Application Development and Testing

Application development and testing consumes large quantities of your data center resources. The need for compute resources fluctuates throughout your application development lifecycle – for example, when 100 servers are needed for two weeks to load-test a new application, or when developers in multiple sites need servers for initial prototyping. You typically plan for these surges by provisioning for peak usage. The result: during downtime in the lifecycle, this expensive equipment sits idle in your data center. But under-provisioning is not an option, since the applications that are being built and tested, such as CRM, ERP and custom external-facing applications, are important to your business operations.

Moving this application development and testing lifecycle to the cloud lets you:

• Provision your data center with only the resources needed for your steady-state operations, saving you substantial capital expenditure and moving non-production environments out of your production resources
• Provide your development and QA organizations with the flexibility to “turn on” capacity when they need it
• Maintain control over cloud usage and ensure enterprise security policies remain in effect

CloudSwitch makes it easy to use the cloud for application development. Not only does CloudSwitch allow your developers to build and test applications in the cloud as if they were in the data center, but with CloudSwitch it’s also easy to bring the applications back INTO the data center as you go into production. You have the control you need throughout the development process, with the capacity and flexibility you need so your data center resources are not impacted.

Windows 8 to tap heavily into Windows Live

Windows 8 will let users more easily and seemlessly bridge the gap between online and offline by directly tapping into Microsoft's Windows Live service.

Some of the features and benefits of the new Windows Live integration in Microsoft's upcoming OS are;

Windows 8 prompts you to log in with your Windows Live ID. If you allow it to do so, Windows Live can then automatically store your Windows profile, settings, and other key files in the cloud. This gives you the ability to synchronize those settings with any Windows 8 PC in which you're logged in, ensuring that you retain the same preferences from one PC to another. Microsoft is also promising the same synchronization between PCs and mobile devices running Windows Phone 7.

Windows 8 will also integrate more smoothly with Sky drive, Microsoft's online storage site. Documents, photos, and other files that you create locally can be saved to SkyDrive, accessed from any PC, and even shared with other people that you designate. Microsoft will reportedly still limit SkyDrive users to 25 gigabytes of space for most files but offer unlimited storage for photos or Office documents.

The new operating system will further rely on the new Metro user interface to let you access and share different information, whether it's online or offline. Booting into Metro will show you tiles for key services, such as e-mail, calendar, and contacts. The e-mail feature can connect to multiple accounts, such as work and home. The Calendar can also display appointments for work and home as well as those of friends, family, or colleagues with Windows Live accounts.

People is Microsoft's new address book, which ties together all your contacts, including those from Facebook and LinkedIn. And the new Photos app in Windows 8 can show you photos from your local PC, another PC, SkyDrive, and other services.

The company is also opening up Windows Live and SkyDrive to developers who want to incorporate those services into their own applications or devices.

SharePoint Integration with Office

Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services takes Microsoft Office beyond the desktop application and brings it online so that we can share and collaborate more effectively with other people in company, group or organization. SharePoint is a web site that can be displayed in a browser such as Internet Explorer, and includes an interface for displaying lists and libraries in a secure database.

SharePoint also contains various web-parts that can display sorted or filtered information in various ways, or can display some kind of custom functionality. SharePoint can be used for something as simple as a list of contacts, or for something as complex as a project management dashboard for a new store opening.

Document management and sharing are the most important features of Windows SharePoint Services. We can use these features to create, manage, and share documents easily. Because these features are integrated with Office 2007, and can easily find them and use them.

File Menu Integration

Document sharing is fully integrated into the File menu in most Office 2007 applications. You can use the File menu to open or save documents in a document library on a SharePoint site. 

Document Check-in and Check-out

Windows SharePoint Services provides an intuitive, easy-to-use method for tracking the version history of a document. First, if you want to work on a document that is stored in a document library, you can check out the document. When you do this, other users cannot make changes to the document. This helps prevent the confusion that can occur when multiple users make simultaneous changes to the same document. When you finish working on the document, you can check in the document so other users can work on it. To check out a document, you must be a member of a site group with the Edit Items right for that SharePoint site.

