Joe Stangarone, Author at mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

What is HTML5 and how does it help?

Over the last couple of years, HTML5 has dominated the tech headlines. Set to become the new standard in 2014, this buzz will only grow louder in the months and weeks leading up to that time. The only problem: HTML5 is still surrounded with misinformation.

Everyone wants HTML5, but outside the developer world, few actually know what it is. Some view it as a brand new tech trend. Others think they’ll need to convert their current applications to HTML5. Still others equate HTML5 with mobile web apps. In reality, none of that is accurate.

Today, let’s clear up some of the confusion. In this article, I’ll walk you through a high-level overview of HTML5 and briefly explain some of its most important features. Hopefully, this provides you a clearer picture of the new HTML standard, and helps you better understand how it can help your company. Sound good? Let’s get started:
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Happy Holidays (plus, mrc giveaway winner announced)!

By Joe Stangarone / Giveaway, Happy Holidays

First, I’d like to start off with a sincere “Thank You” to everyone who has taken the time out of their days to read this blog over the past year. I hope you’ve found it useful and informative. If there are any topics you’d like to see covered in the coming year, please feel free to let me know in the comments.

Secondly, I’d like to congratulate this year’s winner of the mrc Giveaway: Michael Bennett! Michael will soon be the proud owner of a brand new iPad Mini! Thank you for all those that entered the giveaway this year, and make sure you stay tuned right here for the 2014 Giveaway, which will be announced in early-mid 2014.

Finally, from all of us here at mrc, we wish safe travels and a very happy holiday season!

Weekly Recap: Challenges in moving to the cloud, mobile tech predictions for 2014, and more…

By Joe Stangarone

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on the changing IT department, challenges with moving to the cloud, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Avon’s failed SAP implementation a perfect example of enterprise IT revolution
Enterprise IT is undergoing a transformation. End user’s expectations have risen. They’ve learned that software can be both intuitive and powerful, and expect the same from their business software. If enterprise IT can’t deliver these type of solutions quickly, they’ll lose the business to software companies who can.
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5 ways IT will change in the next 5 years

By Joe Stangarone / CIO Challenges, Tech trends

The death of the IT department has been greatly exaggerated. I remember seeing predictions back in 2007 that the cloud would eliminate IT departments by 2012. Over the last several years, I can’t even count how many similar predictions I’ve seen.

The fact is, much has been written regarding the effect of mobile usage and cloud computing on the IT department. Many say the IT department will disappear. Others say it will shrink.

Will any of that happen? I doubt it. We’re living in an era where technology plays a larger role in business than ever before, and it’s only growing. Is this the time to scale back on the department that best understands technology? Not for businesses that hope to succeed.

photo credit: Phillie Casablanca via photopin cc

However, while I don’t see the IT department disappearing, I do see it evolving. As consumer-owned mobile devices and third-party cloud applications work their way into the business, the IT department’s role is changing.

Today, let’s focus on that evolution. How is the IT department changing? What will it look like in 5 years? We’ve queried some experts in the area and have compiled their advice, along with some of my own below. Here are 5 ways the IT department will change in the next 5 years:
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Weekly Recap: 5 trends that will make or break the CIO in 2014, benefits of BI, and more…

By Joe Stangarone

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on trends that will make or break the CIO next year, benefits of BI software, and more. I hope you find them useful:

6 Enduring truths about selecting enterprise software
This is a great topic, and one that I covered earlier this year. In my experience, the most important aspect you can consider when purchasing enterprise software is…architecture. Why? Architecture plays a role in nearly every other aspect, like security, scalability, portability, and more. Look for enterprise software that’s built on an open foundation, rather than a something built with a proprietary language.
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10 security mistakes web application developers should never make

By Joe Stangarone / Security

Just when you thought that the healthcare.gov debacle was finally on the uptick, a “white hat” hacker just testified on Capitol Hill that security was never properly built into the site. He claims that fixing the critical-to-high exposures could require up to a year of work.

Not exactly what you want to hear about a website that stores your most sensitive information.

