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SaaS Application Development Lifecycle, Challenges, and Recommendations

The technological advancement has propelled the growth of software development. The advent of new technologies have disrupted many industries and therefore digital transformation is the need of the hour, but not every business can afford the software development costs. To democratize access to technology, software subscription models have taken place. They are called SaaS Application Development Lifecycle (Software as a Service).

Typically, the SaaS application development services providers charge subscription fees for their software products. The products are delivered and stored in a cloud-based environment which means that the customers don’t have to download the software product on their system. They can access it through a web browser or a mobile app. Hubspot, Mail-chimp, Google Drive, Shopify, Zoho, Twillio, etc. are examples of successful SaaS products.

The SaaS application development services have become the trend as more and more businesses are leveraging the subscription-based software service model. Since, we’ve developed and scaled multiple SaaS products over time, here we’re sharing the development life-cycle, challenges, and recommendations for SaaS Application Development Lifecycle.

SaaS Development Life-cycle
For SaaS development life cycle, the cloud service provider is a critical success factor, and therefore the cloud service deployments require a different approach than ordinary software development. The SaaS Application Development Lifecycle approach is typically focused on the assessment of the cloud provider in terms of platform capabilities and operational enablement.

This SaaS development life cycle illustration assumes that there were no cloud service provider preferences prior to the project initiation. However, if it is not the first SaaS-based product the enterprise is going to have, the Platform Evaluation, Subscribing, and Operations phases of the SaaS development life-cycle will be less detailed. It is because the SaaS developers can leverage the work that has already been done during the recent SaaS development.

Following steps are the best way for a SaaS Application Development Lifecycle:

1. Envisioning
Envisioning is the first phase of SaaS Application Development Lifecycle and includes identifying new business opportunities, where the company leadership identifies the gaps in the market, or how to upsell to existing customers. SaaS solutions envisioning is no different than a traditional software envisioning. However, the SaaS products open up new opportunities as the business leaders will have fewer constraints due to reachability, discoverability, and scalability of the solutions. The activities required at this stage are as follows:

Activities
Identify existing business requirements
Visualize business opportunities and market trends
Decide whether to buy or build
Assess sales, marketing, and licensing models
Identify the SaaS solution needs
Decisions made during Envisioning
Executive sponsorship
The market research and trend analysis will guide the company executives to decide on the sponsorship of the SaaS application development.

Economic Justification
SaaS product development cost will be weighed against the total investment and the ROI period will be calculated.

Buy vs Build
Decisions will be made on whether to buy or build the services. In the case of building the service, either the existing IT department or a system development company will build the SaaS solution. Alternatively, the solutions can be bought from independent software vendors (ISVs).

Cloud Platform Assessment
Based on the platform characteristics and support, the organization will shortlist the cloud service providers.

POC Plan
The management team will move forward with the decision of creating a proof of concept (POC) for the solution.

2. Platform Evaluation
The performance of cloud service providers is very critical for the success of a SaaS product. The SaaS product development strategy will require activities that focus on selecting the best cloud service for the product. The ISVs or the company building the product will need to pick the cloud service that helps them realise the product strategy planned during the envisioning phase.

In arriving at a decision that is fit for purpose, the SaaS software architecture proof points are intersected with the cloud’s platform features and capabilities. There are cases where the existing relationships of the product owner or the ISV with the cloud service provider play a vital role in moulding the architecture to fit the cloud’s requirements.

Activities
Design the technical architecture
Define the functional and non-functional proof points
PaaS solution economies assessment
Weight the cloud platform features and capabilities with respect to the SaaS product architecture
Plan for POC with a small list of PaaS vendors
Try to acquire the trial subscription to PaaS solutions
Plan the product development phases (waterfall or agile)
Decisions
Selecting the fit for purpose cloud PaaS
After the completion of the cloud platform and POC evaluation, the ISVs will be able to pick the best cloud platform for the SaaS solution.

3. Planning
When the cloud platform selection, feasibility analysis, and fit to purpose analysis has been completed, the planning phase can begin in order to plot the course of action for a project delivery prediction. The complexity of the planning activity largely depends on the project size. The activities carried out in this phase of SaaS development life cycle is quite similar to the traditional software development lifecycle.

