Does a Small or Medium Business Need Digital Transformation?

Embrace Digital Transformation (Dx) to Support Your SMB

Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs or SMBs) are not exempt from competition. In fact, they are constantly subjected to the pressures of competition and, lacking the resources of a large enterprise, they are far more likely to fail if they are not ready to be battle-tested.

No matter the age, experience or tech savvy of your executive and management team, it is hard to keep up with technology and yet, as we all know, technology is a necessary tool and component of enterprise success.

A recent in-depth Springer study of the barriers and enablers of Digital Transformation (Dx) in small and medium enterprises revealed that: ‘several factors simplify the process of digitization in SMEs, including the appropriate technologies, and a workforce equipped with the right digital skills to use them. While barriers to digitalization included the risk-averse culture prevalent in many SMEs, and their reliance on outdated legacy systems.’

‘Engage an expert partner to help you assess your current environment and look for opportunities to improve the digital landscape using existing technology, and where appropriate add new tools to support your team, your management and your customers.’

Here are some statistics that may help your enterprise understand the urgency of Digital Transformation (Dx) and the need to plan for and execute this strategy with appropriate support and expertise.

  • The digital transformation market is expected to grow at a 23.9% CAGR between now and 2030.
  • 74% of organizations consider digital transformation a top priority
  • 77% of companies have already started their digital transformation journey
  • Only 35% of organizations’ digital transformation efforts are successful

Your IT team may be small and they are probably overloaded with projects and maintenance, but Dx is an important component of your success and should not be ignored. When a Small or Medium Sized Business (SMB) embraces Digital Transformation, it can improve operational efficiency (do more with less), improve productivity and enhance customer experience. In short, Digital Transformation can have a positive impact on all areas of your business, making your enterprise more customer-centric.

Support Your SMB and SME with Digital Transformation (Dx) and Achieve a Competitive Advantage

Online experiences are crucial to business success and when it comes to customer satisfaction, they are mandatory. By embracing Dx, the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) can leverage its agility to compete with large and small competitors.

  • Enhance the Customer Experience with targeted services and tools to foster loyalty and improve customer satisfaction
  • Improve Team Efficiency by automating tasks and streamlining workflow and approval loops, enhancing efficiency, reporting, collaboration and productivity.
  • Reduce Cost and Increase Revenue with streamlined operations, optimized resources,  and improved customer experiences.
  • Improve Decision-Making by enabling data gathering and analysis from disparate data sources to provide insight to your ream and support fact-based decisions.
  • Improve Competitive Advantage with faster, more flexible digital tools and features to enable entry into new markets and quickly adapt to changing customer buying behaviors and needs.

The Dx journey can support small and medium enterprises by leveraging cloud services, simplifying data storage and data management, enhancing collaboration and data access and improving eCommerce services, digital marketing services, and data analytics for your team, and by streamlining routine business processes

‘When a Small or Medium Sized Business (SMB) embraces Digital Transformation, it can improve operational efficiency (do more with less), improve productivity and enhance customer experience.’

Engage an expert partner to help you assess your current environment and look for opportunities to improve the digital landscape using existing technology, and where appropriate add new tools to support your team, your management and your customers.

Contact Us to find out how Digital Transformation (Dx) services for your Small Or Medium Sized Business can help you to achieve your goals and gain a competitive advantage. Read our free White Paper: ‘Is Digital Transformation Important For Small And Medium Businesses?’, and ‘Understanding Digital Transformation: What It Is And What It Is Not.’

AI-Infused Apps and Products Provide Improvement Across the Enterprise

Why Infuse New or Existing Software with Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been in the mainstream for years with new advancements occurring every day. As the promise of AI evolves, businesses are undertaking new AI software development projects to support consumer products and internal business processes, and many companies are infusing AI into existing software products and apps to modernize and upgrade features and functionality, scalability and the quality of system interaction with human users.

Gartner predicts that by 2026, around a third (30%) of new applications will leverage AI.

‘By leveraging AI, businesses can tap into its numerous benefits and advantages, positioning themselves for continual success and growth.’