I bring this up to highlight an important point: Despite the rising importance of proper security, best practices are often ignored. Basic security mistakes still plague many web applications…including healthcare.gov.

photo credit: elhombredenegro via photopin cc

As more development shifts to the web, and more data is stored on the cloud, security is a critically important topic. A single security misstep can compromise confidential business data or your customer’s personal information.

Today, let’s get back to the basics. While web application security is a broad topic, I’d like to focus on the security mistakes that web application developers should never make. These are the “basic” security principles that should never be ignored.

So, what are these security principles? What security mistakes should you never make? To help you answer those questions, we’ve compiled advice from some experts in the field (as well as some of my own) and listed everything below. Here are 10 security mistakes you should never make when developing web applications:
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New m-Power interface makes web app development more intuitive

By Joe Stangarone / Web Development

If you’re looking for an intuitive way to develop enterprise web applications (without programming), here’s some news you’ll love: We just released a brand new m-Power user interface, and it’s the most intuitive one yet! You can find more information about it below, or–if you just want to try it for yourself–feel free to sign up for a free Trial.

m-Power's re-designed interface — m-Power’s re-designed interface

Why did we rebuild the m-Power interface? Because we realize that web application development is evolving. As I explained in this article, new trends have emerged that will forever change the world of web application development software. Two of the most important of these changes include:
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Weekly Recap: Why so many IT projects fail, PCs on the decline, and more…

By Joe Stangarone

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on why so many IT projects fails, the decline of the PC, and more. I hope you find them useful:

IT pros share blame for Shadow IT problem
While Shadow IT is a growing problem among business units, the IT department isn’t innocent. A recent survey finds that IT professionals use unauthorized SaaS apps for business…just like the business users. How can IT leaders and CIOs curtail this issue? It all starts with a simple question: Why are users opting for third-party solutions in the first place?
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5 ways to rejuvenate your legacy applications

By Joe Stangarone / Modernization

Many companies face the same problem: They’re stuck to their legacy enterprise applications and systems. Sure, they’d love to upgrade their outdated system, or replace those legacy applications, but…they can’t.

Why not? Maybe their business relies too heavily on their legacy applications. Maybe past customizations have virtually locked them into their legacy apps. Maybe it’s too risky or expensive. Maybe management doesn’t see the need for modern applications. Whatever the cause, the problem is the same: They’re tied to their legacy applications.

What problems does this cause? Quite a few. While I could explain how it keeps the company from modern features and capabilities and makes them look outdated, those issues are small potatoes compared to the larger business problems caused by legacy applications. For instance, legacy applications:

1. Tie up IT budget: Since legacy applications are more difficult to maintain, they require a good portion of the IT budget. How much? I’ve seen estimations ranging from 70-80%. Think about that. If you’re spending 80% of your budget maintaining the status quo, how can you ever afford modern technology?

2. Keeps IT from innovation: Since legacy applications are more difficult to maintain, they also require much of the IT department’s attention. Of course, if the IT department spends a good chunk of its time maintaining applications, they have little left to spend on business innovation–which, as we explained in this article, is becoming more and more important.

So, what can you do? If you’re stuck with legacy applications that you can’t replace, what are your options?

In this article, let’s explore a few ways to breathe new life into your old applications. If you can’t replace your systems or applications entirely, how can you bring modern features and capabilities to your legacy apps? To help you answer those questions, I’ve outlined some methods to do just that, and touched on the pros and cons of each. Without further ado, here are 5 ways to breathe new life into your applications.
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Weekly Recap: 15 worst programmer productivity killers, top tech trends, and more…

By Joe Stangarone

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on the worst programmer productivity killers, Forrester’s top tech trends, and more. I hope you find them useful:

When and why to develop a responsive application
The term “mobile app” is generally associated with the native app approach–apps that are built for a single platform and installed on the device itself. However, while native apps are popular now, they’re not always the best choice for business. If you’d like to read more on the topic, here’s a free paper you might want to check out.
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Author name: Joe Stangarone