mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

Join us in exploring the world of modern development, evolving technologies, and the art of future-proof software

5 big challenges facing CIOs and IT leaders in 2022

automationSummary: Over the past couple of years, CIOs and IT leaders have faced a pop quiz of sorts: How quickly can your company adapt to unexpected challenges? Assuming you navigated through the challenges brought on by the pandemic, the next question is: How will you address the challenges in the coming year? In this article, we explore 5 challenges that CIOs and IT leaders should watch in 2022.

How to integrate cloud data into a dashboard (using web services)

developmentDo you remember back when cloud computing was a new trend? Back then, most businesses ran their software on-premise. Cloud computing was viewed as a security risk and many doubted whether or not it would ever see mass adoption.

Fast forward to the present and cloud computing has most definitely experienced mass adoption. Most businesses these days use multiple cloud services/applications in their day-to-day operations.

In fact, businesses rely so heavily on cloud apps and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) they now face a growing challenge: Their data resides in multiple places. How can they pull data from their disparate cloud apps into a single place for reporting and analytics?

It’s easier than you might think. We just created a video that shows you how quickly you can integrate cloud data (from multiple sources) into a single dashboard using the m-Power Development Platform. In this video, we show you how to:

– pull data out of cloud applications (using web services),
– create web apps and reports over that data,
– and combine those apps and reports into a dashboard.

You can watch the video below:

Do you want to see a solution like this in your company? Setup an m-Power demo here.

Video: How to create a RESTful API in 5 minutes

developmentIn our last article, we explored some big advantages of web APIs. From improving the customer experience to streamlining processes, web services and APIs truly hold plenty of potential.

The big questions: If your business isn’t using web services or APIs right now, where do you start? How do you create them? How long does it take?

We just created a video that answers these questions and goes through the whole process using the m-Power Development Platform. In this video, we walk you through the creation of a RESTful API and even set up a basic web app to consume the data. You might be surprised by how easy it can be. You can watch the video below.

How to create actionable business intelligence (in 10 minutes)

developmentWhat’s the difference between traditional business intelligence and actionable business intelligence? Let’s break down each one:

Traditional BI: Traditional BI and reporting applications deliver data in an easily consumable format. They display key business metrics using charts, graphs, and tables. If done correctly, traditional BI and reporting apps deliver data that decision-makers need to take action.

Actionable BI: Actionable BI takes things a step further. It offers everything that traditional BI offers with one key difference: It lets you take action on your data from within the application. It lets users analyze their data, update data, and trigger workflows. Rather than simply displaying data, actionable business intelligence also lets you do something about it.

If you think about it, this is incredibly useful in all types of situations. Just imagine what you can do with a report or dashboard that also lets you take action on your data and trigger workflows. The possibilities are truly endless.

The big question: How do you create an actionable BI application? Is it more complex than a traditional BI app?

We just created a video that walks you through the whole process using the m-Power Development Platform. You might be surprised by how easy it can be. You can watch the video below.

10 must-have features of enterprise low-code software

trendsSummary: These days, choosing the right low-code tool can be confusing. Since each one has differing features and goals, comparing your options is becoming more and more difficult. How can you avoid surprises or “gotchas” when selecting a tool? How can you find the right low-code tool for your business? In this article, we explore 10 critical features to look for in any low-code tool.

Automate a workflow process in 7 minutes

developmentThese days, every business wants to improve productivity. For many, the answer lies right under their nose. While they may not realize it, they’re wasting hours of time every week completing manual tasks that could (and should) be automated.

What types of business processes are ripe for automation? Here are a few of the most common processes that you can automate:

– Invoice processing (from paystub generating to all tax forms)
Employee onboarding
– Approval processes
– Support ticket applications
– And much, much more.

How can you quickly automate processes like these? We just released a video that walks you through a simple workflow automation process in just 7 minutes. While we demonstrate a support ticket application workflow, the same process can be used for any type of workflow process. You can watch the video here:

7 web application development trends to watch in 2021

trendsSummary: With the move towards a remote work environment, web application development became increasingly important. Will this demand for web apps slow down in the coming year? What can we expect for 2021? How will web application development evolve and what areas should you focus on? In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest web app dev trends to monitor in the coming year.