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What’s the Number One Concern Keeping Hotel Group CIOs Up at Night?

Wallets are a vital cog in the crypto ecosystem — and for newcomers to the space, often serve as a gateway to understanding how digital assets work. A dizzying array of wallet providers currently exist, each with its own specific use cases and specialties. While some focus on , others cater to NFT owners and altcoin devotees. DeFi If you're a developer who is brimming with innovative ideas and plans to address a gap in the market, open-source tools can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Here, we're going to explore how you can build robust wallets using frameworks such as . RIF Wallet The Importance of Building Secure and User-Friendly Wallets revealed some of the biggest pain points that wallet users face, as well as the features they crave the most. This intelligence helps expose the shortcomings of products currently on the market, and potential opportunities for entrepreneurs. Recent research Navigating different blockchains, as well as signing up for a wallet, are key contributors to the steep learning curve newcomers must tackle. Consumers also crave the ability to pay for everyday items with ease, with safeguards in place to prevent them from losing their private keys. Instead of being confronted by a long string of letters and numbers when sending funds to other addresses — which increases the risk of costly mistakes — many prefer to interact with wallets with avatars or human-readable nicknames. How To Build a Crypto Wallet Using an Open-Source Framework Developing a crypto wallet is a big responsibility — and security needs to be your number one concern, especially if you're asking users to entrust you with their funds. Thankfully, there's no need to reinvent the wheel when creating new software, as much of the heavy lifting has already been done for you. The benefit of open-source libraries lies in how you can freely use the vital components that make up a crypto wallet — and then make additional customizations on top. Often, these frameworks have been rigorously tested by an expansive community. In other cases, a business may be simply looking for a white-label solution where all that needs to be done is adding the branding, meaning a broader cross-section of customers can experience the power of digital assets for themselves. How To Build a Crypto Wallet With RIF Wallet RIF Wallet is a new open-source framework that's helping developers and entrepreneurs build Bitcoin-focused crypto wallets that tap into a plethora of applications based on Rootstock, the first and longest-lasting EVM-compatible Bitcoin sidechain. It's also designed to help fintech firms and neobanks branch out into digital assets as demand continues to grow, with countless consumers in emerging markets looking to shield their savings from inflation. From remittances to real-world purchases, this infrastructure champions the concept of , where the barriers to entry surrounding decentralized finance are dramatically lowered. And staying true to the recently performed research, end users have the freedom to mint human-readable names. Everyday DeFi To achieve this, an intuitive interface for new users is a top priority. RIF Wallet offers smart contract flexibility by allowing firms with technical know-how to build upon its open-source code. Teams that lack these skills, or need additional support, can also interact with the Rootstock core development team to bring their desired product to fruition. Step 1: Set up the environment RIF Wallet is compatible with Android and iOS alike, and the mobile app has been written using React Native. To start building your own wallet, you'll need to set up React Native on your chosen operating system, whether that's Windows, Mac or Linux. This can be quite a time-consuming process, and you can find further details . here Step 2: Clone and customize Once complete, you can clone the repo and then start running the app. The has the installation instructions, but in a nutshell, you need to: readme file of the rif-wallet repository Get the code Clone the repo using GIT to your local device: git clone git@github.com:rsksmart/rif-wallet.git Install the dependencies Install the JavaScript dependencies with yarn: yarn Once this has completed, it will also run a post-install script that will add functionality that is available in the browser but not in node. You can read more about this from the . package rn-nodify Note that packages such as , , exist in the browser. However, React Native does not run in the browser, but instead in node, therefore, you’ll need to add these packages. crypto browser stream iOS Dependencies If you plan to run the app on an iOS Simulator, you will need to install additional dependencies. Remember, you can only run in an iOS Simulator (or device) from a Mac computer. cd ios
pod install If you are on a Mac with an M1 chip, there should be no changes to the repo. If you are running an ARM chip, this step may change the POD lock file – this is normal. Android Dependencies Android will install the dependencies the first time you run the app so there are no additional steps here. Step 3: Run The final step is to run the app in your iOS simulator or Android emulator. yarn ios
// or
yarn android The first time you launch the app, it might take a bit of time. There are also and scripts, but these are for connecting with a local server. ios:local android:local You should now have the app up and running and can start playing around with it. Three different GitHub repositories make up RIF Wallet — and IOV Labs runs RIF-Wallet-Services so developers can perform necessary tests in a risk-free environment. RIF Wallet is proud to be open-source — and in time, hope the infrastructure will help demystify the process of making crypto transactions for the masses. RIF Wallet boasts a range of exciting and easy-to-implement features that further enhance the user experience — and step by step, we're making decentralized technology available to all. Try the first fully modular wallet for smart contracts.

Developer’s Guide to Building Bitcoin Wallets with Open-Source Frameworks

ওপেন-সোর্স ফ্রেমওয়ার্ক সহ বিটকয়েন ওয়ালেট তৈরির জন্য বিকাশকারীর নির্দেশিকা

Entwicklerhandbuch zum Erstellen von Bitcoin-Wallets mit Open-Source-Frameworks

Guía del desarrollador para crear billeteras Bitcoin con marcos de código abierto

Guide du développeur pour créer des portefeuilles Bitcoin avec des frameworks Open Source

ओपन-सोर्स फ्रेमवर्क के साथ बिटकॉइन वॉलेट बनाने के लिए डेवलपर की मार्गदर्शिका

オープンソース フレームワークを使用してビットコイン ウォレットを構築するための開発者ガイド

오픈 소스 프레임워크를 사용한 비트코인 지갑 구축을 위한 개발자 가이드

Guia do desenvolvedor para construir carteiras Bitcoin com estruturas de código aberto

Руководство разработчика по созданию биткойн-кошельков с использованием платформ с открытым исходным кодом

Açık Kaynak Çerçeveleriyle Bitcoin Cüzdanları Oluşturma Geliştirici Kılavuzu

Hướng dẫn dành cho nhà phát triển để xây dựng ví Bitcoin bằng khung nguồn mở

使用开源框架构建比特币钱包的开发人员指南

THE PARAGRAPH

Hey Hackers, has been nominated in HackerNoon's annual Startup of the Year awards in BVI. GoMining Please vote for us ! here Read more about us below to understand why we deserve your vote. Meet GoMining GoMining is the game-changer in the world of crypto mining! Our mission is to provide people with a simple, affordable, and profitable way to participate in Bitcoin mining through our innovative NFT mining model. With GoMining, anyone can easily purchase NFTs representing miners and enjoy daily Bitcoin payouts directly to their wallets. Gone are the days of inaccessible mining due to high entry costs and complex operations – we are here to make mining a lucrative opportunity for all! What sets GoMining apart is our commitment to democratizing the mining industry. By leveraging NFTs, we have created a user-friendly platform that eliminates the need for expensive equipment and technical expertise. Our seamless interface allows anyone to engage in mining and enjoy the consistent profits that come with it. Our Role As the GoMining team, we are developing and implementing our groundbreaking NFT mining model and utility token, GOMINING Token. As part of our ecosystem, GOMINING offers multiple benefits to users, including discounts when purchasing NFT miners, paying for service and electricity, access to our mining game, and participation in the governance of the GoMining platform based on GOMINING holdings. GOMINING holders have the power to participate in important decisions, such as platform upgrades, fee structures, and new features, giving them a voice and actively shaping the future of Bitcoin mining. Through our tokenomics, we strive to create a community-driven ecosystem that fosters collaboration and ensures the best interests of our users are represented. How We're Improving the Bitcoin Mining Industry At GoMining, we continuously strive to improve the crypto-mining industry by introducing innovative solutions that enhance accessibility and efficiency. In addition to our NFT mining model, we are excited to introduce the Liquid Bitcoin Hashrate Protocol, a groundbreaking development that revolutionizes the mining landscape. With the Liquid Bitcoin Hashrate Protocol, we are introducing a new way to optimize the utilization of mining equipment. This protocol comes with several benefits for participants in the mining ecosystem. It offers an avenue for those who don't own mining equipment to benefit from the mining process by purchasing hashrate tokens. It also enables existing miners to monetize their unused hashrate, reducing idle resources and maximizing profitability. This innovation adds an additional layer of efficiency and accessibility to the mining industry. Our mission is to empower users with the tools and opportunities they need to succeed in the ever-evolving crypto world while making it more accessible and cost-efficient for individuals of all backgrounds to participate in and benefit from the potential of cryptocurrency mining! What Makes Us Stand Out Besides Liquid Bitcoin Hashrate, what sets GoMining apart is our comprehensive ecosystem built around GOMINING Token. With GOMINING, users can access various perks and rewards within our platform. GOMINING grants holders participation in the governance of the GoMining ecosystem. This means GOMINING holders have a voice in important decisions such as platform upgrades, fee structures, and new features. From discounted NFT purchases to bonus payouts and participation in governance decisions, GOMINING holders are at the heart of the GoMining community. Our commitment to providing a seamless interface between humans and digital currencies reinforces our mission to make mining accessible and lucrative for all. Our Thoughts on the Bitcoin Mining Industry in 2023 As a bitcoin mining industry professional, we have evaluated the current state of the crypto and bitcoin mining industry based on various sources. The industry is currently experiencing both challenges and opportunities. One concern raised in discussions is the potential risk faced by medium and small bitcoin miners, particularly due to the increasing electricity costs and the competitiveness of larger mining operations. However, it is important to note that despite a challenging market, bitcoin miners have shown resilience and can navigate through these difficulties. Looking ahead to 2023 and beyond, the profitability of crypto mining will continue to be a significant consideration. The profitability of crypto mining in 2023 raises important points about factors such as the efficiency of mining hardware, electricity costs, and the price of cryptocurrencies. While predicting the exact outcome is challenging, if these factors are managed effectively, and there is continued growth in the adoption of cryptocurrencies, mining can still be profitable. Furthermore, indications of a new bullish cycle in the bitcoin market suggest potential positive changes ahead. Reports of a significant increase in bitcoin's value and gains of up to 70% have provided optimism for the industry. This aligns with the discussion on whether we will witness another Bitcoin bull market in 2023. While no one can predict the future with certainty, the positive sentiment and bullish indicators suggest that there is potential for a price surge in the coming years. The involvement of financial giants is another indication of the increasing interest and legitimacy of Bitcoin mining. Big investments not only contribute to the growth and development of the industry but also signify the confidence and potential opportunities that exist within the crypto-mining space. Why we decided to participate in HackerNoon's Startup of the Year awards We decided to participate in HackerNoon's Startup of the Year Awards because it is an incredible opportunity for GoMining to showcase our groundbreaking NFT mining model and its impact on the crypto mining industry. At GoMining, we are revolutionizing mining by making it more accessible and profitable for individuals. By participating in this event, we have the chance to connect with industry experts, gain exposure, and attract potential investors who are aligned with the values and vision of the Web 3 ecosystem. We are excited to be part of the HackerNoon community and share our innovative approach to mining with a wider audience. Final Thoughts GoMining is the ultimate startup to watch, use, and invest in. With our disruptive NFT mining model, we are revolutionizing the crypto mining industry, making it accessible, user-friendly, and profitable. Our platform is designed with simplicity in mind, ensuring a seamless experience for users of all backgrounds. Through the power of the GOMINING Token, we offer a unique opportunity for investment with the potential for high returns. Join us as we redefine the future of mining, empower individuals to participate, and pave the way for a new era of financial growth. Take advantage of being part of the GoMining success story - it's time to mine and thrive together Gomining is nominated as Startup of the Year in British Virgin Isles, Vote for us today!

How GoMining Democratizes the Mining Industry

কিভাবে GoMining খনির শিল্পকে গণতান্ত্রিক করে তোলে

Wie GoMining die Bergbauindustrie demokratisiert

Cómo GoMining democratiza la industria minera

Comment GoMining démocratise l’industrie minière

गोमाइनिंग कैसे खनन उद्योग का लोकतंत्रीकरण करती है

GoMining はどのようにして鉱業を民主化するのか

GoMining이 광산업을 민주화하는 방법

Como GoMining democratiza a indústria de mineração

Как GoMining демократизирует горнодобывающую промышленность

GoMining Madencilik Sektörünü Nasıl Demokratikleştiriyor?

