In today’s fast-evolving technological landscape, staying relevant and offering impeccable services to customers demands that businesses keep pace with innovation. Adapting to change not only mitigates the risk of becoming obsolete but also positions a company for success in a dynamic market.

The imperative to modernize arises from the pressing need to align legacy systems with new business demands, a process that demands time and effort. Embracing modernization becomes paramount for businesses, particularly as clinging to outdated systems built on antiquated technology exposes them to avoidable risks such as higher maintenance costs, lower performance, profit losses, cybersecurity vulnerability, and sensitive data loss. By undertaking this transformation, businesses effectively reduce potential losses and pave the way for accelerated innovation.

Modernizing a company’s systems yields a plethora of advantages, each contributing to a positive transformation of the business landscape. While this list is by no means exhaustive, here are several compelling arguments in favor of modernization.

1. Enhanced Efficiency

The adoption of modern systems empowers businesses to employ advanced automation in their operations. By automating manual processes and streamlining workflows, valuable time and resources are saved, ultimately boosting productivity. Furthermore, modernization equips organizations to seamlessly integrate emerging technologies and tools as they emerge.

2. Optimized Costs 

Legacy systems often entail substantial maintenance costs, frequent breakdowns, and steep operational expenses. An example is the Government Accountability Office in the US reported that about $337 million is being spent on the maintenance of the federal government’s 10 legacy systems annually. Due to the large codebase and complicated functionality of the legacy software, updating or changing something within the system requires more financial and time resources than modern software. Modernization presents an opportunity to consolidate infrastructure, embrace cost-effective Cloud-based solutions, and leverage automation to optimize resource allocation and utilization. These efforts translate into significant long-term savings.

3. Data-Driven Insights 

Modern systems facilitate comprehensive data collection, analysis, and reporting. Advanced analytics tools and business intelligence platforms enable businesses to harness data-driven insights, identify trends, and derive actionable information. Armed with these insights, organizations can formulate strategies to outpace competitors.

4. Scalability and Flexibility 

A perennial challenge for legacy systems is adapting to evolving business needs and increased workloads. Modernization equips businesses to scale effectively for growth and efficiently manage higher demands. With flexible architectures and Cloud-based solutions, organizations can swiftly respond to market shifts, expanding or contracting as required.

5. Better Accessibility 

The advent of modern systems and Cloud-based solutions liberates businesses from dependence on on-premise infrastructure. Teams gain the freedom to access information anywhere, anytime, using their preferred devices and hardware.

6. Easier Collaboration and Integration

Alongside improved accessibility, modern systems foster seamless collaboration among teams, departments, and external stakeholders. Real-time information sharing enhances productivity, reduces task turnaround times, and promotes cohesive project execution. Modern systems boast interoperability, enabling harmonious integration with other tools and systems.

7. Robust Data Security 

As technology evolves, so do cyber threats. According to a report by the National Defense College of the Philippines, cyber attacks in the country rose to 31% in 2021 compared to 24% in 2020. In early 2023, some government bureaus experienced hacking and data breaches. Modern systems arm businesses with advanced security features such as multi-factor authentication and cutting-edge encryption technology. These measures counter the security vulnerabilities frequently associated with legacy systems.

Modernizing legacy systems often necessitates data migration, architectural restructuring, and reimagining business processes with contemporary technologies. However, it’s important to note that coexistence between legacy and modern systems is feasible in some cases. Expert consultation is crucial for assessing, analyzing, and determining which components of a business system warrant modernization.

Ultimately, the unequivocal benefits of modernization empower businesses to deliver superior experiences to customers, employees, and stakeholders alike. By embracing and harnessing the latest technologies, enterprises gain a competitive edge that enables them to flourish in a rapidly evolving market landscape.

 

For inquiries, contact us at ask@pointwest.com.ph

Contact: +632 8814 1100 (Trunkline) or +1 (888) 210-9078 (US Toll-Free)

The Pointwest UX Design Process

Written by Abigail Lampa, Pointwest UX Designer

 

Pointwest UX Design Process

The term “UX” or User Experience was coined by Apple’s former Advanced Technology Group Vice President Donald Norma. He once said that “good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible”, highlighting the important role user experience plays in fulfilling customer needs.

Good UX Design requires expertise and patience. For a better view of what goes on behind the scenes, here is an introduction to how the Pointwest UX team curates user experience for clients. 

 

  1. PLANNING & DISCOVERY

Before starting any project, collaboration is crucial to ensure that the team and the client are on the same page. This phase is usually done with the help of the project lead and the assigned business analyst. Here, the team will start learning about two factors from which the design will be based on: the brand and the users. The team also gets to know the client and how they measure the success of the product.

