Ed-Tech

How ed-tech helps deliver learning-at-scale

What is ed-tech?

Ed-Tech (or Education Technology) is the area of digital technology devoted to the development and application of any digital tools (be it software, hardware or technological processes), intended to promote Education. Alternatively, it can also be described as a medium aimed at improving learning outcomes by creating and using technology that aids comprehension, cognition and overall academic performance of learners.

An already booming sector since the last 5 years, Covid 19 has provided further impetus to the Ed-Tech sector. While schools and students from around the world experienced initial difficulties in adjusting to digital methods, many have quickly become used to the zoom mode of teaching and learning. With mixed outcomes, the opportunity that Ed-Tech presents in the post Covid world is huge. Its primary advantages include easy accessibility, quality content and engaging new formats to help students retain, practise and apply what they learn.

India:

In India, Ed-Tech remains one of the highly funded domains, second only to financial technology and financial services. As per the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, startups in Indian EdTech received investment of over $2.2 billion in 2020. Popular courses include delivering subject matter expertise to students from K12 and helping candidates to prepare for competitive exams like IIT-JEE, UPSC and NEET. With the stress on improving job readiness for India’s growing youth, many Ed-Tech programs are now focused on providing in-demand skills like coding and social media analytics through varied formats.

As per Pravin Prakash, the Chief People Officer at BYJU’s, Indian parents have warmed up to the idea of technology supplementing the traditional mode of learning. Ed-Tech’s biggest advantage has been a personalized learning experience for students, in terms of both speed and style. Interactive formats have also encouraged students to become active learners for life with the blended model of learning also preparing students for the unseen jobs of tomorrow.

With growing internet penetration in one of the youngest countries in the world, India will see a bigger boom in Ed-Tech. The industry can play a huge role in democratizing quality education, with a boost in digitization, funding and user growth. With nearly three-quarters of third-graders still unable to solve a two-digit subtraction, EdTech can be the bridge to enable students break the rote learning methods that plague the system besides developing critical abilities of creative thinking, 21st century skills and a well paced learning process.

China:

There are many reasons for the exponential growth of the Ed-Tech market in China. Growing aspirations of middle class Chinese parents along with their ability to afford good education are the primary drivers. As per Omidyar Network, the average Chinese parent spends around USD 42, 892.22 over the duration of a child’s K-12 schooling. While older parents are more inclined to the traditional mode of teaching, newer parents acknowledge the role of technology.

With the world’s largest economy, China boasts of the second largest K-12 network in the world. With a GDP second only to USA, it spends over 4% in Education, annually. In 2019, China catered to 802 million people with internet connectivity, 98% of whom are mobile internet users. As per a 2016 report, 45% of primary schools, 69% of middle schools and 87% of high schools had access to the internet. Connectivity reduced along the city-urban-rural school continuum with a yawning disparity visible between urban primary at 77% internet penetration and rural primary at 26%.

After Covid 19, China has gained control over the Ed-Tech market by making a wide variety of personalised Ed-Tech solutions available to students. An affordable one time payment of < USD 10 and strong internet connectivity has encouraged students, especially from rural areas to embrace online learning. Some of the popular commercial EdTech solutions in China’s K-12 market are Onion Math (14 million users), Knowbox (27 million users) and Zuoyebang (113 million registered educational institutes). These platforms provide free of cost services such as assessments, homework management and building subject matter expertise. Platforms such as the Gaokao and Zhonkao have additionally given birth to the USD 50 billion industry of after-school tutoring and test preparation. There are close to 200 million online users in China post the Covid 19 pandemic.

USA:

The widespread and seamless adoption of Ed-Tech in the US today is due to some of the smart federal policy initiatives and an inevitable fallout of “the march of technology” in the lives of the average American.

The US education system comprises 56.6 million students who attend elementary and secondary schools; of these roughly 10% attend private school, 5% attend charter schools and less than 3% are in homeschooling programs. In 2016, 89% of households had access to a digital device and 81% had internet connectivity; Pacific Coast and NorthEast having higher connectivity than other regions. Provision of high-speed Wi-Fi services in classrooms and subsidized rates of internet connectivity at 10 USD/ month has enabled better penetration of online education.

USA market size:

The K-12 EdTech market in the US totaled USD 18 billion in 2017 as per a report by Futuresource Consulting Ltd. This includes hardware, software, IT services, digital courseware and assessments. Large players like Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft have been competing for the hegemony of the American EdTech market since the 1990s with disruptive innovations. While the federal and the state governments have partnered to provide high speed internet connectivity to K-12 students, nonprofits like SETDA (State Education Technology Director Association) and the CoSN (Consortium for School Networking) have made useful resources and toolkits available. They have also played a critical role in maintaining the government’s EdTech infrastructure – the more critical side of EdTech scaling. Experts from more than 20 EdTech stakeholders find Utah, California, Maine, Rhode Island, New York, North Carolina and Florida to have demonstrated effective EdTech scale ups.

The overarching focus on teacher training and technological innovations have helped transform teaching at scale. Effective legislation to integrate EdTech with the textbook schooling system has also happened. Programs such as the FutureReady schools, initiated under the Obama administration’s ConnectEd initiative, have partnered with 50 organizations which include foundations, curriculum developers, internet service providers and education experts to transform the American K-12 network by 2030.

