Terri John Andoy


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Golang has been making noise in the web development community--some known
companies are now switching to Go. Here in White Cloak, having the best and
efficient way of writing top-notch programs is essential, but how can we use
this to our advantage?


Firstly, Golang has proven its prowess in data handling and is on par with
Python in that area. For web development and for handling JSON data, I
personally use Echo Framework for Go since we aim for simplicity and
performance. The framework offers a highly optimized HTTP router; scalable
RESTful API; many built-in middlewares to use and many more underlying features
that other frameworks (usually rely on 3rd party dependencies) don't have and is
also perfect for a microservice set up in which our company aims to achieve. By
pairing it with MongoDB (NoSQL) and the addition of goroutines (concurrency)
which speeds up data processing by doing two functions simultaneously, it boosts
the already fast performance of the established Golang codebase.


Secondly, to give an overview on how powerful this combination is, during my
college days, I was exposed to Golang even before it was popular, our whole
management system (as web apps) in school is already using it as the backend
microservice. Managing data from the cashier, registrar, and other offices was
just a breeze. For my OJT Project, I developed a student security system
prototype where the students will tap their RFID Cards to the scanner and it
will log the date/time and which turnstile gate (entrance or exit) they entered.
Not to mention, GoLang also controls the turnstile gate itself with Arduino and
GoBot.io Framework as a separate microservice. Basically, this programming
language is still unknown during that time but is already carrying all the data
management load and the Internet of Things technology of our school. Also during
the White Cloak Hackathon 2019, I used Golang for our Management Information
System of HR entry where I was able to create a microservice that will cater to
basic CRUD in less than 5 hours, and it also landed us the Rookie Award too.
Now, should we go for gold and hit the switch? With the ongoing projects we
have, it might be close to impossible migrating our backend services to Go, but
in the future, it could be part of our ever-growing tech stack that places us
near the golden standards of web development.

insights

Go for Gold

Kim Nicole Montano

Administrator


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"When can we launch?"


This is probably the most frequently asked question we get from our clients. As
always, we love the eagerness, but as any software development goes, there
should be critical planning and proper prioritization of which features should
be done first.


Here at White Cloak, we also want to launch as soon as possible! This is why we
opt to work with our clients who understand how to work with agility in mind.
Through conducting workshops about the agile mindset, our clients get a better
picture of how they can get to the launch date as quickly and efficiently as
possible. By having measurable ROIs through a definied iterative delivery of
features, there is constant feedback and small but continous releases.


In the coming weeks, we will do a high-level explanation of the methodologies,
how to get feedback, and what success metrics to look out for. At the end of
this series, we hope that everyone will have a better understanding of how to
use these practices to the fullest.

Agile


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Test Automation is using software to control the execution of tests and compare
the expected outcome versus the actual outcome.


With the ability to run hundreds of thousands of tests, test automation allows
us to try out features quickly. It gives us the agility we need to refine our
software more efficiently. The result, award-winning apps, efficiently
fine-tuned thousands of times, perfectly working and ready to use.


Our clients also love automated software testing not only can they:
a) Deploy products faster

b) Reduce testing costs and most importantly

c) Get a fully-working, 100% tested software that ensures their users will have
a seamless user experience.


So, what are you waiting for? Don't know where to start?

Send us a message!

Automation


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did you know that testing cars are a lot like the best practices in testing
software?


Much like car manufacturers go through rigorous tests before they deliver their
cars to customers, we too in the software development industry have different
stages wherein we make sure that the app of our clients is operating perfectly.
We call these different stages: Environments.


We have the development environment where features are incrementally added and
tested by developers. Once passed, developers hand the build off to quality
assurance to be checked in the Testing Environment. Here they perform testing
activities to detect all possible defects or faults related to the added
feature. After this, we move on to the Staging Environment to simulate all
possible user behaviors and use real data to see how the application behaves.
Similar to crash testing in cars, we want to know how our software fares in
extreme circumstances.


