Curotec Sweeps Up Awards Across Two Review Firms

Recently, Curotec was ranked among the top three web design firms in Philadelphia according to the Manifest. Since 2010 Curotec has been providing results-oriented web development, technology consulting, and software integration services to a variety of firms in online retail, healthcare, life sciences, and financial technologies.

 

Curotec was featured as the most experienced Magento and E-Commerce Developer in Philadelphia in Clutch’s Press Release of top B2B service providers based on 3rd party independent research performed by the DC-based research firm. Additionally, we were recognized as a leading top 10 web and software developer in similar categories by Clutch. Reviews from our clients on Clutch.co agree. According to the firm, Curotec is a five-star company that can meet all your software, web and e-commerce needs! Our portfolio of work includes building highly functional custom web apps, well designed and aesthetically pleasing websites, and user-friendly apps. All of our employees are passionate about the work we do and we pride ourselves on delivering high-value results for every project we work on. We would not have won these awards if it wasn’t for the amazing team behind each and every engagement we take on.

In the below diagram developed by Clutch, you can see where Curotec is positioned as the number 1 market leader by ranking highest in both ability to deliver and area of focus.

By following the Agile methodology, we go through an extensive process to design, develop, test, deploy, and perfect every project we do. You can rest assured that we will not stop working until your project both meets and exceeds your expectations. At the end of the day, your project deserves only the best and when you work with Curotec you only get the best of the best. Curotec welcomes you to contact us so that we can start working towards making your next business technology initiative a success!

The post Curotec Sweeps Up Awards Across Two Review Firms originally appeared on the Curotec Blog

What is a Progressive Web Application?

We’ve come a long way since the early days of the Web. Back in the 90’s, web pages were mostly text and images, especially large ones, were interlaced GIFs. All of this was done to save time and bandwidth and allow pages to load faster.

But greater bandwidth became more accessible and the browsers and servers became more efficient at serving pages. Developers optimized their code, streaming made it possible to watch video without having to download an entire video first, and caching made even the most graphics intensive pages load quickly.

Then we experienced the Web’s second evolution – mobile browsing. Mobile has rapidly moved from an occasional convenience to the main method of Web access for some. In fact, it’s estimated that 3.5 billion people worldwide only access the web through their mobile phone. That number is expected to grow to seven times as many by 2021. With more than half of today’s Web searched being done on a mobile device, it’s clear that a mobile-first approach to web development is the only way to go.

But mobile browsing still experiences some of the same challenges that we had in the early days of the web. Slow page loading and spotty network access can lead to frustrated visitors. Google found that around 53% of consumers will abandon a website that doesn’t load in 3 seconds. But you have no control over a mobile user’s network access or performance.

Just as the first evolution of the Web led to more efficient page delivery, so will the next evolution, and it’s already begun. In 2016, Google and Twitter spearheaded the Accelerated Mobile Pages Project, and from that grew the idea of Progressive Web Applications (PWAs). PWAs are so important that Gartner research director Jason Wong said it wasn’t about if are going to use them, but when.

What a PWA Is

A Progressive Web Application is part mobile application, part mobile web experience, and all user focused.

A PWA has an icon on your homescreen that makes it look like any other mobile application. The functionality is very app-like, and regardless of network connectivity or speed, loads quickly for a seamless experience.

However, unlike a mobile application, a PWA has a very small memory footprint. They aren’t downloaded from an app store, and they don’t require multiple versions to support all available mobile platforms. Instead, a single implementation of a PWA works on all platforms that support the technology (at the time of this writing, Apple does not support it).

What a PWA Isn’t

A PWA isn’t a mobile application, and it’s also not a web page although it’s derived from one.

Because it’s not a mobile application, as we mentioned above, it’s not downloaded from an app store like Google Play. This means there is no delay while awaiting validation and approval. Instead, a PWA can be made available to your audience as soon as you are ready for release.

However, decoupling PWAs from mobile applications doesn’t make it just what we used to call an app-wrapped web page. Instead, it uses a combination of mobile and web technologies to provide an optimal user experience on a mobile device.

The other thing to note is that, because PWAs aren’t mobile applications, they don’t have access to the full extent of native platform functionality that a mobile application would have. So, where a mobile application can leverage the device for alarms, phonebook access, and various hardware sensors, PWAs do not have access to these features.

The value of PWAs

Some of the value of PWAs are apparent from the above paragraphs, but let’s break those down a little more and add a few as well.