On the back-end, the benefits of AI development include improved speed of development and time to market. According to McKinsey research, Generative AI Accelerates Certain Coding Tasks By 35% To 45%.

Infusing AI allows you to incorporate the advantages and advanced technologies of the AI landscape into the enterprise to automate, predict and optimize and to improve business decisions and outcomes, as well as improve user adoption of intuitive tools and features.

Infusing AI into the environment also allows you to more quickly adapt and upgrade to accommodate changes to customer needs, business user needs and the competitive market. Development can be completed quickly and new, more sophisticated features can be added on a shorter cycle. You can develop faster and design and deliver software and applications to create dynamic end-user experiences.

There are real business benefits to adding AI into the mix! The data gathered and delivered by AI can provide real-time results. For example, a decision regarding loan approval should be based on currently available information and the transaction should be approved or denied using the most up-to-date information in order to protect the interests of the prospective client and the business. Interest rates and other variables can be calculated to provide the best outcomes. The system can detect and protect against fraud to ensure that insurance claims are valid and appropriate.

By infusing existing systems with artificial intelligence or building new systems to incorporate these capabilities, the business can mitigate risk, speed business processes and approvals and automate many redundant tasks, thereby improving team productivity, customer satisfaction and competitive advantage in the market.

Does an AI-Infused App or Software Product Benefit a Business and Its Customers?

By leveraging AI, businesses can tap into its numerous benefits and advantages, positioning themselves for continual success and growth. Benefits of AI-infused technologies include:

Competitive Advantage – Businesses can secure an edge over their competitors through the use of AI technologies that amplify productivity, decision-making processes, and consumer experiences.

Personalized User Experience – AI technology allows businesses to effortlessly examine consumer behavior and preferences, enabling the provision of products, recommendations, and services tailored to their precise needs.

Data-Driven Insights – AI-based solutions help businesses forecast business trends, identify patterns, and make informed decisions by analyzing vast amounts of data and extracting invaluable insights, paving the way for better planning.

Operational Efficiency – By automating repetitive tasks, streamlining workflows, and optimizing resource allocation, AI-driven software helps businesses simplify their operations, improve productivity, and reduce costs.

‘Infusing AI allows you to incorporate the advantages and advanced technologies of the AI landscape into the enterprise to automate, predict and optimize and to improve business decisions and outcomes, as well as improve user adoption of intuitive tools and features.’

Contact Us to find out how our Enterprise Software Services and Artificial Intelligence Development Services can support your business needs and ensure consistent, professional, skilled technology and knowledge. Explore our free White Paper: ‘What Is Artificial Intelligence Technology And How Can It Help My Business?’

Build Your Software Team (A Dream Team) At a Price You Can Afford

Building a Software Team That Suits Your Needs

Imagine having the resources you need to satisfy your software development, support and maintenance needs? Imagine a universe where you don’t have to recruit, interview and house a software development team to fulfill your vision for a consumer or business application? What if you could have the right resources available at the right time without having to wait for your team (or an IT partner) to find the time to address your needs or ideas?

‘A Build Your Own Team approach assures that the business has the skills, knowledge, resources and access it needs to complete its project on a timely basis. This personalized approach is not simply a staffing, recruitment or shared workspace approach.’

CIO.com recently published research that outlines the primary reasons for project failure. Among the top reasons for failure, they list two primary factors relating to resources:

Not Enough Resources

Underestimating the resources and talent required to do the work and the amount of work required to complete the project.

Inexperienced Teams

Failure to provide experienced project managers and specific skills and talents required to complete the project.

Even if your business has a skilled in-house IT team, it is likely that they are already overwhelmed by existing projects, support, and maintenance of the existing infrastructure. Add to that the fact that new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), and new platforms, frameworks, coding techniques, and other factors can make it nearly impossible to keep your staff trained and sustain the skills you need to address every requirements.