Version Tracking

Windows SharePoint Services also handles version tracking for documents stored on a SharePoint site. Windows SharePoint Services keeps copies of previous versions of each document so you can go back and view the changes that were made to a document at any time.

Integrated Web Discussions

Windows SharePoint Services enhances the existing shared editing features in Office 2007 by providing inline discussion tools and by storing inline discussion comments on the SharePoint site. This means that reviewers can add their comments directly to the document and that reviewer comments are stored and managed centrally, so they are available whenever an editor or reviewer opens a document from the SharePoint site. 

Document Workspace Sites and Meeting Workspace Sites

Windows SharePoint Services introduces Document Workspace sites and Meeting Workspace sites, which are innovative new tools for communicating and sharing. A Document Workspace site or Meeting Workspace site is a SharePoint site that you can quickly create from an Office 2007 application to share a particular task, document, or project.

Google Offers To Re-Write Your Webpages

Google has long been obsessed with speed. It’s paramount in pretty much everything they do. Which is why the launch of Google+ with some — gasp — attention paid to design is even more surprising. But a new service Google is launching this evening very much puts the focus back on speed — an obsessive amount of focus, one might say.

Page Speed Service is the latest tool in Google’s arsenal to help speed up the web. This service is also their most ambitious yet. When you sign up and point your site’s DNS entry to Google, they’ll enable the tool which will fetch your content from your servers, rewrite your webpages, and serve them up from Google’s own servers around the world. Yes, you read all of that correctly.

“Your users will continue to access your site just as they did before, only with faster load times,” Google notes. They say that applying web performance best practices across these pages should improve speed by 25 to 60 percent. Google will allow you to test out how much they’ll be able to speed up your site before you commit to it, apparently.

“Now you don’t have to worry about concatenating CSS, compressing images, caching, gzipping resources,” Google says. Okay, but isn’t that a little freaky, giving Google the ability to re-write and serve your pages on the fly? Perhaps. But if they really can deliver on the results they’re promising, it may be worth it.

Google says that Page Speed Service will be offered for free to a limited set of testers right now. Eventually, they will charge for it, and pricing will be “competitive”.

8 Universal Principles of Success

Success is not something that only a chosen few can achieve. Everyone can be successful in every area of his or her life. You just need to know how to do things in such a way as to make sure you succeed every time. Success comes as a result of forming certain habits, and continuing in them. Consistency is key. To succeed, you need to be a certain type of person. Don't be discouraged if you are not yet that type of person. With practice, anyone can become a successful person. The successful person thinks in a certain way, talks in a certain way, and acts in a certain way. The list below briefly outlines 10 of those ways (and a bonus tip!). Anyone who consistently applies these principles to any area of their life will experience success in that area.

Vision: Have a clear picture of what exactly it is you want to achieve or become. Keep this picture at the top of your mind at all times. Doing something you want to do, because you want to do it, will motivate you to succeed at it. Start with the end in mind.

Belief: Believe without a shadow of a doubt that you can do it. Believe that you will succeed. Believe in a Higher Power who is helping you get what you want. Stay away from negative influences (people, books/articles, anything negative), which make you doubt your ability to succeed. Surround yourself with things that remind you that you can, and will, succeed.

Responsibility: Realize that you alone are responsible for your future. You alone are responsible for the outcome of your efforts. Don't look for anyone to blame. Feel free to ask for help as you need it, but remember the final decision is up to you. It's your life, after all.

Affirm: Make a habit of saying out loud what you hope to achieve. Speak of it in the present tense, e.g., 'I am fit and trim', as opposed to 'I will be fit and trim'. If you feel awkward speaking out loud to yourself, write down the affirmation. Then look at it (or better still, rewrite it) several times each day. This helps your mind stay focused on the goal. It also builds your self-belief and confidence.

Commitment: Make a firm commitment to action. Decide to take whatever steps you need to take to help you achieve your goals. Then honour the commitment you've made. Too often we find it easy to keep our commitments to others while neglecting to keep our commitments to ourselves. This pattern has to change if you're to succeed in life.