Finally, once the car or the software is done through these testing environments
it is now ready to be used in production. Are you testing your software like how
you test cars? Are you making sure that the personal data of your software users
are protected? Have you tested if the security of your applications is
impenetrable? Are you confident that users will be able to use your app as
planned without issues? If any of your answers in the questions above are no,
then you might want to revisit how you test your software.


At White Cloak, we test our software the way car manufacturers do, like our
users' lives depend on it.

Environments in Software Design

White Cloak Technologies Inc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

White Cloak Technologies, Inc. holds its first ever webinar on December 2, 2020
(Wed) entitled Digital Transformation In Action: Where you’re at & Where to
next. In this free-to-register webinar, White Cloak tackles the next big thing
in digital transformation to prepare enterprises to quickly adapt to emerging
technologies.

Digital Transformation In Action: Where you’re at & Where to next December 2,
2020 | Wednesday | 1:30 PM - 3:15 PM GMT+8 | ZoomSign up at: 
https://bit.ly/WhiteCloakWebinar2020

White Cloak has also invited keynote speakers experts in their field. Hot topics
discussed are:

Indicators of a Successful Digital Transformation Journey by Ernest Valencia •
Head of Digital Marketing • Ayala Malls

 * How to know if the business is on the right track in digital transformation?
 * What should they do during digital transformation to prepare for the next big
   thing?
 * When and how to choose partners / vendors for digital transformation
   projects?

Data as the Fuel to your Relevanceby John William Orillo • Lead Engineer, Data
Analysis, Algorithm and Research	Samsung Research Philippines

 * How can businesses leverage data to fuel their relevance in the digital
   space?
 * How can businesses make data-driven decisions?
 * What are the tried-and-tested practices and tools in storing, defining,
   maintaining, and using data?

Gearing Up for the Next Big Thing in Digital Transformationby Ralph Vincent
Regalado • CEO & Founder • Senti AI

 * What will be the next big thing in digital transformation?
 * What are the emerging tools and trends in digital transformation?
 * Should businesses invest in these ahead? Why or why not?

Presentations per speaker will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Cindy
Burdette, CEO & Co-founder of ALLCARE. 
Register through: https://bit.ly/WhiteCloakWebinar2020

Next Big Thing in Digital Transformation: White Cloak Holds First Webinar


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More often than not, even when the puzzle is still unfinished, you already have
a rough idea of the final picture. An MVP or Minimum Viable Product is similar
to that. An MVP is a version of your product that shows your customers the value
you bring them with the least amount of resources and effort. Sounds great,
right? But you might wonder how one starts building an MVP. It is critical that
we list down the most critical features and only work on those that will
convince our customers to try our product or service.


The MVP is only a piece of an even larger picture called Build-Measure-Learn
framework that teaches us to get feedback early that leads to launching a
business model that actually works. If you think you have a big idea to launch,
and you are worried about the resources needed, make sure you start with only
the most critical to your customers - not to you.


Thinking of building your MVP, send us a message and we can brainstorm on it
together!

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

Amy Domingo


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User Experience Design (UX) is like preparing food according to your customer’s
“taste”. What do they feel like eating? What spice level do they want it in? Are
they following a certain diet? There will even be times that they won’t even be
able to describe what they want. They’ll just know it when they taste it. Sounds
familiar? 


Likewise, when making your product, you really need to get to know your
customers to make your product palatable to them. Put yourself in their shoes.
Discover which ingredients work best with their taste and needs. Through the
process of getting to know them, you might even find out that what they need is
actually different from what their current taste is. As a UX designer, your job
involves balancing out their needs with their wants.


Now that you’ve got the taste and nutrition right, it’s now time to make it look
great and aesthetically pleasing. It looks as good (or even better) as it
tastes! That’s where the User Interface (UI) Design comes in. Can you make your
product appealing enough so that your customers can’t wait to dig into your
product?


"But wait, is making it look good is part of the cooking and food preparation
process too?"


