Learnings from GITEX 2015

What is GITEX?

Launched in 1981, GITEX is the ICT business gateway to the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia Region. Focused on providing exhibitors with high ROI through direct business opportunities with decision makers, GITEX has maintained its position as the industry’s trend setting authority. GITEX continually identifies the hottest global IT trends and incubates these into the event either as new sectors or conference programs. The sectorization of GITEX has enabled new companies to participate in identified trends as well as giving visitors the opportunity to engage, learn and implement the advances in the industry. GITEX’s role in the ICT industry is pivotal for the re-export market. It is an annual international trading hub for the global technology sector. GITEX acts as both, an inbound sourcing platform for the entire Middle East region and the eminent source for anyone interested in doing business in the region.

Key Market Trends in the Middle East 

• With over 2.2 billion smartphone users worldwide, the mobile market easily outnumbers the broadband internet market. This, combined with advances in smartphone technology, means the mobile device is the future of all advertising.  As device manufacturers provide handsets with embedded applications such as Facebook and You Tube, the groundwork has been laid for greater UGC (user generated content) and as such, it will become the ultimate advertising platform that will reside in people’s pockets, no matter where they are or when they access their phones.
• The Net Generation in the Middle East:  Born after 1977, the Middle East presents a unique swathe of Net Generation users, for whom all things digital come as second nature and who therefore embrace technological advances and who are prepared to spend higher than average proportions of their income on media and content consumption.
• Traditional media (print) still plays an important role in the Middle East due to the established newspaper reading culture.
• Literacy plays an important role and has a direct impact on traditional printed media and there are wide differences from country to country in the region. For example in Morocco and Yemen the average literacy level is around 50%, compared to 90% in Kuwait, UAE and Qatar. This results in disparities from country to country where literacy levels are low and visual mediums such as TV have a higher importance attached to it, compared to print media.
• Broadband penetration – low and slow broadband penetration remain major constraints to the wholesale adoption of modern media methods and again vary from country to country. Typical barriers to improvement in this sector include cultural barriers, high retail pricing and poor telecommunications access network infrastructures.
• Despite the high costs of implementing and developing telecommunications access network infrastructures across large geographical areas, the mobile phone is rapidly emerging as a rival means to broadband access and internet content delivery and is increasingly providing an alternative way of watching TV on the go via IPTV technology.
• Broadband penetration in the Middle East will grow strongly, supporting social network growth and e-commerce development.
• Tablet adoption will rise quickly in the region as multiple devices enter the market, creating new content opportunities.
• Facebook will open up new opportunities for Arabic language marketing.
• The swelling numbers of consumers online across MENA will force more consumer brands, retailers and consumer service companies to embrace digital.
• The Arab world’s online shopping market will become broader-based, providing consumers with new choice and web ventures with new opportunities.
• Online Arabic language content will remain an issue of concern for the region, but opportunities for Arabic content will continue to grow, perhaps faster than ever before.
• Independent online media launches will continue, whilst traditional media continue to procrastinate about online.
• A new generation of specialized blogs will emerge in the Middle East
• We will see more social change and social initiatives driven by online media, with people finding new ways to work together to achieve community objectives.

Top 5 Tech Trends from the GITEX Shopper

1 Multi-device lifestyles: Mobile devices are becoming an indispensable part of everyday life both at home and at work, as our world becomes increasingly digitized and connected. It is now commonplace for people to not only own more than one device, but also to use more than one device simultaneously, such as browsing social media on a smartphone while watching TV.

2 Wearable Tech: The wearable technology market is gaining traction with everything from fitness and health related products to smart watches and audio-wearable tech. These products are becoming increasingly complex, able to provide significant levels of information and contribute to quality of life – whether convenience, time management, enjoyment, or critical health monitoring. 

3 Mobile Commerce: The growth of mCommerce is changing the way consumers purchase goods and services, with the use of handheld devices such as smartphones and laptops leading to a surge in both markets.

