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5 Smart Ways to Use Your End-of-Year IR Budget

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5 Smart Ways to Use Your End-of-Year IR Budget

Budget – It’s fast approaching the “use it or lose it” months of your budget. Do you know how you’ll spend that extra cash?

Q4’s leftovers may be small compared to 2022’s total budget, but a little can go a long way to finishing the year strong and setting your investor relations strategy up for success in 2023.

If you aren’t sure of the best use of your end-of-year budget, here are five ways to improve your IR platform.

1. Upgrade CRM IR Platform

No successful IR strategy is complete without a CRM IR platform — so much so that you probably already have an app or two to help you connect with investors and track communications.

But if it’s been more than five years since your last upgrade, there’s a good chance outdated, siloed tech is standing in the way of your team.

With the holidays on their way, a busy season of outreach is in front of you and your team. Upgrading your CRM IR platform to the latest, all-in-one app will streamline this seasonal engagement, making it easier to organize, monitor, and analyze your end-of-year CRM strategy.

2. Adopt Engagement Analytics

Between your company’s valuation, stock performance, and investor activity across your entire digital footprint, there’s a lot of data to crunch nowadays. It isn’t always easy to pinpoint which engagements are important for your IR strategy.

Engagement analytics is one of the newest tools for the modern IRO overwhelmed by their digital IR intelligence. It pulls data from every interaction across your IR strategy and consolidates it into one platform. Better yet, it relies on powerful AI and machine learning to analyze and visualize this data so that your team can make informed, proactive decisions that drive success.

3. Speak with an ESG Consultant

ESG assets have seen impressive growth all throughout the pandemic, and they continue to fair well, even as the market hits choppy waters today. However, it’s harder than ever to earn your stripes as an ESG fund now that the SEC is tightening ESG reporting rules.

With the SEC’s disclosure requirement all but law at this point, it’s important you speak with an ESG consultant about how you can best showcase your strategy while maintaining strict compliance. With the right consultant, you can publish assessments, reports, and disclosures on your dedicated ESG website.

4. Invest in Your IR Website

On the topic of websites, your IR site is the most important touchstone for your investor relations platform. It’s the first and most trusted source of information about your brand and hosts impressive engagement metrics that drive your strategy.

Your website does a lot of heavy lifting for your IR strategy. To make sure it’s up to the job, speak with a consulting firm about updating your site and its content.

5. Upgrade Your Webcasting Setup

It’s too early to think about corporate access events after the pandemic. COVID-19 still impacts your event schedule, even as most restrictions on gatherings and travel have lifted.

While some companies have embraced a full return to in-person AGMs, others have kept their corporate access events digital. More still have adopted a hybrid model that allows a small group of people to meet under one roof while the majority of people tune in to a webcast.

Upgrading your webcasting setup can ensure your team is ready for another year of digital or hybrid events. The top webcasting professionals can provide tips for running a hybrid investor event, too.

How to write a blog post that’s engaging and SEO-friendly

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How to write a blog post that’s engaging and SEO-friendly

When it comes to writing for SEO and engaging your audience, it may seem as if there is tension between the two. We are unable to completely agree. To develop a blog that is SEO-friendly, you must prominently display certain terms you want to be found for. However, utilizing too many keywords severely lowers the quality of your blog content, which is something you should avoid. High keyword density could be a sign to Google that you are stuffing your text with keywords, which could hurt your search engine rankings. You can learn how to properly use keywords by opting for an online SEO course.

Writing blog content that is search engine friendly

Your blog entry ought to be a top-notch piece of writing. Most bloggers start writing when they start an article for a blog, noting whatever ideas come to mind. While some people may be able to write well on their own, others might need help. When we write an article on my blog, we adhere to these guidelines.

Before you start, think about your writing.

You can save time later on in the process if you spend some time, in the beginning, considering the information you’ll utilize on your blog.

