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As we pass the halfway mark in 2014, not much has changed this year in how social media affects our use of various outlets—perhaps with the exception of those taking part in the “99 Days of Freedom” experiment. The usual rules still apply, to post topics that are timely, emphasize the customer’s needs and building a relationship, make offers and information unique to the outlet, and, most importantly, use proper grammar!

While some companies fail to grasp these simplest of rules, others have not only embraced the use of social media to build their brand, they are taking innovative steps to connect with customers and offering unique incentives for those who interact. By integrating social media into their corporate structure and business plan, these companies are engaging with customers on a new level.

One such company is Whole Foods, who established a dedicated team responsible for monitoring social channels for customer questions, and concerns, as well as praise. After announcing in March that it would begin labeling GMOs, the company received a lot of customer questions and feedback, which it then used to create a initiative to educate customers and to answer the most frequently asked questions.

Hampton Hotels and Restaurants is another example of business getting to the heart of what matters to customers. The company employs a dedicated staff to listens to every single tweet, post, status update or comment about their hotels and restaurants—and for a chain of their size, that’s a lot of mentions.

Primarily, the staff members address the issues and complaints, but this company takes it a step further. In one example, a guest received a bowl of soup and a spot of tea. This may not seem terribly out of the ordinary. That is, until you consider that the guest, who was in a Maui hotel, had voiced her woes over social media that she was sick that day and couldn't go out. In addition to the thoughtful nourishment, the hotel included a get well card to her tray, for good measure.

Credit card behemoth American Express connects card members with merchant partners—millions of them—allowing a card member to load an offer directly onto their card via Twitter hash tags. Last March, the company launched a program with the functionality to tweet special hash tags to make purchases, allowing customers to buy products from companies like Sony, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Using social media in business is far from an exact science, and while the basic tenets may not change year to year, the inventive ways businesses engage with their customer base is evolving, creating its own niche.

Factoid: the QR code (short for Quick Response Code) was first designed for the automotive industry in Japan. Introduced in 1994—long before we had smartphones to scan them with—the code’s purpose was to track a vehicle’s progress through the manufacture process.

Today, QR codes can be found everywhere from magazines to corner benches, directing consumers to sites ranging from real estate to women’s fragrance and everywhere in between. They may be standard black and white, or colorfully graded to include a company’s logo. They can even be gigantic and composed of people holding umbrellas: the current record-holding world’s largest QR code encompassed 27,000 square feet, composed of 2,503 employees of the Coca-Cola company in n Zhengzhou City, China standing in formation, holding raised red and white umbrellas.

As useful-yet-novel as QR codes may be, when using them for your business, or when scanning codes in your personal dealings, there are several functionality and security issues that must considered. Security concerns regarding QR codes fall into one of multiple camps: where the code was generated, how the code is scanned, and the code’s destination.

Code Generation

QR codes can convey an enormous amount of information: while a standard barcode can represent up to 20 characters of information, QR codes can carry thousands of characters. There are hundreds of free code generators online, making it easy for hackers, and others with malicious intent to create a code, post it, and wreak havoc on all those who dare scan it.

When using a code generator, ensure you’re working with a stable, reputable company, and consider the lifespan of the material on which the code will appear. Codes may be considered proprietary by the company whose software you’ll use to generate it, so if the company closes or is acquired, the code may point to a 404 error message page. In addition, if QR codes go out of favor, a brochure meant to be relevant for several years suddenly becomes outdated.

Uncertain Links:

When scanning a code, how can you be certain where it leads? Simply because it’s implied by the information surrounding it? QR codes may convey direct or indirect links, which can be either safe of malicious, and you’ll never know until you scan (without a preview option, that is). Because a QR code’s information is unintelligible to the human eye, users have little indication of where the code may lead, and malicious QR codes may install malware on devices, or direct the user’s device to a questionable website.

Scanning Apps

QR code reader apps used to scan the codes carry their own set of issues, and there are currently no standardization requirements for these apps. Look for readers that allow you to preview the link before visiting the site. Apps include QR & Barcode Reader and Norton Snap both have this functionality.

When incorporating a QR code into your business materials, it’s imperative—for both your own safety, and that of your potential customer—to take security into consideration. Choose a reputable company to develop a QR code strategy: in addition to the aforementioned considerations, look for a company that offers a pricing plan, has a good grasp of the safety concerns involved, and appropriately accommodates error correction. With a bit of knowledge and the right tools, QR codes can work for you, your business, and your customers.

As a professional Phoenix custom software design and development company we often take over custom software development projects after the relationship with a fixed-price software development company has turned sour. The fixed-price pricing model for software and web application development projects may sound attractive to a customer initially, but unfortunately, both parties will most likely suffer in the end.

A fixed-price contract happens when the customer is guaranteed a fixed price to complete certain tasks and/or provide specific variables. A fixed-price contract might also have a limit for expenses, in which case the customer cannot be billed for any amount over these limits. In any arrangement of this kind, the specifications must be complete and detailed and the contract must allow adjustments to the price for any variation to the agreed-upon specifications. 

