mkoftielieva, Author at Devtorium

Devtorium Building an ERP Solution Using the Best No-Code Tools

Posted on September 15, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

Do you agree that Bubble is among the best no-code tools today? The Devtorium investigative team studying low-code/no-code platforms seems to think so. That’s why our talented young developers are now using that platform to create their first ERP product.

According to the HR department, it’s looking great so far.

At Devtorium, we strive to stay ahead of all the latest technology trends, and no-code development is on that list. We’ve discussed this technology’s history in one of our previous posts. Today our team of devs, Anastasiia Shtopko and Roman Dziuba, will explain why they think Bubble is among the best no-code tools and how it can be used for building efficient ERP solutions for SMBs.

Best No-Code Tools Analysis: Why Bubble?

Devtorium’s resident expert researcher of the best no-code tools, Anastasiia, investigated all the leading platforms. She concluded that Bubble, while not perfect, is best-suited for developing highly functional software solutions with minimum input from the developer.

According to her, the biggest advantage of Bubble is that it’s similar to JavaScript in the sense that the developer can write their own logic for the solution. This feature gives Bubble users the flexibility to create highly versatile solutions.

Another massive advantage of Bubble is that it’s a highly comprehensive platform for no-code development. Of course, having some understanding of software development is an advantage. However, the platform is so easy to use that literally anyone can build an app with it.

Bubble also offers an excellent selection of courses called Bubble Academy. They guide students through mastering the Bubble platform and using its technical capabilities to the maximum. You don’t need any background knowledge of coding to succeed in these courses and use the platform efficiently.

On the downside, Bubble isn’t as flexible as a developer might expect from one of the best no-code tools. During their work with this platform, Anastasiia and Roman discovered that it has some serious design limitations.

According to Anastasiia, the way to overcome this drawback is to have the application design ready before you start building it in Bubble. This way, you can set everything up the way you need it.

However, it’s extremely hard to change the design of the ‘bubble’ you created. Therefore, if you choose to develop and improve your ‘bubble’ further, it might be hard or even impossible to upgrade its UI and UX.

Custom ERP Made by Devtorium, or Our Experience of Working with Low-Code/No-Code Platforms

Of course, to explore the best no-code tools, our team needed to use them to create solutions. So we chose to develop an ERP, enterprise resource planning app to use within our own company first.

There are some fantastic cloud-based ERPs in the software market. However, the majority of them are designed for large-scale businesses. Our company needed some particular features and a solution that would be fast and efficient for an SMB-level business. So, that’s what Roman and Anastasiia are now working on using no-code development.

Both devs creating this in-house ERP system have just started their careers, and it’s their first project of this type. That’s why the resources offered by Bubble, and the extensive plugin library this platform has, are so necessary.

It might be just the beginning, but already our HR department has a chance to appreciate the solution. At the moment, the Devtorium ERP (sadly, it has no cooler name yet) can automate and facilitate essential tasks.

HR professionals can compile a database of all company employees with added important information. For example, when the work is finished, HRs or any other system user will be able to see what project the employee is working on or their vacation/days-off information. This can help small businesses track and manage their human resources more efficiently.
Our ERP can already manage the entire review process. At Devtorium, all employees receive 360-degree feedback. The Review functionality of our system allows the HR department to collect and process feedback, generate reports, and put in additional data, such as superior’s reviews and salary raise notifications.

According to updates from Roman and Anastasiia, there are more features to come. We are all looking forward to the things they will create!

In Conclusion: Will Devtorium Use the Best No-Code Tools in Future Projects?

We are futurists at Devtorium, so we use cutting-edge technologies to their utmost potential. Being a company of developers, we also create such technologies.

It means that we greatly value our developers’ time. Therefore, we are sure to keep looking for and using the best no-code tools.

It’s true that today some people are anxious about rapid AI development and its impact on our society. However, we are 100% sure that AI-powered low-code/no-code technologies won’t replace developers. On the contrary, they offer fantastic assistance to software engineers.

Bubble and similar platforms are efficient and allow one to create very useful software. However, the resulting solutions are SMB-level at best. Professional and enterprise-level software is too complex, so no-code development can’t handle such tasks.

Moreover, developers today often need to spend a lot of time doing repetitive tasks or working on small projects. They are important, no doubt of that. However, this kind of work takes a lot of valuable time.

Low-code/no-code platforms can help automate tasks, saving time and effort for the developer. In addition, using those services cuts costs for the client. So, a software engineer has more time to work on more advanced and complicated tasks and test their ideas, while the client gets high-quality solutions at a lower price.

Everyone wins!

That’s the result we are working for at Devtorium. If you have a software idea and want to see how we can bring it to life in the most cost-efficient manner, contact us today!

Challenges for Ukrainian IT Outsourcing Services in 2022

Posted on September 7, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

Did you know Ukraine has been the largest exporter of IT outsourcing services in Europe over the last few years? From 2016-2020, the total value of this export amounted to $16 billion. Of course, the COVID crisis of 2020 hit Ukraine the same as the rest of the world. However, the result was not an industry collapse but a reduction in the sector growth from 30% to 24%.

Ukrainian software developers are talented and unstoppable, as you can see. Moreover, the country itself promotes their work as the state doesn’t regulate this market. Therefore, Ukrainian IT outsourcing companies have the freedom to work with a wide range of international clients, offering them excellent conditions for collaboration. So, it’s not a surprise that over 30% of all services exported by Ukraine are IT services.

However, the war started by russia when it invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, impacted the outsourced IT services industry. As a result, many global businesses that hired Ukrainian developers rightfully became anxious.

But we are proud to say that the global business community did not abandon Ukrainian developers. As an IT outsourcing company, Devtorium took immediate steps to reassure customers and remain operational despite the outrageous challenges.

Devtorium hasn’t lost a single client in this difficult time due to our business continuity plan that ensures we can deliver top-notch services on time.

Challenges for IT Outsourcing Services in Ukraine in 2022

We asked our Global Partnership Lead expert Irene Matkovska about the main challenges to hiring Ukrainian developers for businesses that seek IT outsourcing services. Irene spends most of her time communicating with business leaders worldwide, and this topic is coming up right now. According to her, the main concerns of companies that have IT outsourcing projects in Ukraine today are:

What if the developer working on my project gets drafted?
What is the plan of action if the russians attack the city where my developer or team is located?
What will you do if russian forces start a more aggressive offensive making it impossible to work for developers?

