In 2023 and going ahead, digital transformation is critical and has become increasingly important for businesses. Digital transformation not only makes a business competitive but also ensures that establishments can meet the changing demands of consumers.
By embracing digital transformation, businesses can expand operative efficiency, intensify agility, enhance customer experiences, and drive innovation.
Ultimately, digital transformation can help businesses stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
In this article, let we will analyze and understand the following:
What is Digital Transformation? Why do businesses in this day and age need Digital Transformation?
What are the benefits of Digital Transformation?
What are the top digital transformation trends for businesses in 2023?
And lastly, why should your businesses adapt to this wave of Digital Transformation? Why is it so important?
What is Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation is integrating digital technology into all business areas, fundamentally changing how it operates and delivers value to customers.
It involves adopting and implementing new digital technologies and business models for overall growth!
The goal of digital transformation is to leverage technology to create new opportunities for development and competitiveness and to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Why do Businesses in This Day and Age Need Digital Transformation?
To stay competitive: In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses that do not embrace digital transformation risk falling behind their competitors. The need for digital technologies allows businesses to stay ahead of the curve and maintain their competitiveness.
Improve operational efficiency: Digital transformation can automate manual processes and streamline workflows, leading to increased efficiency and reduced costs.
Enhance customer experiences: Adapting to digital technologies allows businesses to create more personalized and engaging customer experiences that further boost customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Drive innovation: Digital transformation enables businesses to leverage new technologies and business models to drive innovation, produce new products and services, and explore new markets.
Cater to market demands: Digital transformation can help businesses quickly respond to changes in the market, stay ahead of customer needs, take advantage of new opportunities, and cater to the changing demands of the market.
Manage data: As the volume of data generated by businesses continues to grow, digital transformation can help enterprises effectively manage and use their data, leading to better decision-making and improved outcomes.
Attract and retain talent: In a competitive job market, businesses that embrace digital transformation can attract and retain top talent by offering a modern and innovative work environment.
The Four Benefits of Digital Transformation:
Increased agility: Digital transformation enables businesses to adapt to market changes quickly, respond to customer needs, and take advantage of new opportunities.
More significant insights and data-driven decision-making: Digital transformation can give businesses access to vast amounts of data and advanced analytics tools, allowing them to make informed, data-driven decisions.
New revenue streams: By leveraging digital technologies and business models, businesses can create new products and services, and explore new markets, leading to increased revenue growth.
Improved collaboration and teamwork: Digital transformation can facilitate better collaboration and communication within and between teams, leading to more effective decision-making and problem-solving.
Seven Top Digital Transformation Trends That Businesses Must Follow In 2023:
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AI and ML will continue to play a significant role in automating tasks, improving operational efficiency, driving innovation, and creating new business models.
Internet of Things (IoT): IoT will become increasingly important as businesses look to gather and analyze data from connected devices to gain insights and make data-driven decisions.
Cloud Computing: Cloud technology will continue to play a central role in digital transformation, enabling businesses to access computing resources on-demand and reduce their IT infrastructure costs.
Cybersecurity: As businesses increasingly rely on digital technologies, cybersecurity will become a top priority, with a focus on protecting sensitive data and avoiding cyber-attacks.
5G Networks: 5G networks will offer businesses increased speed and capacity, allowing for faster and more reliable communication and data transfer and enabling new use cases such as autonomous vehicles and augmented reality.
Edge Computing: Edge computing will become increasingly important as the volume of data generated by IoT devices continues to grow, allowing for real-time processing and analysis of data at the network’s edge.
Remote Work: The trend towards remote work will continue, with businesses investing in digital tools and infrastructure to support remote teams and ensure seamless collaboration and communication.
So why exactly should your businesses adapt to this wave of Digital Transformation in 2023, and why is it so important?
Digital transformation is essential for businesses that want to find relevance and be competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Companies should adapt to the wave of digital transformation because it is the need of the hour!
Digital transformation is important as it allows businesses to access newer opportunities, enable better decision-making, attract customers, and retain talent.
In conclusion, digital transformation is not just a trend but a necessary evolution for businesses that want to stay competitive and relevant in today’s digital world. As it prepares businesses for the future, ensuring their continued success and significance in a rapidly developing digital landscape.
Would you like to bring Digital Transformation to your business?
It is simple! Just book a free consultation with the digital transformation experts at
Alignminds
to make your business the next success story!
Alignminds helps you to stay up-to-date with the ever-changing world! We help you to find new ways to make a difference by adapting emerging technologies. For more information, visit our website today
In 2020, global revenue from mobile apps crossed 318 billion U.S. dollars. This was a big jump from 60 billion U.S. dollars in 2019.
The mobile games segment topped the chart with a revenue of over 200 billion U.S. dollars. Social networking mobile apps created revenue of around 31 billion dollars and came second on the list.
Due to high earning potential and the chance to capture a huge market share, mobile apps are becoming popular in all segments. Statista reports that as of the first quarter of 2021, over 3.48 million mobile apps were available on the Google play store.
As mobile apps became popular, the demand for mobile app development services also saw a huge rise. Businesses and entrepreneurs recognized the importance of finding the right mobile app development services, so they can maximize the potential for growth and revenue.
However, as the demand for mobile application development services increased, the industry also saw significant growth. Countless mobile app development companies came into existence across the globe to tap on the opportunity.
As a result, finding the right app development companies from the plethora of options become a difficult task for most businesses.
The number of available apps in the Google Play Store from 2nd quarter 2015 to 1st quarter 2021. Courtesy: Statista.
Resources required for mobile app development
You may think the new-age businesses like mobile games and social media etc. are different from traditional businesses. Their business strategy and resource allocation are something new that traditional businesses can never relate to.
However, this is a false notion.
Just like a traditional business, any technology-oriented business also has the strategies set out almost similarly. The resources are invested in market research, competitors’ analysis, consumer behaviour study, planning of solutions, implementation of the solution, marketing, and post-purchase services. The major segments where a new-age business invests its resources are listed below.
Market Research
Before you start building your app, there are a few steps you must complete. The first one on the list is “market research”.
Try to find answers to questions like
Who is your target audience?
What are the problems they are facing?
How the solution you are going to develop will help them?
What are the current options in front of your target audience?
How can your solution help the audience better?
Business strategy
You have to strategize how the mobile app you are going to develop will help you as a business. For every business, profit and growth are the ultimate goals. So, any investment they make should bring them returns in terms of profit or growth.
At this step, a business should strategize whether the mobile app is part of their growth plan or a source of revenue. For example, a construction business can create a mobile app as a media consumption platform where they share the latest designs, DIY tutorials or general tips and guides on construction and design. Here the strategy is to help their brand name reach a larger audience, so it will be easier to sell to the same audience later.
On the other hand, a revenue-oriented solution will be a platform where a business connects with their customers and sell products and services directly to them. eCommerce websites are a suitable example of this.
The other things a business should decide include how are they planning to implement this strategy. Are they planning to generate revenue via ads, subscription offers, in-app purchases, one-time payments, upgrade plans or any other modes? If the strategy is to increase their brand reach, what types of content they can utilize? How frequently the content should be updated? Should the content be available in multiple languages?
Consumer study
To be honest, this one should be a part of all the stages of app development. The targeted audience will come into contact with a business in several instances. Each time, the interaction will provide more data about the targeted audience. As a business, you should leverage this information to improve your products and find better and efficient ways to reach the target audience.
In the preliminary stages, you can make use of direct surveys and market research to build a customer profile. Once the app is live, you can leverage the data from the inbuilt analytics or third-party tools. More information can be collected from customers directly once they have directly engaged with your business either during a business transaction or post-purchase.
The collected data can be used to improve existing products, introduce new products, improve your marketing efforts etc.