Cách GoMining dân chủ hóa ngành khai thác mỏ

GoMining 如何使采矿业民主化

The 40 Under 40 Fueling Spain's Startup Economy

40 অনূর্ধ্ব 40 স্পেনের স্টার্টআপ অর্থনীতিতে জ্বালানি দিচ্ছে

Die 40 unter 40 treiben Spaniens Startup-Wirtschaft voran

Los 40 menores de 40 que impulsan la economía de las startups en España

Les 40 de moins de 40 ans alimentent l'économie des startups espagnoles

40 अंडर 40 स्पेन की स्टार्टअप अर्थव्यवस्था को बढ़ावा दे रहा है

スペインのスタートアップ経済を支える40歳未満の40人

스페인의 스타트업 경제를 촉진하는 40세 미만 40세

Os 40 abaixo dos 40 impulsionam a economia das startups na Espanha

40 Yaş Altı 40, İspanya'nın Startup Ekonomisini Güçlendiriyor

Nhóm 40 Under 40 thúc đẩy nền kinh tế khởi nghiệp của Tây Ban Nha

40 位 40 岁以下的人士推动了西班牙的创业经济

The smart city is a new trend in the built environment that is expected to take hold in the coming years. Smart cities are cropping up worldwide, from Singapore and Oslo to Auckland and Amsterdam. New technologies such as information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to revolutionize how cities manage their people and infrastructure. However, one concern emerging when it comes to smart cities is data protection and privacy. For smart cities to function, they must collect data. How will this pan out for citizens and is true data privacy achievable for smart cities? Defining Data Privacy Data privacy that prioritizes the proper collection, storage, handling, access, retention and security of data. It’s not a concept, but a set of practices or principles organizations and governments follow to safeguard personal data or personally identifiable information (PII). PII typically consists of social security numbers, credit card numbers, banking information and addresses. is an aspect of data protection The amount of data generated today is more than anyone could've ever imagined. It's almost incomprehensible how much data people create, whether from their laptops, smartphones, tablets or to get from place to place. even the vehicles they use How Smart Cities Leverage Data Imagine if the technology powering a smart home extended outside of the house — this is the core concept of a smart city. Smart cities use various technologies, including sensors, cameras and other hardware and software solutions. Some of the are: most common smart city-enabling technologies IoT AI Machine learning Computer vision (CV) Big data Smartphones 5G Blockchain Camera with facial recognition So, what can smart cities do with data gathered from these technologies? They can use the information to govern many processes, from waste management and air pollution to traffic congestion and littering. These technologies can often communicate with one another, allowing cities to benefit from an interconnected network and data coming through in real-time. Data Privacy Risks in a Smart City Smart cities offer plenty of opportunities to improve the quality of life for citizens. For example, cameras using CV may help reduce or even prevent crime. City governments can use blockchain technology to establish smart contracts with third parties. Major buildings can use IoT technology — such as RFID sensors — to implement access control. While these scenarios benefit smart cities, they also come with inherent risks. Since smart cities rely on collecting and analyzing information, this reliance creates data privacy threats. Surveillance Abuse Virtually everyone agrees government surveillance is something to avoid, even in today's digitally driven world. Smart city tech includes sensors and cameras that are so advanced they can monitor citizens' behavior, interactions with each other and movements. This may make citizens feel uncomfortable or that "Big Brother" is watching their every move. For example, the IoT is becoming , where surveillance is already common. Now, implementing IoT can allow retailers to collect data on how many shoppers are in their stores, their shopping behaviors, and any crucial patterns. While this may help retailers with marketing strategies, it could also easily make customers uncomfortable, driving them even farther away from brick-and-mortar stores. more popular in the retail sector Data Breaches and Cybersecurity Threats The cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly, with new threats emerging every day. If smart cities collect personal, biometric or financial data regarding their citizens, it could fall into the wrong hands if a data breach or cybersecurity incident occurs. If data breaches happen, instances of identity theft and other malicious acts against citizens could likely increase. Citizens may feel weary about the government collecting so much data about them and lose trust in the government's ability to protect their data if a data breach occurs. Data breaches are becoming more common and intense as hackers use sophisticated methods to launch attacks. Bias and Discrimination Stories about AI and facial recognition have emerged where the technologies falsely profile individuals based on race, behavior, personal attributes and other demographics. Unfortunately, bias is AI is trying to predict. These biases can perpetuate racial and economic inequities. This is a major issue smart city management would have to be aware of and address. often baked into the outcomes Lack of Transparency and Understanding Another risk smart cities must address is the lack of understanding citizens have regarding how local and national authorities collect their data, which data is considered PII and how the smart city uses it. Educating the public on the city's data and privacy practices is necessary for citizens to trust their city government. This could also make it challenging for cities to receive enough interest from investors looking to support smart initiatives. If cities cannot be transparent with citizens about their data practices, it could lead to an almost dystopian future. How Smart Cities Can Navigate Data Privacy A popular framework in the cybersecurity industry is privacy-by-design (PBD). The PBD framework is a proactive, transparent and user-centered approach to security. It can span across industries using digital technologies. Essentially, a PBD framework focuses on with inherent security protections and privacy measures. By default, these solutions help safeguard personal data and PII to ensure systems run smoothly, security posture is strong, and people can feel confident that their data is protected. designing hardware and software solutions Smart cities looking to protect their citizens' data further should already be using robust data protection measures and cybersecurity tools. However, they can also follow a PBD approach when implementing new technologies. Can Smart Cities Ever Fully Protect Personal Data? While smart cities offer a range of services to improve citizens' quality of life, some drawbacks come with leveraging the latest technologies. Not to mention, these detractors can cause locals not to want their city to go digital. Smart city managers and other stakeholders must determine if it's possible to maintain data privacy while implementing various smart city initiatives. It's still uncertain whether smart cities are a genuine risk to society. As more emerge worldwide, the answer will likely become more apparent. Ultimately, those managing smart cities must understand the seriousness of data privacy and cybersecurity.

Are Smart Cities a Threat to Data Privacy?

Cybersecurity is one of the world’s most pressing concerns at the moment. State departments, , healthcare providers, universities, and manufacturing facilities have all been hit hard by cybercrime actors. major corporations Crypto trading is no exception to the ongoing cybercrime epidemic, given the large rewards available for hackers. The early days of cryptocurrency were denoted by hacks of centralized exchanges (such as Mt. Gox), while phishing scams are a frequent occurrence to this day. Cryptocurrency is regarded as being safer and more secure than traditional currencies, but there are cybersecurity concerns to be addressed when trading, investing or storing these assets. The also highlights the hazards when dealing with third-party providers that don’t provide adequate safeguards for crypto trading. breakdown of FTX and Almeda Research Crypto Cybersecurity Safeguards If you are trading using your own account, then it's of the utmost importance to . Otherwise, if a hacker gains access to your account (through your username and password), all your trading funds are at risk. 2FA vastly decreases the chances of your crypto assets being compromised, but users are still reluctant to implement this simple feature. engage in Two Factor Authentication (2FA) Taking security precautions is also important, even when working with well-established providers. 3Commas, one of the largest names within the crypto trading bot industry, recently had over . 10,000 customer API keys stolen These API keys are used by automated bots to trade on exchanges, and an amount somewhere between $10 - $25 Million has been stolen from customers. While this is damaging to 3Commas, events like this highlight the necessity of improvements in API security, and it can serve as a wake-up call to the industry. All crypto bot providers use API keys to connect to exchanges, but there are different ways to prevent them from being leaked. , for instance, protects API keys in multiple ways. The trading provider offers advanced API protection, including encryption, the one API Key Rule, Countertrade Protection, API Key IP Whitelisting, and Fingerprinting. Other providers implement similar safeguards. Bitsgap The one API key rule is particularly effective because only one API can be used per account. It means the API can only be used on the platform. This might have helped 3Commas as the API keys would not have been used on a different account to siphon user funds. When a security breach occurs within Web3, other platforms can take note and increase their cybersecurity protocols - few companies are immune from relentless cybercrime groups. Additional Cybersecurity Safeguards For Crypto Trading is not as hard as it seems. Despite the many hacks and scams, it is often basic user error that causes the loss of funds. The following are simple yet effective safeguards for long-term crypto trading: Staying safe within the world of crypto trading A strong wallet for crypto assets, such as a hardware wallet. Make two secure copies of the wallet keyphrase. These can also be self-encrypted. Only trade a small percentage of your total crypto assets. This minimizes the total amount you can lose in the event of a security breach. Only work with regulated exchanges and third-party providers. They should have a long history and use the most robust security features. Enable 2FA on all accounts and all trades, as well as withdrawals. Avoid hype. Diversify your assets and take time to study and research the field of crypto trading. It might also be a good idea to keep abreast of the latest cybersecurity breaches and to understand the psychology of cybercrime. remain primary security concerns. People are often tricked into sending all of their crypto assets to a fraudulent address or voluntarily giving away their usernames, passwords, and private keys. Phishing scams and social engineering How Safe Are Third-Party Providers? The entire premise of cryptocurrency is based on the idea of direct ownership. In the case of , the original cryptocurrency servers are decentralized and anonymous, supporting the network. Every wallet has a unique identifier and private key known only to the owner. As long as the owner keeps this safe, the funds are completely under his or her control. Bitcoin As time went by, third parties started to enter the fray with custodian services. This had the benefit of convenience and increased efficiency. However, it also resulted in a reduction in security in certain instances. When people are eager to earn profits, cybersecurity often takes a back seat. Plus, anytime information is sent online, as opposed to stored locally, the risk of interference increases dramatically. The bottom line is that everybody has to use third-party providers for the purposes of trading and , as it increases operational efficiency. But it comes with a risk because your information is being sent online. investing in cryptocurrency So make sure to take advantage of all the safeguards the crypto platform has to offer. The simple implementation of 2FA can go a long way to securing your trading account, yet many fail to take the time (less than 2 minutes) to set it up. User error remains the number one concern in crypto cybersecurity by a very large margin.

Cybersecurity In Crypto Trading:  How To Protect Your Assets

If you’ve paid attention to the modern tech scene, you know that automation is coming. More and more automation technologies, including robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), are becoming a normal part of life. As automation plays a significant role across various industries, some workers are expressing concern over job security. Historically, American workers have suffered from worker displacement due to technological advances. Take your basic grocery store, for example. Self-checkout counters are the new norm, which was not always the case. Learn more about automation, its role in today’s workforce and whether it will have positive or negative implications for American workers. The Role of Automation Across Industries Automation is expected to grow at a rapid pace within the next few years. According to Precedence Research, the automation market by 2030. will hit $412.8 billion Industrial automation offers plenty of benefits for companies. Aside from the , automation also facilitates long-term benefits like accountability, profitability, consistency and flexibility. immediate benefits like higher efficiency Some of the top automation companies in the market are: Rockwell Automation ABB Honeywell Siemens Mitsubishi Electric These companies are sparking growth in the automation sector because they sell highly sought-after products and services for businesses in virtually every industry. The role of automation in the ever-changing business landscape will continue to grow and become more significant as automation technologies advance. How Automation Can Benefit Workers Change is inevitable. A common change many companies are undertaking is their digital transformations, including implementing automated solutions. However, workers in this day and age should focus their efforts on the benefits of automation and how it can transform their work lives. Below, explore some ways automation can benefit workers. 1. Increases Productivity First, automated tech can take over many mundane, repetitive tasks that workers typically do not enjoy doing in their roles. For example, RPA solutions are widely used in the manufacturing and warehousing industries, as they can complete repetitive tasks such as assembling products on an assembly line or packaging items for shipments. Automation technologies work best when they complement the work of human employees. Workers can benefit from easier workloads, improving productivity and job satisfaction. 2. Better, Safer Job Opportunities During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, proved that many Americans were because millions of people quit, moved to another industry, or stopped working altogether. With automation, new jobs will emerge, giving workers better opportunities to find jobs that suit their wants and needs. The Great Resignation unhappy with their jobs Additionally, many jobs will become inherently safer. Automated technologies can perform dangerous jobs for employers, eliminating the need for human employees to put themselves or their coworkers at risk of injury or fatality. 3. Reduces Employee Pain Points Another way workers benefit from automation is that these technologies often reduce pain points or friction while human employees are on the job. Take Chipotle as an example. The fast-casual dining company recently announced that it would implement an automated kitchen assistant called Chippy in some restaurants. The assistant is , a job previously performed by employees. Now, employees can focus on other tasks in the restaurant, such as taking care of customers’ orders, cleaning, being a cashier, or cooking different types of food. responsible for making tortilla chips Will Automation Lead to Worker Displacement? If you think about some of the most famous science fiction movies, like iRobot and Ex Machina, they often portray robots as self-aware beings capable of moving, thinking, and acting like humans or, worse — destroying the human race. One concern workers in the U.S. and around the world are starting to express in terms of automation is worker displacement. It’s commonly understood that robotics and automated machines can take over many of the core responsibilities workers must perform on the job. Suppose robotics and automated machines can complete tasks and work 24/7. What’s to say they won’t eliminate the need for companies to hire human employees? Ultimately, AI, automation and robotics solutions to work properly. This may require employees to reskill or upskill to remain marketable to employers. In other words, employees of the future might need to learn the ins and outs of computer science, data science, AI and other automation technologies if they want to pursue a career in these fields. will still need humans Automated technologies are expected to create new jobs across various industries, which can help offset potential cases of worker displacement. According to a report from the World Economic Forum, automation could but also add 97 million jobs, which has long-term benefits for the American workforce and economy. cause the removal of 85 million jobs Preparing for a Future Built Upon Automation While some degree of worker displacement may happen due to the rise of automation, it’s unlikely that all humans will lose their jobs. Experts suggest that automation works best when it’s working alongside humans instead of them. It’ll be interesting to see how the automation market continues on its path of growth, if more automation will require the reskilling or upskilling of workers, and in what ways the American workforce will benefit from automation.