These are all critical questions, and businesses that employ IT outsourcing services from Ukrainian devs have the right to be sure that their investments remain protected. At Devtorium, we took great care to build a system that will keep delivering high-quality IT services to our clients no matter the circumstances.

How Devtorium Delivers Reliable IT Outsourcing During the War

We developed a business continuity plan that covers all possible scenarios to minimize risks for our clients employing IT outsourcing services.

Devtorium offices are spread out geographically.
Our five offices in Ukraine are all located in cities that are mostly untouched by the war. Therefore, life and work continue there at the usual pace.
We have an office in Poland for those specialists who choose to move to this country.
Devtorium established efficient relocation protocols, so we can help move our experts fast if this becomes necessary.
All our employees can work remotely. Many have already opted to do so, and they currently operate in the Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Moldova, and other countries.
We adhere to coding standards. Therefore, even if we need to replace a developer on a project, the new person can integrate into the process immediately.
We build versatile teams that are also spread out geographically, so the risk of disruption is minimal.

Above all, all Devtorium employees take pride in their work. So, we prioritize ensuring it’s done at the highest level. The Devtorium team has been actively involved in supporting Ukraine in its time of need since day one of the war. And the best way to help for Ukrainian developers is to stay active and pay taxes as well as donate. That’s exactly what we do!

Moreover, we are supremely grateful to our clients, who accepted our business continuity plan and showed great support and understanding. All of them stayed with us, and many went even further to show their support of Ukraine. Some of our clients donated to the humanitarian funds and joined #StandwithUkraine rallies in their cities worldwide. Some offered paid time off for developers who needed to take personal leave and allowed our teams to work at their own pace.

We are grateful, and we made sure to meet every deadline and prove that our performance on every project won’t suffer because of the circumstances.

This dedication helped Devtorium keep all its IT outsourcing services projects and start several new ones since February. And we keep growing!

No-Code/Low-Code: Origins

Posted on August 31, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

We live in the no-code/low-code technologies era. But to understand how big an impact this truly makes on the development of humankind, it’s crucial to see where it all started. In this article, we’ll share some history of coding evolution and its impact on the technological capabilities of our civilization.

First No-Code/Low-Code Technologies

No-code and low-code technologies are visual-based programming approaches that make coding available to a broader range of specialists. In essence, using this technology, you don’t have to be a skilled developer yourself. You can use the visual interface to build solutions, much like LEGO blocks. This approach is getting extremely popular now. It’s because global digitalization boosts the demand for customized apps that can be used for anything from sorting one’s emails to managing a smart home.

The term low-code was introduced only in 2016. But the technology had been in development for decades prior. In fact, the first technologies that evolved into the low-code of today appeared back in the 1970-1990s as a part of 4the Generation Programming Language and Rapid Application Development.

It might surprise many, but the first no-code platform was Microsoft Excel, released in 1985. It was working with spreadsheets that became the origin of technology that’s revolutionizing our world today.

The development of this tech was pushed forward by cloud computing in 1997 and Salesforce in 2000. Salesforce proclaimed the rise of SaaS and boldly stated that it’s now the end of history for traditional software development.

From then on, it was:

2006 Formstack.
The first no-code form builder by Ade Olonoh.
2006 Shopify.
The launch of a no-code eCommerce platform that is currently valued at around $37 billion.
2007 iPhone.
The launch of the first iPhone triggered the rise of mobile app builders.
2012 Bubble.
Launch of the first no-code web development platform.
2013 Webflow.
The first platform that allows for 100% no-code creation of websites and apps.
2018 Microsoft Power Platform.
PowerBI, Flow, and PowerApps become a part of the platform that grants better connectivity with minimum coding requirements.

CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering)

Let’s take a look at how the no-code/low-code approaches evolved. The very first technology using these methodologies was CASE, Computer-Aided Software Engineering. As the name states, this technology implies using computers to facilitate software development. It’s applied to increase quality and reduce the number of bugs.

CASE is a checkpointed approach that helps everyone involved in the project to observe its development milestones. Moreover, it’s used for storing project-related documentation. CASE is an excellent labor-saver, and it helps keep the project organized and increases team productivity.

As of today, this approach is considered outdated because there are more efficient technologies available. However, CASE made a valuable contribution to software development evolution.

CMS (Content Management System)

No-code/low-code approaches are widely used in CMS today. However, due to the versatility of content management systems, applications of these approaches and full code can be used in different combinations. We’ll list some of the best examples.

WordPress.
WP is a monolithic CMS that allows for low-code or completely no-code use from the front-end side of website development. You can literally set up a website using nothing but templates and have zero coding knowledge. Meanwhile, you can take it further by adjusting the PHP and CSS files. Therefore, you can apply the low-code approach.
Joomla.
Joomla comes in second in popularity after WordPress, though it’s dwindling these days. It also offers lots of flexibility for no-code/low-code work. The framework is very user-friendly, so many businesses choose it to enable specialists to do immediate content work.
Shopify.
Visual site builders relying on no-code/low-code technology became extremely popular with the rise of eCommerce. Shopify and similar eCommerce platforms allow launching a store within a day max. Shopify is very flexible regarding the low-code approach as it enables devs to customize the store. Therefore, it effectively resolves the issue of the limited visual branding, which is a problem for no-code platforms that only accept a small number of presets.
Wix.
Wix isn’t exactly a CMS but a visual website builder. It’s one of the trendiest tools of this kind today, which isn’t a surprise. Using Wix requires no coding knowledge whatsoever. You can create websites extremely fast using a wide range of templates for any feature you need.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

Application of no-code/low-code approaches allowed to take customer service as a whole to a new level. Customer relationship management systems handle aggregating, processing, and monitoring leads and customers. One can also use them for generating a variety of reports that can have a huge impact on business development.

No-code and low-code technologies make it possible for businesses to handle these tasks with minimal developer involvement. On the other hand, developers can focus on more important tasks and automate customer management for more efficient operation. When used well, these systems can collect and process vast amounts of data from all website interactions and produce valuable insights.

