Author: dev_nuvolar

How cloud solutions contribute to business growth

Posted on by dev_nuvolar

How cloud solutions contribute to business growth

How companies grow depends heavily on their use of technology. The clear trend in the business world is towards cloud solutions. With cloud solutions, companies gain many advantages, such as the ability to optimize resources and work more efficiently. How else can cloud computing help companies grow?

In this article, we will analyze some of the main advantages that new cloud technologies are bringing to large and small organizations. But first, let us tell you exactly what we mean when we talk about cloud solutions.

What are cloud solutions, and what are they for?

The cloud is a concept that involves migrating multiple computing resources to external servers and processing units. A cloud solution provides users with access to services, applications, and platforms through an Internet connection.

This type of resource outsourcing can be applied in very diverse fields. A common one is data storage. It is increasingly common to save files on remote devices, either in a private or public cloud. Keeping documents on a remote devices facilitates employee collaboration and reduces investment in personal equipment. Of course, it also increases security by preventing accidental loss of information.

Another area where cloud solutions are booming is software. Just a few years ago, companies had to spend a lot of resources on keeping their employees’ applications up to date at each workstation. With the implementation of cloud solutions, software updates can take place remotely, delivering new features constantly and immediately. Again, this favors the growth of companies by allowing resources, both human and material, to be better utilized.

It is clear that cloud solutions are becoming increasingly important in the business landscape. But how do they really help companies grow?

Cloud and business growth: two increasingly linked concepts

The cloud model helps companies grow in many different ways. Let’s take a look at a few examples of the benefits of cloud solutions.

Business growth depends on collaboration

One of the strengths of the cloud is its ability to centralize files in one place. Historically, achieving universal access by workers within a company was possible with network drives or servers. In this type of infrastructure, ongoing maintenance is vital to avoid errors and data loss. Scalability is also extremely difficult as it requires continuous investment to purchase new equipment and increase storage.

All of these inconveniences can be obstacles to a company’s growth. But with the advent of cloud solutions, all employees have space to save their files and can easily access shared files. If a company needs more storage space, then it simply has to add it. The provider is responsible for maintaining the servers and providing protection in the event of unintentional loss of data and information.

In short, the company no longer has to worry about the storage infrastructure. It simply has to focus on managing its files and keeping them organized.

Flexibility to scale up or down

Another advantage of cloud solutions that helps companies grow is scalability. Peaks of activity are common for many companies, whether it’s increased demand for their services or new projects. It is possible that, during a period of increased work, the company needs specific resources, applications, or services. Then this need disappears after completing the work.

In these situations, cloud solutions play a key role. If the company needs specific software or to increase its storage quota, then it can purchase it temporarily. As soon as it is no longer needed, the business can simply reduce its subscription. This flexibility eliminates license purchases, hardware investments, and other expenses. In addition, it is possible to expand the company’s capacities in just a few clicks and across the board for all users, if necessary.

Telework is a reality

In times of crisis, teleworking can become a company’s lifeline. Employees can continue their work from anywhere, whether at home, in the office, or traveling. Teleworking has undoubtedly helped companies grow even in the most challenging situations.

With a growing number of cloud services, more companies can offer teleworking options to their employees. For example, a company can contract a number of cloud services, such as spreadsheet managers or document processors, cloud storage, invoicing systems, etc. to facilitate remote work. All of these cloud-based services can be scaled up or down as needed and many provide constant updates to keep up with the latest business needs.

It’s important to keep in mind that the cloud model not only allows the execution of third-party applications over the Internet. It also tolerates the creation of customized software for individual companies, all hosted remotely. This greatly facilitates usage on any device, regardless of its operating system. As a result, it is possible to meet any organizational or logistical needs, provide universal access to the company’s tools, and update them simultaneously on all of the organization’s device.

Ultimately, whether a company relies on third-party services and software or designs its own, doing so in the cloud favors teleworking. Moreover, it minimizes costs and allows organizations to implement improvements quickly.

Businesses now only need a web browser

Lastly, cloud solutions increase business growth by removing some critical barriers. First, specific hardware specifications are no longer required to run certain programs. Since all data processing is done remotely, cloud-based applications have much lower minimum specifications. This results in better performance, even on modest devices. Consequently, the company will not have to make significant investments to keep its employees’ equipment or workstations up to date.

