kinetik IT blog spot

What is innovation?  It can be a nebulous idea, hard to pin down, expressed differently depending on the person.  Simply defined, it is “the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods,” though in today’s vernacular, in an age when apps and electronics dominate our daily activities, innovation has taken on a loftier meaning.

When determining companies for their annual report on the world’s most innovative, Forbes measures the value of a company’s existing business, based on expectations of future innovative results, such as new products, services and markets. On a list like this one, the companies are big.  What about the smaller companies, the start-ups? 

On the smaller end of the spectrum is where – often out of necessity – true innovation happens. Innovation of this type takes shape organically, to address a need, to fill a gap, to provide a workaround without which progress cannot be made.  There are both pros and cons to this type of innovation, as catering to a specific niche or audience may neglect addressing pressing needs in another sector of the population, ignoring the diversity that exists within society.  In addition, in the current start-up culture which values near-immediate turnaround, companies may be too quick to create, without putting in the necessary amount of research and deliberation about which products are truly viable.  This devil-may-care type of innovation may lead to overall failure.  Finding a balance between the extremes, while still allowing natural advancement is the key to successful innovation. 

Innovation has always been paramount in our work at Kinetik IT.  We write software for clients based on how they do business, learning how a client interacts with software (usability), catering to their specific needs, and developing new systems to further their efficiency, productivity, and reach.  Our end goal is to make the important work our clients do easier, more intuitive. We do this through the development and implementation of:

• custom software and web application development, database design and programming solutions
• creative web site design and SEO online internet marketing solutions
• professional online-web storefront, e-commerce and b2b commerce solutions
• full range of IT and computer network services

We spend the time and acquire the resources to stay on the leading edge of information technology software, database, internet and network solutions, so our clients can focus on business and leadership. We implement software, web applications and database systems that work for the client, the way they do business, while providing the necessary resources to keep clients on top of their game. Our innovative ideas and solutions help simplify operations while increasing productivity and enhancing competitive edge.

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

There comes a time in every project when a critical question must be addressed, whether to follow a proven and well-trod course of action, or to strike off on one’s own, and develop something – whether product, service, or other – new. The same question must be asked when determining whether custom software is right for your organization.

There are several considerations to address before deciding to develop and implement custom software. At Kinetik IT, we carefully assess the client’s needs to determine whether custom software will be a good fit, placing the utmost importance on database architecture, database design, and usability.  Another primary consideration is functionality. Our goal is to provide our clients with systems that evolve and transform their organization, that address their specific needs in a way that off-the-shelf software cannot.  Designing and developing a custom software solution whether this is a desktop application, web application, ecommerce system, mobile app or a complete enterprise software application, is often times the best way to accomplish this. 

Because off-the-shelf software is developed to appeal to the mass markets of your specific industry, by using this software, you disregard that the needs and potential of your business are as unique as the business itself.  Standard or off-the-shelf software locks you into using the same technology as your competitors.

By developing and implementing custom software, Kinetik IT helps you tap your full potential and helps your company evolve with software that is:

• Unique – just like you, your business, and your team.
• Custom – to the way you do business, saving time and increasing efficiency in the process.
• Flexible – capable of meeting your company’s specific needs now, and in the future.
• Scalable – facilitating faster, easier, and better business growth.
• Modifiable – suiting your business’ changing needs.

Tapping into your full potential and evolving your business is mission-critical to your organization’s success. 

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedInor Twitter.

If there's one thing that retailing giant Target reminded us all of recently, it's that cyber security problems make for bad publicity. In one of the largest online thefts in history, hackers made off with hundreds of thousands of customers' credit card numbers, leaving the firm to awkwardly explain how the breach took place and what they could do to make up for it in the future.

Although we could fill dozens of web pages with Target's woes, we want to turn our attention today to your business – and specifically, steps you can take to overcome a security problem on your own website.

Here's what to do when you realize you've been hacked:

1. Act immediately. The last thing you want to do in a dire situation is stare at the problem. The moment you notice something odd is going on, place a call to your Website Hosting Company, Web Development Company or Computer Network Support/ IT company so you can minimize the damage.

 2. Take emergency steps. You should already have a set of written plans in place to deal with these kinds of attacks, particularly if you have a busy website or one that handles e-commerce transactions. These might include closing off firewalls, restricting administrator access, and backing up to previous versions of the site.

3. Assess the damage. Once you've "stopped the bleeding," so to speak, your next step is to assess the damage. It might not be easy to figure out what hackers have done or taken, but it's important to figure out what you're working with before you move on.

4. Don't hide from the problem. Last but not least, let customers know that they've been affected so they hear it from you, and not from their bank. It won't be an easy conversation, but it may just save the relationship.

Naturally, the best way to recover from a cyber security issue is to not have one in the first place. Aside from a few good online security habits (something we are going to cover in a post very soon), your best defense is to have the right web design and IT team on your side. Why not call the Kinetik team of experts today?

Feel like your company’s online security isn't what it should be? Talk to a member of the Kinetik IT Team today to see how we can help. 

When developing a website to focus on product and service offerings, custom design often comes into play.  For some businesses, a custom build can be not only appropriate but necessary, though not in all cases.  Along with custom design can come ongoing maintenance, specialized knowledge and training, and regular updates.  Besides raising the question of who will maintain the site, ongoing upkeep often equates to ongoing cost.  

According to President Josette van Stiphout, “At Kinetik IT, our philosophy is not to be in the business of holding clients hostage. We want them to come back to us because they want to, not because they have to.  It's a different approach. We want to make sure that our clients are happy with what products we deliver, the customer service and everything that's tied into that. We want to do that at a reasonable price.” 

Kinetik IT’s rates have remained competitive for the duration of the company’s existence, with cuts coming not from laying off employees or cutting salaries, but by becoming more efficient and better-performing than the norm.  This client-centered philosophy stems from the understanding that clients may not be able to raise their own rates to accommodate the cost of necessary services, upgrades, and maintenance,

“Our rates are beyond competitive.  We haven't raised our rates in several years, because we want to make sure our prices are reasonable. In order to keep them reasonable, we have to become more efficient as a company rather than raising our rates every year for our clients,” van Stiphout said.  

It's not the easiest philosophy, but it's a philosophy that has been present since the beginning, and one which the company will strive to incorporate as much as possible. Says van Stiphout, “We've been pretty successful at following this business philosophy, but again, it's not mainstream corporate philosophy.”

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.