Set a SMART goal: Now that you know what you want to achieve or become, you need to define it by making it a goal. Your goal has to be Specific, Measurable (you need a standard to help you know when you've achieved it) and Motivational (it's got to inspire you and keep you motivated), Attainable and Attractive, Realistic (no point setting an unrealistic goal such as "I want to be a millionaire this evening") and Timed (State when you hope to achieve it).

Plan and Take Action: Work out a plan of action. Break down the plan into baby steps. Take a step or two each day, reminding yourself that each step is bringing you closer to your goal. Perform each act to the best of your ability, filled with faith, determination and purpose to reach your goal. Most importantly, be consistent.

Persistence: Do not give up until you have achieved what you desire. In the course of things, be willing to change any part of your plan which turns out not to work, and try something else. Thomas Edison did not give up in his quest to invent the light bulb, even though he'd 'failed' 10,000 times. Now that's persistence! See every failure as a stepping-stone to success and as a temporary set back. Learn from it and push on towards your goal.

The Advantages of Using Cloud Computing

A recent survey carried out by PEER 1 Network Enterprises found that of the 88% of key decision-makers that do not use cloud computing, 39% said it was because they don't know enough about it. So, for those who are still in the dark, what is cloud computing anyway?

Cloud computing enables users to store files and software remotely, rather than on a hard drive or server at their office. The fact is many people may already be using cloud computing without realizing it, whether through work or personal use. Examples include web-based email like Gmail and Hotmail, communication tools like Skype, video sites like YouTube and Vimeo and music-sharing sites such as SoundCloud.

Some examples of cloud computing applications include software as a service (SaaS), Customer Relationship Management, file storage, file synchronization and file back-up. It's now possible for businesses to have their own private cloud, which incorporates specific services and is only accessible to specific people.

The Benefits of Cloud Computing
There are lots of advantages to using cloud computing for international companies. One of the major ones is the flexibility that it offers. Cloud computing means that staff can access the files and data that they need even when they're working remotely and/or outside office hours.

As long as they can get on the Internet, staff can access information from home, on the road, from clients' offices or even from a smartphone such as a BlackBerry or iPhone. Staff can also work collaboratively on files and documents, even when they're not physically together. Documents can simultaneously be viewed and edited from multiple locations.

Cloud computing can be very quick and easy to get up and running. Consider, for example, how quickly you can set up a Gmail or Hotmail account and start emailing - it takes minutes and all you need is a computer and the Internet. Downloading and installing software, on the other hand, takes much longer.

Cloud computing is often cheaper and less labor-intensive for companies too. There is no need to buy and install expensive software because it's already installed online remotely and you run it from there, not to mention the fact that many cloud computing applications are offered free of charge. The need to pay for extensive disk space is also removed. With cloud computing, you subscribe to the software, rather than buying it outright. This means that you only need to pay for it when you need it, and it also offers flexibility, in that it can be quickly and easily scaled up and down according to demand. This can be particularly advantageous when there are temporary peaks in demand, such as at Christmas or in summer, for example.

A major advantage of using cloud computing for many companies is that because it's online, it offers virtually unlimited storage compared to server and hard drive limits. Needing more storage space does not cause issues with server upgrades and equipment - usually all you need to do is increase your monthly fee slightly for more data storage.

In addition, there is no need to take on specialist IT staff, and businesses don't have to worry about maintaining and upgrading software or fixing bugs, as all maintenance is done by the providers. This frees-up in-house IT teams to focus on technical issues specific to the business. Remote maintenance means it's easy for businesses to always have the latest and most powerful version of any particular software.

Automatic software updates can be especially useful for legal or financial compliance reasons. For example, consider accounting and bookkeeping software - when tax rates change the system will be automatically and centrally updated.

Many international businesses also choose cloud computing because of its green credentials. Microsoft recently claimed that cloud computing can reduce a business's carbon emissions by as much as 30%, as businesses don't need to power an entire server, they only use (and pay for) what they need online.

The Pros and Cons
There are some potential drawbacks to cloud computing, though, that are worth bearing in mind. One of the reasons many businesses choose cloud computing is because online storage and back-up means their data can't be lost or destroyed, but the flip side is that many are concerned about the security issues associated with storing their data on the web.