Activities
Aggregate the required product features
Streamline product architecture and design specifications
Create a project plan and schedule
Create a resource and communication plan
Create a risk management strategy
Deliverables
Project plant for the current iteration
Development plan
Current iteration feature requirements
Resource plan for the current iteration
The technical architecture for the solution
Design specifications
Operation monitoring plan
4. Subscribing
Subscribing third-party services such as cloud platforms and payment services is a vital phase of a SaaS development lifecycle. The purchasing decisions are made based on trial subscriptions. The decision of picking a cloud service provider is subject to careful examination of the deployment models, business continuity, subsequent upgrading schemes, support processes, and disaster recovery. The procurement team will inspect the pricing models and support costs to identify the suitable subscription (IaaS or PaaS).

Activities
Negotiate SLAs (Service Level Agreements) with the managed service providers.
Analyse feasibility of the polished solution architecture and see if it is possible with the selected cloud service provider.
Validate and intersect the polished disaster recovery plan with the cloud service provider’s recovery practices.
Validate compliance, auditing, and data privacy.
Plan for residual risk mitigation.
Acquire a cloud subscription for product deployment.
5. Developing
In this phase, the SaaS product architecture and design specification are converted into code artefacts and support documentation. The product development phase includes a series of iterations as per the technical architecture and design specifications. However, the design and architecture may change a little bit based on the discovery of the state of the art functionalities and refinement of functional requirements. The granularity and number of iterations depend on the scope of the project and resource allocation. The developers will work hand in hand with the solution architects throughout the service delivery process.

Activities
Development environment setup
Deployment and testing frequently throughout the iteration
Application security integration
Cloud and on-premise systems integration
Streamlining the data extraction, uploading, and synchronization
Support and helpdesk processes integration
Testing support and helpdesk processes
6. Operations
Both the deployment and the operations process are a vital part of the traditional software development lifecycle (SDLC). Due to the clear requirements of support contracts, SLAs, compliances, shared infrastructure, and security; the activities during this phase are very crucial for the success of the SaaS product.

Activities
Assess the capacity required
Load testing
Deployment plan
Disaster recovery and business continuity process setup and testing
Finalizing the support plan
Backup and recover process assessment
Service discovery collateral creation
Creating user and support manuals
Production deployment, monitoring, and performance evaluation.
SaaS Application Development Challenges 1. GDPR compliant Database access
As the GDPR regulations are being made mandatory throughout the world, secure databases have become a necessity for the SaaS software development process. Not just GDPR compliance, but depending on the industry, there are other compliances that the software will operate in. Some of the other compliances are Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Depending on the requirement, the compliances should be made clear and be implemented while building up the software architecture. At the stage of system creation, the unit and integration tests shall be applied to ensure sufficient data security.

In our SaaS deployments, we’ve used MongoDB and Neo4j for database management, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Elastic Search for data analysis and visualization, and Redis was used as the database, message broker and cache.

2. SaaS subscription Lifecycle Management
Third-party payment services are a feasible way to integrate plans and subscriptions functionality while developing SaaS software. Third-party subscription management services have a straightforward approach to take care of product plans and subscriptions. The SaaS software developers can leverage such payment systems by using their APIs. One such example is Stripe. Stripe provides well-documented plans and subscription features that are easy to integrate.

If the product owner doesn’t want to be dependent on any third-party subscription management service provider, the SaaS software developers can build the native functionality too. The advantage of having it all in one place is that the product owner won’t have to pay monthly or yearly fees to the payment service providers for the management of plans and subscriptions.

3. Third-party Payment Integration
Almost every SaaS product comes with payment functionality. Normally, it is perceived by third-party payment service integration. There are two ways to integrate the payment services, with one of these methods being a lot easier than the other.

The easier one is to go with the payment service provider which provides great support for integration. The more demanding one is where the SaaS developers have to analyse the technical aspect and challenges that can occur while integrating with the payment services. This method may be necessary if your payment system needs to have specific custom features which existing payment providers cannot provide. This focuses on creating appropriate application parts which also includes creating services and functionalities that facilitate seamless integration with external payment services.

