool.

                  4. Application programming interfaces (APIs)

                  Microservices need an intrinsic mechanism to talk to each other. Plus, Client-facing microservices need to accept and respond to user requests. Application programming interfaces are those software connectors that can send and receive data, metadata, and service requests.
                  In cloud-native applications, RESTful APIs manage communication between microservices. Furthermore, APIs expose functionality that other software can use. It is a good practice to avoid touching the underlying code. As a best practice, APIs make it is easy to extend or customize applications without disturbing the underlying code.

                  5. Modern design

                  Despite having a wide variety of tools and techniques, one cannot avoid all challenges that arise in application development. So, IT teams must develop customized application monitoring and management methods. These methods must suit the organizations’ cloud model and IT infrastructure.
                  Watch: How InfinCE – A Digital Workplace Orchestration Platform, Can Help you Seamlessly Experience Infinite Cloud For Your Enterprise!

                  Why Is Cloud-Native Important Now?

                  Cloud-native is a cost-effective way that brings ideas to market quickly. Here are a few characteristics that make cloud-native critical for business growth:

                  • Auto-scalability: Cloud-native applications can scale services automatically and independently and do not require daily management.
                  • Elasticity: These applications and services can scale in-out and up-down as the demand changes ensuring efficient usage of resources.
                  • Speed of deployment: Businesses receive faster feedback and delivery when continuous delivery and deployment are used. It results in faster shipping of applications.
                  • Resilience: These services can survive outages and failures and remain online as disaster recovery mechanisms are available in the cloud.
                  • Cost-effective: As these applications are cloud-based, computing and storage resources can scale as needed. Thus, eliminating the need for overprovisioning. Businesses can use containers to maximize the number of microservices run on the host.  It saves time, resources, and money.
                  • Easy to manage: As cloud-native applications use automation, developers can track all microservices and components as they are updated. The team can focus on a specific microservice without worrying about how it will interact with the other services.
                  • Visibility: It is easy for the teams to study applications and learn how they function together, as a microservice architecture isolates services.

                  Read more: Cloud Migration Strategy: 7 Steps To Accomplish A Flawless Transitions
                  Cloud Migration

                  Key Takeaways

                  Cloud-native application development is here to stay. Businesses will continue to use cloud-native technologies for agility and efficiency benefits. Most importantly, it is a cost-effective way to architect new applications. Businesses must consider the tradeoff between cost, effort, and time involved in moving to a cloud-native architecture.
                  The transition towards a cloud-based digital-first organization can be hassle-free when you have the right partner to guide you through it. At Fingent, our developers have the experience and know-how to do it right for you.
                  Give us a call and let’s get talking!

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                    About the Author

                    ...
                    Sreejith

                    I have been programming since 2000, and professionally since 2007. I currently lead the Open Source team at Fingent as we work on different technology stacks, ranging from the "boring"(read tried and trusted) to the bleeding edge. I like building, tinkering with and breaking things, not necessarily in that order.

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                      The COVID-19 pandemic has created an imbalance between the supply and demand of the goods thereby disrupting the supply chain globally. That said, it has also amplified the need for technology tools to manage the supply chain challenges as the possibility of lockdowns in the future can’t be overlooked.
                      With the increasing demand for autonomous solutions, it is not surprising to see companies investing in supply chain technologies. According to Gartner, by 2023, 50% of the global eCommerce companies will invest in the real-time supply chain, AI, and advanced analytics solutions.

                      Challenges in the Supply Chain

                      1. Labor and material shortages

                      2020-21 witnessed several layoffs and quarantine putting the market in flux globally. Leaders not only face delegation woes but also find staffing key positions within procurement and supply chain ops problematic. Leaders will have to rely on technologies and automation to create cohesion and shift focus to smaller more concentrated procurement teams.
                      According to the Institute of Supply Chain Management report, every key commodity is either scarce or up in price leading to shortages and complexities to supply chain management. In other words, the material shortage will continue and companies can expect persistent problems through 2022.

                      2. Rising freight costs

                      In 2021, trucking and intermodal transport shot to new highs while spot prices doubled across the board: van (+18%), reefer (+25%), flatbed (+27%). Additionally, sea freight price and air freight price skyrocketed as well making it difficult to move freight in any capacity.
                      Thus, fluctuation in freight price will remain one of the biggest challenges the supply chain industry will have to face in coming years.

