#Development Archives

What is DevOps? – AWS

Posted on 16/04/202131/05/2021 by Anteelo Master

What is DevOps?

DevOps (Development & Operations), a design and operations system, is an approach that works closely with software developers and operations. DevOps was developed in 2009 with the aim of improving communication and integration development and operations in order to benefit fully from modern software development approaches.

The entire range of application management operations has become considerably more complex in this complex environment. At the same time, software applications must be designed, developed, deployed, architected, and monitored via an ongoing, never-ending lifecycle. DevOps is an agent of change in the current business environment, which supports such complex applications.

The clear answer to the frequently asked question, “What is DevOps” is DevOps is a collaborative, team-based approach to technology delivery that leverages experts with cross-functional development and organizational expertise to address issues relevant to applications.

Characteristics of a good DevOps

Corporations and companies have varying degrees of success in introducing and implementing a DevOps system for their IT departments, these are the common characteristics they show:

1. Short, iterative development cycles

DevOps allows an organization to develop and launch new products and services more efficiently through a build-measure-learn process, beginning with minimally viable products (MVPs) running on the production infrastructure.

2. Driven by Metrics

Use lean startup methodologies, evaluating ideas, and designing of MVPs offers immediate feedback to product or service creators and backers, providing valuable data to decision-makers on the continued feasibility of the current process.

If a pivot is required to align the plan more closely with the organizational and strategic priorities, the indicators will support that decision.

3. Focused on People

Even in library systems with a single member, the DevOps team of a library must always concentrate on the people being served. Professional resources and technology departments of the library need to guide research and decision-making based on the actual use of members of the library system and the interest of library leadership in looking for the edges of their populations.

DevOps working Lifecycle

DevOps principles are not only applied throughout the lifecycle, but they include growth, operations, and business stakeholders at all times. The DevOps framework explores the challenges of serving the dynamically changing and business-critical architectures of today’s technology.

In this model, the DevOps interactions at each stage are as follows:

1. Assess

Business stakeholder feedback (for new services) and service-level agreement reviews, (for existing services) are used to define goals for new business offerings and to modify existing ones.

2. Design

At this stage design and development are given importance. The primary responsibility of design is to incorporate requirements into a software design. Business is responsible for educating production on specific requirements, as well as evaluating the project and signing it off.

3. Develop

Development is ultimately responsible for building software that meets the needs of the business. Operations are introduced when necessary to support development teams in building and testing environments and/or to advise on network requirements and expected delivery times.

4. Test

While Development and QA teams perform unit and integration testing, Operations participates in integration and load testing to assess operational readiness.

5. Release

This is the traditional handoff stage of DevOps, but the handoff in this scenario is a change in leadership roles versus a shift in responsibility. Development and Operations (or DevOps) teams lead this stage, while end-user acceptance processes are conducted by business stakeholders.

6. Manage

Infrastructure, systems and application management tools track manufacturing environments and applications during this phase. Service level management (SLM), quality and availability management, troubleshooting/root cause analysis and resource management solutions all track and assess the output of applications as part of ongoing assessments.

AWS DevOps

AWS DevOps with Amazon security & Amazon cloudwatch provides flexible and speedy DevOps services for companies.

Features

1. Monitoring

Enables monitoring and logs to see how the quality of software and infrastructure affects the end-user experience of their service.

2. ChatOps (AWS Chatbot)

It is the latest feature which easier to review the notification and execute commands in Slack channels and Amazon Chime chat rooms. Chatbot supports:

Amazon CloudWatch
AWS Health
AWS Budgets
AWS Security Hub
Amazon GuardDuty
AWS CloudFormation

3. Microservices

Microservices turn the task of building an application into several microservices. Each system operates independently and communicates with other services via a well-defined interface using a lightweight mechanism.

4. Infrastructure as Code

The cloud-driven API model allows developers and system administrators to communicate programmatically and on a scale with infrastructure, rather than setting up and configuring resources manually.

