Digital Sabre Solutions

Are Mobile Apps Safe?

Mobile apps have become a necessity for many of us, but how do users know if they are secure?

One of the biggest concerns currently is the in the permissions that mobile apps have, and what they might be doing with users’ personal information. For example: it is great to have an app that organizes all your passwords, but what does it do with that information? Some of these apps will access user’s info such as contacts or the users phone number, and leak that info back to the creator of the free app.

Recently, a permission vulnerability was patched in the Android 2.2 release, but other vulnerabilities exist and it is difficult for the mobile operating system vendors to guarantee that they can safeguard users data with the flood of third-party apps being developed daily.

The best way to protect yourself –and your digital identity, from nefarious apps is to do your research before you install them. Check the web for reviews and any security vulnerability information. If the app is from a trusted source, you are probably good to go—if not, you will want to do your due-diligence before exposing yourself for a “cool game” or a “neat app” meant to keep you busy on the train. Another tip is to not use your iTunes (or other app download venue) username and password anywhere else-such as your bank account! Do not use the same passwords for secure information as you do for the quickie-gotta-have-it squeeze site or shopping site. In fact, always check your bills & account statement and make sure if a fraudulent charge is made, that you are able to address it immediately.

Bottom line – there is a serious threat, security, viruses, and other issues with your mobile smart phone, but just as the technology is being developed to take advantage of you—the technology is being developed to protect you as well. Be vigilant, be cautious and if an app is too good to be true, think carefully before downloading it!

What do you see as the biggest security threat in mobility and the success of mobile apps going forward?

Cool Apps: Hop Stop

At Digital Sabre, we are always looking at the best and coolest new apps. This week we would like to bring you our new favorite travel app: Hop Stop. Once you get the hang of this one, you will love the convenience of finding the best route on public transportation or on foot in a new city. The upsite is that big cities like NYC and Boston are on HopStop — the down-side is that smaller, but also confusing travel cities such as Charlotte, NC are not yet available. (Stay tuned though–it looks like they are adding new cities as fast as they can!)

HopStop is a FREE app as of yet, although you will find it to be subsidized by the standard advertisements. This could be considered annoying, but given that the app is currently free, and you might get a good restaurant suggestion out of the deal, we feel that it is worth it.

So, there is no need to get lost on a public transporation system in a new city you have traveled to… just put  the from and to points into this nifty app, and you will get the best subway, train, bus and/or walking directions possible! The app is currently available for 16 cities, states and regions in the US and Europe, including New York City, Long Island, San Francisco, Paris and New Jersey. Enjoy!

Brought to you by the Digital Sabre Cool App Dept.

**Do you think you could use a custom app similar to this one to help you get around your neighborhood, large building, airport, city, warehouse or other locale? Let us know! Contact@digitalsabre.net

Digital Sabre’s TRAKR

Charlotte-Based Company Launches New SaaS App: Digital Sabre’s TRAKR Keeps Track of Vehicles and Profits

Custom application developer Digital Sabre has developed a new SaaS enabled application called TRAKR. TRAKR is a GPS enabled, fleet and Mobile Workforce management solution delivered on a Software as a Service (SaaS) model. It helps you bring efficiency across your operations from gaining insight to where your vehicles are to assigning tasks to your service people.

Read the full Press Release on PRWeb

Why Use Share Point?

SharePoint 2010 is an innovative new Microsoft product, and Digital Sabre is pleased to be able to bring the extensive SharePoint capabilities to our customers. SharePoint’s main function is to assist your business work more efficiently through easy storage of documentation, indexing, searching, and reporting with integration with Microsoft products including Microsoft Communicator.

​Microsoft SharePoint 2010 has benefits above and beyond what we have seen before. Using SharePoint, businesses can set up Web sites to share information, manage documents, and publish reports to help each member of a team become more effective.

The functionality of SharePoint allows businesses to quickly respond to its changing needs. Using SharePoint 2010, your people can share ideas and expertise, create custom solutions for your specific needs, and find the right business information to make the best choices. SharePoint 2010 will help IT Departments cut training and maintenance costs, save time and effort, and focus on higher business priorities.​

SharePoint allows you to be more productive by connecting with the technologies that you already use, and Digital Sabre can make that happen for you. Give the Digital Dabre SharePoint team a call at 877.630.7371.

Mobile Application in the Healthcare Industry

The possibilities are nearly limiteless. Healthcare and mobile applicationssemed destined for a long and health marriage. Besides putting healthcare professionals and patience in better and more complete contact, allowing through patient support through SMS, there are hundreds of applications either in use, or on the cusp of development.

Here are just a few uses for mobile applications in the healthcare industry:

1) Prescription Refills
2) Appointment Scheduling, reminders, notices the doctors are running late, etc.
3) Logging of food intake, or blood glucose, or other health info that could go directly to a doctor or office
4) Transferring of medical data
5) Support for patients, i.e. hearing loss or dementia patients
6) Food dietary information
7) Self diagnosis software
 8) Fitness logs & health diaries
9) Collection of data from implanted devices
10) Access to patient records
11) Billing records, and payment
12) Sending pictures to physicians (i.e. to monitor how a wound is healing)
13) Remote diagnosis

Mobile applications can help streamline how a medical office works, or help a patient monitor their own health. As technology and innovation are able to produce new applications, more and more people can be helped. Think about the possibilities… A doctor in California being able to work with their patient traveling in Europe, a medical office being able to inform you if the doctor’s appointments are running an hour late!

Digital Sabreis proud to be on the cutting edge of this type of programming–helping the health care field be more efficient, patient focused, and profitable.