                      3. Port congestion

                      In the last two years, there have been wait times for ships headed into ports across the world. In October 2021, over 50 container ships were amassed outside Los Angeles and Long Beach to unload cargo from China. That said, gridlock especially at overseas ports creates delays as ships look to obtain cargo. So, bottlenecks at both ends cause additional lead time for import-export operations ultimately disrupting the domestic supply chains.
                      While port congestion isn’t a new problem, according to The National Customers Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA), 2022 could see historic wait times and supply chain bottlenecks.

                      4. Problems related to demand forecasting

                      While the global shutdown in 2020 skewed supplier data to a great extent, 2021 saw some recovery making the data relatively unreliable as a standard for future forecasting. This has resulted in no proper benchmark for supply chain leaders to follow.
                      As the unprecedented demand grows, meeting it remains a challenge. So, supply chain leaders will have to rely on trending data to predict the year considering the previous benchmarks for everything from inventory to budget and pricing.
                      Read more: Logistics Management Software – Everything You Need To Know!

                      While this adjustment is completely different for those who rely on the last two to three years trailing data to estimate demand forecasting, it is a challenge that requires forethought.
                      Here are five technologies that will help advance your business in 2024:

                      1. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

                      According to Deloitte, RPA will see strong growth in the next five years specifically in the supply chain operations that include lower-value, potentially dangerous, or high-risk tasks. Robotic technology applications include trains and trucks, automated vehicles like drones, last-mile deliveries, and storage and retrieval systems (ASRS).
                      The use of RPA can achieve the following objectives:

                      • Improve productivity and efficiency
                      • Reduce re-work and risk rates
                      • Increase employee safety
                      • Perform repetitive and mundane tasks so humans can work more useful tasks
                      • Increase revenue by improving order fulfillment and delivery speed

                      New pricing structures are helping companies consider investing in automation. That said, the RaaS (Robotic and a Service)-type model allows providers to lease units through a monthly service contract instead of customers paying a huge capital up-front.

                      2. Cloud computing and AI

                      As supply chains generate big data, cloud-based AI can be used to turn that data into insights. Cloud computing along with AI has transformed the way the supply chain operates and in near future its abilities will only grow in complexity.
                      Cloud and AI systems can use past trends and market indicators to achieve the following processes;

                      • Powering automation process
                      • Informing supplier selection
                      • Providing real-time information on shipments
                      • Analyzing carrier performance
                      • Streamlining supplier onboarding and automating supplier management
                      • Anticipating trends in operational issues
                      • Augmenting customer support

                      Read more: How to accelerate your business growth with Robotic Process Automation

                      3. IoT

                      Asset tracking through IoT will help save time and money and assist data-driven decision-making.
                      Through GPS tracking of shipments and monitoring parcel conditions, IoT devices have improved quality management in the supply chain. RFID chips, mobile sensors, and smart devices can track and authenticate products, humidity, light levels, measure temperature, handling, movement, speed, and other environmental factors of shipments.
                      Additionally, IoT facilitates new fleet management solutions development which helps improve workflows and customer satisfaction. Also, IoT in the future will reduce the total cost of ownership and make the entire supply chain industry more connected, driven by legislation and customer demand.
                      Adoption of IoT will also improve security and decrease the probability of piracy, disruption of refrigeration, and container damage.

                      4. Blockchain

                      Emerging technology in the supply chain industry, blockchain’s decentralized digital ledger can help improve transparency for customers. This will enable them to track the whole journey of a product before arrival. Additionally, blockchain can increase transparency in audits and improve security by revealing any attempted fraud. Blockchain can help increase the level of trust and make digital payments more secure.
                      Blockchain systems can also save time and money due to better coordination of documents and eliminate the need for physical paperwork.

                      5. Transportation Management System (TMS)

                      All of the above-mentioned technologies need to be organized and managed from a single point. That is where TMS applications complications come into the picture.
                      TMS is used to manage carriers, and help convert paper-based documentation into a digital format. It will reduce freight costs, track deliveries in real-time, and increase transparency which will eventually improve customer service. Simply put, TMS will help make all the separate elements work as a single system.
                      TL Nika Logistics is a prime example of successful TMS adoption.

                      Final thoughts!

