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by lindsey
In yesterday's post I mentioned that smart phones will be a very important technology in 2009. Case in point, yesterday Android Market launched. Android Market allows users to download applications for the T-Mobile G1. Starting next Monday, developers will be able to register and upload their applications, much like the iPhone application store. However, there are some differences in terms of where the profits from application sales go, as well as the process for getting your application into the store. Read Coders to profit as Android Market opens to find out more information.
by lindsey
Last week, Gartner, an information technology research and advisory group, released their 2009 list of the top 10 strategic technologies to watch. The purpose of this list is to help business leaders strategically budget and formulate long term business plans. The list includes:  Many of these were included on last year's list, but cloud computing, specialized systems, and business intelligence are all new editions. One technology noticeably missing from the list is mobile computing. With all the buzz surrounding the iPhone and its emerging competitors, it definitely seems like a technology to watch! The increased efficiency of mobile computing will help transform the enterprise from a primarily deskbound workforce into a much more efficient and flexible organization. At Vyllo, we believe that this is one of the most important technologies in which to invest.
by lindsey
We just discovered that the website we implemented for Teroforma is featured on www.fishintheriver.com. Fish in the River documents the best CSS and flash web 2.0 sites all over the world. Click here to rate the Teroforma website or leave a comment.
by lindsey
More and more often, when an IT company makes the decision to go global, it is not so much a choice as a necessity. In order to remain competitive, companies are practically forced to utilize offshore locations to cut costs. Unfortunately, the business often suffers as a result. When discussing global project management with other tech companies, the conversation inevitably leads to them sharing their outsourcing horror stories: thousands of dollars wasted; burned out managers; poor work quality. These are just some of the problems facing global IT companies today. When the conversation heads in the direction, we always ask one question: "Have you considered Argentina?"  Over the past fifiteen years Argentina has experienced an economic transformation, marked by fiscal and monetary discipline, an opening up of the economy, deregulation of economic activities and privatization of public services. Furthermore, Argentina is distinguished by a very strong educational system, with many universities offering advanced programs in computer-related technologies. Having such a well trained pool of programmers has led to the demand for software in Argentina to become a billion dollar industry.
Of course, Argentina is not alone in having experienced an economic transformation over the past decades, nor is it alone in having a large supply of outstanding engineers, so while these factors do make Argentina a good candidate for outsourcing, other factors contribute to making it the best candidate. Companies that outsource often find that mangers are forced to work across multiple time zones. Depending upon the length of project and offshore location, those managers must either completely alter their works schedule (maybe working from 3 in the morning to 12 noon) or simply add many additional hours onto their day. Because these mangers rarely deal exclusively with offshore personnel, they are most likely forced to do the latter and must be available nearly 24 hours a day. These long days combined with the other frustrations that come with managing global teams lead managers to become less satisfied with their jobs. Often the project suffers because of this, and the company may end up losing a valuable member of its team. Having your offshore location in Argentina can help your company avoid these issues, as Argentina is in approximately the same time zone as the Eastern United States. Because Argentina is not located half way around the world, the managers in our New York office are able to easily communicate with our Argentinean developers during fairly normal business hours. Furthermore, unlike many European countries where employees often refuse to work outside normal business hours, Argentineans have a more American attitude towards work life and home life, and do generally not have a problem working longer hours when necessary. Just as cultural differences impact what is deemed an acceptable work day, so to can cultural differences impede the free exchange of ideas. For example, Americans are more likely than either Indians or Asians to raise potential issues and question each other. This can lead to problems when an American manager assumes that project requirements are well understood simply because no questions are asked. In the IT world, good communication across departments is crucial to the ultimate success of a project, and indeed to the company itself. In our experience, Argentinean culture is more compatible with American culture. Our developers are constantly asking questions to seek clarification, as well as making suggestions that they believe will help improve the project. The result is that our Argentinean team and our New York team truly function as a single entity. This is aided in part by the fact that we are in constant contact with one another, sending emails, instant messaging, and having video conferences. Perhaps the most compelling reason to look to Argentina for offshore development is that Argentineans are truly distinguished by their entrepreneurial spirit and pride in innovation. It is this that makes them not only willing, but excited to work hard on projects, take risks, and offer their opinions. Our team never blindly tackles a project, and they are always looking for ways to improve their own skill sets. There is a level of excitement and enthusiasm in our Argentinean team that is difficult to find anywhere else Time zone, work ethic, and cultural similarities all contributed to making Argentina the best outsourcing option for Vyllo. Just as it did with us, outsourcing to Argentina really can make your business life easier and insure that your work quality remains consistent. In fact, we would be surprised if it didn't improve.
