Category Archives: Web Development

The Art and Science of Web Development Understood Only in India

Posted by on June 13, 2013

What is web development?

One of the most important things that really matters in the World Wide Web is that the businesses who have to create a presence should have presence that is effective. This presence is the website of the businesses that is developed by the experts. The web development is the art and science of developing the website of the businesses for the internet or the intranet. It could involve the web design, the content development, the client side as well as the server side coding, web server, and the network security configuration. In fact it can be summarily stated that the web development usually refers to the non-design aspects of building websites like writing mark up and coding. The organizations that are big in size might require a whole team of web developers whereas the organizations that are small in size might do with a single permanent or contracting webmaster. The job of web development might be a collaborative effort between different departments rather than a domain of single designated departments.

The growth

The web development since its commercialization has seen an exponential growth.  The scene is particularly exuberant in the developing economies like India, Philippines, China, Brazil,etc. The one thing that really matters is that the businesses should benefit the most out of all the efforts that the web development companies make. And the businesses must realize that the most successful business endeavors can only be made in the online world. This realization has thus lead to a roaring growth in the web development industry.

Website development in India

Among all the growing economies in the world that are rapidly making their mark in the web development industry, it is the country of India that is very fast becoming the beacon for the rest of the pack. A web development company in India has everything that the businesses expect from a professional company in such a field. Apart from an unflinching support from the government and a reasonably good infrastructure, the other thing that goes in the favor of the country is the work culture of the professionals here. The web developers in the nation are quite aware of the business ethics that are required in order to stay perfectly entrenched in the highly competitive world of online marketing.

The conclusion

The art and science of website development involves complex tasks. Only those companies and the professionals can do it who have the resources as well as the volition to get soaked in the act of creativity that involves the use of both the left as well as the right side of the brain. The web page development process in India is carried out in precisely the exact manner.

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Rebuild Your Business Strategies Through Affordable Web Development

Posted by on February 22, 2013

In today’s post-digital environment, websites have gained immense importance within organizations that want to create a global impact through products that they believe are unique and full of purpose. The current overwhelming demands for affordable web development further establishes the fact that business strategies can no more survive without technology, or should I say that they are inseparable, rather co-exist. Whereas content and usability are important to an online platform, it is a stable implementation process coupled with secure and optimal performance that would deliver the desired goals.

After having gained significant experience in the sphere of online business, Indian web development agencies have become the pioneers in this field of work. And this achievement was not as easy as it appears to be, as these organization continuously worked towards delivering solutions as per global standards through rigorously updating themselves about the changing trends. To them the job of a developer is not just limited to designing as they also possess the knowledge to carry out promotional and marketing strategies. Some of the most important factors that their practice include are as follows:

  • Understanding the target audience and their taste is essential for developing website designs that will lure more customers. Similarly even the taste and requirement of the client needs to be kept in perspective or else the entire project might go in vain.
  • To achieve good ranking on the SERP, keywords and phrases need to be properly inserted because without it, there are chances of very few visitors coming to a website.
  • It is vital that the Unique Selling Proposition be highlighted on any business website as it would be helpful in describing the striking features of an organization and emphasize on what makes it different from other competitors.

Without the consideration of these facts, a complete website would also appear incomplete to the audience which would in turn hamper the return on investment. So, it becomes quintessential to consider the above mentioned factors and delivery of an online site should only be performed after checking the proper functionality of all elements in real time.

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Optimal Ecommerce Solution For Web Development

Posted by on February 11, 2013

When approaching web development India services, it is critical for any start up e-commerce company to keep their objectives clear. The risen opportunity offered by the internet to access consumers directly has also led to a highly competitive environment. Today, there are several organizations that have already established themselves online, and the benefits that they have witnessed is quite fascinating. Such has been the demand for online presence that it has ended up creating an evolution that occurs in three phases, when we speak of the e-commerce industry.

The first one being e-corporation which is instrumental in maximizing the capacity of an internal supply chain. This is followed by e-business community, wherein various back end contributors such as distributors, suppliers and other are linked. The above mentioned communities are then transformed into an e-supply chain that functions on the basis of business and technology synchronization. This system is capable of providing results that are highly customer oriented and deliver optimal results.