Building the app
The app can be built in house or by hiring external agencies who are experts in mobile app development.
While building an app in-house will offer you more control over the whole process, it may increase the cost of the process and may delay the launch of the app. You have to invest in technology, infrastructure, human resources and set methodologies and quality standards all by yourself. You also must take care of app deployment and post-deployment strategies. All these will build up cost and hiring the right resources and setting up infrastructure etc. will take time.
If you are hiring a mobile app development company, they already have the right resources and methodologies with them. So, the development cost and time may be less compared to developing an app in house.
If you have no prior experience in this field, has budget constraints or need to launch the app as early as possible, hiring an app development agency will be the right option.
App launch and post-deployment
Whether it is an iOS app or an Android app, your app should follow certain guidelines and quality standards to become eligible to be featured on respective app markets. For example, this is a guideline offered by Apple. And, this is one of the guidelines offered by Google. There are several such guidelines and tips available for both App Store and Play store.
However, submitting your app to the app store or play store won’t be enough. Even if the app store optimization is done right, the success of your app can’t be guaranteed at this stage. You have to promote your newly launched app to your target audience and for that implementation of a well-planned marketing strategy is necessary.
You should also update your app periodically to meet new technology standards and keep it secure and bug-free.
Should you hire mobile app development services?
As you just read, mobile app development is a complex process of combining business strategies and technological innovation. It demands market and technology expertise. The resources needed for developing a mobile app is demanding and you should plan it carefully to not waste your investment.
Thus, unless you have prior experience in developing a mobile app, it is always better to hire mobile app development services so the result can be somewhat guaranteed. The good thing about hiring a mobile app development company is that the right one will have enough experience and expertise in the industry to help you out with the whole process starting from market research and product conceptualization to app launch and app marketing.
But the question is how do you find the right mobile app development services?
Finding the right mobile app development services
Definition of “right mobile app development services” may vary from one business to another. There are different factors that decide whether a mobile app development service is suitable or non-suitable for a business.
Price
First and foremost, the cost of hiring an app development service should be affordable. Unless the services are available at a price range you are able to meet, hiring becomes futile since the project will never be completed or you may lose ownership of the final product.
The best way to find affordable app development services is to hire globally. For example, the cost of developing mobile apps is comparatively less in south-east Asian countries like India or Eastern European countries. If you think hiring from these countries won’t handicap you in terms of communication and quality, this will be a wise decision to make in terms of investment.
Pricing model
Often app development agencies will have different pricing models. For example, some agencies charge you per project, some charge you based on services offered and some others may charge you based on resources. There are also app development agencies that offer you a flexible pricing model.
Experience
Hiring an experienced app development agency will be the right decision for most businesses as it will reduce risk.
When hiring a mobile app development company check whether they have any previous experience in developing similar mobile apps or a mobile app for the same market or industry. Check how the apps are performing in the market. If they have prior experience in developing a similar app, they might be familiar with the industry, business model and target market. So, they can leverage their experience in each stage of development such as user experience, choosing the technology platforms, payment integration, data security and legal compliance etc.
You must also check the performance and quality of the mobile apps they have developed by downloading a few of them and using them on a device. You can also check the ratings and feedbacks their previous customers have given them.
Expertise
Mobile app development is a complex process. It involves different stages and each stage demand expertise in certain disciplines.
For example, the first stage of app development can be identified as product conceptualization. This stage involves planning the product you are going to develop, what are its strength and how it will help you as a business and how it will help the targeted audience with their problems. Here, the expertise should be related to market research and business planning.
The next stage of app development deals with product design. It involves the process of transforming the product concept into design in terms of wireframes, icons, typography, and images. Here, creativity and design capabilities are the expertise called for.
In the next stages, experts are needed for
Finding the right technology platforms,
Maintaining coding standards,
Understanding quality parameters,
Following legal and security guidelines,
Meeting app store eligibility
Promote the mobile app
User analytics etc.
If your plan is to hire an agency to take care of the whole mobile app development process, you should check whether they have the expertise to manage each stage of the development cycle. Lack of expertise in even a single stage may negatively impact the success of your mobile app.
Location
If you are hiring from outside the country, you should be careful about communication and cultural differences.
If there is a big difference in time zone, it may negatively impact the communication since the team you hired may not be available at a time that is convenient for you. So before hiring, you must check whether support is available around the clock or during the time that is convenient to you and your team.
You should also check whether the team can communicate in a language you are comfortable with. Miscommunication will lead to misunderstandings. It will cause unnecessary delays in the development and may impact the functions of the final product negatively.
Quality standards
The quality of a mobile app is necessary due to several factors. First and foremost, the app should provide a good experience for the end-user. It should meet security standards to avoid any legal proceedings from authorities or the users who think the app has violated their basic rights. The quality should be kept in check to become eligible to be submitted to App Store and Play Store, the most popular app markets currently in the market.
So, while looking for mobile application development services, you should check whether the service provider has any understanding of these quality standards. Normally any professional app development agency will have a document that states the quality standards they follow, what are the measurements they take to ensure the mobile app quality and how they mitigate any issues that arise related to this matter and details of contact points who are responsible for monitoring and maintaining the quality of the product they develop.
Before hiring, you should check whether the agency can share any such documents. If no such documents are available, you should check what options are available to check what quality standards the agency follows.
Property rights and Disclosure
Have no doubts. If you are the one paying for the services, you should be the owner of the product idea and final product. A proper non-disclosure agreement should be signed between you and the app development agency in the preliminary stages of communication itself and the agency should respect the product as intellectual property of your business.
Security
Security standards are compulsory for any app product. The app should be safe and secure to use, it should be protected from unauthorized access and the data should be stored securely following all data policy and data security standards set up by security experts and legal authorities.
Any failure in this department will not only impact the business negatively but also cause additional costs in terms of fines and compensation and tarnish the image of the business in front of the public. It may even force the business to shut down its operation and the parties involved may have to undergo legal scrutiny.
Delivery management
Hiring mobile application development services doesn’t mean that you are handing over the whole process to the agency and left waiting until the final product is ready.
The agency should keep you updated periodically as the development progress and seek frequent feedback from you. You should not be left out as an external party but should be respected as part of the team. Regular meetings should be scheduled, and you should have ways and means to raise your concerns and share your feedback.
The delivery management standards and guidelines should be documented and shared with you in the preliminary stages of communication itself. As a client, you should also have the details of contact points at different levels so that if an issue arises, you can seek for remedy immediately.
Deployment
Deployment is the process of launching the final version of a mobile app and offering a way for the actual users to access it.
Generally, apps are deployed on app markets like App Store or Play Store depending on the technology and platforms. To be eligible for deployment, each app market has its own guidelines and quality standards. The app will be approved only after the review of the same. The agency should be familiar with all these guidelines and ensure that the app is deployed as preplanned. They should also take care of all the App Store Optimization(ASO) techniques that will help the app to reach more users.
Post-deployment services
Post-deployment services are mainly app maintenance services. It includes bug fixes, releases of the new versions, adding new functionalities and features, user analytics, data on acquisition etc.
Most companies charge based on hours or a monthly retainer fee for post-deployment services. But this will wholly depend on their business and pricing model. As a business, you should try to hire the best post-deployment services as they will have a direct impact on uptime and the user experience.
Conclusion
Finding mobile app development services is not difficult in this day and age. However, finding the “right” application development services may be difficult for most businesses as the definition of “best app development services” vary from one to another. As each business is unique, you should find an app development agency that understands your industry and business goal and share the same business values as yours.
AlignMinds has more than 12 years of experience in developing mobile apps for startups and enterprises alike. We have developed several trendsetting yet cost-effective solutions for multiple verticals throughout the years of our existence. If you are looking for an experienced mobile app development agency who is also an expert in this field, contact us now!