                      There’s no denying that technological innovation is propelling supply chain management solutions. If you are looking to embark on this technical journey, Fingent custom software development experts is the right partner for you. We understand the latest advancements in supply chain technology and help organizations adopt these emerging solutions while gradually replacing legacy systems to help navigate better in this competitive business landscape.
                      Connect with us today!

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                        About the Author

                        ...
                        Tony Joseph

                        Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

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                          We saw great challenges overcome, extraordinary feats accomplished as businesses fought tooth and nail to keep their doors open. It has also been a time of great innovation. While the pandemic reshaped the previously established ways of life and work, the appetite for transformation continued to grow.
                          Though the last days were a difficult year for businesses, the year’s disruptions led many businesses to adapt to the times and operate with impressive levels of flexibility. It was a year that presented learning, change, and growth opportunities.
                          As coming years gather momentum, businesses looking to rebound after the pandemic must consider all major technology changes that have happened. Doing so will aid in making decisions that will enable their business to demonstrate fortitude and remarkable ability to adapt as necessary under extraordinary circumstances.
                          This blog recaps key milestones and moments in the last year that helped businesses break free from survival mode and refocus on a bright and successful future.

                          The Growing Reach of Digital Transformation 

                          The digital transformation took center stage for businesses as legacy processes and old-school systems could not meet the demands of consumers and employees. Artificial intelligence-driven smart systems helped businesses become more resilient in a locked-down world.
                          These digital transformations enabled businesses to function efficiently, employees to increase productivity, and empowered customers to shop from the comfort of their homes. Towards the end of the year, these new technologies and tools continued to mature and to create a future where people are shaping the world to fit their needs and preferences.

                          Workforce Technologies Increased Employee Productivity

                          In the pre-pandemic era, working from home was not considered as productive as working in the office. However, a two-year study by Great Place to Work determined that employee productivity was the same or even better when they worked from home.
                          Read more: Fingent Recognized as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ Company
                          Work-Certified™
                          As the workforce technologies got better, faster, and more powerful, there was an exponential rise in the hybrid workplace concept. These technologies allowed businesses to retain the culture, stability, and social interaction of a physical office as they allowed their employees to choose remote work.
                          The AI-powered HR technology empowers employers and employees to customize goals, roles, and structures. These powerful technologies help hybrid teams to stay connected to live, interactive systems even if they all work in different time zones.
                          Case Study: Learn more on how Fingent’s AI-Powered Virtual Assistant helps employees with HR & DevOps queries

                          Enhanced Omnichannel Experience 

                          Providing a fluid omnichannel experience is critical to satisfying customers and building customer loyalty. An omnichannel experience enabled customers to interchange devices and move fluidly between various platforms. It created a truly seamless and consistent experience regardless of channel.
                          It allowed customers to start their search in one channel, pick it from where they had left on another device, and yet take the context forward with every interaction. Businesses ensured to develop their omnichannel strategy by unifying the digital and physical world.
                          The adoption of omnichannel enhanced retailers’ experiences as well. For instance, a customer may reach out on live chat with an issue and end the call only to realize later that he forgot to ask one more thing. Now, he may call customer service instead of using a live chat. Omnichannel experience will allow the agent to pull up that customers’ previous chat and have all of the contexts to quickly resolve his issues.

                          Personalization and Hyper-personalization with AR and VR Technologies

                          Personalization and hyper-personalization are the most advanced ways to increase revenue, smoothen customer journeys, and make conversations more meaningful. Personalization can be achieved only through careful analysis of customer data.
                          In the last year, businesses saw how retail analytics tools can provide actionable insights into customers buying patterns and preferences. This will help in customizing the offering. Virtual try-on, AR in retail enable immersive shopping experiences. Moreover, high-value customers can be catered to exclusively and attract the right customer to increase sales.
                          Read more: Creating a Future workplace with AR & VR!
                          future workplace

                          Blockchain Took Center Stage

                          Blockchain interoperability will get better in the coming years. It has been used to transform the nature of transactions and trade across the world. Blockchain technology made cryptocurrency a possibility. It is instrumental in lowering transaction costs, providing protection from cyber-attacks, helping maintain confidentiality, and more.
                          Another popular blockchain trend was BaaS or Blockchain as a Service. It is a cloud-based service that enables users to develop digital products like smart contracts or applications that can work without any setup requirement of a complete blockchain-based infrastructure.
                          Read more: How Blockchain Enables The Insurance Industry to Tackle Data Challenges