Final thoughts:

The current GDP of the Education industry alone is 6% which by 2025, estimated to grow upto $7.3 T by 2050. More than 250 million learners around the world are unable to read or write properly despite having finished their schooling. Most of them lack the competencies or the skills required to succeed in the 21st Century. The world’s poor will take 100 years to achieve educational parity with the wealthy. The big question is how is the current education system poised to deliver their needs?

Ed-Tech can play a large role in closing this gap, especially for students who lack access to quality teaching and a robust learning environment. In the last few decades, EdTech has evolved from being a niche industry to one of the fastest growing in the world. The need to improve learning outcomes globally and the role that technology can play in supporting this goal is being increasingly recognized. While the integration of technology in education has become more visible, it is important that EdTech can provide equitable and high – quality education to learners irrespective of where they live or what their purchasing power is.

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Like other businesses, if you too are looking to develop IT Solutions in e-learning industry, Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have gained significant experience over the years working with Edtech Companies. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done. Click here to know more:

Case study on site setup for selling online courses

Case study on learning management system

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quarkus

Is Quarkus a worthy alternative to Java Spring for Cloud environments?

Introduction:

Java frameworks are the pre-written code bases developers use to create Java and web apps. Essentially, it is like a skeleton that helps developers create bespoke solutions by appending them to their code.

Developers can design apps for any operating system, website, and game using Java, making it ideal for various programming tasks. Due to Java’s versatility, it can run on many different systems, making it a great choice for cloud computing. It is favored by programmers who design Internet-related solutions because of its versatility, practicality, multi-platform capabilities, and safety attributes.

Java Frameworks:

Java’s framework ecosystem is extensive and bursting with brilliant solutions for every taste. Java EE-based, Kubernetes-native, cloud-native, modular or full-stack, as well as microservices-based, lightweight, DevOps-friendly, and cloud-friendly options are all available. You can find microframeworks, integrated frameworks, and frameworks that can be used as libraries and integrated with other libraries, as well as those that are easy to use, fast, efficient, Kotlin-ready, compatible.

Traditionally, Java developers write useful software using frameworks. Developers are expected to adopt the same approach in cloud computing as well. Some of the frameworks for the purpose used are:

  • Spring Boot
  • Quarkus
  • Hibernate
  • Grails
  • JavaServer Faces (JSF)
  • Google Web Toolkit (GWT)
  • Apache Struts
  • Blade
  • Play
  • Vaadin
  • Dropwizard

Spring Boot And Its Advantages:

The Spring Boot framework for Java was released in 2002 and is an open-source, microservice-based web framework. It is designed to empower developers to create production-grade Spring applications that can be automatically configured.

Among the most widely used, well-accepted, lightweight, and top-rated cloud frameworks available for Java, Spring is one of the best. Its design suits distinct patterns of distributed applications, making the development of services and applications easy and reliable. Spring can test both the application and its backward compatibility and provide XML configuration support. With Spring, applications are less prone to errors and are thus more reliable. Furthermore, Spring Cloud integrates well with popular PaaS providers like Cloud Foundry, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure.

Advantages:
  • Offers evolvable microservices.
  • Spring’s non-blocking asynchronous architecture can maximize computing resources.
  • Spring code can work with any cloud and can connect and scale any platform. To make the code cloud-native, it must consider 12-factor issues such as external configuration, statelessness, and logging. The Spring Cloud suite of projects entails several support services needed to make cloud-native applications run.
  • Provides frameworks for creating fast, protected, and responsive web applications, reducing development time.
  • Modern cloud computing allows you to run serverless applications without worrying about resource allocation, security, and other server-related elements. You can scale up and down on-demand using reactive actions.
  • In Spring, everything is auto-configured, repudiating manual configurations.
  • Streamlines dependency management.
  • Incorporates Embedded Servlet Container

Quarkus And Its Advantages

Launched in 2019, Quarkus is a Kubernetes-native Java framework constructed from top-of-the-line Java libraries and standards. It is design is suitable for a modern Kubernetes-and cloud-native environment to achieve top-notch performance. Utilizing hundreds of leading-edge libraries, Quarkus provides a uniform, easy-to-use and full-stack framework.

Quarkus was designed for Java programs to run in containers, and it seeks to establish Java as a leading platform for Kubernetes and serverless environments. It’s design is such that it’s suitable for cloud, serverless and containerized environments.

Quarkus is an open community where contributors can express their opinions, ideas and contributions in the open, and discussions and ideations occur openly. With Quarkus, deploying an application is exceptionally straightforward, and you don’t have to be familiar with the complexities of Kubernetes for it. It allows developers to create Kubernetes resources automatically, without manually generating YAML files.

Advantages:
  • Quick startup times.
  • Low memory footprint. This also contributes to a more satisfactory user experience and cost-effectiveness.
  • Performance advancements of Java apps.
  • Enhanced developer productivity. It improves developers’ efficacy with tools to assist them in developing at a faster pace.
  • With Mandrel, Quarkus provides native compilation and running of Java applications. This qualifies Quarkus apps to run as fast as Go or Node applications, something that was previously not attainable with Java.
  • Developers can code live with Quarkus, meaning they can promptly run, edit and switch it over to a HotSpot JVM running on the cloud.
  • Due to its proficiency in automatically detecting modifications made to Java and other resources/ configuration files, Quarkus delivers prompt hot reloads. Quarkus applications running in a remote environment can also take advantage of this attribute.