The software development industry has seen a lot of changes in the last decade. It is predicted to continue changing at an exponential rate, with technologies like AI and IoT becoming more prevalent. As software becomes more complex, the need for highly skilled developers will grow exponentially. Even though there are many skilled developers out there today, it’s still difficult to find qualified candidates that have all the skills needed to fill these positions.
Software development in 2021
The markets for IoT, data, telecom services and system integration grow to $520 billion in 2021, almost double the spent in 2017. The IT sector is recovering in the post-pandemic period and will return to the growth trend line soon with an estimated 5% CAGR. The employment of software developers is expected to improve 21% between 2018 and 2028.
(Information Technology (IT) services spending forecast worldwide from 2008 to 2022. Source: Statista)
Software development continues to be a critical component of any company’s ability to compete on a global scale, as new technologies continue to transform the way we work and live. The advancement and innovation of technologies such as cloud computing, mobile applications, and artificial intelligence have contributed greatly to the growth of these industries over time.
Software development outsourcing trends
Software outsourcing services help organizations to get software developers they can afford and depend on for high-quality results. It also helps them to be more competitive in the marketplace by leveraging expertise from other parts of the world where labor costs are cheaper than they would be at home.
(Recent IT outsourcing trends. Source: Statista)
Almost 60% of companies believe software outsourcing services allow them to completely focus on their core business programs. Outsource app development is the popular IT function in 2021. One among two technology companies is doing application development outsourcing because of its immense benefits.
What are outsourcing and offshore software development company?
Outsourcing and offshore software development are terms that have been popular in the business world for years. An offshore software development company provides outsourced services to businesses. Outsourcing is when a company hires outside talent or programmers located overseas (typically in countries like India and China) to complete their projects or tasks rather than hiring employees internally. This may not only save money on salaries but it also provides access to specialists that might not otherwise be available locally or even regionally.
Software outsourcing services and offshore software development companies are excellent choices when you need help developing an app or website that is too complex for your current staff or budget. You can also use them if you’re running short on time and need a project done quickly without compromising quality.
Benefits of hiring an offshore software development company
Small businesses are always looking for ways to save money without sacrificing quality, and hiring offshore software developers is an effective way to do just that. Outsource app development can help companies cut costs in excess of 50% when compared with on-premise development teams.
The best part about it is there’s no need for your company to relocate overseas or send employees abroad – you’ll have the same access to the team as if they were an in-house group! Software outsourcing services provide a number of benefits including cost savings, high productivity rates, 24/7 customer service availability, reduced risk due to geographical distance from key business operations, increased innovation potential due to cultural diversity within the project team.
Cost savings
In the modern business world, companies are looking for ways to cut expenses and increase productivity. In fact, a recent survey states that 62% of CFOs plan to outsource IT services in order to save on costs. An outsource mobile app development company is a cost-effective way to hire the best talent without breaking the bank.
Hiring offshore software development companies can help you save up to 50% or more on labor costs, as compared with hiring in-house teams. As the offshore software development industry continues to grow, it will become more important for companies to cultivate their offshore relationships as they look for ways to reduce IT costs, improve quality of service, and increase agility in decision-making.
High productivity
The offshore organizations hire expert developers who are great at work. They have experience working on small to large-scale projects, so they are able to provide their best work; no matter the size of the project you assign to them. Outsource mobile app development companies improve productivity by utilizing the latest technologies to create software applications that are innovative and user-friendly.
Round-the-clock business operation
With the current state of business and society, it’s important to have a 24/7 support system with people who can cover your needs at any time. Since there are more developers from different geographical areas, the business will remain operational all the time. This enables the timely completion of the app development process.
Stay focused on core business function
Offshore software development is a form of software outsourcing service that enables companies to stay focused on their core business functions. It allows businesses to free up their resources so they can focus on innovating or expanding their current product offerings instead of being stuck by maintenance tasks.
A dedicated outsource app development team is a great way to scale your business as per the requirements. Since these professionals come with experience from different industries such as IT or engineering they know all about making sure their clients’ needs continue being met no matter where they may be located across the globe.
Improved security
Outsource app development and software development improves security by allowing the software development team to work remotely. This allows for a more secure environment, as company secrets and data are not shared with the offshore business partner. Additionally, offshore teams typically have fewer employees than on-site teams which decreases the risk of sabotage.
Access to the newest technologies
The offshore software development companies specialize in creating high-quality, cutting-edge programs that address your needs. They use their time wisely by learning new skills and improving existing ones to create something perfect for you as soon as possible! The small business owner can now finally afford all these technologies at an affordable cost.
Offshore software development service providers of dedicated specialists can help you get better results. A software outsourcing service provider brings new insights to the work, improving your overall product development lifecycle with their knowledge in a range from engineering through design and production.
Reducing liabilities and improving opportunities
Offshore software development services are a reliable way to reduce business liabilities and take on more important projects. The offshore development team has a dedicated team that works on one particular project instead of working with multiple projects. This means they can ensure high-quality service and fewer errors, which is something you want from your business partner!
Cost comparison of hiring offshore development services
Offshore employees are always less expensive than onshore ones if you’re a business based in any of the developed countries. Businesses located in Europe or North America find it lucrative to hire virtual workers for outsource app development projects paying like $30 per hour but those who choose to do their work through an experienced local developer may end up spending upwards of $100K annually!
In 2021, the virtual work ecosystem will be a reality for businesses. It’s important to consider that this decision should not be taken lightly as it can have consequences on your budget and timeline in hiring an offshore employee or onshore recruit – so make sure you’re ready before diving right into these types of recruitment methods!
The best countries to outsource software development
Software development outsourcing is now a major global industry, with countries such as India and China becoming centers for outsourcing app development. Many companies outsource to save money but there are other advantages as well. The best countries to outsource software development will depend on the needs of the company and the budget.
You should also consider whether or not the country is a good fit for your business and if it will be easy to work with their team remotely.
India
India offers affordable talent with a high level of education and English proficiency, making it easy to find employees who are both qualified and capable of communicating effectively with clients from all over the world. India has lower rates than others, ranging from $15 to 30 per hour. This is an attractive option for many businesses who want to outsource their work but are not able or willing enough themselves with the project management aspect of things possible in India which includes quality assurance as well!
China
The number of app development jobs outsourced in China alone has increased by over 50% since 2017. Other reasons include lower rates for labor and better-qualified employees with a stronger work ethic.
Russia
With its abundance of skilled labor and low production costs, Russia is an ideal country for outsourcing software development services.
Ukraine
Ukraine is home to many skilled programmers who enjoy lower living expenses than their Western counterparts and can work more hours per day due to fewer time constraints on weekends and holidays.
Choosing an outsourcing partner for web and mobile app development
Finding the right software outsourcing service partners to outsource app development can be a daunting and often costly process. These tips will help you find the perfect fit for your business.
Do online research
Take your time to evaluate offshore software development companies carefully by checking out their website, reviews, testimonials, and portfolios. Look at their website and see if they have a page dedicated solely to describing this aspect of doing business with them. It is important to make sure they work in a field that matches your industry or the scope of your project.
B2B directories and listings
B2B directories provide an excellent way to find the perfect vendor for your company’s needs. These directories are a valuable resource for finding offshore software development companies that can offer the services you need at an affordable price. They offer detailed information about each vendor, including testimonials and reviews from other companies that have hired them before. You can search by industry or by location, which is great if you need someone close by.
Check out the portfolio
Look at projects that are similar to yours and see if they have experience working with other companies like yours. If their work looks good then it’s worth asking them for more information about what they can offer you.