We frequently read numerous marketing and SEO Basics articles on various online marketing blogs. We add the URL and title to my notes whenever we come across a subject or topic that we find intriguing and deserving of consideration in one of my upcoming writings.

We plan my publication schedule each month. We look over all the articles I’ve saved, my notes, and the others. After deciding which topics to cover, we mark the publication date for each topic on a Google calendar.

Also Read: You can learn SEO by doing a digital marketing course in Mumbai.

  • Use paragraphs and headings.

Paragraphs are used by everyone, yet not everyone makes good use of them. You shouldn’t just start each sentence with a new line because it looks nice. Also, keep in mind that each paragraph needs to have a distinct thought or subject. Think about the main idea in each paragraph. You ought to be able to encapsulate the concept in a single sentence. If it’s not possible to do this and you need more phrases to convey the main concept, you’ll need to add more paragraphs.

The right headlines will also help your readers understand the subject of your post. Subheadings can help readers find the information in your writing by pointing them in the right direction. Readers can traverse your website and better grasp the organization of your posts with the aid of subheadings. They are crucial for more than just readability. They are also necessary for SEO Fundamentals, though. For this reason, I advise using your keywords in a few of the subheadings.

  • Make the blog post’s structure.

The outline for your post must then be written down. By structure, I mean pointing out the different sections of your post.

You can write the blog post more quickly by breaking it up into distinct pieces. Writing 200-word pieces that merely cover a small aspect of the subject is more effective and quicker than writing longer chunks.

Blogs are typically required to contain an introduction, a body, and a conclusion (similar to the writing process of the essay). There are numerous pieces that make up the major part. Examine the design of this blog post several times, then scroll up and down to see the result.

  • Use parallel keywords.

It will become less interesting to read and will affect your ranking if you add the keyword you wish to concentrate on. Google is demanding that it produce articles that readers will appreciate as it develops. Google has other ways of figuring out what your content is about, so it doesn’t need you to use your focus keyword in every phrase. Synonyms and other keywords related to the focus keyword are one of the ways Google determines the subject of your article. For this reason, your text must be filled with synonyms and similar words.

  • Whenever it makes sense, use links

When producing an article, make an effort to connect it to previously written blog entries on your website, for instance by using internal hyperlinks.

 

You may learn about internal linking from SEO Skol, which provides a variety of benefits. Internal linking is a very straightforward and effective SEO method.

  1. It helps search engines find new pages on your website. It is true that while crawling your website, search engine spiders will follow any hyperlink that does not include the “no follow” property, adding the page to their index (if there isn’t already).
  2. Another strategy is to give search engines a key piece of information about a webpage. For instance, the search engine is informed that the page’s content has to do with SEO tutorials when I include an image like this: SEO Tutorial.
  3. It’s a great way to let users click on a link to find out additional information.

  • Regular content creation

Every time you publish a new blog entry, Google gets notified that your site is active. This is important because Google will crawl your website less frequently if it isn’t actively being used, which could harm your rating. Don’t post merely for the sake of posting, though. Make sure the material you provide is of the highest caliber and useful, well-written pieces that are engaging and satisfy their search objectives.

Creating an editorial calendar for your website might be a smart idea if you’re having trouble posting frequently. This will let you set up the procedure in a way that benefits your team. It’s advised to sometimes update your older blog posts to protect them from growing stale.

Author’s Bio

Karan Shah

Founder and CEO at IIDE

Apart from being an Edu-Preneur, Tedx Speaker and a Black Coffee connoisseur, Karan Shah is also the founder of IIDE- The Digital School. 

A Harvard alumnus, Karan’s expertise lies in digital marketing and Ecommerce. A storyteller at heart, he has penned plenty of articles in leading news portals such as Entrepreneur, BusinessWorld, Education Times, and Youth Magazine to name a few.

What is Cloud Computing?

