Tips to improve Automation Testing

As people of the digital age, you realize that the devices you use for everyday functions, including your business run on software. If you are one of those with good enough technical awareness, automation testing will not be a new term for you. However, if you have not heard of it, we will help you out!

Automation testing is a process where an application implements the entire life cycle of software in very less time, providing the testing software with a lot of effectiveness and efficiency.

In this automatic technique, a tester writes a script on its own and then takes the help of appropriate software to test the software. The main intention behind automation testing is to boost the test efficiency and develop the value of software.

Automation testing helps in uncovering those parts of a code which are not getting tested. A low automation code coverage surely has an impact on the product quality, putting irrelevant pressure on testers to manually check it.

There are a lot of hurdles for Quality Analysts that result in low automation coverage-

• Long-running projects also come with a long list of deliverables which leads to heavy pressure. In a bid to fulfill the delivery deadlines, the automation tests get avoided.
• A legacy app which is not suitable for unit testing. It is an issue where the entire logic of the app is in the database queries as it stacks some tests but with very few unit tests.

7 ways to improve Automation Testing

Here are seven tips which will help you out with automation testing and improve the automation coverage:

1. Capture tests at the moment of story creation

You can include your test cases in story cards, along with the acceptance criteria highlighted by Business Analysts. It motivates developers to adapt to a tester’s perspective, helping them understand what tests should go in which layer of the test pyramid. If the testers write test cases in advance, they can plan out easily for story testing.

2. Estimation of Automation Testing efforts

Make a point to include Quality Analysts in estimation sessions and let them be accountable enough to explain the roadblocks like additional data setup requirements or even a change in approach to testing. For instance, a change in code might look small but can have a pretty massive impact on the entire application. It will require more tests which means a 1 pointer story might not be so.

3. Check and run tests in Devbox

Quality Analysts can be instructed to check automation tests which constitute a part of the story, on DevBox. It helps to ensure that all the functionalities are in working order and no existing tests have broken. It is a phase where testers and developers discuss if the written tests are in the appropriate layers of the test pyramid and the data setup is right.

4. Attention to Gits Commits has a dual advantage 

If quality analysts keep an attentive eye on the Github commits of all features and sub-features which have been picked up for testing, a better scenario of API and pending tests can be created. It helps the testers make a note of all impact areas.

For example, if a change of code at a particular area impacts a functionality, automated tests for the affected functionality can be written.

Comparison of the release branch with the master branch is advantageous when automation test coverage inclines a little negatively with the release along with a large manual regression phase. Such a situation does not let the efforts of testers go in vain on the unaffected areas but stays focused on the functionalities affected.

5. Introduction of code coverage tools 

Publishing the code coverage reports of test suites for the full team will put a lot more emphasis on writing tests for automation. Also, if the tool becomes a part of the build pipeline, the pipeline can be failed on a drop which goes below a pre-decided threshold.

For example, an existing coverage of code can be 45% while the benchmark is at 40%. If the development of a new story gets concluded without any tests, the coverage can then come down to 35%, failing the build as it could not meet the criteria. It is a practice which is helpful to all the stakeholders be responsible for automation on equal terms.

Code covering metrics can also be helpful for teams to identify automated areas and restrict the use of manual regression cycles, thus bringing a stop to manual testing.

6. Make an automation backlog board

Once a coverage report is all set, it is an excellent option to analyze functionalities which correspond to a code. The next step is to create test cards for these functionalities. Getting an automation backlog board ready in the project management tool with test cards lends visibility to the work which is to be completed and ensure product quality.

The backlog will require attention and time for improvements on code coverage.

7. Automation of Backlogs

The moment an automation backlog is ready, these operations can begin:

Quality Analysts and Business Analysts can examine and prioritize on the backlog cards and to automate per iteration and minimize the backlog. Try to include Quality Analysts when it comes to the writing of automation tests, which can be between the iterations or at the time of regression.

Allot the functionalities among the Quality Analysts to inculcate a feeling of ownership and responsibility for closing backlogged cards. Keeping track of ROI in terms of time saved can prove to be an essential record to seek approvals to clear an existing backlog.

Conclusion

Thus, making sure that a developed product is of high quality is a collective priority of a project team. It is important that the entire team has a good understanding of the test pyramid so that the right kind of tests slot into the correct layers of the test pyramid.

All the ways mentioned above if brought at the correct time will help in easing the automation backlog in a project. Quality Analysts can not only a dream but also get to their goal of great automation code coverage.

If you have any queries and are looking for help with automation testing, then let us help you. Contact us here and we will get back to you shortly.