The only fixed-bid software projects that have a chance of success are those which cover additional time, in the event the software development company has underestimated how long it will take to complete the project. Estimating is often the hardest part of any software development project. Estimating a project’s timeline is never an exact science, especially for custom projects which may entail unexpected needs and wants on the part of the client, leading to “scope creep”; or unforeseen technical issues that are often out of the control of the software developer, leading to spending additional time to provide a “work-around”.

In business, it can be difficult to agree ahead of time on the scope of an entire project, and determining the specific details of the software requirements and performance criteria is no different. Similar to custom building a home, the unexpected and unforeseen will often occur in the middle of the process. While software design specifications and features may be decided upon in advance, building the actual product, taking into account the high degree of detail necessary, and leaving little room for interpretation is very costly and not always a good use of the client's resources and money. 

At the end of the day, the most important consideration is the final product and its overall fit and performance.  When considering a fixed-bid contract, whether client or developer, ensuring a quality end product is paramount. 

For the client, fully understanding project needs and outcomes, and working with a trusted company can go a long way to ensuring a successful outcome. When working with a new developer, consider starting with a smaller project, a kind of test run to ensure compatibility before delivering a larger project – especially one that may entail a fixed-price agreement.

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.

At a time when so much information is stored in the cloud, and many companies  operate remotely, Microsoft Access may not be the first program to come to mind when thinking about database management. But in fact, Access is one of the most mature Microsoft products released in 1992. 

Microsoft Access is a powerful and useful information management tool which systematically stores information for reference, reporting, and analysis.  The way the data is organized allows for in-depth analysis, and management – far better than is possible with spreadsheet applications. More than just a list or table, a database is a formidable tool, allowing for relationships between tables and dictate which data is mandatory to be entered by the user and much more. This allows a user to easily retrieve, sort, analyze, and report data without compromise.

These points are moot, however, if a client doesn’t understand how a database can help them achieve their end results. When working with this type of client, start with the why.

If ten Access developers were asked what they do, the answer would, most likely, include several variations on this response: "I deliver custom business solutions for companies using Microsoft Access."

The above answer is correct – that’s technically what the developer does, and the how is by using Microsoft Access VBA. But what about the why? Why is it that they do what they do?

Data is the lifeblood that drives a company.Every company relies on accurate data to run their business. Without accurate data, there is no business. From orders, customers information,  to appointments, sales, inventory etc., it's all data and it's all vital in the operation of a business.

If data is the lifeblood of the business, a professional database development company can help by creating a solid database design and architecture which is the foundation of any database, ensuring integrity of the data. . Lack of data integrity has substantial consequences such as duplicate records, lost data, and orphaned records. Eventually lack of data integrity will affect your business operations. Access Developers are in a unique position to help business, from small to midsize using an amazing tool without parallel.

Thinking about the question again, a better answer would be something like this:

"Because data is one of a business’s most important assets, our passion is helping you protect and discover its power."

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.

In any sport, being called out as Most Valuable Player, or MVP is a big deal. Being awarded the title by a group of one’s peers holds special significance, because colleagues understand the dedication and challenges an individual faces in becoming skilled in a particular line of work. While typically used in sports, the term MVP has come to be used in completely unrelated fields of endeavor such as music and business – as well as the technical community.

According to Microsoft, the MVP award is given to "exceptional, independent community leaders who share their passion, technical expertise, and real-world knowledge of Microsoft products with others.” The awarded are those who "actively share their ... technical expertise with the different technology communities related directly or indirectly to Microsoft". An MVP is awarded for contributions over the previous year. One such person can be found in the offices of Kinetik I.T.: Tom van Stiphout, Microsoft Access MVP.

Tom is the Software Development Manager of Kinetik I.T. Having earned a degree from Amsterdam University, he moved to the United States in 1991. After a few years with C++ and Windows SDK programming, he gradually shifted his focus on database programming. He worked with Microsoft Access from version 1.0, and Microsoft SQL Server from version 4.5, when both products were first released.

In 1997, Kinetik I.T. became one of the 27 Regional Directors in the United States, a title it held for three consecutive years. In this capacity Tom attended several conferences in Redmond and was one of the presenters at the annual Developer Days conference in Phoenix. During the last several years Tom has added .NET programming to his repertoire and he is particularly interested in hybrid applications that combine the best of what various platforms have to offer. Tom has been a frequent contributor to the Access newsgroups for many years, and was recently awarded the title of Access MVP.

To learn more about services and products – including how Microsoft Access can help your business – visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

With cloud technology becoming an increasingly viable choice for business, questions still remain as to whether it’s the right choice for your business. Kinetik IT’s President, Josette van Stiphout, weighs in on questions and considerations when contemplating sending your business into the cloud.