Yes, you’re right! And that’s why UX and UI need to work seamlessly together.
This is the White Cloak way. You need to consider both practices to cook up a
great product that keeps your customers coming back for more!

UX and UI Cooking 101


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this day and age of technological advancements, it is rare to see companies
that do not have websites or even software applications. From automating
business processes (internal and external) to improving customer processes,
having a software application can provide reliability and improve businesses,
regardless of the industry.

However, most companies struggle with one question; to outsource or not. While
having an internal IT department can provide several benefits, it also has
drawbacks, including purchasing necessary equipment, hiring specialists, and a
whole lot more. On the other hand, outsourcing allows companies to focus on
their core business activities and strategy while saving both money and time.

Outsourcing software development is becoming more common today, as companies
globally turn to third-party services to deliver intrinsic solutions that can
alleviate pressure on internal staff. According to Statista
[https://www.statista.com/topics/1900/it-outsourcing/], the global market for 
outsourced IT services is worth US$92.5 billion, which means more and more
companies are leveraging third-party software developers.

Apart from the increasing number of businesses outsourcing software development,
below are some of the reasons why you should also leverage third-party
developers.



1. No more tedious recruitment process
Hiring IT professionals for a development project is a lengthy procedure
[https://www.glassdoor.com/research/time-to-hire-study/#]. Apart from making
sure that you recruit people with the necessary expertise, you also need to
ensure good employment conditions so your developers will stay with you for a
long time or until you release your software. If you choose a reliable
third-party software development company, you can be sure that your software is
created by highly experienced programmers that will be there with you throughout
the development process, plus, no need to stress about the recruitment process
and other problems.



2. Reduce operational cost
According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a developer is Php200,000
[https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/philippines-information-technology-salary-SRCH_IL.0,11_IN204_KO12,34.htm] 
(as of April 2021) per year.  That doesn’t include benefits, training, outside
consulting, bonuses, or other employee-related expenses. Apart from that, an
internal IT team must have space to work and the necessary equipment and
furniture. As their employer, you need to provide all of them. So if you decide
to hire your own team, you need to think about all the additional operational
and overhead costs. Outsourcing developers removes all of these problems because
you don’t need to maintain a whole team. All you need to do is pay the actual
hours the developers work on your project; no need to spend money on additional
rent, furniture, and equipment.



3. Work with developers with exceptional skills and team chemistry
An outsourced software development team allows you to hire developers with
extensive experience and exceptional skills. You can rarely find developers with
these experiences, and they indeed have an expensive price tag of as much as
Php
73,000 per month
[http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=171&loctype=1&job=1&jobtype=1] 
if you wish to hire them in your internal team. By outsourcing your IT team, you
get to have more than a developer. Usually, external IT agencies have teams of
designers, product managers, quality assurance engineers, and, of course,
developers. All of the members have experienced working together on multiple
projects, thus, giving them the team chemistry to work through various projects.
Apart from team chemistry, developers from an outsourced team have experienced
working with different IT projects across various clients and industries, giving
them an edge over an internal team.



4. More time to focus on your business
When you outsource developers, you don’t need to worry about managing a team.
The agency will appoint you a manager whom you can contact directly for updates
on your project. This means that you only have minimal involvement, such as
making sure that you and the team are on the same page. Because of this, you
have more time to focus on your core business processes and strategies rather
than worrying and managing a whole team of developers.



Outsource Your Software Development Team Today
When you outsource a software development company [https://www.whitecloak.com/],
you ensure that your business processes are supported by IT experts and your
custom business apps are developed by an exceptionally skilled team of
professionals. Outsourcing also helps you concentrate on your core business and
streamline your company’s workflow, ensuring that you only focus your energy on
developing and improving your business. 


Ready to outsource your developers? Contact White Cloak today
[https://www.whitecloak.com/contact-us] and find out how we can help create the
best solution for your business in this age of globalization and technological
advances.

4 Reasons Why You Should Outsource Your Software Development


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this age of technological advancements, if you are running a business or
starting a new one, you must consider having a mobile app to boost your
business’s growth. However, coming up with a unique app idea, no matter what
goals you are trying to achieve with it, is not enough anymore, as the app
market is becoming increasingly competitive. 