But when your business needs software and application development help, it is often difficult to find a service provider that will satisfy all business needs and do so in a timely, skilled fashion. If a business chooses the wrong service provider, it is likely to face one or more of the following issues:

  • Cookie-cutter solutions and teams that provide some, but not all, of the skills required to support business needs.
  • Delays in achieving milestones because the right resources are not available at the right time.
  • Inflexible team and resource availability to address changing or evolving requirements leads to uncertain results.
  • Out-of-date or incomplete skillsets.
  • The need to find, interview and select a vendor, sign contracts and establish relationships for each new project.
  • Resource instability. Changes and disruption in the team demand re-training, and result in lost resource skills and project knowledge.
  • Failure to protect Intellectual Property (IP), Data and User Privacy.

And even if you CAN find a vendor or partner with the right skills, many businesses report delays and gaps in the actual delivery of completed projects. A skilled developer may be pulled from your project to satisfy another client and, when it is time for that developer to work on your project, they may not be available. You may find that the vendor is unavailable on certain days or during certain hours because of time zone differences or project overload.

Build Your Software Team Without Investment and Get the Right Skills and Resources

A Build Your Own Team approach assures that the business has the skills, knowledge, resources and access it needs to complete its project on a timely basis. This personalized approach is not simply a staffing, recruitment or shared workspace approach. By combining experience in software development and project management, and a unique understanding of the software lifecycle, training and skills requirements, with a deep and broad network from which the partner can draw you are assured of the right skills, experience and talent – without delays or default.

‘When your business needs software and application development help, it is often difficult to find a service provider that will satisfy all business needs and do so in a timely, skilled fashion.’

Contact Us to find out how our software application development services and find out how you can Build Your Software Team to support YOUR needs and ensure consistent, professional, skilled technology and knowledge. Explore our free articles here: ‘Build Your Software Team For Cross-Platform Apps Project,’ and ‘Ensure Success And Engage A Software Partner To Build Your Own Team.’

Case Study: Elegant MicroWeb Case Study – AI Image Recognition Technology Transforms Fire Safety Inspections and Compliance

This U.S. company specializes in fire safety equipment maintenance and compliance management. Its mobile application product automates the process of fire safety inspections, allowing businesses to efficiently record and submit inspection reports to regulatory authorities, streamlining inspection workflows and ensuring consistent compliance for clients. This product is accessed through a subscription plan.

Engage an IT Partner to Build a Personalized Software Team

Build Your Own Software Team with Expert Skills and Experience

No matter the size of your business (large, medium or small), no matter the reach of your enterprise (local, regional or global), technology is a part of our life, a part of the day-to-day work of your team and a part of what feeds your strategy and goals.

Even if you are a part of a global, multi-million dollar organization, with a substantial IT team, it is difficult to source, hire and retain the right resources to staff all of your needs. From maintenance and support to deployment of new software solutions, to security, governance, data migration, management and reporting, there is often too much to do, too little time and too few resources.

…and when your team conceives of a new business software solution for consumers or for team members, or when you wish to integrate software solutions or upgrade tools and processes, your project team is likely to find its vision delayed behind a multitude of day-to-day needs and other projects that are languishing on the ‘to do’ list.

If you have recently decided to consider IT outsourcing for a project, or for ongoing needs, here are some interesting statistics to support this option:

  • IT outsourcing can preserve up to 40% of the organizational budget. (MSBU)
  • Hiring a third-party IT representative can speed up development cycles by 50%. (Number Analytics)
  • Business organizations experience a 30% shortage in tech talent related to cybersecurity and privacy. (Robert Half)
  • 93% of organizations anticipate entrusting aspects of cybersecurity to specialized service providers within the next two years. (Forbes)

Whether your business needs help with a new software project, or wishes to upgrade security standards, integrate existing solutions with new software, create a more comprehensive support and maintenance roadmap, or satisfy any other need, you can achieve these goals with dedicated assistance from an IT outsourcing expert.

Your management team and IT professionals may believe that IT outsourcing is undependable and expensive but, the right IT partner can provide flexible, dedicated resources to fulfill your requirements and you can Build Your Own Software Development team to quickly and easily complete your project.

If you are contemplating a new software solution, you can build a team with the skills to design a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and prototype and test features to avoid missteps and market mistakes.

Minimum Viable Products (MVP) Produces Better Business Start-Up Results

If you have an idea for a business solution, you can work with a dedicated team and dependable resources to develop requirements, obtain management, IT and user feedback and design, develop and create a solution using the right technology, frameworks and platforms.