Is Quarkus really a worthy alternative to Spring/ Spring Boot for cloud environments?

Both frameworks have their own advantages and limitations. Although Quarkus is a framework that was built based on two decades of research and development, it is relatively new but bubbling with innovations and modifications; in contrast, Spring Boot has been in the market for 20 years and has stood the test of time.

Despite being a leading open-source Java framework, Spring Boot couldn’t cater to the need of the hour, which is faster performance. Spring Boot usually needs more memory than its descendant, Quarkus, and has longer boot times. Yet there are fields where Spring Boot excels while Quarkus fails to score a goal. With Spring Boot’s outstanding community support, it is possible to locate almost any solution through its community pages. It offers template design patterns, is more secure than Quarkus and delivers quicker I/O operations.

Quarkus, on the other hand, has many benefits, but not every Java application can benefit from them. In addition, Quarkus isn’t suited for migrating monolithic Java applications that must run round the clock. Quarkus also offers limited community support and resources for beginners. However, Quarkus’ superior and expeditious features, along with modifications and upgradation, these complexities, too, could be resolved.

Final thoughts:

Modern frameworks will always strive to be more promising and perform better than their predecessors; they will always strive to be more efficient than their forerunners. However, they will have their share of flaws, too. So, to answer if Quarkus is a worthy alternative to Spring Boot or not will require some more observation and time. Meanwhile, if you are skeptical about which framework to use for your project, consider your technological inclinations, the tools you would like to employ, developers’ skill set, and the project’s specifications.

Mindfire Solutions is an IT service provider that helps companies make the most of Cloud Platforms and augment their revenue. Among the services our company provides are Cloud Application Development, Cloud Migration, Hybrid and multi-cloud and Cloud Strategy & Consulting. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

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wellness solutions

Wellness Industry Heading for a Digital Future

Introduction:

Digitization, the buzzword of the 21st century, is sweeping across sectors, the wellness industry is no different. Valued at USD 1.5 trillion in 2021, the industry is heading towards a digital future accelerated by a once-in-a-century pandemic. After the initial setback due to the pandemic, the wellness industry is slowly pivoting back to normalcy.

Emerging technologies and new apps coupled with changes in customer behavior have ensured that the wellness industry is well on its path to embracing digital solutions to meet the demands of new-age consumers.

Digital wellness solutions Making Inroads in the Wellness Industry

The last few years have seen digitization becoming a part of the industry, making its presence felt in multiple aspects of healthcare and wellness. Some of the most notable ones are:

1. A Rise in the Usage of Wearable Devices

A boom in fitness trends has accelerated the demand for wearable devices. Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart jewelry have become a part of an individual’s wardrobe and accessory.

A fitness-conscious population coupled with an increasing prevalence of chronic diseases has contributed to the surge of wearable devices. Providing real-time information on the user’s overall well-being, these devices have found an increased adoption among the masses.

No wonder the global wearable technology market pegged at USD 40.64 billion in 2020 is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.8% from 2021 to 2028.

The growing popularity of IoT-connected devices, increase in smartphone penetration, and positive growth prospects of next-generation displays will further fuel the growth of wearable devices and make them an integral part of an individual’s lifestyle.

Leading fitness players are also leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms to harness data-mined insights that facilitate personalized workout and diet plans in line with the individual’s unique health profile and objectives. This has significantly improved the results for many users, driving them to stick to tech-led platforms.

2. Growing Preference for Telehealth

While telehealth always made a strong case, the Covid-19 pandemic accentuated its adoption by leaps and bounds. For instance, while telehealth accounted for less than 5% of India’s overall healthcare IT market before Covid-19, it rose to 47% during the pandemic. Also, earlier there were no proper guidelines on telehealth. The pandemic changed the situation drastically forcing the Government to come out with definitive guidelines.

Globally, there has been a marked increase in the downloads of different telehealth apps. For example, the patient companion app for Intouch health had around 2300 downloads in 2019 but over 22,300 in Q2, 2020 – an increase of around 870%. Similarly, Medispourt’s V2MD app increased from 50 in 2019 to around 4100 in Q2, 2020, an increase of 8270%.

Even otherwise, the multiple benefits that telehealth brings to the table are accelerating people towards adopting this mode of consultation with doctors and caregivers.

The fact that telehealth gives all individuals the opportunity to access quality healthcare irrespective of their background is catalyzing its growth. Also, by making digital solutions more inclusive, healthcare companies are reaching out to individuals at remote places with limited mobility. It helps to provide them the much-needed care they have been deprived of for years.

3. Rising Importance and Adoption of Digital Health Coaching

Delivering personalized, insight-driven programs and wellness solutions to help individuals better focus on their health and well-being, digital health coaching has come a long way. It’s not only individuals who are embracing digital health coaching.

Even companies are embracing health coaching. They are recognizing the strategic business advantage they have with a physically and emotionally healthy workforce. With employee health care costs skyrocketing, many employers are feeling the pinch. In addition to low productivity, many are experiencing higher rates of absenteeism and a decline in organizational morale.