Agile Methodology Tools in Business

Timely delivering projects under a defined deadline and a set budget is a priority for those companies who wish to maintain their credibility, reputation, and prestige. Projects that get delayed give a hard time to the enterprises throughout their hierarchy because late project delivery has a significant impact on the morale, level of productivity and focus as well. To make matters worse, incorrect implementation of agile methodology might force the employees to leave the company due to excessive stress.

In such a stressful situation, the single best thing an employer can do is to take a step in the right direction at agile methodology, which is where the real tools of project management enter to play. The tools help in the identification of the actual status of a project, the expected tenure of a project and all its practical applications.

Entering into the world of project management, one is a witness of the importance of flexible working methods while also ensuring the implementation of futuristic and latest techniques for gathering the results quickly. There are some project management tools which come in handy to assist in the implementation of Agile project methodology of management.

The eight best tools which we have for you to choose from are:

1. Trello

One of the most widely utilized tools of project management, Trello is renowned for its straightforward user interface (UI) and easy usability. The functioning of Trello can be figured out even by a beginner who does not have too much knowledge in the field of project management.

Trello gives you cards along with dragged columns. The primary columns are three of them that include To Do, Doing, Done. Pulling the map to the appropriate box involves the rest of the tool to plot and create new columns, a rapid and simple procedure.

The cards are objects which can be assigned to resources that are relevant and include the estimation, completion process as well as delivery dates of the projects underway. The reputation of Trello is evident from the fact that even Twitter makes the use of Trello.

2. Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) 

If you love using Microsoft Stack, VSTS is the perfect tool for your needs. The device facilitates easy integration with Visual Studio, helping manage a technical project with maximum ease. Until five users, the option of using VSTS is free and some premium features that can be purchased. The best feature of VSTS is the mechanism to trace any changes in the code which is the best thing a developer can ever hope for.

3. JIRA 

When you talk about authenticity, Jira is that tool which lives up to your expectation in project management and is known for being the best tool for tracking the records of jobs done through Agile management. Be it small businesses, enterprises or big organizations, Jira is ideal for business of all sizes.

Just like Trello, columns and tickets are there for you to display the different phases of your work. These tickets can be made and then be attached to a resource. When you complete a sprint, the performance of each can be measured through pie charts and graphics representations too.

4. AXOSOFT 

It is a software for an Agile project which is helpful in the identification of bugs in the project and then taking up an accurate Scrum framework to plan these projects. Axosoft has many tools which make the developers work conveniently and create features which are under the budget, on the right schedule and free of bugs.  

Agile followers are in love with Axosoft because of the way this software helps business through the creation of an Agile workflow. The progress report of each is very transparent, and Axosoft also keeps it centralized which ultimately results in practicing Agile methodology to a maximum extent in any team.

5. ASANA 

Asana is one among the best task managing software, and facilitates a team for planning, sharing and tracking the advancement of a project with the mapping of every resource’s performance within the organization.

The interface is pretty easy. You need to create a workplace, add the projects required for completion. It is easy to allot, track and organize the tasks thereafter. You can also add up notes, comments, and tags to be clear and expressive with the motto.

6. Zoho Sprints 

Zoho Sprints assigns you the authority for creating backlogs through a drag and drop feature. You can also stretch the stories of individual users with priorities, which is an added feature other than allotting tasks to a team.

Every work item can be noted duly in a time sheet that has budget control measures like the billable and non-billable hours for a particular piece of the project.

7. WRIKE 

Wrike tool has dashboards, customizable workloads, and charts which boost a project in flowing freely. There are a lot of updating options where all kinds of scattered information that rests on your mail, images, and documents can be easily accessed. Simply put, WRIKE helps in streamlining the workflow that is relevant to the timely completion of a project.

WRIKE also features the collection of necessary information from the cloud, sending of emails and also seamlessly merges with applications like JIRA and Salesforce.

8. Velocity Chart 

This tool helps to have an idea about the value that is generated in every single sprint, helping you to estimate the amount of work which will be completed in subsequent runs. In other words, you can easily measure the velocity of your team’s work.

The Velocity Chart adds up the estimates for every complete and incomplete story. These estimates can be on factors like hours, business value and any other factors that can be assigned to a numerical value.

If you wish to include Agile methodology in your project management practice, the eight tools that we listed above can prove to be crucial to have quick and efficient project management. If you would like to implement agile methodologies to your project, you can contact us here.

The importance of choosing the right technology stack

The use of the right technology stack is the essence of a successful digital product. But choosing the right blend of technology is always tricky. 

At GoodWorkLabs, we offer an expert tech consultation that is unique for every digital product in question. In this post, we have given a more generalized road to help you choose the right tech stack for your application. We are laying down all the possible options for your reference so that you can manifest the right blend for your brand.

Technology stack: Definition & Popular Technology

In layman’s language, web app development requires a database, a server, HTML+CSS, and programming language. All these layers put together, form a tech stack for web development.