Secondly, there is no need to install anything. Most cloud-based applications and services are accessible from a web browser. Thus, a single software provides access to an infinite number of resources that only require Internet access. Most of today’s web browsers are automatically updated, solving security issues on their own.

Are cloud solutions really the future of business growth?

Undoubtedly, they are. In this article, we have discussed the different cases in which cloud solutions play an important role in promoting business growth. Although not all organizations have the same needs, cloud solutions can adapt to almost any circumstance thanks to their flexibility.

Build a mock REST API with Swagger UI using OPEN API Specification and Docker.

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In this article, we are going to build a mock API using OpenAPI specification (OAS) and a Swagger UI in order to expose the API through a user interface directly. The entire implementation will be carried out using OpenAPI specification and a bit of docker, so no programming language is needed in order to have your API fully operational.

Written by: Gerard Auguets, Senior Software Engineer at Nuvolar

Requirements

Docker & Compose:

VsCode (Optional but recommended):

Some knowledge about REST APIs.

Please find our example repository with a completely functional implementation below. You can use it as a guide during the tutorial:

What is OpenAPI?

Imagine a software project that involves different teams (Front end, Backend, Devops). Usually, these projects start in parallel and all parties depend on the work of the rest of the teams. For example, a Single Page Application that needs to make queries to an API in order to get information from different users.

Firstly, all the system requirements must be defined properly, such as the different functionalities, the information across different systems, and so on. To meet all the expectations, the Backend Team will develop an API in order to interact with the storage systems and provide the necessary information to the Front end. At the same time, the Front end team will develop the User Interface and all of the user interactions.

To optimize development time, the Front End needs to know the API to which it will consult the information, what type of data and responses it will obtain, among other things. But what if the API development takes longer than Front End development itself?

That’s where the OpenAPI specification comes into play. An OpenAPI file allows you to fully describe your API, including:

  • Available endpoints (/users) and operations on each endpoint (GET /users, POST /users).
  • Operation parameters; Input and output for each operation.
  • Authentication methods.
  • Contact information, license, terms of use, and other information.

Basically, all of the information that third party systems need to interact with an API and thus start the integration phase, even if the backend development is not complete.

This is not only useful for Front End teams, but also for Backend developers as it will serve as a guide for the development of the final API.

What is Swagger?

Swagger is a set of open-source tools built around the OpenAPI Specification that can help you design, build, document, and consume REST APIs.

In this tutorial, we will focus only on Swagger UI, an interactive API documentation that helps users interact directly with APIs through the browser and retrieve mock data for development purposes.

Steps

  1. Build an OpenAPI specification file in order to define the API and its structure.
  2. Build the mock server using the OpenAPI specification file.
  3. Expose the OpenAPI specification through Swagger UI and connect it directly to the mock server in order to fetch already defined mock data.
  4. Build a compose file in order to orchestrate all the services and enable the project setup in a few steps.

1.Build an OpenAPI File API

Firstly, we need to develop our first API using OpenAPI specification. To do so, we can use an online editor, such as Swagger Editor by Swagger https://swagger.io/tools/swaggerhub/. This tool allows you to design, describe, and document your API in an online open-source environment.

As an alternative, we can use other options such as our IDE. In this case, VScode provides support to OpenAPI files, allowing us to preview the content and the rendering of the file through the IDE.

In this tutorial, we’ll use VSCode so that we’ll be able to split our OpenAPI specification file into different files and organize our API better.

Remember, the goal of this tutorial is not to go into how OpenAPI files are created in detail (although we will do a recap), but to understand how to integrate them with Swagger and create a mock server with them.

Now let’s create our first OpenAPI file!

First, open VSCode and create a new host folder. We are going to place all related files inside of this folder. Once created, we need to create a new json file. You can call it anything you want, but for simplicity, we’ll call it swagger.json. This file will contain all the OpenAPI specifications.

To work more efficiently, we’ll create different files to split the specification code. This will help to organize our API in blocks rather than having one single large file. The structure that we need will look like this:

As we can see in the previous image, the swagger.json file will orchestrate the entire OpenAPI specification. However, the rest of the files are also part of the documentation? and will contain code related to their own title. All components defined outside swagger.json can be accessed by it using references. You can learn more about how OpenAPI specification files are organized here: https://swagger.io/specification/

Let’s dive in a bit more with the different files. It is recommended to analyze the different files downloaded from the repository while reading this section in order to obtain a better understanding of the solution. In this example, we decided to implement a small API to consult Aircrafts and Airports (let’s assume that our company is related to the aviation industry :P)

  • Swagger

This is the main file where the API configuration is defined andthe different paths and routes that the API will contain are displayed. Typically, all OpenAPI specification files can be declared in one single file. However, in this case we are using a different approach.