To solve this problem, they are turning to health solutions like digital coaching. These not only improve the health of their employees but also positively affect their total business environment. Digital coaching helps to create personalized interactions with the use of intelligent technologies, behavioral science models and theories.

Through digital coaching, new-age players are allowing people to follow their own fitness and overall well-being regimes under the guidance of a virtual trainer. The fact that it is low cost and can be deployed across the population is further fuelling its adoption among organizations and individuals.

4. Digital Wellness Solutions for Holistic Healthcare

Today people realize the essence of mental, emotional, and psychological well-being. This goes beyond physical workouts. The definition of wellness has expanded manifold, more so since the pandemic. Today it includes healthy eating, good sleep, striking a balance between work and life, and being mindful, among others.

With an increasing number of people taking a holistic approach to wellness, there has been a surge in meditation and mindfulness apps. These apps provide an enjoyable experience with readily-available and potentially life-changing solutions which otherwise are difficult to access.

Also, more and more people are looking for online offerings of different workouts such as Zumba and yoga. This is driving players in the wellness segment to embrace digitization and offer these workout sessions in real-time.

Benefits of Digitization for the Industry:

For the industry, digitization entails multiple benefits such as:

  • Personalization: An overwhelming majority of people are willing to trade privacy for personalization particularly in Brazil and China. This has allowed enterprises to hyper target consumers with personalized products and offerings.
  • Faster service delivery and greater customer engagement: Due to COVID-19, the shift to digital channels has happened at a rapid pace. Some product categories like food, skincare may still be sold through traditional brick and mortar stores, wearable’s categories have moved to complete online models. Hence, companies are creating omni channel digital offerings for wellness solutions to engage with customers.
  • Blurring category lines: Consumers nowadays look for wellness solutions across multiple channels and categories. They don’t want a single brand for all wellness related needs. Companies are now building complementary solutions to their core business offerings.
  • Higher Operational efficiency

Final Thoughts:

Digital tech will play an important role in helping people stay fit and healthy not just today but also in a hybrid, post-pandemic future.

A tech-savvy population coupled with growing awareness for one’s well-being will further tilt the scales towards digitization for wellness players. It’s high time for them to be digital-ready to increase their clientele and enhance revenues.

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Like other businesses, if you too are looking for wellness solutions Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done. Click to know more:

App to assist Diet Management Planner and Weight Loss

Fitbit Integration with Healthcare Application

Platform for Wellness Influencers

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e-Learning app

e-Learning app for Medical Students

Introduction:

Professor Miller, an esteemed instructer teaches General Medicine at a Medical College in California. He delivers lectures from 9 am to 4 pm every day. James, one of his students, is the students’ representative of his college. Most subjects of the medical college are vast and require lengthy lectures that consume a lot of time. The professors also need to conduct small tests from time to time to evaluate their students’ performance.

Issue faced by Professors:

Professor Miller had a series of upcoming tests that he had to conduct in the next semester. He often used to think “There are very few slots between scheduled classes to conduct any test. Let me try negotiating with other professors if they can reschedule some of their classes,”.  He spoke with a few of his colleagues, but most of them had the same issue that he had. They thought of discussing with the students to take their suggestions.

The next day in an assembly, Professor Miller and other professors put forward their concerns reagrding tests and time constraints with the students and asked about their opinions. James, after discussing with his classmates, suggested to his professors that “We understand how important these tests are for our learning, and also the time and quality of lectures cannot be compromised. After the lectures, we get free time for self-study and leisure. Also, we all have access to mobile phones/ laptops and good internet connections. Through an online mode, we could give the tests after the lectures are over without eating up the lecture time.”

The professors were very impressed by the idea and went ahead with it. They wanted an application that will help medical students to learn about different diseases. They mentioned their requirement to a software service provider at California. The software service provider wanted to outsource this project to a trusted company abroad. They were in search of a company that can understand their requirements, develop the customized e-learning app for them, and deliver it on-time. They came across us, Mindfire Solutions, and seeing our vast expertise and experienced development team, gave us the project to develop.

Solution:

Our team of web developers built a custom e-learning app to enable the process of uploading the topics and related content. The professors typically perform this activity. They also mark the time and date for the topics. The mobile app then syncs the data from the web by using the APIs exposed. The uploaded content thus gets rendered on the mobile screens of the corresponding students. Phone Gap was used to develop the application with an intuitive and elegant UI at a lower cost to the client.

The professors were surprised to know what this e-learning app can do. All the professors accepted this easy-to-use application. During lunch, one of the professors said, “I wish I could upload the questionnaires during my commute back home, which takes me nearly an hour. But there are a lot of network issues on the way. So, I wait till I reach home to upload the content.” “Don’t worry, professor, in case your phone is offline, this application stores everything in the device until the device comes back online. You can also access all the synced-up data in offline mode too. Now you can save time and efforts without worrying about any data loss,” said Professor Miller.

James responds when asked for feedback about the new system. “This e-learning app is turning out to be very useful in our learning. We receive notifications on time whenever a professor assigns a new topic. The application is convinient as it runs on both Android and iOS.”

Overall, this solution brought a lot more productivity in the educational curriculum of the medical college. It highly benefited both the professors and the students.

Final Thoughts:

Like other businesses, if you too are looking for custom e-learning app development Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done. Click here to know more:

Case study on Automated Education evaluation system.