4 Social photography: With one out of every four people around the world now regularly accessing social media, social photography is driving demand for smartphones, tablets and digital cameras. While smartphones and tablets provide the fastest sharing option of moments, digital cameras offers the highest quality pictures which can now also be shared thanks to new technology such as inbuilt WI-Fi.

5 Interconnectivity: As homes get smarter, the tech industry continuously produces devices capable of “communicating” with each other, such as TVs, smartphones, computers and refrigerators which are revolutionizing the way we live our lives.

Does Microsoft OFFICE 2016 make life easier?

For 2 decades, Microsoft Office has been ingrained in everything we do when it comes to home or office computing.

It’s been the one thing that has existed on virtually every computer - essential for home accounting, homework for the kids, sending personal emails and doing important projects at home for work or college. At this stage, it’s safe to say that it’s part of the family.

Now, Microsoft has released Office 2016.  These apps are the latest addition to Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud-based subscription service, their most comprehensive solution ever. Office 2016 isn’t just about Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The new and enhanced productivity suite has a lorry-load of incredible and helpful new tricks and features that are designed to make your life (and work) that much easier.

Microsoft applications of the past introduced you to the very concept of computing, but now they are reinventing what it means to be productive online. Be that connecting, creating and sharing with friends and colleague all over the world. All of which is doable on every type of device - no longer confined simply to your laptop.

Microsoft believes that you do — but more importantly, it wants you to get on the new way of thinking about Microsoft software: constantly updated, available in the cloud, and getting new features all the time. But that vision will take time to pan out. Right now you should make your choice to switch based on whether or not you really want the new features.

Office 2016 allows several people to work together on documents and incorporates a “Groups” section into its software that makes it easier for people to collaborate on projects. It also adds a “Tell Me” tool to Word, Excel and others that allows users to quickly search for functions instead of navigating Office’s labyrinth of menus, makes improvements to Outlook that prioritize important emails, and deeply incorporates Skype, the internet chat and video call service. New features in Windows 10 such as Cortana also integrate with the software, allowing the personal assistant to read and search your files to improve features such as the calendar.

Creating, collaborating, together with real time co-authoring

One of the biggest additions to the new Office 2016 is real-time co-authoring in Word. For the first time, you can now work on the same document at precisely the same time as potentially multiple friends and family members - not only that but you can see it all happen as they type. All of the changes are stored on one of Microsoft’s Cloud services and you can view and edit everyone’s revision history too.

Clutter be gone

Don’t you just love the work that your Spam folders are doing? They take in all the emails you never want and store them away from your eyes so you don’t have to worry about them. That’s what Clutter aims to do on more broad level. For example, if you never open emails from that online retailer you subscribed to, now they will be bundled together alongside those daily ‘funny’ emails your uncle sends you.

 Skype integration

Sometimes you just need to have a chat with the people to collaborate. Before, you had to either call, email or use a third-party app or software to get your point across. Now, Microsoft have added the ability to chat from inside the apps so you can collaborate instantly, via Skype.  For example, start video or voice) from within Microsoft Word or Outlook - so no need to open or click between any other apps/windows. Just one click and you’re there - making collaboration seamless.

Tell me something you need

Sometimes, remembering the smallest things can be the hardest. If you hate formatting documents and trying to remember how to carry out a function like text indentation, a feature you may only use once in a blue moon. Now Office has come up with a solution. That solution is Tell Me. Simply enter a text command and Office will instantly figure out what needs doing and fix it for you. Want to change font to Arial? Simply enter “change font to Arial" and click on the corresponding command in the Tell Me search bar. Simple.

Smart Lookup is pretty smart

Ever been in a document before but need to check the spelling or definition of a word? Now, all you have to do is highlight the text or phrase, right click and select Smart Lookup in Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook. Office will then correlate all the most relevant info for you to use - all in your current window, meaning you won’t have to pop between applications and potentially get lost amongst a sea of cat videos. It can also be used for more complicated tasks like gathering info on cities, backing up your statements, checking dates and much more.

