What Is Custom Software Development and How to Get the Best Out Of It

In today's world, businesses can be different in a lot of ways and being unique is one key to success. However, if you're the one running the business, the uniqueness can also be a disadvantage for you when looking for tools to manage it better.
That's where software can help you achieve success faster, by providing help tailored to your needs.
What is Custom Software Development?
Custom Software Development is a process if designing a tool (software) to assist you with your specific needs for your business or organization. This is designed to precisely provide you the service you need instead of making off the shelf or pre-made software work for you, with little or no flexibility.
Why Should I Use Custom Software?
Having software designed to give you the exact solutions your company needs can enhance productivity. You can get a lot more things done in less time with high accuracy. With technology, you don't need to adjust yourself to it, it adjusts to you. You won't have to continuously modify it (which is not always available with off the shelf software, anyway) to make it work exactly how you want it.
How to Get the Best Out of It?
Your Custom Software is only as good as your chosen developer. Even if your specifications are discussed thoroughly, without expertise, everything can go wrong. That said, it's wise to get to know your developer thoroughly. Discuss their experience, their skills, and ask for their portfolio. Also, don't forget to ask for references. But that's just the basics.
With all these technology around us, people are expecting us to provide a more efficient service, faster booking, and delivery, and be able to do so faster. With a custom software for your company, cause or product functions, you can run your daily operations more efficiently and accurate while being organized.
Running your business might be costing you way too much compared to using a custom software program. While technology may seem like bigger initial investment, this software can save you more in the long run helping you avoid excessive use of papers, unjustifiable labor expenses for employee tasks that can be done by a custom software, and even lost customers due to failure to meet their needs.
Growing your business is all you want, but it would be hard to achieve it without investing on valuable items that can help us through the goal. Use technology as a tool to move you closer to your dreams, and technology will also guide you in achieving success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9178271

Hacked Routers

The Internet is a gigantic collection of linked networks that span the globe. The networks are connected using routers.
A router is a specialised computer that directs traffic on the Internet. As the Internet consists of hundreds of thousands of smaller networks linked together, the use of routers is absolutely necessary for it to function.
When you want to visit a particular website, you type the address of the site into your web browser. The address goes to the nearest router and the router decides where the required site is on the Internet.
The router also determines the most efficient path through all the networks to reach a particular destination... based on the traffic in different parts of the Internet and the available connections.
Cisco Systems Inc is an American multinational technology company that designs, manufactures, and sells networking equipment including most of the routers used on the internet. In fact, 85 percent of Internet traffic travels through Cisco's systems.
Hacked routers
Security firm FireEye announced recently that its researchers have discovered malware (dubbed SYNful) on 14 Cisco routers in the Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and India.
SYNful replaces the operating system used in Cisco's network equipment and thus opens a back door that provides a permanent foothold inside a targeted network.
This enables the hackers to harvest vast amounts of data while going undetected by existing cybersecurity defences, according to Mandiant, FireEye's computer forensic arm.
Cisco have confirmed that it has alerted its customers to these hacking attacks and said that it was working with Mandiant to develop ways for customers to detect the attacks.
Indeed Cisco has published intrusion detection signatures that customers can use to look for attacks in progress which, if found, can then be blocked.
If successful attacks are detected, customers will have to re-image the software used to control their routers.
It is highly probable that many other instances of these hacks have not been discovered, according to FireEye. Indeed it is likely that the infected routers are being used to infect other parts of the Internet.
Because the implanted software duplicates the normal functions of routers it could also affect routers from makers other than Cisco.
How bad is the threat?
Routers operate outside the perimeter of firewalls, anti-virus and other security tools used by organisations to safeguard data traffic.
This means that the estimated US$80 billion spent every year on cybersecurity tools is money down the drain where this form of attack is concerned.
According to Cisco, SYNful does not take advantage of any vulnerability in its own software. Instead it steals valid network administration credentials from the organisations targeted by the hackers so that it can install itself or it can be installed when the hackers gain physical access to Cisco routers.
No matter how it is installed, if a hacker seizes control of a router then he has control over the data of all the companies and government organisations that flow through that router.
According to FireEye, the affected routers have been used to hit multiple industries and government agencies. The company also says that the router logs indicate that the hacks began well over a year ago.
So what does all this imply for the ordinary consumer, who does his or her shopping and banking online?
The answer depends on who the hackers are working for.
The USA's global spy agency, the NSA (National Security Agency), has a habit of intercepting networking equipment and installing backdoors before the equipment reaches customers.
This came to light in May 2014. In 2015, Cisco began offering to deliver this kind of equipment directly to customers in order to avoid interception by the NSA or other miscreants.
The latest findings from FireEye suggest that the miscreants, whoever they are, are managing to implant malware on routers no matter how they are being delivered.
While it is likely that the NSA or some other state actor is the culprit, this is not at all certain, even though FireEye says that interception could only be done a handful of sovereign states. In this writer's view, the miscreants could well be a criminal gang intent on commercial gain.
Perhaps it would be as well to check with you bank to see whether they have any reservations regarding online banking in the light of these revelations.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9170420