Technically, a technology stack is a combination of components which satisfies all the layers of mobile or web application and can directly affect the app functionality. The anatomy here is very simple with two major layers:

• the client-side (frontend; the presentation, what the user sees)
• server-side (backend; the website’s functionality, processes)

Frontend frameworks and libraries:

1) Bootstrap:

• Customizable, saves time, easy to use with a bunch of other helpful components.
• Recommended when you are opting for a ‘mobile first’ application.

2) Angular:

• JS-based framework, good for projects with easy code integration
• New Angular 5 makes it easy to reduce the runtime with the built-in code optimizer
• It is recommended for developing single-page web applications, cross-platform mobile apps, landing pages, and common websites.
• Already used by Google, PayPal, and Upwork

3) Vue.js:

• JS framework which easily integrates with JS libraries
• It is recommended for large-scale and single-page projects.
• Already used by Alibaba, WizzAir, Grammarly

4) React:

• JS library for making user interfaces (UI)
• Active community with numerous ready-made components
• Quick development
• It is recommended for web applications or platforms which require a very responsive UI.
• Already used by Facebook, Reddit, Netflix

5) JQuery:

• JS library that is used for code optimization

Programming Languages:

• PHP:

PHP is particularly designed for web development and creating dynamic web pages. Though it had certain vulnerabilities, it is considered to be the most popular language. Also, as PHP based apps are easy to code, it means that you can cut greatly on expenses by saving time.

• JavaScript (JS):

JavaScript is a convenient, versatile and effective high-level programming language which can be used for both server-side and client-side code. It is recommended for dynamic, agile and modern websites.

• Java:

Java is well-documented and supports numerous libraries. It is used widely for both complex website and dynamic mobile apps. The popular frameworks are Hibernate, Grails, Spring, Dropwizard, and Apache Wicket.

• C#:

With the capability of processing heavy data flow and the flexibility to create all kinds of application, C# is a popular cross-platform technology among developers.

Backend frameworks:

1) Ruby on Rails:

• One of the popular tech stack among startups, ROR is perfect for all kinds of apps from basic web pages to high-traffic web portals. 
• For developers, ROR is very easy to learn and use
• It is fast and scalable
• It uses DRY (“don’t repeat yourself”) design pattern and MVC concept (“model-view-controller”)
• RoR is already used by Airbnb, Basecamp, Twitch, Shopify,  and Zendesk.

2) Django:

• Django is versatile and can be used for startups, medium-sized projects, and high-loaded websites. It is a clean, secure, fast, and scalable framework for rapid development. Along with being well-documented,  it comes with its own lightweight server.
• Already used by Discus, Mozilla, Instagram, and National Geographic.

3) .NET:

• .NET allows developing any type of web app faster and making it scalable. It is very easy to add APIs and live communication features. It has an active community and is extensively documented.
• Already used by Xbox.com, Microsoft, Stack Overflow

4) Node.js:

• Node.js allows optimizing code on complex, high-performance, and data-intensive real-time apps. It is simple, fast, and expressive. It is recommended for apps that involve real-time streaming, collaboration tools, and chatting.

5) Express.js:

• As the name suggests Express.js is a minimalist, flexible, and resource-efficient framework which uses templates and requires minimum efforts. It is recommended for APIs and simple web and mobile services.

6) Flask:

• Flask is another well-documented framework with a highly active community. It is recommended when the client requires to build a service on a resource-constrained system. Also, it is good for serious websites and RESTful APIs.

Databases

1) MongoDB:

• MongoDB is a NoSQL, document-based database which can be used for storing large volumes of unstructured data. It can also be used in a cloud-based environment.

2) PostgreSQL:

• PostgreSQL has multi-version control and supports custom data types. Basically, it is an object-relational database with NoSQL features and is used for storing a gigantic volume of data (up to 32 TB per table).

3) MySql:

• The plus points of this most popular relational database are that MySql is highly scalable, easy to set up, cloud-reafy and is platform independent.

Popular technology stacks

You can also pick from already designed popular web stack. They have a solid foundation and you can easily customize them as per your requirements. The major tech stacks that have been used are LAMP(Linux-Apache-MySql-PHP), MEAN (MongoDB-Express.js-Angular-Node.js) and .NET.

LAMP alternatives:

• WAMP: Windows, Apache, MySql, PHP
• LAPP: Linux, Apache, PostgreSQL, PHP
• WISA: Windows, IIS, SQL, ASP.NET
• XAMPP: Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, Apache, MySql, PHP, Perl
• MAMP: Mac OS X, Apache, MySql, PHP

MEAN alternative:

• MEEN: MongoDB, Ember.js, Express.js, Node.js

Conclusions

The success of your project majorly depends on the tech stack that you choose in the beginning. With so many fishes in the pond, it is difficult to say which one will work best for you. But GoodWorkLabs can help!