Away with the cloud(s)

When you sign up to Office 365, you get 1TB (that’s 1,000GB’s) of cloud storage. This is really an incredible offering - perfect for you or your family backing up your family photos, videos, documents, files or anything for that matter. This could all but eliminate the need for you to lug around those hefty storage hard-drives and better still, when it’s in the cloud, it’s easily accessible all over the world and on any device. And just to put that 1TB into perspective, other popular online storage clients only give you 25GB of storage. Not bad?

Sharing made simple

With the growing need to be able to share anything and everything - Office 2016 now enables you to share right from your document with a click of a button. This may sound simple (and it is), but this new feature will save you a lot of time.

Perfect for all the family

If you sign up to Office 365 for the year, you only have to pay for one user. That includes new Office 2016 apps for PC and Mac as well as installation on PC or Mac, tablet and phone. You’ll also get that shiny 1TB we talked about and expert Office technical support included. Not to mention the fact that Office 365 is now always updating it’s features so as soon as they become available, you’ll have them. You can also pay monthly, should you need to.

Who’s the best PA after all??

A take on Cortana vs Siri vs Now!!

The battle of the digital assistants is back, with Microsoft releasing a new version of Cortana in the latest Windows 10 Build. With Apple presenting the iOS 9 with an improved Siri, it was expected that Microsoft will push itself back into the race, with a more helpful Cortana. With each passing year, the digital assistant war shifts priorities from the precision of the results provided to how inconspicuously your digital life can be managed by your assistant with minimal supervision.

Each digital assistant has its own agenda. One of the primary advantages Siri poses is the interface where she quietly works behind the scenes. The integration of Siri with the iOS is incredible. Her providing results of what you think, even before you request her for it, seems like pure magic the first few times. It defines the direction we head to in an era with digital assistants, where she plays out your exercise beats once you enter the gym, launches the Apple pay app when you approach the pay counter at the groceries and knows what you want without being explicitly told. One of the biggest features coming to iOS this year is intelligence. With iOS 9, iPhones and iPads are getting more capabilities and smarter processing, based on what Apple is calling "proactive assistance." Siri and Spotlight on iOS 9 work together more tightly than ever before, and Apple says they are the backbone to the underlying recommendation system behind iOS 9's new smarts. 

Google Now has quite a different approach where in a set of cards are provided for each search. Once configured, each set of cards, appear with a list of options alongside it giving the user the choice to filter the cards provided as per requirement. Currently judged the best among the three, Google Now does an incredible job of giving the user options to fine tune what he/she views, keeping in mind previous searches, telling the user when to leave for the next appointment and providing notifications on the Chrome browser on the desktop. All this is done with a commendable connecting of dots by going through emails and calendar synced with the Cortana app, estimating the traffic and time taken through Maps and finally giving the user a reminder for the time to leave for the appointment. Keeping in mind your current location and your interests, it also gives places to visit nearby and restaurants to dine out.

On triggering the Search app, Cortana provides a one-page summary in a card-like fashion of what she thinks is of priority to the user. The new Cortana looks really great, and with Microsoft fixing the few bugs that have crept into the latest build, she definitely puts herself at par with the others in the race. Bills to be paid, game scores, local weather were all arranged in a summary in this lovely UI. Cortana scores with her personal touch in this build, where you actually feel there is a mind working somewhere behind the screen. The latest build gives very neat and organized look, and a connectivity between your PC, tablet and phone.

Cortana’s Key New Features

·         Your Microsoft account helps keep your personal assistant connected to you across device experiences, whether on your PC, phone or Xbox One. Cortana’s Notebook will be available across your devices to keep track of details important to you. Cortana only knows what you want her to know and you are fully in control of how you use her across devices.

·         On Xbox One, Cortana knows your friends and makes it easy to invite them to play with you through simple voice commands. If you want to record and share a clip of your game play, you can use Cortana to precisely control the length of the recording and quickly share it with your friends without leaving your game. Cortana will also help you find information about games, such as the release date of an upcoming game, or help you get achievements by surfacing videos and information to help you succeed.