Excel Tip - Use VLOOKUP With the MIN Function To Find The Product That Sold For The Lowest Price

The VLOOKUP function is one that you really need to have in your Excel tool kit. It allows you to lookup a value in a list - similar to using a telephone book to find up a persons name in an address book get their telephone number.
The syntax of the VLOOKUP formula is straightforward
=vlookup(lookup_value,table_array,column_index_number,[range_lookup])
where
1. lookup_value this is the value you want to lookup (for the phonebook example the persons name)
2. table_array this is the actual phone book or our list of names and telephone numbers
3. column_index_number The column number (starting with 1 for the left-most column of table-array) that contains the return value, so if we have telephone number is second column of the data then the value needs to be 2
4. range_lookup this is an optional value, but I would recommend always populating it.
A logical value that specifies whether you want VLOOKUP to find an exact match or an approximate match:

• TRUE assumes the first column in the table is sorted either numerically or alphabetically, and will then search for the closest value. This is the default method if you don't specify one.
• FALSE searches for the exact value in the first column.

In looking up a telephone number, then we want an exact match so we use FALSE.
Lets apply the knowledge we have leant to looking for the type of Beannie hat that sold for the lowest price.
I have a list of transactional data of sales of Beannie Hats- a small extract can be seen below-
Price Item Ref
3.99 RedBean_3
4.79 Beannie_7
3.98 RedBean_3
Let's see how to use the VLOOKUP function combined with the MIN to look up the name of Beannie associated with the lowest selling price.
So we can start to build our formula using the VLOOKUP function. ( our prices are in Column C and Item Ref in column D in Excel)
=VLOOKUP(MIN(C2:C4),C3:D4,2,FALSE)
Lets talk through the formula logic.C2:C4 is the range that you want to find the lowest value, C2:D4 is the range of the data, we want to return the value in the second column of the range.
We can see the lowest price charged was for RedBean_3 at 3.98. Easy as that.

BJ Johnston has been an advanced Excel user for 15 years and is the creator of http://www.howtoexcelatexcel.com a site that shares Excel tips and tricks with it's enthusiastic members. To join in the discussion, where users are working smarter and faster with Excel sign up for the FREE newsletter and as a bonus receive a FREE EBook- 50 Top Tips and Tricks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9142504

