Category: Blog

Programmers come in all shapes and sizes. They have a wide range of skills acquired from different backgrounds and experiences. Although, there are several aspects that can make the difference between a good programmer and a great one. Here are 5 things we would like to see in our future colleagues programmers:

There are several differences that separate leaders from managers. While a manager is focused on executing the plan accordingly and maintaining control, the leader develops strategies to fulfill objectives. Even though there are differences among professions and backgrounds, there are definitely some skills that all leaders need to have in common, such as excellent communication skills, a strategic mindset, confidence in their instincts and intelligence, smart risk-taking in ambiguous situations and open-mindedness to new ideas. Besides these, we believe it’s time to bring on the table a discussion about the qualities that an  IT leader should have on our IT outsourcing activity.

Integrity

Having integrity as a personal value, an IT leader will reflect this on his actions. Leaders of integrity have a set of business ethics integrated into all business processes of the company. They communicate all their ethics clearly to all employees in order not to be deviations from any of them. Therefore, living with integrity is a state of mind rather than is something situational.

Credibility

Credibility is not something given. Leaders build trust in time while showing commitment and not breaking the trust of those who believe in them. Credible leaders are not going to have hidden agendas when they are talking with their partners, clients or employees. They are transparent when it comes to their actions and always respect their promises.

Flexibility and ability to change

Nowadays, changes are dynamic and more frequent than ever. Nothing seems to remain constant and some plans must be adapted to new circumstances. In IT outsourcing, we should have the ability to change the plans whenever needed in order to match the reality of the situation while keeping in mind the core goals. In this way, only true IT leaders will make well-suited adjustments without deviating from their vision and beliefs.

Leaders work to serve, not to earn

Leaders have followers. But individuals will follow a leader only if the leader looks out for serving others. Their motivation comes first from work satisfaction itself. Money is just a byproduct, not the mover that stimulates their performance. The more leaders help others (clients with good products/services, employees with challenging projects), the more will come back to them in other ways as a „bonus” (such as stable clients and satisfied and motivated employees).

Sense of humor

Humor at workspace can really boost productivity. Laughing and having fun together is more likely to create a sense of community and keep members motivated. A leader with a great sense of humor can significantly create a pleasant work environment and encourages employees to openly share their ideas. When different new ideas converge, employees create types of innovation that they could not find on their own.

Taking all into consideration, these must-have qualities present significant challenges for leaders. But with deep self-reflection and a good perspective of what is possible for their business and teams, they raise high standards and believe in their vision. For them, the aspiration to transform vision into reality serves as a motivational tool that helps them to determine the course of their next actions.

Nowadays, the usage of modern technology plays an important role in our lives. Due to the advanced communication tools, more and more professionals have the opportunity of working together from all corners of the world. This fact has led companies who need very specific skills to consider outsourcing as a solution to boost their performance. The decision to outsource is not an easy task. Although, there are certainly some key considerations to be taken into account.

Faster time-to-market

Market competition will always put pressure on companies to bring products and services to market in a timely manner. Because of this, outsourcing has become a more accepted strategy than still keeping in-house development. One company will not only gain faster access to unique services tailored by a wide knowledge partner who uses the latest technologies but also could benefit from an exchange of new skills that might need a longer period to acquire them in-house.

Working with an external high-performing team with years of experience would allow the company’s staff to focus on the core business process without reducing work quality.

Cost reduction

There’s no doubt that there are specific financial benefits for outsourcing. New hires and staff retraining involve a high consumption of time and budget. Besides this, the vacancy for an employment position could drive company losses due to lack of contribution. A certain company can also significantly save costs on office spaces, employee compensation, and specific equipment that outside vendors could provide.

While outsourcing technical tasks, the company could pay attention to what customers expect from their products and services in order to build a powerful brand.

Strong partnerships and long-term relationships

Building lasting business partnerships might take time and attention to establish a clear understanding of the partner’s contribution to the business. But is essential to increase confidence between the two sides. Once you get there, your company might find that its outsourcing partner is a great source of connections and referrals. This would open the way to new influential persons that your company couldn’t find so easily by its own. Expanding and promoting on new markets will help to generate more business.