Let’s discuss your requirements and compile the perfect tech stack for your next project. Drop us a quick message with your requirements and we will have our tech expert get in touch with you soon

Best Automation Testing Tools

Automation testing means evaluating the software programs and running execution of test cases automatically, thus producing test results without any human intervention. It is one step ahead of man-made testing. It saves physical efforts and helps in saving time up to a great extent and it also leaves no or very less scope for errors in testing.

Once set for running, automated tests can be run any number of times to test the same application, thus minimizing redundant physical work of humans.

In this post, we have outlined 6 automation software testing tools that can greatly increase your productivity.

 The most popular automation testing tools are:

1. Selenium

Selenium is an automation source tool which is used for automating the tests for business carried out on web browsers. Since Selenium is open-source and is free, there is no licensing cost involved, which is a major advantage over other testing tools. 

 Other reasons behind Selenium’s ever-growing popularity are:

1. In any programming language, its script can be written: Java, Python, C#, PHP, Ruby, Perl &.Net.
2. Tests can be solved on any of these OS: Windows, Mac or Linux.
3. Tests can be solved using any browser: Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari or Opera.
4. It can be used to test a web application.
5. There is no reporting facility in selenium but we can overcome this problem by integrating it with frameworks like TestNG or JUnit.

2. Test Complete

Test Complete is a functional automated testing platform developed by Smart Bear. The software completely gives testers the ability to create automated tests. It runs on Microsoft Windows, Web, Android (Operating system), and iOS applications. Tests can be recorded, solved and manually created with keyword-driven operations and used for automated playback and error logging.

Test Complete contains three modules:

1. Desktop
2. Web
3. Mobile

Each of the above modules contains functionality for creating automated tests on that specialized platform. Test Complete is used for testing different applications, different types of computer tools including Web, Windows, Android, iOS, WPF, HTML5, Flash, Flex, Silverlight, .NET, VCL and JAVA. It performs functional testing and back-end testing like database testing.

It helps in creating, executing and making automated text across the desktop, web, and mobile applications easy, speedy, and cost-effective.  Some of the key features of it are:-

1. Industry-leading object recognition.
2. Support of 7 different scripting languages.
3. The ability to record robust-automated tests without scripting knowledge.

3. QMetry Automation Studio

QMetry Automation Studio leverages an open-source test automation framework like Selenium and Opium to bring structure, efficiency, and reliability to your automated testing efforts. This studio enables advanced automation with coded automation and allows manual testers to transition into automated testing easily with script-less automation.

The management supports typical testing scenarios like mobile barcode scanning, touch ID, location spoofing and many more. As a result, QMetry Automation Studio is well-suited for micro-services type application with various complex components for automated testing.

QMetry is tailor-made for agile testing and develops teams to deliver better quality software faster, with confidence. It simplifies the creation, maintenance, and management of test libraries and seamlessly integrates with major platforms.

4. Testim.io

Testim.io leverages machine learning for the authoring, execution, and maintenance of automated test business cases. They use dynamic locators and learn with every execution. The result is very fast authoring and through constant tests, the platform learns and eliminates the need to continually maintain tests with every code change.

Testis, a Heavy bit portfolio company, has dual offices in San Francisco and Israel (R&D) and is backed by Spider Capital (A purify, Pager Duty), Foundation Capital and other U.S. based investors.

Testim.io effectively removes the falseness of the automation suites and is committed to helping engineering teams in making application testing autonomous and integrative to their agile development cycle.

Testis’ self-learning tests adapt to code changes, eliminating a big portion of maintenance overhead. Organizations which are using it spend more of their efforts on developing new functionality as opposed to testing, without compromising quality.

5. Cypress

Cypress tests are used to test anything that runs in a browser. The Cypress test runner is formed to handle modern JavaScript frameworks as well. We have hundreds of projects using the latest frameworks like React, Angular, etc. It also works equally well on server-applied applications. It records test-runs in continuous relation so that you can understand failures and share results with your team.

Cypress has one of the best design principles which include packaging and bundling everything together to make the entire end-to-end testing experience really pleasant and simple for developers. It is open source with paid features. This test runner is everything that we can do on our local computers. It takes a different approach since it’s actually executed in the same run loop as our applications. This will let you natively access every single object without having to deal with object serialization or over-the-wire products.

6. HP Quality Center Enterprise (QC)

Integrated quality management software is one which helps you to standardize testing, engineer for enhancement, and fixes problems to improve quality. It delivers applications fast with confidence and courage. It provides a comprehensive, unified, and extensible software quality platform.