Let’s analyze the different labels:

  • Openapi: Indicates the version of the used specification
  • Info: Contains some meta information about the title, contact, and so on.
  • Servers: Indicates the servers that will provide the information to the swagger requests. (In this case, the mock server that we’ll build with the same file).
  • Tags: Name and description of the API resources.
  • Paths: All the paths and resources are defined here. All the resources with its verbs, parameters and responses should be defined here. You can take a look at the implementation in the repository, but for this tutorial, a basic example is provided.

The OpenAPI specification file could also be created using different Swagger editors or in a single file.The way the Swagger.json file is built is up to you.

  • Schemas

This file contains the different schemas that will be used in our API. All the objects and their types are defined here. Once defined, these schemas are used in the schema label under content label for each resource response. Schema Example:

  • Responses & Responses_examples

This file contains the responses for the different endpoints. Each response should contain at least one schema in order to provide the schema documentation for each resource when requested through the Swagger UI. It is highly recommended to provide at least one example (response_examples.json) to provide the mock server with real responses.

  • Parameters

All the parameters used in our API should be defined here. The name, location, description, schema, and other attributes should be defined for every parameter in order to be usable in our Swagger documentation.

2. Build the services (With docker compose)

In order to deploy our API, a compose file will be created. Compose is a tool used to define and run multi-container Docker applications. More information about compose is available here: https://docs.docker.com/compose/

This compose file will contain different services that will be in charge of carrying out different tasks:

  1. Validate and build a valid/final OpenAPI specification file built in the previous section. As references and multiple files are being used, a unique OpenAPI file must be created, gathering all the necessary information. This file must follow the requirements provided by OpenAPI specification (more on VSCode and OpenAPI). To do so, a docker service will be created in order to validate and build the final file that will be used to deploy the Mock server and the Swagger UI.
  2. Run and expose the Mock Server using the OpenAPI file generated in the step n. 1.
  3. Run and expose the Swagger UI using the OpenAPI file generated in the step n. 1.

In order to achieve all of the steps, our compose file will use different images pulled from the dockerhub created by 3rd parties.

Let’s build a compose file that contains the different services. You can find this version in the provided repository.

The entire file is provided below with comments in-line in order to explain in detail the functionality of each service.

This docker-compose file must be located in the same folder as the rest of the documents.

3. Deploy the solution

Once we have our OpenAPI specification file completed and all of the necessary services declared, it is time to run the services.

  1. Open a terminal
  2. cd into the directory that contains all the files, e.g:
  3. $cd your_folder_containing_all_files
  4. Execute the following command in order to run the compose file:
  5. Docker-compose up (add -d if you want to run it in detached mode)

After running the commands, you’ll see that all of the services have started.

As shown, the swagger_build label has created the schema.json file properly. Then, the mock server and the Swagger UI were built around that file, exposing the mock server to the port 8000 of localhost and the Swagger UI at port 80 or localhost. (Notice that the message says the mock server is on port 5000, but that only applies inside docker’s network).

4.Test it!

Open your browser and navigate to localhost:80/swagger, or just localhost/swagger, to check if the Swagger UI is working properly. You should see something like this:

Now you can make requests to the different endpoints and get real answers provided in the OpenAPI specification file, following all the requirements that you defined for your API.

Remember that you can use parameters, consult the schema of the responses and much more, allowing the frontenders to integrate development easily and without having the real API in production.

Notice that the Swagger UI is getting the data directly from the mock server (at localhost:8000). You can do regular HTTP requests directly to the mock server using services such as Postman, or by simply integrating the FE solution to get real information.

Here’s an example of a regular request to airports endpoint:

And that’s it! Every time a change is made to the specification, the compose file needs to be reloaded, stopping the service and repeating step 3.

Now you can define your APIs as well as offer and consult them without developing the final API! This will save a lot of time for both you and your teammates and increase the productivity of your team significantly!

Choosing the right technology partner will help you save time and money

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Choosing the right technology partner will help you save time and money

Are you still wondering why your company needs a technology partner? Or maybe several? As we will explain below, technology partners streamline and make the digital transformation of companies less costly. In other words, removing the o need to create or maintain internal IT departments. This helps your business focus more resources and efforts on customer acquisition, customer loyalty, and business consolidation. Keep reading to learn about the importance and benefits of having good allies in the Keep reading to learn about the importance of having quality technology partners for your business.