·         On your Android phone you can ask Cortana to remind you to walk the dog at 8pm in the evening, and then when you’re watching a movie your Xbox will interrupt playback to let you know it’s time to take the dog out.

New in the Competition

News is that Yahoo hinted that the firm might compete with voice-based virtual assistants in the future with its own search-based mobile offering.  It is worth mentioning that Yahoo has already taken a step towards offering a virtual assistant product with its Aviate launcher, which learns user's behaviour and shows up content and apps most relevant to the user at that point of time in the day. Of course, the app has a long way to reach the likes of Siri, Google Now and Cortana. Recent reports also indicate the firm will unveil a messaging app later this quarter, a video-focused product that will take on popular rivals like Skype and Snapchat. The unnamed messaging app is said to be the first product under CEO Marissa Mayer.

Soundhound announced the beta launch of Hound, a voice-enabled search assistant that responds to more queries, more quickly, than any of its competitors. The company also announced the private beta launch of Houndify, a developer platform that will give companies the chance to add its services or information to Hound. The announcement included word that Expedia, the travel booking service, has already partnered with Hound to enable users to book flights and hotel rooms using Hound. Hound will be in for a fight to build awareness for this new service. Apple, Google and Microsoft have all invested heavily both in developing their voice features, and carving out space for Hound and Houndify will be a challenge. However the makers think the quality of his product will make the difference.

In Conclusion

It’s hard to say one personal digital assistant is the best for you because basically your personal digital assistant choice will be dictated by whether you buy an Android phone or a Windows Phone or an diPhone – neither personal digital assistant is available on the other’s hardware. However, feature-for-feature, Microsoft’s Cortana comes in ahead of Google’s Now. The level of control and personalization Cortana offers is far superior to anything Now has. Microsoft clearly knows that while personal digital assistants are still somewhat of a novelty for now, they are certainly the future of computer interaction as our devices get smaller and more wearable. Voice will eventually be the only input method of many of our wearables and the company is clearly positioning itself to be the leader in where human/computer interfaces are going.

All in all, with each of them vying to be the perfect digital assistant, we can expect much more improvements ahead. On the flip side, what’s left to be found out is how much of our personal details are being compiled in the cloud or digital database for the purpose of our digital assistance.

WINDOWS 10 – What’s New??

Microsoft made it clear that Windows 10 is in the very early stages. There are likely many new features to come—and many improvements to the interface beyond what we see today (the Charms bar, for example, will likely change, according to Microsoft).

Some new features, which haven’t been mentioned before, include a full-screen start menu, a new action centre for interacting with notifications in a sidebar area, and a brand new settings experience where you can quickly tweak your system settings. Microsoft believes its new operating system is such a major step forward from Windows 8, that it skipped Windows 9 entirely. With a single design for devices ranging from smartphones to PCs, Windows 10 combines key functions from each of the major platforms.

Windows 10 also features a “Continuum” feature for computers that double as laptops and tablets. You can move around with a mouse and keyboard, but when you switch into tablet mode, Windows 10 will prompt you if you’d like to operate the device as a tablet. Tap the Start menu, for example, and it will automatically switch into a more touch-friendly full-screen mode.

Some of those features have already been discussed, and Microsoft covered new ones as well that are coming to the preview over the next 3-5 months. That includes Cortana for Windows 10, which is the first time the voice assistant is coming to the desktop. Cortana will exist in the search bar at the bottom left-side of your machine, where she can be called up by voice through the “Hey Cortana” command, and where pop-up notifications from Cortana will be displayed. Cortana can also be used to search OneDrive, your hard drive and more. You don’t always need to use voice, either, as you can also type out commands for Cortana inside the search bar.

What does Windows 10 Fix?

Migrations started to get a lot better with Windows 7, but they are brilliant with Windows 10. You basically log in with your Microsoft -- or if you're on a work PC, your work ID -- and all of your settings, apps and personalities transfer down from the server (be aware that this doesn't apply to legacy apps or if you are coming from Windows XP).