You can implement your entire quality and logistic testing and establish consistent, repeatable processes for managing all aspects of software quality. This extraordinary, unified platform helps you possess a complete IT quality management infrastructure, establish consistent, repeatable processes and applies the best practices for all business applications.

Assets sharing and reusability allowed HP quality center enterprise to deliver bug-free and reliable applications. It helps to maintain consistent QA procedures across the application lifecycle by standardizing testing. Thus, the integrated approach of HP quality center helps to monitor performance, fix defects, and reduce making costs.

Thus these are some very powerful and reliable automation testing software tools that you can use for your business applications. Aim for shorter development cycles with automated testing.

The best JS frameworks for Front End & Back End applications.

Are you on your way to create a remarkable web application?

If yes, then probably choosing the right and best JavaScript framework will be the toughest task on your list currently. Whether to choose AngularJS or Node JS or React JS might be giving you sleepless nights.

There are several parameters to consider before making the decision like maturity, size, features, interoperability, dependencies, etc. Without in-depth knowledge, this is a difficult choice.

In this blog, we have laid out the comparison between these three JavaScript frameworks for your reference.

1) AngularJS

Angular JS is a client-side web framework launched in 2009 by Google. It was aimed to resolve issues in creating single page application faced by angular developers. With a large support community, it has an extensibility feature and can work well with several libraries.

Reasons why AngularJS is recommended:

1) User interface

AngularJS has the plus point of using HTML for defining web app’s user interface. HTML is less fragile to recognize and also it is a declarative language. Overall it offers simplification of web development process in which you just need to define what you want.

2)  Flexibility

Web app development is made flexible with the use of directives and filters. The benefit of using directives is that they bring functionality to HTML rather than manipulating the DOM. Filters, on the other hand, are standalone functions that are separate from the app. Still, they take care of data transformations.

3)  Testing

Unit testing in AngularJS is done by injecting mock data and then measuring the output. This is a completely different way of testing web apps in which individual test pages are created.

Let’s go over the technical aspects for choosing AngularJS over others:

Advantages of AngularJS

• Easily testable framework
• Data synchronization is done automatically between the components and model view
• Vast Angular libraries
• Inbuilt dependency injection subsystem
• Simple routing
• Angular Data binding
• Marvelous UI design
• Customized Document Object Model can be created easily
• It provides strong template building solutions

Drawbacks of choosing Angular JS

• DOM elements come with performance issues
• Limited Routing offered
• Scopes are difficult to debug
• Angular gets slow with pages embedding interactive elements
• Third party integration is very complex
• The learning curve is steep

For more detailed information on Angular JS, here is a guide on Angular JS to help you understand the javascript framework better.

2) ReactJS

ReactJS is more of an open-source JavaScript library rather than a framework. With this, astonishing UI can be built with good rendering performance. React is more dependent on ‘view’ in the Model View Controller (MVC) architecture. It was launched to resolve the rendering issues of large datasets in JavaScript frameworks.

Reasons why ReactJS is recommended:

1)  SEO Effective

ReactJS can be easily run on the server and then a virtual DOM will be rendered which will return to the browser as a web page. This a benefit because search engines find it hard to read JS-heavy apps which is the main issue with JS frameworks.

2)  Excellent efficiency

ReactJS generates its own virtual DOM and also it takes care of all the changes to made in the DOM and any updates in the DOM tree. For gaining a good performance it is a great and flexible approach.

Here are the other pros and cons of React JS:

Advantages of React JS

• It offers faster updates
• Importing components is relatively very easy
• With ReactJS you can reuse the code
• JS debugging is smooth
• It has easy learning API and smooth interface designs  
• Fully component based architecture

Drawbacks of React JS

• The learning curve is steep
• It is not a framework and just a library
• Flux architectures
• If you integrate React into an MVC framework, some configurations would be required

3) NodeJS

NodeJS is a server rather than a framework which is powered by Google Chrome V8 JavaScript engine. It executes JavaScript on the server side. Its main application is done for simplifying development of complex applications.

Reasons why NodeJS is recommended:

1)  Server-side proxy

NodeJS can handle numerous simultaneous connections in a non-blocking manner as it can be used as a server-side proxy. Mainly it is used when you want to proxy different services with varying response times.

2)  NPM

NPM(Node Package Manager) comes by default with your Node.js installation and gives support for package management. NPM’s concept is similar to Ruby Gems. The most popularly used NPM modules are:

• Mongojs and MongoDB
• connect
• moment
• bluebird
• pug
• socket.io and sockjs

Here are the other pros and cons of NodeJS:

Advantages of NodeJS

• The same piece of code is shared with both client and server side
• Big files can be easily streamed
• NPM has already become deep and rising at a fast rate
• Simple to learn
• Large support community

Drawbacks of Node JS

• Not scalable because one CPU is not sufficient to take advantage of multiple tasks
• Deep understanding of JavaScript is required to work with NodeJS
• Relational database issues
• Particularly suited for web servers and not meant for CPU-intensive tasks
• Nested callbacks

Summing up

All the above-mentioned JavaScript frameworks enjoy their own fame and are widely used across the world. They are advanced and deliver high performance. The major factor that will affect the choice of JavaScript framework is your business needs and desired app goals.