What is a technology partner?

In principle, technology companies develop and offer technology as a service. These technologies could be related to IT solutions that facilitate internal processes (CRM, ERP, and other applications). Technology partners are also important for website development and online marketing management, providing expertise and strategies for SEO, SEM, and SMM. They also provide services linked to Internet connectivity and communication networks between computers and mobile devices.

The close relationship between your company and your technology or service providers is key. This relationship should not be limited to the supply and installation of solutions. It should go further with constant advice, monitoring of solutions, and continuous improvement of the products or solutions implemented… This is the difference between a technology supplier and a technology partner. A partner is dedicated to building valuable relationships with its customers and avoids acting just as a simple supplier. In other words, a true partner isn’t satisfied with just selling a product to your business, but rather focuses on the value they can also bring in terms of consulting, add-on services, and long-term support… In short, this is what defines a technology partner.

Advantages of having a good technology partner

Several reasons justify partnering with reliable technology companies. Specifically when your company is undergoing a digital transformation. Here is an overview of the advantages of having a good technology partner.

Allows a greater focus on the business mission.

Let’s assume that your company is a mass consumer retail business and your focus is on offering the widest variety of brands to customers. You also need to anticipate changes in buyer behavior and personalize your offers through customer segmentation. On the other hand, it is essential to improve your shipping services and provide customer support that increases their loyalty over time. The goal of all these business activities is to help meet your company’s organizational and financial objectives.

Digital applications play a vital role in these business activities, helping to automate and streamline repetitive processes. However, establishing an internal IT development department would mean investing time, talent, and resources which may be difficult to fit into business objectives.

Cost savings

To handle all of the business activities mentioned above successfully, we know there’s a need for cost savings when possible. However, setting up an entire IT department with web developers and network maintenance experts would mean a costly process of hiring qualified staff.

On the other hand, a partner like Nuvolar can provide your business with the technological solutions you need, customized to your business needs. With Nuvolar, you will have access to trained staff that can manage your projects and deliver a reliable development environment. Moreover, we can provide you with customized solutions and services on a pay-per-use basis. Having a technology partner under these conditions can save you from making significant investments in hardware and software infrastructures. It can also help to reduce maintenance costs and internal resources.

Optimize storage space and resources

Along with cost savings, having a technology partner with vast resources can help optimize storage space and cost. For example, a partner that provides reliable cloud computing will prevent you from investing in equipment that could become obsolete in a few years.

As your business grows, you will need to manage more data and resources in the cloud. Working with a partner that has experience with cloud operations can facilitate the management of websites, applications, and files without issues.

Everyday processing, storage, and design capabilities are improving and growing. Consequently, updating them to keep up with these changes is a big challenge. A technology partner like Nuvolar can help your company manage it all and grow with efficient, customized web solutions and applications.

Discovering and incorporating innovation: the role of a technology partner

Technology is evolving unstoppably, and investing time and resources in researching and incorporating new technology has become a tiresome and costly process. However, an experienced technology partner can help with the adoption of the appropriate technology that fits the digital infrastructure of your business better yet. Additionally, a digital partner can provide you with a truly objective view of the latest technology trends. This will ensure that your next investments in technology tools are truly going to help your company in the long term.

Nuvolar is your reliable technology partner

At Nuvolar, we understand the needs of digitizing your company’s processes to make them more efficient and profitable. We have over 12 years of experience developing customized and effective software. We bring together a multidisciplinary staff of highly talented professionals who are capable of understanding your business model and needs and creating intelligent tools that add value to your business.

Web development is our passion! We are dedicated and committed to the goal of making your project a success.

Our services include:

  • Design of customer management, sales, and marketing software for B2B and B2C companies. We also have experience creating solutions for logistics management, operations, and all business processes. Additionally, we address the integration of contact channels and customer support.
  • Management and development for product implementation.
  • Development with UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design frameworks.
  • Consulting and post-implementation support.

Our development strategy uses Agile methodologies, allowing us to create software solutions adapted to your company on tight deadlines. Additionally, we continuously verify with you the performance and status of the project at each delivery stage.