• Company Size: Usually, cloud technology is the most appropriate for small to midsize businesses that do not have the talent and funding to implement in-house solutions. It also depends on the cloud application’s capacity and functionality.
• Physical Location: Does it make sense for your company if all employees are office-based rather than working from a remote office?
• Security: "Do I want to have everything in the cloud including all my company data?"  The most important questions that people need to ask are really pertaining to data security.
• Space and Software Rental: A disadvantage for cloud computing is that you basically rent – it’s a lifetime rental situation. You don't own anything, and you will always pay a fee. This may be appropriate for some situations but not all.

The cloud has been available in some of fashion for 20 years or more, where it was called ASP (Application Service Providers) or SaaS (Software as a Service). Now in general terms, it's called cloud technologies. But keep in mind there are different categories of cloud computing: software, infrastructure, storage and platform hosting.

In addition to general-use questions, Josette offers considerations for the actual cloud provider. Here are some general suggestions:

• Choose a brand name cloud provider – e.g. Microsoft, Amazon, Google, NetSuite etc.
• Find out the physical location of the service provider’s data center, where the application and files are stored.  Is this data center owned by the cloud provider or is it outsourced?
• Understand what kind of security controls and processes the provider has in place. Who will  be administering your systems, can they see your data, and how do they avoid your data potentially being copied? Can other organizations who are using the same service potentially copy your data?
• Learn about their track record for up‑time.  Planned downtime is a given – for them to perform scheduled maintenance and upgrades – and you want to know what it is.
• Know the historical length of downtime or average outage time, especially if it’s unplanned downtime, or a specific outage.
• Learn about the type of redundancies and data protection policies they have in place, in the event of loss of data, data corruption, unscheduled downtime or security breach.
• If you want to cancel your service, how easy is it to get your data and migrate to another service provider?  Will they keep copies of your data after the service is cancelled?
• Get a copy of their SLA (Service Level Agreement) and support guarantees.

Located in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, Kinetik IT is a full-service information technology and internet services provider, offering a wide array of technology and internet strategy solutions, as well as sound advice.  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.

Josette van Stiphout, President of Kinetik IT, fell in love with technology as a junior programmer in the late 80s; shortly thereafter, she founded the Phoenix-Scottsdale area company that would become Kinetik IT.  “We were one of the first Microsoft-Certified Partners in the valley,” she said of the company’s beginnings. “They called it Solution Providers then. Initially, we were named Mach 2 Systems and in 2000, it was time to change the company’s identity to reflect the mission and vision for the company. The dynamic shifts in the software, technology and e-commerce industry caused us to evaluate where we wanted to be in then years. We were seeing many exciting changes in our industry that helped businesses of all sizes become more successful through utilizing technology. We wanted a name that helped to convey that by putting people, ideas and technology into motion, we are supporting the future success of Arizona businesses.”

A front-runner in Microsoft Windows software development, web design, web application development and IT services, Kinetik IT is now a full-service information-technology and internet services provider, offering a wide array of technology and web services. 

Kinetik IT has always made a goal of fostering productive business relationships, on both ends of the spectrum – seeking out employees who embody efficiency and passion for their work, and developing custom software and database systems and building long-term solutions for clients by uncovering and catering to their most important needs.

Kinetik IT designs custom software solutions – bridging the gap between marketing and technology – and developing desktop, web applications and mobile solutions to optimize organization and revolutionizing the way clients do business.

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.

Search the internet for the phrase, “Never give up,” and you’ll come across several eponymous images.  Undoubtedly, the most well-known is that of the frog who, while cradled precariously in the craw of a bird about to eat him, is doing his best to wring the neck of his winged opponent.  Another image is that of a mouse wearing the tiniest helmet, perched in front of an ever-so-enticing cheese-loaded mousetrap.  In both instances, the underlying message is that hard work comes naturally when you’re passionate about what’s at stake.

Working in the information technology arena has never been smooth sailing, at least not for any extended period of time.  Since its inception, the industry has weathered its share of booms and busts, followed by more of the same. “I would say, our biggest accomplishment is that in 24 years we've been through the ups and downs of the technology bubble, 9/11, economic downturn,” says Josette van Stiphout, President of Kinetik I.T. “We've had several highs and several really lows and within that 24‑year period. Nonetheless, during the trying times, we did not choose the easy way out, resorting to lay-offs or salary decreases. Instead, we did whatever we had to do to keep our staff employed. We believe our staff is better off not having to worry about having a job or not. We want them to focus their energy positively, such as on exceeding our clients’ expectations.” Our business philosophies and loyalty to our employees are quite different than what is the norm for corporate America.”

Working in such a volatile industry, the key to Kinetik I.T.’s 24-year longevity has been in the passion and commitment of our people to deliver high-quality custom desktop and web-based software systems and long-term I.T. solutions for our clients.  We do this by first uncovering, then catering to the client’s most important needs.  Because our employees embody both efficiency and passion for their work, bridging the gap between marketing and technology and revolutionizing the way our clients do business is more than just work to us – it’s our goal, our mission. And we’ll never give up.

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