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What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing provides on-demand computing services through the internet and on a pay-as-you-go basis, ranging from apps to storage and processing power. In simple terms, companies can rent access to everything from apps to hold from a cloud service provider rather than having their computing equipment or data centres. One advantage of cloud computing is that businesses may avoid the upfront costs and complexity of building and maintaining their own IT infrastructure by paying only for what they need when they need it. As a result, cloud-computing service providers may achieve enormous economies of scale by providing the same services to diverse consumers.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing services today include everything from basic storage, networking, and processing power to natural language processing and artificial intelligence and common office programs. Almost any service that doesn’t require you to be physically proximate to your computer hardware may be offered over the cloud. Lots of services rely on cloud computing. Consumer services such as Gmail and cloud backups of your smartphone images are examples, as are services that allow major organizations to host all of their data and operate all of their programs in the cloud. Netflix, for example, uses cloud computing to power its video-streaming service and its other business operations. Software providers are increasingly delivering their programs as services through the internet rather than as separate goods. They aim to transition to a subscription model, and cloud computing is becoming the default choice for many apps. On the other hand, cloud computing has the potential to generate additional expenses and dangers for businesses that use it.

How important is Cloud Computing?

As processing responsibilities keep on relocating to the cloud, whether through open cloud administrations presented by merchants or private mists worked by endeavours themselves, a framework to help distributed computing currently represents a critical piece of all IT spending. In contrast, at the same time, spending on customary, in-house IT keeps on declining. Regardless of whether you like it, the cloud has won with regard to corporate registering stages. This development expanded in 2020 and 2021 as firms progressed their computerized change plans right after the plague. All through the epidemic, the lockdowns showed how basic it was for organizations to have the option to get to their PC framework, applications, and information from wherever their representatives worked – not simply from an office. As indicated by Gartner, the constant movement to the cloud will be driven by the need for incorporation abilities, coordinated work techniques, and composable plans.

Steps to learn Cloud Computing.

The term Cloud Computing refers to a big area of Information Technology that involves: hardware infrastructures, software infrastructures, data centre facilities, virtualization technologies, and software engineering concepts. All these areas are connected and provide you with a strong background for your journey of learning to use and work with cloud computing platforms. Cloud Computing is a broad area, to understand the Great Learning Cloud Computing courses online you should have some skills related to basic concepts of Operating Systems(how they work and operate at a higher level): Windows, Linux, and a few basic ideas about them and some basic networking skills. It is best if you have a basic understanding of virtualization technologies as Virtualization Technologies play a very important role when we speak about cloud computing. It would be best if you had a clear idea of what Public Cloud Computing vs Private Cloud Computing means. It is good to know to code for learning cloud computing.

The term [Cloud Computing] is an umbrella term and encompasses many different concepts of Information Technology listed above, so if you have a basic understanding of the technologies mentioned above, it will be helpful for you to learn [cloud computing] from scratch. The two most popular cloud service providers globally are Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. It’s understandable for newcomers to be perplexed by the two platforms and unsure which to learn.

Both AWS and Azure are fantastic platforms. Although they share similar design patterns conceptually, their technological implementations will differ. Choose between AWS and Azure and begin your Basic 101 instruction on either platform. You may start with AWS, spend a few months there, and then go to Azure or continue developing your skills on AWS. You may do the exact opposite if you wish to learn more about both. Given your youth, investing in these technologies will be extremely beneficial to your long-term career. Having personally witnessed Azure’s widespread acceptance and Microsoft’s extraordinary positive momentum, I advise you to begin with Azure. Whatever you select, choose technology and apply yourself to the art of learning by spending time and effort to make it a successful undertaking for you.

PG Program in Cloud Computing.

