Friday 26 July 2013
Wednesday 10 July 2013
DEVELOPING A MOBILE APP ON THE CLOUD IN LESS THAN AN HOUR
Two of the hottest topics in technology today are “mobile” and
“cloud.” They are at the top of most CTOs list of objectives, yet they
also seem to be the ones most shrouded in mystery. So where do our young
Kenyan tech savvy and/or computer aficionados start?
With the video and do-it-yourself guide below!
This
year, at NCSIT 2013 Nairobi, I ran a session where we built a complete
database-backed web application from scratch using the SpringSource Tool
Suite and the Grails framework for Java. Then, we published the
application to Cloud Foundry—an open VMcloud Platform-as-a-Service
offering. Finally, we proceeded to build a mobile application that
consumed the data from the web application built earlier. I broke a
cardinal rule by doing the entire session live, but it all went off
without a hitch and audience participation with the application was an
absolute blast. By the time we were done, we had built two applications
from the ground up, and folks had an application that looked, smelled,
and tasted like a native mobile application running on their phones.
And, we did all of this in less than one hour!
In the months since, I have had multiple interactions with STEM advocates for Africa,start-ups Innovation firms in Kenya,Youth initiative programs directed towards Konza city and OpenWorld Ltd attendees. I have heard from many who followed the session content—they were building their own mobile applications using the same technologies and using the guide we used at OpenWorld!
In particular, a gentleman in the audience interrupted me recently as I was presenting at an event in Sarova Panafric. As I started talking about Cloud Foundry, he said that he was in our OpenWorld session and had redone the whole lab himself. And, the best part of his interruption? He wasn’t a traditional programmer. He was more focused on infrastructure, which was very rewarding to hear. These are the things that make it fun to get up and go to work each day.
During the OpenWorld session we talked a bit about the “mobile dilemma” and the challenges that exist in mobile application development. In this post, I thought I would:
a) trim down the session content into just the programming pieces,
b) make a video to share with the blogosphere,
c) provide a complete “Do It Yourself Guide” to download and follow along.
The guide is a walkthrough and very basic introduction to some 101 “mobile web” concepts and technologies. So, let me attempt to pull on my flame-proof suit up front with the following disclaimers:
This is not a formal dissertation on proper enterprise mobile application development methodologies and lifecycle management.
This is not a “full stack” bootcamp that will make you a mobile rockstar.
This is not a formal class on any specific development technology.
This is not a “best practices” view on mobile development.
This is not a substitute for taking a proper mobile development course!
The purpose of this blog post is to simply have some fun and provide a simple introduction to help folks write their own mobile applications using a web technology stack that could easily be scaled in the future. And, I wanted to do it with technologies that
a) folks could go and grab easily and
b) implement immediately without having to buy anything, require existing services, or have any other “stuff” to deal with. We will show you everything: from how to sign up for your very own Cloud Foundry account and download the SpringSource Tool Suite; to writing the web and mobile applications. All from scratch.
In my travels,trainings and interactions, I find many enterprises big and small(SMEs) struggling to get started in this space. Most everybody has a mobile application of some sort nowadays, but many times they are little more than what used to be a static website in the late 90’s. Or perhaps, it’s a marketing tool. More times than not, the entire development process was outsourced. But now, people want to start building mobile apps themselves with real data and real logic. And, they want real applications that provide business value or competitive differentiation. A good example of such an application is "OpenBusiness" which is 100% Kenyan made from design to the functionalities that befit the Kenyan business environment. My hope is that you will get an introduction to some technologies that allow you to reuse the web skills you have in house to build your very own mobile applications and use the experience as a launching pad into your next generation mobile strategy.
If nothing else, I hope you have some fun and can show off your new crazy mad mobile chops to your friends! :-)
Now go build something!
Author:Samwel
With the video and do-it-yourself guide below!
This
year, at NCSIT 2013 Nairobi, I ran a session where we built a complete
database-backed web application from scratch using the SpringSource Tool
Suite and the Grails framework for Java. Then, we published the
application to Cloud Foundry—an open VMcloud Platform-as-a-Service
offering. Finally, we proceeded to build a mobile application that
consumed the data from the web application built earlier. I broke a
cardinal rule by doing the entire session live, but it all went off
without a hitch and audience participation with the application was an
absolute blast. By the time we were done, we had built two applications
from the ground up, and folks had an application that looked, smelled,
and tasted like a native mobile application running on their phones.