5. Continuous delivery

DevOps have become essential elements contributing to the rise of continuous delivery. Continuous delivery is a software development practice, the term describes an iterative and continuous process of software development, evaluation, and distribution to the desired endpoint. The destination may be a manufacturing setting, a staging environment or a set of software products.

Advantages of DevOps

Speed: The developers and operation team is able to get their results faster
Scale: Operate and manage infrastructure and growth processes at scale. Automation and reliability allow you to handle complex and evolving processes effectively and with reduced risk.
Reliability: Devops highly reliable because of the quality of application updates
Security: You can use automatic enforcement protocols, fine-grained processes, and configuration management tools to implement a DevOps framework without compromising security.
Collaboration: Collaboration of developer and operation using DevOps team increases efficiency and save time

In this journal, we have discussed the enhanced definition of and vividly taken a deep dive in what is DevOps. We can now understand that DevOps provides software development teams with the ability to control and accountability to deliver software efficiently and often especially for small to medium-sized enterprises in the production environment.

In this case, the capability comes from their ability to acquire new skills from operations-related tasks while operating under pressure at the same time. I also established that DevOps in companies is a long-term endeavor that, in addition to technological methods, requires a supportive culture and a mindset. Such cross-functional collaboration is most effective when supported by senior management and customers.

Secret to Patient Encounter: Never Skip Small Talk!

Posted on 07/11/202014/05/2021 by Anteelo Master

Small talk is delightful. It’s an easygoing, inconsequential conversation where you’re not running to reach an answer. It flows like wind, from one talker to the next. Small talk appears trivial, but it’s a way for strangers to know each other and for friends to bond over little details.In office, people indulge in small talk during watercooler run-ins, in elevators, and in big meetings where they don’t know each other. Small talk is used to break the ice with casual questions like ‘how are you?’, ‘How’s the weather in your city?’, ‘How was your day?’.In human conversations, small talk serves many purposes. It’s like a bonding ritual. If the two people are meeting for the first time, it acts as a conversation starter. But if they already know each other, it serves as a conversation kickstarter before diving into the real conversation. Small talk is the foundation of good conversations and great relationships.

In a chatbot, small talk enhances the user experience by bringing a feeling of connection. By adding answers to inputs like ‘How are you?’ and ‘Are you really a robot?” in the chatbot’s architecture, we make it less robotic and more humane. We give our chatbot a human character that builds an invaluable connection with the user.

How can small talk help in a healthcare chatbot?

A good healthcare chatbot is the one that answers users’ questions with accuracy, timeliness and empathy.

But a great healthcare chatbot is the one that understands the moods of users, urgency of the situation and answers accordingly.

For instance, when you’re panicking about waking up to bloodshot eyes, the chatbot calms you down with some first-aid steps. If you’re in a rush to book an appointment, the chatbot sends you proactive information on which doctor is nearest to your location. If you’re feeling low, the chatbot brightens up your mood with some light-hearted conversation. Just as a good friend would do.

The highlight of the above conversation is the personal touch in the conversation. It doesn’t feel like we’re reading a conversation with a chatbot. That’s the magic of small talk. Phrases like ‘that’s dreadful’, ‘wish you a speedy recovery’, add a human element and creates a connection of care between the bot and the end-user.

Small talk in a healthcare chatbot also helps create trust. It eases them through important and time-sensitive tasks— like emergency calls to ambulances — with empathy. Contrary to this, robotic responses in yes or no and apathetic comprehension of chatbots frustrates users and they go elsewhere in search for answers.

But how can chatbots mimic human-like conversations and engage users in delightful conversation? By leveraging the power of AI and NLP.

How to implement small talk?

There are certain guidelines that one can follow to tailor such conversations.