Case study on auto tagging application for student collaboration and networking system.

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AR Application

How effective is Swift’s AR technology in developing immersive applications?

Introduction:

Since time immemorial, humans have been imaginative and have always envisioned new concepts, such as superheroes or aliens. However, the most recent obsession among innovators is immersive technology, i.e., integration of virtual content with the physical environment, with about 6.3 billion dollars in revenue generated in 2020. This is evident from the popularity of Nintendo’s Pokémon Go game and IKEA Place.

Escalated by the post-pandemic environment, rapid digitalization and increased reliance on smart devices have led businesses to look for ways to cater to people using immersive applications. Immersive applications improve processes by bringing digital elements for better visualization, increasing user experience that translates to profitability.

Immersive applications actualize distinct experiences by integrating the physical world with a simulated reality. These technologies allow humans to have new experiences by enhancing, extending, or creating a mixed reality.

Among the different types of immersive technology are Augmented Reality (AR), 360, Extended Reality (XR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR). The augmented and virtual reality market will surge into the market size of 160-billion-dollars by 2023, according to Statista’s forecast. Consumers’ attraction to immersive applications is visible by the increasing market size encouraging developers to offer relevant solutions.

Developers can create AR application for Apple products using various tools, frameworks, and languages including, but not limited to Xcode, ARKit, RealityKit, Swift, and AR creation tools.

This article involves understanding the efficacy of Swift in AR technology for developing immersive applications for business initiatives. Prior to that, it is crucial to comprehend AR and its effect on immersive applications.

Augmented Reality Apps and Its Applications

AR works by layering a digital layer on top of the real world and enhancing the user experience. The digital layer or augmentation consists of information or content consisting of videos, images, and 3D objects, providing a naturally semi-immersive and visual experience for user interaction.

AR has unlimited scope for innovation due to its non-restrictiveness of user vision, cost-effectiveness, and high engagement. Mobile AR users are expected to surge from 200 million in 2015 to 1.7 billion worldwide by 2024.

AR Application across industry verticals:

Apps use augmented reality to bring products to life by using 360-degree views either with headsets or through smartphone cameras.

  • Automotive Industry is using AR for designing, testing, and sale of vehicles saving much money and improving products simultaneously, e.g., Jaguar Land Rover, BMW Virtual Viewer, Hyundai AR Lens for Kona.
  • The real estate industry is being transformed by using AR technology and is bringing the advantage of viewing properties from people’s homes.
  • The tourism industry uses AR technology to provide users with amazing experiences of the various vacation locations, e.g., World Around Me, Viewranger, Smartify, AR City, Guideo, Buuuk.
  • AR provides simulation of work areas and models to help healthcare professionals familiarize themselves. This helps them to work on real patient bodies expertly.
  • Users can experience an immersive experience in retail and try things before making purchases using the plethora of AR apps for online shopping, including clothing, furniture, beauty products, and many more, e.g., Houzz, YouCam Makeup, GIPHY World, Augment.
  • AR also has wide applications in the education industry, bringing a new dimension to lessons and experiments, e.g., Mondly AR.
  • Educational, entertainment, and practical applications in real life, e.g., ARCube, AR-Watches, MeasureKit, Jigspace.
  • Many AR-powered navigation apps assist users by supplementing roadmaps with interactive features, e.g., google maps live view in iOS.
  • Gaming is one of the most popular applications of AR providing entertainment, e.g., Angry Birds AR.
  • AR has provided significant benefits in the defense sector too by offering AR-simulations of machines allowing safe and easy assimilation of information regarding the work environment and equipment.

Swift and AR Technology

Apple has introduced a comprehensive set of tools and technologies for creating amazing AR application as mentioned below:

Swift is an open-source general-purpose compiled programming language developed by Apple for its app development.

Xcode is an integrated development environment for iOS and Mac. It has all the tools needed to develop an application, including a compiler, a text editor, and a build system in one software package. Xcode uses the Swift programming language to deliver an assortment of AR templates to create AR application rapidly.

ARKit is a framework for developers that allow designing augmented reality apps for iOS devices, such as the iPad and iPhone. It helps to device AR experiences quickly using the camera, motion sensors, and processors of the iOS devices.

ARKit Features:

ARKit empowers the developers to construct AR features for apps regardless of their previous experience. It offers multiple features to benefit the users and developers alike.

  • Location Anchor: This allows the anchoring of AR creations to specific geographical locations and offers various angles for viewing.
  • Motion Capture: Intensifies AR experience using one camera to record the real-time motion.
  • Enhanced Face Tracking: Amplifies AR experience for users with a front-facing camera.
  • Scene Geometry: Prepares a topological map with labeled objects of any space.
  • People Occlusion: Enables realistic responses of AR creations in the presence of obstacles such as persons and green screen effects in all environments.
  • Depth API: Adds precision and occlusion to the AR object, increasing the user’s immersive experience.
  • Instant AR: This helps in immediate AR deployment in the real environment.
  • Simultaneous Camera Usage: Maximizes AR object performance and delivery by utilizing both the front and back camera for a new experience.

Apple’s AR Creation tools consist of a reality converter and reality composer. Reality Converter offers the display, customization, and conversion of 3D models to USDZ to integrate them effortlessly to Apple tools and AR-enabled devices. In addition, Reality Composer facilitates the construction, assessment, refinement, and simulation of AR experiences using an intuitive interface.