And, we did all of this in less than one hour!In the months since, I have had multiple interactions with STEM advocates for Africa,start-ups Innovation firms in Kenya,Youth initiative programs directed towards Konza city and OpenWorld Ltd attendees. I have heard from many who followed the session content—they were building their own mobile applications using the same technologies and using the guide we used at OpenWorld!
In particular, a gentleman in the audience interrupted me recently as I was presenting at an event in Sarova Panafric. As I started talking about Cloud Foundry, he said that he was in our OpenWorld session and had redone the whole lab himself. And, the best part of his interruption? He wasn’t a traditional programmer. He was more focused on infrastructure, which was very rewarding to hear. These are the things that make it fun to get up and go to work each day.
During the OpenWorld session we talked a bit about the “mobile dilemma” and the challenges that exist in mobile application development. In this post, I thought I would:
a) trim down the session content into just the programming pieces,
b) make a video to share with the blogosphere,
c) provide a complete “Do It Yourself Guide” to download and follow along.
The guide is a walkthrough and very basic introduction to some 101 “mobile web” concepts and technologies. So, let me attempt to pull on my flame-proof suit up front with the following disclaimers:
This is not a formal dissertation on proper enterprise mobile application development methodologies and lifecycle management.
This is not a “full stack” bootcamp that will make you a mobile rockstar.
This is not a formal class on any specific development technology.
This is not a “best practices” view on mobile development.
This is not a substitute for taking a proper mobile development course!
The purpose of this blog post is to simply have some fun and provide a simple introduction to help folks write their own mobile applications using a web technology stack that could easily be scaled in the future. And, I wanted to do it with technologies that
a) folks could go and grab easily and
b) implement immediately without having to buy anything, require existing services, or have any other “stuff” to deal with. We will show you everything: from how to sign up for your very own Cloud Foundry account and download the SpringSource Tool Suite; to writing the web and mobile applications. All from scratch.
In my travels,trainings and interactions, I find many enterprises big and small(SMEs) struggling to get started in this space. Most everybody has a mobile application of some sort nowadays, but many times they are little more than what used to be a static website in the late 90’s. Or perhaps, it’s a marketing tool. More times than not, the entire development process was outsourced. But now, people want to start building mobile apps themselves with real data and real logic. And, they want real applications that provide business value or competitive differentiation. A good example of such an application is "OpenBusiness" which is 100% Kenyan made from design to the functionalities that befit the Kenyan business environment. My hope is that you will get an introduction to some technologies that allow you to reuse the web skills you have in house to build your very own mobile applications and use the experience as a launching pad into your next generation mobile strategy.
If nothing else, I hope you have some fun and can show off your new crazy mad mobile chops to your friends! :-)
Now go build something!
Author:Samwel
Wednesday 3 July 2013
MERITS AND DIMERITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES IN BUSINESSES.
Cloud computing is one of the most buzzworthy tech developments of the past few years in Kenya. Everyone is talking about how cloud services can help businesses to be more productive, nimble and scalable.
But what exactly is the cloud? What are the potential risks and rewards for your business?
Defining the cloud
Tech gurus and cloud service providers like OpenWorld Ltd,IBM and others all have a slightly different spin on defining the cloud. Essentially, the cloud is an Internet technology platform with computing and storage capabilities. Customers can access groups of virtual servers on-demand and providers typically charge fees on a per-use basis.
Maybe the easiest way to define the cloud is to discuss the business needs it meets. The cloud allows developers, website managers, IT departments and businesses of all sizes to quickly develop, test and roll out new tech capabilities without spending a lot on infrastructure and training. Companies can lease software, add IT services and boost storage capacity offsite. Ramp-up times are short and large support staffs are unnecessary.
Types of clouds
Various types of cloud environments meet the scalability, security and performance needs of different users. Generally, clouds for business customers break down into three main categories.
Private clouds: Also referred to as an internal or single-tenant cloud, a private cloud has a proprietary network or data center that is devoted to a single organization. Employees access it behind the company’s existing firewall. Businesses that need large amounts of data stored for long periods often choose private clouds, which are the most customizable and secure option.
Public clouds: Public or multi-tenant clouds are comprised of a pool of scalable resources delivered securely to multiple clients as a service over the Internet. Public clouds are the most widely used cloud platform and work well for growing businesses or companies that need immediate access to cloud services to meet rapid increases in storage needs or computing demand.