Get references
References are a great way to get an idea about the organization and culture within any given company. They can provide insights on what services you will be working with, how communication is handled between partners or clients of those companies and all sorts of really valuable points that might otherwise take some time to find. Ask about recent clients who have had similar needs as you so that you can get feedback from people who have actually used this service before.
Review contracts
Never sign anything without reviewing it thoroughly first with an attorney or other trusted advisor. Be wary of any contract that has terms that are not clear or states something you do not agree with. This could lead to problems down the road when things go wrong between the parties involved in the project.
Explore the case studies
Case studies show how the selected outsourcing partners have handled various challenges they met when developing customer products and solutions. They mention which technologies were used, tools that helped them test out their applications for smooth running in order to create outstanding user experiences.
Things to consider when hiring outsourcing software development companies
There are a lot of options when it comes to hiring offshore software development companies. It can be overwhelming and difficult to figure out who is the best fit for your needs. There are some factors that you should consider before making a decision on which company to hire. It includes the type of services they offer, their pricing structure, experience level, and how quickly they can complete the job.
Another thing you need to look at before hiring an outsourcing software development company is their history as well as their customer reviews. These two factors can make or break your decision in terms of how good they might be for your business. Hiring an offshore software development company can make the business process easier.
Final note
Hiring an offshore software development company will save you time and money. Whether your business needs a mobile app or website, it can be costly to hire local developers with the best skills for all of these different tasks. An offshore team is capable of developing any type of application that suits your budget and timeline.
Choosing to work with an offshore company for your app development needs may be the best decision you ever made. With so many benefits, it’s hard to find a downside. You can get more done in less time and at a lower cost than if you did everything yourself or hired someone locally.
Are you looking for an offshore development company for your next project? Contact us now!
Ever since companies and businesses identified the strength of enterprise applications to achieve their corporate goals, the enterprise software market has experienced tremendous growth. The market revenue has doubled within the last decade and it is expected to reach $429 billion in 2021. It is a 7.2% growth from last year. As more businesses are adopting technology at a faster pace than ever, due to COVID and the change it caused in work culture and market, this number may reach double digits this year.
Usually, a wide range of applications is considered under the term “enterprise applications”. It includes ERP software(Enterprise Resource Planning software), accounting software, Human Resource Management(HRM) software, Office suits, Customer Relationship Management(CRM) software, Supply Chain Management(SCM) Software, Business Process Management(BPM) software, Business Intelligence(BI) software, etc.
The main difference between enterprise applications (also known as Enterprise Application Software (EAS)) and other applications is that the former is mainly used by organizations rather than individual users. A collection of such software applications is known as an enterprise system. Such systems can undertake a large number of organizational operations with the purpose to maximize the quality of business and management reporting tasks. The ability to process data at a high speed and the advantage of being deployed across a variety of networks help enterprise applications meet their purposes.
What are enterprise applications?
Enterprise applications are computer software that are integrated with all phases of an enterprise’s operations to facilitate cooperation and coordination of work across all levels.
An ideal enterprise application should,
Control all major business processes in real-time.
Make complex operations easy and simple.
Save time and human resources.
Can be easily integrated into a variety of networks.
Advantages of enterprise applications
Sharing of data
Enterprise application software increases interoperability between the departments of an organization. It integrates a variety of operations and their respective applications with IT structure, making data sharing fast and efficient. Based on their user level, all the employees of the organization will have access to all these data and applications.
Easy management
As information exchange and management are improved, the management will have better data and control over the business processes. Enterprise applications make it easier for them to analyze where they stand as a business, and what improvements they can make to achieve their corporate goals.
Easy workflow
As information is readily available, and enterprise applications make technology integration a lot easier, most of the workflow within an organization can be automated. For example, the employee database can be integrated with attendance and payroll software to help the HR department. As most CRM applications store and update customer data in real-time, they can be integrated with marketing tools to automate promotional campaigns.
Increasing efficiency
The availability of information in real-time and the opportunity to automate most of the workflow improve an organization’s overall efficiency. More tasks can be executed with comparatively fewer resources and the margin of error can be reduced to a bare minimum. Since a common workflow can be implemented across the organization, there will be better interoperability between departments.
Competitive edge
Increased efficiency and reduced operating costs due to the introduction of enterprise applications offer an organization with competitive advantages.
Simplify business processes
Normally an organization has two major processes it has to take care of internally. They are day-to-day operations and achieving their long-term goals.
As stated earlier, with the help of enterprise applications, you can automate most of the day-to-day operations and backend work. The recording of all the information by the enterprise software enables the organization with real-time data that they can use to achieve their long-term goals.
Save up cost
Since enterprise applications enable automation and most of the tasks are performed electronically, an organization can save up on their operating costs by a big margin. The demand for fewer human interventions combined with information being recorded and exchanged electronically brings down the cost to optimum level without compromising on efficiency.
Lower time and efforts
By enabling automation of operations, enterprise applications help with reducing the time needed to complete tasks. Also, there is less human intervention needed comparing to a traditional business.
Increase opportunities
A reduced operational cost will help with investment opportunities. It enables funding needed for scaling the business and since most of the operations are now automated, an expansion for the business will be much easier.
Easy adoption
An organization that utilizes the benefits of enterprise applications will have a strong IT structure. As such organizations are technologically strong, adopting new technologies will be easier for them. Also, since information is stored and processed electronically, more tools and applications can be integrated into the existing system to boost productivity and efficiency.
Adopt enterprise applications for your business
The ever-growing challenges in the business world are forcing companies to adopt technology at a faster pace. Moving away from traditional methods and adopting leveraging technology has helped companies to not only cut down the competition but also save up on their operating cost. The increasing demand for technology solutions by such future realistic companies has driven up the growth of enterprise applications development. Nowadays the demand is equally or more than equally met by enterprise application development companies whose services are available across the globe.
The improved availability of supply has benefited the technology industry and companies alike. However, due to the same reason, some companies are feeling it difficult to choose the best enterprise application development company for themselves.
So, how do you choose the best enterprise app development company for your organization?
Hire the best enterprise app development company
There are a few important points to consider while choosing an enterprise app development company. They are
Nature of the requirement
You can be looking for enterprise application development services for internal purposes or you may be a part of an organization that wants to develop a product to later sell it in the market. Most of the time, just like how different the nature of the requirement is, the approach and parameters for choosing a technology partner should also be different.
When you are developing an enterprise application for your organization’s internal purposes, you have to consider things like what would be the objective of the solution, what are your organization long term goals, what growth and changes you are expecting in the future, the company culture, the size of the organization, the internal policies of your organization, organization hierarchy, and communication flow, etc.
However, when you are developing a product to sell in the market, you must consider the demand in the market, existing and future competition, features of the products competitors are offering, development cost and sale value, revenue potential, data collection, and privacy policy and many other things which are totally different from the above one.
Usually, it is difficult to find an enterprise application developer who has expertise in both these fields. So, the first step you need to take when you are looking for enterprise application development services is to identify your requirements.
Organization goals
Consider what are your future goals, both long term and short term.
Is it cutting down the operating cost with the help of technology? Or is it to expand your operations to a global scale within the next 5 or 10 years? What is your expansion plan? Have you considered the peculiarities of new geographies and whether the solution can meet the special requirement of the same?
These questions are important because when you are looking for enterprise application development services, the company you are going to hire should analyze and understand all these aspects of your business and help you with achieving your goals. In fact, the company and the solution they are going to develop for you should help you with achieving your goal faster and more efficiently.
Organization growth
When you are hiring an enterprise application development company, you should consider your organization’s growth over time. The service provider should have a good understanding and prior experience in developing large-scale enterprise applications. The solution should be easy to scale and futureproof. Additionally, it is better to choose an app development company that can offer you long-term support.