The creation tool offers the following advantages:

  • Powerful built-in AR library to create any virtual object or use USDZ files to continue working on a previous project.
  • Incorporates dynamism into the AR using animations and audio for adding little details like movement, vibrations, and more.
  • Record and play feature offers specific information capturing using camera and in-built sensors in predetermined locations.
  • Delivers smooth transition between all Apple platforms and devices.
  • Supports export to USDZ, including all components authored in Reality Composer.

Benefits of Swift for creating AR applications:

Xcode powered by Swift, plays a leading role in bringing AR to users with a short turnaround time. The following merits make Swift the favored choice by businesses.

1. Accelerated Development:

Swift has a low code requirement due to its simple syntax. In comparison to Objective-C, it is easier to read and write. With built-in concurrency support and reduced code size, there is faster coding, resulting in fewer problems and easy maintenance.

According to Apple Inc., a Swift application is up to 2.6 times faster than Objective-C and 8.4 times faster than Python. Swift’s LLVM, a compiler framework that enables speedier code processing, further optimizes this speed for better performance. All these qualities contribute to the faster development of AR applications.

2. Scalability:

The AR apps created with Swift are highly scalable, i.e., the apps can be updated with new features as and when needed without any worries resulting in future-proofing. The elementary readability and simple syntax combined with effortless onboarding for new developers to the team makes it a preferred choice.

3. Security:

Swift provides robust protection with its error control and typing system to avert code crashes. Hence, with a concise feedback loop, developers can promptly find and fix the code’s errors. This removes the risk of time and effort wastage due to bug fixing.

4. Interoperability with Objective-C:

With the excellent benefit of interoperability with Objective-C, Swift language provides the unique advantage of fluid cooperation for AR app extension or updates. Above all, more features are added quickly, and the risks associated with porting are prevented.

5. Memory Management:

With in-built memory management and tracking performed by Automatic Reference Counting (ARC), developers do not need to be bothered about conscious memory management. In other words, ARC also enhances the app’s performance and does not affect the CPU or memory.

Combined with Swift’s in-built dynamic libraries, it reduces the app size and memory footprint, eliminating the need to constantly oversee and retain every class count. For instance, Swift 5 introduced an Application Binary Interface that decreases the bundle size and increases version compatibility yielding a much more stable application.

6. Cross-device support:

Using Swift in both the backend and front-end of AR application development supercharges the development process by enabling extensive code sharing and reuse. This allows cross-device support across all Apple platforms, including iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch, and Apple TV and Linux platforms.

Final Thoughts:

Swift has tremendous potential to transform businesses by revolutionizing user lifestyles through engaging and riveting AR experiences. The above benefits highlight how Swift empowers the developers to create stable, secure, and high-performance AR application.

With the demonstrated success of various AR games, creative design solutions, and e-commerce apps, Swift is the first choice for any custom AR application development for Apple products.

Like other businesses, if you too are looking for custom AR Application development Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done. Click here to know more:

Case study on device for medical compliance.

Case study on e-commerce site for freight.

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e-learning

Is e-learning the next e-commerce?

What is e-learning?

e-learning (or, online learning) is the process of learning, conducted through electronic or online learning platforms. The use of the internet and gadgets like computers, tablets and smart boards form an essential part of it. e-learning can be divided into categories like Computer Managed Learning (CML), Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI), Interactive Online Learning and so on.

With the advancement of technology, e-learning complements the brick-and-mortar mode of teaching and learning; the former being deemed more democratic, flexible, portable, and productive than the latter. Over time, and especially post the Covid-19 pandemic, e-learning has made learning easily accessible for large sections of the student populace, who cannot avail it through conventional methods.

What is e-commerce?

e-commerce is the transaction of buying or selling products or services online. Some commonly used technologies that e-commerce uses include internet marketing, electronic funds transfer, online transactions and mobile commerce, among others. Hence, any form of business transaction which happens using an electronic mode is categorised as e-commerce.

Why is e-learning the next e-commerce?

It is expected that the trajectory charted by, and disruption brought forth by e-commerce will be closely emulated (and perhaps, surpassed) by the proliferation and easy accessibility of e-learning.

A number of factors, not least the tremendous social capital inherent to it, are going to contribute to the ubiquitousness of e-learning. Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has only amplified the adoption and penetration of internet based learning. Between 2020 and 2024, the global online education market is expected to grow by ~USD 250 bn (at a CAGR of 18%). These effects can potentially affect generations of learners, across social and economic strata.

e-learning has democratised learning. A number of features, often not available in traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms, make online learning attractive. Legacy institutions like Harvard and Stanford are now jostling for a share of the e-learning pie alongwith upcoming ed-tech start-ups like Byju’s, Coursera and Unacademy.

Needless to say, the learning industry is currently undergoing a paradigm shift. Observers and industry experts argue that the world (and especially economies like USA, China and India) are now witnessing an offline to online to omni-channel migration in education. This path was treaded by the retail and commerce industry a few years back (brought forth by disruptors like Amazon and Uber (globally) and Flipkart (in India)).

One can, thus, list the features that appeal to the man on the street and observe that they are uncannily similar across both e-learning and e-commerce.