Digital Sabre: Providing Development Donation to nKind Rewards

nKind Rewards
Digital Sabre is helping nKind Rewards, recent winner of the Five Venture competition at UNCC, put together a System Requirement Specifications (SRS) document to act as the foundation for the development of their new software application. Digital Sabre will apply CMMi certified methodologies to ensure the final product is delivered on time, within budget, and to the client’s specifications. Digital Sabre is providing 40 hours of donation-based work to aid nKind Rewards in their development efforts.

Going Saas one Step at a Time

The One-Step-at-a-Time Approach to SaaS

Despite the hype of the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) deployment model, software companies are somewhat apprehensive and for good reason; the problems encountered by early adopters are an indication that the technology has not quite reached its full potential.

There is another approach to implementing SaaS, however, and that is taking it one step at a time. While this may not be a ‘plug and play’ formula that can be applied to each and every company, it does reflect a logical, managed journey towards SaaS, albeit cautious. Suggested here is a step-by-step approach to implementing SaaS configurations.

Step 1: Do a feasibility study

A feasibility study is the first thing you should do and it’s probably one of the most neglected yet critical areas. Before you go ahead and start developing the next salesforce.com, do an analysis from an objective perspective. Ask questions such as: Why should the company consider moving in to a SaaS model as opposed to sticking with the traditional delivery method. Does SaaS deliver make sense for the business? You should also conduct a benefit analysis and research the degree of flexibility needed, plus potential risks that may arise and any licensing-related issues that may affect both delivery models.

Step 2: Set goals and objectives for the SaaS application

You have determined that developing a SaaS application makes sense. Now set goals and objectives to measure the effectiveness of the application. Pen what you want to achieve through a SaaS delivery model. Also at this time, make a tentative marketing and sales plan. This can be reviewed and altered at a later date, if needed.

Step 3: Consider the costs and the cash flows

The business model for SaaS is different than that of traditional software models. One of the most important dissimilarities is the nature of cash flow. Large, upfront licensing expenses are replaced by pay-as-you-go subscription costs. A SaaS operator should also pay special attention to the potential fixed cost that will be incurred such as continuous support to the application.

Step 4: Develop a Strong SLA

We cannot over emphasize the importance of a strong Service Level Agreement (SLA) in this industry. An SLA acts as a safety net for any software company as well as SaaS provider. And when the software is provided as a service, an SLA becomes even more vital. A rock solid SLA serves a duel purpose for the SaaS provider: (1) it will add to your credibility as a reliable vendor, defining the services and support that will be provided and (2) an SLA will clearly outline the limitation of your obligation towards clients (or should we say tenants?).

Step 5: Build the Team

Software as a Service – see the word “service” in there? Make the service memorable and you have a winner. Delivering a superior SaaS experience depends, to a great extent, on the level of service the company offers. The application needs to be backed by a strong team of support personnel and a customer support center. Make sure you can sustain your software with superior service levels by putting together a team who can handle the challenge. And don’t forget to bring your current team up to speed on what’s required to succeed as a SaaS company and procure their buy-in.

Step 6: Plan the Project

Before you start developing your SaaS application, there is one more step to consider – and it’s an important one. Draw up a project plan and set clear milestones. Remember, these are not the same as what may apply to a traditional software project. Proper planning will ensure your project succeeds with minimal delays and problems along the way.

Like to know more about how to manage a SaaS application development project? Give Digital Sabre a call today at 704-944-5525 for a free consultation. We’re here to help.

Would you like to read this article on our website? Click the links below:

Part 1: http://www.digitalsabre.net/approach-to-saas

Part 2: http://www.digitalsabre.net/become-a-successful-and-reliable-saas-provider

Digital Sabre: New Clients

Digital Sabre would like to welcome the following new clients:

Affinity Solutions

Digital Sabre was recently contacted by Affinity Solutions to develop a mobile application for three platforms (Iphone, Android and BlackBerry). The goal of the project is to advance the company’s current loyalty programs by facilitating communication and improving accessibility. Affinity Solutions is a leading provider of loyalty programs for top financial institutions, insurance companies, and publishers across the United States. With partnerships that include over 200 banks and multiple card processors, Affinity Solutions creates dynamic, customized, turnkey programs involving marketing services, information technology, and data analytics to improve customer loyalty. For more information, visit them on the Web at www.affinitysolutions.com.

Croftgate USA

An international manufacturer of high performance eco-friendly car care products, Croftgate USA initially approached Digital Sabre for a Web site redesign. Digital Sabre was able to increase the functionality on this Joomla site and improve SEO and marketing efforts, while adding ecommerce functionality that provided easy manageability. The project, recently completed, resulted in a robust, user-friendly experience that advances the brand. Take a look: www.croftgateusa.com

Rue Cler Boutique

Named after a local road in Paris, Rue Cler is an ecommerce boutique offering unique and distinctive toddler clothing for boys and girls. Magento, an open source platform for highly functional, inexpensive ecommerce, was used to architect the foundation. In only one month, Digital Sabre was able to develop, produce, and deliver a high-quality sales vehicle for less than $5K!!! Check it out at: www.RueClerBoutique.com

Digital Sabre Client Testimonial

“I was very impressed by the sophistication and level of detail Digital Sabre provided in their Business Analysis document. The document incorporated all the elements of the application in a wire frame format with business flowcharts, effectively showing me that they understood our system in exceptional detail. Digital Sabre took the time to really get to know my business and was able to capture the requirements perfectly, presenting the comprehensive business solution that my business demanded. The amount of time and care that went into preparing this document was evident and resulted in a professional, thorough analysis that I will use to obtain financial backing for a prototype.”

President, nKind Rewards
Napoleon Wallace
Winner - 2010 Five Ventures

Question of the Day

What mobile app did you use the most today? email, GPS, a game? tell us!