Decide the voice and tone of your chatbot. Every response should reflect the personality of your chatbot.
Initially, you’ll have to hardcode some of the small talk in your chatbot. So, brainstorm ways in which users can ask questions. Do some research and make some educated guesses to decide on the most relevant questions that your targeted audience may ask. Cover the edge cases as well– from casual questions to genuine queries that users might ask.
Write answers to each question as per your understanding.
Keep the small talk brief and clear. Don’t go too far from the crux of the conversation.
There can be multiple levels of small talk. Each parent question can have a child query. The child query can only be asked when the parent question has been asked by the user and the chatbot has responded to it.
Small talk should always be accompanied by a call to action or a solution. Example- You: “Do you really exist?” Chatbot: “Yes I exist as a computer program. An intelligent human created me, so you can trust me. How can I help you?”
Train your chatbot to learn from the conversations of small talk.
Small talk is language-specific. So give users an option to talk to the chatbot in their native language.

Small talk makes the interactions with chatbot intuitive. By adding a small talk feature, we can increase the number of conversations and engagement levels of the user with the chatbot. So, if you have a healthcare chatbot, consider incorporating small talk. It doesn’t even require you to do a complete overhaul of your chatbot development.

Must know emerging IoT Technologies for 2021

Posted on 26/07/202009/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

IoT currently is in its golden age, transforming various industries by storing and processing data in a distributed manner and making enhanced productivity.

IoT is a complex ecosystem of interconnected devices that can communicate with each other. These smart connected devices are able to gather, share, and analyze information and take actions accordingly.

Research shows that there will be 35 billion smart devices online by 2021 and this number will rise to 75 billion by 2025. So, it is safe to say that IoT is growing at an enormous rate and so are the use cases, trends and technologies surrounding it.

The emerging trends in IoT are majorly driven by technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, 5G and edge computing. Within this interconnected web of technological advances lies in the business value of IoT applications like smart wearables, smart homes and buildings, smart cities, autonomous cars, smart factories, location trackers, wireless sensors and much more. This level of connectivity helps consumers experience a comfortable secure household that they can control and monitor anytime. IoT also promotes cost and energy savings. From a business point of view, it helps make operation management more efficient, improves productivity of the resources and reduces human labour and above all it provides vast business opportunities.

Since we are well aware about what IoT is and how it works, let us jump straight to IoT statistics that you should not ignore!

Statistics You Need To Know

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global internet of things market size stood at USD 250.72 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 1,463.19 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 24.9% during the forecast period.

The Internet of Things (IoT) market in the U.S. is estimated at US $45.7 Billion in the year 2020. China, the world’s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$169.1 Billion by the year 2027 trailing a CAGR of 29.9% over the analysis period 2020 to 2027.
The enthusiasm for IoT adoption is not only global, but also across all industries. Among the enterprise IoT decision makers Microsoft surveyed, 85% say they have at least one IoT project in either the learning, proof of concept, purchase, or use phase, with many reporting they have one or more projects currently in use. Adoption rates are similar across surveyed countries such as, US, UK, Germany, France, China, Japan and core industries like – manufacturing, retail/wholesale, transportation, government, and healthcare.
94% of businesses will use some form of IoT by the end of 2021. Among current IoT business adopters, 88% believe IoT is critical to their business success.

Now that you are aware of the facts and numbers regarding IoT, let us discuss emerging IoT trends, shall we? Past turn of events such as the unfolding of the 5G technology, latest developments in AI Blockchain, the on-going pandemic crisis will dictate the trend of IoT emerging technologies. But we cannot deny the fact that the future with IoT will be smart, secure and reliable,let’s understand how:

Top IoT Technology Trends 2021

1. IoT security

Till date, security is one of the major concerns when it comes to such an extensive level of connectivity. A security vendor has detected over 100 million attacks on IoT endpoints in the first half of 2019 alone, highlighting the continued threat to unsecured connected devices. As a result, security is an evolving IoT trend and many companies around the globe are developing IoT security solutions using different technologies.

2. IoT fueled with 5G technology

5G technology is not just a new generation of wireless technology, it is a foundation to release the full potential of IoT thus revolutionizing technological growth. It is without a doubt the most important internet of things emerging technology since reliable connectivity will result in better performing IoT devices. Real time data processing, lower latency, network slicing, higher transmission speed and extensive coverage are a few things that 5G brings on the table.