Platform Independent

Despite Apple’s current lack of support, PWAs are designed to work independently of what mobile platform it’s on. What this means for the end user is that the PWA will look and act the same, and work, no matter what mobile platform they choose to use.

The benefits are pretty significant for the company publishing the PWA as well. Developing a mobile application for your entire audience meant nearly full development life cycles for multiple versions. Even though the requirements might be the same, divergent apps needed to be developed, tested, deployed, and maintained. For a company with a dedicated development team, it meant additional headcount just for mobile application support. For those without it, it resulted in contracts for initial app development as well as updates.

Offline Availability

PWAs were specifically designed to handle questionable or unstable network conditions. The idea was to ensure that the user could use the application regardless of their current network access. PWAs use caching as well as code called Service Workers that act as the proxy intercepting and responding to network requests.  

User Re-engagement

Push notifications have been proven to increase user re-engagement in mobile applications. But mobile web experiences didn’t have the ability to recapture the interest of the user.

Since PWAs are a hybrid mobile web experience and mobile application, they can use push notifications to return the user’s attention to your content and functionality. Users who enable push notifications are more engaged, have better retention and have great app usage longevity that those without the notifications.

Full Screen and Splash Screen

It was always clear that a web page on a mobile device was just that – a web page on a mobile device. But PWAs allow for a more mobile application type feel thanks to the use splash screens. And because PWAs are full screen, just like a native mobile application, it’s hard to tell one from the other.

SEO

Being visible on a mobile search is becoming increasingly important. Mobile friendly web pages receive special attention from Google, too. But this is an area where native applications fall short of web pages, with little or no SEO pull beyond promotional pages for the app. PWAs, on the other hand, can be easily indexed by search engines.

Responsive websites aren’t going away today, and there are still valid business cases for mobile applications, especially ones that require certain mobile device functionality. But, if experts like those at Gartner and Google are to be believed, PWAs will be the new standard in web interactions.

The post What is a Progressive Web Application? originally appeared on the Curotec Blog

7 Top Web Design and Development Trends for 2018

Trends don’t wait for the beginning or end of a year to start. But the beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect on the budding trends that may take flight in the coming 12 months.

Web development and design trends are no different. Now is the perfect time to reflect on the newest functionality, layouts, and looks for the web as organizations consider updating their sites as part of their 2018 initiatives.

What follows are a few of the trends we expect to see in the coming year.

Interactivity and Personalization

Over the years, web development has increased and improved personalized experiences for visitors. But creating a highly personalized or interactive experience was a technical challenge.

All that changes in 2018. Visitors have always desired a more interactive experience with websites and brands. Content like games, quizzes, and polls give customers both an entertaining experience and one that satisfies the desire for an individualized experience.

There is also value to brands in creating these interactive experiences. As visitors answer questions and seek out personalization, brands are able to gather deeper insights into their customers and potential customers.

This year, expect to see interactivity drive customers to relevant experiences on websites, offering up content that matches the insights uncovered through their answers and interaction.

Broken Grid Layouts and Organic Shapes

Since the early days of the web, layouts have been based on a grid. Even as good web development stopped the use of tables for layout, and CSS enabled better placement of page elements, sites continued to create pages that followed a very conventional grid model.

Website design is freeing itself from these constraints. Designers will begin to push the limits of layouts, moving away from ordered presentation and more toward broken grids. Part of this is driven by a trend known as brutalism.

The End of Popups

Companies have used popups and interstitials to ensure that visitors see messaging and information that the brand feels is important. But popups have always been seen as a nuisance to users, breaking up the flow and diverting users from the information important to them.

Popups have been on a decline for some time, but 2018 will be the year where popups all but disappear. Much of this is driven by Google. The search giant announced in 2016 that they would begin to punish sites that used the invasive messaging strategy, but its take some time for companies to start to feel the pain. As search rankings suffer, you can expect brands to drop popups as a means of communication with visitors.

Improved Online Support

The early days of the web gave us static sites that provide information to customers and potential customers. But if your question wasn’t answered by an FAQ, or you needed more help, you still needed to place a phone call to get your problem resolved.

As the web evolved, so did customer service available online. Customers could talk directly with representatives from a brand to help with issues and questions. The problem remained, however, availability of customer service agents to assist with issues.

Chatbots have changed that and will continue to make headway in the new year. With chatbots and AI, companies can help customers faster than before, even when customer service resources aren’t immediately available.

