post

How Is A Software Developer Different From A Software Consultant

For some of you, the difference between a software developer and a software consultant might be just limited to the difference in the designation. But you need to understand that there is some difference between the two, and a software developer is definitely, different from a software consultant. We will guide you about the two here so that you can understand the difference between the two. These days, this question has also become one of the favorite questions during the interview, which many candidates fail to answer, thinking that both are almost the same. We all know that both the software developers and software consultants have programming knowledge, and are involved in the tasks or work like testing applications, troubleshooting applications, and documenting details related to systems and software. But still, they do have differences, about which you can read below.

Software Developer: A software developer is the one, who has the ability and complete knowledge for designing the software solutions and implementing them from scratch to end. No matter even if one is at the beginner level or is a junior software developer, still they know how to do coding. Most of them are engaged in the technical process only like coding, development, testing, etc. For example, in the development of of an escort website like skip the games that aims to provide a directory of adult service providers based on the location of an individual, the developer would be responsible for many tasks to get this particular type of adult site off the ground.

Software Consultant: The software consultants are also software developers but they are the senior software developers who have vast knowledge about software development and other things related to it. A junior software developer may not have that much knowledge which a software consultant holds. Software consultants are basically for providing technical expertise to the clients. They guide the clients and customers on various projects, helps the clients in creating different software for their business needs. They also help the clients by consulting them about software and computer systems by telling them which of the software they can use in their business to achieve maximum benefit.

Key Differences

  • Clients Engagement – When it comes to engaging with clients, both software developers and software consultants are engaged with clients at some or the other level. They both help the clients to provide them the software solution for the business need but in different ways. A software developer generally works on the instructions of the clients for developing a kind of software or program they need for their business. They do take feedback from the clients to improvise the software and to make it best according to the client’s needs. Whereas, a software consultant helps the clients by letting them know about the software which will fulfill their business requirements. A software consultant first tries to understand what are the business requirements of the clients, their budget, and other such things. And on the basis of that, they try to help the clients by providing them the best software solution knowledge. They help clients by guiding them in the software development process. As they are aware of most of the technical aspects, so they try helping the clients with their technical knowledge by providing them the right consultation.
  • Programming Knowledge – When it comes to programming knowledge, a software developer at the junior level is generally aware of one or two of the programming languages. Some software developers, do have knowledge about different programming languages also. In the case of the software consultants, they may not engage in the programming work every time, but they do have knowledge of different programming languages. Because of their knowledge about the programming languages, they help different clients, by providing them the right solution.
  • Qualifications Required – The qualifications of the software developer generally depends on the type of work they are taking or the industry they are working for. In general, they should have completed the technical education in the IT or Computer Science field. They should at least know one programming language. They should be aware of the basic knowledge of software development and other things related to it. Whereas, a software consultant must possess all these qualifications along with some other qualifications. Like time management, multi-tasking, client handling, good in providing technical expertise, and a few others.
  • Experience – For a software developer, it depends on how much experience one needs to have according to the job requirement. Many software developers start with zero experience, as they have complete qualifications required for the job. Whereas, some companies require software developers with around 3 to 4 years of experience in software development or the technical field related to the same. Whereas, in the case of a software consultant, one cannot just become a software consultant without zero years of experience. The software consultant job requires more experience than a software developer job. Most of the companies look for a software consultant who not just have the technical knowledge, but should also have business and operations knowledge, so that they can help the clients without any problem.
post

How To Improve Business Cybersecurity

If you take a closer look at the reports and surveys in the last few years, you will witness an emerging trend. Regardless of the industry sector, all companies are taking the matter of their digital security very seriously. The increasing number of security data breaches and the consequent financial loss is cited as the prime reason behind this growth. The danger of getting hacked is always there as a striking survey reveals, a hacker tries to break into a business system every 30 seconds on an average.

That’s why, businesses these days prioritize security and as a business owner, you must be concerned too. Consider this issue at the very onset of starting your business and implement a strong strategy to stay protected. Also, remember that security trends emerge with time. The protocols and safety measures of the last decade are no more valid as the hackers have decoded those passwords and firewalls. You need to stay updated with the latest security trends to stay ahead of the hackers.

Also, pay attention that purchasing antivirus software or installing random firewalls are no more the security best practices. Here’s when the issue of cybersecurity plays a crucial role. You need to up your game if you want to survive in the market and sustain business growth. Here are a few choice strategies to improve and update your business’s cyber security.

Update and patch

One of the major ways to limit the risks is to use the latest versions of any software that you install in your system. And when we mean system, we don’t mean your office computers only. Your phone and laptop too must have the latest version of the applications as we often check out an office email in our phone or tablet or laptop. Also, ensure to use the authentic operating system instead of getting a pirated copy.

Though it may sound easy but it is a bit time consuming. You need to customize all the software and applications as per your digital ecosystem. Further, a customized software requires a dedicated QA team to keep it updated with the new features and fix any bug issues. When we update a software, it stores cache data and often stores bugs as well. At the basic stage, these are not malicious but if these are stored for a long time, it can gain access to all your confidential business data and put it into risk.