Yes, suppose you want not only to learn and become certified but also to use what you’ve learned at work and participate in your company’s cloud journey. In that case, you should enrol in the Great Learning PG in [cloud computing] course. It was created and built by industry specialists with decades of expertise. It delves into both AWS and Azure and provides an overview of Google’s cloud platform. Because generic cloud ideas are the same regardless of the cloud provider, you should be able to adapt to any cloud environment after finishing this course. The course also covers ideas like Big data and microservices, both of which are necessary for a complete cloud solution. It also includes a plethora of hands-on tasks for actual use. And it’s a fantastic way to meet and network with like-minded people from all around the world. Cloud Essentials, Cloud Architecture, Cloud Service & Deployment Models, Virtual Machines & Containers, Cloud Adoption, Migration, and Economics, and working on cloud platforms as a Developer, DevOps, or Architect will all be covered in this course. The program stresses ” learning by doing ” with several laboratories and project assignments, including a Capstone project. The program emphasizes “learning by doing.” In addition to the Great Learning course content, AWS Educate is an academic partner in this program, and you will have access to AWS Educate learning resources, Career Pathways, and the Job site.

Conclusion

[Cloud computing] provides excellent job stability, professional growth, and promotion chances. Start today by taking one of the introductory [cloud computing] courses to determine if a [cloud computing] architect or engineer career is suited for you. Get your cloud certification right now!

How To Easily Create And Invoice Your Clients- Few Steps

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How To Easily Create And Invoice Your Clients- Few Steps

Learning how to create a proper invoice for your freelance work is an important skill to have. Not only does it show that you’re a professional, but it also helps ensure that you get paid promptly and correctly. When a client receives a complete, well-craft invoice, they’re more likely to impress and pay on time. This also helps to build trust between you and your client, which is essential for a good working relationship. Keep reading to learn a few steps on how to create an invoice that you can feel confident about sending to your clients.

Start With A Professional Layout

Choosing the best software to provide a free invoice template is a good place to start. This will give you a basic, professional layout that you can then customize and make your own. The layout is clean and simple, with your name and contact information at the top. This can achieve by using the right template such as invoice template word which comes with unique features such as GST support and Logo addition. It is the best template when it comes to playing around with the fonts, colors, and branding on your invoice. Just remember to keep it simple too much information can overwhelming for your client.

Include Company and Customer Information

Add your company name and contact information to the invoice. You should also include the name and contact information for the customer. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to include all of the relevant information so that there’s no confusion about who the invoice is from or who it’s for.

Label Your Invoice and Add Dates

Every invoice should have a clear and concise title, such as “invoice” or “statement.” it should also include the date that the work was performed or the product delivered. This helps to ensure that both you and your client are on the same page about what services were render and when. Make sure to add a unique invoice number as well, which will make it easier to keep track of payments. The easiest way to label an invoice is to use a simple numbering system.

Provide An Itemized List of Goods and Services

Provide An Itemized List of Goods and Services

This section is where you’ll list out each individual item or service that you’re billing for. Include a clear and concise description of the work performed, as well as the quantity, unit price, and total amount due. If there are any discounts or special rates, sure to include them here as well. Your invoice should include; a brief description of the work performed or product delivered, the quantity of goods or services provided, the unit price for each item and the total amount due, including any discounts or special rates.

Calculate Fees and the Total Amount Due

After you’ve itemized everything, it’s time to calculate the total amount due. This should include any taxes or other fees that may applicable. Once you’ve calculate the grand total, make sure to list it prominently on the invoice so that there’s no confusion about what is owed. A good invoice generator will calculate these fees for you automatically. Ideally, you want this number to as clear as possible. If so use bold text or increase the font size it is easily found.

Add Payment Terms, Due Date and Footnotes

Last but not least, don’t forget to include your payment terms and the due date for the invoice. This lets your client know when they need to pay and how you prefer to paid. If you have any special instructions for payments, such as using a specific payment gateway, be sure to mention them here as well. This is also a great place to add a personal message or thank-you note. You can also include a “notes” section at the bottom of the invoice for any additional information that didn’t fit elsewhere.