by lindsey
With only weeks to go before the election, it looks like many states are failing to follow best practices when it comes to voting. A newly released report by the Brennan Center for Justice looks at four different areas of preparedness: 1. Polling Place Contingency Plans 2. Requirements for Sound Ballot Accounting and Voter Reconciliation 3. Use of Voting Systems with a Voter Verifiable Paper Record 4. Conducts Post-Election Audit of Voter Verifiable Paper Record Ten states (Colorado, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia) received "needs improvement" or "inadequate" in three of the four categories. New York was just average in terms of preparedness, receiving "Good" or "Generally Good" in the first two areas, but "Inadequate" in the second two areas. Despite concerns, states are more prepared than in past elections, so let's hope that by 2012 these issues are resolved! For more information on how technology is shaping the US presidential election, click here.
by lindsey
We just updated our October Verizon promotional offerings on our Vyllo Communications website. Check it out at www.vyllocommunications.com! If you are interested in a service and don't see a promotion listed, give us a call at (212)933-9381. New promotions are available everyday, and we will do everything we can to get you a great deal.
by lindsey
The decision regarding where to store your servers is an important one. While an in-house solution may work for some businesses, our clients often find that they experience issues with physical security, space, power, network connectivity, and operational support. Because of these issues, it is often better to let professionals manage your servers. A collocation facility will help you refocus your time and energy. In addition, you will save money by no longer having to worry about recurring capital costs when upgrading, since you can simply rent more space (or give up space if you are downsizing). You are also saved the expense of hiring and training your own personnel to operate and maintain your systems. Thanks to our partnership with Verizon, we are now able to offer access to several new business data centers in the tri-state area. Offering both tier 1 and tier 2 capabilities, these facilites provide a secure, dedicated environment where customers can colocate their Internet servers, data networking or voice equipment. Our data center customers recieve unparalleled, high-speed Internet connectivity, and the dedicated infrustructure necessary for their businesses to compete in today's marketplace with the flexibility to administer and access their own equipment. Our Manhattan facility (located on 9th Avenue) is currenlty at only 50% capacity, so you can be sure that we will be able to meet your IT needs, whatever they may be. Space is filling up quickly, so call us today at 646.338.5619 to find out more information on special deals and offerings or visit our website .
by lindsey
In this economic climate there are few businesses that won't be adversely affected in some way or other, at least in the short run. The natural reaction of most companies is to immediately look for ways to cut costs. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact you would be crazy to not look into ways to scale back your expenses, but it's not the whole solution. The companies that will emerge from the recession the strongest are those that realize that within recession also lies opportunity: the opportunity to receive services at more compelling rates and to sign on previously out of budget talent. Because of these opportunities, a recession is actually not a bad time to reevaluate all your systems and processes and look into investing in the future. In fact, if you are concerned for your business it may be very advantageous to act quickly in order to get a leg up on the competition and increase your appeal. If you can't afford to invest too much, take inventory of your existing infrastructure to determine new processes that are relatively cheap to implement and have the potential to yield high returns. If you are unsure as to how to proceed, contact a professional software consulting firm to assist you in making strategic recommendations. Be open about wanting to make a deal with them. In this climate, it's not unusual for people to be more open to negotiatiate. Firms with shops overseas may be particularly willing to negotiate projects and hourly rates. You should also remember that this is an excellent time to look for new talent. For example, if you know a local company is making layoffs, contact its HR department. You may be able to work with the company or its outplacement agency to identify workers who be interested in joining your company or working for you on a contract basis. There are a lot of excellent people out of work, and the most important investment you can make is in your team. One last word of warning: even if your IT budget is dwindling, make sure that you continue to invest in the necessary security features. It is better to consolidate some of your existing operations or focus on increasing security automation to get more output from fewer people. The last thing you want to be dealing with during a recession is a cyber attack that will disrupt your business operations. Remember, a recession is not just about cutting costs, it's about creating new value with those resources you have.
by lindsey
Environmental concerns are only just beginning to reshape the Enterprise's approach to IT. Now more than ever we are experiencing the consequences of the global energy crisis and more and more companies are taking the initial steps towards going green. Really, the decision to go green should be an easy one to make, primarily because over the long run it will save your business money. But even with the latest developments in technology, why is it taking so long for us to see real IT reform? The truth is, it's not so easy to go green. There are countless ways to decrease energy consumption, from purchasing compact fluorescent light bulbs to turning off unused equipment and better managing cooling processes, but often times companies don't know where or how to begin. Here are some suggestions from Vyllo: 1. Invest in Video on Demand Solutions Traveling is becoming more expensive as gas prices keep on rising. For enterprises with offices and clients all around the country, not to mention all around the world, those expenses add up significantly over time. At Vyllo, we believe that although some face to face meetings are invaluable and necessary, video solutions should be viewed as a powerful alternative. Video conferencing, training videos, and online presentations can all be used to save significant time and money in the enterprise. Those companies that make the move to video solutions sooner rather than later will reap the rewards and put themselves at a competitive advantage in the future. 2. Move customer interactions online In an effort to save time and money, more and more consumers are making the decision to do their shopping and handle their bills from home. In order to be competitive, your company should not only have a strong website, but should also provide excellent online customer service. Whether you choose to simply have a web application that allows customers to chat directly with customer service, or want a complete e-commerce solution, offering additional online services will make you more attractive to future customers. 3. Look into server virtualization Think of it as carpooling for computers. With server virtualization, one physical server hosts several virtual machines. The result is fewer servers working harder, reducing heating and power costs. It also puts servers in a secure, highly-maintained environment less vulnerable to sabotage, as well as allows you to avoid purchasing expensive hardware.