Taking all into consideration, this business strategy which has been used worldwide definitely provides a range of benefits. Finding the right outsourcing partner enables companies to add value, achieve their business objectives and speed up product development.

Students find internships as a real work experience, or a way to demonstrate their full abilities. Being in a professional environment they gain industry knowledge that helps them in the future. Students must not only understand that internships help them to get a degree. But these short-term positions can lead to full employment, as many companies appeal for their new hires to previous students lists.

    Advantages

• The transition from the academic field to a company where you need to put into practice what you have learned is constructive and helpful. Being in a real work environment should open up your mind to seeing different solutions for every type of problem. We like to discuss and debate in the smallest details issues and improvements that our students bring to the table.
• When following a training program, you see what you are capable of and this makes you wonder what else you can do. Developing new skills is important for every student. When learning, you put in a good light your talent and value. We try to provide interns with real work tasks and interact with them frequently to increase their self-confidence.
• Another great advantage of an internship is that it gives you the opportunity to build relationships that might be useful in the future. Communication is crucial here, as many employers want potential candidates with good technical and soft skills. In our company, our tutors maintain a strong relationship with the students so they can enjoy a friendly environment.

   Disadvantages

• For some employers, having many internship programs and volunteer work in one CV could be a bad sign. Recruiters might see this as an unprofessional way of looking for a job, or not knowing what you want to do in the future.
• Another issue is the benefits and promises a program presume, but when the time comes students may become disappointed. It could be the volume of work or competencies they should gain in those several weeks that don’t correspond with the main description. It could be the role they play in the team that doesn’t fulfill their preferences. Either way, there’s a chance that some students leave an internship with disappointment.
• Not all internships are paid. This may be an issue for some students who have to face the summer costs. If the internships are imposed in schools, students begin looking for a program but with cost awareness. Some of them end up in companies that offer both money and good training, but not all of them are “lucky” to have them both.

Internships are beneficial when a student can put into practice what he/she learned. Still, more important to him/her is to finish the internship program with new skills and knowledge achieved.

What do you think about the aspects listed above?

The generations that make up the workforce of the future have grown up with technology at their fingertips. They are comfortable with it and expect access to it in their personal or professional everyday life.

Reading on Forbes I found some interesting information about the Digital Enterprise of the future and Video Content Management. Everything that gives us the opportunity to work in a more efficient manner it is welcome and deserves attention because it means evolution.

The Digital Enterprise

In order to make strides toward Digital Enterprise of the future, it is important to understand the need to create new and innovative ways to interact with customers significantly, to attract and maintain their interest for your business. I noticed that many companies are now focusing on digital investments, sales, and marketing. Digital technologies reduce costs by replacing the intensive activity with sustained activity or through full automation business process.

Creating a Digital Enterprise offers a great competitive advantage. It enables to extensively use of the web, social media, mobile and cloud technologies for creating new ways to operate in business and new methods for products and services delivery. Transforming your company into a Digital Enterprise also offers the possibility of using different methods to anticipate tomorrow’s needs of customers and provide new insights. Doing so, a company can become an intuitive system that creates a good connection between customers, employees, suppliers and this is not the only advantage.

More and more companies increasingly use video for marketing strategies but also for integration with communication systems. The use of video in the workplace will be a must. This can help marketers in sales, B2B as well as B2C, but also in the modality of communication with customers regardless of location. Companies are now able to manage a large number of video files which are stored and shared on their networks using video content management system (VCMS). A video content management system is a software that enables an organization to centralize, manage and deliver video online. VCMS provides a repository for video content in which video files are uploaded to the system and made accessible to people via a link. Think that in a Digital Enterprise the VCMS is just a small part of digital services and offers advantages like effective communication, good marketing tool, and a good training tool.

A Digital Enterprise may include many other technology services. Those services can be implemented and subsequently will help with various business processes and promotions. It is important for every company that wants to turn into a Digital Enterprise to find services that will provide a major help and take advantage of them.

Do you think a company’s transformation into a Digital Enterprise and the use of Video Content Management will help in the business process and will make better customer relationship?