Activities

Stakeholders

Output

  1. RESEARCH

Companies may think that they know their users through assumptions, but these can only go so far. The inputs gathered from the users firsthand is gold, and are the keys to truly knowing the customers. These can save companies lots of time compared to figuring out which works best through mere guesswork. 

User Research involves seeking out the target demographics, hearing their pain points, and observing how they use the product.


Activities for User Research

Learning about the competition also falls under this phase. The following methods are used to give full insight as to how the competition differs, what they do well, and what they lack: 

Activities for Competitor Research

The Pointwest UX team utilizes Jakob Nielsen’s 10 General Principles for Interaction Design for grading the competition’s design.

 

  1. ANALYSIS

From the user insights gathered from the previous phase, the team thinks about how the users integrate the product into their daily lives, what they think about the product and how important it is for them, how the product can be improved, etc. The team also has a clearer understanding of the client’s vision for their product, which is then synthesized with the user insights. The synthesizing process involves clustering the gathered data into themes, creating insight statements, and formulating “how might we” questions.

Activities

Stakeholders

Output

Analysis-UX-Process

  1. SKETCHING

The fun part starts here! We’re getting closer to building the “face” for the product during this stage. This starts with creating wireframes, the barebones of the product. These are the basic visual representation of the UI without including the design and branding elements yet. Wireframes test the product’s actual user flow without the distraction of wondering if the design is pixel perfect, or which colors were used.

A few tools that can be used for wireframing are Balsamiq, Sketch, and Adobe XD. Wireframes can also be simply sketched out on paper. There are also tools available that can turn sketches into interactive prototypes like Marvelapp’s POP mobile app. 

Activities

Stakeholders

Output

 

  1. DESIGN

Time to get creative! It’s time to put a “face” on all that research, validation and wireframing. This is where the UI (User Interface) gets made. Site maps, User Flow, Branding, Colors, Icons, Images are all needed at this stage.

Here, design mock-ups are created. These need to repeatedly undergo Usability Testing with the target audience. The mock-ups are then repeatedly revised with the users’ insights in mind. This is important because once the product reaches the market, it’ll be harder to make revisions. 

Testing the product with actual customers will give unbiased feedback compared to when testing the product with the team alone. This process will also give a good preview of how the target audience will react with the design. For example, the UI may look good but it may be too distracting for the users. Then, the UI needs to be revised.

Activities

Stakeholders

Output

 

  1. POST RELEASE

When the designs are approved, the product is finally released to the market. But the UX Designer’s role doesn’t end here. The post-release phase involves the analysis of the metrics to see if users responded positively to the UX Design. Did it solve their pain points? How is the learning curve for added/removed steps? How is the team going to maintain the design?

 

Stakeholders

Output

 

This is Pointwest’s take on the UX Design process. It is a tedious but necessary process to ensure the best possible user experience for the customers, so your company may achieve the benefits of good UX Design such as boosted customer loyalty, profit gain, and saved cost.

 

About Pointwest

Pointwest is an IT company in the Philippines. Founded in 2003 by pioneers of the Philippine Global Sourcing industry, Pointwest creates value for its list of satisfied clients — including top Fortune 100 and local companies — with world-class digital innovation and IT modernization services backed by international-standard methodologies, and innovative practices.

For Inquiries, contact us:

+632 8814 1100 (Trunkline)

+1 (888) 210-9078 (US Toll-Free)

ask@pointwest.com.ph

Why-Your-Company-Needs-Vulnerability-Management-Pointwest

Why Your Company Needs Vulnerability Management

Security is one of the biggest concerns of every company. Potential dangers can cause many problems that can and will compromise your business. 

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Most uprooted trees don’t survive.

When a tree is uprooted, its roots often break. Some think uprooted trees can simply be replanted, but that’s not the case. When the roots break, the tree finds it difficult to absorb nutrients and water from the soil. Also, as the roots anchor the weight of the tree’s trunk and branches, a tree with broken roots may not be able to stand upright. And if the tree’s replanted in a new place, it’s not certain whether it can adapt to its new environment. 

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Improving work efficiency has always been one of the main goals of companies. Efficiency is key to a more productive and successful business. One of the best ways to ensure this is by streamlining processes through automation.

Implemented in places like manufacturing industries, e-commerce businesses, IT companies in the Philippines and worldwide, and other businesses, process automation has helped create faster and more efficient processes. 