What most e-commerce businesses lack is the integration of the new model onto their platform for greater degrees of customer satisfaction. Whether you like it or not but applying old models to new upcoming businesses would ultimately reflect results that you were not prepared for. So, why not start from scratch, begin with a thorough research and accordingly outsource web development for your project to an organization in India. It is a decision that guarantees a platform which perfectly suit your line of business, since this geographic location has been providing services or brands on a global scale.

Since they are well versed with the intricacies of e-commerce, solutions provided by them would enable your online store in fulfilling the demands of your customer. Apart from the ‘being lucky’ factor, the success or failure of your company would entirely depend on its efficiency and fulfillment strategies.

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Offshore Web Development Offers Endless Benefits

Posted by on February 2, 2013

Offshore Web Development Services offered by companies outside the U.S. has produced outstanding results for organizations in terms of reinforcing strategic tools to gain competitive advantage. In an age of technology where everything is gradually shifting to digital, websites become a quintessential platform for businesses to promote themselves. What is equally important is that such websites should display designs that are appealing in order to successfully grab the attention of users.

For companies that do not possess extensive knowledge about IT solutions, it is always advisable that they hand over such projects to an offshore web development firm in India. But before you decide on doing so, it is important that the goals that are to be met are elaborately defined. This will not only help provide the desirable results but will also help the project to be carried out without any delays. A few of the benefits that Offshore Web Development Services offer are as follows:

  • Skilled Professionals – It takes a lot for companies to hire amateurs and train them, as a lot of funds are drained. When the same task is outsourced, then companies get access to individuals who are experts in their field and optimal results are assured.
  • Results Are Delivered Quickly – Firms providing Offshore Web Development Services take no time to initiate your project. Results are delivered quicker as their reputation is under scanner. And since they have similar other tasks to accomplish, deadlines become a priority.
  • Risk Is Distributed – Outsourcing certain functions help the organization in distributing the risk related to that specific job as it becomes the responsibility of the firm developing it. The former can then easily focus on other jobs which are equally important for them to stay competitive.

The benefits of an Offshore Web Development firm in India are endless but communication plays a vital role to achieve the desired results. Though it is important that companies determine the scope of a project before outsourcing it.

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Contact Professional Web Site Design Services and Firms

Posted by on November 17, 2012

Website is an essential element in the mix of marketing essentials for any company and thus a lot of care needs to be taken while developing a web identity. And it’s evidently very very important to hire a quality web development team for best results.

Things to Look for in a Web Development Company

  • Take into consideration the total experience of the company in  web development.
  • Look for sample websites or web apps that the company has developed for other clients similar to the solution you want to develop.
  • Check whether the web site design services or firms you are looking to hire are sharing with you full and well-documented code along with the design layout.
  • See if the company offers any other additional services apart from web design and development.
  • Clarify the web designer and web developer’s payment terms.
  • Understand the company’s policy on non-disclosure and privacy of information.
  • Predefine average timelines for completing your web design project.
  • Check out whether the web site development and design company outsources any project component to third parties. If so, identify those components.
  • Find out if the company can also offer content writing services for your website.
  • Check whether the company offers any quality assurance services.
  • Take into consideration the quality of the company’s after sales service.

Whom to Hire?

Most businesses today prefer to hire Indian web design and development companies as they are very cost-effective. Most of these companies also fulfil all above discussed parameters. So, research and take your time to hire the best.

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ERP & Business Management Software: Solutions and Providers

Posted by on September 24, 2012

Every business, whether small, medium or large; has different management and accounting requirements. And this automated era, every thing needs to be done through scalable software applications. If you are running an enterprise in any of the developed countries like USA, UK, Canada, Australia etc. and you want a bespoke software to be developed according to your terms, you can contact software developers from India. Indian IT industry has emerged as an offshore giant and Indian software developers can offer a variety of software solutions for your businesses depending upon the specific needs. This article discusses about various ERP and business management software solutions and their providers.

Popular ERP and Business Software Solutions:

Software for accounting: Accounting software solutions are provided for businesses of all sizes. These solutions are specifically provided for business management and integrated accounting.

Software for financial management: One such software application is believed to be more effective and these manage the financial operations of the whole business with ease.

Software for ERP: An enterprise resource and planning software application provides modules for accounting and finance as well as for business management.

Software for Business Financial Accounting and ERP

The accounting and business management requirements of each and every business depends on its size, complexity, and type. A business can be properly managed with the help of a suitable accounting and financial management software application. While on the other hand, ERP solutions are required for large business. One such software application provides better management of the business by providing access to critical financial related information.

