Outsourcing Archives - Management Information Analysis

Harp, harp, harp! And Now Shadow IT?

July 14, 2016 by MIAWebAdmin

Let’s start with the gorilla in the room . . . or in your server vault.

Cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated than ever. Despite the risk of creating unsecured applications, most of them still contain serious vulnerabilities. According to a recent study, more than 75 percent of web applications had serious authentication issues.

Due to security breaches, companies are making security a top priority in their app development efforts. That extends from online payment and the infrared PIN swipes to hacks through application (mobile and cloud) vulnerabilities. So, let’s tighten it up, folks.

The next problem . . .

Businesses and their workforce users underestimate the complexity and scope of their requests, grow impatient and get tired of waiting for their application “wish list” to be fulfilled, all while adding new application requirements and requests, further overloading the development queue.

Increasingly, businesses with urgent and complex application projects have begun bypassing their overloaded internal IT team altogether and going directly to external cloud solutions and third-party IT teams and app developers. This quick but not necessarily ideal model is referred to as “Shadow IT.”

Some good news . . .

Front-end technologies deliver more powerful web applications: With the coming years, users demand more responsive web applications that can rival native mobile apps and thus more emphasis is given on front-end technologies, which can very easily put more of the application in a browser.

So clearly there’s a sweet spot for custom software development firms. Those that have the technical prowess, operate autonomously, and deliver a quality product on time will be the most sought after third-party providers—as they should be.

We have said this before but it bears repeating for one compelling reason: creating and deploying custom applications is a process, not a destination. And that will continue as we get smarter about our owned data usage and parsing through and applying big data to make better strategic and tactical decisions.

You DO NOT have to bet the farm and the horses to get where you want to go with your data and analytics assets.

Engage a successful, seasoned thought partner to get a value-laden perspective. Our Austin, Texas location keeps us at the epicenter of planning analytics and data-driven innovation and keeps our global capabilities and services at the forefront of our industry.

Email us at kcerny@mia-consulting.com or call us at 512-478-3848 to start a friendly, productive conversation.

Outsourcing Your Custom Apps Development

July 6, 2016 by MIAWebAdmin

Forrester Reveals Value and Challenges in Outsourcing Custom Software Development.

Titled “Drive Innovation Using the Right Skills: The Value of Custom Software Development,” the report is based on an online survey taken by 200 IT and business leaders from enterprises in various industries in the United States, the U.K., and Australia.

The financial services and insurance industry comprises 22% of the respondents, followed by manufacturing and materials (13%), retail (10%), business or consumer services (8%), healthcare (6%), and so on. Technology companies account for only 4% of the respondents.

Why Custom Software?

According to the report, the respondents said they use custom development for at least 30% of their systems and applications, and 50% of them outsource this work because they lack the resources and the skills necessary to create custom solutions. Not only that, but 82% of the respondents said that custom software beats off-the-shelf software when it comes to meeting their business needs.

Unfortunately, the picture isn’t entirely rosy. While many of the companies outsource custom software development to third-party providers, satisfaction rates are low. Over 50% of respondents were unsatisfied with vendors’ product release frequency, the speed of development, the developers’ ability to work autonomously, the development processes used (such as Agile), and the quality of the final product, to name a few categories.

When selecting a third-party vendor, 28% of respondents said the biggest challenge was finding a company with “the right combination of technical skills, industry knowledge, design capability, and development and delivery skills,” according to the report.

What are your better choices?

You DO NOT have to bet the farm and the horses to get where you want to go with your data and analytics assets.

Email us at kcerny@mia-consulting.com or call us at 512-478-3848 to start a friendly, productive conversation.

Mobile Apps Are All the Buzz, but Not for All

June 30, 2016 by MIAWebAdmin

Despite the much-publicized demand for mobile app development in the enterprise, spending for such initiatives remains low, according to a new report from research firm Gartner, Inc. that parallels the findings of many other studies.

Gartner’s earlier report (late 2015) contends that, “Organizations want to have full control over their mobile app development initiatives; however, maintaining a pure, in-house development environment is difficult to achieve given mobile is a relatively new competency to many developers.”