RAD (Rapid Application Development)

You could say that low-code, as we know it today, is a subset of RAD. Rapid Application Development platforms date back to 1991, and some of them evolved into the low-code platforms of today.

All in all, RAD is a part of the technology’s past. Meanwhile, low-code is what’s trending at present. However, RAD is still used occasionally. In particular, RAD is applied in projects that require integrating complex and highly specific business approaches with the UX-first approach.

For example, solutions that would benefit from the RAD approach include features like:

SaaS cloud monetization;
Multi-tenancy;
Developing a single code for cloud, mobile, on-premise, and web apps;
Establishing complex business rules;
No vendor lock-in.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)

In a way, ERP is a more evolved and enterprise-oriented type of CRM. However, instead of managing customer data and information about their interactions with the business, ERP manages business processes and resources. The purpose of ERP solutions is to plan the most efficient use of resources to improve the overall efficiency and economy of the client-enterprise.

In the best-case scenario, a business should use both CRM and ERP software to enable the highest productivity and efficiency. In this context, no-code/low-code approaches allow the creation of solutions that one can adapt to unique business needs. Therefore, they help achieve the best possible results.

ERP development is where low-code technologies are developing most rapidly today due to high demand. As global markets enter a crisis and competition becomes fiercer, businesses have no choice but to seek maximum process optimization. No-code/low-code technologies provide them with solutions that can constantly achieve that result and improve.

Differences Between No-Code, Low-Code, and Pro-Code

To put it plainly, the difference between no-code, low-code, and pro-code approaches is the level of professional developer knowledge one needs to have to build applications.

With no-code, anyone can create an app even without any specialized knowledge. Low-code approach is more varied and requires some knowledge. It’s best suited for IT professionals or power users who need assistance from the machine to speed up, simplify, and automate processes. Pro-code, as the name suggests, is restricted to professional developers who can write the entirety of code from scratch.

From the app creation point of view, it looks like this:

No-code.
Anyone can use the platform app builder to create a basic app using the ‘blocks’ afforded by the solution. No coding is necessary as the process is more like working with LEGO. Most no-code platforms have a simple drag-and-drop menu and can cater to a wide range of businesses.
Low-code.
Low-code technologies allow customizing existing apps using scripts. You must have a decent understanding of coding. However, it’s rather low-level, so even non-professionals with some coding knowledge can do it. You can also study plenty of helpful guides and other materials online.
Pro-code.
There are but a few things pro-coders cannot do. Regarding apps, they usually work on expanding their functionality through plugins. However, being total pro developers, depending on specialization, they can build an app from scratch.

It’s important to note that low-code and pro-code development aren’t mutually exclusive. It means that pros can use the low-code approach in some of their projects. In fact, this can help boost their overall efficiency and productivity.

No-Code/Low-Code Applications Today

Applications of no-code/low-code approaches are extremely versatile today. This technology helps strengthen enterprises, enhance smaller businesses, and open new opportunities for everyone.

Here are some examples:

Web-based portals for customers.
Web-based portals are perfectly suited for customers as they enable them to handle many routine tasks. For example, searching for services, getting quotes, making payments, etc. Low-code allows businesses to launch such portals fast. Therefore, they can enhance customer experience and keep improving it continuously.
B2C mobile apps.
Another way to enhance customer experience and satisfaction is by launching mobile apps. Again, low-code technology here allows to speed up the creation of such apps. Moreover, these mobile apps must be highly customizable. Therefore, a business can build a perfect match for its customers.
Core systems.
No-code/low-code technologies offer an alternative to the traditional approaches of either buying a commercial core system or rebuilding the legacy one. The low-code alternative is more cost-efficient and flexible. It uses collaborative agile methodology applied to the application lifecycle. Cloud-native apps built on low-code portals are easily portable and can scale and ensure maximum uptime.
Monoliths to microservices transformation.
Monolithic and microservices architectures both have pros and cons. However, microservices clearly are more popular now. Therefore, the number of enterprises switching to this type is increasing. Realistically, breaking down a monolith into microservices is hard and expensive. Low-code portals facilitate this task. Businesses can use them to launch microservices apps and functionalities. Essentially, today one can use APIs to ‘redevelop’ the architecture.
SaaS development.
Building SaaS products can be challenging and risky. But with low-code platforms, the process becomes cheaper and faster. So, you can create, test, and roll out an app fast and see how it performs to plan future business strategies.
IoT-enabled apps.
IoT solutions increase operational efficiency, but they are complex. No-code/low-code approaches allow easy integration with existing IoT platforms and the development of cost-efficient smart apps.

Presented by Viktor Kalinichenko, Devtorium No-Code/Low-Code Expert

According to Forrester surveys, about 75% of development shops are already adopting no-code/low-code technology or plan to do so. Considering the benefits and cost-savings it offers, this trend will only grow. We are already witnessing an unprecedented rise in low-code use, primarily among developers.

Here at Devtorium, we have it on good authority that no-code/low-code is the future that’s already happening. Our expert on this technology is Viktor Kalinichenko, who has worked in the IT industry since 1999. For over two decades now, Viktor has been watching technological approaches come and go. He used all the options listed above himself. Now he firmly believes that low-code is here to stay for a while. According to his expert opinion, it’s because the technology allows delivering top-grade results fast. Therefore, clients seeking to succeed in competitive markets are creating great demand. And compared to previous computer-assisted development technologies, no-code/low-code portals of today truly get the job done.

To those who wish to study this technology, Viktor recommends starting with something simple and popular, for example, Bubble or WebFlow, which you could learn using Bubble Academy or WebFlow university courses. The community there is also an excellent pointer to valuable materials on the subject. In addition, he says that all you need to jump into the no-code/low-code is to know how to use a mouse and have some business analytics skills. He promises to explain this in more detail in our upcoming articles that will focus on our own no-code/low-code developments and detailed studies of existing solutions.

See you soon in our future posts😉!

Your Intelligent Assistant: AI-Powered Platform Marquètte

Posted on August 19, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

Devtorium is a software development company that not only outsources its services but also creates proprietary software. One of our products is Marquètte, an AI-powered platform used for content generation. We’ve worked on this product for over a year and released the MVP in April 2022.