Once on Windows 10, getting one, two or six PCs is login-easy, and as you move to the newer apps, the experience is similar to what you currently get with iOS or Android. You buy a new PC, log in, and after a short wait, your new PC looks like your old one.

The even bigger move, at least when it comes to creating a reliable product, is that those of us testing Windows 10 automatically will get upgraded to the final version with Windows Update. Since we started with a valid version of Windows 7 or 8, we still get a free upgrade to Windows 10 without having to figure out what happened to our old Windows disks.

This means more of us actually are using Windows 10 in production, and that the number of testers Microsoft thinks it has internally and externally is one hell of a lot closer to the number it actually does have. I do think it is likely going to take a while for some people to break a decades-old habit of using two machines, but it is still a huge step in the right direction.

Most interesting features of Windows 10

Made for Enterprise

Windows 10 is stated to be Microsoft's "greatest enterprise platform ever”. The operating system's four enterprise values.

First, there's compatibility "with all the traditional management systems used today." Second, there's the customised store. Third is the quite excellent addition of data security by separation of corporate and personal information. And finally there's productivity, something that Windows 10 is heavily geared towards.

Productivity

Windows 10 task view allows you to access multiple desktops. Joe Belfiore, the man behind Windows Phone, said Microsoft has "embraced the idea of productivity for the widest scale of Windows users." The centrepiece of this feature is multiple desktops. Users launch on the desktop task view, which opens multiple miniature windows at the bottom of the interface that shows all apps currently open.

The new 'Snap Assist' UI allows users to then grab apps from multiple desktops, meaning users can do things faster and easier.

Continuum

The emphasis on productivity is equally served by a more seamless integration of touch and keyboard functionality. Windows 10 adds Continuum, a feature which allows users of 2-in-1 devices to switch between touch and keyboard inputs easily.

Windows 8 had confusing user experience when launching modern apps. It's a merging of Windows 7 and the few good things of Windows 8, chief among them Touch. The Charms bar will continue to exist on touch systems, but will be adapted.

And that's not all for improved keyboard use. Command prompt has been made easier and more powerful. Users can now paste in directories into command prompt with Ctrl+V instead of having to trigger a context menu and hit the specific paste option.

Windows Insider Program

Microsoft also announced the launch of its Windows Insider Program, designed to get feedback from users on how to improve Windows 10.

Forums will be set up for insiders to discuss technical issues and ideas, and engineers will be made available to consult with. The presentation urged users to become insiders and participate in building "a product that all of customers will love." The programme is pitched in at technology enthusiasts, for "people who know DLL is not the new OMG."

To Conclude:

With Windows 10, Microsoft is trying to keep some of the touch and tablet features it created for Windows 8, combine them with the familiar Start menu and desktop, and run it all on top of an improved operating system with more security, a new browser, the Cortana assistant, its own version of Office for on-the-go editing and plenty of new features intended to make life simpler. Of course, that also means it's very different to use, whether you come from Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows XP. You have to look in a new place even to turn your PC off.

On top of that, Windows 10 is more than just a PC operating system; it's also what will run on Windows phones – and on small tablets as well, because a 6-inch phone and a 7-inch tablet aren't such very different devices. Microsoft is expecting people to put Windows 10 on a billion devices (which ought to encourage more app developers to at least take a look at building their apps for Windows phones and tablets, as well as for Xbox One and HoloLens).

Windows 10

http://www.ilink-systems.com/Technology/Windows-10

Product Development trends that are here to stay!!

When it comes to new product development in any organization with digital in mind, one has to really stay on top of technology trends and also ahead in the market competition. Many a times first mover advantage plays a vital role in the success of your product and can give you the edge in competition. However technology is always changing and some of the key trends to look out for in your product development strategy can be put in 4 broad categories:

1. Data
2. User Experience
3. Smart Phone Capabilities
4. Security

Data – Big data has been talked about a lot and gotten a lot of hype throughout 2014 in the world of technology. The question here for product managers with digital products is about data; type of data and extent of it; what data are you currently gathering today and what data should you be gathering? Basing this in how you can actually use this data really helps in capturing more and more useful data. Today, data has more value than ever before. What data do you have that could be used in unique and useful ways to provide value to your business and your customers? What challenges that your customers face could you answer with data? These are the questions you should be thinking about and brainstorming with your teams throughout 2015.