Challenges to e-learning:

e-learning has given way to multiple avenues of accessible learning. However, there are a few challenges that may inhibit the growth and penetration of this medium of instruction.

1. Comfort:

Students and learners in general are more comfortable studying in a classroom environment; a conducive and non-distracting option. E-learning may often leave the student lost, unless the teacher facilitates real-time group interactions.

2. Ease in teaching:

Audio-visual aids have revolutionized learning across generations. Teachers might find it difficult to adapt to a completely new approach, especially in countries with low exposure to internet. Also, a number of teachers are not digital-first citizens. Thus, their ability to be comfortable in leveraging online instruction remains a challenge.

3. Lack of clarity:

While e-learning offers a plethora of options when it comes to content, the overabundance of choices also has a negative side to it. Too much information often causes the infamous problem – “lost on the internet”, in students across age groups. Clear instructions on course work can aid learners with a concrete plan.

4. Boredom in students:

In a classroom setting, students derive a lot of motivation from their teachers and fellow learners. Despite its multiple advantages, online learning may often feel boring, cumbersome and lonely. Thus, the solution is for teachers to ensure that all students get the adequate amount of attention in each online class.

5. Reduced intellectual abilities:

e-learning can often hinder intellectual stimulation for students. Over dependency on technology is a reason for people not being able to logically organize their own thoughts or process information. To prevent students from losing their critical thinking and logical skills, it is important to have exercises like quizzes and multiple choice questions.

The above points give a glimpse into the challenges for the learner. There are also some industry level challenges to be noted. Often people working on designing online courses have to transform dull and unappealing subject matters to interesting programs which will appeal to different generations. Other challenges include finding qualified subject matter experts and instructors, while balancing tight roped budgets and unrealistic deadlines.

e-learning Platforms:

It is needless to say that IT and ITES can address most industry and student specific challenges. New-age digital tools, scalable platforms and tech-stacks, interventions like gamification and animation aimed specifically at millennials, and more ubiquitous and durable hardware products can synergise to ensure the uptick of e-learning. Simultaneously, there is a huge inflow of capital into education technology – as is evidenced by a 44% CAGR growth (2014-2020) to USD 16 bn. This alludes to the optimism around and the promise that this space holds.

Over and above the inherent challenges, externalities like internet penetration and government and legal policies and compliances will play a decisive role in the uptake of e-learning – as it has done in e-commerce. Conversely, newer technologies and innovations (like 3D tutorials, AI coaches, etc.) will fuel the demand for online learning.

In fact, today, these four important factors drive online learning:

  1. Employability – relevant education and skills for the upcoming job market.
  2. Skill Development – social and skill-based learning.
  3. Entrepreneurship – flexible learning opportunities for people in new businesses.
  4. Education – Over 1.2 billion students are out of school, post the pandemic. The learning for the students is happening digitally or remotely.

Industry experts expect these factors to remain relevant for decades to come. Consequently, the demand for online learning seems to be perennial. It is thus, an important moment in the timeline of education that we live in today. One where we are in a flux from a traditional way of living to a life dominated, and made simpler, by technology and innovation.

Final Thoughts:

Like other businesses, if you too are looking to develop IT Solutions in Edtech industry, Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have gained significant experience over the years working with Edtech Companies. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done in e-learning domain. Click here to know more:

Case study on Automated Education evaluation system.

Case study on auto tagging application for student collaboration and networking system.

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DeFi

DeFi : The Future of Finance

The application of blockchain technology in the world of finance has created a new landscape called DeFi or decentralized finance. DeFi has manifested an astonishing growth in the year 2021 and it is still burgeoning. It has unleashed a wave of innovation.

What exactly is DeFi?

There is no standard definition for Decentralized Finance. Some say it is an alternative financial infrastructure, some say it is an umbrella term for peer-to-peer financial systems, some say it is a competitive marketplace of decentralized financial applications, and so on.

Decentralized Finance is an ecosystem of financial applications and protocols that runs on blockchain technology. Blockchain technology is inherently decentralized in nature. DeFi financial applications leverage this aspect and run without relying on intermediaries like banks, brokers or exchanges. Moreover, the backbone of all DeFi protocols and applications is smart contracts.

What problems does DeFi solve?

The biggest and the fundamental problem that DeFi solves is the removal of intermediaries in the financial system. Harvey et al. in their book Defi and the Future of Finance describe that DeFi solves five key problems of the current financial system: centralized control, limited access, inefficiency, lack of interoperability, and opacity.

Harvey et al. in their book Defi and the Future of Finance describe that DeFi solves five key problems of the current financial system: centralized control, limited access, inefficiency, lack of interoperability, and opacity.

The DeFi Market:

DeFi has manifested tremendous growth in the year of 2021. As of January 15, 2022, the total value locked in the DeFi space was approx $237 billion, growing by a staggering 1,266% from the January 1, 2021 figure of $18.71 billion.

Figure 1: Total value locked (TVL) in DeFi as of Jan 15, 2022 (Source DeFi Llama)

How can DeFi solve your problems?

DeFi solves the problem of lack of transparency in the traditional finance system through the open and contractual nature of agreements. Smart contracts helps to encode the agreements. Anyone can read the smart contracts codes thereby ensuring transparency. Moreover, all transactions are publicly visible.