We are proud to share that an enhanced version of Marquètte is available to users! Moreover, it still comes with a 7-Day Free Trial that enables anyone to sign up and test the full power of AI content generation.

The purpose of Marquètte is to become an intelligent assistant for content writers, marketing specialists, and small business owners who want to improve theory content marketing. As your personal assistant in this quest, Marquètte does not only generate content. This AI-powered platform also offers a broad view of the industry trends and provides insights that can inspire you.

One of the biggest challenges of content creation is that you just don’t know what to write about. With Marquètte, you’ll get multiple ideas just by seeing your Account home page.

Using the product is extremely simple:

Sign up.
You don’t have to provide your credit card information. Just sign up anytime and test the SaaS platform for free.
Ask your questions.
You can ask the AI about anything and it will generate an answer using its massive databases.
Use the answer!
You can use Marquètte answers as blog posts, as answers on forums, as posts on your social media accounts, and even as part of general topic research.

Latest Marquètte AI-Powered Platform Updates

The part of the Devtorium Team working on Marquètte keeps improving it. Here’s what they came up with during the last update.

Improved design.
Our AI-powered platform looks even prettier now. Seriously, just check it out. Our designers are incredible, and they improve user experience as well as aesthetics.
‘Ask a question’ page.
Users have a dedicated form to ask the engine a question. It has easy prompts that will guide you.
Interactive question validation.
Note that some questions might be rejected. For example, if your question concerns politics, contains swearwords, or can be interpreted as extremist, the AI will block it. We have a preliminary validation system that will alert you if you need to do some editing.
Easy feedback.
More freedom to the users! We love that you can help us make Marquètte better. Do it by clicking the emoji to express what you think about the quality of the answer.
Updated notifications.
Our AI-powered platform communicates with users via emails, which we recently updated to ensure they serve a broader range of scenarios.
Contact Us page.
We added a separate Contact Us page that contains a form you can fill out and a way to schedule a meeting with a team expert.
New video.
Check out a new video introduction of Marquètte!
Buy Credits.
After your first set of credits expires, you can buy more to keep using Marquètte without the need to re-subscribe.
Subscription auto-renewal.
Using Marquètte is even easier now because you can automate the subscription and it will renew every month. Furthermore, you can disable this feature in a few clicks if needed.
Popular Questions.
More inspiration for Marquètte users! There is now a Popular Questions section showing the most trending question topics.

Marquètte Applications as an AI Content Generation Platform

Marquètte is the first SaaS platform developed by Devtorium. Driven by machine learning, it keeps getting better with every use. Moreover, people appreciate the answers it gives, which we can see from Quora, where Marquètte already has hundreds of upvotes and authority as a trusted source of information.

Check out yourself by evaluating a Marquètte-generated answer:

What are the top ten pitfalls in doing business in China?

Lack of understanding of the Chinese market: Many foreign companies enter the Chinese market without a clear understanding of the consumer landscape and preferences. As a result, they are unable to tailor their products and services to meet the needs of Chinese consumers, leading to poor sales and ultimately, failure.
Lack of local partnerships: In China, it is essential to have local partners who can help you navigate the often-complex business landscape. Without these partnerships, foreign companies are at a significant disadvantage.
Poorly executed market entry strategy: Many foreign companies make the mistake of trying to enter the Chinese market without a well-thought-out plan. This often leads to wasted resources and ultimately, failure.
Lack of understanding of the Chinese legal system: The Chinese legal system is vastly different from that of the West and many foreign companies are not familiar with it. This lack of understanding can lead to problems such as intellectual property theft and contract disputes.
Lack of understanding of the Chinese culture: The Chinese culture is very different from that of the West and many foreign companies are not familiar with it. This lack of understanding can lead to problems such as miscommunication and cultural misunderstandings.
Lack of a dedicated China team: Many foreign companies try to enter the Chinese market without setting up a dedicated team to manage their operations there. This often leads to problems such as poor coordination and communication.
Over-reliance on expatriates: Many foreign companies entering the Chinese market rely too heavily on expatriates to manage their operations. This often leads to problems such as high turnover and difficulty adapting to the local culture.
Inadequate preparation.

Future Plans for the AI-Powered Platform Marquètte

We are all futurists at Devtorium, so we have many ideas for the future of Marquètte. Right now, we are working on enhancements that will diversify the AI content generation and ‘teach’ AI to create texts based on different templates.

The next version of the product will become even more useful for content writers, marketers, and SMBs. You can follow the track of Marquètte’s development and growth through our social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram!

Energy Management Software Development Uses in Real Life

Posted on August 10, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

A global energy crisis is upon us, so energy management software development is fast becoming an indispensable solution for everyone. It might surprise many, but these products can be extremely versatile. Their applications vary from enabling smart energy management to minimizing losses to finding the best energy plans in your region. As a result, many businesses could benefit greatly from investing in this niche of custom software products.

Here at Devtorium, we have first-hand experience in energy management software development that we’d like to share today.

Energy Management Software Types and Uses

First of all, it’s crucial to note that no matter its exact functionality, the primary purpose of energy management software development is to make our world cleaner. That’s why most of these solutions work with clean energy or smart home products.

The most basic application of this software literally is energy management. Therefore, such solutions are integrated into the IoT and help users ensure that no appliance in their home uses more power than absolutely necessary. Considering current power price rates for enterprises, developing such custom solutions is essential for manufacturers and other power-consuming businesses.

In this case, energy management software can be used to:

Collect all data on energy use and emissions.
Apply various data analytics techniques to analyze energy use efficiency and predict waste and power use changes depending on multiple factors.
Generate an optimization plan and other helpful suggestions based on data analytics.
Measure the results of implemented optimizations.
Monitor the overall energy use and waste performance of a business/building constantly.

This type of energy management software development application is straightforward to understand. However, there are applications for custom software products in the power business. For example, solutions that run power plants and energy distribution also fall into this software category.

In addition, there is a type of consumer-oriented energy management software that is often overlooked. Flexible utility rates that change with the season and other factors make it challenging for people to handle their energy bills. Solutions that enable residential power users to pick the best plans also fall into the category of energy management software.

One Interesting Case of Energy Management Software Development

Devtorium has an interesting energy management case for consumer-oriented use in our portfolio. It was (and is) a fascinating custom software product development project.