Some Offices Can Benefit From Microsoft Office 365 Support

Not everybody is able to look at a computer and figure it out. They need to have the training that is necessary in order to use each program. If those programs are not functioning properly, Office 365 support could benefit the office staff.
There are a lot of different functions that each program can perform for them. This is something that is going to be very important to consider. Each one of the tasks that will be performed will need to function properly in order to get the documents that they wanted or spreadsheets to show growth.
These are very useful tools as long as they function properly, but when they do not, they can be a big problem. The office staff may not be trained to fix problems that occur with programming issues. Therefore, they need to have a way to contact their support staff.
Microsoft Office is a program that is used widely around the world. There are several different types of things that every office will be using from this program. They may not use all of them, but they are there if they are necessary.
This is something that is going to be very important. Every company is going to have to have a way to send their documents and spreadsheets to other companies that work with them too. This is something that is very important and will need to be sent in a format that can be opened easily.
This is not always possible though. Every program that is used is going to be able to be helpful to the staff. There are many different types of options for each department though.
One department may use the word processing part of it more than others. They may use the spreadsheet also. Another department may be using the PowerPoint presentation more. This is something that is going to be dependent on what each person needs to do.
There are many different types of equipment that each company will use for the tasks that they need to complete. Each one of them is going to offer something different for them. It may make their job much easier or may be something that is vital to their company.
Office staff needs to have what will make the documents look nice as well as something to help them keep track of important information. There are many different sources that will be possible for them. They have to make sure that their computer systems are functioning properly.
While many offices are going to have technical support when they need it, they will also need to have someone that can help them when they have trouble with specific programs. This is something that the Office 365 support will offer them. They will be qualified to help them even if it is not a technical problem and is something to deal with the way that the program is being used.
It is difficult to know what is going to be best to consider though. Every company is going to have to make sure that their information is kept confidential. There are a lot of different choices for each company too.
Knowing how to use the equipment as well as the software programs is going to be very important. Every company needs to make sure that they have everything functioning properly too. This is something that will be very important to the company as well as for their customers.
Microsoft Office 365 support staff is available when they are needed. Many companies offer this support along with their regular IT services too. The person that is using the program will need to know what is offered to them and when.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9162004

How Can We Trust Them to Protect US?

Trust in Government seems to be at an all-time low in the United States, but why? Perhaps it is the election year where politicians opposing the current leadership call into question their dereliction of duty or embellish how bad things really are - or maybe it is all those hacking events. Our personal data stolen from government computers, our identities and tax return money stolen from the IRS data bases, and our medical records out in cyberspace even as we are forced to give more of our information to our government.
There was a rather telling article in Space War published on May 8, 2015 titled; "Former US government employee tried to sell nuclear secrets" by Staff Writers in Washington DC, which stated; "A former Department of Energy employee has been indicted after attempting to hack agency computers to steal and then sell nuclear secrets to Iran, China and Venezuela, US officials said."
We've sure had a lot of secrets end up in our adversaries' hands over the last decade. Consider the Wiki Leaks guy, Julian Assange, or the Army Intelligence officer, Bradley Edward Manning, now known as Chelsea Elizabeth Manning, or other smaller blunders and you can see we have a problem; but why?
Is it the lack of responsibility, self-righteousness, the need for acclaim and 15-minutes of fame, or is it something else? Is it about money for information? Is it about freeing information? What is going on today? It doesn't seem to be getting better, it appears to be getting worse. We've had defense contractors sell jet engine information to the Chinese, we've had corporate R&D employees of fortune 100 companies sell technical data to foreign competitors and rogue nations. As someone who follows the news on such things I see alarm bells ringing.
Worse, we are not stopping the problem, in fact it is accelerating in numbers and in volume of data and information lost, stolen, and sold to the highest bidder. We've lost $100s of billions in proprietary information and we risked the lives of our service men and women, jeopardized our allies and global partners. What the hell is going on, I dare to ask.
No I am hardly the first person to write such scathing articles on this topic, and unfortunately, I won't be the last, and all we seem to be doing at the government level is throwing more good money after bad to clean up the act and prevent hackers from stealing our data. How can we trust them to protect us, when they can't even protect their own computer systems? Hmm - think on it.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9156172