ReactJS requires you to write less code and perform more. Also, ReactJS is better than AngularJS when it comes to performance.

But AngularJS is a fully featured framework and ReactJS is just a library. AngularJS has a vibrant and large community support while React is just in the inception stage.

On the other hand, Nodejs is mainly created to build scalable and fast network apps. It is simply a JS runtime which is fast and lightweight.

We hope that this helps in the decision you are about to make.

At GoodWorkLabs, we have an excellent team of JavaScript developers who can bring great value to your project. Let us help you with your next project, contact us here.

Importance of Data Cleanups

Cyber attacks have cost millions in lost revenues to companies worldwide. By abiding to clean and consistent cyber hygiene methods you can save yourself from a world of hassle. For companies, it has become mandatory to training employees to maintain cyber hygiene and better the company’s overall defenses against cyber attacks.

Why does data cleanup matter?

Everyone today is connected to the internet. One does not necessarily need to belong to the IT industry to understand basic IT terminologies. But what people who are outside the IT terminology do not understand is the nuances of online cybersecurity. Being unknown to the triviality of it makes them vulnerable to hackers all the more.

Cleaning up after we access the networks we use is mandatory in a world that is so highly digitalized. You just never know when the smallest bit of information that falls into the wrong hands could wreak havoc for you.

What does it mean to do data cleanups?

Cyber hygiene improves cybersecurity and that is an undeniable fact in the IT fraternity. For many organizations out there, this would mean organizing hardware and devices, installing protective software or creating formal frameworks for handling online information without leaving traces behind.

Hackers have it easy when you leave your computers, or any device for that matter, logged in to important websites. These websites could be the ones you visit often like your bank account, your office’s main files, account and balance sheets. Keeping your account logged in without having any security around it leaves you at the risk of hackers to attack and retrieve important information.

What steps to take in data clean-ups?

To stay on your guard and ensure the safety of your data, you can use these simple hacks:

1. Remove files in history/downloads

Cleaning up your data from a device is important. This includes the files you download for whatever purpose such as a soft copy of your important documents. You would not want your device to be hacked into and those important documents reaching wrong hands.

It is similar to using a temporary place to stay. You have to tidy up after leaving and opt to be careful about leaving important stuff behind. This way, you won’t have a tough time to deal with breaches later on.

2. Logging off

Experts suggest that logging off from your accounts or securing them with smart locks is one way to keep hackers at pay. Two-way verification systems ensure that no unwarranted entrant is allowed into your account.

3. Use secure channels to browse the net

Vigilance on your end is to be maintained at all times. You are on the net round the clock. You, therefore, need to be mindful of where you log in. Also, you need to be careful about how secure the sites and their credentials are before you feed in vitally personal information.

To sign off

When it comes to online presence, one’s security is their own hands. Leaving no scope for hackers to move in is what cyber hygiene ensures. By maintaining regular cyber hygiene in the form of data cleanups ensures there is no storage of excess cache and cookies. This leaves malware and hackers zero room to function. This only goes to add to your defenses making your stint against online privacy invasion a formidable one.

Importance of IoT Privacy and Security

Digitisation is great. It has managed to make the world a smaller place. You feel more connected to people who would not be near you. But is all this connectivity safe for you? Have you weighed the implications of trusting IoT products with the risks that come with sharing private digital information?

How secure is the information in an IoT-connected world?

In a world made small by digitization, how secure is your information really? Privacy is a space you call your own. For your own safety, you need to protect information that is personal to you online. Making them public could lead to disastrous consequences for you and those associated with you.

Privacy also is a subjective concept, on a human level. What one considers to be private information would not necessarily be considered so by another person. This “user-defined limit” to sharing data online is based on the trust in a certain system or its privacy settings in particular. Privacy provisions and trust are the important determinants of how much personal information can be shared.

Privacy and IoT

As you would know, trust is a major factor when it comes to sharing information over the Internet. And as IoT is getting more and more devices connected, more and more people are having connections with companies, the government, conglomerates, etc.

There are an endless string of tools that help in data gathering – sensors, devices, data generated from IP devices, machines that analyze collected cache and cookies and many more. Connecting more IoT-supporting devices increases the threat to your personal data. It becomes more vulnerable to a breach. One cannot connect to IoT devices without lowering defense protocols.

How to protect your privacy in such a vulnerable digital setting?