According to Grand View Research
[https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/mobile-application-market],
the global mobile application market size was valued at USD 154.05 billion in
2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5%
from 2020 to 2027. This continued growth means that it will become more
challenging to stand out. Apart from that, the investment in app development is
substantial, both considering your time and budget. 


Diving into the mobile app development stage unprepared can result in costly,
frustrating, and brand-damaging mistakes. To help you avoid such errors, below
are some tips that you should consider before developing an app.





Conduct initial market research and empirical expirements
Before developing an app, most people will recommend conducting deep market
research to understand the current market. However, deep research is unnecessary
and may waste your time and effort. Instead, do some initial market research
quickly followed by empirical experiments, where you test your proof of concepts
(POCs) on a small scale. You can also use split cases and test different unique
selling points (USPs) and check where more users would sign up. 


Once you have completed this research, you will have all the information you
need to clearly define your unique take on the problem you are solving. There
are millions of mobile apps in the market, and this is your opportunity to
ensure yours stands out.




Decide whether you'll develop a native, web, or cross-platform app
Native apps are exclusively developed for a single platform using
native-to-the-operating-system language. It acquires all of the operating
system’s features and the advantages of the app. On the other hand, web apps are
best for solutions that don’t necessarily require access to the device’s native
abilities. Cross-platform apps are the best solution for low-cost custom apps
with secure and easy-to-maintain features. 


To help you decide, below is a table differentiating the three app types: 





Native

Web

Cross-platform


Technology

iOS:  Objective-C / Swift

Android: Java / Kotlin

Coded in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, platform-agnostic

React Native / Flutter / Kotlin Multiplatform


Performance



Highest. Native apps have the full capability to access the device’s features
and APIs

Limited. They run through the browser and don’t have full access to the device’s
functionalities

Close to native. A modern cross-platform solution such as Flutter is able to
utilize native SDK

Cost

Most expensive. Separate code base per platform.

Significantly cheaper than native due to a single code base.

Significantly cheaper than native due to shared codebase.



Create your business model
According to a research
[https://www.businessofapps.com/app-developers/research/app-development-cost/] 
by Business of Apps, an application with a set of must-have features starts from
US$120,000. You should have a business model in place to recoup the cost of
developing your app. A business model will also be your guide that will turn
your app ideas into action. You should start with visualizing the project and
formulating the key concepts that will provide the basis for your business.
Think of it as the roadmap of your app development journey. From its budget,
monetization options for the app to your marketing strategy, you must have a
 business model ready to make your application successful.




Know your target audience
Defining your target audience is one of the essential steps you should take
before developing an app, as the audience plays an integral part of your app.
You should try to answer questions such as who will be using this app and how it
will help them. If your app can meet your target audience’s expectations, it
will likely increase popularity and success.





Be open to change during the development process.
App development should be an ongoing process. Along the way, you may encounter
several conundra that may lead to changes in your original plan. Most of these
changes are incremental but be ready and open as there may be some adjustments
and modifications that need to be made during the app development journey. For
example, the popular messaging platform, Slack, was first developed as an
online
game called Glitch [https://mashable.com/article/slack-glitch/]. The company
then took the customized communication platform the team used to build Glitch
and transformed it into the business communication tool we know of today.





Conclusion
There is no sure-shot success way of anything you do in this entire world, but
these tips can help make the app development process as seamless as possible.
Remember, the success of your app doesn’t only depend on one thing; it is an
ongoing process, and there will always be areas for improvement even after you
have launched your app. 
Do you have a killer app idea? White Cloak Technologies
[https://www.whitecloak.com/] has executed various killer app ideas and yours
could be the next. Contact us today [https://www.whitecloak.com/contact-us] and
let us know how we can help you achieve the mobile app of your dreams.