The client is one of the leading energy management companies in the US. It helps customers choose clean energy plans that help them save money and reduce their household carbon footprint. Currently, the company reports that its efforts managed to help the Earth avoid 344,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, they also planted 354,768 trees as a contribution to restoring the planet’s ecology.

The solution provided by Devtorium enables the company to interact with customers and help those find the best energy plan for them. To create such energy management software, we used:

Angular JS
Angular 7
WordPress
PHP
.NET Framework 4.6.1
ASP.NET Web API
ASP.NET MVC
MS SQL
EntityFramework 6.4.4
IdentityServer4

The resulting solution included:

A stylish website that offers both excellent user experience and aesthetic enjoyment. We were aiming for a site that people would actually like and enjoy browsing. In addition, the visuals focus on clean energy and its importance to our planet’s health.
My Account functionality website visitors can use to enroll, perform payments, etc. In essence, the system is used to interact with the user in everything the company needs, including email notifications, payment processing, and plan management.
CyberSource payment system that enables customers to make secure, regular, and automated payments. Our priorities were security and ease of use. CyberSource payment platform guarantees both.
SendGrid email system to provide easy and efficient interaction with customers. Email remains the most efficient way of communication and marketing in the digital world. So, the client company needed a great email platform integration, which we provided.

Bottom Line: Who Should Invest in Custom Energy Management Solutions?

Custom energy management software development isn’t for everyone. However, some types of businesses can save a lot of money through such solutions. For example, big companies and enterprises that manage vast production/storage/etc. facilities. They will require efficient power management to reduce waste and cut costs.

Other types of businesses that require such software are energy companies and providers. They can use a wide range of solutions that help manufacture, distribute, and manage power flows.

Finally, businesses that work with regular energy consumers can benefit from efficient management solutions. They can use software to search for plans and otherwise help optimize the power costs directly for the consumer.

Does your business fall into one of these categories? Contact Devtorium, an expert in energy management software development. We’ll be happy to help bring your project to life!

Why Data Security Services Matter: Biggest Scandals of the 21st Century

Posted on August 3, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

If you think that data security services shouldn’t be your business’ priority, think again. History teaches us that even giants that lead the market can topple under the power of a data breach. Moreover, even if the company makes it through the scandal, the damage to its reputation is irreparable.

Human psyche works in such a way that negative news make the biggest impression on us. So, to understand why you should invest in top-notch cyber security services, see the damage compromised data can cause.

5 Companies That Should Have Invested in Better Data Security Services

Desjardins

In 2019, a disgruntled employee of Canada’s biggest credit union Desjardins compromised 4.2 million customer accounts. This data breach resulted in a $200.9 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit decided on by the Superior Court of Quebec. The rogue employee had been at it for 26 months before he getting caught.

It’s essential to note that the investigation of the incident uncovered that the breach also affected 1.8 million people who weren’t Desjardins’ customers. Moreover, the case cost even more to Desjardins because it offered 5-year Equifax credit monitoring as compensation to those affected.

The employee who caused the breach accessed the customers’ names, emails, social security numbers, and transaction records. Luckily, according to Desjardins’ reports, he wasn’t able to compromise actual card numbers, passwords, and PINs.

However, this situation shows that the business can incur enormous losses without losing vital information. Moreover, it’s crucial to remember that this data breach wasn’t a result of an outside cyberattack. Instead, the breach occurred from within, highlighting the need to invest in 100% comprehensive information security audits and monitoring. It’s also a reminder to employers that they must be extremely selective with privileged access to critical data. Malicious employees shouldn’t be able to access such information and go undiscovered for years.

Equifax

The Equifax cyber security breach is considered one of the worst in history. It was a true disaster, and the settlement alone cost Equifax $425 million. However, the actual cost of this breach was much higher. This incident compromised the personal information of 147 million people. Quite a few of them suffered severe consequences from this identity theft.

The biggest issue with this breach was that it exposed inadequate cybersecurity practices of Equifax. As a result of poor data security services, there were several significant flaws that could exploit.

Equifax failed to fix a well-known vulnerability, CVE-2017-5638, although the patch was available.
The company didn’t segment its ecosystem. As a result, the hackers only needed to gain access once through a breach of the Equifax web portal. From there, they could access multiple servers stealing valuable data.
The attackers could easily escalate their access because they found passwords and usernames saved in plain text.
As Equifax didn’t bother renewing one of their encryption certificates, the hackers could exfiltrate the data easily. Moreover, they’ve been doing it for several months completely undetected.

In addition, the company executives chose to hide the breach and announced it only a month later. During that time, they sold off their stock, which triggered a case of insider trading. Final investigations indicate that this data breach could potentially impact about 40% of the entire US population.

All in all, this case is the best example of why you must keep your data security services up-to-date.

Yahoo!

Yahoo suffered two disastrous data breaches in 2013 and 2014. However, the company went public about this only in 2016. A total of 3.5 billion accounts were compromised in those incidents. Verizon was in the middle of buying Yahoo, when it finally shared information about the breach. The deal went through, and Verizon’s spokesperson highlighted that they would help the Yahoo team improve their security.

Eventually, the Yahoo database was discovered for sale on the black market. Compromised information included users’ names, dates of birth, phone numbers, emails, and hashed passwords. But, according to Yahoo, hackers didn’t steal credit card numbers and other payment details.

The class action lawsuit took years, but in 2020 the Northern District of California approved a settlement of $117.5 million. However, it’s only a fraction of what such poor data security services will cost. The bigger consequence for Yahoo is that Verizon bought it for a much lower price.

Mariott International (Starwood)

Over 500 million accounts were compromised in a massive data breach of the Starwood hotels, purchased by Mariott in 2016. Marriott carried out an investigation that revealed that the Starwood network was breached in 2014. From there, the breach spread to other hotels owned by Mariott, including Sheraton, St. Regis, Westin, and W Hotels.

A wide range of hotel guests’ personal information was stolen in that data breach. Currently, the class action lawsuit includes 133 million plaintiffs and is still underway. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office fined Marriott about £18.4 million. However, this story of disastrous data security services isn’t over yet.