Every resource assigned to your project will be curated to provide the right skills, experience and knowledge. Your team will not fight for the attention of assigned team members but rather will work with this assigned team and enjoy assured availability.

Your enterprise will enjoy:

  • Timely Project Delivery
  • Cost-Effective Solutions
  • Proven Expertise
  • Team of Skilled, Highly-Trained Developers
  • Efficient Project Management
  • Application Outcomes Aligned with Use Cases and Objectives
  • Solutions and Services That Meet Industry and Government Standards
  • Cutting Edge Expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Low-Code, No-Code (LCNC) Platforms, Advanced Analytics etc.

This approach provides resources to  maintain, support, enhance and upgrade software, migrate data into new environments, support and enhance existing applications, and your team has total control to assign work tasks and manage day-to-day team activities for the offshore software team.

If your business is struggling to keep up with technology evolution and software development and integration, Contact Us to discuss your needs and to explore how your business can Build A Dedicated Software Team to satisfy all of your needs.

Start-Up Businesses Can Leverage Minimum Viable Products

Is a Minimum Viable Product Good for My Start-Up?

Typically, the start-up and entrepreneur organization does not lack great ideas or innovation, but they often DO lack the budget and the resources to affordably and quickly bring their vision to life and to select the right technology to support their business ideas. Engaging an expert IT consulting partner can help the start-up expand resources without hiring and housing its own team, and it can add expertise and knowledge to get the job done.

When engaging an IT partner, the start-up organization must choose a software development team that understands the start-up culture and has experience helping this type of enterprise to thrive in today’s digitally advanced world by offering custom software and services. Choose a partner that has experience working with Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) to speed your market entry and ensure that you avoid missteps and expensive mistakes.

‘MVP products are designed with just enough features to test concepts and idea and allow early users to provide feedback that will then be incorporated into the final, comprehensive product development project.’

Gartner defines a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) product as, ‘A minimum viable product (MVP) is the release of a new product (or a major new feature) that is used to validate customer needs and demands prior to developing a more fully featured product. To reduce development time and effort, an MVP includes only the minimum capabilities required to be a viable customer solution.’

Start-ups have the capacity to revolutionize the industry because of their innovative outlook. However, digital growth, stability, and keeping up-to-date on the latest market trends are of paramount importance and can be challenging.

MVP development and MVP agile development are perfect for the start-up environment looking for an investor and for beta users who are tasked to pursue a concept or idea.

Minimum Viable Products Are the Secret Weapon for Start-Up Businesses

MVP products are designed with just enough features to test concepts and idea and allow early users to provide feedback that will then be incorporated into the final, comprehensive product development project. This is a cost-effective way to engage prospective investors and/or to gather feedback on a product, and assure product-market fit and it allows the start-up business to avoid a lengthy, costly product development process that may result in failure, or that may include features or functionality customers do not want, or may leave gaps in functionality that are important to customers and clients.

When considering an IT consulting partner, choose a partner with experience in Minimum Viable Products (MVP) – a partner that understands and has worked with start-up businesses and can support your enterprise with affordable, effective services. Your partner should be skilled in a wide spectrum of technologies, domains, and proven delivery models to cater to your specific requirements to create trailblazing software, seamlessly utilize data analytics, and provide talented developers to support your needs as your grow.

‘MVP development and MVP agile development are perfect for the start-up environment looking for an investor and for beta users who are tasked to pursue a concept or idea.’

Contact Us to find out how our software application development services and our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Services can help your Start-Up Business gain traction and enter the market quickly and dependably.  Explore our free articles here: ‘Ensure Start-Up Success With Expert MVP And App Development.’

Is Low-Code, No-Code Development is Right For Your Business?

Low-Code, No-Code Development Can Speed Development

If your business is considering a new consumer or business software application, or perhaps an upgrade to existing solutions, or integration of multiple software solutions to improve workflow and productivity, you must consider your requirements and choose appropriate technology, frameworks and platforms to satisfy requirements.