At Nuvolar, we are specialists in Salesforce CRM customization as well, and we’ve helped many businesses develop Salesforce solutions. We have been certified Salesforce partners for over a decade and we have deep knowledge of Salesforce’s entire suite of offerings.

For all of these reasons, Nuvolar is the ideal technology partner for your business, so don’t hesitate to contact us!

How can cloud solutions improve the business of consumer goods?

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How can cloud solutions improve the business of consumer goods?

The consumer goods industry is undergoing continuous and accelerated changes, much of which are supported by cloud solutions. In this sense, it could be said that the cloud plays a dual role, acting as a driver of evolution and at the same time generating responses to new market expectations.

There is no doubt that retail and mass consumption are no longer the same as they have always been. The constant innovation of mobile connections and sophisticated communication devices are revolutionizing the way we interact. At the same time, this interaction with online channels and especially social networks generates immense amounts of data. This information is used by the most digitized companies, thanks to technologies such as Big Data and advanced analytics.

To all this, we must add the constant globalization of value chains. Not to mention the emergence of new digital companies that are knowledgeable about technological tools, ready to take market shares from established companies. As we will see later, all these trends have common support: cloud solutions.

Customer-centric in the areas of retail and consumer goods

Today, cloud solutions are enabling consumer goods and retail companies to interact permanently with the consumer. Of course, we are talking about digitized consumers with access to mobile and fixed devices. Through these, they remain connected to the Internet, so they have constant access to information about products and brands. In addition, this connection allows them to learn about the experiences and opinions of other customers about the different products and services on the market. In both cases, they do so immediately, wherever they are, and in real-time.

These digitized customers use a variety of technologies and channels to communicate with each other and with the brands they consume. They also have a lot of information and usually have very well-defined what they expect from the supplier firms. At the same time, they have many product and service options, and, most importantly, they are no longer limited by the distance between them and the companies’ physical retail location.

In this context, it is very important that brands intensify their level of attention to consumers, which implies maintaining a constant interaction with them. In this regard, cloud solutions will be key to achieve three fundamental purposes:

  • Attract consumers with innovative products, services and/or added value.
  • Present contextualized and personalized offers that arouse the customer’s interest.
  • Obtain customers information through various channels and technologies and interpret it through advanced data analysis. This makes it easier to anticipate consumer expectations and make decisions accordingly.

Customization and context

Cloud computing supports all the technologies and solutions that allow us to know and understand the customer, considering their current situation and the factors that influence their decisions. These include their preferences, activities and recent purchases, as well as their geographic location and purchasing power. In this way, brands can present customers with personalized offers that are consistent with these factors at the right times.

For example, if your company has a geolocation service, you can send messages to customers who are close to your physical stores. You can include a personalized offer along with an invitation to visit the point of sale. Once there, you can suggest specific places in the store to find items of interest to them. On the other hand, through Big Data and advanced analytics you can study purchase history and consumption patterns, in order to anticipate changes in consumer behavior. For example, if the frequency of purchase decreases or increases, or if they consult opinions about other brands. With this information, it is easier to decide between offering incentives, modifying the offer or creating new products.

Increased customer knowledge

It’s nothing new for people to share brand opinions on their social media accounts. However, what is overwhelming is the number of consumers connected and the volume of data shared. For this reason, it is critical for companies to have the ability to capture, analyze and convert this data into valuable customer insights.

But these are not the only platforms for gaining customer insights about the brand.In addition, there are customer service channels, after-sales support, physical points of sale, ecommerce site and applications for requests and orders. Data from social media and other sources, available in the cloud, provide relevant insights about customer behavior.

In this sense, customer relationship management (CRM) is an essential tool for monitoring consumer interactions on social networks. Mainly in relation to the frequency and tone of the brand mentions and the level of satisfaction or rejection. As well as references to their experience as a consumer and the consequent recommendation (positive or negative). Without forgetting the other channels of interaction already mentioned and that involve more direct interaction with the customer, such as e-commerce and applications, which are more closely linked to online sales.

Cloud drives operations in retail and consumer goods companies

Another advantage provided by cloud solutions is to streamline the operations of consumer goods and retail companies. An example of this is the ERP or enterprise resource planning environments. In short, these systems make it possible to monitor the company’s end-to-end workflow. In this way, it is possible to visualize and obtain operational data from the supply chain, human activity, manufacturing, maintenance, finance and administration, in order to make them more efficient. Based on these objectives, such solutions employ technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things, among others.