Sign And Send Your Invoice

Once you’re happy with how your invoice looks, it’s time to sign and send it off to your client. If you’re emailing the invoice, sure to use a PDF so that it can’t alter. You can also add a digital signature to further protect your work. Once the invoice sent, make sure to keep a copy on file for your records. By following these simple steps, you can create an invoice that is professional, clear and easy to understand. With a little practice, you able to whip up invoices in no time at all! And most importantly, you paid promptly and without any hassle.

Also Read: 6 Medical Settings Where You Can Work as a Physician Assistant

Is Data Analytics a Good Career?

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Is Data Analytics a Good Career?

So, you are confused about making a career choice. Today, when there is massive data generation across the globe, any career choice related to data can prove to be the best. It may include data scientists, data analysts, data engineers, and more.

In this article, we will discuss the Data Analyst job role, which is expected to become the hottest job role by the year 2025; but how? Let’s have a look at its answer!

  • By the fiscal year 2025, the big data analytics market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 30% globally, thereby generating a revenue of over USD 68 billion, according to a report by Statista
  • According to data by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job openings for data analysts are expected to increase by 20% between the forecast period of 2018 and 2028
  • Becoming a Data Analyst, you can choose to be in any industry, including healthcare and pharmaceuticals, BFSI (banking, financial services, and investments), software products, retail, Information Technology, government agencies, media and entertainment, logistics, manufacturing, and more
  • By choosing a career in data analytics, you get many options to choose from, including Data Analyst, Research Analyst, Business Analyst, Quality Analyst, and Marketing Analyst
  • Top companies are looking for professionals who are skilled, trained, and certified in Data Analysis, thereby increasing the demand for skilled data analysts

Now that you have gone through such powerful stats regarding data analysts, did you know that these stats are also a result of the hard work of data analysts?

Many professionals these days prefer to take up a Data Analyst Course in order to make their careers in this ever-growing domain.

Let us have a look at what it means to be a Data Analyst and whether it is good to be a Data Analyst.

What is a Data Analyst?

Data Analysis is a systemic approach to obtaining insights from huge amounts of data to help organizations make informed decisions. The five phases included in the process of data analysis iterate continuously until the desired results are attained. They are:

  • Identify the data that you need to analyze
  • Collect the data
  • Cleanse the data that is to be prepared for analysis
  • Analyze the data
  • Communicate the results of the analysis performe

The different forms of Data Analysis include:

  • Descriptive Analysis: It answers what happened
  • Diagnostic Analysis: This form answers why it happened
  • Predictive Analysis enables you to form projections regarding future
  • Prescriptive Analysis provides you with recommendations related to the actions to be taken

 Is Data Analytics a Good Career Choice?

Indeed!!

Data is considered gold today. And so is analytics. It is the analytics processes that turn data into usable formats and extract meaningful insights. Analytics is believed to drive businesses to create higher productivity. Businesses these days are looking for skilled data professionals who can extract insights from massive datasets with the use of specified tools and techniques. Let us look at the reasons for choosing analytics as your career domain.

Organizations of all sizes are looking for analytics experts

It has become crucial for businesses of all sizes to transform themselves on virtual platforms. This is possible by adopting big data analytics for enterprises, including insurance and banking, telecommunications, manufacturing, academia, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and almost every organization that exists. This transformation has resulted in significant improvement in b2b market interactions, marketing strategies, manufacturing, productivity, and synchronized operations. There is consistent evolution in data and the ways in which it is processed and used for transforming businesses which makes this an exciting and ever-growing domain.

Plenty of job opportunities in different sectors

As stated earlier, data analysts are required in almost every domain. Now that every industry is going to be a tech industry with digital adoption for every possible task, you can choose to work in the IT sector as well as the non-IT sector.

The best time to enter into this domain is Now!! From movie recommendations on Netflix to fashion tips on eCommerce platforms, from personalized services to customer service chatbots, from making graphs of covid cases to making surveys regarding almost anything, big data analytics is everywhere.