Automation Isn’t Really a Bad Thing for Employees

User Interface is the number one concern for every organization in today's digital environment. People are drawn to an experience that is straightforward, clean, and orderly, regardless of how foggy the functions run in the background. UI/UX experts who design the front-end functionalities always look for a well-suited library to make things responsive and friendly. These libraries are termed front-end frameworks. Several frameworks in the market supply the best set of tools for a developer to create well-organized and interactive applications. Every front-end solution delivers different abilities and approaches, choosing the best one depends on the type of project you are opting for. Some that work optimally on the web might fall short on other platforms. There is a range of factors every developer considers when choosing their preferred stack of technologies. Let us discuss the best in-demand frameworks that will be expanding more in the future. The list of the technologies will be organized in terms of popularity, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and future use. The content is tailored for the people looking to grab a specific framework to build their careers on. JavaScript Powered Frameworks Since we all know that JavaScript powers the web, as it is an integral part of every website. According to , 94 percent of websites and web applications are backed by JavaScript. It is also important to mention that JavaScript is an over twenty-five-year-old programming language that first appeared in There are many frameworks that are created on the foundation of JavaScript that supply the best user interface approaches. The survey of 2021 revealed the golden trio (React, Angular, and Vue) leading the front-end market by a lot. Choosing any of these would place you in the safest position for all your front-end needs now and in the future as well. research 1995. State of JavaScript ReactJS What comes to mind of a developer when he hears the word “Front end”? Yes, most people tend to fall for ReactJS! React is the primary choice for most people and it is ranked number one on the list of frameworks that are considered best for curating the web. There are over websites that are currently running it on the front end. ReactJs easily takes the top rank for the greatest Front-end Framework, given how simple it is to learn and how much money a ReactJs Front-end developer makes. React, now an open-source framework was first created by the . The applications created using this technology are rendered at the server-side. 5 million Facebook team Backwards Compatible, Fast, and Ubiquitous The framework is the best-suited choice for component-driven development. Moreover, it allows the reusability of components whenever you want, wherever you want. All the react components are independent and work without any correlation. Still, none of the other frameworks seem to support the backward compatibility feature as easily as ReactJS. We all know, that Facebook is always coming up with the latest changes every day of the week. The react components still hold tightly to the earlier ones. This power enables the compatibility of the framework with all future additions and updates. The ubiquitous nature of technology has made React a haven for developers that are new to front-end design. It is the most preferred choice for every type of project. In short, it is the best choice for new starters looking to ace their careers in the design and development of the front-end. I prefer using React for all modern web applications and especially the SPAs (Single Page Applications). Angular AngularJs came in 2010, three years before Facebook introduced ReactJS to the industry. As per my exploration, it is ranked among the top JavaScript-based frameworks for the web. Developed by Angular works in several ways to enhance the complete development procedure. The preconfigured environment of Angular is prepared for all your operations, whether you want to fetch the data, carry out the routing, or perform any other kind of testing process. The official Angular library is all you need instead of adding those third-party libraries. Additionally, better security and higher code quality are guaranteed with Angular. Google, We have seen the statistics on the recent web development trends that reveal a report. The recent Angular 2+ open-source framework has been adopted by 2600+ existing websites including Microsoft’s platform. Office Insider Backwards Compatible, Fast, and Ubiquitous Being a heavyweight front-end framework, Angular comes with several benefits up its sleeve. It is backed by Google and uses the pure MVC (Model View Controller) pattern to use on the real DOM (Document Object Model) syntax for the manipulation of data rendered on the client side. Another key benefit of Angular is its CLI (Command Line Interface), which developers can use to automate tasks quickly and simply, like app initialization and configuration. With a few straightforward keystrokes, it may quickly add or drop capabilities or create new projects. It makes it easier to swiftly run both unit tests and end-to-end tests. The recent updates to the Angular framework have transformed its mechanics. Latest improvements have made the technology rely heavily on TypeScript which is known as the derivational superset of JavaScript. Angular is preferred for the development of full-fledged, feature-rich Enterprize applications. VueJs Up to this time, the point of contention for projects has always been between Angular and React. Despite being the newest of the three JavaScript frameworks, has steadily gained popularity over time. Vue.js , a former Google engineer, founded Vue in 2014. Written using TypeScript, the front-end JavaScript framework uses the MVVM (Model View- View Model) architectural pattern. Because it offers more customization than Angular or React, it is the simplest to learn. It also enables straightforward and adaptable code. Therefore developers, especially those who are new to programming, prefer to continue with Vue.js. Evan You Vue has the highest number of stars GitHub stars as compared to the other frameworks mentioned above. But it also mentions VueJs having the least number of contributors. Fastest Small-Scale Applications with Template-Based Syntax The code pieces that are encapsulated components are sometimes used by programmers as models for similar objects. The testing process is set up as a QA (Quality Assurance) activity that looks at how the program's tiniest parts function independently. Vue’s component-based approach greatly simplifies this process. It is much easier to read and maintain code because each component is saved in its own file. You can declaratively connect the rendered DOM to the data of the underlying component instance using Vue's HTML-based template syntax. It renders on the server-side with all Vue templates parsed by spec-compliant browsers and HTML parsers since they all use syntactically valid HTML. C# Powered Framework Yes, it's right we can use C# on the front-end as well. C#, being Microsoft’s favorite programming language, runs on the .NET framework. It is a full-fledged, multi-paradigm, and object-oriented piece of technology that first appeared in . It is a complete solution to develop different sorts of applications on the web, desktop, and other platforms such as mobile. After the introduction of .NET Core to the development environment in 2016, Microsoft made it much more efficient and reliable with open source and cross-platform functionality. 2000 All the frameworks discussed above are based on JavaScript, and people who spent their time learning C# need to learn JavaScript as well to use those frameworks. No need for that as Microsoft has developed a solution to that problem. Blazor Blazor is excellent news for the C# programmers out there. Introduced in by Microsoft, it allows the developers to use C# in the front-end as well! 2018 Blazor follows a unique approach, it leverages C#, .NET, and Web Assembly to build SPAs (Single Page Applications) that run on the browser. In short, you can create an interactive front-end of your web applications using HTML, CSS, and C#. Blazor is made up of two main components: , which is server-side, and , which is client-side. The Blazor Server implementation follows the more conventional .NET application method and needs the usage of to set up a server connection with the front-end for message forwarding. The Blazor Web Assembly implementation, on the other hand, compiles the project into a deployable static bundle. Blazor Server Blazor Web Assembly SignalR JavaScript Interoperability, Interactive User Interface using C# Writing C# code for the front-end makes life easier as the developer doesn’t have to learn any other language. Microsoft has added a new With Blazor, you can call JavaScript functions from.NET methods and.NET methods from JavaScript functions, which is one of the platform's unique features. This is called JavaScript Interoperability which is a key factor in Blazor development. Blazor has at the time of this article being written. It is much less as compared to React or Vue, but it is worth mentioning that Blazor is comparably the newest entry in the front-end market. 29.1k stars on GitHub Python Powered Framework The demand for programming in Python is on the rise and it doesn’t seem to be going down anytime soon. In fact, the mentioned it to be the fastest growing programming language in the world. But we are talking about the latest version of Python I.e., Python3 which was released in 2008. Initially, Python appeared well before JavaScript came into the industry, I.e., in . Popularity of Programming Language Index 1991 Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, and incredibly powerful tool for developers which is much easier when it comes to syntax as compared to other programming languages. The development time is significantly shortened by its simple-to-learn and simple-to-read features. Django What if I tell you that this Python framework is enough for both the backend and the front end of your application? Definitely, it is. came out in 2005, as a Python-based solution for full-stack web development. It is a free and open-source Python framework that allows programmers to quickly create complex programs and applications. It is one of the top Python frameworks and is used to create APIs and web applications. Django Django is used in the back-end development of applications more as compared to the front-end in the market. This blog focuses on user interface and design tools so we will discuss it from the designer’s perspective. Rapid Development, Open Source Python’s Django is configured to follow a model–template–views architectural pattern. It is adopted as more of a back-end technology because of its ORM (Object Relational Mapping) capabilities. Still, it can be used for the Front-end adaptation as well. Django consists of a huge library that aids in rapid development and its open-source nature makes it the best toolset for full stack development. There are several ways to deploy Django at the front-end as it can be paired with other technologies. In simple, if you are looking to learn Python as your main programming language, then Django is there for all your front-end needs. Final Thoughts If there is one takeaway from this year's trends, it is that developers want to simplify things even further. Choosing the ideal front-end framework for building your web applications is decided by various criteria, including team preferences, ecosystem, performance, and scalability. I compared several top-rated frameworks, based on different programming languages, which are future-proof and supply the best development toolsets for any developer.

The Best Front-End Frameworks for UI/UX: Future-Proof Careers 

As startups increasingly invest in data to drive decision-making and power their digital products, data leaders are tasked with scaling their teams – and fast. From knowing which roles to hire for (and when) to setting , today’s data leaders are responsible for – quite literally – keeping their companies insight-informed at each stage of the journey. SLAs for data Regardless of where you are in this marathon, one of the biggest challenges is determining the proper reporting structure for your data team. As data needs increase, so too do the bottlenecks imposed by centralized data teams – and the duplication and complexity introduced by decentralized ones. And just when you think you’ve figured out the *perfect* paradigm (i.e., a central data engineering team, distributed data analysts, and a few analytics engineers to bridge the gaps! OR a handful of data analysts reporting to the COO with data engineers working under the CTO!), your entire strategy gets turned on its head when priorities shift. So, what does a data leader to do? To better understand how some of the best teams are tackling this problem, I sat down with VP of Data Infrastructure at , a new public provider of point of sale software for restaurants, to discuss the evolution of his company’s data team and share his experiences navigating the never-ending tug of ways between these centralized and decentralized structures. , Greg Waldman Toast Over the last five years, Greg led the Toast data team as it grew from one analyst (Greg himself) to a 20+ person organization, and has evolved from a centralized to a hybrid-decentralized model—and back again. Read on to learn how Greg’s team lets business needs drive the data team structure, how he knew when it was necessary to make those changes, and the crucial role he wishes he had hired much sooner. In the beginning: when a small team struggles to meet data demands When Greg joined Toast in 2016, the company already had 200 employees—but no dedicated analytics staff. Despite this shortage of specialized talent, the company had always prioritized using data to make decisions. “Our founding team was just really sharp,” Greg said. “They ran the company on Excel documents, but eventually when they got to 200 people, they knew that approach wasn’t going to scale. When I came on, the ask was basically, ‘​​We have too many meetings where one person thinks the number’s five and the other person thinks the number’s four, and then they just bicker about that the whole time. So, make that stop happening.’” Immediately, Greg dug in and began building out tools, processes, and a basic data program. Over the first year, the Toast data team tripled—they now had three people. The company continued to use the data to drive its culture and decision-making. “Everybody says they have a data-driven culture, but I’ve worked at enough places to know the difference, and I see the juxtaposition compared to Toast,” said Greg. “Our people throughout the company—especially our leadership—really look for data before they make big decisions.” But while the small data team tripled, Toast itself doubled. By 2017, the company had 400 employees. The centralized data team couldn’t keep up with the demands of the entire fast-growing, data-obsessed organization. “We had lines out the door,” said Greg. “There was just an appetite for more data than we were able to provide. I think that was a bit of an inflection point for us. Because if you don’t figure out a way to serve that need, then the business might start operating in a different way—and be less data-driven if you can’t get them the necessary data.” Supporting hypergrowth as a decentralized data operation The shift to a began to take shape organically as departments began finding ways to meet their own data needs. decentralized structure “Eventually small pockets of analytics opened up in other parts of the company, like sales and customer success,” Greg said. “Mostly because our small team just couldn’t meet the needs of the growing business. And so they started their own teams, and that kind of worked!” In 2018, this decentralized team of 10 data professionals worked within business units, meeting data needs and supporting Toast’s head-spinning trajectory as the company nearly doubled again, growing to 750 employees. Greg and his team also rebuilt their data tech stack, migrating from an end-to-end data platform to a modern distributed stack including s3, Airflow, Snowflake, Stitch, and Looker. working in their business units still maintained a close connection with Greg’s core analytics team, giving Toast a hybrid between a fully centralized and fully decentralized data team structure. But as the organization continued to scale—reaching a headcount of 1,250 employees in 2019, with 15 data analysts, data scientists, and data engineers—problems began to arise from this hybrid model. Dedicated analysts Data consistency was one concern. “There were various degrees of rigor across the organization when it comes to what constitutes good data. When you’re small, you’re scrappy, you’re growing, and any data is better than no data. But eventually, we reached a scale where we knew that inaccurate data could be harmful.” And even with technically accurate data, Greg knew that strong communication between analysts, technical leaders, and downstream stakeholders was critical when it came to establishing a standard of and trust across the entire company. data observability “As the business gets bigger and more complicated, you need analysts to start seeing the whole business,” said Greg. “Even in a decentralized model, you need to ensure analysts work in close collaboration with other analysts and technical leaders when it comes to setting the standards around performance and operability.” Regrouping, re-centralizing, and refocusing on data trust Toast brought analysts who had been working under their respective Customer Success and Go-To-Market teams back under the analytics umbrella. “We ended up centralizing and a discussed but underrated benefit has been just how much folks on the team have learned from one another,” said Greg. The team is now part of the Finance & Strategy department. But he knows the centralized structure may not be the long-term solution for Toast. “The way I think about data teams, in a nutshell, is that you want everyone to add as much business value as possible,” said Greg. “We’ve been very open to change and trying different things and understanding that what works with 200 people versus 500 people versus a thousand versus two thousand is not the same answer, and that’s okay. It can be somewhat obvious when you’ve reached those inflection points and need to try something new.” At the end of the day, it’s all about meeting the needs of the business – no matter what it means for your team’s reporting structure – while ensuring that technical leads are enablers and not bottlenecks for analysts. 4 things to keep in mind when scaling your startup’s data team Greg has some hard-won advice for data leaders facing —but every tactic goes back to his principle of focusing on what approach best meets the business needs of your company, which will likely change over time. similar challenges at hypergrowth companies In short, he suggests, leaders should stay nimble and teams should be willing to adapt to the needs of the business. Here’s how. Hire data generalists, not specialists—with one exception According to Greg, the first specialist you should hire is a data engineer. “Early on, we basically just hired data athletes who could do a little bit of everything,” said Greg. “We had those athletes playing analyst/data engineer. I had a senior manager role open and a data engineer apply, but she didn’t have any interest in managing. When I talked to her, it became obvious how badly we needed a dedicated data engineering skillset for the team. And in retrospect, I should have been looking for someone like that a year earlier given our growth trajectory.” All too often, data teams are hamstrung by the lack of technical support needed to build and maintain ETL pipelines, as well as ensure that the data infrastructure underlying them can scale with the analytics needs of the company. “So while I still believe in hiring data athletes who can do a bit of everything, data engineers are the one exception. After you hire a few analysts, your first data engineer should follow close behind.” Prioritize building a diverse data team from day one This goes without saying, but when it comes to setting up your team for long-term success, you need to invest (early) in candidates with . Homogeneity is a nonstarter for innovation and prevents data analysts and engineers from understanding the perspectives and needs of all data consumers. diverse experiences and backgrounds When you’re moving quickly at scale, however, it can be hard to remember this – unless you put in place a set of clear hiring and growth KPIs that reflect this goal. “Think about diversity early on,” said Greg. “Because especially in these small data teams, if you’re not careful, you’ll just end up with a bunch of like-minded people from similar backgrounds. And you don’t want a bunch of the same people—you need different perspectives.” It’s one thing to say, “we need to build a diverse team,” but something else entirely to do it. So, how should data leaders get started? Here are a few tips: Partner with executives and your People team to write job descriptions that are inclusive of different experiences and backgrounds (i.e., avoiding excessively masculine language in favor of gender-neutral ones) Put together diverse hiring panels (even if they’re not pulled from the data team) to embody the team you’re striving to build Cast a wide network to recruit candidates who may not have traditional data titles or roles; it’s a constantly evolving space! Implement a gender or race-blind application process that screens based on qualifications and experiences “It’s much harder to build a diverse team later in the startup journey because people from different backgrounds want to join a team that has people from different backgrounds. And if you don’t think about that right out of the gate, it can be much more challenging.” Overcommunication is key to change management This point is even more relevant in our remote-first world, in which many teams work from home, and overcommunicating over email, Slack, and carrier pigeon (just kidding!) is a necessary part of any job. According to Tomasz Tunguz, Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures, (i.e., their core value propositions) with customers consistently, even if it seems unnecessary. The same goes for data leaders when it comes to communicating their work and any team changes with data stakeholders. companies should repeat themselves For instance, if your decentralized customer success analyst is migrating to report up to the Head of Analytics after 3 months of working under the Head of Customer Success, not only should you communicate that this change is happening, but also reiterate that this adjustment doesn’t change the nature of your team’s output. Stakeholders can still expect accurate, timely analysis that maps to core business objectives, even if the team is no longer distributed. While structural changes inevitably impact the nature of the relationship between stakeholder (the functional team) and service provider (the data team), codifying, communicating, and repeating how this shift will not impact your team’s KPIs will restore goodwill and help cross-functional groups overcome change. “If you have analysts reporting into business leaders, make sure that they’re empowered to push back based on the data they are seeing,” said Greg. “Otherwise it can be a tricky dynamic where they are encouraged to show data that backs anecdotal hypotheses. When you bring those teams back under an analytics umbrella, your analysts are going to learn from one another, but influencing other departments can be challenging.” Most recently, Toast has been running a largely centralized analytics model, which has performed well and met the needs of the business for the last year and a half. Don’t overvalue a “single source of truth” The concept of a “single source of truth” or golden data, is a powerful one – for good reason. Striving for metrics alignment and consistent clean data can help companies trust that their data is pointing them in the right direction. Still, as a data leader at a hypergrowth startup, you’ll be pulled in to work on lots of experiments and projects at any given time – as long as you have directional (i.e., is this table up to date? May I know who owns this data set? Why did 50 rows turn into 500?), the need for a “single source of truth” isn’t as pressing. observability into data trust “I always tell people not to overvalue the whole single source of truth concept,” said Greg. “As a perfectionist, it took a long time for me to learn this. There are times when you need to be 100% correct, and then there are a lot of times when you don’t. Often, directional accuracy is fine, and you’ll just waste resources trying to be perfect. The 80/20 rule is key.” Data is always messy and rarely perfect. You’ll get more done if you prioritize having an end-to-end view of data health and accuracy over more granular control. Greg’s final piece of advice for data leaders? “Hire good people with strong communication skills and everything else becomes a lot easier. Good people will lead you to other great people, and you can hire the smartest people in the world, but if they can’t communicate their analysis to less technical folks they simply won’t be successful.” Also published . here