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The advancement of automated systems has spanned a number of decades, with the development of new types of technologies that are able to help people accomplish more tasks. They do this by making certain processes automatic and programmable. One of these technologies is Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

Robotic Process Automation was created with the goal of streamlining tasks and processes to optimize business effectiveness. It has become one of the most sought-after technologies for a wide number of industries. The technology has been proven to promote process efficiency, and Artificial Intelligence can expand this functionality even further. 

Understanding RPA and AI

RPA and AI are two types of technologies that may be used to automate human tasks. Both have their own set of processes and systems that allow them to accomplish this goal. RPA fulfills these functions through the use of software robots programmed to perform a certain set of tasks. The range of these tasks can vary from simple to complex, depending on the number of robots and the tasks assigned.

Software robots can handle repetitive tasks, as well as analyze data and perform processes non-stop with little to no errors. RPA robots would simply have to log in to different applications to begin performing their tasks. As the robots perform efficiently, you can choose to focus manpower on higher-value tasks; for example, giving back-office tasks to RPA while letting human workers give more time to quality customer service.

On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence is a technology designed to perform tasks that require cognitive functions that normally require human intelligence. Compared to Robotic Process Automation, Artificial Intelligence doesn’t rely on hard rules and can learn to perform complex tasks on its own just by consuming data. This ability to learn is made possible through the concept called machine learning.  

robotic-process-automation-artificial-intelligence

These learning processes provide the system with data and statistics that the AI would decipher and understand over time. This allows the AI to constantly improve and learn how to perform a multitude of tasks independently, just as a human could do.

An example of an Artificial Intelligence system is Pointwest’s own Skriba. It is an Optical Character Recognition program that uses cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence to analyze and extract text (even handwritten ones) in document images for digital storage and retrieval. Instead of spending precious time in the painstaking task of encoding records, you can just scan a document, have Skriba “read” it, and it reproduces the text in the image (usually a filled form). Machine learning is used to help Skriba learn how to read even the most difficult of handwritings.

RPA and AI: Working Together

While some might see Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence as two competing technologies, the opposite is actually the case. These two are not only able to work together but also enhance each other’s functionality.

By themselves, RPA and AI greatly improve the efficiency of businesses. Imagine what they can do when combined. 

To make it work, RPA robots can be tasked to gather and feed data to AI models. The AI model, trained on volumes of data through machine learning, would be able to process the data forwarded by the robot and churn out results that it will return to the RPA robot. Putting these two together will create a near-autonomous system that can perform tasks without supervision while having the ability to learn and improve.

Integrating RPA and AI in Business and Industry

Implementing a system that uses both RPA and AI provides a number of benefits. These include improving overall work efficiency and providing a better customer experience. Here are examples of industries that can greatly benefit from these two systems:

Banking and Finance

The banking and finance industry is heavy on financial calculations and transactions, which means that there should be no margin of error when it comes to making computations. Speed and accuracy are crucial when accomplishing these processes, which is why using RPA and AI will help reduce human error in the process.

Using RPA and AI will allow you to make faster calculations and provide accurate numbers to your clientele. This will also help you finish jobs quickly and more efficiently. Such jobs include money transfers, exchanges, and other types of transactions.

Airlines and Transportation

Airlines and transportation is another busy industry where RPA and AI would help improve operations. RPA and AI systems can handle processes like ticket bookings and calculating travel costs. An RPA and AI system would also be able to connect with the passengers during their journey as well, providing them with reminders, messages, and other information that they would need.

Healthcare

Healthcare is one of the most important industries, as they deal with a person’s health and wellbeing. It is important that patients receive immediate care, which is why using RPA and AI to implement faster and better systems would be beneficial. RPA and AI can handle inquiries, leaving medical professionals more time to focus on patient care.

Retail

The retail industry is a business where quality customer service is one of the most important aspects. RPA and AI can handle tasks such as conducting transactions, providing product information to customers, and creating applications that help connect customers to the store. 

 

RPA and AI are two technologies that have been at the forefront of innovation in businesses and industries across the globe. By integrating these two systems together, you can develop some of the best and most efficient processes that will enable your business to provide better products and services.

 

About Pointwest

Founded in 2003 by pioneers of the Philippine Global Sourcing industry, Pointwest creates value for its list of satisfied clients — including top Fortune 100 and local companies — with world-class digital innovation and IT modernization services backed by international-standard methodologies, and innovative practices. 

For Inquiries, contact us: 

+632 814 1100 (Trunkline)

+1 (888) 210-9078 (US Toll-Free)

ask@pointwest.com.ph

Awareness regarding the safety and sanctity of one’s personal information – billing/mailing address, birth date, family members, pets, property, online activity, etc. – has been growing recently. Witness the furor over the Cambridge Analytica scandal and its effect on the leading global social media platform. You may also have noticed all those people posting things like, “I do not authorize this social media platform to use my image or posts” appearing from your friends in your timeline.