Opportunities to work with Big Names

One of the most crucial reasons for working as a data analyst is that you get huge opportunities to work with some of the biggest names. When you look for global brands of analytics software providers, include Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, and also SAP. elite companies of different sectors where you can work as a data analyst are:

  • Healthcare: Sanofi, Glenmark, GlaxoSmithKline, Alembic, Sun Pharmaceuticals, and many more
  • Telecommunications: BSNL(Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited), Bharti Airtel Limited, Reliance, and more
  • BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance): ICICI Bank, HDFC, HSBC, Axis Bank, Yes Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, IDBI Bank, Citigroup, BNP Paribas, and more
  • Media and Entertainment: Amazon Prime, Netflix, Fox Entertainment, Time Warner, Viacom 18, NDTV, Dish Network, and more
  • Automobile Industry: Maruti Suzuki, General Motors, Volkswagon, Hyundai, Honda, Morris Garage, and many more
  • Retail: there are numerous retail companies, and the biggest names include Amazon, Reliance Retail, Future Enterprises, Flipkart, Landmark group, etc

Shortage of the right talent

Though there is a massive demand for data workers, there is a wide skill gap, and organizations find it difficult to have the desired talent pool in their workforce. Research states that nearly 81% of organizations prefer to hire skilled professionals who possess at least 3 years of experience. Some of them prefer candidates with master’s certifications as well.

But the fact is that these candidates are difficult to hire. The deficit of professionals with the desired skill set has forced companies to pay huge salaries to data analysts.

Conclusion

I hope you have now decided to launch or advance your career in the field of data analysis which is currently the hottest job around the globe. If this is so, you can take up an online course from a reputed training institute such as Simplilearn.

Enroll Yourself Now!!

How to Keep Personal Notes Secure and Private

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How to Keep Personal Notes Secure and Private

Personal Notes – Keeping personal and confidential information secure is paramount for everyone in today’s digital world. Whether it’s at work, school, home, or even on vacation, people are storing more and more information on computers, mobile devices, and the cloud. Anyone who has a computer knows how easy it is to have your files hacked or stolen.

Many people have had their entire computer hacked because of a simple password or personal email. Users must think about what information they are comfortable with sharing and whether that information can fall into the wrong hands. The best way to keep this type of information private is by creating notes in your notebook that no one else can access or see.

Protecting Your Identity

When you create and store your confidential information in a private note, you are protecting your identity. For example, when you write down your passwords in a notebook, you are keeping them out of the hands of cybercriminals. If you store this information electronically, it’s susceptible and a hacker can easily break into your computer or laptop and gain access to it.

Having a personal note also gives you a sense of comfort that your information is safe and secure. For example, if a friend or family member needs your contact information, you can simply write it down in your notebook and give it to them. You don’t have to worry about someone getting your information off your computer or device and storing it in your notebook.

Lock Down Confidential Data

Having a secured notebook is the perfect way to lock down and keep secure any confidential information. You can keep company secrets and top-secret plans in your notebook. The best part is that no one else can access this information unless they have the password to your notebook.

For example, if your company is working on a new invention or a new product, you can keep track of all your meeting notes, project timelines, and any other details in your isolated notebook. You can also keep any blueprints, sketches, or schematics for your invention in your notebook. This way, you don’t have to worry about someone else finding these documents and stealing company secrets. You can keep track of your progress and stay organized by writing down everything in your notebook.

Conclusion

If you want to safely store information and keep it unavailable to any unauthorized users, you must use a private note. It is a private place where you keep notes, to-do lists, receipts, passwords, and other important information that others can’t access. It’s also the best way to keep personal information private and organized.

This note is ideal if you want to keep data secure, organized, and secure while you’re doing it. No one but you will have access to your note. You can also use it to write down your passwords, health records, and important notes. Who knows, your data might help you remember something important in the future!

