It’s a familiar experience: You’re on the subway using an app on your phone or tablet, when suddenly you lose network coverage. Without warning, the app becomes completely unusable. Applications are all too often designed on the assumption that connectivity is ubiquitous. But we all know that even in the most connected metropolis, loss of … continue reading
Almost every modern business and application uses open-source modules. It’s misleading to spend time distinguishing between open-source and proprietary software, because modern applications include third-party software components. Many of those components are open source, and very few companies have a solid understanding of the security vulnerabilities that come with the code. The reach and impact … continue reading
Today’s DevTest teams are under pressure to deliver more (and more innovative) software faster than ever before. And now that most organizations are relying on software as a primary interface to the customer, compromising on quality to accelerate a release is not an option. How can DevTest teams deliver “quality at speed”? Unfortunately, there’s no … continue reading
It’s been a couple weeks since the grueling Software Testing World Cup Finals, and the team has finally had some time to catch our collective breath, reflect on the experience as a whole, and garner some lessons learned. First and foremost, the entire competition was a rewarding experience for me and the rest of the … continue reading
In my previous article, “Why developers are struggling with SaaS,” I talked about the three most important building blocks of software-as-a-service (SaaS) architecture: security, performance, and data backup and recovery. Now I want to dive deep into SaaS security. In order to be relevant in today’s dynamic cybersecurity climate, SaaS applications must be hyper-focused on … continue reading
When a company embarks on “digital transformation,” it often has to modify its existing software systems. This can become excruciatingly difficult in large organizations with software monoliths—large, custom-built software systems with multiple development teams working on the same codebase. A common response from companies with their backs up against the “monolithic wall” is to hire executives from well-known … continue reading
Toys that understand a child’s language and interact with him or her on a level he or she can understand. Personal assistants that learn your routines and vocalize reminders to complete tasks, or to exercise. Software quality systems that can learn what is a bug and what is not, or what areas are vulnerable to … continue reading
The software monetization industry is at a crossroads today. In contrast to mobile app developers who have a variety of app monetization methods to choose from, software developers often struggle to build out solid monetization strategies. This, coupled with the challenge of software discovery and distribution, drastically hinders software developers’ ability to churn out new … continue reading
On the day of the Software Testing World Cup Finals, it was an understatement to say my team and I were nervous. We knew we had worked our hardest to prepare, but the fact that none of us knew exactly what lie ahead for us to test left us with an air of uncertainty. The … continue reading
Personal digital assistants like Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana are just the beginning. Soon we’ll be interacting with all manner of applications and online services—everything from managing our calendars to ordering pizzas and reserving hotel rooms—not with the buttons, forms and controls that we’re used to, but by chatting with them using natural language. Or, … continue reading
I had the good fortune of being part of a team that recently had the chance to compete in the first stages of the Software Testing World Cup (STWC). Not many people may be aware of its existence, but it’s a unique competition designed to find the best quality assurance engineers on the planet. The … continue reading
This month’s column is a transcript of a fascinating conversation I had with MapR executives Jim Scott, the director of enterprise strategy and architecture at Hadoop solution provider MapR, and Jack Norris, senior VP of data and applications, on the subject of microservices and scaling Big Data. SD Times: So, we know that scaling data … continue reading
Replacement of data entry with data sensing can enable better, faster, and more relevant results from application software. But it’s important for software architects to see that this change means they are setting a course for their application away from decision support and toward control. Find the data Let’s start with a manufacturing example. People … continue reading
When it comes to formal-but-not-formal rules, baseball is king. Don’t talk about a no-hitter in progress, don’t steal a base in a blowout and so on, all getting into the minutiae of the game. But baseball isn’t alone in the world of invisible manuals; the technology industry has their own set of these hidden guidelines. … continue reading