                          Real-time Visibility into Inventory and Services

                          To meet customer expectations, it is crucial to have the ability to view and track inventory levels at all times. Real-time visibility enables businesses to prepare for the unexpected. It also provides data and analytics needed to made better business decisions.
                          So, appropriate tools that leveraged AI and ML brought about improvement in maintaining accurate stock and preparing for future demand. These tools provided end-to-end visibility across the supply chain and helped businesses meet the growing customer demand.
                          Read more: How Data Warehousing Adds Value to Data Visualization and Reporting

                          NFT Gains Traction and Expand into New Areas

                          NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is drawing in new artists, musicians, and other creative people who want to make money. NFT bunny is modeled after social networks with each user having the ability to communicate with other users. Binance NFT allows an artist to buy or sell collectibles and other artworks.

                          Demand Forecast with The Help Of AI, Big Data, And Analytics

                          Data-driven business transformation gained popularity among retailers as it provided a strategic advantage. AI, Big Data, and Analytics help in understanding the deep patterns of the data from various sources used for demand forecasting.  Retailers have immensely benefited from hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly level forecasts.

                          Resilient Supply Chains 

                          The strategic application of AI-powered technologies has enabled complex and resilient supply chains. This has improved same-day delivery options. This year also saw the expansion of e-bikes managed by user-friendly apps and cloud-connected supply chain technologies.

                          Rising From the Ashes with Smarter Business Technologies

                          Lat few years have been challenging year for most businesses. Amid pandemic and political upheavals, we saw exciting advances and breakthroughs in businesses technology. Also, customers are more value-conscious today than before. These technologies help reduce business operations costs and pass on the benefit to the customers. Leveraging these technologies is a smart way to build a resilient business. Excited to know which technology is best for your business? Call us and let’s work it out together.

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                            About the Author

                            ...
                            Tony Joseph

                            Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

                            Talk To Our Experts

                              It’s time to load up your arsenal. Why? Because it’s wartime and you’re here to win!
                              The COVID-19 pandemic has held the world in its vice-like grip for a considerable time now and many businesses have had to downsize or even shut down in its wake. Just when we thought it was over, we were hit by another wave.
                              There is no reason to despair though. With the right tools and the right guidance, you can surf through this wave and the next. In this blog, we are going to be talking about one such power tool – Odoo ERP. Odoo ERP’s capabilities and user-friendly aspects are helping businesses to manage their operations successfully despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, and you can too.

                              A Solution to Pressing Challenges

                              Finding new customers and retaining existing customers is one of the most common business challenges. According to Kauffman’s statistics, the pandemic heightened this challenge. The increasing competition did nothing to help with this.
                              Additionally, when the pandemic struck, companies that were not prepared to work remotely faced a huge blow because they had to shut down their offices and work remotely.
                              Evidently, businesses need a dedicated business management system to successfully cope with these and other challenges. Odoo ERP is a business management tool with the complete capability to manage the entire operations of a company.
                              Odoo ERP’s capabilities and user-friendly aspects are helping businesses manage their operations successfully despite the challenges brought by the pandemic. The Odoo platform brings efficiency and improvement to all the operating processes of the company.
                              Read more: 5 Salient Features Of Odoo That Makes it a Reliable ERP for Enterprises
                              Odoo

                              Odoo Is a Better Tool to Invest Today to Stay Prepared For Tomorrow’s Challenges

                              Pre-pandemic there was a notion that employees’ productivity will be hampered if they work from home. But the pandemic taught us that when digital ways are adopted correctly, remote work can be a success. And the Odoo ERP system has been a boon in catering to these digital requirements.
                              Odoo ERP is considered the most advanced and easy-to-use tool in today’s tech-plenty world. With the help of Odoo ERP, companies are enjoying seamless integration, better module-to-module connectivity, and effective digital bookkeeping to name a few benefits.
                              Odoo ERP with its Business Intelligence increases productivity by helping to use the company’s resources effectively. By digitizing record-keeping and pen and paper approvals, for example. Let us consider some specific ways in which Odoo ERP helps businesses stay prepared for future challenges.