Everything You Should Know About App Design

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Everything You Should Know About App Design

Have you ever thought about what the ideal app design really is? Well, as time moves on and more sophisticated techs start to dominate the app development landscape, the very definition of app design starts to change. And so do the tasks of developers and designers that work on creating robust, user-friendly, and commercially successful digital solutions.

In today’s post we’re going to take a closer look at design principles in software engineering that define a successful application. Also, we’ll provide you with useful tips and recommendations on how to nail your user experience with effective and highly responsive app design. But first, let’s find out what app design actually is and why so much attention is paid to it.

What is App Design?

In layman’s terms, app design is how the application looks and feels during the interaction. Let’s start with the look first. When talking about visually appealing design, most users imagine fun memorable colors, effective logos, readable and user-friendly fonts, rich textures, and the like. This all represents the overall style of an app and plays an important role in its commercial success.

When it comes to your app’s feel, you need to ensure that it’s capable of providing your users with the best possible usability and functionality. In other words, just like any app, your solution needs to help your customers solve their particular problems and address their needs.

Not rare are the cases when users abandon this or that app after a week or two after installing it. These days, the app market is overflowing with cool and highly efficient products that help users with their daily tasks, time management, workout routine, and much more. No wonder, customers are so picky and demanding when it comes to choosing apps. With this in mind, you’ll want to invest enough time, effort, and money in great UI and UX design and thus boost the chance that your users will keep using it for a long time.

Why is App Design Important?

More often than not, it’s the UX, or its quality to be precise, that makes app owners invest in their app design. Given the fierce competition in the software development market, all appreneurs want to ensure that their new product can meet their intended users’ needs and bring them the best experience possible. Among the major constituents of app success are intuitive UI, fast loading times, ease of use and navigation, and so on. In other words, your users should be satisfied with their interaction with your product. And the greater your customer satisfaction is, the more people will come to download your app down the line.

But it’s not just the user experience alone that can benefit from wisely implemented app design principles. If you make sure all components of successful app design are in place, you’ll be able to scale up your app further down the road by modifying and tweaking your code. What’s more, you’ll be able to make your product more testable, optimize it for mobile platforms, and add more advanced features to your app at any point.

Things to Be Considered When Designing Your App

As with any other product you want to successfully bring to the market, you need to make sure this market actually needs your app. For this, you’ll want to put some time into researching the market and competitors, especially those whose products are popular with your intended audience. Once you gain a better understanding of your target users, clearly identify the range of problems your app will help to address, as well as the value it will bring to the table.

Also, bear in mind that successful design doesn’t necessarily equate with aesthetics. It’s more about living up to users’ expectations. So, you need to organize, structure, and label your app layout so that it can match your customers’ mental model. Don’t go overboard with navigation patterns, make sure all touch targets are at least 44 px and finger-friendly. Finally, do your best to optimize your product for different platforms. When designing your app, keep in mind resolutions, screen sizes, and current product design trends.

Last things last, make sure to test your new product before it goes live. Not only will this help collect valuable feedback from your beta users, but also identify the areas which need further improvement in good time.

What Are the Requirements of PCI DSS Compliance?

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What Are the Requirements of PCI DSS Compliance?

If your company processes credit or debit card information, then it’s very likely that you have heard of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Cardholder data should not be accessible to individuals who do not need access. In addition, sent to a central Syslog server there should be properly structured measures to control how cardholder data is accessed.

The contract for cardholder data handlers PCI requires PCI DSS; regardless of the size of your company, it must comply, and the compliance must be validated year by year.

Statistics have shown that organizational PCI DSS compliance has dropped consistently since 2016. For example, a payment security report by Verizon revealed that only 27.9 percent of businesses attained comprehensive PCI DSS compliance during their 2019 interim validation.

The core focus of the PCI DSS requirements checklist is to provide adequate credit card security to cardholders. Here are the requirements of PCI DSS compliance.