by lindsey
Over the past year, we have been receiving an increasing number of requests for Video On Demand (VOD) to be built into existing solutions. From businesses looking to utilize video on demand as a tool to store meeting and conference presentations, empower geographically dispersed teams, and provide effective education for new hires, to an entertainment company creating a website to showcase their live television show and user generated video content, it seems that everyone wants to get involved in video on demand. The increased interest in internet television shouldn't come as a suprise to anyone who has been following technology developments over the past few years. When internet television first appeared in the marketplace, dial-up connections were still dominant, making it incredibly inefficent and tedious to download even a single short video, never mind having an entire television network online. In short, online videos were cool, but not very practical. But today, increases in bandwidth and fast connection speeds have made it not only possible, but highly profitable for businesses to turn to video on demand solutions. The rise in internet videos has sparked an increasing number of video solutions. Many of these solutions are excellent, providing the extensability and customizability necessary to make them adaptable to different companies and requirements. With good quality solutions alerady available, at Vyllo we focus on customizing these solutions to insure that they are truly fitting your business needs. We can insure that your video solution will not only grow with, but also enhance your existing technology investments. If your business is interested in a video solution, one of the most important things you can do is to determine which of the many solutions will best suit your specific needs. This is not a case of one size fits all. Video solutions are complex services, and selecting the right one is the key to getting the most out of your investment. After a year of helping companies create the perfect solution we'd like to offer some useful tips for choosing the right one. The first step towards determining the best platform is to establish your key needs. For example, how many visits are expected on the site? How many streams? How is the video integrated into the current site and CMS? Is the video solution going to be monetized and to what extent? How many videos will you publish? These are some of the most basic questions that must be addressed in order to begin selecting a platform. Once you have a basic set of requirements, it is time to establish an additional selection criteria based on functional and operational considerations: Video Organization: It is important to have an effective system for uploading, encoding, and storing media within the sytem. You want to make your videos easy for people to find. Player Publishing: How is the media player created and customized? What features does it provide out of the box (full screen, embed, sent to a friend)? Does it have a reliable API so you can extend the player going forward? How is the quality of the user experience? Can you manage multiple channels with the player? Does the solution provider offer an HD solution? It is important to balance the right amount of functionality with speed to market. Advertising: Why are you interested in a video solution? Is the purpose of it to make money? If so, there are multiple considerations to be taken into account in terms of ad functionality. For example, what type of ad formats does the solution support? How much control do you want over the placement and duration of advertisements. How sophisticated to you want your targeting options to be? Monetizing a website is a complex task, but choosing the right platform can certainly simplify the process. User-Generated Content: If you want to accept video submissions directly from visitors to your website, you will need to balance simplicity with customizability in the upload process. In addition, you need to determine what type of video formats you will accept and how these videos will be encoded. You will also almost certainly want a method of reviewing and approving video submissions. Analytics: Analytics are an incredibly important feature of your business solution, as it is this feature that will allow you to view key information regarding your website activity. This may include identifying viewer patterns, identifying key sources of traffic to your website, and seeing how often a video is viewed to completion. This information will help you improve the value of your website and increase return on investment. Exstensibility and Customizability: Most often, a video solution will be snapped into an existing solution, so it is important to take into account the ease by which this can be done. In addition, it is important to select a player that can be easily extended as your business grows and evolves. When looking at different solutions, you must take into account how much you want to customize them, so that you can make a choice that will limit additional spending. Furthermore, some platforms are easier to customize than others, and this too should be taken into account when selecting the best solution for your business.
Content Deliver Network: All video solution providers offer integration with content delivery networks (CDN), which provide the infrastructure to support video files. While it is possible to buy your own CDN, it is typically simpler and more cost effective to use those already integrated with your provider's platform. Therefore, you should know which content delivery networks a provider's solution is integrated with. Company Strength: You want to make sure that the provider you choose is going to be a strong partner, both now and in the future. It is important to choose a provider that focuses primarily on video solutions. You should also look into their history, financials and customer base to ensure that you are choosing a leading solution.
If you take into account these questions and considerations, you can insure that your video solution will fit your unique business requirements.
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