How to Setup Your Organisation's Data Team for Success

Photo by on Brands&People Unsplash What do developers want? Big bonuses? The latest iPhone? A new watch? Whilst few people would say no to free swag, we think it takes a lot more than ‘stuff’ to create an engaging working environment for developers in 2022. Why keep engineers engaged? 1: Retention The current market for developer talent is fierce, and only expected to grow with the global talent shortage expected to hit . Further to this, according to a massive 74% of developers are currently open to new job offers. If your developers are not engaged and enjoying their work, they could be leaving the nest for pastures new in no time, all at a cost to your organization. 85.2 million by 2030 Stack Overflow 2: Performance According to , engaged teams are 21% more profitable and 17% more productive. Any tech team that wants to be high-performing should have an engagement plan in place to ensure developers are in an environment that allows them to do their best work. Forbes It’s clear that retaining and getting the best out of your team’s developers has never been more important. But what metrics matter when looking to incentivise developers in 2022? Photo by on Japheth Mast Unsplash What metrics drive developer engagement? Using objective frameworks such as Google’s can be a significant driver in incentivising developers to improve performance. DORA framework At Adadot we believe the ultimate set of developer metrics can be split into three key sections; work, wellbeing, and collaboration. 1: Work Making it easy to know what ‘good’ looks like is massively motivating. Without this, we run the risk of leaving our development teams to work in silos in a conveyor belt style, shipping code but not knowing why, or how effectively they are doing so. to bake rigorous scientific theory about developer performance into their working environment. We recently wrote a blog about how Zoopla use the DORA framework Making these metrics transparent is also vital, and something that Gitlab does really well. They publish all their on their website so anyone can see them. This takes the power of metrics away from hidden rooms full of management and puts it in the hands of those on the front line of development. Not only does this make performance and benchmarks universally clear, but it also allows people to understand the wider purpose of those metrics, showing what they ladder up to and why. team performance stats So metrics can be useful, sometimes. However, every action has a counterreaction, and the same applies here. We’ve all experienced a pushy salesperson, who has been incentivized through a bonus scheme where they get money for each sale made. This will typically see sales go up, but customer satisfaction goes down due to the focus on sales rather than service. Are our metrics sending the right signals to our developers? Or are we driving short-term productivity at the expense of their wellbeing and, ultimately, their long-term productivity? 2: Wellbeing Stack Overflow did some research into developer engagement, and whilst competitive remuneration remains the number one concern for developers at 70% of respondents, work/life balance is not far behind at 48.3% of respondents. The need for greater focus on wellbeing is clear, and that shouldn’t stop at your HR department, it should extend to the way you measure performance too. The doesn’t stop at work alone, with burnout and work environment being key components. DORA framework Adding these dimensions to the metrics you use to encourage developer performance ensures you’re recognising the right working behaviors; shifting the means of enhancing performance from increased hours to increased efficiency. 3: Collaboration Strong collaborative practices are also key to developer team success, and therefore developer engagement. However, again using DORA as our Bible, we acknowledge that metrics aren’t everything here. Ensuring you cover the softer side of collaboration through effective retrospective sessions that capture continuous improvement ideas from developers is important, ensuring their voices are heard and the team ‘ ’ accordingly. This further lends itself to ensuring your developers are empowered to be self-organizing and given the autonomy they need to excel, moving away from any hint of command and control management to more Agile servant leadership approaches. inspects and adapts The rest is down to you, we give you the data and levers to pull, you just need to choose which ones to pull. This article was first published here.

3 Non-Monetary Ways To Incentivise Your Developer Team

Marketing Mix 2.0, or how to build the advertising experience of tomorrow through Push Notifications. The number one concern nowadays is to be seen. But also to spark a reaction. So how do you get your users not to miss one single message? You infiltrate their daily routine, and appear in the one place they can’t help but look. Their device’s native-notification field. We know what you’re thinking! And no, we’re not talking about anything dodgy, or even remotely so. But the use of one of the least-abusive technologies there is. The technology that ensures you get your users’ attention: Push Notifications. Now with some new and improved features. Let’s check the facts A proves that personalized offers, along with heavy-weight customer care are the major game-changers for customers. That, plus seeing and testing products on different channels. But unless your website isn’t about e-commerce, you might be tempted to say that this doesn’t apply to you. study on retail However, we beg to differ. Allow us to demonstrate. What consumers value the most? Personalization Easily finding products and knowing about new launches Appearance or branding, and consistency across various channels Consistency of customer care Offers and promotions Based on the same report, 44% of respondents actually want you to consider their personal information or purchasing history. So, is it so surprising that a heavy accent is placed on personalization? The pandemic also helped turn this into a trend. So much so, that users are now asking for the same kind of experience offline. But how can you use the internet to animate live offline events? Using the Push technology, that’s how. And in the rows that will follow we’ll also tell you about how push technology can be sent (through the Internet), to engage audiences during physical gatherings and events. Brief introduction to Push Technology is an official Google Cloud Messaging (now ) technology. It is what made the first emails possible. It was also at the base of the Pulsing Blackberry LED. And now push technology is one of the most promising, from the online marketing field. Push Technology FCM The technology gets its name from the process it accomplishes: pushing information. And it materialized in Push Notifications. One format that you probably absolutely need to include in your communication process with your customers. Push Notifications are small messages that appear at the top of mobile screens, or the bottom of desktops. They inform about important events. It’s impossible to ignore them because of their native-alert look, and the fact that once you engage with them, they’re gone forever. Contrary to common belief . And if the study from above showed us anything is that this is an exceptionally good tool for website owners and marketers, as it: the push technology is not spam Helps personalize the individual experience and customer care through special selected content Informs about products and about new launches Adds to the page appearance with interactive windows, without taking any extra space on the website Provides consistency across various channels (in-App as well), and even when the user is not navigating on your website Brings a more personal touch to customer care Notifies users about any offers and promotions you might run In other words, Push Notifications can help webmasters cross all the 5 most valuable things customers appreciate in a brand (or website). It can be your cheap, and simple opportunity to up your game. And next, we’ll see just how. Among Push Notification services you can find Notix, Kumulos, Airship, Aimtell, Launchpad by Growth Rocket Apps, BuzzGuru. We will build a further analysis on the example of , because of their proven expertise and general market leadership. Feel free to compare this review with other similar services, mentioned above. Top Notix Push Notifications: use and benefits Interact and engage with your subscribers in a less-invasive way – notifying them of important website events Re-engage long-lost traffic – remind your users why they used to enjoy your website, and have a boost in traffic volumes Optional: Monetize your website traffic – target your audience with user-friendly ads from trusted and verified advertisers. But, most importantly, with Push Notifications, you can engage users with highly curated content. By personalizing your offers, messages, and content. And whether you’re telling them about new content or products, offers, and promotions, or just being consistent, the results speak for themselves. Here are a few more benefits of sending Push Notifications: And what do all the above lead to? A substantial increase in your ROI, as webmasters that already use push notification so skillfully demonstrated. So, what do you do when you’ve got something that really works? You use it to deliver consistency and continue adapting to customer’s needs**.** Using online-marketing during offline events Engaging with users both online and offline plays an important role for every business. The accent is more than ever on creating a experience. holistic And we already have examples from the sports niche: Euro League tickets – not just printable assets, users need an online pass. This facilitates engaging with the offline users, through the internet, via their mobile devices The Super Bowl – used 5G technology to send Push Notifications and invite every viewer from the stadium to half-time virtual games. 5G brings better connections between devices and a richer stream of data. So, Push Notifications will likely find a boost even with the help of this technology. As you can see, Push can be used as an out-of-the-box method of collecting, engaging, re-engaging, and monetizing subscribers. And a part of your integrated marketing strategy. How could you use Push Notifications this way? Offline events, triggered messages, and GEO targeting could be your gateway to a more inclusive experience. Think about it. Creative Solutions that make Push Notifications more all-encompassing In-app Push Notifications – one more communication channel. Send push, even without a website. On-site Push Notifications – native website banners, sent via Push technology. Customizable based on your content and website type. Triggered Push Delivery – send the right push, at the right time, based on your users actions. Content Recommendations – allows your audience to choose the push content. Works perfectly with API, but not only. Push Notifications Automation – from the push delivery and creation, to content. A complete set of features. In Conclusion When it comes to retailers, the study we mentioned before demonstrated a substantial increase in sales, profit, online traffic, and customer loyalty. And one or several of these boosts were experienced by absolutely all of the respondents. But although running a website is very much like running a retail business (with clients, and products or services to offer), that’s not all that Push can be used for. As the sports examples from above show, this highly versatile format is as suitable for any niche, sector, or activity type. Moreover, push notifications can you resolve all the most important aspects of the users’ journey on your website. But even more important, if you work with an effective push notifications delivery service, you have the possibility to increase your traffic even further. help