Data policy
Always choose an enterprise application developer who understands different data policies and their benefits. Protection of data and privacy is a major concern for individuals and corporates alike. You should partner with an agency that can use data effectively to maximize the benefits of the product and at the same time protect it from intrusion, misuse, and legal suits.
Technology expertise
The development company should have expert knowledge on all the aspects of technology and where the industry is heading. They should be able to suggest the best solution after evaluating your requirements, business nature, and market trends.
Choosing the right platform is most important in any type of application development. The right choice will improve efficiency, save up cost and avoid any bottleneck that otherwise would arise in the future due to some technology being outdated or replaced.
Another reason why you should choose an expert technology partner is that enterprise applications are required to be compatible with many other modules/applications that are already used by an organization or will be used in the future. Technology expertise is much needed when it comes to optimizing a product for cross-compatibility. Furthermore, if you are looking to migrate from legacy applications, their expertise will make it easy to do so.
Experience
Let us acknowledge that great ideas bring no benefits if they are executed poorly. Faultless executions are the result of practice and experience. Even though the stages of enterprise application development look simple and familiar, it may be challenging for a new app development agency to execute them. It is mainly due to each business being different, their objectives and goals being different, and the varying micro and macro variables that affect the business.
If we are going to develop an enterprise application to sell in the market, the development company should understand the market first. Each market will be different from one other. A developer who has already worked for a similar company or the same market will have a huge advantage over an app development company with no prior experience. The former one can understand the challenges much easier and they can incorporate countermeasures in the initial stages of product design itself.
Conclusion
Moving from legacy applications to enterprise applications will bring you so many benefits. However, the expertise of an experienced enterprise application developer is much needed to reap the full benefits. AlignMinds has more than 12 years of experience in developing technology solutions for startups to enterprises. If you are looking for a renowned technology partner for your next project, contact us now!
We all are living in a world which is constantly evolving and adapting to needs.
In this fast-moving world, where everyone and everything is connected, there is absolutely no need for hiring regular staff for your company. Discovering and adapting to new approaches of working ensures a better workforce and work culture.
Technological advancement has helped in hiring employees from all around the world belonging to different cultural backgrounds who are an expert in their field of work. The dedicated development team is the newest entry into this segment.
Hiring a dedicated development team has become one of the best approaches for both cost reduction and quality maintenance. You can hire a dedicated development team and obtain the best skill set out there. Surveys show that many companies hire dedicated development teams from countries that offer the best services and quality at a very low cost.
Now, what is a dedicated development team and how to hire dedicated development teams?
Let’s look into the details.
What is a dedicated development team?
What will you do if your company doesn’t have the required expertise in developing your project?
Do you want to get involved in every stage of planning a software or an app and also want to work with a reputed and professional team?
All these questions lead to the concept of ‘dedicated development team’.
Dedicated development teams are another system or establishment different from your company that are hired to work for you. Hiring a dedicated development team helps you find talents from many parts of the world.
You will get a team of professionals who have the required expertise and experience in the domain while hiring a dedicated development team. Hiring a dedicated development team also helps you greatly in your cost-cutting strategies.
As the term suggests, dedicated development teams are fully committed to you and the work you offer. The team directly reaches out to you for updates on the projects and you can directly communicate with the team, control and monitor progress from any part of the world.
Advancements in cloud-based technologies have also led to the development of various working models. The dedicated development team is one such working model that came into prominence by using cloud-based technologies.
Now, why should you hire a dedicated app development team?
Why hire a dedicated development team?
Are you confused between hiring a dedicated development team or building your own in-house team?
If you find these points relevant based on your requirements, hiring a dedicated development team is your best choice.
If your team is not having the required expertise in the development of your project, you need to hire a team of experts. By hiring a dedicated development team, you can ensure that your project is developed by an expert team in the field.
If you do not want to spend on hiring employees and infrastructure and consistently reduce budget; hire a dedicated development team. As the dedicated development team has all the infrastructure facilities and a full-fledged team to support your project, you only need to pay for the services they offer.
If the project is a large scale one, and if your team cannot complete the project under the specified timeline, hiring a dedicated development team will definitely help you in reducing the project delivery time to a great extent.
Dedicated development teams regularly update themselves with the latest technological advancements and infrastructures. So you don’t need to spend on upgrades when hiring a dedicated development team.
If you want to develop a quality project with the insights from experts in the industry, hire dedicated development teams. This will also help you to combine your innovations with that of the team enabling in the development of a better product.
If you are looking for an easily manageable team of experts, hiring dedicated development teams can help you. Most likely they will be a team of professionals with the required skills and communication quality and a dedicated development team is directly controlled by the client.
If you want to start a project immediately and is looking for the best professionals in the field of work, hiring a dedicated development team makes sure that the project begins the next moment after the requirements are made clear.
You can also hire a dedicated development team if your company doesn’t have the necessary resources to support the development of a product.
There are certain factors to look into while hiring a dedicated development team.
Hiring a dedicated development team
You should have a good understanding of the factors that help in hiring the best one among the many dedicated development teams out there.
The main points to look into while hiring a dedicated development team include:
Requirements of your projects
Experience and expertise of the dedicated development company
Flexibility
Infrastructure and technological advancements
Analyse and evaluate the requirements of your project based on the targeted customer. Cost and project completion time will vary depending on the requirements.Calculate the cost, project completion time and accordingly hire a dedicated development team that best suits the requirements.
Experience and expertise is another important factor to look into while hiring a dedicated development company. Before hiring a dedicated development company of your choice, contacting past clients will help in getting an overall picture of the firm and evaluate whether the team has the skills and knowledge to complete the project on time without compromising on quality.
Gaining more and more experience in their craft makes a company perfect. Hiring a dedicated development team with many years of experience helps you in launching the ultimate product according to the demand in the market and which will be loved by the users.
Flexibility is another factor to consider while looking for a good dedicated development team in foreign countries.
While hiring a dedicated development team, you should check how the team is adapting to technological advancements in the industry. An ideal dedicated development team should have the latest technologies incorporated into their workflow along with necessary resources and high-end infrastructure.
Analysing the pros and cons of hiring a dedicated development team will help you in deciding whether to go with a dedicated development team or not.
Let’s have a deeper look.
What are the benefits and cons of hiring a dedicated development team?
Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Hiring a dedicated development team helps you in many ways. You also face some problems while hiring a dedicated development team.
First, let’s discuss the benefits of hiring a dedicated development team.
Advantages of hiring a dedicated development team
The main advantages of hiring a dedicated development team is a significant reduction in cost and time. Some of the other benefits are:
There is no need to invest in infrastructure as everything is already available with the dedicated development team.
There are no daily management issues as in an in-house model of development.
You get a team of professionals and experts who are hired after multiple stages of tests, interviews and evaluation.
You can employ cost-cutting strategies very efficiently while hiring a dedicated development team. You can cut or increase the number of members in the team at any stage of the development cycle.
All the stages of development are directly controlled by you. You can also make changes or bring innovations at any stages of development of the project.
You can carefully plan and assign tasks to each member of the team if needed.
You can access real-time updates on the project progress.
Hiring dedicated development teams is the best choice if your project is complex and long-term.
When you hire dedicated development teams, you will get to work with a more coordinated and affordable workforce that does not compromise on quality.
A replacement is always available if you think that anyone in the dedicated development team is not up to the mark.
Another important advantage of hiring a dedicated development team is, you can hire the team on an hourly, weekly, monthly or project basis.
Risk of a data breach is minimum while hiring a dedicated development team as most of them promise intellectual property protection and data security and will legally sign any related agreement along with a non-disclosure agreement.
There are also some cons to look into while hiring a dedicated development team.
