Google is introducing Firebase Remote Config in order to help developers be more successful with their applications. The new solution is designed to give developers the ability to adapt and respond to user feedback and deliver content quickly.

“By allowing you to change the look and feel of your app from the cloud, Firebase Remote Config enables you to stay responsive to your user’s needs,” wrote Todd Kerpelman, Firebase developer advocate, and Safa Alai, Remote Config product manager, in a blog post. “Firebase Remote Config also enables you to deliver different content to different users, so you can run experiments, gradually roll out features, and even deliver customized content based on how your users interact within your app.”

The new solution features the ability to update applications without having to push out a new version; the ability to deliver content targeted at different user groups; A/B tests; and gradual rollouts.

Firebase Remote Config is free for Android and iOS.

Veracode helps developers protect and deploy their apps
Veracode is announcing new solutions designed to help developers approach application security and shorten the time it takes to deploy them.

The company announced Veracode Runtime Protection, a new solution that detects common attacks, blocks attackers, and provides insights into attacks. In addition, the company announced a newly patented, automated coaching method that aims to give developers positive feedback into their security practices.

“Major changes in how software is being developed, coupled with the increased value and risk associated with the software that powers every aspect of our lives, demand a transformation in how application security is done,” said Sam King, Chief Strategy Officer of Veracode. “Application security has to become a seamless part of how software is developed in the first place to support the move to DevOps and Continuous Integration processes. It also has to extend all the way to protect applications as they are running. We’re moving forward on both of those paths, and today’s announcements are evidence of that strategy in action.”

MapR announces enterprise-grade Spark distribution
MapR is releasing a new distribution that aims to redefine how companies leverage their Big Data. The new enterprise-grade Apache Spark distribution is designed to support advanced analytic applications and key open-source projects that complement spark. It provides all advanced analytics such as batch processing, machine learning, procedural SQL and graph computation, and it includes that latest version of Spark.

“We’ve built this new distribution to make it easier for customers that leverage the power of Spark for their Big Data initiatives,” said Anoop Dawar, vice president of product management at MapR. “We’ve seen significant growth of customers deploying Spark as their primary compute engine. We believe this gives our customers a converged compute and storage engine for batch, analytics, and real-time processing that helps build and deploy applications rapidly.”

Couchbase announces new Spark Connector
Couchbase’s newly released Apache Spark Connector aims to accelerate time to insight and time to action for businesses. According to the company, the Couchbase Spark Connector can be used for real-time product recommendations, failure detection, network intrusion detection, fraud detection, and product and customer insight.

“We are very excited about today’s news,” said Will Gardella, director of Big Data product management at Couchbase. “Couchbase and Spark are uniquely capable of providing the scale and performance that Big Data requires. The Spark data processing engine and Couchbase NoSQL database are a natural fit to perform end-to-end, real-time data analytics. Integrating these two memory-centric technologies via the Couchbase Spark Connector provides a compelling Big Data solution that can dramatically improve overall business success for Digital Economy businesses.”