However, most of the payment solution providers already expose their APIs and other necessary libraries to make the integration smooth. Throughout time, we’ve integrated payment services like Secure Trading, PayPal, QuickPay, Braintree, Skrill and many others on our diverse portfolios. The most crucial factor we’ve found which many other developers don’t pay much attention to is to test the integration with the set of automatic as well as manual tests.

4. A Zero-Downtime Deployment
As the SaaS products can be accessed anywhere in the world by potentially a huge number of users, the availability of the solution becomes significantly important. During these years of SaaS product deployment, we’ve seen that sometimes when a new version is released, the system might not be fully accessible to the user.

We recommend using a zero-downtime deployment strategy that makes your process of deployment fully responsive. To achieve this, the developer can make sure that the webserver doesn’t start serving the changed code until the complete deployment process is executed. Unlike the traditional deployment systems where the application would notify the users about scheduled downtimes, the blue-green zero-downtime deployment strategy ensures that the SaaS solution is available all the time.

5. Future-Proof Customization
A good SaaS system is supposed to be fully customizable, beginning from the user-interface up to the underlying system layers. However, the customization level is always dependent on the product requirements. We’ve deployed SaaS solutions where the customization of layout, subdomain, user-based information access levels, layouts, templates were required. Handling such requirements can increase the development costs a little bit, but if the customization functionality is achieved in a lean and agile manner, it adds a lot of value to the SaaS solution.

Wrapping Up
SaaS product development has an advantage of customizability and integration with other enterprise systems and software. The SaaS development company should build APIs that are safe to be exposed to third-party developers who might want to expand your SaaS product’s capabilities by integrating their cloud-based software applications.

Whether you are developing a new SaaS product or converting an existing one to SaaS, the Nimble AppGenie team can help you with the development. Our experienced team of architects and developers are experts in developing cloud-based applications. Contact us now for SaaS application development services.

AirPods not connecting? Here is a quick fix!

Airpods is a pocket-friendly Bluetooth gadget that you own, which seems the easiest thing to manage/carry – until they stop working. This is one of the most common problems Airpods users face and the question that is often raised here is “Why are my Airpods not working?”. This common failure starts with left or the right Airpods which stops working or gets disconnected, however in this case the first thing to do is to put them back you Airpods into the charging case and make sure they back to charging again. Then wait for few seconds and it should work. If your AirPods are still not working, then try re-pairing your Airpods back with your iOS device once again.

Here are some quick solutions to how you can solve the Airpods not connecting issue, right/ left Airpod not working issue, and many more.

For iPhone

Cleaning your AirPods

Airpods are unique/one of its find when it comes to technology, Airpods require regular cleaning to function properly. However, Airpods are not at all considered liquid friendly. Besides, the 1st and 2nd generation Airpods, as well as the charging cases being used aren’t claimed to be waterproof. However, Apple claims that Airpods Pro is a level up in tech as they are water-resistant “to a certain degree”. While cleaning the AirPods just ensure you don’t do any extra damage while removing the dirt.

Here are few rules that you need to follow while cleaning your AirPod (to fix only one AirPod only)

If there any removal marks on your Airpod that needs to be removed, then use a slightly dampened cloth to wipe/clean.
If dust needs to be wiped away from your Airpod, Apple & iFixScreens recommends using a soft, dry, and lint-free cloth.
Most importantly, you need to make sure that your Airpods or Airpods Pro are completely dry while placing them back in the charging case.
Use a cotton swab (dry) to clean your microphones and speakers.
Do not use any sharp objects while cleaning your Airpods Generation 1, Airpods Generation 2, or Airpods Pro.

Cleaning your Airpod charging case

Apple suggests to use a dry and fresh piece of cloth to wipe away the dirt.
If you are going to clean the debris, then consider cleaning inside of the case with a clean, soft-bristled toothbrush or a Q-tip would work.
Be careful and avoid placing anything inside the charging port.

Due to coronavirus outbreak, it is suggested that you disinfect your Airpods/ charging case. Apple also recommends that you can use 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe and Clorox wipes to disinfect your Airpods.