User Experience – The user experience side of software products is critical. Things have shifted in the last few years where today the majority of people want self-serve solutions to quickly solve their service problems. They don’t want to have to call a human being (or chat) and you don’t want that either. However, to make this happen your web and mobile products must be intuitive and easy to use. This has always been the case, but as more and more of your customers come to rely on your products, you need to make this a top priority. You need to not only plan for a great experience up front, but you also must be measuring the experience (abandon rates, usage, etc.) so that you can continually improve the experience based on what is and isn’t working. You must leverage data to study how users are using your product, what is engaging to them and what actions they are taking so you can work to constantly make that experience better.

Smart Phone Capabilities – This continued trend should come as no surprise to anyone, especially after the influx of smart phone users over the past few years. The use of smartphones have been on constant rise.  The smartphone world is expanding at a rapid pace. There are more than a billion smart phone users across the world. Today, there are people who never go to your web application from a desktop – they only use your mobile app or site, and this number continues to climb upwards. You need to think mobile first and how your product can be used effectively by a mobile audience. Beyond making functionality work on a mobile device, you also need to consider crossovers and transitions: For example, when a customer is using multiple devices (web and phone for example) is the transition between using one device and another seamless? If the user starts using your product on their phone and then switches to a computer, does the system make that as seamless as possible for the user?

Security – From Target and Sony to eBay, big companies had embarrassing security breaches in 2014. These breaches of such well-known brands have since put security front and centre in people’s minds. You need to make sure that your products are secure- that they can withstand everything from a denial of service attack (even at the API level) to hacks.

Longer term trends

These trends may not be here today, but you can rest assured that they are coming. This means you should be experimenting with them now so that you are ready to hit the ground running when these trends become mainstream. This should involve thought experiments where the logic is considered, if X existed, how it would impact my product, to actual small experimentation using these technologies. You can also create a cutting edge reputation by being an early mover with these trends.

In no particular order, we start with wearables and watches. Unless you are in the fitness/sports industry, in which case these are things you should have incorporated today, these need to be observed closely. We will soon learn if Apple can do to smart watches what they have done with music players, phones and tablets. Even if they aren’t as successful, there are going to be a lot of smart watches in the near future. It is important to begin thinking about how your interface and functionality can change to take advantage of something on your wrist and always on.

The Internet of things, or as we like to think of it, sensors everywhere. As sensors become cheaper and more powerful you are seeing them come up all over the place. This produces a ton of data and allows physical items to be integrated further with digital products. Not all products will need sensors, but those that do will have a lot more data to use to provide insight, recommendations and ultimately, value. This integrates nicely with the data trend mentioned above.

Virtual Reality and head mounted displays could change how we view and interact with our digital products. There is a lot of activity here but most is early on. Google Glass has been met with some harsh reviews and feedback, but Google is one to learn from this feedback and come out with a much better product. Then there is Facebook’s Oculus Rift, which may come out this year, and Samsung has their Gear VR. Initially, these will be used for gaming, but we should be exploring how interfaces could change and be made to allow browsing and viewing data in virtual worlds. This won’t happen quickly, but this has the potential to unlock us from being tied to our computer screens.

This leads to the biggest long-term trend; the digitization of everything, or the merging of the digital and physical world. This has been going on for years and we are entering the next big phase being driven by 3-D printers. We are seeing more and more these worlds coming together. Virtual Reality should accelerate this. In the meantime, what isn’t digital will go digital and everything will have sensors recording data.