‘Low code/no code development demands no extensive coding or programming expertise, which lowers development costs, making it a cost-effective solution.’

The Low-Code, No-Code (LCNC) environment has emerged as a suitable solution for many software development and software re-engineering projects, and an experienced team can leverage the capabilities of low code and/or no code to achieve your goals.

Statista estimates the Global Low-Code Platform Market will grow to sixty-five (65) billion USD by 2027.

By all accounts, the low code/no code application development has transformed the typical conventional software development environment to improve time-to-market, and create a flexible foundation for future changes and upgrades with seamless and efficient development.

With no code/low code development, software development teams can quickly address individual user and client requirements. With reusable components, drag-and-drop features, visual creation process, and emphasis on digital democracy, low code/no code application development can optimize development resources and support swift project completion to create new features and functionality.

What is Low-Code, No-Code Development and How Can It Support My Business?

There are many benefits to the low-code, no-code approach, including:

  • Streamlined Development – Leveraging reusable components and a visual interface streamlines the development process to speed the development process and ensure swift application delivery.
  • Cost-Effectiveness – Low code/no code development demands no extensive coding or programming expertise, which lowers development costs, making it a cost-effective solution.
  • Rapid Prototyping – The visual approach of no code/low code development not only simplifies development but also fosters innovation by enabling rapid prototyping and easy project adaptability.

Your IT team may not be trained in or have knowledge of the LCNC development environment,  or they may just be busy with day-to-day projects and responsibilities and unable to work on this type of project. No matter the specific situation or project, you may wish to engage an IT partner to work with your business and ensure that the selected tools and technologies are appropriate to achieve your goals.

As with any software solution project, it is important to choose the right foundation and tools to accomplish your goals. The low-code, no-code development environment is not right for every project. The current low code no code market is actively changing and maturing and vendors are improving extensibility and governance and creating more scalable solutions. Work with your IT partner to determine if this technology is right for your project and needs.

‘The Low-Code, No-Code (LCNC) environment has emerged as a suitable solution for many software development and software re-engineering projects, and an experienced team can leverage the capabilities of low code and/or no code to achieve your goals.’

Contact Us to find out how our software application development services and our Low-Code, No-Code Development Expertise and Creatio LCNC Development can support your business. Explore our free articles here: ‘Understanding The Concept And Value Of Low-Code And No-Code Development,’ and ‘Why Should You Choose (Or Not Choose) Low-Code No-Code Development For Your Project.’

Case Study: Elegant MicroWeb Case Study – Conversational AI-Based Chatbot for USA Recruitment Sourcing Platform

The Client is a U.S. technology company that provides an AI-powered recruitment sourcing platform designed to simplify and accelerate the recruitment and hiring process. The platform leverages advanced natural language processing (NLP) to analyze job descriptions, identify key skills, and intelligently match candidates from both local and global talent pools. With built-in communication tools, recruiters can easily reach out to candidates via personalized emails or texts, and track engagement through intuitive dashboards. The Client platform is offered to customers through subscription plans and is designed to help recruitment teams make faster, more informed, hiring decisions with minimal manual effort.

Case Study: Elegant MicroWeb Case Study – NLP Search for U.S. Recruitment Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

The Client is a leading recruitment company based in the United States. The Client built an AI-powered Applicant Tracking System (ATS) specifically designed to recruit teams and to manage the entire lifecycle of the hiring process with speed, simplicity, and automation. The platform offers an intuitive interface to build a candidate pool from LinkedIn with AI-driven candidate rankings for a specific job posting, and is integrated with Outlook and Gmail. With flexible subscription options, mobile access, and dedicated migration support, the platform empowers recruiters to streamline the hiring pipeline, improve candidate engagement, and make targeted hiring decisions without the complexity and shortcomings of traditional ATS platforms.

A Full Software Product Development Suite of Services is Key

Choose the Right Software Development Partner

The investment and time required to conceive, design and develop a software product can be overwhelming and there are many ways a business can get off track. If your organization is to be successful in this effort, the software product you conceive must be developed and maintained to satisfy the specific use cases for consumers and users and the objectives of the organization and the product vision. It must comply with industry and government standards and with the business plan and financial projections for the product.