The example of Marriott indicated how crucial it is to carry out regular and in-depth information security audits. It’s highly troubling that the breach has gone unnoticed for four years. During this time, hackers managed to exploit system vulnerabilities to compromise additional databases.

Adobe

In 2013, Adobe reported that it suffered a cybersecurity breach that compromised 153 million user accounts. In addition, 38 million active users lost their IDs and encrypted passwords. Investigations show that users’ names and credit card information were stolen as well.

Adobe paid $1.1 million in legal fees and supposedly $1 million as an undisclosed settlement with its customers.

The true tragedy of this story is that the company didn’t learn from the incident. As a result, Adobe suffered several more debilitating breaches over recent years. For example, in 2022, an unsecured server became the cause of compromising 7.5 million Creative Cloud accounts.

How to Choose Data Security Services Company

These are only five examples of how much a security breach can cost a business. But there are thousands of other cases like this. Cumulative losses caused by cybercriminals are going into trillions already.

So, if there is one thing a business can’t afford to be cheap about, it’s information security. The road to making your business as safe as can be starts with a comprehensive audit.

Apply for one now!

Data Science Services: Introducing CRISP_DM

Posted on July 27, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

Data science services are fast becoming the most in-demand type of business service. It’s because business owners understand that it’s impossible to succeed in modern extremely competitive markets without having an extra edge. Data analytics is the most effective way to get that edge. But it’s also important to understand that it’s a highly complex subject. So, any company that wants to get valuable insights needs to know exactly how data mining and analytics work.

Modern data science services are based on a methodology called CRISP_DM, which stands for a cross-industry standard process for data mining. It’s a cycle of processes that allows data analytics professionals to set and achieve goals. This process can be ongoing, continuously circling back to the first step and setting new goals as the project grows.

Data Science Services Breakdown: CRISP_DM Methodology

Business Understanding

The primary task of the data professional at this stage is to define exact project goals. The goal is to develop a deep understanding of the client’s needs and requirements. Business understanding goes hand in hand with project planning.

This step is crucial because building a strong foundation of business understanding is imperative before you start data mining. The process goes like this:

Understand the client’s business objectives and how they can be achieved.
Perform a thorough assessment of the situation by analyzing available resources, requirements, risks, contingencies, costs, and benefits.
Define exact goals for the data mining process that correlate with the project goals.
Create a detailed plan that describes each phase of the project and lists all necessary tools and technologies.

Data Understanding

The data understanding phase enhances the previous by defining the data sets needed to accomplish the client’s business goals. Data scientists need to complete four tasks at this stage.

Collecting initial data and loading it into analytics tools.
Examining the data and documenting its properties as required.
Exploring the data: query, visualize, and determine relationships between separate pieces of data.
Verifying the data quality and documenting it.

Data Preparation

Data preparation is the most time-consuming task in the entirety of data science services. It takes up about 80% of the data professional’s time working on a project. The quality of preparation is the crucial factor that defines analytics accuracy. This stage consists of five tasks:

Choosing data sets that need to be used and documenting reasons for these choices.
Cleaning the data: correcting, imputing, or removing erroneous values.
Constructing data by deriving new useful attributes.
Integrating data by combining multiple data sets from different sources.
Formatting or reformatting data as necessary.

Modeling

Surprisingly, data modeling often takes the least amount of time among data science services. However, it can’t be completed without the lengthy preparation of the previous step. During this stage, data scientists create and assess models until they find the one that’s ‘good enough’. However, the entire CRISP_DM process must go through several iterations so the end model is ‘the best that could be’.

The modeling process consists of four steps:

Choosing modeling techniques, for example, which algorithms to use.
Creating a test design for modeling.
Building models.
Assessing each model and comparing them against each other based on test design domain knowledge and success criteria that are set at the beginning.

Evaluation

The evaluation stage is similar to the model assessment step of the previous stage. However, the evaluation goes deeper and considers not the technical aspects of the model but how it meets the business’ needs. The evaluation consists of three integral steps:

Evaluating the model results based on business success criteria defined in project requirements.
Reviewing the work to make sure nothing was missed. The findings are summarized, corrected if necessary, and documented.
Making decisions about the following steps based on the collected data. There are three choices: deployment, further iteration, or initiating new projects.

Deployment

The project requirements define the exact process of deployment. It can differ greatly from generating a report to establishing a repeatable data mining process. At this stage, the customer must be able to access and use the model’s results. To that end, data science service providers must complete several steps:

Create and document a deployment plan.
Develop a plan for model monitoring and maintenance, depending on project requirements.
Develop a final report that summarizes the entire project and includes a presentation of data mining results.
Review the whole project, determining what went well and what could have gone better to develop plans for future improvements.

How Data Science Services Help Businesses

The primary purpose of data science services is to help the decision-making process of the business. Different types of data analytics can provide a variety of predictions that clients can use for development and growth. It’s also invaluable for risk assessment and decisions about expanding to new markets.

Data analytics works best when combining AI’s ability to process vast masses of information and human intelligence that can see the best ways to implement data mining results. If you want to find out how this works and what value your business can get from analytics, contact our data science team for a free consultation!

Marquètte: How AI Content Writing Software Works

Posted on July 13, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

We live in an age when AI content writing software is becoming an everyday tool for businesses and content creators. But like all innovative tech, an AI-powered platform that generates content can be a mystery for the average person.

In this post, we unveil the secrets of AI writing and explain how to use Marquètte, an AI SaaS platform that can be a game-changer for content marketing.

What Does AI Content Writing Software Really Do?

An AI-powered platform that generates content doesn’t write it like a human author. For example, a human working on an article will make an outline, conduct research, write a draft, and edit it. However, artificial intelligence that’s generating an article works like this:

The user enters an inquiry. In the case of Marquètte, it’s a question you want the machine to answer.
The AI searches enormous databases for information about the requested topic.
Then, AI processes selected data and applies NLP technology to generate a text that will answer your question.

In addition, you need to understand that with every step, the AI learns how to be better at creating texts. Already, over 50% of respondents can’t see any difference between content created by humans or AI. Verify it yourself by signing up for a 7-day Free Trial and generating your own texts with Marquètte.