1. Install a Firewall and Maintain its Configuration

Firewalls prevent unauthorized access to data by unknown entities through rules and regulations configured by a company. This helps to adequately secure the card data environment. Firewall configuration maintenance should include bi-annual reviews to ensure no potential data leaks.

2. Avoid Porous Vendor-Supplied Defaults for System Security

Do not use third-party systems like routers, point of sale (POS) systems, modems, and other models with security codes that are often easy to guess and access by the public. PSI compliance in this regard includes putting together a list of software and devices requiring security access and including precautions and configurations to secure cardholder data.

3. Two-Fold Cardholder Data Security

Card Data must be secure through encryption. But it’s first crucial that you understand the volume of data to be stored together with its location and retention—harness industry-accepted algorithms (e.g., AES-256, RSA 2048).

4. Encrypt Data Transmitted Across Public Networks

When data is encrypted, it becomes gibberish and practically impossible for unauthorized use. A fourth PCI DSS requirement is that data transferred across locations must be encrypted. In addition, sensitive information like account numbers should not be sent to open or unknown locations such as GSM, Bluetooth, GPRS, 802.11, CDMA, or over the Internet. Cybercriminals are constantly seeking to take advantage of a company’s security system vulnerabilities. However, encrypting cardholder data will limit the possibility of a breach.

5. Install Antivirus Software

Antivirus software is necessary to secure devices that interact with and/or store PAN. It is also very important to ensure the constant update of this software. This PCI DSS compliance requirement is geared towards offering protection against diverse malware types that can wreak computer havoc. These also include workstations, smart devices, and laptops that may be used for carrying out various tasks with company resources. Updating antivirus or antimalware programs will make security software capable of confronting new threat data. This process will also make it impossible for potential malware infection. However, ensure that antivirus mechanisms are always kept active.

6. Identify and Classify Vulnerabilities In The PCI DSS Environment

Develop and maintain secure applications and systems by uncovering risks through reliable external sources. Business owners must be able to patch all systems in the card data environment in good time. These systems include application software, POS terminals, firewalls, routers, switches, databases, and operating systems. Updating them will provide an added security layer to the system, and they are essential for all software on devices that store or interact with cardholder data.

7. Control Cardholder Data Access

Cardholder data should not be accessible to individuals who do not need access. In addition, there should be properly structured measures to control how cardholder data is accessed. The restriction to data access requirement is focused on role-based access control (RBAC), which makes resources accessible on a need-to-know basis. Need-to-know is a crucial aspect of PCI DSS, ensuring that data is not exposed to the wrong users.

8. Dole Out Unique Access Identity to Each User

Every cardholder data with access should be assigned a distinct method of identification to gain access. Avoid using a single access code to encrypt data with several employees being given that code. That approach gives room for vulnerability. A more secure approach is to offer unique Identities and passwords/passphrases to every user. This will also speed up response time.

9. Restrict Data Access Physically

This PCI DSS requirement restricts cardholder data (digital and hard copies) from being physically exposed to the public. Data should be locked in a cabinet, drawer, or secure room. Aside from restricting physical contact with cardholder data, every potential access should strictly comply with the rules. Without physically putting these restrictions in place, potential threats would gain access and wreak havoc on systems and data.

10. Utilize Access Logs

One of the biggest risks to data is the lack of proper recording and documentation. Hence, access logs must be created and maintained before data and other network resources can be used. Data flow within your organization should be adequately documented. All systems must have a valid audit policy that must be set with logs sent to a central Syslog server.

11. Examine Security Systems Periodically

Even the best security approach can go awful either to human error, system malfunction, or outdated applications. Hence, it is important to test your security systems from time to time to keep healthy defenses.

12. Document and Implement Security Policies

Every policy should be geared towards the core PCI DSS goals and must be documented. Access to software, equipment, and employees must be adequately documented to aid compliance. The information security policy must at least be reviewed annually and passed across to every vendor, employee, and contractor.

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