                              1. Minimum workforce

                              Sudden lockdown measures have forced some companies to cut down on their staff. Odoo’s modules can help your business function well even with fewer employees. Production invoicing, lead generation, and stock movement provide perfectly navigated paths for your business despite strict lockdown measures.

                              2. No sales due to lockdown

                              If you are unable to sell your products due to quarantine measures, Odoo can solve your problem. It can help you create a website for e-Commerce. It allows you to create an easy to use, elegant and attractive website. These websites can also be connected with different online payment methods that make buying a lot easier for your customers.

                              3. Remote management

                              Due to lockdown measures and transportation restrictions, most organizations have opted for remote work management. Odoo can help you manage every integral business activity from wherever you choose to work. Its efficient functionalities and Business Intelligence capabilities will allow access to your company’s database whenever and wherever you are.

                              4. Cost-effective

                              Odoo ERP’s robust modules can minimize your business management costs while ensuring quality service. It offers effective management services at a reasonable price.

                              5. Secure business communication

                              Secure communication among employees, partners, and clients is essential to all businesses. Odoo Discuss is a user-friendly messaging application that enables your teams to communicate with each other simultaneously. It ensures sharing of projects and other integral documents without allowing any breach.
                              There is no doubt that Odoo can refresh your business considerably if implemented correctly. Given that, let us understand what are some common mistakes made in Odoo implementation. This will help you succeed in overcoming any implementation challenges.
                              Read more: 5 Signs That Imply Your Business Needs Odoo ERP
                              Odoo ERP

                              Common Mistakes Made in Odoo Implementation 

                              Admittedly, implementing Odoo ERP is a huge change for an organization. It can be daunting for a business as it involves multiple considerations. If the implementation is not carried out properly, it can paralyze the entire organization. That is why it is important to choose the right implementation partner. Here are some common implementation mistakes:

                              • Lack of strategic management planning: A clear strategic roadmap and goal will help identify all the requirements from the ERP implementation. Not having a clear goal implies money-related disadvantages and unorganized due dates leading to chaos.
                              • Over customization: Over-customization can cause Odoo performance issues.
                              •  Lack of experienced project managers: Hiring project managers that do not have in-depth expertise and lack adequate experience is another mistake that can lead to performance issues.
                              • Not testing the framework: Due to a lack of time, some organizations decrease the number and profundity of test cycles. Eliminating some tests may leave defects undiscovered and miss important functions as well.
                              • Lack of sufficient training: Some organizations rush to use the product without sufficient training. Training at the right time is as important as doing it in the right way.

                              Why Do You Need an Odoo Partner?

                              Expertise is the primary reason. A good Odoo partner will have the expertise, experience, and knowledge that you need for a successful implementation. They will help you avoid the pitfalls of implementation and execution and can guide you through the nuances of the platform. With techno-functional consultants on board, they will be more successful in identifying complex issues and locating the right business procedures than you will be if you try to do this on your own.
                              Read more: Why Choose Fingent as your Odoo Partner
                              Odoo ERP

                              Tips To Get The Right Odoo Partner

                              Here is a checklist that makes your quest for the right Odoo partner easy:

                              • Experience: Experience in different industries and services helps your partner identify problems quickly and deliver highly customized solutions that newbies cannot. Such experience will also aid them in spotting trends and keeping the system up to date.
                              • Availability: During the development phase, there is a chance that the software might develop many issues. If the partner is available 24/7, they can address any glitches and prevent significant revenue loss
                              • Pre and post-service support: Pre and post-implementation training is a must for organizations that have never used Odoo ERP before.
                              • Access: Ready access to the software developer when you need them makes software modification a swift ride and you can rest assured that you will get exactly what you need.

                              How Fingent Fits the Bill

                              Fingent is an official Odoo Partner and has helped many clients successfully implement and execute Odoo’s dynamic features in their business. We have a team of talented, professional Odoo experts with techno-functional knowledge. The presence of certified and senior developers will help in strengthening your business.
                              Our developers help you access and customize Odoo’s powerful features and build custom applications for your business that will give you an edge over the competition. With rich experience in implementing Odoo ERP for different industries and working with its different modules, you can rest assured that we have the technical know-how and the business experience to do it right for you.
                              Connect with us now!