How to Use Marquètte AI-Powered Platform

Generating content using the Marquètte AI SaaS platform is extremely easy. The AI works fast, so you can create several posts within a day, even if you edit some of them. But some AI-generated answers can be published on your blog or social media accounts directly.

The whole process goes like this:

Sign up.
Use the Free Trial to explore the platform for 7 days and test its features. In addition, you don’t need to enter your credit card information for the trial, so everything is 100% risk-free.
Take a look at the account Home page.
If you don’t know what to write about, the Home page is your place of inspiration. There are unique pages for different industries that give you some information about the latest trends. Take any fact that catches your attention and ask the AI for details.
Ask your question.
First, the machine will analyze it to see if it meets the platform’s requirements. Please note that questions construed as illegal or promoting violence will be rejected. You can resubmit your question if it’s blocked. And if you think that there is some mistake, please contact support.
Make use of the provided answer.
Once the AI content writing software does its job, it will provide you with a versatile piece of content. There is a short answer that you can use as a social media post immediately. There is also a long-form answer that goes into detail about the topic. You can use that for a blog post, article, or even as basic research for an essay. Moreover, there’s additional information that explains some of the points mentioned in the main answer. Finally, there are suggested questions that will help you dive deeper into the topic.

What AI Content Writing Software Can’t Do

Of course, it’s crucial to remember that while AI learns and becomes a bit better with every use, it can’t compare to the human mind. Our creativity and vision are way beyond what machines can achieve. Therefore, there are certain limitations to what AI content writing software can do.

It can’t personalize texts.
For example, if you use an AI-powered platform to enhance content marketing, you’ll have to edit texts and add information about your brand. You might also need to add a few paragraphs to connect general information provided by the AI to your company’s product or service.
It might make mistakes.
No matter how advanced NLP technology has become, AI might not understand the natural language perfectly. That’s why it’s important to use an AI SaaS platform that accounts for such possible issues. For example, Marquètte will return your used credits if the answer is unsatisfactory so that you can ask another question.
It can’t create advanced structured pieces of writing.
AI content writing software has mastered the basic essay structure. It means that it can create texts that have an introduction, body, and conclusion. And that’s perfectly enough for marketing content like blog articles and forum or social media posts. However, at the moment, AI isn’t so advanced that it can create complex pieces of content with a set structure. For example, it can generate a simple narrative essay, but it can’t write an argumentative essay that must have a clear thesis and argument with counter-arguments in separate paragraphs.

Indeed, AI technology is very far from being all-powerful, which is definitely a good thing. However, even as it is now, artificial intelligence can greatly benefit your business.

In Conclusion: Who Can Benefit from Using Marquètte AI SaaS Platform

The number of uses AI content writing software might have if one applies it creatively is sure to surprise you. First of all, Marquètte can become an essential helper for small businesses and marketing agencies. Its ability to generate quality content gives businesses a powerful marketing tool. Basically, they can maintain an interesting blog and fill their social media accounts with fresh relevant posts even without having a professional content writer on staff.

Marketing agencies and content writers can use Marquètte to speed up their work. Higher productivity gives them time to explore new opportunities and focus on professional growth.

Students and just the average person can use Marquètte as a tool to help in their research of new subjects. Playing around with it can be great fun, and the subscription costs only $19.95 a month.

Ecommerce Website Development Tips: How to Make Your Shop Attractive

Posted on July 6, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

There are millions of online stores today, which is why eCommerce website development is so hard. Now anyone can make a store using simple and even free platforms. However, attracting buyers to such a run-of-the-mill shop is nearly impossible. The buyers of today are looking for cool designs, fantastic user experience, and features that take online shopping to the next level.

To have a store like that, you’ll need to not only invest in end-to-end eCommerce solution development. You must also understand what makes online shops attractive and use these tools when designing your own.

Choose the Best Ecommerce Website Development Platform

Unless you are developing an end-to-end eCommerce solution from scratch, you will need to choose an existing platform. The right choice of an eCommerce platform is key to building an attractive store that will bring you money.

In large part, the platform will define store design and overall usability. It will also affect SEO and other types of optimizations you need to attract traffic. In addition, remember that some platforms might have limited opportunities for integrating third-party solutions. Therefore, you must research available plugins and extensions when comparing different options.

First, you should define what you want your eCommerce website to be. Then, find a platform that can realize your designs. Moreover, consider scalability and flexibility. Will you be able to change and grow your store in response to the increasing demand?

Remember that having the website crash during a surge in traffic, for example, due to holiday sales, might ruin your entire business.

Invest in Top-Notch Security

Nothing is as vital as customer security for online businesses. Therefore, you must hire an eCommerce website development company with cybersecurity expertise. The attractiveness of your store will grow if you can prove to consumers that their data and money are 100% safe.

To do this, you need an end-to-end eCommerce solution audited and tested by experts. They will identify all potential weaknesses, so you can cover them and make your business an online fortress.

Moreover, a part of eCommerce platform development should include planning for maintenance and updates. Keeping your store updated on every level will help protect it from rapidly evolving cyber threats.

Have your website protected by specialized software and certified experts. These certificates on your homepage will make people trust your brand. The eCommerce industry is already losing over $20 billion due to fraud. Investing in top-notch security is investing in your future.

Integrate AI in Your ECommerce Website Development

Today, if you choose AI-driven software development, you will undoubtedly get a huge advantage in your niche. Developers can use AI technology to streamline their workflows and increase the quality of some services. For example, QA testing benefits greatly from implementing AI-powered solutions.

Regarding eCommerce website development, artificial intelligence can be used both to speed up the process and enhance user experience. The easiest way to implement AI in an eCommerce business is to add a chatbot to your website. You can use it to improve customer service and reduce the costs of outsourcing a call center.

However, today’s eCommerce platform development allows incorporating multiple chatbots with different functions. For example, you can create an assistant that offers buyers style suggestions. Another idea is to make a helper for choosing sizes. This way, you will enhance the user experience and reduce costs associated with order returns.

Focus on Attractive Responsive UI/UX Design

ECommerce website development should always prioritize UI/UX design. The site is your only medium of interaction with consumers. Therefore, your goal must be to make it beautiful and comfortable to use, so people enjoy spending time there. The ease of use and intuitiveness affect sales directly. However, they are also the factors that your eCommerce platform development capabilities can limit.