Software for Business Financial-Accounting

These software are developed mainly to keep a check on the business receivables, payable, ledger, billing, invoicing, purchase and sales orders etc. Accounting software application performs standard accounting and compliance functions. Financial accounting software applications are adopted according to the requirement of the business.

Financial management software solutions are mostly used by organizations to manage their accounting needs more efficiently and perfectly. The features and functionalities that these solutions provide include project accounting, advanced billing, management of budget, tracking cash flow etc.

Software for Enterprise Resource Planning

ERP software application along with accounting-financial management attempts to integrate the information’s from almost all business functions. These software solutions include modules and functions for many business areas like:

  • Financial management accounting
  • Human resources
  • Inventory management
  • Manufacturing process
  • Distribution
  • Operations management
  • Management of supply chain
  • Management of sales force
  • Point of sales
  • Management of customer relationship.

A separate ERP solution module is available for each of these areas. This allows the user to apply this solution only in the areas that are required in the particular business.

Providers of Accounting, Management and ERP Software

There are many companies which specialize in business accounting, financial, and ERP software solutions & services. They can manage a business by supporting businesses through consultation, installation, and training. Now it is clear that management and ERP software solutions together can prove to meet the needs of each business.

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How to Secure Joomla Content?

Posted by on August 29, 2012

Joomla, an open source Content Management System helps in building websites and web applications. Using this framework, Joomla Developers design basic as well as complex corporate solutions and applications. This article reveals the five basic steps that help to restrict the content viewers of a Joomla site.

Five Steps to Secure Joomla Content

  •       Create users
  •       Create groups
  •       Assign users to one or more groups
  •       Create access viewing levels
  •       Set the access feature within articles, categories, menus or modules

Create users

In Joomla development, creating groups as well as users, depends on whether a new site is built or ACL functionality is added to an existing site.

Create groups

Groups are created at Users – Groups of Administrator. Joomla is installed with certain groups, and in many cases the defaults are adequate. For example, if you just need a single level of protection, stick with the default registered group. This assigns all sensitive content into one registered group. All users who need access to view this content would then be allocated to this group. In Joomla ACL, multiple groups can be created. An example of this can be seen in the case of a school website, where one set of articles are to be accessed by teachers and another set of by both teachers and students. In this case, you would need two groups; teachers and students.

Assign User Groups

Assigned User Groups checkboxes are used to allocate each user to one or more groups after editing every user record. This is simple for Joomla developers to incorporate it in case of a new site or in a site with a small number of users. But if you have a large number of users, this process could take hours.

Batch process feature

This feature uses the check box next to each applicable user and then chooses the appropriate group from the batch process drop-down menu. Select Add to Group and click the Process button. The users selected will then be added to the group. You can repeat this process if you need to add users to multiple groups.

Create viewing levels

This is done to match the groups by Joomla developers. Once again if you just need one level, stick with the existing Registered level. Or if you have two groups, create two matching access viewing levels. This is found at Users – Access Levels. Creating a new level is easy. Click New – give it a title and select the group or groups that should be included in this level.

Restrict contents

This can be done at the article, category, and menu level or with modules. Go to Content – Category Manager and edit the category, in order to hide all articles in a particular category. Change access from Public to the newly created access level. All such articles will now be visible if a user belongs to a group that belongs to that access level. Though this seems to be a complicated method, but the Joomla development ACL is flexible to accommodate all sorts of scenarios.

Conclusion

By following these five simple steps you will secure you Joomla contents from majority of threats.

Drupal 7 Tip: Automating and Controlling Your Go Live Checklist

Posted by on August 14, 2012

Drupal is an open source Content Management System (CMS) platform maintained and developed by a community of thousands of users and developers. This article contains tips for Drupal development using the Drupal content management system/framework. This article gives a list of what to check in a drupal 7 website and how to control and automate it. This checklist is to be checked each time you keep integrating new stuff during deployment to test if everything is still working. This task can be automated to save time.

Intro

During development a lot of settings are turned off or are configured differently. It’s because different environments might use different services and for some settings it is more convenient to develop with certain configuration.

 

Settings to be Checked

Normally when using a local – development – test – live workflow, most of the local settings and development settings should be the same and also most of test and live settings should be same. Since the client first checks the test version before going live the two environments should be the same except for the environment specific settings of course.