Intentional Animation

CSS3 brought breakthroughs in motion and animation without the use of Flash. Like a kid with a new toy, web developers and designers used these code-based animations as frequently as possible, adding movement to their sites but sometimes overwhelming or distracting users from the real message.

In 2018, CSS-driven animation will mature. Instead of elements moving just to look cool, pages will contain animation to help users find what they are looking for, or intentionally draw attention to specific page elements. This purposeful use of movement will result in better user experience.

Progressive Web Applications

Mobile has replaced the desktop in the race to the top of web usage. More users turn to their phones and tablets for search today than to their desktops. Mobile applications have matured and well designed, but it’s difficult to get customers to give up precious system memory for your mobile app.

Enter progressive web applications. Progressive web applications are websites that look and act like mobile applications, with nuanced user interfaces and sophisticated functionality that customers have come to expect from mobile applications.

Big, Bold Designs and Less Stock Photography

Like fashion, web design goes through evolutions. Recently was the flat movement, where layout and design used little layering and blocks of color.

This year’s evolution will include big, bold designs combined with minimalism. Sites set for redesign (or initial design) in 2018 will use bright colors and high saturation, taking advantage of all that modern monitors have to offer. Well designed sites will be clean and easy to use, focusing on vibrancy and user experience.

Also expected for sites redesigned in 2018 will be the decline of stock photography and an increase in unique photo content. Photos will move from muted and boring to colorful and interesting in their own right. You can also expect to see more variation in the people depicted in site photos, including greater inclusion of people of color and women.

The post 7 Top Web Design and Development Trends for 2018 originally appeared on the Curotec Blog

The Cost of a Data Breach

145.5 million.

That’s the number of Americans whose data was exposed as a result of the Equifax announced in September of 2017. The number is staggering, and the company is facing intense scrutiny from the federal government and has opened itself up to state and local lawsuits.

While the Equifax breach caught all of our attention due to its size – and the likelihood that we were one of those with exposed information – it isn’t the scariest statistic regarding breaches. These large breaches receive extensive exposure in the media, but the truth is that many more breaches occur with fewer records compromised. Those incidents don’t make it to the nightly news or the headlines. But they occur far more frequently than the catastrophic breaches like Equifax, and no company is immune, regardless of size.

In a recent report by the Ponemon Institute, it was found that the global average for a breach was $141 per record. While there are a number of factors that go into that number, and the amount varies by region, one thing is clear – security breaches are an expensive issue that all companies must be ready for.

What’s Considered a Breach

For the 2017 Cost of Data Breach Study, Ponemon Institute interviewed 419 companies that had experienced breaches in the previous year. These incidents ranged from as few as 2,600 records to as many as 10,000 compromised records.

The study focused on incidents where one of the following was exposed – either an individual’s name, debit card, financial record, or medical record. This kind of information, known as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), gives hackers enough information to create system accounts, credit records, or worse in the case of medical records.

The study also identifies three main reasons these incidents occur. Human error and system glitches are two of the reason, with the third – criminal or malicious attack – being the most prevalent and costly.

What is the Cost for an Enterprise

As noted, the study found that the cost, per record, of an enterprise data breach is $141. That number reflects the average cost across global companies. But for American companies, the cost is greater.

The average cost for the U.S. was $225 per record, $84 more than the global average. In addition to the cost of detection, remediation, and escalation costs, the United States companies must follow strict notification policies based on regulations. Because of this, notification of a breach to those potentially affected made America’s costs the highest in this category.

The cost of a breach also depends on the industry of the organization. Public sector and research companies saw the lowest costs associated with an incident, with the associated costs being $71 and $101 per record, respectively. Healthcare and financial services, however, experienced costs almost double to triple that amount. The per-record amount for financial services averaged $245, while healthcare saw an average of $380.

All of this resulted in the estimated average of $3.6 million per incident.

Small Companies are Not Immune

To say that small businesses are not immune is an understatement. In fact, the damage done to a small business by a security breach can be devastating, even though the overall cost may seem smaller.

According to Security Magazine, the average cost of a data breach for a small business is $36,000 to $50,000. Compared to several million, this may seem trivial, but it has a far greater impact on a business that is less likely to be able to absorb these costs.

Recent years have seen an increase in attacks on smaller companies. These attacks increased to 31% last year, up significantly from 18% only two years before. That’s because more than 70% of attacks specifically target small businesses.