1. Change your default admin password

Usually, your internet administration password is just “admin” or “1234”. Changing this to something more complex with alphanumerics passwords and symbols will make it harder for hackers to get through.

2. Set up numerous network IDs

Routers these days enable the user to set up numerous Ids. To build up a secure fence, set up networks for your computer, your printer, and other such computing devices. Also, create a separate SSID for your additional devices like gaming consoles and smart TVs. This is to restrict hackers to one network only, in case they break through.

3. Encryption

Against privacy invasion, encryption is your best bet. It is the strongest tool against online theft. Using strong, multifaceted passwords that are hard to decipher goes a long way toward securing your devices.

4. Setting up firewalls

Setting up a firewall is one of the best ways to keep malware and hackers at bay. Though they cannot protect against all sorts of attacks, a firewall can at least fend off backdoor attempts. Firewalling your smartphones and smartwatches should be a mandate in today’s day and age.

5. Connect to trusted Wi-Fi spots only

Free Wi-Fi spots are tempting. However, resisting this temptation is a must. You can easily walk into a mess, which is nothing but a trap laid for you by hackers. When you are on-the-go, only connect to trusted and secure Wi-Fi hotspots only.

Keeping these simple techniques in mind can make you resistant to a load of malware attacks online in an IoT-connected world.

Influence of Data Science on Web Development

The whole ideology behind technology is that it is subject to constant change. It has to be dynamic so as to pave way for something more optimized, beneficial, and less demanding. It is an inevitable path of progress, which has undoubtedly led us to where we are right now. The internet has been one of the turning points of this century. Its implications via technologies like data science are rippling through every sector conceivable including web development.

Enter the concept of data science in web development

Our reliance on web apps has increased over the years. This is because of the ease and convenience they bring to us in the long run. Web apps are software-applications that run with the help of the internet. They do things for you so that you can cut down on doing them manually.

So far, web apps have had a certain way of functioning. Apps were based on focus groups, surveys, and specific educated guesses. This would help programmers have an idea what the masses want. But this traditional method of web app development is soon going to belong to the archived files of modern day technological history.

Developers now have zettabytes of data at their disposal, owing to IoT (Internet of Things). People are constantly plugged in to the net and this generates data every second of every minute. This generated data is carefully analysed which then transforms into precious insights that can be acted upon. Here are some ways applying data science would transform web development for the better

1. Software production

Traditionally, which is also how things happen currently, a software development programmer would decide what goes on in the app menu, based on his or her understanding of what the users would like and appreciate. Data science, on the other hand, would generate data from similar apps and would then suggest what seems to be opted by the users more. Imagine it to be the Autocomplete feature going industrial, in terms of web development.

2. Upgrades would be automatic

Upgrades would no longer be something commanded by a team of programmers. Machine learning would compile the data generated by users using a certain app and introduce version upgrades as and when it seems appropriate. It is like the app learns from you and betters itself to help you better.

3. Personalization to the max

Apps will now have a more accurate AI (Artificial Intelligence) system integrated into its functionality. This would mean that your apps understand you better. Already, your smartphone gives you suggestions based on your location, previous searches, past likes, etc.

Your apps will now interact with you in a more customized manner as it will learn, based on the information collected from the other apps. How users use an app and would contribute to how you use it and the data generated from your usage would improve your user experience even further.

4. Foreseeing the impact

It is hard to estimate how far-reaching the impact of Data science would be in our day to day lives, but one thing remains of certainty that nothing would be the same as it is now. Factors like speed and functionality and security would perhaps remain the same, but what would be interesting to see is how an app ends up adapting to your interests.

These are some of the interesting ways in which data science is expected to transform the web development sector.

Blockchain Technology and Data Security

When it comes to security, computers have never been considered as the most reliable ones. Someone always finds a way to gain access into your computer and misuse the data. This is where blockchains make their entry. In simple terms, a blockchain is an ever expanding list of blocks or records which are connected and secured with cryptographic methods.

Blockchains are used to share precious data over a secure medium. They store data with advanced mathematics and software that are not very easy for hackers to invade.

Let us understand why blockchains are considered secure. In a bitcoin blockchain, the data that is shared contains information about all the bitcoins that have been mined. This can be referred to as an accounting ledger which is stored as a number of copies on a computer network called ‘nodes’. Each time there is a transaction, the nodes ensure that it is a valid one. Valid transactions are added to the other blocks.

Why can blockchain security be considered as hack-proof?

This technology is considered secure with respect to two things:

• Cryptographic fingerprint (hash) assigned to blocks which are unique to them
• The process of sharing history on a network by the nodes also called ‘consensus protocol’.

Generating a hash is time and energy consuming. It involves a huge amount of computational power to earn a bitcoin. It acts as a seal too, because if the block is modified, a new hash is created. Hash verification is easily done by the nodes and the blockchain is updated.