3. Blockchain

Increased adoption of blockchain technology is one of the latest IoT trends.

Blockchain can ensure data protection in IoT devices. Blockchain allows successful interaction between multiple network nodes and ensures safe record keeping and that is why it is a great fit for IoT applications since they are also distributed by nature.

4. IoT enabled AI applications

Two very different technologies such as the internet of things and artificial intelligence can together provide commercial solutions. AI algorithms now need very less data in order to deliver good and effective results. In industries, these two technologies can help automate many processes and reduce downtime, reduce operating costs, increase efficiency and enable predictive maintenance.

5. Digital twins

The digital twin technology trend came into limelight in 2020. A digital twin is a virtual representation that serves as the real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or process. A digital twin can be used for multiple things such as monitoring, diagnosing, optimizing and controlling asset performance and utilization. From US $3.8 billion in 2019, the projected compound annual growth rate of the digital twins market will be US $35.8 billion by 2025.

6. Voice activated IoT devices

Amazon Echo, Siri, and Google Assistant have taken voice-based user interfaces to a different level. Voice interactions will now be used in other applications across various industries that will allow us to change settings, giving commands and receiving results from our smart devices. Banks and FinTech startups have been one of the earliest adopters of voice and speech recognition technology. Another impressive development in voice recognition technology is voice biometry. It allows organizations to create a digital profile of someone’s voice, by analyzing a series of specific characteristics such as tone, pitch, intensity, dynamics, dominant frequencies, etc. Companies are confident that this process will be more secure than the methods that are currently in place.

7. Smart cities

While witnessing the emerging technologies in IoT, one cannot ignore smart cities. Since the past five years, many governmental institutions have begun IoT projects that will impact the entire cities. With enormous amounts of data, the government will be able to implement various intelligent solutions for multiple issues like traffic congestion, citizen safety, energy utilisation, sustainable development, etc.

For example: In order to improve urban planning, transportation and public safety, Singapore collects, analyzes and shares data from connected sensors.

Business owners, entrepreneurs and governments are using IoT in order to increase work efficiency, save money, and to create a better user experience. While top IoT technologies are still in their early stage of development in many applications but their overall impact on the top industries is tremendous. Let us look into some applications in IoT devices for specific industries.

The Emerging Industry Wise IoT Applications

1. Agriculture

Did you know that the world population will reach gnarly 10 billion in 2025 and global food demand will witness a 70% increase? We do have a simple solution – smart agriculture (IoT agriculture). With the help of IoT sensors, farmers can make more informed decisions. This will help them achieve higher and better quality crop yield. It will also reduce costs by reducing the use of resources such as pesticides, water, and electricity.

2. Transportation

In 2021, the upcoming cars will be smart cars, which means they will be connected to the internet. These cars will ensure better safety not only for its drivers but also for other vehicles on the road. They will also be capable of software updates and lower emissions. Right now we do have e-scooters, bicycles and skateboards but with IoT evolving companies will be able to reduce their operational costs and deliver a better experience to the drivers and passengers of the vehicle.

3. Healthcare

Due to the recent turn of events, the healthcare sector has experienced a boom of IoT innovation. During the Covid-19 crisis, demand for IoT health applications like telehealth, digital diagnostics, remote monitoring, etc have skyrocketed, thus enabling real-time tracking and alerting the patient’s health IoT has improved the patient engagement and satisfaction with doctors by making interactions and procedures easier and more efficient.

4. Consumer electronics

IoT can enhance user experience and customer satisfaction simultaneously by providing convenience in people’s everyday lives. IoT helps in collecting consumer’s data efficiently and allows the producers to analyze and optimize the usage of their devices or applications.

For example: Due to the on-going pandemic wearable health monitoring devices will become a way of life.