Push Notifications: From Traffic Boost to an Integrated Marketing Solution

Hey Hackers! I’m Supratik Mukherjee and I’m the Product Lead at Camino Financial — the first AI-powered Community Development Financial Institution (“neo-CDFI”) expanding access to credit for underserved Latinx entrepreneurs in the U.S. First of all, a huge thank you to the HackerNoon community and staff for nominating us for a 2021 Noonies award! We’ve been nominated in the following category: - : HackerNoon Contributor of the Year SMALL BUSINESS https://www.noonies.tech/award/2021-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-small-business As someone in the FinTech industry, something that excites me a lot is the use of Alternative Credit Data, given its potential to provide a more comprehensive, well-rounded picture of who potential borrowers are — which in turn not only helps extend much-needed credit to thin-file consumers, but also helps make better decisions about who to target, extend credit to, and strive to retain over the long run. I invite you to learn more about my thoughts and opinions on FinTech and my journey in the tech industry via the interview below. 1. What do you do and why do you do it? (tell us your story) The short answer is - I help build things. I currently manage Product Development at Camino Financial. Our team helps design solutions for complex problems, and personally — being able to see those solutions affect success in real-time is the rush that helps me get out of bed each morning. More than anything else, being able to address and resolve problems that I’ve faced as a consumer myself in the past brings a certain level of satisfaction to my job. 2. Tell us more about the things you create / write / manage / build! The Product team that I lead at Camino Financial is responsible for a plethora of important responsibilities. We engage with stakeholders, trying to find out more about their needs and objectives, putting ourselves in their shoes while helping design short-term, medium-term as well as long-term solutions to their problems. These stakeholders can be customers who we design products and solutions for as well as internal team members from the finance, credit, sales, customer success or marketing teams to name a few that we support with process optimizations through the adoption of technology. Our team is involved in everything from conceptualization through to implementation, execution, and iteration of solutions to complex problems. We use the power of technology to help make credit decisions that help fund the dreams of the ‘credit invisible.’ 3. How did you end up on your current career path? Do you like it? Growing up, I was always interested in tech and so it didn’t come as a surprise that I pursued a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering. However upon graduation, I sort of “fell into” Product Management. Post-graduation, I got my first job at a recruitment startup as the company’s first Product Manager (PM). As a first-time PM, it was quite a daunting task transitioning from being a student to managing the product roadmap for a company with limited training. What started as a sink-or-swim situation helped me learn on the go and build product management skills that helped me develop as a professional. A big part of being a halfway decent product manager is the ability to prioritize. Nothing helps develop these skills more than having limited resources to work with. I love what I do and my start in product management helped put me on the path to leading the team and solving the problems that we do today. I joined Camino Financial as it was solving a problem I’d faced. While not a 1:1 comparison, as an international student getting my MBA in the US, I didn’t have a lot of funding options available to me and struggled to find a solution to my problem. It gives me great satisfaction to be on a team that helps solve this problem for underserved individuals that need it the most. 4. What tech are you most excited or passionate about right now and why? These aren’t exactly current, but these are concepts that excite me most: Machine learning (ML), Blockchain Applications, and Alternative Data Solutions. For example, ML has the power to build predictive models and not only automate but also make smart credit decisions in the absence of human effort. On the other hand, Blockchain has the potential to create secure transactions that establish a guarantee of verified originality. Lastly, alternative data for the credit invisible introduces the concept of using non-traditional financial data to be able to lend to those who have a limited or thin credit profile. 5. What tech are you most worried about right now and why? One concern that comes to mind is the lack of control and standardization of data use when it comes to digital advertising. It's the kind of problem that the likes of Facebook and Google are facing daily with no simple solution. What allows many small businesses to gain access and reach the customers they need at a fraction of advertising costs, on the flip-side has the potential to be misused for nefarious purposes by bad actors as has been exemplified in the recent past. As someone working in the space who understands the implications - both good and bad, I can recognize that this doesn’t have a straightforward solution that will please all parties, but it's a problem that needs to be resolved sooner rather than later. 6. If we gave you 10 million dollars to invest in something today, what would you invest in and why? If I was given 10 million dollars, I would invest in alternative / non-fossil fuel-based energy — solar, electric, etc. When we use renewable resources to produce energy, it’s much gentler on the environment than burning fossil fuels. It’s past time to build a strong foundation in renewables. Not only is this a decision that positively impacts the environment, but it also stimulates economic growth as well as jobs in the installation and manufacturing industries. 7. What are you currently learning? Currently, I’m learning about Behavioral modeling in Product Lifecycle Management and Engineering Design. 8. What’s the best advice you’ve ever given someone? Not advice particularly, but an amusing quote - “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they didn’t have our team on the project.” 9. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Slow down, listen, understand - then execute. 11. Would you also be interested in joining us on the HackerNoon podcast? If so, what would you like to chat about? Yes, I’d love to have conversations related to my experience as a product lead at a FinTech as well as be involved in discussions related to product development, process management, and the power of technology in helping magnify and resolve the voices and needs of the underserved. About HackerNoon’s 2021 Noonie Awards The annual Noonie Awards celebrate the best and brightest of the tech industry, bringing together all who are making the Internet and the world of tech what it is today. Please be sure to , nominate, and vote for the people and companies who you think are making the biggest impact on the tech industry today. check out our award categories The 2021 Noonies are sponsored by: , , and . Thank you so much to these sponsors who are helping us celebrate the accomplishments of all our nominees. bybit Dottech Domains Avast

Solving Access to Finance for Underserved Communities: Interview with Supratik Mukherjee

Data is an important and valuable asset in an organization and can negatively impact an organization if the information is altered or compromised, which is why it is important to make sure that organizations do their best to keep it secure. Hence why ensuring data integrity is essential, and in order to understand its importance, we must first understand what data integrity is, why it is important, and how to ensure data integrity. Table of Contents: What is Data Integrity? Data Integrity vs. Data Security Why is It Important to Ensure Data Integrity? Common Data Integrity Threats How to Preserve and Ensure Data Integrity Final Thoughts: Data Integrity What is Data Integrity? Data integrity should be an organization’s number one concern at every stage of the data lifecycle. ensures that the data within an organization has not been altered or compromised and that the data is accurate. It is the process of ensuring the accuracy and validity of the data. Data integrity is split into : . Data integrity two categories physical and logical Physical data integrity refers to data accuracy and the completeness of the physical file. Physical data integrity can be compromised through natural disasters (i.e., floods) or through a cyberattack on a database, while logical data integrity refers to the data’s accuracy. How Do You Know When Your Data Has Integrity? In order to tell if your data has integrity, you should keep an eye out for the following features: : make sure that your data is accurate and traceable Traceability : having data that is accurate and unaltered will help an organization be successful Reliability : your data should be available and ready to access when needed Availability : your data clearly explains what the data is about, who created and stored and when it was created and stored Transparency Data Integrity vs. Data Security and are two terms that play an important role when it comes to the data in an organization. Data integrity focuses on keeping your data intact and accurate, while data security refers to protecting the data against unauthorized access. Data security is necessary to maintain data integrity. Data integrity data security Why is it Important to Ensure Data Integrity? Ensuring data integrity is essential in an organization because it ensures traceability, searchability, recoverability, and connectivity. It guarantees that you can trace your data back to its original source. When an organization has accurate and effective data, its performance and stability will increase. Note : In order to keep your data safe from malicious actors, you must first ensure that users within your organization know how to handle data properly. Common Data Integrity Threats Data integrity can be compromised in a variety of ways through human errors or through hackers. Here is a list of common data integrity threats: : unintentional human error Human error : data may not always be transferred to another device properly, therefore, causing it to be compromised Transfer errors : data that gets deleted, lost, or altered by malware and viruses has an impact on data integrity Malware and viruses : this has a large impact on physical data integrity (i.e., unexpected computer crashes) Compromised hardware : when unauthorized parties (i.e., hackers) get access to data, the data integrity has been compromised Cyberattacks : hackers can exploit vulnerabilities found in your systems and then compromise your data integrity Misconfiguration or security issues How to Preserve and Ensure Data Integrity It is vital that security teams within an organization ensure data integrity as it is a valuable asset.  Data integrity is maintained by a collection of standards, policies, and rules. With that being said, here is what can be done to ensure data integrity: . Only give users access to the data that they need and not to all data in the organization Update user permissions . Organizations should consider implementing a least privilege model by only giving access to those users who need it Access controls . Whenever any data is added, deleted, modified, and updated, your team should have a record of such events; in any case, where data has been compromised, it will save your team time to find the origin of the compromise Log changes of data . It is crucial that you backup your data on a regular basis in the event of a cyberattack or outage Perform regular backups . Ensure that the data entered is accurate; by implementing input validation you can be sure that sensitive data will never be incorrectly categorized or stored Validate and verify input data . This will be beneficial when a data breach occurs to help track the source and to help ensure data integrity Keep an audit trail . This is an effective measure to protect your data in an organization Encrypt your data Final Thoughts: Ensuring Data Integrity Ensuring data integrity is a big concern in today’s society. Organizations are constantly creating and gathering a lot of data that they may encounter issues when it comes to storing and managing the data. The chances that cyberattacks will occur have increased therefore making them more apparent. Hopefully, after reading this article, you have a better understanding of what can be done to ensure data integrity. Just remember that understanding how to ensure data integrity is crucial in an organization.