Cons of hiring a dedicated development team
You should also consider some of the cons of hiring a dedicated development team. Some of the possible cons include the following:
This team model is ineffective for short-term projects, as the members need to adapt to the project requirements and this consumes time. Efficiency is also low for short term projects.
If you are hiring a dedicated development team from another country, communication barrier may be a problem.
The initial stage of hiring a dedicated development team takes time and multiple evaluations as you will need to search for the best team, compare price, reviews and ratings.
If you have changing project requirements, financial planning is difficult due to variations in cost estimates.
Now, another question remains:
How to hire a dedicated development team?
How to hire a dedicated development team?
The process of hiring an excellent dedicated development team is time-consuming. There are two stages of hiring a dedicated development team.
The first stage
The first stage is to have a thorough analysis of the requirements of your project before hiring a dedicated development team. Set priorities to your needs of the project.
Make an estimate of your budget.
Search the internet for the most rated dedicated development teams. Make acquaintance with past clients to know about the quality of their work and make a detailed analysis of the ones you have shortlisted.
Compare the rates of the dedicated development team you have selected.
Give priorities to the dedicated development teams with awards and recognition and that is flexible to work with.
Look out for the latest tech and infrastructural facilities, expertise in a variety of platforms and uninterrupted power supply and high-speed internet while hiring a dedicated development team.
Hire dedicated development teams with good project management skills such as prompt delivery time, focussed and adaptive to sudden changes in the requirements.
Hire a dedicated development team which is having secure encryption protocols for data protection.
Clutch and GoodFirms are a few examples of platforms that help you in searching for the best dedicated app developers. Conducting a search in these platforms helps you in finding the best dedicated development teams.
According to the project requirement, your quality expectations, budget and the timeline of product delivery, hire the right dedicated development team.
The second stage
After shortlisting a dedicated development team, there are some points to consider to ensure a good workflow.
Check the number of team members and analyse the skill set and field of expertise of each member.
The team members should be able to design engaging content to the users.
Look out for the team members who are focussed, reliable and experienced.
If time permits, you can ask the selected team members to show some past work or check whether they are fit for the project by asking questions related to the implementation of the project.
Good communication skills are also an important part of hiring a dedicated development team. Members with adequate communication skills are a plus point of an excellent dedicated development team.
Now let’s discuss the cost of hiring a dedicated team.
How the cost of hiring a dedicated development team is determined?
Cost is always a deciding factor while hiring a dedicated development team. There are many dedicated development teams with varying rates.
The number of team members is a determining factor in the cost of hiring a dedicated development team. You can change the number of members at any time in a dedicated development team based on your agreement.
As stated in earlier sections, you can hire dedicated development teams on an hourly/ weekly or monthly basis. Cost of hiring is different for each method. According to your requirements and financial estimates you can evaluate which of these methods is a better option for your project.
The cost will also depend on the level of involvement of the team. There are various stages of product development. Product conceptualization, product design, product development, QA (Quality Assurance) and testing, product deployment etc. As the team gets involved in more stages, the cost will also increase.
All these factors have an influence on the overall cost of hiring a dedicated development team.
What is the cost of hiring a dedicated development team?
The cost of hiring a dedicated development team is determined by the geographical location. Surveys show that the cost of hiring dedicated development teams from Asian countries such as India is low as compared to the USA.
Dedicated development teams from the USA charge a higher rate of about $150-$195 per hour, but South Asian countries such as India charge between $26-$35 dollars per hour.
The following table shows the estimated cost of hiring a dedicated development team.
Hiring the right dedicated development team is the first step towards the success of your product. AlignMinds Technologies is an award-winning product engineering company with a decade of success stories. We can help your businesses to get an edge on the competition and bring more revenue and recognition through innovative solutions. Contact us now!
If COVID has benefited any industry, it is the tech industry.
Due to quarantine and self-distancing as a measure against the pandemic, the direct interaction between consumer and business has widened. As a result, there is a surge in demand for technology innovation and adoption in the market to fill this growing gap.
Even the ones that were called “traditional” have either digitalized their business or are in the early stages of technology adoption.
However, there are businesses and entrepreneurs who are not yet able to make the transition. One of the major reasons is the budget and availability of a reliable technology supplier. For most of them, the current situation was unforeseen, and they are sceptical about the ROE they may gain through the digitalisation of their business. Or, they have a limited fund available with them.
This article is written with an aim to help such businesses and entrepreneurs.
What is mobile app development?
To understand what mobile app development is, we should first understand what mobile apps are.
A mobile app is a set of mobile programmers with specific functions that are bundled together targeting a defined population with specific needs. These programmes tried to fulfil the needs of the defined population through
Delivering services directly through the app
Helping the population to request for the services and products through the platform
Helping businesses to connect with the population
In the first and last cases, there will be a single vendor whereas in the second case there may be more than ne vendor.
Mobile apps are rapidly becoming popular since the last decade. Industries like retail, telecommunications, banking, insurance, healthcare, and government have already leveraged the power of mobile apps to enable users to conduct transactions and access information in the most convenient way.
The number of mobiles apps are increasing day by day and the usage of mobile apps have seen a rapid increase in the past years.
Number of mobile app downloads worldwide from 2016 to 2019 (Source: statista.com)
Number of apps available in leading app stores in 2020 (Source: statista.com)
These numbers are expected to increase many folds in coming years as technology is improving at a rapid pace and businesses are leveraging technology to offer a convenient medium for their customers to connect with them and get services and products from them.
Mobile app development cost
Due to the fact that customers are looking for more convenient ways to get services and products done and businesses are having a hard time with minimizing the gap between them and their targeted customer base, it has become almost a mandatory to use technology to your advantage.
However, one of the major hurdles in getting a mobile app for your business is the cost associated with the development of the app.
There are many factors that go to deciding the cost of developing a mobile app.
Factors affecting the app development cost
Geography
One of the major factors in deciding the mobile app development cost is the location of the app developer. Usually, service providers from first world countries charge a higher rate for their services. Whereas, app developers from south-east Asia and east Europe have a comparatively lower cost associated with their services.
Half of the mobile developing companies charge anything between $25 to $49 for each hour of work they do. Developers in Asia keep their hourly charges to a maximum of $100.
Features and functionalities
The function and features of the proposed mobile app is another major factor that decides the cost of the mobile app. For example, to fulfil a function, the developer may have to choose various technologies, services and components and the integration them together to make the app suitable to successfully execute the function. As the function varies, these technologies and components will also vary, and the cost associated with them.
Platform
There are mainly two types of mobile apps: Native and hybrid.
Native: Developed for a particular platform, for example, Android. These apps will work only on this particular platform.
Hybrid apps: These are cross platforms apps that works on more than one platform.
The advantage of a hybrid app is that it will on more than one platform and there is no need to develop separate apps for different mobile platforms like iOS and Android. This will help in cutting down the development cost significantly since the resources needed now will be less.
If you are focusing only on one platform, for example, Android, the cost may be different compared to developing the same app for the iOS platform. It is mainly due to the workflow, resource allocation and quality standards that vary from platform to platforms.
Time
If you want the app to be deployed as fast as possible, the cost may go up. This is mainly because more resources need to be invested in the process to deliver the product as early as possible.
Experience and expertise of the development team
Experience and expertise do not come cheap. If the app developer is an expert in the field and has years of experience under the belt, she will be charging a relatively higher price for the services. The good thing is that such developers can provide quality products, based on the requirement and the nature of the market, within a short time possible.
Design and user experience
Design and user experience plays a vital role in deciding the success of a mobile app. An app with good design and offer great user experience will win attention and popularity easily in the market. However, coming up with a good design strategy and optimizing user experience requires expertise, time, and resources. A good design strategy and user experience are the results of in-depth market research, conceptualization, testing and evaluation. Therefore, developing a disruptive product always requires a good investment.