Conclusion

IoT solutions are growing worldwide and the future trends of IoT will play a significant role in the near future. Major technologies such as blockchain, AI, 5G, cloud computing, and so on, are going to play a very crucial role in the advancement of global connectivity and the internet of things. IoT is taking over all aspects of our lives so, if you have an out of the box idea, now is the time to get in touch with an IoT application development company. We are one of the top IoT app development company in USA that creates applications which operate using sensors and deliver outstanding results.

Insurance+technology Sector’s Mobile Development App Guide

Posted on 08/06/202007/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

The insurance industry is known to maintain multiple touchpoints with its clientele. Thanks to business models that safeguard people from unexpected circumstances, they are detail-oriented and require heavy paperwork at most stages of customer enrollment.But the rapid, and recent, technological advancement has seen the finance sector introduce fleets of new digital solutions that place them right at the fingertips of people.

As a result of this wave of digital transformation, pre-existing companies and startups in the insurance market, are exploring the prospect of mobile applications. Lest we forget to stress, aggressively. The new insurance applications, if we can call them that, would need a touch of finesse considering the diversified nature of operations. So what should software developers concentrate on when it comes to Insurtech apps.

It is to answer this throbbing question that we have this mini mobile application guide ready for you to take your first steps towards creating innovation in your insurance business.

Why Does An Insurance Company Need a Mobile App?

Insurance, by tradition, has been powered by middlemen. Although taking them entirely out of the picture may not be plausible, mitigating their involvement will grow profit margins, naturally.

Mobile apps allow real-time B2C interaction, without intermediaries. The positivity also flows down to the customer experience, which can never be exaggerated. And insurtech would be too smart for its own good, not to explore this option.

There are three main components that play a vital role in formulating the proverbial pyramid of an insurance company. The pyramid. which had played a major role in helping Wefox raise $110M in 2019.

This includes first the insurer that incorporates and markets financial products. Second, are the third-party entities that provide the services covered by the insurer. And the third is the end-user, the customer who has opted in to be insured.

Mobile insurance solutions offer the following advantages to insurance companies at the top of the pyramid:

Establish Customer Contact

Buyers are more conscious of spending than before. As per stats, 85% of the customers conduct online research before placing their purchase order. Insurance mobile apps make a fine impression in convincing people of instant support in dire need. A study discovered that up to 63% of its sample population was inclined to communicate with a chatbot. Therefore we have reason to believe registered policy-holders will favor to download and track policies over mobile. Building on this, they can draw a comparison between multiple products and shortlist the ones with better benefits.

Increase User Reach

Provide good customer service and turn clients into business affiliates. Referral programs can get you more buyers to loop in provided your mobile insurance solutions are state of the art. There are dual benefits to this. First, optimizing customer recruitment cycles would free up time for insurance agents to target bigger, better clients. And second, you can advertise your mobile insurance platform in related apps to target more customers with semantics marketing.

Study Customer Data

The insurance industry can tap into mobile analytics which they can analyse to an extent like never before. Insurance applications can easily gather the following types of structured data:

Identity Data – This includes name, D.O.B, physical address, telephone information, email Id, and or links to social media profiles such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Quantitative Data – This is transactional data such as bank account details, credit score, frequency of payments, etc.

Descriptive Data – Insurers may need their customers to disclose property details, car ownerships. professional standing, educational background, along with the family tree.

Qualitative data – This includes subjective/behavioral details such as favorite color, hobbies, etc.

Collecting such vivid information, companies operating in the insurance market can subsequently filter the best-fit prospects for upselling.

Facilitate Convenient Services

One of the most common KRAs of those in the finance-frontline is client visits. This could be either for background checks or personal form submission or a routine update of information. Be that as it may, the current COVID-19 crisis does not permit face-to-face screenings. Moreover, the coronavirus onset has led to a rise in demand for insurance applications. As per a study by Lincoln Financial Group, digital alternatives increase the likelihood of people opting in for life insurance. Make hay while the sun shines.