The report also states that mobile app development “entails many complexities and specific activities, such as UX design and psychology or cellular coverage testing, which may be more efficiently handled by an outsourced third party experienced in mobile app development.”

Despite the hype surrounding mobile and opportunities for custom apps to enable greater workforce productivity and enhanced customer engagement, the number of custom apps created is low.

Here’s a quick and easy way to visualize the difference between the “buzz” and the results:

On the other hand, virtually all knowledge workers are using more data science- and coding-type activities in the mainstream work cycle than before, and many more are increasingly engaged in digital transformation as stakeholders in agile teams or business product managers.

In the long run, more of the population will eventually engage in a level of app construction skills but for that to materially change, schools have to do a better job teaching app building.

Meanwhile, our teams can be a highly productive bridge resource to get your custom applications mapped out, prioritized, and running– on time and within budget.

Make sure that you are not hung up in the hiring loop looking for ETL and data transformation services when you can have a trusted, security-robust partner working to get you on top of your critical data.

You can bring your data flow to its highest and best uses or you can let it languish while you guess and your competitors pass you on the back stretch. And you DO NOT have to bet the farm and the horses to get where you want to go with your data assets.

Our Austin, Texas location keeps us at the epicenter of planning analytics and data-driven innovation and keeps our global capabilities and services at the forefront of our industry.

Email us at kcerny@mia-consulting.com or call us at 512.478.3848 to start a friendly, productive conversation.

Meet the Future of ETL and Custom Applications

May 20, 2016 by MIAWebAdmin

We’re now into the meat of 2016, and if you take a look around our business and healthcare ecosystems, you’ll see that a number of positive changes are accelerating across the custom applications development of our information management worlds.

Here is some of the information we have parsed from trusted and knowledgeable sources:

Companies are adopting NoSQL policy for their critical operations and cloud computing their data in 2016. The era of big data is upon us, with Windows 10 being a predecessor of an online OS (or a beta version, which will be massively updated in the future).
- Android is preparing their counterpart for Win 10 based on Chrome and Spark, conquering new horizons as cloud hosting becomes more functional and popular each day.
Software future trends are firmly within the cloud. Just analyze the job listings: whenever you see any big company involved in software-development hiring, they say, “cloud experience would be an advantage.”
- We assume you will agree with the statement that 80 percent of resources (be it time, money, or developer’s effort) spent on ANY new custom application is spent on ETL process. Regardless of the coding language that the app is built on and the trends that software follows, you have to gather the raw data, transform it into operable information, and load it into the database so your custom applications can process it.
Current software development trends explicitly show that current data analysis systems will not cope with big data efficiently enough. Issues with scalability, simultaneous processing of different data sources, and efficient data transformation pose big threats and require an efficient solution strategy. One possible solution might be Red Hat’s data virtualization technology.
- Therefore, the company that will show the most efficient way of overcoming the ETL issues can be forming new software trends in big data for the years to come.

Add to this the possibility of packing it in containers, thus unifying the tools and making the app a multipurpose cross-platformer, and only the sky will be the limit.

Across all of these changes in how we manage our data assets, we see outsourcing the ETL process and teaming with talented analyst groups as practices that will cost-effectively accelerate your big data and analytics priorities. Outsourcing is now mainstream.

Our Austin, Texas location keeps us at the epicenter of software engineering innovation and keeps Management Information Analysis’ global capabilities at the forefront of our industry.

Call us to start a friendly and productive conversation. 512-478-3848.

Outsourcing your ETL Projects Delivers Benefits

February 22, 2016 by miawebadmin

A lot of the dirty work in data science is ETL – the process of putting data through a meat grinder. Data may present itself in the form of a public or purchased dataset, and it almost never lines up with the way you want to query, index, or present it.

To frame the problem a bit more, most modern data transformation tools like Apache Spark or Python notebook tools are bred for interactive development. They’re meant to make it fast and easy to get started, simple to share. Never confuse these things with being production-ready.

