Evolution of Mobile Apps Over the Years

Mobile applications have become such an important part of lives. From adding an alarm to wake up every morning for work to killing time with games, you can download any application nowadays to make your life that much easier. However, there was a time that apps were just a mere dream and developers could not even think of downloading files, let alone heavy applications that weighed hundreds of megabytes. The mention of applications and their concept was first introduced by the man who revolutionised the technological industry with his product innovations in various departments: Steve Jobs.

Before the launch of the first Macintosh way back in 1983, Jobs was the first to talk about a nascent version of what we call the AppStore today, by stating “It would be a little like a record store, where software would be downloaded over phone lines.” With his legendary vision and willingness to push the envelope every time he would take the stage, he led the launch of the first application ecosystem called the App Store with another historical technological achievement we now call the iPhone.

Before the iPhone’s launch in 2007, a lot of developers tried their hand in making something similar but the technology and awareness available at that time prevented them from making any major breakthrough. The pioneer in this project building endeavour was none other IBM, who launched the first smartphone ever in 1994. Simon, as they named it, was devoid of any type of structure similar to the App Store but had basic applications like Address Book, Calculator, Calendar, Mail, Note Pad, and Sketch Pad which wowed the audiences of that time.

Sadly, the phone’s exorbitant price and lack of marketing led to its downfall but it set the bar for other phones to improve upon. Long before sophisticated coding would lead to feature rich phones with electronic data managementsystems and storage capabilities, Nokia came out with the legendary game, Snake. It was one of the first games that came pre-loaded for a mass produced mobile device and became an instant favorite amongst the public.

Developers kept riffing on these innovations by adding other features like the now-standard QWERTY keypad and reminders along with real-time syncing of your contacts with your e-mail IDs. Global customer support also became important for application development with call centers in Dubai, Saudi and other such cities and countries contributing in the same.

The oncoming of the iPhone changed the definition of apps forever because it was the first time a mobile ecosystem supported third party apps that could be downloaded separately and did not come preloaded. This gave the average individual a sense of choice that was missing in other phones. With other mobile platforms like Android and Windows also having their own app stores, the app revolution does not seem to be dying down any time soon in the near future.

7 Document Management Trends for 2017

In an effort to go digital, and reducing the load of paper, organizations have been successfully implementing document management systems in their infrastructure. Switching to digital storage and management of critical data is not only the need of the day but a way to stay toe-to-toe with the competition.

   

With increased development in the world of technology, notably artificial intelligence, the document management industry is already witnessing significant trends in the year 2017. Let’s shed some light on what is ruling the roost right now, and what possibilities lie ahead in the world of document management:

Outsourcing is becoming more and more common

Whether it is document management services such as capture and scanning, or record management solutions, more firms are delegating their document management operations to specialized solution providers. Going forward, this trend is only going to increase. As more outsourcing occurs, firms will have better control over their workflow and will be able to focus more on core operations and growth strategies.

Cloud technology is at the core of all document management systems

Cloud document management has really lifted off in the past few years and is the definitely the undisputed future of document management. With documents now available anywhere at any time, accessing information on the go has been transformed drastically. With rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud systems are becoming increasingly intelligent, and operational costs are rapidly dwindling.       

Social media is getting integrated into document management systems

The boom of social media and websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat has had a profound effect on businesses. Social networking is slowly replacing the traditional means of formal communication, such as emails, and therefore, we can expect to see an increased integration of social technology in document management.

Mobile-friendly document management systems are on the rise

Today, office professionals are increasingly working through smart devices such as smartphones and tablets. Therefore, there is a greater need to make document management software mobile-friendly and efficient on a handheld system.

Client portals will be more commonplace

Due to the need for seamless sharing of files and data between the client and a project manager, document management systems are giving rise to client portals that can be easily set up via company intranet. This allows for better collaboration, communication and relationship with clients when it comes to managing important documents and projects.

Enhanced collaboration and workflow is becoming a reality

Taking cues from the previous point, document management software allow for better collaboration among colleagues and teams working on the same project. It provides a single space where anyone can share, edit, review, track changes, and comment upon file and data sharing. More software vendors, therefore, are adding this collaboration functionality in their products presently.

Standard Kinds of Document Management Software

Managing piles of paperwork and documents are easier said than done. It presents a responsibility to proficiently record and organize. Lo and behold ⎼ electronic document management solutions assist companies to manage their data- and document-related activities efficiently. Their benefits can be essentially divided into two categories ⎼ storage and organization of the bulk (documents) and consolidated access.

That’s not all though, systems have been developed according to the specific requirements of different organizations. Be advised ⎼ consider the load and operations of your company before you select a particular type. It will come to define how well the management of your company copes with its data. The software can be customized depending on the requirements and the capacity of the clients as well. Here are four types of commonly employed document management systems:

Web-based: One of the most significant advantages of a web-based electronic data management system is that it eliminates the need to arrange a client software package. Document management can be separately assessed on integrated workstations through the Internet. They include and back multiple branch operations making it easier to effectively manage multiple clients with a single system.

Data-based: Like Oracle, the underlying structure for the database is combined with the data-based packages. Clients require refined connections between the data and the images, which can be achieved by storing all the information in a single database under this type. However, it requires additional computing power and exclusive licensing.

Cloud-based: Cloud database systems have captured a wide spectrum of the market. Software run on the host’s system allows the package subscribers to operate using a link on the Internet. Initially known as hosted document management, the cloud-based package is quite similar to the web-based systems. The data is stored on the host’s server instead of being stored on the server of the user or client.

Client-server based: Client-server based packages have been developed over considerable periods of time. It is believed that they are faster and exceptionally functional as compared to the other types. Their system interface allows customization and leads to the improved integration of the workstation.

Logically, all four of them have certain advantages and limitations. A call center in Dubai or anywhere around the world must employ these types of software to ensure smooth workflow and client requirement management. The level of security or integration requirements, types of files storage and the amount of data are considered before employing one of these systems. Acquiring a system for data management at your office can help ease your operations and increase productivity.