Universal Features for Insurance Apps

Anteelo, as one of the renowned financial app development company, has appreciable experience in creating cutting edge on-demand digital products. Coupling experience with client feedback, we recommend against loading an app with features just to make it look fab. There has to be synergy between the color palettes, smart use of white spaces, typographic fonts, and strategic positioning of icons and images. Only then does an app have a life of its own. After taking care of such design elements we can refocus our aim towards integrating the right feature sets.

To give you an overview of the Fintech sector that is attracting investors’ attention, there are four categories of apps that can be developed in the insurtech domain:

Life Insurance
Car Insurance
Travel Insurance
Health Insurance

Apps must have a strong backend. They should be able to withstand peak rises in traffic, or if the company decides to implement a new software system without many amendments to the architecture.

Based on our experience, we will first list the mutual features that can be found in all of the above categories. These features formulate the kernel of a general application guide for Fintech app ideas. Barring few niche specifications, the following features remain steady and ever-present especially during a fintech app development of any kind:

1. Admin Panel

This is the introductory page where the basic information about the insured person is displayed. Make sure it is lean, clean along with clear call to action buttons. Take the Geico insurance app for instance. It’s a car insurance app and hence the profile page displays information related to vehicle IDs, roadside assistance, payment buttons and an option to switch policies. Pretty simplistic.

2. Policy Details

This page displays the details of the policy, the manner, and the extent of your benefits. Continuing the same example, since Geico is an auto insurance app, it displays information about several policies that a single user could be enrolled into such as one for the car, the other for a bike, and so on.

3. Quote & Filters

A very useful feature particularly in finance app development. In the previous section, we listed the kind of data that an insurer could collect through a mobile app. The Quote tab offers a feature where the app can fetch your data from its records and either connect you to an insurance agent or directly state the price of a policy. Assuming the company has the resources to work with Big Data, it can pitch discounted prices or more benefits to customers based on their frequency of asking/exploring new policies.

4. File a Claim

Integrating a claims-filing section remains the most prioritized stage of financial application development. The run-around days to lodge claims are a thing of the past. Submitting proofs should be as simple as clicking a picture, be it from the scanner of the app or the camera of the phone. If the entire process can be concluded on a single page, all the better.

5. Payment Gateway

No points for guessing, integration of payment gateway is super necessary for any form of finance mobile app development. The gateway should accept payments from all major network providers such as Visa, Master Card, etc. In addition to that automated billing for EMIs or a single click payment process should be integrated.

6. Customer Support

Chatbots are not extraordinary anymore. Automated responses act as a quick-fix for run of the mill questions. But what about accidental circumstances. You can’t expect a user who’s stranded with a broken vehicle to rely on pre-feeded answers. As a result, integrate a Request a Call Back or Connect with a Representative option. Such in-app call functionality will serve to make the app what it actually is, a disaster averting, quick response machinery.

7. Push Notifications

Businesses, in general, don’t miss opportunities to enter a new market segment, let alone insurance companies. The latter might even tweak its business models, should the need present itself. Whereas seasonal offers are heard of, the idea of a flash sale was experimented with by Liberty Insurance in the not quite distant past. You need an excuse for giveaways and so do the customers for buying your products. Therefore, send regular push notifications informing people of their outstanding sum and any upcoming policies they can swap their current ones with.

8. Document Upload/Storage

How would the customer upload their documents, let alone a photo, if the Fintech application development did not incorporate it? Not only must the mobile app allow document upload from local file directories but also import, if need be, from third party servers as in the case of emails.

*Images Source

Based on this grind, we can say that the above features are commonly found in most Fintech apps, if not all. But what about domain-specific areas. Of course, the features would differ as would the architecture. But at a B2C level, we can broadly state in-app features for a few domains, as we’ve done below.

Where Does Your Business Go From Here?

To the stratosphere if you shake hands with one of the most promising Fintech app development companies. We don’t like self-glorification. It would suit you more to go through our comprehensive product suit and decide for yourself. But just so we know we did our bit, if there is anything under the sun in Fintech/insurtech, that you’re interested in, we’d be happy to burn our night lamp for you.