App security
Most of the mobile apps deal with at least one set of sensitive data like user information, financial transaction, documents, user locations and user behaviours. This information may be critical in the smooth functioning of the mobile app. But, what important is ensuring such data are stored securely and there is no data theft or unauthorized access. Since the value of data is usually decided by the sensitivity of the same, we will have to put extra security measures to protect such data. Security is one of the critical features of any digital solution.
App Deployment
App deployment is all of the activities that make a software system available for use. Usually, it means, the app is ready for use and is uploaded to app marketplaces like Play Store by Google (In case of Android apps) or App store by Apple (In case of iOS apps). App deployment itself is a service and there is usually a cost associated with it.
Maintenance and update
Apps demand maintenance and regular updates. Releases of security patches in regular intervals is a critical part of maintenance. Usually, the first version of the app is released with minimum features. More features will be added as updates based on user feedback and market demand. Also, as technology advances, there will be new methodologies that need to be integrated with the app to replace the outdated ones.
Maintenance and updates plan (Post-deployment plans) varies from developers to developers. Industry, technology, future versions planned etc are some other factors that decide the cost of Maintenance and update.
App development cost and app development methods
Waterfall and Agile are the promising app development methods in the industry. In the case of waterfall method, documentation is required in advance before the process for development begins. On the other hand, if you are going to use agile methodology, there is no requirement for process documentation before the development. Using the waterfall technique, you will get a clear viewpoint on what you are getting and how much cost will it require. Agile method is the most adopted as it comes with a more flexible structure. You can adjust the products, functions, features and changes. Through the agile app, you get your app on time and start getting your target audience faster than the waterfall method.
Waterfall app development method goes right with a fixed fee structure. You can decide the fixed charges you would like to have while developing the app, however, you may have to compromise with the quality of the app.
In the case of agile methodology, you will get what you pay for. As mentioned above the method is flexible enough that you can count on the amount you invest in developing the app. The developers will provide you with estimated rates of their work and you can track the time, efforts, and resources they put into the development process.
Conclusion
Android is the most popular mobile platform today. If you want to target the maximum population but have a limited budget, go for Android apps.
The cost of developing an app depends on its functions, technology, app architecture, resources needed, planned stages, timeframe, security, and maintenance. Since App development is a dynamic process, there will be always an uncertainty associated with the cost until and unless all the requirements are finalized and there is a development plan in place. The inclusion or exclusion of even a single feature in your app will change its cost. However, never compromise on app quality due to expenditure.
If you have an idea that needs to be transformed into a mobile app, contact us now.
If you are wondering how much it will cost to turn your idea into a mobile app, contact us now and share your requirement! Our team of experts will get in touch with you soon!
Which is the best mobile app development company in Kenya?
Where could I get the best app developer in Kenya?
Who are the best mobile app consultants in Kenya?
What companies based in East Africa (particularly Kenya) are the best for developing custom mobile apps and websites?
What is common in these questions?
They are the same questions phrased differently!
Even though it looks like that may be true, these questions are asked by different people on Quora over a period.
These questions are asked by different people on Quora over a period.
There are so many similar questions that ask the same questions but phrased differently on the internet. The numbers are increasing day by day.
One of the reasons why such questions are asked more frequently is Kenya is rapidly becoming one of the technologically advanced markets in the world.
The number of people using smartphones and digital services is increasing in Kenya. As people are adopting technology to make their lives easier, businesses are investing more money on technology to keep up with the trend. As a result, the app industry is rapidly expanding in the country.
However, since Kenya is an emerging market, there is a gap in demand and supply when it comes to the app industry. While businesses are looking for technology solutions with top quality at an affordable price, there are not so many service providers who are able to meet this growing demand. This is just opposite to a developed market like the US which has already gone through several technology evolutions and the market is somewhat saturated with a good number of service providers.
Due to this wide gap between technology demand and technology supply, it is often difficult for a person or business to find the “right app developer” in emerging markets like Kenya. So, these questions are not without a cause.
Is that mean there are no good app developers in Kenya?
Absolutely not.
The Kenyan market is adopting technology at a fast pace. Due to the quality of the services provided and at the cost they were made available, there are several app developments companies who have already made their space in Kenya.
How to choose the best mobile app development company in Kenya?
There are many ways to find the best mobile app development companies.
Use Google
As always, Google is your best friend. Simply do a search on Google using keywords like “Best app development company in Kenya”. See what comes up.
Google has a sophisticated search approach that is developed to show only the best results.
Go to Business directories
There are several websites that list the businesses by industry and services offered. Websites like Clutch.co, Goodfirms.co etc features reviews from clients on the listed company profile. They also release curated lists of top app development companies based on the client ratings and reviews periodically.
App developers with good ratings and reviews may quote a higher price for their services. Unless you are looking for something cheap, always go for companies with top ratings since they are more likely to deliver quality and results.
Seek help from your business network
Investing in an app will cost you money. But, it will be the most beneficial step you can take for your business. The only thing is, you must make sure that the money is invested in the right team.
One of the most reliable sources to find the best app developers can be your professional network. Check whether anyone in your network has worked with any app developed company in the past. If yes, how was the experience and what was the result? Ask them questions like
What was the overall cost of developing the app?
What were the features offered at that price?
How long it took the development team to deliver the final product?
How was the communication between the teams?
How was the quality of the final product?
Did the app development company take care of deployment and maintenance?
Has the app helped your friend to achieve the same result she was expecting?
How did the market respond to the app?
What was the feedback from the actual users? Was it positive?
Find the creators of popular apps in your industry/market
In the past, as an app development company, we have partnered with some of the prominent organisations in Kenya to implement some of the cutting-edge solutions the market has ever seen.
Look at the examples below.
EMS2GO: Developing pick and delivery app for POSTA Kenya
Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) is the largest distribution name in Kenya. They vowed to deliver superior communication, distribution, and financial solutions to customers. As part of their mission, PCK wanted to develop a real-time pickup/delivery solution for their customers. AlignMinds developed a comprehensive pickup and delivery solution that consists of three components.
A consumer pickup and delivery app to help registered users to place and track orders real-time.
A driver app to help drivers and riders timely deliver the package to the right recipient.
A web backend that helps the staff of PCK to manage the system.
Royal Media Services Limited is the largest media house in Eastern Africa with fourteen radio stations under their wing. They also own Kenya’s most popular TV channel, Citizen TV.
To meet the demand of their growing fanbase, RMS wanted to develop a mobile platform that will enable them to live stream all their radio programmes.
The mobile app AlignMinds developed, which are available for Android and iOS platforms, featured all the 14 radio channels of RMS and enable any smartphone user to enjoy their programmes live.
The app has been downloaded 100,000+ times in Play Store and a rating of 4.5 from 1206 users.
Citizen TV is the largest television news channels in eastern Africa. To widen their reach and penetrate even the remote areas in the countries, Citizen planned to develop a web news portal and a mobile app with live streaming to deliver unbiased news to maximum population.
To help Citizen with their business objective, AlignMinds Technologies developed a modern news portal with live TV and other friendly features like news page, article share, font customization etc.
The citizen mobile app which is available for Android, iOS and windows platform set a new trend in the news industry with its robust features that encourage users to spend more time on the platform. The app has been downloaded more than 1,000,000 times on Google Play and has an average rating of 4.1 from a total of 6,599 ratings.
Balton CP has worked in Africa for more than 50 years with a mission to bring the highest quality products and state-of-the-art technology from around the globe to develop new services for the emerging African market. They are a leading player in the field of agribusiness, technology and innovation, energy and project management with their operations that span across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Ghana, and Nigeria.