Even though integration between areas with the same system is ideal, the scalability of cloud solutions allows for the gradual incorporation of applications. Hence, the diversity of these tools:

  • Supply Chain Management (SCM). As the name suggests, this solution integrates the planning and execution of processes more effectively. This includes material flow, production, inventory management, logistics, fleet management, and warehouse operations.
  • Human capital management (HCM). HR software automates tasks such as profit management, payroll, and scheduling, among others. They usually include modules for performance evaluation, hiring, and professional training.
  • Online sales. In this case, the e-commerce module allows visualization of the catalog, inventory, price changes, and the supply chain. These aspects will influence customer offers and, to a greater extent, marketing campaigns. In addition, ERP applications for e-commerce are adaptable to different types of business: B2B, B2C, or C2C.

How can Nuvolar help your retail or consumer goods company?

After this brief summary of the contributions of cloud solutions to consumer goods and retail organizations, we want to tell you how Nuvolar can help you achieve your company’s goals. We are dedicated to developing web solutions and custom applications for companies specialized in manufacturing and/or mass marketing of products to the final consumer, whether food, beverages, personal care, beauty, cleaning products, or clothing.

More specifically, we specialize in the design, development, and implementation of software and digital solutions for companies. For that purpose, we use UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design methodologies. Our multidisciplinary staff of accredited professionals has the knowledge and skills necessary to understand your business needs and bring your ideas to life.

In Nuvolar we are able to customize the Salesforce CRM to the business model, industry, characteristics, and needs of your company. This way, you will not miss anything they say about your brand. By decanting and analyzing this information, you will obtain relevant insights to know your customers and make the right decisions. Indeed, we have authorized Salesforce partners, on whose platform we have been developing our applications for more than ten years.

Contact us and you will know why we are your best choice in cloud solutions!

Trends in Cloud Computing that are changing the business world

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Trends in Cloud Computing that are changing the business world

Cloud computing is a technology that is on everyone’s lips. In fact, we are facing a solution with numerous advantages over traditional models, and this is attested by many trends in the field of computing in the cloud.

In this article, we will talk about the promising future of this technology. But in addition, we will explain what we mean when we talk about cloud computing or cloud services. We will also clear up other unknowns, such as what is the SaaS model so closely linked to this technology and what advantages it has for users and companies.

What exactly is cloud computing or computing in the cloud?

Computing in the cloud is a concept that moves information processing and data storage away from the local computer. With cloud computing, this and other computing resources are run remotely, serving the client through the network connection.

In recent years, cloud computing has completely changed the way users and businesses interact with their computers. For example, it is no longer necessary to have servers with a lot of processing power to analyze data. It is neither needed too much local storage space required to save files. And, in times of telecommuting, cloud services make it possible to work from any location with an Internet connection.

Cloud computing has given rise to a wide variety of terms. But, among cloud solutions, the initials SaaS stand out. What do we mean by them?

What is SaaS?

SaaS stands for “Software as a Service”. This system uses cloud computing to serve remote applications to the user. Thanks to SaaS, the need to install applications locally on a computer is eliminated. Again, access is extended to any part of the world. The only requirement is an Internet connection.

SaaS technology has numerous advantages; for example, it eliminates the specification barrier and therefore reduces the investment in IT equipment. Since all the software used runs on a system outside the user’s own, no components are required, only a web browser. This allows applications to run smoothly, even on modest equipment.

Similarly, SaaS systems also minimize the economic impact on companies due to the fact that they allow them to pay only for the service that is being used and not for a complete package. In the case of needing more tools, these types of services are scalable to adapt to all kinds of needs.

These are the trends for cloud solutions and cloud computing.

We have already clarified some basic concepts related to cloud computing. Now it’s time to review some of the current trends in computing in the cloud. More and more companies are betting on them, both in consumer and professional environments. This is the present and the future of cloud solutions.

Cloud services: online video games

The video game market is becoming increasingly attractive to major technology companies. There are already two significant players in this world: Microsoft, with its Xbox, and Sony, with PlayStation. However, other corporations, such as Google or Amazon, are aware that they must invest efforts in this field. What role does cloud computing play in the world of video games?

Let’s answer that question with another question: What if users could play anywhere on any device? It is precisely on that premise that cloud computing comes into play. By processing video games in the cloud, any device, even a cell phone, will be able to offer a satisfactory gaming experience. In this way, gamers do not depend on a specific console but on a space with a wide catalog of titles to play with.