5 Important Tips To Know Before Developing A Mobile App


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Results from a 2020 survey by Twilio show that businesses have started to put
more money  into digital transformation initiatives. 79% of respondents have
increased their budgets for  new digital strategies in response to COVID-19.
This surge in demand for technology will  continue at least through 2023
according to a report by the IDC.

Global research firm Gartner also predicts IT spending will increase 8.4% to
$4.1 trillion this  year as more companies across industries move their
operations online.

Today, we’re seeing technology being adopted to create new business models.
Retail brands  are building their presence in eCommerce platforms and shifting
sales online. Automation is  enabling companies that have had to reduce their
workforce due to the pandemic by  increasing productivity despite having fewer
employees.

Digital transformation means closing the gaps left by mandated lockdowns and
other  restrictions that have used technology to limit the way people work. At
first glance, the criteria  for doing this are simple: business owners and CEOs
consider what's on the market, what it  can do to increase productivity, and how
it meets their needs.

But often, generic, off-the-shelf software doesn't meet the companies’ specific
needs. This is the reason why businesses look for custom solutions.

Custom software is a solution that is created, deployed, and maintained for a
specific  business. It is developed to solve a company's specific problems with
the features it needs to  be more effective.

If you're wondering if developing a custom software is the right route to take
for your  company, let's take a look at some of its advantages and
disadvantages.



Advantages of Custom Software
1. It's a personalised solution for all your needs

Developing a custom software solution ensures that it's tailored to suit your
needs. You can  be particular about how it should be built and how it should
support your business needs.  The problem with ready-made products in the market
is that there's no assurance that they  will all fit seamlessly into your
operations.


Custom software can be personalised the way you like and need it to be. When you
have a  solution designed to do exactly what you want it to do, it optimises
processes and increases  productivity. One example of custom software is
automated invoicing, which allows  businesses to pay, get paid, process
payments, and get real-time notifications. This kind of  cloud-based solution is
effective for small to mid-sized online businesses who need an  efficient means
of distributing invoices between suppliers and buyers in a safe and fully
 integrated digital format.

2. It’s a smart long-term investment

Some businesses are hesitant to invest in custom software development due to
cost. And  while the up-front costs are usually higher, it saves businesses
money long-term. There is no  need to buy extra hardware, acquire annual
licenses, or pay for features that your team is  likely never going to use. All
these recurring costs will cumulatively be more expensive if you  incur them
yearly.

3. It allows seamless integration

Customising software allows easier integration with your existing applications.
Businesses can  avoid having to maintain several programs, reducing stress, and
accomplishing more.



Disadvantages of Custom Software
1. It requires a higher technical proficiency

If you choose to develop custom software, an extra level of technical
understanding is  required. Implementing custom software requires you to invest
in training your people as  well. If your employees lack the skill set necessary
to configure it and maximise its functions,  going for an off-shelf program
would be better.

2. It needs more time to develop and deploy

The designing, implementation, and set up stages of custom software will take
time that some  businesses can't afford to lose. During development, you may
also face various complications  that may delay the delivery of the product. If
you need a fast solution so as not to disrupt your  workflow, a custom software
might not be worth the risk.



Why Choose Custom Software Development 
Although the initial cost of this project can be high, especially for SMEs, it
has the potential to  be more cost effective in the long run.

The ROI of custom software is not as simple as investing a certain amount and
receiving  another amount as profit, but once implemented, take a look at how it
benefits the overall internal productivity of the business and establish the
right metrics for growth to evaluate its  effectiveness.

Companies can cut down their expenses by up to 50-60% when they outsource a
developer  to help them build their custom software. This is due to the reduced
cost of onboarding,  salaries, and other employee benefits. Apart from these
savings, they are able to avail the  services of specialized professionals who
are able to speed up development for the  company.

Let us know how we can help your business today.

5 Important Tips To Know Before Developing A Mobile App

RECENT ARTICLES

Let's create something
amazing together

5 Important Tips To Know Before Developing A Mobile App

RECENT ARTICLES

Let's create something amazing together

Let's create something
amazing together