How to Ensure Data Integrity in an Organization

SaaS applications are now being widely used by businesses and individuals. In fact, almost 70% of the apps companies use today are SaaS-based, and it is estimated that by 2025, around 85% of business applications will be SaaS-based. ( ) source However, even though SaaS applications are so popular, businesses are still concerned with the security risks associated with them. Security is a number one concern when it comes to these applications. Therefore, SaaS providers need to take a number of steps to build a safe and secure platform. So, if you’re looking to build a SaaS platform, read this blog. We will explain how to build a SaaS app with a security mindset. Let’s dive in. What Makes SaaS Application Risky? So, what really makes a SaaS application vulnerable to security attacks? Let’s take at the possible reasons that can make a SaaS app risky for businesses. 1. Virtual servers SaaS applications use virtual servers to store and manage multiple accounts and data. Virtual servers allow efficient use of storage space. However, the problem with virtual servers is that if it is compromised, it could put several stakeholders at risk. 2. Poor access control Poor access control is another reason that can put a SaaS app at risk. If the SaaS provider doesn’t keep sufficient access control over its systems, an unauthorized user might breach their systems and attack your data. If the application is accessible on a public WiFi without any VPN or if it is used on an infected mobile, it can also pose a security threat to the server. Without the endpoints’ security, the SaaS platform can allow attackers to enter the server. 3. Managing user identity All great SaaS platforms are focused on simplifying the lives of their end-users. That’s why SSO (Single Sign-on) abilities are allowed to ease access to applications – this is especially helpful in the case of multiple SaaS applications. With SSO in place, your users will not have to remember separate passwords for each application. However, there is a certain degree of risk that comes with SSO. With an increase in the number of SaaS applications, it becomes difficult to manage data securely. Implementing SSO in SaaS leads to instances of unauthorized access, denial of service to authorized users, and impersonating users to exploit their user privileges. 4. Non-compliance with global standards for secure services The security of your SaaS application largely depends on your SaaS provider and the standards they maintain. It’s a fact that all SaaS providers do not conform to universally accepted . Providers who claim to be compliant might not even have SaaS-specific certification. Some standards like ISO-27001 offer a certain level of confidence in application developers; however, you need to carefully evaluate that all the essential security avenues are covered under the certification. SaaS security standards 5. Insider threat Insiders (your own employees or staff) can abuse their authorized access and inside knowledge – trading confidential information about your business or stealing your intellectual property. This can cause much damage and exfiltrate sensitive data. 6.Reduced Visibility and Control When you transition your application’s operations to the cloud, you tend to lose some visibility and control over those assets and operations. Since the SaaS provider will host all of your data on the cloud, you do not hold complete control over it. It means that if something goes wrong, you are at the mercy of your SaaS provider. 7. Vendor Lock-In Complicates moving to other CSPs Vendor lock-in becomes an issue when you consider moving your application assets and operations from one CSP to another. You then realize that the cost, effort, and schedule time needed for the move is higher than initially considered due to many factors like non-standard data formats and reliance on one CSP's proprietary tools and APIs. This issue especially increases if the CSP takes more responsibility, like using additional features or APIs. It then becomes incredibly challenging to move to a different CSP, thus resulting in loss of data. 8. Increased cybersecurity risk due to insufficient due diligence If you’ve planned to migrate to the cloud, it’s essential that you perform sufficient due diligence. Moving data to the cloud without fully understanding the complete scope of doing so, the security measures used by your CSP, and your own responsibility to provide security measures can prove disastrous. 9. Stored Data is lost There are many reasons other than the malicious attacks for losing data stored in the cloud. You can permanently lose your data even due to accidental deletion by the cloud service provider or any such reason. It’s important to note that the burden of avoiding data loss does not fall solely on the provider's shoulders. If you lose the encryption key to your encrypted data, it will be lost. SaaS Security Checklist: Best Practices to Follow During Development Risk exposure comes with almost every aspect of doing business. SaaS applications are no different – they have their security concerns that you must learn to resolve. So what should you do to safeguard your SaaS applications successfully? To protect against SaaS security risks, you must identify all the vulnerable hotspots and have a strategy in place, backed by industry best practices. This will help you establish the security standards in your SaaS application without any worries. That’s why we have prepared a comprehensive security checklist to help you secure the SaaS applications which you will develop and maintain. Let’s go through this checklist, explore the various best practices being followed universally, and figure out which ones you must apply. Implement Cybersecurity in the real sense As a SaaS provider, see that your cybersecurity claims are not limited to only marketing activities. Ensure you have adopted these claims in your application proactively. Most security-aware SaaS vendors share their security features on their websites or customer portals. If you haven’t come across any such documentation, make sure you check with the potential vendor. Besides, the business portal of your SaaS service provider must have a well-documented process in dealing with the following areas: Security advisories around flaws reported publicly. Patching management – its availability and updates. Resources around cybersecurity practices for SaaS users. Regulatory assessments and security decisions related to cloud services. It is wrong to assume that finding a security service provider who’ll provide you with a quote and deliver service will be the end of it all. What you need is a holistic approach to adopt cybersecurity.  It’ll include many other activities, from considering timelines for SaaS security testing to liaisoning with the third party, and from risk remediation of assessment findings to revalidating and ensuring there are no risks. End-to-end data encryption When it comes to data encryption of your SaaS application, follow a comprehensive approach that involves both data in transit and data at rest. Secure encryption provides much-needed privacy and protection to your application from eavesdropping, tampering, and other interferences on the web. Encryption encodes your data and protects it from unauthorized access and users. And even if someone is able to access your data, they won’t be able to decode it unless they have the encryption keys, which only authorized users will have. It's a common practice to employ Transport Layer Security (TLS) to communicate with SaaS applications. It’s the standard protocol to protect your data that is in transit over the web. Ensure that all the interactions with the server take place over the TLS and SSL connections, and it should terminate only within the cloud service provider. Apply Field-level encryption offered by your cloud service provider. It will help you select the fields you intend to encrypt for transmitting and storing your data securely. Also, use strong encryption measures for data at rest. Protect client sensitive data, for example, the financial details, by using Multi-domain SSL certificates. While many service providers encrypt the data by default. However, do remember to explicitly specify your requirement of data encryption clearly to avoid any confusion later. Conduct Vulnerability testing Vulnerabilities & loopholes in your SaaS application can cost you money and more. Many SaaS providers make high claims regarding SaaS security. But the onus to verify these claims lie with you. You can rely on your SaaS provider for security if they have tools or checks to meet all standards. Besides, you must ensure that intensive checks are done on the SaaS systems. A comprehensive SaaS security check usually comprises both automated and manual checks because they are based on real-world scenarios and the latest threats. Implement a data retention policy Data retention policy is vital for your SaaS application – especially for account management and subscriptions, to keep your data safe. Make sure your SaaS provider has declared their data retention policy with clarity. You can look for such policies in your service agreement. It must include what would happen once the customer’s data retention timeline ends. The data retention policies: Help you create backups Free up space on your files Moreover, be aware of the data that needs to be retained. Because after the data retention policy is applied, your data will be programmatically deleted from the server, and respective logs will be generated. This is important to do because some data needs temporary retention for a particular period, whereas some data may not need retention. User-Level Data Security Monitoring You can use multiple levels of SaaS data security in your application to limit the damage from cyberattacks. Security protocols such as role-specific permissions and access enforced distribution of tasks can protect your app from attacks raised due to internal security gaps at the user level. You can apply role-based access control (RBAC) features to provide user-specific access and action permissions. It will make sure that access is provided to the right/authorized people on your SaaS applications. This gives access-control-based security to your SaaS application.  Moreover, it will facilitate segregating the application users and specify clearly how they can access data in your SaaS application. Certifications and Audits Certifications such as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) are helpful to ensure complete protection against data theft. To get PCI DSS certification, ensure that the data is transmitted, processed, and stored securely. All of this will need to be validated through audits. Another essential certification for SaaS providers is SOC 2 Type II certification that validates regulatory compliance, vendor management processes, and other internal risk management processes. It also ensures secured deployment and active monitoring. Your SaaS provider requires these certifications to protect your SaaS applications from potential data breaches and ensure confidentiality and integrity of data. Implement a Secure SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) While going through different phases of the SDLC, you have to be extremely cautious. Because there is a possibility that the set of actions that take place during different SDLC phases are not always complying with application security standards. And a secure SDLC would mean the realization of security activities throughout the entire development lifecycle – It includes secure coding methodologies, vulnerability analyses, as well as penetration tests. Implementing a secure SDLC will help you detect SaaS security issues in the development stage and fixed before production. It will help you identify and address the potential vulnerabilities in your application early on. Ensure secure deployment Safe deployment is another key activity that is vital to the development of a secure SaaS product. Deployment is done in two different ways - Public Cloud deployment. Most big vendors like Amazon and Google provide services that assure SaaS data security, data segregation, infrastructure hardening, etc. But whenever you opt for a public cloud vendor, ensure that they follow all globally accepted security standards. Self-hosted deployment. If you have opted for a self-hosted deployment, it is your responsibility to prevent denial-of-service (DoS) and network penetration attacks. Make sure to automate the deployment process as much as possible. Logs Logs help you monitor SaaS security incidents and in detecting cyber attacks. Build your SaaS application with an automatic logging mechanism available for the clients to assist in audits and other regular monitoring processes. How to Successfully Develop SaaS Application SaaS app development is different from the traditional approach to software development. But do not feel intimidated. We have compiled a list of steps for you to follow in the process of building a SaaS application successfully. Here’s what you need to do: Step 1: Conceptualization The first step in developing a SaaS application is to have an idea or concept around which you will build your application. Only when you have a concept in hand should you proceed with a technological solution to resolve it. Think of challenges that need a solution - a unique solution that’ll help your app stand out and provide distinct value to your customers. You will not succeed with your SaaS app endeavor if you have nothing new and different to offer. Build a clear idea of all of your application’s functions – how it will work, look, and be used by your customers. Identify your target audience and figure out what they must be looking for with an app like yours. Step 2: Explore SaaS Application Trends To keep your SaaS app relevant, look for what's trending, and base your app on current trends. Here are the top SaaS trends that you must watch for in 2021: AI Algorithms and Machine Learning AI algorithms and ML benefit companies using SaaS by providing customization, analytics, and security. You can implement AI to analyze large quantities of data generated on your app from customer interactions. This data will play a key role in helping you make informed business decisions. Besides, as a modern-day business you understand that each customer has their own unique behavior and that instead of a one-size-fits-all method, customization works well. This is where AI plays a crucial role in your app. AI allows the detection of cyberattacks before they impact a software system. With an increase in cybercrime and data breaches, ensure you take advantage of implementing AI for security purposes. AI and ML in your SaaS application can automate responsiveness in customer service and reports, such as AI-enabled chat operations with live chatbots. API Connections APIs are critical to the integration of software applications. Let’s take the example of a business with different departments. If the finance department uses one software solution and the operations department uses another, integration of both solutions will be complex. In such a case, an API streamlines this integration and acts as intermediary systems and databases of both departments. Platform Unbundling Businesses have started opting to customize services to their customers' unique needs. Platform unbundling allows for greater personalization with re-packaging core services as an API alongside a collection of add-ons. Vertical SaaS Initially, when SaaS was introduced, companies focused on providing solutions spanning multiple industries – horizontal SaaS. But now, the focus has shifted to prioritize one sector at a time. Vertical SaaS companies target niche industries. Focusing on a specific industry enables a company to become a leader in one niche instead of spreading its resources across several. SaaS to PaaS With the growth of the SaaS industry, many providers have started focusing on customer retention. SaaS has started migrating towards PaaS – developments that enable businesses to develop custom apps as add-ons to their original services. Step 3: Requirement Specification At this stage, start documenting your application’s requirements. You can begin by doing the following: Specify the requirements for building an MVP. Build a thorough understanding of what your application requires. Document the functional specification. Don’t treat this stage as unimportant. You can hire the services of a business consultant to help you convert your idea into technical requirements that a developer can understand. Step 4: Minimum Viable Product (MVP) This is the next logical step towards building your SAAs application. Since an MVP comprises the core features required to perform at the basic level, this phase should analyze if your proposed product can solve customers' pain points for which it is being created. If you can solve those problems efficiently, you can unhesitatingly move into its development. In short, start developing your SaaS application, if it CAN solve challenges better than any competitors. Step 5: Select the right technology stack This is indeed a tough one. You have to identify and pick the best technology stack from amongst the tons of technologies and frameworks available. And that requires you to dig deep into each of the available options. You will need to select the right technology for your app’s back-end, front-end, and database. When selecting a suitable technology stack to develop your SaaS MVP, consider few factors that may include but are not restricted to the following: Maturity of the technology or programming language. Whether the technology supports features required in your app. Ease in Integration with other products.Developer resource pool. Step 6: Find Developers and Start Development This step is about finding a team of SaaS developers and cloud service providers who can translate your amazing idea into reality. Since SaaS applications consume web services and show information in the user’s web browser, building it requires multiple skill sets. You would need developers with expertise in: Front end development Database queries Javascript libraries Server-side queries Look for developers who have a past track record of developing and implementing SaaS apps at scale. Ensure you maintain constant communication with them to clarify doubts and uncertainties in requirements and check the project's progress. Consider adopting agile development practices to achieve maximum flexibility and perform thorough testing of your app. Step 7: Deployment Once the SaaS application development is completed, it’s time to deliver and deploy your SaaS application. This process depends on the factors mentioned below: The final version of your app is thoroughly tested. The app is released from dev servers to production servers. The QA Team has tested the production server. Step 8: Marketing the SaaS application You don’t have to wait till the end of your product development to initiate this stage. You can execute it even before the app development. It’s worth advertising your app to generate some excitement and gain traction. This is a sureshot key to its success. You can promote your app on Social Media such as Twitter, Linked In, Instagram, and Facebook, etc. It will not only generate a buzz around your product, but at the same time, it’ll help you build a mailing list to reach out to people when the first version of your SaaS solution is ready for roll-out.