Try Unpairing and re-pairing your AirPods

This usually works in 90% of cases. Now another thing to try is to “forget” your Airpods on the device you are trying to pair, and then re-pairing your device again.

These are the steps to follow

For iPhone
Open Setting > Select Bluetooth > the “i” icon next to your Airpods > Forget your Device

For Mac Devices
Go to System Preferences > Bluetooth > the “x” button next to your Airpods > Forget Device

Before performing these steps ensure:

Both your Airpods are in the charging case, close the lid, and wait for 30 seconds.
Press and hold the button on the Airpods until it flashes the white light.
Ensure the Airpods is close to your Apple device, open the lid, and re-pair with your device.

Try Resetting your AirPods to default settings

If one of your AirPod isn’t working then, get ready for the last resort. Click on the option to re-store your AirPods or AirPods Pro settings to default settings:

Put your AirPods into a charging case
Press the white button on your AirPods and hold the button until the white light appears/ flashes amber three times and then flashes a white light
Now try re-pairing your device with your AirPod again. Cross your fingers and this should work for you.

For MacBook

Why won’t my AirPods connect to my Mac?

This another common factor where your AirPods might act weird whenever you try and pair them with your MacBook. If you are unable to connect your device to your Mac device then it could be either because of your Bluetooth or an old macOS version, or something is wrong with your AirPods.

If you still need help, try getting in touch with someone from iFixScreens at your nearest location.

Setting your AirPods as the output device

If your AirPods are connected you are unable to hear any sound, then check the output setting on your Apple device. With your AirPods connected, follow the following steps

Click on the apple logo and go to System Preferences -> Sounds -> Output

Ensure your AirPods or AirPods Pro are set as the output device.

Unpair AirPods from Mac

This might sound generic but try unpairing your AirPods with your Mac which might be able to fix the problem. Whenever you face a similar connecting issue with any of your Apple devices. You need to click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar -> followed by selecting the AirPods and then, toggle on connect/ disconnect button. If this doesn’t help, try forgetting your AirPods and re-pair them with your device.

Click on the Apple icon and Open System Preferences > Bluetooth > the “x” button next to your AirPods > Forget device
Put your AirPods into a charging case
Press the white button on your AirPods and hold the button until the white light appears/ flashes amber three times and then flashes a white light
Now try re-pairing your device with your AirPod again.

Tips to click best picture with your smart phone

Presently the innovation is route progressed than before as even Smartphones are mounted with extraordinary cameras. For instance Nokia Lumia 1020, iPhone 5S, Sony Xperia Z1 and Samsung GalaxyS4 Zoom are not many of the Smartphones with incredible cameras. Notwithstanding, regardless of whether you don’t claim any of these handsets you actually have a propensity for clicking pictures from your Smartphone as it is simpler and helpful. This Christmas season while you haphazardly click pictures from your Smartphone, odds are that you don’t get anticipated outcomes. Reasons can be numerous yet on the off chance that you observe some basic guidelines, at that point you can undoubtedly catch great pictures from some random Smartphone.

Tips for clicking best picture with your smartphone

Backdrop illumination
At first prior to clicking, the thing to comprehend about your smart phone camera is that light assumes a fundamental part. On the off chance that you are endeavoring to click in low light, at that point you need to remember not to be near the wellspring of light. Clicking against the backdrop illumination like the daylight, a light, splendidly lit Christmas tree or anything that is more brilliant and is at the rear of your subject ought to be maintained a strategic distance from. Either the light source ought to be behind you while you are shooting or it ought to be on the sideways. In the event that you are shooting against the setting of windows, at that point pull down the blinds.

Proper Lighting
On the off chance that you are shooting in a room that is faintly lit, at that point it is smarter to have great enlightenment. Shooting inside can be a test when you are taking pictures in low light. You can turn on more lights, light more lights or simply move up the blinds to make the room climate enlightened.

Camera applications
Each Smart phone camera comes stacked with inbuilt camera application that can be used for catching respectable pictures. Be that as it may, on the off chance that you are endeavoring to catch evening picture or trails of vehicles outside then it is smarter to pick camera application from an application store. On the off chance that you are utilizing iPhone, at that point you should introduce Top Camera that will help you catch great pictures in low light and auto change camera settings dependent on areas.