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                                About the Author

                                ...
                                Yaseen Shareef

                                Yaseen Shareef has been developing solutions with Odoo since 2013 and currently manages Odoo projects for Fingent's clients, making business functions more productive. Outside of work, Yaseen enjoys vlogging, traveling and catching up on the latest action movies.

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                                  “The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life.” 
                                  – Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft.
                                  When we look around us today it has become exceedingly obvious that the world is moving at a much faster pace than we remember. If not all, most of the credit goes to the vast number of technological developments that take place almost every day. In this rapidly changing world, we can either choose to evolve with it or stay back and live with the feeling that we are completely out of place and out of our depth.
                                  This blog will help you understand all the “realities” of today’s tech world and help you fit right in and create a future workplace, to move ahead of your competition.

                                  Reality In Its Many Forms

                                  Some of the fastest developing and most exciting branches of technology out there are Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. Although some companies have already integrated this technology into their business practices to create innovative and sustainable workplaces, it is imperative for every business to invest in AR and VR. If they want to succeed in this overly competitive world that is.
                                  Recent studies conducted by PwC show that VR-trained employees were up to four times more focused than their e-learning peers and four times faster to train. When trainees are taught with a VR experience, they learn more from the training and have superior outcomes. Creating a workplace that is equipped with this kind of technology will most definitely increase the work productivity of the employees.
                                  VR and AR have evolved over the past years and have become more convenient both technologically and financially for business and learning. They affect companies in every industry and various organizations, from universities to social enterprises. They have become the new terminal between humanity and machines, uniting the digital and physical worlds.
                                  Read more: Top AR and VR Trends to Transform Ecommerce in 2022!
                                  AR & VR
                                  Now that we’ve established the necessity of VR and AR for businesses and industries, let’s move on to understanding what exactly these technologies are and what they do.

                                  Virtual Reality 

                                  It is an artificial environment created by software and requires a special headset that plunges you into the new reality. It immerses the user within its virtual environment and in most cases, the user can manipulate objects or perform a series of actions.

                                  Augmented Reality  

                                  AR, conversely, does not give an absolute immersion. It adds digital elements to a live view usually done by using the camera on a Smartphone or tablet.

                                  Mixed Reality 

                                  Mixed Reality blends elements of AR and VR to co-exist creating a combination of virtual and actual realities, allowing you to interact with both simultaneously.

                                  Extended Reality 

                                  XR is an umbrella term used when all these computer-generated technologies are used together.
                                  Read more: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality Detailed with Real-life Examples

                                  How do these technologies influence the future of a workplace?

                                  Listed below are a few ways that AR/VR/MR/XR is influencing the future workplace.

                                  Virtual Reality

                                  • Increased Connection and Collaboration – As opposed to video consultation, VR users feel like they inhabit the same space, resulting in more effective collaboration.
                                  • New HR Practices – With access to employees across the world, hiring practices will widen to recruit top talent.
                                  • Upgraded Training Techniques – VR training is especially favorable in perilous situations, as it offers a safe, engaging, and educational experience.
                                  • Efficient Product Development – VR finds its use in product testing in a variety of scenarios, abolishing the need for costly physical paradigms.

                                  Augmented Reality

                                  • Will Save Money – AR headsets and apps can replace costly seminars or classes.
                                  • Improve Productivity – Increased engagement through collaborations with other companies using AR will change the way employees work.
                                  • Cognitive Barriers – With the help of AR your workforce can train much faster. This will in turn lead to a more structured, competent, and productive team.

                                  Mixed Reality

                                  • Better business operations – MR can help companies work efficiently by allowing engineers to try new ideas without wasting resources and reducing complex processes.
                                  • Enhanced training – It can offer experiential training sessions which allow team members to experience a situation for themselves, in a simulated environment.
                                  • Improved creativity – It improves project development by allowing teams to make important decisions and alter features without wastage or excessive resources.

                                  Extended Reality – 

                                  • Investment Banking – By using XR for broadcast, a firm could reach and interact with many investors over multiple locations in a robust and dynamic way while reducing costs, logistical challenges, and the need for travel.
                                  • Trading Floor – XR replicates all the benefits of a modern trading floor along with advanced capabilities, plus the ability to access the trading environment from anywhere in the world
                                  • Training and Compliance – Scenario models powered by XR, could be used to provide real-time training and ensure employees are well-equipped for real-world situations.