How to Develop Your SAAS Application with a Security Mindset

With much of the DevOps stack having matured and good practices becoming more mainstream, the need for quality in software has quickly become a central issue. This article is the first in a series in which we’ll shine the spotlight on software quality from a DevOps context. Introduction Trends have companies focused on customer experience as a way to differentiate themselves from their competitors. However, it seems that one of the worst-kept secrets in the software industry that is still one of the most reliable ways to differentiate your company from your competitors. If your product is constantly breaking and your competitors are more reliable and have comparable functionality, your organization will eventually run out of customer goodwill. quality Also, there are high costs that stem from poor quality. Maintenance takes longer, and that stifles innovation. Toilsome work leads to burnout, which leads to attrition. That, in turn, leads to lost organizational knowledge, which exacerbates maintenance, onboarding, and innovation. So it’s no surprise that one of the few things that business people, managers, and software engineers agree on is that quality is of critical importance. Curiously, when it comes time to take the actual steps to build quality in, it’s often the first thing to go. It often becomes a choice between delivery “on time” or quality. The irony here is that, like so many aspects of software, focus on one concern is often counter-productive and ends up being harmful to our original intent. In this case, the habit of prioritizing delivery over quality usually leads to longer and longer delivery times. So how might we change the trajectory of software organizations struggling with this problem? This behaviour isn’t something that can be talked-away or an issue that will magically disappear once some fancy new technology is in place. Cultures that generate technical debt generally need to change their approach on some fundamental level. In this article, we’ll examine one of the most typical pitfalls around software quality and look at ways to resolve the issues that arise from it. The Early Velocity Trap It feels great when you’re working on new features. Every sprint, you’re wowing your stakeholders by showing off snazzy new functionality (this is especially prevalent at the beginning of a project when everything is ). Everyone is happy and the best of friends because there’s a clear feeling of progress and innovation, and it’s . Your team is developing with this incredible velocity for weeks or even months — you’re bonafide heroes. greenfield fun Unfortunately, there’s a problem lurking under the surface that entire time. It is the most insidious problem in software. Developers don’t notice it because it’s hard to see that things get a little slower every week. Stakeholders don’t notice it because it makes sense that delivery plateaus. After all, now the team is working on the “hard stuff.” Where this begins to hit home is the development workflow. Builds that took seconds now take minutes. Unit tests (if you have them) take minutes to run, and forget about those integration tests — now they’re up to more than an hour! Code coverage drops, dependency versions are out of date, SonarQube issues seem to be breeding like jack-rabbits, and architectural changes that we’ve been putting off now seem like significant undertakings (8 points ). at least In response, the team agrees to throw a “technical debt user story” into their backlog and to “get to it as soon as we have time.” Or even worse, the team says, “we’ll get to it later,” and proceeds to forget about it. Deferring the problem is the . technical debt trap https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/its-a-trap Before we explore a solution, let’s understand the consequences of simply not addressing tech debt. This approach is an option that many people try to rationalize. Examples: “This change isn’t going to live past three months, so we don’t need unit tests.” “There’s a new major version that’s coming out later this year, and we’ll have to do this again then. Do we want to do this twice?” “Nobody is going to reuse this” “The Customer isn’t willing to pay for — they want ” quality features! If left long enough, the decision to ignore tech debt inevitably leads to one place: . That could mean many things, such as the end of the team, cancellation of the product, putting it into maintenance mode, divestiture, or even the company's failure. the end of the product Any ignored technical debt starts a that leaves teams struggling to stay afloat as they swim in a slowly increasing pool of defects. Eventually, forward progress halts because defects have grown beyond the ability of the team to fix anything. As a result, life becomes misery because the brutal workflows are laborious for developers to work in, and stakeholders eventually get impatient and demand changes. These conditions can lead to rushed features where changes get rammed through, resulting in even more misery. downward spiral To make matters worse, as DevOps practices have gained traction, elite performers have widened the gap between competitors slower to the game. In the old days, the downward spiral was a slow one — teams could make significant progress for months or even years with minimal effort put towards quality. Nowadays, that downward spiral happens a lot faster if you make the mistake of accelerating delivery (say, with a Continuous Delivery pipeline) without having quality-promoting practices in place. Solution: The Three Ways of DevOps If any of this sounds familiar, please know that it doesn’t have to be like this at all. Software organizations can achieve massive gains in velocity by adopting DevOps practices. Teams and organizations can follow a similar journey to those chronicled in DevOps lore like (shameless plug: see ) and and described in much greater detail from tactical ( ) and strategic ( ) perspectives. There aren’t many reasons not to investigate at this point, so check those sources out. If you’re curious about a handy set of principles for approaching DevOps, learn about (another shameless plug: head on over to my article . The Phoenix Project my book summary The Unicorn Project , The DevOps Handbook Accelerate The Three Ways Applying the Three Ways of DevOps to Accelerate Your Organization ) Additionally, this offers even broader approaches. DZone article Solution: Dedicate Regular Time to Technical Debt Cleanup Technical debt is best dealt with by the people closest to the code: the developers. Often this work is treated the same as some feature that you can get away with prioritizing later, secretly hoping it slips out of the bottom of your backlog into oblivion. Tech debt is different —it’s something that your team has to build habits around. I suggest starting with 10% to 20% of developer time. That translates to 1/2 day to 1 day per week. There are exceptions, of course. For example, you may need to plan bigger chunks of work, like implementing a new library, refactoring a large part of your system, or extracting part of your codebase into microservices. However, to be in a position to entertain thoughts of that sort of technical debt, you’ll need to ensure that all of the little things taken care of: Dependencies should be up to date and relatively easy to upgrade. Your tests should be up to date, and you should have decent coverage on your unit tests. If you don’t have some level of acceptance testing in place, you’re probably opening the door to regressions, which will suck up more of your time. So automate aggressively, or plan to test manually. A Side-Note on Refactoring Some teams confuse with . is when you restructure your code (either production or test code) to address some non-functional requirement (e.g., readability) without changing the behaviour. That seems relatively straightforward. The subtlety that needs some attention is that substantially changing your implementation without the backing of solid automated tests isn’t really in the spirit of refactoring. You might as well call it what it is: a rewrite. If you engage in a rewrite, it’s an excellent idea to make sure you do so and put in the missing automated tests. rewriting refactoring Refactoring Conclusion As teaches us, it’s not so easy to know that things are heading downhill when you’re in the thick of development. Don’t allow yourself or your team to become victims of false confidence. The boost you get from the feeling of early progress is excellent, but it can come at a price if you want to avoid the crushing lows that result if you ignore technical debt. Healthy skepticism mixed with curiosity is a vital outlook to develop. hindsight bias With the accelerated pace of DevOps workflows that are quickly becoming the norm, these skills are even more critical. Not just individual developers and teams, but entire software organizations. We must avoid burnout at all costs to prevent a downward spiral from starting. The bright side is that there is an abundance of knowledge around the practices, philosophies, tools, and research easily accessible. At this point, it’s a matter of professional responsibility to at least become familiar with it. Check out the material in the links above and engage people in your organization. Try different things and pay attention to what thought leaders and look for advice in the stories coming out of organizations finding success in their digital transformations. Best of luck in your journey! Disclaimer I’m an employee of IBM. The views expressed in this blog are mine alone. They don’t necessarily reflect the positions, strategies, or opinions of the company.

The Early Velocity Trap

Decentralized exchanges offer a safe way to , such as centralized exchanges or brokers. trade without the need for trusting any third party intermediaries The only thing you have to trust when using decentralized exchanges is the universal language of mathematics. This becomes especially important considering everything that is currently happening in the markets, such as policymakers restricting access to centralized exchanges in certain regions or trading apps like Robinhood halting purchases of certain stocks. Decentralized Exchanges also offer a lucrative way to - something that usually only a few big players can benefit from, but through the market making system of decentralized Exchanges becomes easily available to everyone. earn money for providing liquidity In this article we present , evaluated based on the following criteria: Level of decentralization, security, and functionality. As a bonus point, we also consider how lucrative the providing of liquidity is for each decentralized exchange. the 3 best decentralized exchanges Top 3 Decentralized Exchanges - Evaluation Criteria in Detail Level of Decentralization Is the entire project open source? Does the Exchange actually run decentrally as an app on your computer, or is it centralized on a website that can theoretically be shut down? Can the code be easily changed by the developers? Security Is the project turing-complete - and thus vulnerable to bugs & hacks - or have the capabilities been intentionally kept narrow to provide higher security? Has the code been independently tested and is open-source? How long has the Exchange been running without problems, or have there even been major hacks? Functionality How high is the liquidity of the DEX? How many different coins can be exchanged? And how high are the fees that are charged for swapping coins? Bonus-Point: Liquidity Mining Rewards How lucrative is it to provide liquidity for the DEX yourself? 1. Uniswap Uniswap is the first real decentralized exchange based on Ethereum, and currently by far the largest decentralized exchange in the entire crypto market. But being first in the crypto world doesn't necessarily mean being best - let's look at the analysis in detail: Level of Decentralization at Uniswap Uniswap is based on an Ethereum Smart Contract, which is . The project is therefore already open-source. publicly available on Github Since the entire exchange is solely a smart contract that cannot be changed once it has been set up (and thus cannot be improved or fixed), Uniswap cannot simply be changed by the developers. For this, a new exchange is needed, and so there is Uniswap V1, Uniswap V2 and even V3 is planned soon. However, this restriction is definitely good for decentralization. One criticism, however, is that the exchange is not actually used decentrally and without a third party (for example, by software that your computer runs itself), but runs via a website. This, of course, provides a point of attack and could be taken down. We therefore give the level of decentralization at Uniswap 2.0/3.0 points. Security at Uniswap One of the most important aspects of any exchange is security - especially if it is decentralized and attackers cannot be stopped quickly once they have found a security hole. The fact that Uniswap has been around for several years and that the open source code has already been independently tested several times is a definite advantage. Although funds have been stolen via Uniswap in the past, this had to do with the security of the assets listed on Uniswap, and not with the decentralized exchange itself. However, one concern remains, and that is the turing-completeness of Uniswap. Because the smart contract is based on Ethereum - a blockchain that is not specifically geared for the functionalities of a decentralized exchange, but on which anything can be developed - it is difficult to close and identify all potential security holes. There are simply too many opportunities for potential attackers. We therefore give Uniswap 2 out of 3 possible points in terms of security. Functionality at Uniswap Since Uniswap is currently by far the largest DEX (decentralized exchange), the available liquidity is also more than sufficient for most of the available trading pairs. There are also no complaints when it comes to the number of available trading pairs. Virtually anyone can easily list an ERC-20 token, and thus most Ethereum ERC-20 tokens are also available on Uniswap, albeit with varying levels of liquidity, of course. However, all popular tokens are easily exchangeable even in larger quantities. The big problem, however, is again that Uniswap is based on Ethereum. The fees for transactions are thus sometimes so high that one can hardly speak of usability - over $100 in transaction costs are simply not sustainable for the average crypto investor. In terms of functionality, Uniswap therefore receives 2.0/3.0 points again. Liquidity Mining Rewards at Uniswap As a possible bonus point, we look at the liquidity mining rewards at Uniswap. These were still relatively high some time ago when the DEX was launched, but they are naturally going down with increasing, basically competing liquidity providers. Nowadays, there are only transaction cost commissions, which are not too profitable due to the many liquidity providers. So here we do not give Uniswap a point. Overall, Uniswap therefore receives a rating of 6.0 out of 10 possible points. 2. Balancer The developer of the protocol for the decentralized exchange Balancer is the eponymous company Balancer Labs. The company was launched in 2019 by Mike McDonald and Fernando Martinelli and has already raised $3 million in a seed round. A detailed analysis: Level of Decentralization at Balancer Like Uniswap, Balancer is also based on Ethereum and has publicly accessible open-source code for its protocol. The code cannot be changed and is therefore resistant to censorship, but potential security vulnerabilities cannot be easily closed or function updates applied. Balancer V2 was recently introduced for this purpose, which works more efficiently and is therefore more cost-effective. The big problem is that Balancer is accessed via a company-run website - this could of course be shut down at any time, even if the company doesn't want to. We thus give Balancer 2 out of 3 possible points as far as decentralization is concerned. Security at Balancer It is often falsely reported in the media that Balancer has already been "hacked" for $500,000 USD. However, the decentralized exchange itself was not hacked, but only the vulnerability of a listed coin was exploited. So far, the protocol itself is running without any major problems. The code is open-source and has also been independently tested several times. The problem with Balancer, however, is again that it is based on Ethereum, and thus vulnerable to bugs & hacks. So overall, Balancer gets 2 out of 3 points. Functionality of Balancer The liquidity of the DEX is significantly lower than Uniswap, but still more than sufficient. A special feature is that Balancer not only has two-pair pools, but even up to 8 different coins can be put into one pool. However, it should be noted that a liquidity pool is only as strong as the weakest link: If, for example, it contains a token that can be mined centrally, the rest of the pool can quickly be exploited. And although Balancer is based on Ethereum, they have actually managed to reduce fees somewhat and make the decentralized exchange more user-friendly with V2 through technical sophistication. Trading is thus still expensive, but at least somewhat affordable. In terms of functionality, Balancer therefore receives 2.5 out of 3 possible points! Liquidity Mining Rewards at Balancer Liquidity mining is definitely more lucrative on Balancer than on Uniswap, if only because there are significantly fewer other liquidity providers. Even in absolute terms though, the reward payouts are currently still higher at Balancer.However, you should definitely keep in mind that you have to claim your Liquidity Mining Rewards via the protocol first, which in turn costs fees for the Ethereum network. Of course, this can quickly become very expensive with Ethereum. Nevertheless, we give Balancer 0.5 out of 1 points for this. Thus, the Balancer DEX is rated with 7 out of 10 points overall! 3. DeFiChain The decentralized exchange that probably stands out the most from this list is the one from DeFiChain. This DEX is not based on Ethereum, but on the DeFi blockchain, which was created specifically for such functionality and is a fork of Bitcoin. The big advantages are increased security, faster and cheaper transaction costs, and easier programming, which allows for much faster progress. And it enables one more great feature that no other DEX in the whole world can offer so far.... but let's look at everything in sequence: Level of Decentralization at DeFiChain Just like the rest of the decentralized exchanges so far, the DeFiChain DEX is of course completely open-source. Yes, even the entire blockchain code can be publicly viewed on Github. However, an important difference to the other decentralized exchanges is that the DEX does not run centralized on a website, but completely decentralized as a downloadable app on your own computer. Thus, the exchange cannot be stopped! Another advantage is that the exchange can thus even be updated and improved without compromising decentralization: An update of the app has to be executed and re-downloaded by yourself, as you are familiar with all your other apps already. The DeFiChain DEX thus receives 3 out of 3 points for the level of decentralization. Level of Security at DeFiChain Since the DeFi Blockchain is based on Bitcoin, it is of course already fundamentally very secure. Just like Bitcoin, the entire Blockchain - and therefore also the DeFiChain DEX - is non-turing-complete. This means that the functionality and development possibilities are strictly limited to what is necessary for Decentralized Finance applications. Where there are less possibilities in total, there are of course also less attack possibilities! Keeping the DEX secure is thus much easier than on Ethereum, where it is practically impossible to think of all the potential attack possibilities. Since the day of the Bitcoin halving in spring 2020, DeFiChain is now already running on MainNet (i.e. not just in a test environment, but actually live) without any problems. The open source code has also already been independently verified. We therefore give the DeFiChain DEX 3 out of 3 points in terms of security! Level of Functionality at DeFiChain The non-turing-completeness of DeFiChain in no way means that the DEX has less functionality than others. On the contrary, it is precisely this specialization that enables rapid progress and an efficient decentralized exchange. This is also reflected in the functionality: not only is the Bitcoin liquidity pool so large that one could easily swap very large sums like $1 million US dollars without really affecting the price, but it is also the only DEX that has natively integrated Bitcoin via atomic swaps! Further, the fees for decentralized exchanging are vanishingly small, especially compared to Ethereum. Even for large sums, just a few cents in fees are due. And since all major coins like Ethereum, USDT, Litecoin or even the real Bitcoin (BTC) are available, you are also completely unrestricted in your trading. The functionality of the DeFiChain DEX therefore receives a full 3 out of 3 points from us. Liquidity Mining Rewards at DeFiChain We now know that the DeFiChain DEX is great for decentralized asset swaps. But what about if you want to earn money as a liquidity provider? Again, DeFiChain DEX does not disappoint and offers by far the highest rewards among the major decentralized exchanges. Even for the big pools like Bitcoin, Ethereum or USDT, where the coin risk is very manageable, the annual returns for providing liquidity are over +100%! Best of all, the rewards are paid out in real time per block, roughly every 30 seconds, and are directly usable. No costly claiming like on other decentralized exchanges! So DeFiChain definitely gets this bonus point from us, and thus ends up with all 10 out of 10 points. Wow! Conclusion: Which decentralized exchange is the best? Among the decentralized exchanges, DeFiChain DEX stands out with its true decentralization, comparatively extremely low fees and fast transaction times, as well as the ability to natively swap Bitcoin (BTC). As a liquidity provider, the DeFiChain DEX is also by far the most lucrative. If you want to profit from all of this, you can and if you have any questions. download the DeFiChain app here get help from DeFiChain's Reddit community Otherwise, you can find the other two featured decentralized exchanges and here. Balancer Uniswap Have fun decentrally exchanging! Previously published here .