Ensuring The Success Of Your Catering Business With The Right Catering Software

Through the years, digital technology has developed in leaps. Today, it benefits almost all industries. And with the assistance of carefully designed programs, all kinds of businesses can surely hasten their operations, become more productive, and most of all, boost their sales without so much stress. These are just some of the many benefits catering companies can get from using catering software.
Experts say that because of the many features of such software, it can certainly harness plenty of other benefits to make sure that your business will have great reputation.
Benefits Of Using Catering Software
Monitor all money activities easily - There are expenses beyond actual catering and it is very important for you to stay on top of them so that sound business decisions can be made. Also, this technology will make it a lot easier for you to access as well as document financial reports so that cost auditing and analyses can be performed smoothly, most especially when it comes to tax computations.
Cost-reduction - The software will allow you to calculate costs in an instant as well as save time and money. The most admirable thing about this is that you can identify accurately the aspects of food preparation and purchase which usually are lost with the cash outflow. After this, you can already come up with techniques on how to outwork their impact on the budget without the need to compromise the quality of the output.
Mobility - If you are among the caterers who are always on the move, operations do not need to be stopped just because you are on the road frequently. Know that when the software is downloaded in a computer or laptop or on any smart device, you can document your creative ideas as they come whilst taking care of other work requirements so that no time will be wasted.
Organizes important data - It will arrange data in a logical order automatically. Hence, each time you need certain information, you can surely find it quickly.
Easy-to-use - Anything that can easily be used is considered a treat. You need not to become a tech-savvy so you can make such digital provision work efficiently for you. Be reminded that this is designed for convenience to create the flexibility necessary in effectively accommodating all the demands of a growing catering venture.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9154573

Common Computer Problems And How To Rectify Them

It has become almost impossible to live without computers. You need it to read, communicate, compile documents, and even make money online. While they are great devices to have, they tend to develop problems. Here are some of the most common computer problems:
Failure To Boot
If you have been using computers for a while you must have come across this problem. The first thing that you should do when you have this problem is to confirm if your computer is connected to power. If it is connected and still can't work, you should consider trying a different power point.
If the computer still doesn't work you should open it in order to ensure that all the components are properly seated in their sockets. Things such as add-in cards, memory sticks have been shown to prevent computers from booting; therefore, you should take a look at them and ensure that they are in their right places.
Short circuits are known to prevent computers from working; therefore, you should take a keen look at the inside of the computer and check if there are any burned out components. The major causes of short circuit are: water damage, power surges and overheating.
Slowdown
Computers are designed to process data fast; however, they tend to slow down due to a number of reasons such as too many programs, viruses, overheating and outdated drivers.
To solve the problem you should stop unnecessary programs. You should also ensure that your computer isn't overheating by keeping the interior dust free. You should also ensure that the cooling fans are working perfectly.
If you feel that the problem may be resulting from viruses, you should open your antivirus software and ensure that it's up-to-date. To get rid of any possible malware you should run a full scan of your computer.
Weird Noises
Noises can signal a pending mechanical failure. The problem could also be as a result of a loose computer part. To rectify the problem you should shift the path of the wires. It's also wise that you tighten the screws.
Conclusion
These are some of the most common computer problems. While there are some problems that you can rectify on your own, it's highly discouraged that you try to rectify the problems if you don't have the necessary computer skills. For example, you shouldn't attempt to open the computer if you don't have the skills. For your computer to last for a long time you should ensure that you buy it from a reputable store. You should also ensure that it's repaired by a certified professional.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9154903

What Does Windows 10 Mean to a Small or Medium Business?