While it may seem like enterprises are a better mark for attacks, small businesses present an attractive, almost irresistible target, for two reasons. First, these businesses are generally unaware of security threats. Second, these businesses have a greater exposure to threats, exactly because they are less aware. It creates a vicious cycle that is difficult to escape without help and training. Only 15% of small business owners say that they are “very knowledgeable” regarding persistent threats.

Costs are More Than Financial

The financial impacts of a breach are only part of the equation, for both enterprises and smaller companies.

Losing customers is the biggest concern for companies that have experienced a breach, and this loss of customers leads to an increase in the financial impact. The Ponemon 2017 study found that global companies that lost 4% of their customers from a breach could see the overall average cost of the incident increase to $5.1 million. American companies experienced the greatest blow from lost customers, as well.

For small companies, the effect of a breach can be disastrous. Recovery from an incident may be impossible. In fact, it’s estimated that 60% of small to medium businesses that are hacked go out of businesses within 6 months of the breach.

The costs of a security breach are enormous, regardless of organization size, and its effects can be devastating. Yet many companies, particularly small and medium businesses, don’t make security a priority, even with the devastating effect it can have. Understanding potential holes, addressing concerns, and proactively managing risks can mean the difference between a prosperous organization and one that is out of business.

The post The Cost of a Data Breach originally appeared on the Curotec Blog

Equifax Breach Shines Light on Common Web Vulnerabilities

If you’ve been living off the grid or hunkered down to avoid the wrath of mother nature, you might have missed the big news from last week. Equifax, one of the big 3 credit reporting entities in the United States, reported a security breach of epic proportions.

The breach involved Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for roughly 143 million people in the US alone, or close to 1 in every two people. Data lost included names, birth dates, and addresses, but also extended to social security numbers, credit card numbers, and in some cases driver’s license numbers.

To exacerbate the problem, Equifax’s handling of the response and notification has also consumers and experts alike concerned with their ability to address the issue. In fact, the incident is so severe, and the management of it so questionable, the House Financial Services Committee will be holding hearings to gain a better understanding of what this means to consumers and the country.

What might be the most damning, however, is how the breach occurred. Currently, signs point to Equifax having fallen to one of the most common security vulnerabilities known – a SQL injection.

Yet, while a company entrusted with the wealth of personal information that Equifax had stored on consumers should have taken greater precautions, hacks like these are called common for a reason. Many companies fall prey to them. Others don’t even know they should be testing for them. And still, more rely on a single point of failure – a developer – to be the one to hold back the tide of hackers trying to get at your company’s data.

So, what are the most common web vulnerabilities your company should be looking for? And how do you effectively, and consistently, ensure the security of your data?

Top 5 Common Web Vulnerabilities

While not a complete list, these are some of the most common – and therefore, serious –  vulnerabilities in web applications.

Authentication Issues and Session Management

HTTP does not provide functionality for user authentication and session tracking, so this must be handled by the web applications. Because of this, developers must be vigilant to ensure that session data is encrypted at all times, otherwise, it provides opportunities for hackers to hijack a user’s session during an active session.

Cross-site Request Forgery

With a cross-site request forgery, a third-party site attempts to request access to a web application that a user is already authenticated to. Examples are social media sites, financial institutions (banks, credit cards sites), and email clients. Once access is obtained, the malicious site can then access functionality on the authenticated site, wreaking havoc on bank accounts and through email.

Security Misconfigurations

With the complexity of applications that are part of a web application ecosystem, it’s important that users and processes have the minimum security access that they need to get done their intended tasks. Unfortunately, either because of a lack of resource training or through systems allowing access to more data than is needed, processes and accounts may be able to see data or perform actions that they should have access to. Because of this, a malevolent user, or someone who can access a user or process account, can perform harmful actions that they shouldn’t be able to otherwise gain access to.

XSS – Cross-Site Scripting

Validation is an important part of user submitted data when it comes to the security of your application. In a cross-site scripting attack, client-side scripts are injected into a site and can execute on pages that are dynamically generated leveraging user-supplied data can be at risk if the information isn’t validated. As a result, users can be redirected to a malicious site that appears like the original site or their sessions can be hijacked.

SQL Injections

It’s believed that a SQL injection is what was used in the Equifax breach. Like a cross-site scripting vulnerability, SQL injection can occur when data coming into the site is not validated. In these cases, user-supplied data is input into a web application, but without data validation, a malignant SQL query and commands can be passed directly into the database. Equifax isn’t the only large company that has fallen victim to a SQL injection attack. The PlayStation breach of 2011 was also caused by SQL injection.