Cloud computing and the hybrid cloud

The hybrid cloud makes it possible to offer many advantages to users. Its term refers to a cloud computing service that sits between the private cloud and the public cloud.

Organizations can use this technology to leverage each world’s strengths. The private cloud, hosted locally, provides security when storing sensitive data. The public cloud offers a wider range of resources to users.

In any case, having the best of each concept is possible thanks to hybrid cloud computing infrastructures.

Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are technologies that continue to grow. And, although many do not know, they use them every day. Both are used to create networks of intelligent devices that are applied to everyday tasks. In other words, home automation. This technology has been democratized and is increasingly being used for more common everyday purposes. For example, it makes it possible to easily control different elements in the home, such as lights or household appliances. These are some of the applications of these technologies in Smart Cities.

Despite its applications in the domestic sphere, the Internet of Things and AI are also used to coordinate large-scale services, such as urban lighting or energy management in public and private spheres. These are some of the applications of these technologies in Smart Cities. Clearly, thanks to data analysis, all of these efforts can be carried out more efficiently. Let’s not overlook that the combination of IoT and Artificial Intelligence are of great help to automate the management of all the physical resources of a network.

No matter what the final IoT or AI implementation is, computing in the cloud plays a key role. It is in cloud computing that all devices are brought together and can be controlled thanks to applications designed for that purpose.

Quantum computing

Through the use of cloud computing, quantum computing will also become more accessible to users and companies in a few years’ time. Thanks to its processing power, operations based on quantum mechanics can be carried out, which accelerates massive data processing in an astonishing way.

Many of the applications in the area of quantum computing result in considerable savings of effort and an improvement in the speed of operations. For this reason, companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google are working in this field to make the most of cloud computing tools.

Cloud computing has a promising future.

After analyzing these trends, it is clear that there are more and more practical applications of cloud computing. The massive use of this technology is forcing providers to improve their security systems and to make users aware that they also have a certain responsibility in this regard. Of course, this is excellent news.

You have probably noticed that the development of these systems has a long way to go. The presence of cloud services has revolutionized the way we interact with our devices. But, let’s not forget, cloud computing is a newcomer. Its future is full of possibilities, and at Nuvolar, we are fully involved in it. We are specialists in the development of SAAS solutions that get the most out of technology in order to make companies more competitive.

The drastic changes in the way we work and communicate that technology has brought about

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The drastic changes in the way we work and communicate that technology has brought about

The changes that technological advances have brought about in the way we work and communicate are evident. In recent decades, innovations have come one after another, redefining the way we live and relate to our environment. Here are just a few of these technological advances.

Mobile communications and video calling platforms have changed the way we work

It is fair to say that the conventional telephone facilitated work in companies for a long time. It is worth noting that many companies still use it to get feedback from their customers and as a channel for after-sales support. Even so, it was inevitable that technology would continue to evolve to the next level: mobile telephony.

Mobile communication made it easier for employees and executives to interact with their companies from anywhere. So did the interaction between journalists and the media they worked for, in order to transmit news to the press or do live interviews. This reduced dependence on fixed telephones. However, it is worth mentioning that this type of communication continues to be used today in media such as radio and television.

Subsequently, the incorporation of the Internet to mobile devices was the next IT leap. With it came the possibility of interacting in social networks via cell phones. Soon after, the improvement of video calls over the Internet — first for computers and then for cell phones — made possible the simultaneous transmission of audio and image. And with it, the emergence of a new way of working: teleworking.

Teleworking, another way of working

By now, can you imagine what would have happened in the world without video calls and video conferencing in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic? This telecommunication technology now plays a decisive role in the economies of several nations. Even before the state of alarm, the Spanish government was promoting the implementation of teleworking in companies. According to a study conducted by EAE Business School in 2020, the health situation of Covid19, boosted the implementation of telework by up to 88%. On the other hand, the labor flexibility generated by this remote work modality would not be feasible without a powerful and quality connectivity. In this case, it is reasonable to recognize that the development of 3G, 4G and currently 5G connection networks were, at the time, significant technological advances.

Social networks as a means of interaction and a way of working

Initially, social networks were used as platforms for schoolmates and friends to meet up. Soon after, they became the most common means of interaction between people. As a result, their creators were quick to detect their potential as marketing tools. So much so that the concept of social media marketing has become a proven and effective strategy for a large number of brands.