The easiest way to control settings is to keep a settings file per environment. In this settings file it is possible to set your environment specific settings. So turn off error reporting, turn on preprocessing of css and js, enable page cache and enable block cache. These are some of the typical go live settings.

A characteristic site has some other environment specific settings depending on the functionality enabled. So one these live settings are kept in the settings file.

Now we have a site with a solr and have a different instance for all of our environments so we can fill in the settings here, we can do the same for our other environment dependent settings like the maps api key etc.

In case you want to enable error reporting on the test. Some errors manifest its self and you are not able to check it because you cannot change the setting. What this means is that this setting should not be configured the hard way in settings.php.

Shell Script

Creating a shell script and executing it each time you deploy, will live in your version control system so you actually keep track of your go live list.

An example of such a script can be:

To use it create a file called update_live.sh. Make it executable chmod u+x update_live.sh and execute it ./update_live.sh

Here, drush (http://drupal.org/project/drush) is to be installed on the web server.

A CI server like Jenkins (http://jenkins-ci.org/) can be used to automate this task. Each environment has its own script so you can actually control how your site is deployed to each environment.

Automate the Testing

The next step that Drupal developers can take up is to automate the testing if everything is setup by running tests. Using the simple test module during deployment can verify a lot of things. Generally it is not recommended to run tests against a live instance. But if you know what you are doing it can help you verify all your settings during deployment. Know what you are doing means:

  •       Make sure your tests don’t cause any performance issues.
  •       Make sure you cleanup everything your tests are doing.

Only test environment dependent functionality. All the other functionality you can test when deploying to dev – test

Make sure you disable the simple test module when done.

Some settings are indeed hard to check using simple test, so this requires the use of some additional tools to monitor other parts of your infrastructure.

Checklist

Complete checklists to be checked when going live are:

Performance

  •       Set Page cache.
  •       Set Block cache.
  •       Set Page compression.
  •       Set Error level
  •       Install PHP accelerator like APC etc.

Disable some core and contrib modules, for example update, syslog, dblog, field_ui, devel, views_ui etc. Logs and stats should be disabled you can use other tools on the server to monitor errors in a more performing way.

Security

  •       Improve Drupal development and the Contirb module to the Latest Version.
  •       Schedule back up of database.
  •       Protect Admin password.
  •       Enable Google Analytics.
  •       Use captcha or mollom for all forms.
  •       Double check user registration settings.
  •       Double check all permissions.
  •       Check the watchdog for errors and warnings, and fix these
  •       Check input format.

SEO

Drupal developers can use the Drupal SEO checklist to make sure everything is enabled as it should be. You can also check all settings using a script.

Email

  •       Site SMTP settings
  •       Contact module settings, web form or others that require email.

Test content

Keep a list of test nodes, when you build your site.

Conclusion

Set everything environment specific that doesn’t require an occasional change in settings.php. Set the other environment specific settings by a shell script each deploys.

Keeping both the script and different settings.php files ensure you can keep track of your go live requirements. Use a go live simple test to check if everything is working as it should be.

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Applying Feature Driven Development to Web Development

Posted by on August 4, 2012

Feature Driven Development (FDD) is one of the web application development methodologies creating shorter iterations of functionality, each one catering to certain features in the website. FDD is quite unique and affordable web development methodology compared to other complex and complicated development methodologies available now. This article explains how FDD proves to be quite helpful in the web development arena as well.

Is FDD Useful in Web Development?

 FDD can be used for affordable web development. As web development covers a wide range of project types, how to apply FDD will depend on the nature of the project.

Main Aspects of FDD

 The five processes which are the main aspects of FDD are:

  • Project size

  • Technology

  • People

  • What it doesn’t cover

  • A starting point

 Project Size

FDD is extremely effective on large projects with complex business logic. It is not so effective on small projects with little business logic. Thus the use of elements of FDD to enforce code and design reviews is pretty hard.

Technology

Nothing in FDD dictates what technology to be used. However, the simple fact that the first process is primarily object modeling means that if you are not using an OO technology, using FDD is not going to be straight forward.

People

The key to FDD is process one, the key to process one is having a great object modeler and a great project manager. It doesn’t matter what process you use but the main need is good people. No process, including FDD will help you if you don’t have the right people.