Microsoft Windows 10 became available as a free upgrade (for devices with Windows 7 or 8.1) on July 29th and will remain free for a whole year. Any small business considering taking advantage of the free upgrade must take into account other costs beyond the upgrade license, and decide whether to upgrade now, whether to upgrade at some time before the free year is up, or whether to wait out the free year and deal with the upgrade only when it is absolutely necessary, for example, when the version of Windows being used reaches the end of its supported life.
But how to make that decision?
As a small business owner myself, and a provider of technology services to small businesses, I thought of several relevant questions and then did some playing around on a number of devices to find out the answers.
How different is the user interface for general use, i.e. finding applications, launching them, switching between them?
First off, moving from Windows 7 to Windows 10 is less of a change than moving to Windows 8, and to a lesser extent, Windows 8.1. The start menu that we've been used to for many years is still there, although it looks a little different, and the task bar is pretty familiar now, so finding and launching applications is pretty straightforward to anyone that's familiar with earlier versions of Windows. Moving between them hasn't changed either.
The painful switch between the standard desktop interface and the more tablet-oriented "Modern UI" that was introduced in Windows 8 and partially fixed in Windows 8.1 is no longer evident, as the Modern UI apps can now run within the desktop view in a resizable window, just like more familiar desktop applications. They look slightly different, but they act the same, so your users probably won't even notice the difference. The Modern UI apps do need to be downloaded and installed through the Microsoft Store, though, whilst desktop applications are installed in the usual way, so your users will need to be shown how to launch and use the store, which is very straightforward.
In short, a quick ten minutes of showing your staff around the new interface should do it. Moving to Windows 8/8.1 would have been much more painful, which is probably why most businesses, small or otherwise, opted not to make the move.
How different is the user interface for an administrator, i.e. how easily can they make changes to settings, download and install updates, troubleshoot?
It wouldn't be a Microsoft upgrade if all the administrative buttons hadn't moved around a bit, so your administrators will require a little more time getting up to speed on where all the important settings have been moved to, but they're probably used to this by now.
If you left click on the Start button and select Settings, you can make some simple changes and run Windows Update. A right click on the Start button will bring up pretty much everything else you need to do as an administrator.
What are the minimum and recommended specifications for the device and how well does Windows 10 run on an entry level device?
Minimum Specs are: a 1 GHz or faster processor, 1 GB RAM for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit, 16 GB hard drive space for 32-bit and 20 GB for 64-bit, a DirectX 9 or later Graphics card with a WDDM 1.0 driver, and a minimum of 800x600 resolution display. Remember these are minimum specs, though, and I would recommend higher.
You can run the "Check My PC" option before upgrading, to see if your device is capable of running Windows 10.
I run the 64-bit version of Windows 10 Pro on a super cheap, but new, laptop containing a 1.7 GHz Intel i3 processor, with 4 GB RAM, and it runs just fine, although it boots up slightly slower than Windows 8.1 did.
I would heartily recommend 4 GB of RAM. Also, an SSD drive, which my laptop does not have but my desktop does, really helps with boot times.
How easy is the upgrade process to implement?
It's very straightforward. It can either be run from within Windows Update or from downloadable media. The install is 3 GB in size, though, so will take a while to download. Note that part of it may already have been downloaded in preparation for the upgrade, so you might not need to download all 3 GB when you run the upgrade through Windows Update. The upgrade can take an hour or so to finish. I ran it on a desktop, a laptop, a Surface Pro tablet and a virtual machine running in Hyper-V and had no problems with any of them.
A Microsoft account is expected to be able log in to Windows 10 (unless the device is a member of a Microsoft Active Directory domain) but this can be side-stepped and a local account used instead. I would recommend getting a Microsoft login account, though, as being able to use a single Microsoft account across multiple devices and get the same user experience on each is helpful if you move across devices a lot, which I do.
How well can the operating system be used without a touch enabled screen?
Neither my laptop nor desktop have touch enabled screens and I have not yet found a situation where not having touch slowed me down at all. I would argue that touch is kind of a niche use for businesses, it is more for personal use, but that's just my opinion.
I've tested touch on my Microsoft Surface tablet and found it to be perfectly useable when the tablet is not attached to a keyboard or mouse, but I still very much prefer a physical keyboard and mouse for creating content.
Are any features going away?
Windows Media Center is no more, I'm afraid. I'm not sure that matters to a business owner, but I'm going to miss it personally. My home media system in our family room is going to have to stay on Windows 7 until it dies, poor thing.
If you want to play DVDs, and don't have separate software to do so, you'll need the Windows DVD Player app which should be free to anyone with Media Center who upgrades to Windows 10, or can be purchased through the Store for those without.
I doubt that either of these changes will affect a business all that much.
Are there any new features worth a mention?
Edge, the new web browser that will replace the venerable Internet Explorer, is easy to use and responds quickly. I would compare it favorably to Google Chrome which Edge in many ways emulates. Internet Explorer is still present but you have to search for it, and I doubt that is accidental. Expect a future upgrade to remove Internet Explorer entirely.
Cortana, an intelligent personal assistant (think Apple's Siri), is built into Windows 10 and becomes the first place to search for applications, documents and the web, using either a keyboard or voice recognition. But it is much more than that. Ask it the weather and it'll tell you, ask it to set a reminder and it will do so, alerting you at the correct time. It takes a little getting used to, and as I write is actually acting a bit flakey, but overall I like it and can see myself using it more and more.
My kids love yelling "OK Google" on their iPad and then asking it the craziest things. I'm sure they'll love this too. If I let them near my laptop, of course.
So should I upgrade or not?
A move to Windows 10 shouldn't be too disruptive for a small business, and less so than a move to Windows 8/8.1, so if you feel the need to move off of Windows 7 (which reached the end of mainstream support in January of this year, and will reach the end of extended support in January of 2020), Windows 10 should be your next OS of choice.
If you are already on Windows 8/8.1, I would definitely make the move to Windows 10, as many of the minor irritants inherent to that OS are fixed in Windows 10.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9151609