3 Best DEXs For Liquidity Mining and Swapping in 2021

All managers struggle with the fine balance between doing work that achieves short term goals vs. investing time in activities with long term benefits. Output that’s immediately visible may give a feeling of satisfaction in the moment, but it soon fades away and demands more energy to keep up with the pace of growth and scale of the company. Focussing too much on progress in the short term eventually slows down every manager in the long run. Energy spent in growing business may help you achieve some outcomes, but the same energy invested in growing people can produce remarkable results. - Julie Zhuo What you quickly realize as a manager is that the single most effective way to setup a team for success in the long run is to focus on the people. Navigating the path to each employee’s success is not trivial and requires a commitment to be patient, dedication to push ahead despite failures and devising unique ways to inspire and bring out the best in every individual. It’s a slow process, but done right it can be your ultimate advantage as a manager. What you need as a manager is to utilise the power of one-on-one meetings by designing them with a clear purpose in mind. Without a purpose-driven approach, every one-on-one meeting sooner or later turns into a time-wasting mandate where neither party adds or derives any value from the discussion. It’s a mindless execution of duties as opposed to a benefits-driven exercise. What’s the purpose of one-on-one meetings One-on-one meetings designed to address the core needs of your direct report works best since they instantly connect to every individual at a personal level. Before you put together an agenda for a one-on-one meeting or scrounge for a list of questions, the really important question to ask yourself is “what do people really need from me as a manager?” While core needs may vary across individuals, here are the 5 things most people desire from their managers: 1. To be seen These are not external motivators like recognition, rewards or promotion. It’s the knowledge that you as their manager genuinely care about them. Do you notice when they are feeling sad, miserable, joyful, distracted or angry. Do you care enough to recognise subtle changes in their behaviour? Observing even small things like “they did not say hi” when they entered the one-on-one meeting like they typically do and asking “Hey, it appears to me that you are upset about something. Is everything alright?” goes a long way in building a meaningful connection. It’s a small observation, but indeed a very powerful one to communicate that you care enough to take note of their feelings. Great managers notice when your normal energy level changes, and will hopefully care enough to ask you about it - Camille Fournier 2. Treated as an individual Every person is unique. Work that excites one person may annoy another and what’s easy for some may require others to stretch beyond their comfort zone. Each individual also has different life goals, learning practices, productivity measures, interest levels and tolerance limits shaped by their own environment and experiences. Putting everyone together and packaging them into a single unit without taking time to understand their unique traits is the most ineffective way to utilise the strengths that every person brings to the team. As a manager, your direct reports want you to be curious about them as an individual. There’s a certain sense of security in the knowledge that you are being seen for who you are and not an imagined persona created by your manager in their minds. 3. Supported in their growth Human beings are designed to find joy in building new skills and strengthening existing ones. People expect their managers to be candid and speak openly not only when things are going well, but also when things are not going as expected. No one wants a manager who ignores the conflict with the hope that it will disappear on its own instead of handling it maturely. They look for support from their managers in their desire to grow by connecting how their work is aligned with the skills they need to develop, the resources they need to develop those skills and the mechanisms they need to put in place to measure progress along the way. 4. Empowered to think Everyone at work craves the satisfaction that comes from finding their own solutions as opposed to being told what to do and how to do it. Your direct reports want you to empower them to put their critical thinking skills to use, challenge them to think differently and feel comfortable in making their own decisions. Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives - Daniel Pink There’s a ton of difference in telling: “Let’s have a demo of this product on Thursday” vs asking “When do you think will be a good time to demo this product” They desire responsibility with empowerment, not without it. 5. See you do things you say you will do Managers who say one thing and then do another without bothering to explain or worse never act on the things they say they are going to do loose the trust of their people. Soon people realise that it’s all in saying and nothing actually gets done. People don’t want managers who speak big words or try to paint a pretty picture by making false promises. They want someone who speaks the truth, lays down the reality of the situation and makes only those commitments they wish to put to action. With the understanding of what your direct reports need from you as a manager, let’s structure the one-on-one meetings aligned to their core needs. 5 components of effective one-on-one meetings Engage with your direct reports in 1-1 meetings and carve out a path to each individual’s success by Making observations Exploring curiosity Discussing growth Encouraging a shift in mindset Taking action Put these 5 components into practice: 1. Observations: Connect beyond words Observations are non-verbal cues that form an important part of effective listening. To connect with your direct report, you need to go beyond words to these signs - watch out for their emotions, body language, tone, energy level and make a note of anything unusual from their usual behaviour. Even a small change like "not showing enthusiasm to engage in a conversation" could be a sign to dig deeper. Questions to ask yourself What was their energy level How was their tone during the conversation What did their body language indicate Anything unusual that you noticed How to make observations in one-on-one meetings Observations require a high degree of presence of mind as well as the body. Make sure you are leaving all your other commitments and worries at the door to be fully present and engage in a productive 1-1 conversation. Disconnect from the phone - it can distract you without your awareness making you incapable of observing anything useful about your employee. For true listening, no matter how brief, requires tremendous effort. You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time - M. Scott Peck Take note of these observations at the end of the meeting. Capture as many details as possible. Even minute details can help when/if you plan to have a conversation. Don't rely on your memory - it's limited and can be put to better use elsewhere. In some cases, it’s best to not talk about these observations during the one-on-one meeting, unless it's something very awkward and demands immediate attention. Take time to explore your observation further. Use informal chats and other interactions with them to determine if your observation was a one-off thing or something noticeable demanding attention. Depending on the severity of the observation, either have a chat right away or talk about it during your next one-on-one meeting. Make sure to mention it as an observation instead of passing an opinion or a judgment. There’s a difference between saying “You look upset” vs “Why are you upset.” 2. Curiosity: Learn about your employee Curiosity is the exploration journey that you can take with your direct report as an individual - personally as well as professionally. It’s the path to learn about their background, experience, aspirations and discover their strengths. By investing in this knowledge, you can align different opportunities with strengths and personalise your conversations to bring out the best in each individual. The most important thing you can do for your team collectively is to understand what growth trajectory each person wants to be on at a given time and whether that matches the needs and opportunities of the team. To do that, you are going to have to get to know each of your direct reports at a personal level - Kim Scott Questions to learn about your employee What prevents you from doing your best work What makes you tick What kind of work helps you stretch your limits What would you like to do more, stop doing and do less to be effective in your work What have you learnt recently How do you view team dynamics [Is it a positive or negative source of energy] Who do you find most helpful in the team [why] How do you measure your own progress How do you strive for continuous improvement What catches your attention What seems like a complete waste of time at work What bothers you about work How do you suggest we communicate to be in alignment [progress, concerns, how to reach out, what needs my attention] What's your opinion about the processes followed in the team What's the one thing interesting about you outside of work [any information that helps you get a peek into their personal life] Which book, blog, video or podcast inspired you recently [what specific information inspired them] What are your most productive hours [What enables that level of productivity] What's your favourite movie [share yours and why you like that movie] What's your source of inspiration What are your life goals How to explore curiosity in one-on-one meetings Learning about each individual requires asking good open-ended questions with the idea to enable deliberate thinking and engage in a meaningful conversation instead of asking questions that lead to a simple yes/no. These questions can be covered over multiple one-on-one discussions and some can be repeated over a period of time to understand how they are evolving as an individual. The most important part of being curious is to ask really good follow-up questions to connect with and understand each person at a deeper level. 3. Growth: Carve out a path to strengthening skills Growth discussions are focussed on sharing and receiving feedback with the objective to understand what’s going well and what can improve. It’s a necessary tool for continuous improvement. Regular check-ins on these discussions enable your employee to be in alignment with their goals, understand how they are progressing against them and what else they can do to strive for excellence. As a manager, you need to help your employee grow by carving out a path to strengthen existing skills and build new skills in their role. Questions to engage in a growth discussion Use Feedback Equation to engage in a growth-related discussion Feedback Equation = Describe the situation + Talk about your observation + Describe the impact + Ask Open-ended question + Silence E.g. For missed delivery deadlines, state "I want to talk to you about your last 2 projects [situation]. I noticed that you missed delivery timelines on both the projects [observation]. When we miss to deliver the project on time, it not only reflects badly on the team, we also lose our chance to get the product out in the market on time [impact]. What do you think? [open-ended question]. Then embrace silence. It may be awkward to be silent for even a few seconds at first, but silence is a very powerful tool to let the other person chew on the information and express their point of view. What level of clarity helps you in doing great work by having an opportunity for enough mental stimulation What practice helps you learn something new daily to build the skills important in your role What challenges do you see in applying what you are learning How do you seek help to grow in your role What's the conflict in your mind regarding work, priorities, expectations or any other point of concern How do you learn from your mistakes and failures What skills are you currently focusing on How do you see your individual goals as an extension of the team's goals How can you contribute to the growth of your team members What's your most valuable skill that can be useful to others in the organisation [by teaching this skill, you will strengthen it further] What can I do more to help you be effective in your work What about my behaviour bothers you and impacts your work Share with me one thing I did well and one thing I did wrong recently that impacted you [even a small thing is fine] How do you view your relationship with other teams and their members [getting their views on cross functional team collaboration] What value do you derive from engaging with employees beyond your team [other functional units as well] What challenges do you face when working with other cross functional units [and how do they solve these challenges] How to discuss growth in one-on-one meetings Feedback should be delivered in a constructive manner with the intent to learn more about the employee instead of jumping to conclusions about their abilities. Use a collaborative approach to seek solutions together instead of simply sharing your advice. The single most important thing [you can do] is to shift [your] internal stance from "I understand" to "Help me understand." Everything else follows from that. . . .Remind yourself that if you think you already understand how someone feels or what they are trying to say, it is a delusion. Remember a time when you were sure you were right and then discovered one little fact that changed everything. There is always more to learn - Douglas Stone Ask really good follow-up questions to enable them to inquire and learn more about themselves. Most people do not actively think about these areas. So, when you bring up these questions, they need a moment to collect their thoughts before speaking up. When receiving feedback, do not react or try to justify anything. Definitely ask questions to understand it better and take time to chew on it later. 4. Coaching: Enable a shift in mindset Coaching is a means to drive autonomy within the team by enabling your employees to solve problems on their own, take initiative, make decisions and develop critical thinking skills. The coaching mindset requires you to shift from giving answers to enabling your employees to find solutions on their own. It's difficult to resist what you know and it may seem to slow you down, but it will speed up things in the long run. Questions to enable learning and solution mindsets What prevents you from moving forward What can you do to change your current situation Why do you think this is the only possible path What will be the effect of staying where you are vs taking action What does this situation teach you about yourself How do you plan to solve this problem Tell me more about your thought process Describe this issue you are facing What are some of the solutions you have tried Where can you find more information on this idea Share with me your thinking that went into designing this product Who can be helpful to share ideas on this work Explain how you intend to grow in your role What resources do you need to find solutions How to coach in one-on-one meetings Coaching requires resisting every cell in your body that wants to spurt out advice and instead ask questions that will make your direct report shift from problem to solution mindset. It’s absolutely fine if they aren’t able to think through solutions in the moment. Give them time, ask them to work on it, speak to others and then connect later to discuss further. Coaching requires patience. 5. Execution: Turn intent to action Execution requires establishing the importance of one-on-one meetings and demonstrating your seriousness to make them effective. One-on-one meetings become ineffective when there’s discussion without action. It’s great to discuss ideas, but if those ideas are not implemented, they do not add any value to the discussion. How to turn intent to action in one-on-one meetings An important element of turning intent to action is to summarise the key takeaways, clearly state the action items with their owners and set aside a date to connect/update on them. Action item1, owner, date to connect Action item2, owner, date to connect Action item3, owner, date to connect ... By setting expectations in the form of action items, you leave less room for confusion later. Document each action item, setup calendar reminders to connect on them and encourage your employee to do the same. After a few initial discussions, invite your direct report to contribute to the agenda. It will help them think beyond their day-to-day work to the areas they need to invest in and learn how to manage up to take charge of their own growth and success instead of relying only on their manager. Also published . here

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