Therefore, hiring a development company with a team of talented and experienced designers is imperative. These professionals should be able to advise how to provide your customers with a high level of user experience.

In addition, be sure to explore multiple online shops yourself. Note that you should look beyond your competitors. Browse different eCommerce websites and take notes of the features and designs you like most. Then, discuss them with your team to see whether you can implement these ideas for your store.

It should be an ongoing process when working on an end-to-end eCommerce solution. This way, you’ll be able to update the store regularly to keep up with the UI/UX design trends.

Write Really Good Product Descriptions

Indeed, people don’t spend much time reading on the Internet these days. However, nothing can diminish the value of a good product description. This small piece of content is a tool that can help you motivate visitors to actually make a purchase.

Most importantly, the description gives you room to make your store stand out. You might have a dozen competitors that sell the same or similar products. However, by creating captivating descriptions, you can make people choose your store above others.

But bear in mind that product descriptions need to be not only fun and engaging. Also, they must be highly informative and offer all essential details about your product. Additional interesting facts and tips on how to use the product are also welcome.

In addition, product descriptions are your SEO tool. They must contain relevant keywords to help your Google ranking and attract organic traffic.

As you can see, product descriptions are precious indeed. That’s why you should have them written by a professional. However, even small businesses that can’t afford a full-time content writer have a solution today. You can use an AI content generation platform to help you write exciting texts about your products.

In Conclusion: The Key to Outstanding ECommerce Website Development

ECommerce website development can be challenging because competition in this industry is insane. So creating a store that will provide a great user experience and stand out among competitors is difficult. But it’s not impossible.

All you need is an experienced and creative development team. Of course, the people you hire must be top-grade professionals. But also, they need to be able to understand your vision and offer their own original ideas on how to make your shop outshine everyone else’s.

Looking for a team like that? Contact us and schedule a meeting.

See what we can offer with your own eyes!

How AI Can Be Used in Fraud Detection Software

Posted on June 30, 2022August 31, 2023 by mkoftielieva

It’s a well-known fact that the cost of data breaches is going into trillions by now, and fraud detection software can be the thing that saves your specific business from being a part of that dreadful statistic. That alone is sure to be an excellent motivation for investing in this type of cyber security solution.

However, as a company with ample expertise in fraud detection software development, we advise taking your plans a step further. Adding AI technology to these solutions can make a huge difference. Already, AI-powered tools are used at the highest level, including monitoring government fraud in the US. Therefore, businesses that will implement this technology sooner have a higher chance of becoming leaders of their niches tomorrow.

How AI Is Used in Fraud Detection Software

Artificial intelligence has far greater analytical and processing capabilities compared to humans. Of course, it’s not to say that AI is ‘smarter’ than a human. However, it can process large amounts of data much faster.

Implementing these capabilities of AI in fraud detection software development allows businesses to get solutions that can:

Detect anomalies.
AI can effectively identify anomalies caused by fraudulent behaviors. Moreover, it can learn to detect patterns that do not yet exist. It means that AI protections of this kind can adapt to future threats.
Predict behaviors.
Furthermore, AI can analyze current behaviors to predict patterns. Then, a breach of such a pattern will trigger an alert of possible fraud. For example, a change in password or logging in from a different location can be causes for concern. Finally, note that AI-powered fraud detection software will learn and therefore improve with each case.
Create fraud scores.
Analyzing the data from fraudulent cases enables the AI to create scores that it can use to flag, approve, or reject future transactions. In addition, the scores will be updated automatically, so machine learning will continue making the software more accurate.
Identify customers fast.
KYC (know your customer) technology powered by AI makes customer identification both faster and more secure. It’s particularly effective when applied in facial recognition tech due to AI-driven computer vision.

Particular applications of AI in fraud detection software can vary depending on customer requirements. However, as a rule, this technology is used to detect, flag, and investigate inconsistencies and potentially fraudulent actions. Then, the quality of your custom software development team’s skills will determine how well your business responds to these threats.

Remember that this software is also used to reduce false-positive alerts, which helps you save money further.

Benefits of Using AI in Fraud Detection Software

Implementing AI technology in fraud monitoring software development does not only increase opportunities of what the solution can do. Depending on how the developers use AI, they can grow your business’s benefits.

Faster detection.
Detecting threats earlier allows you to minimize losses associated with the fraud. Note that AI-powered software also identifies these dangers more efficiently. So, in the end, you are able to save the maximum amount of money. Moreover, you can build a reputation as a reliable and trustworthy business.
Increased accuracy.
Accurate identification of threats does not only help you neutralize them effectively. Most importantly for business, it allows you to avoid complaints and issues caused by false-positive calls. So, your customers won’t get frustrated for their accounts being blocked and reported by mistake.
Better prediction.
Nothing does predictive analytics better than AI today. Therefore, even if you have a team of outstanding analysts working for your company, augmenting their work with AI will improve results. Also, using fraud detection software for this enables you to work faster. It means that your experts can spend more time on high-priority tasks that require human intervention.
Cost-efficiency.
It’s true that custom AI-powered fraud monitoring software development is a significant investment. However, considering the money you can save through fraud prevention, this investment is sure to be worth it. In addition, your business is guaranteed to increase revenue due to offering customers a higher level of protection.
Better classification.
Classifying threats is incredibly important to ensure accuracy and overall efficiency in fighting fraud.
Easier scalability.
Fraud detection software developed by an outstanding team can grow with your business organically. Therefore, you won’t waste time or incur a loss because it can’t keep up with your growing demands.

Bottom Line: Should You Invest in Fraud Monitoring Software Development?

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not only financial businesses that will benefit from using fraud detection software. Of course, businesses that specialize in security need to create such solutions. They often do this by outsourcing such tasks to Devtorium, an ISO-certified company. Also, any enterprise-level business selling paid services to customers can offer this extra level of protection. Finally, government and non-profit organizations that work with personal data require such cyberdefenses.

Simply put, if frauds can get to your customers, it’s your duty to protect them. Therefore, creating a custom solution is an investment that will surely pay off in the long run. To find out what AI-powered fraud detection software can do for your business in particular, contact us today! Our expert team will analyze your business and come up with a plan that will fit any budget.