Bandwidth Is So Cheap, Why Do I Need WAN Optimization?

Bandwidth is no longer a fancy and expensive requirement for networks. Thanks to competition among bandwidth providers and developments in technology, bandwidth is constantly getting cheaper. As a result, upgrading bandwidth is often the first solution many IT engineers and system managers think of when faced with WAN problems. The question is, does upgrading your bandwidth ultimately solve these problems?
Speeding up data transfer
Upgrading your bandwidth throughput can speed up data transmission when a lot of data needs to move at once, but widening the pipe is not always enough. There are times when your WAN will still be slow despite not using all of the available bandwidth. Why? Latency.
Latency is the time needed for a packet to travel from one designated point to another. The farther the distance that data has to travel, the higher the latency is. Because packets and acknowledgments of receipt are moving back and forth many times to move a file or interact with an application, the distance between the two points ends up being the limiting factor for WAN speed.
WAN optimization solutions improve the transmission control protocol (TCP) to minimize the effects of latency. This decreases the time to send and receive data, which in turn increases speed of data transferred. WAN Optimization Controller can improve WAN speeds as much as 60X.
Improving application performance
Similar to slow data transmission, when an IT manager get complaints about a slow application, they may think that a bandwidth upgrade can solve the problem. Once again, if latency is too high, increasing the throughput will not improve application performance. Moreover, poor bandwidth management could be the problem. This is when one application uses up most of the bandwidth while other critical applications have to share the remainder. Even if you add more bandwidth non-critical applications will often bloat to use up much of what you gained.
Physical WAN Optimization Controllers allow IT administrators to prioritize bandwidth for business-critical applications and restrict bandwidth for non-essential traffic. This ensures that important applications are work quickly and are not interrupted by recreational or other non-essential applications.
What's better for the IT budget?
There is a rumor that upgrading your bandwidth is easy and cheap. All you need to do is increase the monthly fee; no CAPEX required. Upgrading your bandwidth CAN help when you are using all of your available throughput, but this is only a short-term solution.
As your company grows, so do its data and application needs. Eventually, backups and application traffic will overtake your bandwidth upgrade. Not to mention that many instances of "slow internet" are results of problems that don't even involve maxing out your bandwidth throughput.
WAN Optimization is a long term investment. Since it improve speeds through deduplication, compression, and increasing TCP/IP efficiency, the benefits will last much longer and scale better with your business. Once deployed you can use it for years.
As for cost sensitivity, some vendors offer tailored solutions within the budget of an SME with flexible deployment methods (physical or virtual) and payment options (Monthly, Annually, or Perpetual).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9112424