But the use of this strategy not only benefited the product promotion area but also provided an extremely valuable source of unstructured data. Social media are “sounding boards” where users comment on their experiences with brands. From the quality of the products themselves to customer service and after-sales support. The positive opinions of a user awaken the interest of their contacts, which can lead to more sales for the company. However, negative opinions tend to go “viral” (a term coined by social networks); and this can end up generating an image crisis with effects that can be disastrous for brands.

New professional profiles generated by social networks

All of the above has led to the emergence of new professional profiles in the marketing area, such as: the community manager and the social media manager. The former would be in charge of managing the community of followers of the brand in social networks. That is, share content of interest to these followers, monitor their reactions and respond to comments. While the second would be in charge of functions more focused on strategies and corporate decisions on the orientation of communication in social networks. And so on, the positions can multiply according to their functions and depending on the size and needs of the company. Therefore, the current demand for: social media strategists, social media planners, social media content managers, etc. is not surprising. Undoubtedly, social media has also created a new way of working.

As we said, social media are a source of unstructured data derived from followers’ comments and reactions. The volume of data generated by this form of interaction has led to its management being included in customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. In this way, the capture, analysis and monitoring of this data is more efficient. Incidentally, this is one of the actions we work on most at Nuvolar, developing customized solutions on Salesforce CRM for our clients.

Innovation in the way we work through Big Data, IoT, AI, and applications.

Although it may seem repetitive, when we talk about digital transformation in organizations we do not limit the concept to the incorporation of technology. We link it more to a change in corporate culture and, evidently, in the way of working. Indeed, when we introduce Big Data and Advanced Analytics tools, Artificial Intelligence or the Internet of Things, we do so in order to automate and streamline processes. Therefore, we must train human talent to manage such resources and get the most out of them.

A few decades ago, predicting changes in consumer behavior was a costly and arduous process for brands. Personalization of offers and products was not an issue within agencies or marketing departments. Today, thanks to a combination of technologies, it is possible to collect large amounts of data generated by consumer interactions. Whether from off and online purchases, comments and reactions on social networks or contacts with after-sales support; Big Data and analytics solutions using Artificial Intelligence algorithms make it possible to collect and process this data. From this, we extract the really valuable data that another resource, Machine Learning, will be in charge of interpreting, generating suggestions for decision making. In other cases, the latter is even capable of executing routine decisions on its own.

IoT, solutions and applications

The IoT, understood as communication between machines or between sensors, terminals and devices, is another source of data. In this sense, its applications are very diverse. On the one hand, it is used in the management of fleets of transport vehicles and in the monitoring of the supply chain of industries. On the other hand, retailers that build customer loyalty use it to make suggestions via cell phone messages in their stores. Even in the so-called precision agriculture, IoT is vital to capture detailed information about crops; in particular, data related to soil, climate variation, pest and disease control in real time.

We have already talked about solutions and applications on other occasions. You know that they are our specialty at Nuvolar. But it goes without saying that in the various areas in which they are used, they facilitate the work, either by automating routine tasks or allowing the monitoring of processes, as in the case of CRM and ERP, for example.

Cryptocurrencies, what technology was lacking

It is true that in this tight summary we cannot cover all the technologies that are influencing the way we work. However, it is necessary to make a brief mention of cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies. Undoubtedly, after so many advances that the technology sector has generated, the only thing it needed was to create currencies. And it has been doing so for years! Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin and many others are accepted as exchange value. Many of them owe their price to the trust given to them by investors and common users. This is due to the fact that their management is not directed to a Central Bank or government, but to another technology: Blockchain. The same that was created in principle to ensure the security of transactions with these virtual currencies. But it is already being applied in other areas such as legal and public administration.

In recent months, cash payments have fallen sharply. This could accelerate the long-predicted replacement of cash by virtual currencies managed by central banks. So it is not unreasonable to think that “cryptos” will soon become common currencies. All this will generate sensitive changes in the economy and in the value of work.

At Nuvolar we adapt to the changes generated by technology.

At Nuvolar, our passion for technology leads us to develop excellent applications and customized web solutions. For this purpose, we implement agile methodologies, UX and UI as part of our work philosophy. But, at the same time, these changes motivate us to be aware of all the advances in the digital environment, so that we can introduce the most appropriate ones to our products. In addition to adapting to change, we drive innovation through research and the application of new resources. Contact us and see for yourself that we are the technological partner your company needs.