Strategies for Protecting Your Data from Common Web-based Threats

The good news is that most of the most common attacks are easily taken care of with education, testing, and consistency.

Developers, system administrators, and security staff should be well-trained to be aware of best practice for web application security. Knowing when encryption should be used on data, and how to minimize exposure to data through access control, can reduce system exposure to outside entities.

Education can also ensure that data cannot be injected into the site through foreign scripts or malicious SQL code passed through web application form elements. When developers are taught to limit form inputs and validate data, at least one attack vector is minimized.

But the entire burden shouldn’t be placed on the shoulders of the developers. While application testing is done, boundary testing – in other words, testing beyond what the expected use of an application is – can identify areas of potential vulnerability.

Beyond the areas of education and standards, though, regular full site testing can be invaluable. Penetration testing on applications that have access to sensitive data can inform improvements that need to be performed to secure your site. While internal teams can perform regular penetration tests, periodic testing and security audits by an outside partner can provide invaluable insights that might otherwise be overlooked.

Simple oversights in web application security can have devastating results, as the Equifax breach has shown. A common vulnerability can be easily exploited by hackers and cause life altering effects on millions. But even if your company doesn’t deal with the same level of sensitive data, you have a responsibility to your users and the enterprise to protect the data stored on your systems. Vigilance, education, and awareness are the greatest tools at your disposal to protect your organization from outside attacks.

The post Equifax Breach Shines Light on Common Web Vulnerabilities originally appeared on the Curotec Blog

4 E-Commerce Feature You Didn’t Know You Needed

E-commerce continues to grow at a rapid pace. If you’re thinking about starting an online storefront or adding the ability to purchase your products online in addition to a brick and mortar store, you’ve probably already considered some of the most common features that you’ll need.

Some of these features may include an easy way to add new products, the ability to quickly set up your storefront, the ability to set up sales and specials, store analytics, and integrations with payment providers.

But there are features that you may not be considering that can be just as important as the ability to import your products. Below we’ve called out 4 e-commerce features that you may not have thought of, but that can take your business to the next level.

 

An Extensible E-commerce Platform

When you first set up your e-commerce site, it may seem like the platform you’ve chosen has everything you’ll ever need. But you should take a step back and review what your company might need in the future, or at the very least understand that what you need today might not be what your customers will demand from you tomorrow.

Since it’s unlikely that you have a crystal ball to know what that might be, your insurance against your needs outgrowing your platform is to choose one that is extensible.

What does that mean? It means that you’ll be able to add functionality to your platform without having to bring in an expert to make significant changes to the core of your e-commerce platform. This not only allows you to add functionality as it becomes relevant, such as fraud protection, mentioned below, and customer service software, it also allows you to respond to your market as the needs of your customer base change. Additionally, it can allow you to amp up the security on your site by adding new innovations as they become available.

 

Open Source E-commerce Implementation

While having a site that is extensible means you can add pre-built components to grow your business and your platform’s functionality, choosing an open source e-commerce solution means that you can make your storefront into anything you want, with a little help from a knowledgeable technology partner.

Because open source software provides the code that makes up the platform’s functionality available, a skilled technology partner can help you change or add functionality to your storefront that may not exist otherwise. If you’ll need specialized functions to make your storefront the best it can be, going open source can be the most robust means of ensuring you get exactly what you want.

Remember, though – open source may not mean free. Some companies still charge for their platform, but once you are a licensed user you have access to the underlying code.

 

Integration with Fraud Protection

Payment processing is a no brainer for an e-commerce site. But with e-commerce fraud on the rise – fraud rates in 2016 were 33% higher than those a year earlier – you need to consider protecting those purchases as much as being able to accept them.

E-commerce sites typically leverage the Card Verification Value (CVV), located on the back of the credit or debit card, as a step toward ensuring a transaction is valid. But CVV verification is only a first step toward fraud prevention.

Outside services, like ClearSale, provide modules that can be used with various e-commerce platforms that can help verify the validity of a charge as well as identify the likelihood that a particular transaction may get charged back – something known as “friendly fraud”.

 

Ability to Connect to a 3PL

As your business grows, your ability to manage inventory, order fulfillment, and shipping management, along with your business will diminish. It’s at this point that many e-commerce retailers look to 3PLs for assistance with the inventory and order fulfillment needs.

A 3PL – or third-party logistics provider – can manage these elements of your business for you, providing you with benefits like reduced shipping time and cost, updated and streamlined warehouse procedures, and inventory adaptation and management based on demand.