Hybrid clouds: As the name implies, a hybrid cloud combines features of both the private and public clouds. Ideally, a hybrid lets businesses take advantage of the scalability and cost-effectiveness of a public cloud. Companies that use this type have the security features and customization options of a private cloud. Businesses may begin using certain applications in a public cloud and then migrate them to a private cloud as needs or numbers of users change.
Security considerations
When it's properly implemented, cloud computing offers more security than most offices. Yet many business owners are nervous about having a large portion of their data housed off-site. When you're choosing a cloud service provider, it’s essential to understand what security measures are in place to safeguard the integrity of your data, and to ensure your consistent and trouble-free access to it 24/7.
Businesses new to the cloud and looking for the right service provider might consider first partnering with a technology firm that is well-versed in data-replication standards, encryption and authentication methods.
Why try the cloud?
Cloud services offer flexibility for businesses of all sizes. Large companies can get to market faster, respond to changing customer demand and meet seasonal spikes trouble-free—all with less hardware, software and support costs.
Small businesses can compete using high-tech resources once reserved for the big boys—leveling the playing field and boosting bottom lines. In the rarefied atmosphere of making businesses run faster and smarter, the cloud just might be the ultimate rainmaker and one application that can sum up all this in the African market currently and more so in Kenya is "OpenBusiness".For more information about the BMT application that is cloud based,visit www.openbusiness.co.ke.
Source:www.samwelkariuki.com
Credit:Samwel Kariuki.
But what exactly is the cloud? What are the potential risks and rewards for your business?
Defining the cloud
Tech gurus and cloud service providers like OpenWorld Ltd,IBM and others all have a slightly different spin on defining the cloud. Essentially, the cloud is an Internet technology platform with computing and storage capabilities. Customers can access groups of virtual servers on-demand and providers typically charge fees on a per-use basis.
Maybe the easiest way to define the cloud is to discuss the business needs it meets. The cloud allows developers, website managers, IT departments and businesses of all sizes to quickly develop, test and roll out new tech capabilities without spending a lot on infrastructure and training. Companies can lease software, add IT services and boost storage capacity offsite. Ramp-up times are short and large support staffs are unnecessary.
Types of clouds
Various types of cloud environments meet the scalability, security and performance needs of different users. Generally, clouds for business customers break down into three main categories.
Private clouds: Also referred to as an internal or single-tenant cloud, a private cloud has a proprietary network or data center that is devoted to a single organization. Employees access it behind the company’s existing firewall. Businesses that need large amounts of data stored for long periods often choose private clouds, which are the most customizable and secure option.
Public clouds: Public or multi-tenant clouds are comprised of a pool of scalable resources delivered securely to multiple clients as a service over the Internet. Public clouds are the most widely used cloud platform and work well for growing businesses or companies that need immediate access to cloud services to meet rapid increases in storage needs or computing demand.
Hybrid clouds: As the name implies, a hybrid cloud combines features of both the private and public clouds. Ideally, a hybrid lets businesses take advantage of the scalability and cost-effectiveness of a public cloud. Companies that use this type have the security features and customization options of a private cloud. Businesses may begin using certain applications in a public cloud and then migrate them to a private cloud as needs or numbers of users change.
Security considerations
When it's properly implemented, cloud computing offers more security than most offices. Yet many business owners are nervous about having a large portion of their data housed off-site. When you're choosing a cloud service provider, it’s essential to understand what security measures are in place to safeguard the integrity of your data, and to ensure your consistent and trouble-free access to it 24/7.
Businesses new to the cloud and looking for the right service provider might consider first partnering with a technology firm that is well-versed in data-replication standards, encryption and authentication methods.
Why try the cloud?
Cloud services offer flexibility for businesses of all sizes. Large companies can get to market faster, respond to changing customer demand and meet seasonal spikes trouble-free—all with less hardware, software and support costs.
Small businesses can compete using high-tech resources once reserved for the big boys—leveling the playing field and boosting bottom lines. In the rarefied atmosphere of making businesses run faster and smarter, the cloud just might be the ultimate rainmaker and one application that can sum up all this in the African market currently and more so in Kenya is "OpenBusiness".For more information about the BMT application that is cloud based,visit www.openbusiness.co.ke.
Source:www.samwelkariuki.com
Credit:Samwel Kariuki.
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