Your business may have a really great idea for a software product but your IT team probably doesn’t have the time to work on this kind of project and, even if they do, it isn’t likely that you will have all of the required skills in-house.

‘When considering a software services partner, look for a full suite of technical skills, cutting-edge technologies, software skills and related software services including  Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Low-Code, No-Code (LCNC) platforms, and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) experience.’

Gartner identifies Ten (10) Critical Capabilities for Development Services:

  • Business Acumen, Design (User & Customer Experience)
  • AI/ML Expertise
  • API and Integration Services
  • Analytics and BI Service Experience
  • Software Engineering Approaches
  • Multi-experience Development
  • Talent Operations
  • Technical Architecture and Cloud
  • Quality Engineering
  • Modern Engineering Approaches

Software Product Development is not the same as simple application development or a custom business software project. A software product will be used by consumers and end-users, and the project lifecycle must ensure compliance with appropriate industry and government security standards, and include product testing to protect the business from risk and legal issues. The product roadmap must include a clear vision for upgrades and customer engagement, and the functional and technical architecture should be scalable to accommodate needs in future.

Don’t Take Software Product Development Lightly: Choose the Right Development Partner

The software product development and design process includes product ideation, competitive analysis, technical feasibility, product roadmap management, Minimum Viable Products (MVP), product development, implementation and timely upgrades of the product to satisfy the ever-changing user and technology needs. If your organization is to be successful in this effort, the software product you conceive must be developed and maintained to satisfy the specific use cases for consumers and users and the objectives of the organization and the product vision. It must comply with industry and government standards and with the business plan and financial projections for the product.

The software product development process must include:

  • Management of Project Goals, Use Cases and Objectives
  • Product Requirements Definition, Evolution and Management
  • Product Roadmap and Backlog Management
  • Risk Mitigation
  • Market Analysis
  • Comparative Analysis
  • Functional and Technical Feasibility
  • Roadmap to Accelerated Growth and Market Success
  • Product Ideation and Market Gap Analysis
  • Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Design And Development
  • Usability, User Experience Design and UI Development
  • Product Roadmap Definition and Backlog Management
  • Technical Feasibility for Scalable and Sustainable Architecture
  • DevOPs Setup and Management
  • Product Architecture Design
  • Product Version Management and Documentation
  • Product Development, Maintenance and Support
  • Product Implementation and Integration
  • Product Testing and Release Management
  • Product User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
  • Software Product Upgrades, Migration, and Release Management
  • Software Product Re-Engineering

When considering a software services partner, look for a full suite of technical skills, cutting-edge technologies, software skills and related software services including Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Low-Code, No-Code (LCNC) platforms, and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) experience.

In this evolving tech-driven world, it is difficult to ascertain whether a software product will survive and thrive in the market, and a business should not leave this result to chance. Before the enterprise commits to the expense and time involved in software product development, it should consider the benefits of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

An MVP product has just enough features, and is just functional enough for beta or early customers to use. These early users will provide feedback to be used in comprehensive product development. Businesses can leverage MVP product development to quickly, and cost-effectively gather feedback on a product, and to assure an appropriate product-market fit. In so doing, the business can avoid a lengthy, costly product development process that may result in failure, may include features or functionality customers do not want, or may leave gaps in functionality that are important to customers and clients.

‘The software product development and design process includes product ideation, competitive analysis, technical feasibility, product roadmap management, Minimum Viable Products (MVP), product development, implementation and timely upgrades of the product.’

A comprehensive suite of product development services is necessary to ensure that the scope, budget and schedule of your software product remain intact and that your software product is deployed and upgraded successfully.

Contact Us to find out how our Product Development Services can support your software applications, Minimum Viable Products (MVP), mobile application, your Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives, or software product ideas, and improve team productivity, and optimize resources. Explore our free articles here: ‘5 Critical Areas Of Focus For Software Product Development Partner Selection,’ ‘3 Critical Considerations For Software Product Development vs. Application Development,’ and our white paper, ‘Return On Investment: The Cost vs. Value Equation For Offshore Software And Technology Projects.’