                                  Read more:5 Real-world Applications of Extended Reality

                                  Identifying Which Ecosystem Best Suits VR/AR/MR/XR

                                  To determine which of these technologies better suit your ecosystem, evaluate the challenges your workplace is experiencing.
                                  VR and AR thrive in fields of research and development, design, review, education, and training. MR’s combination of the physical world and the digital world is making notable changes in various industries, including medical, education and research, manufacturing, design, and construction. XR being the comprehensive umbrella that it is plays a more prominent role in various sectors and organizations, yielding clear benefits in numerous facets of work and business, including training, collaborative working, and marketing.
                                  Irrespective of the technology you decide to go with, remember that every time new technology is implemented there’s a clear culture shift at the workplace, so be prepared for change.

                                  Read more: How Is Extended Reality (XR) Impacting Customer Behavior

                                  How To Affordably Deploy AR/VR/MR/XR With Fingent

                                  Fingent has developed strategic software solutions for businesses across the world. By initiating your projects with Fingent you are backed up by a dedicated and skilled team who work round the clock. All our processes are customer-oriented and designed to reduce the cost of business developments.
                                  Fingent merges Augmented Reality using 3D modeling, 360-degree imaging, real-time character identification, and orientation-based tracking with our reality to form immersive and personalized solutions. We help you utilize ARCore; Google’s AR platform, to fabricate a potent user experience through Android devices and ARKit for IOS devices.
                                  With 3D models and simple user-friendly interactions, Fingent creates a customized Virtual Reality strategy that closely binds with your business structure and objectives. We help you analyze and grasp the growing abilities of Mixed Reality to reach your customer base in the most ingenious ways and since Extended Reality is becoming the new mode of communication between business and client, Fingent has systems in place to increase awareness, engagement, and conversation and help support large-scale communication.
                                  If you’re looking for easy and affordable ways to make your workplace future-ready, this is your shot Fingent has got you covered. Give us a call.

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                                    About the Author

                                    ...
                                    Venkatesh Alagarsamy

                                    With exceptional expertise in AR, VR, and MR, Venkatesh has worked in the conception, design, development, delivery, and implementation of solutions catering to the needs of industries like Automobile, Oil and Gas, Medical Simulation, Heavy industries, Mining, Archeology, Retail, Soft Skills Development, and Education. Venkatesh has vast experience in developing multiplayer solutions for leading large-scale sectors across the globe. When not working on projects, Venkatesh likes to keep himself updated on the latest technology advancements, because he believes that's what helps him provide top-notch solutions for his customers. Connect with Venkatesh via LinkedIn today, and know more about how your business can benefit from Extended Reality technologies!

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                                      Digital transformation has become indispensable, more so now than ever before. When COVID-19 struck, governments swung into action and issued orders that restricted in-person business operations and encouraged people to work from home. In response, businesses began to look for ways to continue their operations by turning to various technologies.

                                      Even before the spread of the pandemic, these technologies empowered businesses to engage with their customers, allowing workplace flexibility while introducing automation and faster processes. But the pandemic accelerated these adoptions immensely. The digital transformation helped businesses to find ways for people to communicate, collaborate, and complete work while working remotely. At the same time, it catered to the request of customers who preferred contactless or contact-limited operations as well.

                                      Exploring and understanding the latest digital transformation trends and what parts of these transformations will likely be here to last will help you plan the best digital transformation strategy.

                                      Read more: Prepare for the future of Digital Innovation with these 10 services from Fingent!
                                      digital innovation

                                      What Is Trending In Digital Transformation Now (2022) And What’s Going Cold?

                                      If there is one takeaway all businesses can learn from this pandemic, it is to be adaptable. As the landscape reinvents itself and workplace culture trends shift suddenly, systems, processes, internal dynamics must pivot to stay competitive. It is crucial to adopt digital trends with the staying power to benefit your business. This makes it important to know all about the trend that will stay long-term versus ones that will go cold in this post-COVID ecosystem. Let’s begin with what goes cold.

                                      1. Fading: Blockchain implementation

                                      Blockchain implementation is designed to maintain distributed ledgers. However, the cost associated with it is higher compared to other technologies that can be applied more affordably. The higher pricing has diminished the interest in blockchain implementation.