Would your organization ever feel good about deploying some code to production that had no tests? Spark and notebooks should be considered prototyping unless proven otherwise. There is nothing wrong with prototyping, but you want some safety mechanisms before considering something production-ready. Outsourcing is a wise choice for your ETL Plus work.

Some of the benefits:

Speed of data transformation

Investment is clear and defined.

Results are shaped to where you are going, not where you were.

Accountability and transparency are integral parts of the process.

Your ETL partner needs to have the understanding and expertise to lead your organization down the right path. They should not only understand your requirements, they should be able to help you to better define them up front and adapt them over time.

ETL is not a one-off activity. It’s an on-going process that must be sustained indefinitely.

Your ETL partner needs to be just that—your partner. They must be well aligned with your business in order to maintain your marketing data over time and adapt your data structure to accommodate your ever-changing needs.

And did I mention that we are passionate about bringing health care informatics a couple decades forward?

We can handle your ETL Plus* and custom app development challenges smoothly and affordably. Our efforts will enhance your BI capabilities. Call us to start a neutral and friendly ETL Plus outsourcing conversation. 512-478-3848.

Outsourcing Your Custom App Development Delivers More Value

January 29, 2016 by miawebadmin

The decision to buy, build or outsource your custom data management and reporting applications software is both important and complex. After all, you are making a decision about the software upon which the future success of your business lies.

The choice you make will not only set the direction of the project itself, but will also ultimately determine its success when deployed. And how well you have invested your financial assets.

When to Consider Outsourcing

No in-house development staff
In-house staff lacks bandwidth
Specific features and functions are required
Must be deployed as quickly as possible
Prefer a single capital investment
Quality control and testing are critical
Require the flexibility of custom app development with the ease of deployment

The long-term benefits of investing in developing custom business applications are far more valuable than purchasing an off-the-shelf (OTS) product – plus, imagine the additional costs you can incur when paying for licenses, be they short or long term, and modification and integration when you buy off the shelf products

With custom application development, your software is supported for as long as you require it to be – with OTS software, your business is at the mercy of the software developer you are purchasing from

Benefits

Reduced project and financial risk
Clearly defined requirements and deliverables
Most up-to-date design capabilities
Reduced project timeline and budget
Easy to maintain and enhance
Unique features will create a competitive advantage

The likelihood of success is greater for outsourced projects when compared to in-house development simply because custom application development is the outsourcing team’s core competency. Additionally, the experience of an engaged external team in building software applications for other companies is a valuable proposition. We do not have to re-invent the wheel and can leverage our experience and technology expertise.

Our deliverables include the data you need for savvy business intelligence and ongoing measurable results from a manageable financial investment . . . and no overhead burden.

We can get you off to a hot, fast start in 2016 with our affordable custom app development services. We’ll do the heavy lifting to create the custom applications that deliver data into meaningful sets, mobilize and monitor your planning analytics so they enhance your BI priorities. We can wrangle your data with ETL services too.

Call us to start a neutral and friendly conversation. 512 478 3848

ETL Project Management

October 27, 2015 by miawebadmin

Independent ETL project management can make any ETL project feasible and significantly save on implementation time and money. All major ETL tool vendors agree that the early identification of risks and bottlenecks is crucial. Not following such best practices is the leading cause of ETL project failure.

You can use best input on optimizing or reducing the cost of your ETL and business intelligence costs by learning how to “see” your needs clearly and then management the movement of your data from both internal and external sources to a structure that drive better and more intelligent business decisions. By most accounts, 80% of the development effort in a Big Data project goes into data integration; the rest goes toward data analysis.

A word to the wise; drop out the data you don’t use and partner with a team that bases their reputation and business success on doing it right . . . each time and all of the time.

Take a look at these and choose what you can use:

Keep it simple; the fewer steps involved, the less chance there is, for things to go wrong. When changes need to be made, or fixes applied, simplicity helps. Ownership of the ETL processes may change hands, and a simple design will aid those responsible.

Think modular; design units of work with an eye to repeatable patterns. Aim to have as few modules as possible. These can be applied as templates for future development.