The size of your business or its online presence has a major role to play in determining the time or budget you need to deploy the updates on the number of devices. For instance, if you have an IT office, you have to deploy the updates in all the employees’ systems. So start planning at the early stage so as not to stop your projects midway.

Encrypt data

Data encryption is a common practice as digital systems have a pool of sensitive data. Be it the information about your business plans, employees, or customers – your data is highly valuable. That’s why you must take every action to ensure that the info is protected against all the suspicious agents. Therefore, apart from the QA development, seek assistance from the cyber security department to ensure that all the data is encrypted.

Now, you may wonder why do you need to invest on manual experts if you got encryption tools at your disposal? The thing is, automatic tools are only bots and cannot execute manual supervision properly. While it won’t hurt to keep such tools by your hand, make sure to seek guidance from the experienced professionals for better assessment.

You may also use block chain technology – an increasingly popular one for your internal network as to encrypt all the transactions occurring within the blocks. For example, skip the games Indianapolis utilized blockchain to encrypt the large pool of sensitive data obtained on the escort app. As they are frequent target of various cyber attacks, they had to strengthen their cyber security efforts to continue to provide a secure service for their users.

Zero trust network

If you are looking for a proven model for your business security, we recommend you to opt for zero trust networks. These verify each user and device before providing any access. The best part about this network is that it applies security protocols without paying any heed to the location of the user who is seeking to access the system.

These allow only the authorized members to access a specific area or network of the system. That way, the potential attacks automatically get reduced. These will also help you to prevent any unusual activities or patterns from any suspicious source.

Keep control over employees’ system

Employees’ system is the major field for the hackers. These are often unprotected and run on pirated operating system and outdated software application versions. These are the hub for information misplacement. Many companies prefer to enable the employees bring their system and work from their own system. This significantly reduces cost of investing in the employees’ system and allows them to work from any remote location whenever required. However, a major threat lurks in the system. Your business data and security passwords can easily get hacked from such unprotected devices. That’s why it’s better to pay some more to tighten up your business security. Remember the money you save by allowing the employees to use their devices will be nominal when compared to the amount you will lose if any data is hacked from one of your employees’ system.

Educate your employees about security measures

To err is human, to learn is divine. Okay, we twisted the age-old adage but you cannot deny our saying. Your employees may not know the unique security protocols and practices that you follow at your office. It’s your responsibility to train them. In fact it’s better to organize an orientation class where your experienced members can teach the new employees on how to protect data. After all your business productivity will lie on its security.

Don’t take the issue cybersecurity of your business too lightly. One simple mistake can cost both your money and reputation. Follow the best practices that we mentioned above and we hope you can tighten up your business security without a fail.

post

What is a Software Consultant?

A consultant in a company or organization is an adviser based on their expertise. A software consultant is an advisor who can create new software according to the specific requirements of a company and give consistent advises on technical aspects. A software consultant is well versed with the software tools and is an expert in creating new programs specially designed to benefit the company. They build the company’s technical department by doing the tasks as a software engineer, alongside providing insights on every other detail to the rest of the team. Such advice has added value depending on experience on a field.

Some software consultants build their job as a freelancer, where they provide their consultation on a project with a certain fee. This type of work doesn’t have consistency until the software developer is popular and can create amazing leads in a project. When a software engineer has years of expertise on a particular subject, as a freelancer, they get to work on multiple projects by managing time.

Being a software consultant is the same as being a software engineer, however, it comes with additional perks. A software consultant should be well versed with the latest programming skills, including JAVA, SQL, Perl, MATLAB and PYTHON. These have become common among programmers. Hence experience in these has a lot of value while applying for jobs as a software consultant.  

The education system doesn’t involve real-life experience; as a result, software consultants are also required to guide and make sure the entry-level software engineers in the company are working according to the requirements and deadlines. A manager can always make sure their company is doing well, however, a software consultant is much needed to guide their newbies in technical aspects in companies which are solely based on technology.

Always keeping a track on the latest buzz, about expected trends in the software industry keeps a software consultant at the top. Passionate software engineers, who try out new ideas, and keep experimenting to find new software are of much interest to many startups with huge funding. The ability to start new doesn’t come easy when it does, grab the opportunity to create something brand new. Especially, do not lose practice.

No job with enormous talent?

Being a software consultant can be a rewarding career and garner a comfortable salary. In spite of everything, one can end up jobless while aiming for a career as a software consultant. Many such software engineers, took a different path and created their own consultancy company. Such software consultancy companies are now found everywhere around the world. Either apply for one of the best consultancy agencies or establish a new one yourself. Being a part of a consultancy agency allows you to experience the different kinds of requirements by people or companies, how to work with those things and produce excellent services. There are many consultancies from big to small who offer a wide range of software services at affordable prices. However, working as a software engineer in a consultancy agency is different from being a software consultant. In any case, anyone of the role allows you to know more about consultancy and is chosen by many young consultants who are looking for more opportunities to work in their field.