Another feature is that hashes are the links in a blockchain. Each block carries its predecessor block’s hash. When an entry in the ledger has to be modified, a new hash needs to be calculated for all blocks. This has to be accomplished at a lightning speed or else other nodes will keep adding blocks. To achieve this, supercomputers much powerful than all the nodes put together are needed. Else, the added blocks will interfere with the existing ones and nodes would reject them. This process makes the blockchains secure, theoretically.

Any technology is subject to loopholes. Hackers have innovative ways to break into blockchains. There are ways to destabilize a blockchain and a hacker can control a node’s transactions by tricking it. There have been certain cryptocurrency hacks, in recent times where hackers have invaded the e-wallets. But hacking onto a blockchain is not worth the trouble. Since it is very expensive and consumes tons of computational power.

In conclusion, blockchain technology is indeed sturdy, private and secure. You cannot ignore it since it solves enormous problems everywhere, including businesses. After rigid testing practices in pilot cases and by governments and companies, blockchains have proved to be tremendously secure. Institutions everywhere are fast adopting it for their day to day transactions. The advantages are far more significant than the risks it poses. All systems are vulnerable in a world of technology.  Blockchains are still in the nascent stage and have a long way to go to achieve tamperproof perfection.

What You Need to Know About the New Google Assistant Update

As if we weren’t short of surprises this year particularly from the tech industry, Google made an announcement that could very well be the most pleasant one so far this year. At the Google I/O conference 2018 held this week, CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the Google Assistant will be getting major updates. And the updates are major indeed with several AI based application that could make life a ‘breeze’ for all you couch potatoes out there. Anyway, let us have a look at the updates that are soon going to hit the market.

Source: crowdfundingheadlines.com

Google Duplex

Speaking of couch potatoes, here is an update that is for the ages which could make that expression a literal one soon. The Google Duplex is an AI tool that will be assisting you with real world tasks all accomplished through the phone without you having to move an inch. With the ability to understand natural speech and complex sentences, the google assistant can now book appointments, reservations or orders and should any complication arise it will place a call to have a conversation with the concerned person and get it done. Which, while on the surface seems swell and all, but in the ‘real world’ when have we ever convinced a snooty receptionist at a fully booked hotel to make room. Maybe, Google should add the Jedi mind trick as part of their update if they haven’t already. ‘These are not the reservations you’re looking for’. Anyway, without digressing further, the application has to be trained in such conversations to become accustomed to and eventually become adept at it. And Google stresses that the application can only carry out conversations based on such scenarios and not answer questions like ‘why won’t my girlfriend talk to me anymore? I only made an observation about her dress’. For that, you still have to go to Quora.com.

Enhanced Interface

Google is also planning on changing the interface of the Google assistant on both iOS and Android platforms to make it more informative and interactive. A certain degree of automation will be available in the interface as well with timeline-based snapshots, suggestions, summaries of activities etc. being part of the order. All your planner based details from various applications will also be integrated to the assistant. As announced earlier this year Google’s Smart Displays will also be launched later this year which will further enhance the experience.

Google Maps

Google maps will now be integrated with the Google Assistant AI to allow multitasking. Now you can access weather-related information, songs, send text messages and even podcasts for some reason according to news outlets. This raises an interesting question, what are Google’s policies on driving while speaking on the phone? Because, hands-free or not, talking on the phone is something that I assume is frowned upon all the world. As a matter of fact all over India that is an offense punishable by law. So, food for thought?

New Voices

One of the most highlighted features of this update are the 6 new male and female voices. And the most highlighted aspect of these voices is that they are ‘natural sounding’. So instead of that persistent and seemingly strict lady asking you to take a left turn at 100 meters, you get John Legend and no you won’t be getting ‘all of him’, just his voice. Hey, at least now we can have a soothing semi-baritone voice telling ‘All your base are now belong to us’ when the machines take over. And if you think I am exaggerating, John legend himself feels threatened by his AI self. That’s why he felt the need to tweet out ‘Real John Legend > AI John.’ Anyway, the new voices will be playing a huge role in achieving the goals that Google seeks to achieve through Google Duplex. Furthermore, you will no longer have to use the phrases ‘OK Google’ or ‘Hey Google’ to trigger a conversation with the assistant. The new update will enable the assistant to distinguish conversations with others from the ones you make with it. Which again is not necessarily a reassuring prospect.

To sum up the new updates seem to be targeted at enhancing user experience by a huge margin and resolving some of the most infuriating issues people have had over the years with various google assistant functions. As ambitious as it is, the project will take a while to incorporate all these functions and hopefully, it would change our lives for the better.  And the question in everyone’s mind now probably is what is going to happen with Siri?