                                      2. Fading: Office technologies

                                      Much of everyday business operations hinge on office technologies. Work from home mandates has changed this outdated means of communication and collaboration. Mobile phones have replaced pagers and online documentation has replaced paper.

                                      3. Fading: Complicated and inadequate technology stacks

                                      Whether your team is remote, hybrid, or office-based, it is crucial to have the right tech stack. A 2021 Work Report finding shows that 32% of workers quit a job because of inadequate technology and there is the other 49% who are likely to quit if the tech stack is hard to use. Employees do not want to waste large amounts of time searching for information across various platforms. This can also result in security breaches too as it puts sensitive data at risk. Opting for streamlined technology over-complicated technology can lead to maximum efficacy.

                                      4. Trending: 5G will go mainstream

                                      Businesses need reliable connectivity and more bandwidth to achieve greater success at their core parts such as remote work and videoconferencing. Increased reliance on phones, tablets, and other IoT devices highlights the need for the multi-lane superhighway and so 5G deployments have become a vital part of the solution.

                                      Read more: Future proof your business with 5G, Edge Computing, and Cloud!
                                      5G

                                      5. Trending: Customer Data Platforms

                                      There has been an explosion of Customer Data Platform (CDP) last year. It is highly difficult to organize fragmented data from multiple sources. Organizing such data is also a costly affair. To address this challenge, most companies now rely on CDPs to help them collect, organize, tag, and make it usable for all those who need access to it. Data will continue to grow exponentially in the coming years which makes the rise of customer data platforms inevitable.

                                      6. Consolidation of software vendors

                                      Worldwide merger and acquisition activity combined with developing technologies has resulted in a consolidation of software vendors. According to a report by Gartner, consolidation in the tech business is set to hit a record high in 2022.

                                      7. Digital transformation tools

                                      Remote and hybrid work is becoming the rule, not an exception. With this scenario, organizations need technologies that seamlessly enable collaboration. Digital transformation tools will help businesses to manage employees and stakeholders that are globally dispersed. And this trend will become increasingly prominent in 2022.

                                      8. Increased focus on the power of AI and hyper-automation

                                      The gigantic amounts of data that businesses gather are only as effective as their AI systems. So, the implementation of AI will remain crucial for efficient business function in 2022. There is no need to approach AI with fear as AI will repurpose human assets as opposed to taking jobs away.

                                      The key purpose of Artificial Intelligence is to automate. Essentially, this means all mundane and repetitive tasks can be automated resulting in huge benefits for many employees. Besides, it allows the employer to use that talent for more purposeful tasks.

                                      9. AI for enhanced customer experience 

                                      According to Gartner, businesses that use AI in their customer service channels will experience a 25% increase in operational efficiency. The insights on customer behavior are causing IT system redesigns.

                                      10. Technology to support distributed enterprises

                                      The workforce is now becoming more geographically dispersed. Frictionless work experienced necessitates major technical and service changes. Every organization must reconfigure to embrace distributed services. The right digital technology is imperative for business success.

                                      11. Supply chain digitization

                                      Increased consumer prices and the sluggish economy are exerting tremendous pressure on supply chains. Supply chain digitization is a crucial component that will aid in solving supply chain issues.

                                      Read more: A Look Into The Future Of Manufacturing Industry – The challenges, the opportunities, and the technologies that will help revolutionize!
                                      manufacturing

                                      12. Fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0)

                                      Industry 4.0 includes new integrated technology that aims to mitigate the inefficiencies of traditional manufacturing. The manufacturing industries are moving towards robotics, AI, and ML to increase efficiency and benefit their customers.

                                      13. Renewed focus on Human Capital Management (HCM) software

                                      The practice of HCM has become increasingly prevalent in 2021. It has become the driving force for most business practices and will continue to center stage in 2022.

                                      Planning The Best Digital Transformation Strategy With Fingent

                                      The acceleration of digital transformation may seem overwhelming. But the right technology can enable a seamless transition for your business. Fingent can help collaborate and streamline the process of selecting solutions that drive digital transformation. Fingent custom software development experts will assist you in evaluating the available options in the market and in making the best choice on the solutions you need. We can help in reducing the cost of your tech evaluations, increase process effectiveness and employee satisfaction. So, the only tool you need to digitally transformation of your business is Fingent! Connect with us today!

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                                        About the Author

                                        ...
                                        Tony Joseph

                                        Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

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