What it Doesn’t Cover

FDD doesn’t cover every aspect of web application development. There are many aspects of a standard project that you’ll still need to manage outside of what FDD can help with. These aspects include:

  • Requirements gathering

  • Interface design

  • Testing

  • Deployment

Starting Point

Trying to implement a new process is difficult. In addition to learning the process, you also have to produce a result at the same time. An effective way to get started is to look at projects in an FDD way – that is, start to think of projects as a set of features. This approach can be used on almost any project regardless of size or technology.

Define a project as a list of features or functions

At some point, every project needs to be defined by what it does or what functionality it provides. By listing all these functions of the system, you are defining what it is you need to build to complete the project. The key is to make sure you use the same language as the client, don’t use technical terms that the client won’t understand because they won’t care if you build it. If they understand the feature, they will care about whether it has or hasn’t been built.

Plan development based on features

Once you know what you have to build, it’s a fairly straight forward task to work out the order. As some features will be dependent on others, they clearly have to be built first. Whatever the order, a development plan should be present to track your progress

Weekly project status meetings based on features completed

If you have a list what needs to be done and by when, it’s easy to then track progress and report back to the client. Its amazing how effective it is to be able to tell a client what features have been completed and what you’re currently working on.

A project manager, can find out problems much early in the piece and have a chance to deal with them before they become a major issue.

CONCLUSION

 Now it’s clear that FDD can be used for affordable web development. As a process, it is easy to understand takes a common sense approach. But the qualities of FDD are not as important as whether FDD is appropriate to the type of development you do and will help you to achieve what it is you hope to gain from adopting FDD.

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Web Development: The Process Discussed in Steps

Posted by on July 23, 2012

The internet has spread its tentacles to all the major cities and town in India, and IT companies are ruthlessly competing with each other for a slice of the pie, especially from small and medium enterprises.

Website development in India is no child’s game and a certain scientific approach is necessary to deliver the project within a budget and on time.

For that, understanding a clients need is the most important step for creating a successful website.

The following steps should be followed while building a informative business website;

  • Understand the clients business and purpose of the website.
  • Use the information about the clients business and it’s customers to set up the goals for the website.
  • Create a spec sheet, clearly mentioning the parameters, specifications and features to be included. It helps terminate confusion.
  • Maintain the website and improve if necessary to satisfy the goals of clients business.

For designing a successful website one needs to;

  • Learn everything about the clients business.
  • Find out the areas of profit.
  • Know the clients businesses corporate hierarchy and ethos.
  • Go through the product process.
  • Understand the brand identity.
  • Study the clients competitors.

Only after ascertaining these facts can one go ahead building the website, while keeping in mind the clients business interests.

In India, web development and domain selling business has grown exponentially in the last decade.  Website development in India now forms the bulk of the business of many IT companies and is expected to generate quarter of the $ 100 billion revenue projected by NASSCOM in FY 2012.

Before creating a online website, one needs to think backward, always thinking about the goals and desired outcomes. Only after that specifications, plug-in, navigation, functionality and social media connectivity can be built into.

Goals vary from one business to another,  these are;

  • Direct sales or online sales: Clients looking to sell their products online.
  • Generating leads: often for service-oriented businesses, i.e. doctors, lawyers, accountants, restaurants.

1.For branding purposes.

  • Getting clients company’s name out into the world wide web.
  • Image enhancement.
  • Humanizing the company through blogs, social media.
  • Highlighting charity and corporate social responsibility work done by the client.

2.Customer Service.

  • Communicating with current and potential customers online.
  • Creating forums where customers can make comments, suggestions or even complaints.
  • Accept criticism from customers and address the problem diligently.

3.Advertising and Sales.

  • Generates sufficient traffic to support an advertising-based business model with attractive  content and features, like; polls, games and community forums.
  • All the pages and  design should be approved by the client, before publishing.
  • Making sure that all the features on the website works as planned. The client should test all functionality before the site goes live.

Provide support to clients any time, because they  invest large capital into their website projects and are entitled to updates throughout the process.

Monitor and analyze the traffic patterns to the site, to see which feature is popular and is not getting proper visits.

Features can be quickly added, navigation  improved and  marketing programmes changed   to deliver improved results.

Maintenance should be done regularly to constantly keep track and examine different marketing platforms and deliver the best possible traffic to the site.

Importance of spec sheet

Spec sheet is the blue print of the project. It shows exactly the services to be delivered and a time table to adhered to, for completion of each element and helps decide specific pricing. A successful spec sheet can be the blue print of future projects.

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