However, adding a 3PL to your online retail business will provide fewer positives to your business if you need to manage orders directly. Instead, a direct integration to your 3PL will allow orders coming in from your website to flow seamlessly into your order fulfillment systems with your third-party logistics provider.

If you’re just starting out in the online retail space, some of these concerns may seem far reaching. But as your business grows, you’ll be glad you took the time to plan for expansion. Overhauling your e-commerce site shortly after setting it up is a frustrating experience and one that can be avoided when you consider a few additional features that will free to you to grow and build your business.

The post 4 E-Commerce Feature You Didn’t Know You Needed originally appeared on the Curotec Blog

You’re Already Soaking in it: Brownfield Software Development

The definition of brownfield software development is the development and deployment of new software and systems in the presence of existing and legacy systems.

Sound familiar? That’s because unless you’re part of a brand new startup, you’re already doing this. It’s the reality for anyone working in an enterprise IT environment.

If we were all working within our “happy path” plans, we’d be able to develop new software and systems that immediately worked with our existing ones, and integration between system would be easy. But just like a 15-year-old car doesn’t have built in GPS, neither do legacy systems operate in the same way as new software.

Brownfield development must take into consideration how it will interoperate with the existing systems to prevent causing more problems than the new software solves.

What is Brownfield Development

The term brownfield is borrowed from the construction industry. Brownfield land describes a new building location that, in the proves of planning and construction, must take into account the area’s existing structures and work around those to prevent causing problems.

The value in brownfield development is that it extends the in-place systems. The critical piece is context – to understand the environment that the development is being done in so that it doesn’t disrupt current software operations.

To gain this value, however, the project cannot be planned or executed in a vacuum.

Brownfield vs Greenfield

Many software projects assume a clean slate, or what is alternatively called a greenfield development environment. Requirements are gathered, schedules developed, and software is built.

Greenfield software is developed under the pretext that it is either standalone or that the system it will be inhabiting is clean a fresh. These kinds of projects are, for obvious reasons, extremely rare.

When projects must be developed in the presence of legacy applications, ignoring existing applications to develop a new application only adds technical debt to what is likely already overloaded IT schedules and resources.

When planning a new application within an existing ecosystem, gaining an understanding of the touch points between it and the applications it must touch is only part of the project’s considerations. The effect that the software will have on the system must be taken into account as well. End to end clarity of the enterprise architecture and the new application’s place within it can reduce the negative impact of its development.

Strategies for Brownfield Application Development

 

Bring Together the Right Resources

When executing a brownfield software project, having the right brains considering the problem is the first step to success.

Go beyond those that will build the application and include on the team those that have an understanding of the bigger picture. This should include:

• Enterprise Architects – provide an end to end understanding of the systems
• Business owners – keep requirements on track
• Stakeholders – ensure the application being built is providing value
• Subject Matter Experts of adjacent products – will provide insight into the inner workings of other applications

These team members should be included throughout the initial planning process. If you’ve engaged an outside firm to help with the development, make sure they are also included in these planning meetings.

Create a Minimally Viable Product

Based on the agreed upon requirements and business needs, the team can begin building what is known as a minimally viable product.

By creating an application that accomplishes a minimum set of functionalities and placing it within the ecosystem, a better picture is gained around both the effect it will have on the systems and the unforeseen challenges of integration.

This requires building a product that actually works – this isn’t a proof of concept to be thrown away after. Instead, this product will be what future iterations will be built upon.

Investigate Modern Integration Methods

As your application goes through planning, you may discover that it needs to communicate with others in the ecosystem or access data from other parts of the system. While you may already have integrations between applications in place, this may be the time to re-evaluate the value of how you connect those applications.

These choices should be part of your early planning as they can impact your application design. Consider the following integration and application design patterns:

• Point to Point: These integrations allow two applications to communicate, but are not flexible. However, they are rapid to develop and work well depending on the number of integrations needed in an ecosystem
• APIs: Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, are flexible connections between applications, allowing them to use functionality and data from far reaching software
• Microservices: Microservices take API designs to the next level. Building loosely coupled services increases application interoperability

The likelihood is you’re already building in a brownfield application environment. But you’re also probably approaching your projects like they are greenfield endeavors. Stop ignoring the intricacies of developing against existing applications and instead include the resources and strategies to launch a successful software project.

The post You’re Already Soaking in it: Brownfield Software Development originally appeared on the Curotec Blog