Adjust the focus
Each smart phone accompanies the element of auto-concentrate yet you can physically guarantee the attention by tapping on the image. At the point when you tap on a particular piece of the image, the center will be bolted consequently. There is likewise an element of auto-acclimate to openness when you tap. This way you can guarantee that the concentration and openness are set up without bungling around in the menu.

Turn off the flashlight
You may be believing that utilizing streak consistently is fitting to catch great pictures, however you are incorrect, as it isn’t generally so. You can catch pictures in low light even without utilizing streak; this is conceivable by utilizing ISO from your camera alternatives. You can utilize another choice called HDR or High Dynamic Range. HDR empowers in consolidating pictures with various openings. Some Smartphones are furnished with HDR that catches most awesome aspect pictures. Another method of catching better picture can be utilizing Instagram, the little sun symbol will help light up pictures in any event, when you are seeing your pictures.

Top Reasons Why IoT Is the Future of Mobile App Development

IoT is a network of physical devices embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for exchanging information with other devices and systems over the internet. And these devices can be remotely controlled.

The best example is your smartphone; with the right devices, you can control your tv, lights with your phone. You can manage these remotely. Another example will be an Air conditioner; if connected through IoT technology, you can control the temperature and switch it on or off.

The Advantages of Using IoT

The benefits of IoT technology is endless. You can connect to devices easily and control them effectively.

IoT helps in better monitoring of the overall business activities.
It makes you and your devices smart
You also get a more intelligent workforce
The production is more efficient
It saves a lot of time and money
Generates more revenue
These are some of the benefits of using IoT. It allows the companies to revolutionize their production methods and make them more efficient. Of course, it will be quite challenging to start with the process, but your revenue will increase as you get used to it. It also gives you a smarter working environment.

IoT The Future of Mobile App Development

Smartphones have become a part of our lives now. With the advent of IoT, all the devices are connected to your smartphones. You can control these devices using your mobile phones. With high-speed internet and connectivity, it has become possible to control devices using your cell phones. Let us look into a few factors that make IoT the future of mobile app development.

Improved Security
As things get digital these days, people are more concerned about data security and other information. People have to ensure that their data is secure, and there is no security breach. IoT makes sure proper security, and that is the main reason companies are switching to IoT.

The app and the connected hardware devices should be protected, IoT needs a new, method of security as it involves more devices which need protection. The customers have to be sure of the safety or shy away from using it.

No Location Constraints
Another significant IoT feature that makes it the future of app development is it doesn’t have any location constraints. The user can be anywhere and still control the devices. You can be at home and still hold the gadgets at your home. It makes the technology smart and intelligent.

The feature can be highly beneficial to businesses which in turn is a great advantage for mobile apps. It can fulfil many requirements of different sectors, thereby enhancing the mobile app development.

Almost no Human Effort and Improved Cost Efficiency
The IoT automates almost all the processes. It is little, or nearly no human interaction needed. You can control the gadgets using natural language. As all the apps are connected, it reduces human interaction and makes the apps more efficient and smart.

IoT also saves a lot of money. It can create more value for the brand. The development time required for the app is reduced considerably using IoT. As technology advances, the developer can combine various elements and design the app in a much more comfortable and effective manner in no time.

More Customized and Interactive Apps
With IoT, mobile apps can be designed according to the requirements of the user. Customization is a crucial feature of IoT. It has made the apps more interactive and customer-friendly. With IoT development of feature-rich apps is possible according to the user requirements.

As the gadgets are connected according to customers’ use, they can get the design in the way they want. IoT makes sure the app stays way ahead in the competitions and is up-to-date. It is also essential to hire mobile app developers who can design smart and intelligent apps with intricate design.

The Closing Lines

Imagine walking into a room, and you are asking to switch on the lights or dim the lights, and it obeys. There are sensors and other devices to process the command and act accordingly. IoT makes human-machine interaction through natural language possible, and it is completely wireless. IoT is the next big thing in technology.

The IoT is going to be the future technology. We will live in smart homes with high efficiency. So this means the mobile app development is going to be shaped according to IoT advancements. IoT app development is going to flourish in the future.