Although we can’t 100% predict which trends will be the biggest, it is clear that technology continues to grow and be a part of the daily lives of your users. In order to stay ahead of your competitors, it is vital to consider these trends and start thinking about the impact they can have on both your business, and your customers. It is critical to spend time planning and thinking about the future and ensuring that you have a clear and executable strategy to differentiate your product and your business.

Azure Enablement

Cloud provides on demand scaling, real-time performance and an infrastructure designed to withstand failure where resources are managed and scaled at a  data center.  Microsoft’s Azure cloud provides a Management Portal with a self-service user experience and OData REST API.  Azure  offers multiple hosting solutions – App Service, Cloud Services and Virtual Machines. 

iLink’s Azure practice is a team of qualified experts with extensive Microsoft Azure enablement and implementation experience. iLink’s Azure practice is Gold Certified by Microsoft on Cloud Platform (Azure and Office 365).

iLink analyzes customer infrastructure, applications and needs to recommend the appropriate Azure solution for customers. iLink has built Azure Websites for Line of Business (LoB) applications and helps customers manage these sites from Azure Management Portal without any server maintenance or patching. Also iLink has created REST APIs and hosts them similar to Azure based Websites this facilitates integration between various Line of Business (LoB) applications.

iLink has built Azure based Corporate websites for companies that helped them scale quickly across the globe.  iLink specializes in building such Corporate websites on a platform that provides customers, the insight to track the site health easily and run applications reliably.

iLink can migrate legacy web applications to Azure Cloud.  iLink’s specializes in creating both hybrid application (onpremise database and application on the Azure cloud) or a completely Azure cloud based solution depending on customer preference.  iLink can migrate web based multi-tier applications (developed in C#, Java, PHP, Python, Node.Js etc.), to Azure Cloud.  iLink’s Azure framework creates Cloud Services on Azure for one or more tiers to provide customers tight control over their server environment, Azure Virtual machines for one or more tiers to run server software or services that can’t be configured on the Cloud Services.  iLink’s Azure framework offers tight integration with Azure SQL Database and uses Web jobs to run backend processes.

Also, iLink can create Windows or Linux based Azure Virtual machines and customize the same for application needs.  iLink can move existing on-premise server to the Azure Cloud by creating a custom image to run on a virtual machine in Azure.

iLink has been helping organizations with the following: 

• Azure Application Readiness, Strategy, Assessment and Planning
• Security Audit and Governance Plan for Applications on Azure
• Application Migration to Azure
• Line of Business (LoB) application development and deployment on Azure
• Maintain and Support applications on Azure        
• BI applications and dashboards on Azure
• Azure based Intranet Development and Maintenance

iLink has successfully migrated to Azure and maintained various types of applications for organizations from various Industry verticals.  iLink has enabled various organizations to move to the Azure Cloud transforming their Infrastructure to an Agile, easily Scalable and Cost effective one thus making them a more productive and efficient organization.

NORAD (Northcomm Aerospace Defence Command has been tracking Santa since 1955, and providing support for his safe journey for over 50 years, and were supported by Google as the technology partner in some of the past years. In 2012, NORAD approached Microsoft and iLink to re-architect the application on the Windows Azure platform, create a new design for the Windows Phone platform and a implement a new Windows 8 application.  iLink’s Santa Tracker application for NORAD successfully handled 93+ Million page views from over 30 Million unique users from 235 countries during the month of December 2012 alone.  This has been deemed by Microsoft as one of the largest scalable applications on the cloud and a poster child for Windows Azure capabilities.

iLink has designed, architected, and created a platform on Azure for a digital media based marketing firm that enables them to manage their end customers’ (Pharmacies, Retails, Corporates, etc), short form video content (applicable across different Products, Industries, business cases, categories, etc), manage Advertisements, Coupons, among many other features.

iLink offers cost effective global delivery models for large scale Azure assessment, planning and enablement and also for maintenance and support engagements. iLink’s industry focused Azure Solution frameworks and solution accelerators offer significant head start to projects and offer faster time to market. For more information, browse http://www.ilink-systems.com/Services/Cloud-Computing/azure.