Add or subtract as needs change; design to include only that data identified as valuable to the business in the context of a given project or release cycle. Over time, additional data elements can be added to ETL jobs, or superfluous ones taken away.

Audit trail; be able to trace the path that data takes from source to target. Have the means to identify any transformations applied to values along the way.

Why team with us? As teams of proven professionals that support you with data integration services, custom application development, and enterprise and strategic planning solutions we have only one purpose; creation and delivery of solutions that give you utmost confidence in your data-driven decisions.

We can help you monitor your predictive HR trends, measure progress toward a set of quantitative goals or flag shifts in your markets or financial operations. Call us to start a conversation that can enhance your data management investment while you make savvy asset management decisions. 512 478 3848.

Health System CIOs Define Their Talent Needs, Challenges and Goals for 2015

August 7, 2015 by miawebadmin

You continue to face the very complex challenge of risk and reward when hiring skill sets for your health data management, business intelligence and patient-care operating data needs. It’s not unusual for you to feel your pulse rate rise when you starting mapping the rugged process of specifying, recruiting, vetting, interviewing onboarding and monitoring progress to get to a payback point in one of your key functional areas.

We feel your pain. In this pointed and salient article from Becker’s Health IT and CIO Review Roundtable, five veteran healthcare chief information officers talk about their challenges and their goals for the year.

One comment, by Mary Ann Leach of Children’s Hospital Colorado, says a lot about analysts and data scientist as core performers in carrying out their patient-care mission,“We are always going to need great analysts, people who understand clinical and business workflow and research needs, and who can transfer those needs to system design and implementation. We will also need more than we have of data scientists, data warehouse, business intelligence and mobile app developers, as well as creative and innovative professionals who can help us evolve how we deliver care. Additionally, we will always need people skilled and/or certified in Epic. We’ll always need technical professionals as well, as our technology infrastructure becomes increasingly complex”.

As you look at the balance of your year and your stated objectives, you may find it valuable to pause along that path of relentless recruitment and consider ramping up your data value and quality of decision by outsourcing your custom applications development to a team of proven professionals with a track record in healthcare.

Custom software development is all about world-class solutions that drive up the value of your data and your deliverables. The best teams of designers and software engineers are experts that work with you every step of the way as a dedicated team to solve your most complex data access problems. We have a superb track record working with both direct care delivery leaders and healthcare coalition teams.

Take a look at a couple of our success stories. Then let’s start a conversation about your needs.

Avoid This Costly Custom App Development Mistake

July 31, 2015 by miawebadmin

Do more using your core strengths! Avoid this costly custom app development mistake.

Sometimes even the best of us trip on the human asset recruitment speed bump and do more than just skin our knees. The Austin Business Journal, like some of its sister journals, opens up its pages to the business community to nominate and vote annually for the best business leaders in the region.

When they recently listed the area’s 2015 Entrepreneurs of the Year, it was really a valid reinforcement to hear a fast-growth company leader talk about his largest leadership mistake. And it really addresses the stressful choice many of you face . . . under unnecessary pressure; hire to grow.

Here are Eric Long’s comments and then my suggestion to sum up:

“Hiring the wrong people who didn’t fit the culture was my biggest mistake”, Eric Long said. “Just because someone has the right work experience and looks good on paper, it doesn’t mean that they are the right cultural fit. I think hiring decisions are one of the most important decisions an entrepreneur has to make. Don’t rush, get infatuated and hire the wrong candidate culturally. Nobody bats a thousand in hiring, so when you make the wrong hire culturally, it is in both the candidate’s and the company’s best interest to quickly part ways.”

Look beyond the applicant tracking software output. Do what you do best, then outsource the rest. If you outsource your customized software development projects, then your emphasis can be on your core operations while avoiding distractions from being forced into internally developing complex customized software. The key to successful outsourcing is to maintain a clear channel of communication with the right team of software engineers.

The customized software they deliver will adapt to your processes, not erode any existing network software and will be more flexible than a one-size-fits-all solution.