AlignMinds developed an integrated digital portal with a central point of web management to help Balton CP to have distinct websites with independent web management for each of their subsidiaries and centralized management for the super admin.
Finding the developers behind the most popular apps in the market has its own advantages.
These apps became popular not by fluke. Only with a deep understanding of the market, right conceptualization, supervised development, and flawless deployment (Testing and maintenance) a solution can be turned into an awesome app.
To build something like this, the team must have the right talent, genuine passion, and good quality standard.
If you are searching for such an app development company in Kenya, you are in the right place.
We have implemented numerous projects for our Kenyan and international clients throughout the period of 10 years. We have done projects for POSTA Kenya, Royal Media Services, Citizen TV, Balton CP group and many other prominent players in the Kenyan Market. Contact us now!
An era without software seems to have been a millennium ago. We are used to software like never before. Be it creating a meeting appointment or switching on your air conditioner before you get home, software is an integral part of our life.
What is the future of app development and what will be the role Microservices Architecture?
Traditional software development has been following a monolithic approach. Any change will require the whole system to be updated. For example, if you run an ERP software and you want to make a change to the purchase module only, you’ll have to upgrade the rest of the software as well. It’s a single code base with multiple modules bundled together. However, this approach brings in a lot of disadvantages
Over a period of time, this becomes complex and impossible to manage.
Developers find it difficult to understand.
Modules are tightly coupled, eliminating the possibility of reuse.
Increases the risk of failure.
Testing is slow due to the higher amount of regression to be performed.
IDEs and Web servers tend to get overloaded due to monolithic code.
A high degree of coordination is required to scale development.
Results in long term lock-in of technologies.
Difficult to scale the application.
The result is that it takes ages to develop and deploy even small releases or bug fixes causing huge expenses and missed market opportunities.
The smartphone revolution in the latter part of the last decade has placed cutting edge software in the hands of the consumers. People are using mobile apps for everything they do – shopping, health, entertainment, work and securing their home. Every enterprise out there is looking to woo the consumers and get a share of the pie. Global IT spend is expected to touch $4 Trillion in 2022 after factoring in the expected decline in 2020 due to COVID-19 situation.
In today’s dynamic and competitive market, it is all the more important for software providers to be able to quickly and continuously release product updates and bug fixes. And where the traditional methods fail to deliver, newer ideas like Microservices are taking centre stage.
What are Microservices?
Microservices, by definition, is an architectural style in which the application is a collection of loosely coupled services. In Microservices architecture, a large application is divided into small modular services and have the following characteristics –
Services are technology agnostic and use light weight protocols to communicate.
Services are organised around specific business capabilities.
Services are small in size, autonomously maintainable and independently deployable.
Services are built and released with automated processes.
What are the advantages of Microservices?
The advantages of breaking an application into different smaller services are numerous.
1. Modularity and simpler development
Each Microservice is a small module. Hence it is easy to understand, develop and test.
2. Scalability
Microservices are implemented and deployed independently of each other. Since they are independent processes, they can be monitored and scaled independently.
3. Empowered teams and distributed development
Microservices can be developed, deployed and scaled in parallel by small autonomous teams. Each team is empowered to make architectural decisions. The architecture of each service evolves independently to achieve the best results.
Microservices architecture helps with building and deploying application faster.
4. Build and deploy faster
Microservices architecture employs continuous integration, continuous delivery and deployment. This significantly reduces time to market and human errors.
5. Isolation of services and reduced risk of failure
Since Microservices are modular and independent, there is a reduced risk of overall system failure. Isolated services are easier to debug and fix.
6. Freedom to try different technologies
Since Microservices are technology agnostic, each service could be implemented in a different technology, whichever is best suited to the business function being performed. Sometimes, the choice could be based on the knowledge levels of available developers. A service written in Node.js works harmoniously with one written in Go. The focus is on implementing the business capabilities and not technology.
7. No long-term lock-in of technologies
Microservices are sufficiently small and independent. Hence it is easy to implement a service in new technology and replace the old one when the technologies become obsolete. It is easy to upgrade without impacting the system.
Companies like Amazon, Netflix, eBay, Coca-Cola, PayPal, Walmart, Spotify and many more have refactored their applications into Microservices. We are seeing deeper integration of microservices offerings in Google Cloud, AWS and Azure. AWS Lambda is a great example of serverless microservices. Microservices style of architecture is gaining traction quickly as the preferred method of implementing applications throughout industrial verticals. Companies are embracing innovation to increase the efficiency of product teams and reduce development and deployment times. With its rapid adoption rate, it is predicted that Microservices will become the default architecture for applications in the years to come.
Has anyone ever heard of DApps? Decentralized App in short for DApps is a storm of change in the tech world.
Let’s see what DApp is.
What is DApps?
By definition,
“DApp is an open source application that operates autonomously on a decentralized public blockchain. It cannot be controlled by a single entity, and it generates and uses tokens by following a standard cryptographic algorithm.”
Let’s analyze the criteria that make an app DApp:
1. Open Source and Autonomous
DApp is open source, means, it is available for every one from anywhere without any restrictions. It has the freedom to govern itself or control its own activities. Since the code is open source and managed autonomously, it is available for everyone for checking out. The changes are decided by all or the majority of the users.
2. Public blockchain
The underlying technology behind a DApp is BLOCKCHAIN (we will discuss in detail below), which should be public.
3. Cannot be controlled by a single entity
Single entities can be interpreted as an operational unit. DApp, as the name indicates, is decentralized. Its control is spread all over the world. They do not come under the influence of a person or an organization. DApps are free from control and interference from any single authority.
4. Generate and use tokens following a standard cryptographic algorithm
DApps generate and use tokens from every single entity it is performing. These tokens are encrypted using a standard cryptographic algorithm for security. If an app doesn’t meet all these criteria, then it is not a DApp. Based on the above definition, the first DApp ever built was Bitcoin. Bitcoin is an implemented blockchain solution that arose from problems revolving around centralization. One can say Bitcoin is a self-sustaining public ledger that allows efficient transactions without intermediaries and centralized authorities.
Blockchain is the underlying technology behind DApp. Now let us look into the basics of blockchains for a better understanding of DApps.
What is Blockchain and how it works?
Blockchain is the technology that enables moving coins or assets from one individual to another. Always understand that Bitcoin ≠ Blockchain. The main use of blockchain is faster and reliable money transfer without a centralized third-party.
Let’s take the above example. Suppose a Person A in America wants to send $10 to a person B in India, A is dependent on a trusted 3rd party for the process. However, the process takes time, about 3 days for the trusted 3rd party to find the correct Person B in India and pay him the money. They will also charge B an amount as their service amount which means person B receives only $8.5 after 3 days.
If this same process is done with the help of blockchain, there won’t be a third party. Also, you can send your money directly to the person without any delay and approximately no service charge. Blockchain technology, made possible to dis-intermediate third-party operators to exchange value online. This decentralized trust.
Why use DApps?
Here is the list of the top reasons why you should use DApps.
1. Own your Data
The best advantage of DApps is that you can own your own data. Your data is the most valued possession in this digital era. Anybody can access your data and you can earn with this concept.
2. Increased data reliability
Since DApps is decentralized, there won’t be any central server which stores every data. Data will be distributed everywhere so that there won’t be any broken links or 404 not found.
3. Faster data transfer
Since data is distributed across the world, the number of peers will be more. Therefore, we can access data from the nearest peer. The download speed will be so fast as the number of peers increases.
4. Cannot be shut down
There are cases where some website, links or apps are not accessible for a person, region or country. For example, China blocked Facebook in 2009 June to stop a riot since Facebook was the main source of communication for the activists. Such cases won’t happen if DApps was in the scenario.