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According to the textbook definition, the Java Man (Homo Erectus) is an early human fossil found in Java, Indonesia. The Java Man is said to be one of the proofs of human evolution. 

The Java Man has long been extinct– or so we thought. The recent decades have actually witnessed the rise of Java Man’s descendants: the Modern-Day Java Man.

The Modern-Day Java Men (or Women) are more skilled in some ways than ordinary modern humans. Not all humans have advanced problem-solving skills and logic. Not all can communicate in the Java Language. Not all can be an expert at squishing bugs. 

But the Modern-Day Java Men can do this and so much more. They are more commonly known through their professional name: Java Developers.

What’s it like to be a Modern-Day Java Man? To answer this, we interviewed Pointwest Solutions Architect Iking Feleo, and Software Engineer and Acting Capability Lead for UI Engineering and Blockchain JM Flores. 

In Their Natural Habitat

Java-Developers-Laptop

Java Men like Iking and JM are often found in their natural habitat– in front of their PC with lines and lines of codes on their screen. And they wouldn’t prefer it any other way.

“Nothing gets you supercharged for the IT world other than getting your hands dirty as you work on lines of Java code!”, Iking, who has been with Pointwest for 11 years, enthused. “Getting to work and solving problems from simple to complex is exhilarating and addicting.”

Among these challenges are the design and development of applications spanning different methodologies and technologies. Besides having extensive experience in these, Iking has also been managing teams for 8 years and counting.

Iking said that being a Java developer is exciting because of Java itself. “It’s in the middle of new technologies coming out every day. The horizon is just very, very exciting.” Iking quipped. In Pointwest, one can be a Java Developer for different domains such as products and solutions development, ground-up and maintenance projects, product warranty and support implementation, and other fields.

Constant Evolution

Java-Developer

For JM, one of the most exciting things about Java Development in Pointwest is the opportunity to go beyond his comfort zone. This helps him to constantly adapt. And this is supported by an environment that, as JM said, “places an emphasis on growth and individual development rather than position or seniority” and also provides equal opportunity to share ideas.

“From time to time, developers get their hands on new and upcoming technologies”, JM, who has been with Pointwest for 5 years and counting, revealed. “It’s not just Java – Blockchain, progressive web apps, and serverless apps are among the technologies our developers have explored recently.” Apart from Java, JM has been involved in the research and development of emerging technologies. He specializes in front-end development, blockchain, and Node.js.

Besides technologies, JM also shared that Java Developers can expand their knowledge of various business domains, especially in a company whose clientele includes a wide range of industries. He himself has worked on various projects for the commerce and financial industries.

The knowledge the developers gain is then applied to creating solutions that will benefit people. This remains true even for challenging projects, like when JM and his team had to develop a digital identity solution for the Japanese Market. 

“The project was far from the usual Java project – the solution was heavy on cryptography, which we all had to learn on the job”, he said. “I also had to serve as the system architect.” 

But the team persevered until they successfully delivered the solution. It provided a new business opportunity for the client and greater convenience for end-users, while the team got to sharpen their skills.

Helping Others Evolve

Java-Developers-Group

As the Modern-Day Java Men continuously evolve, they help with other people’s progress as well. Perhaps this is the very reason Java Developers are called such; because they are developers in various senses. More than the technological solutions, Java Developers get to develop themselves, their team, their clients’ businesses, the customers’ satisfaction, and way beyond that.

“When you lead a team of developers to work on a module, the app goes live into production, and the results and numbers start coming in– it’s like you’re changing the world”, Iking shared.

From “Hello World” to changing the world. This is how the Modern-Day Java Men have evolved, and will continue to help people grow in the years to come.

 

Have what it takes to be Pointwest’s next Java Man/Woman? Apply now for our Java Developer positions!

 

About Pointwest

Founded in 2003 by pioneers of the Philippine Global Sourcing industry, Pointwest creates value for its list of satisfied clients — including top Fortune 100 and local companies — with world-class digital innovation and IT modernization services backed by international-standard methodologies, and innovative practices. 

For Inquiries, contact us: 

+632 814 1100 (Trunkline)

+1 (888) 210-9078 (US Toll-Free)

ask@pointwest.com.ph

 

More and more organizations are realizing the indispensable benefits of UX Design (User Experience Design) for businesses, and for a huge reason. 

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The dark clouds tremble at his presence. Raindrops don’t dare fall on his path. And if they do, they apologize to him for disrupting an otherwise sunshiny day.

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