While some experts argue that cloud computing is more secure than traditional server methods, businesses are still concerned that outsiders (or insiders) could bypass security systems and access confidential data. A survey from IDC found that security was the main worry that businesses have about cloud computing, followed by availability and performance. However, it's worth weighing up the risks and remembering that traditional servers can also be hacked into, hard drives can fail and computers can be lost or stolen.

Privacy is another issue which businesses cite as a concern when it comes to cloud computing. Some wonder how much data and what kind of data companies are able to collect about them and their business.

Another concern for some companies when it comes to cloud computing is the risk of losing Internet connectivity. The risks associated with this are usually isolated and short-lived, but many companies' workflows are massively disrupted by any Internet downtime. Businesses that implement cloud computing need to take steps to reduce the risk of any Internet interruption or reduced speeds. However, these risks are comparable with servers or computers being out of action for a period of time, which is just as likely, or perhaps more likely to happen, than the Internet failing.

While there are a number of issues for companies to bear in mind, and cloud computing may not be ideal for every business, it can be an extremely cost-effective and beneficial way for large and small international companies to store data and access software - so it's well worth considering and researching in more depth. Because of the scalability of cloud computing, it's easy for firms to start small and try certain applications out to see how it works for them and their business before gradually expanding their use.

Offshore Software Development - Business challenges and How to overcome it?

Here we are headed to discuss what is offshore ? what are the biggest threats in "Offshore Software Development" in India?

The biggest threats in "Offshore Software Development" in India are:
• People can be hired at lower rates from other parts of the world
• Lack of domain specific service providers
• The trend is to offer general services and not focus on a niche product

Some extremely useful solutions that may be effective for the Indian market and make it easy for the companies in getting future offshore work. The key to success, is a "laser sharp focus".It is very important to develop a trust factor between the customer and the service provider. A focused domain, honestly towards the customer by spending more time in research, and a consistent delivery of work are some simple tools to the success of offshore business.
Talked about reverse off-shoring. UK and Europe are way ahead when it comes to skills, talent and dedication of people. "10 persons in US",  "is equivalent to a team of 50 people in India".
The challenge will remain immense if:
• Empathy is not shown towards the customers
• Smaller companies do not focus on a single niche domain
• Work is not delivered on time
It is very important to put the right person on the right job. An employee, who is technically very sound, need not be the project manager of a company, owing to his pay scale and experience. A company in such practice would only end up losing a good resource. To have a profound effect of the product developed on the customer an entrepreneur should make extreme innovation and creativity a habit.
Offshore Market Opportunities
It is important for any company to define their work process. This would help them in two ways:
• By fetching a monthly price
• By helping them get long lasting project
The biggest problem with smaller companies is that people, after a certain point of time, move out looking for jobs. What these young people don't understand is that they need a career and not just a job. Hiring policies for any SMEs or start-ups is thus very important. Entrepreneurs has to set a benchmark performance or expectation at the time of recruitment.
Some valuable points below can be very promising for any company:
• Generate empathy towards the customer
• Show your commitment and energy towards a project
• Maintain consistency
• Meet the deadlines
• Be upfront while you communicate
• Learn to say a "NO"
Delivering Work on Time
Time management is also very important for any company who mainly survive on offshore product development.When you promise a delivery date, make sure you meet the deadline. If there are holidays, make sure to inform the customer a day before.Proactive and upfront communication is always an added advantage to build trust with the client.
Payment on Time
A common problem faced by many SMEs is the struggle to get the payment on time.In smaller projects the payment is cleared on delivery. Therefore it is better to go for larger projects and negotiate on a phase wise or advanced payment. "If you are a newbie in the industry", "its better to start with local clients. It will help you to build your portfolio". A trust is a two way game. So when you go into a contract, make sure you have mentioned your terms and conditions clearly. Often it becomes difficult to get the signoff amount if it's a long-term project. In such a case a company can make a signoff checklist to monitor if the work has been delivered accordingly.