Traditional financial system is trust based and dependent on centralized institutions. DeFi replaces some of these trust requirements with smart contracts. The decentralized blockchain network stores the smart contracts.

Before we delve into each problem, let’s look at the different layers of the DeFi stack.

Figure 2: DeFi Stack

The settlement layer (Layer 1) consists of the native protocol of the blockchain network (e.g., ETH, BTC, MATIC). These native tokens are specific to their blockchain network, i.e, ETH is on Ethereum network, BTC is on Bitcoin network, and so on.

The asset layer (Layer 2) consists of all the assets issued on top of the settlement layer. These assets are usually referred to as tokens (e.g., ERC-20 based DAI token in Ethereum). Developing smart contracts that follow EIP standards like ERC-20, ERC721, ERC1155 helps to create tokens.

The protocol layer (Layer 3) contains the smart contract-based protocol implementation for different use cases such as decentralized exchanges (DEX), lending, derivatives, on-chain asset management, and so forth.

The application layer (Layer 4) consists of end-user applications which are accessible via web browsers or mobile apps.

Layer 5 is the aggregation layer that combines several protocols and applications and provides services like rate comparison, trading strategies, and so forth (e.g., 1inch, Zapper, Zerion).

DeFi solves the problem of limited access by allowing the creation of an open and accessible financial system. It enables direct access to financial services for the globally unbanked population. As a result,  it allows access to all users irrespective of their wealth or geographic location.

DeFi in the current world:

Trading today is extremely centralized in the traditional finance world. Five exchanges control 50% of the volume of all stocks. In a traditional exchange like the New York Stock Exchange buyers and sellers offer up different prices until they come to an agreement on a sale price. Only a small subset of the traditional finance world has access to the full order book of prices, limiting price discovery for everyday users. However, there is a limit on the liquidity for certain securities. DeFi solves these problems with an innovation called automated market makers (AMM).

Decentralized Exchanges use an automated market maker (AMM) for automated trading. AMMs is essentially an exchange which helps to swap one cryptocurrency for another. The liquidity pool maintains a particular exchange rate, for example 10 ETH to 1 BTC. This is a pool with a variable exchange rate between two currencies. The AMM facilitates a price for transactions based on the supply, demand and liquidity in a pool. The investors in the pool put money into it to earn a yield. Some of the popular decentralized exchanges are Curve Finance, Uniswap, PancakeSwap, and SushiSwap.

Traditional finance institutions tend to work in silos and maintain their own ledgers. Hence one financial service may not be interoperable with another. DeFi is built on public blockchains and open standards. This allows for interoperability across different decentralized apps (or dapps). However, there is a limit on the interoperability to the same blockchain network. As a result, there are lots of initiatives in progress that focus on enabling cross-chain communication across different blockchain networks.

Final Thoughts:

FinTech has been trending over the past few years. Many FinTech startups have been harnessing innovation and using technology to improve the delivery of financial services. Fintech companies use technology to create better financial services to customers and other businesses. They include big data, AI/ML, automated CRM, robo advising, personal finance, insuretech, payments, lending platforms, and so on. However, one main difference between FinTech and DeFi is that most of the FinTech solutions are centralized; however all DeFi platforms are decentralized.

Defi not only addresses the drawbacks of the centralized finance systems but also has paved the way to many innovative financial instruments such as atomic swaps, autonomous liquidity pools, decentralized stablecoins, flash loans, among others. In short, DeFi has a lot of potential and can play a pivotal role in the future of finance.

Like other businesses, if you too are looking to develop IT Solutions in Financial Services industry, Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have gained significant experience over the years working with Fintech Companies. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done. Click here to know more:

Case study on e-Wallet mobile application.

Test automation of digital payments.

Case study on Brokerage management system.

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e-learning

Personalisation, on-demand and predictive analytics: e-learning’s next leap forward

Introduction:

While online learning gained popularity in the 90’s, off late it has gained further traction. With the Covid-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns, e-learning has emerged as one of the prominent uses of technology in the 21st century. E-learning as an educational experience is delivered electronically. It comprises many elements such as live or pre-recorded lecture content, videos, quizzes and other interactive elements.

While schools, colleges and other educational institutions shut down in early 2020, e-learning emerged as a saviour. With the gaining reputation of e-learning, many students and working professionals have started finding the easy, accessible and ‘at your own pace’ learning mode a friendlier way of educating self and others. Thus, it can be safely assumed that the e-learning market is well poised for a boom; researchers conclude that the market size of the industry will grow by 10.85% by 2025.

To make learning a holistic and egalitarian experience work for all, it is important for e-learning companies to create a personalized and accessible user experience. Big data tools such as personalization, on-demand learning and predictive analysis are helping the e-learning industry today to multiply, both in terms of scale and impact. Before we move onto exploring what role they can play in the future of education, let’s first take a deep dive into what these terms mean.

Personalization:

The word ‘personalization’, mostly used in sales and marketing is a popularly used term. Simply put, it means, one size does not apply to all. Firstly made popular by brands like Google and Amazon, personalized experience became a raging success with custom made services and communication for customers. The same personal details like name, birthdays and favourite colours that are used to tailor gifts for spouses and friends are amplified today by e-learning companies to tailor learning experiences based on learner needs. This has entailed higher learner engagement and improved performance.

On-Demand:

While the meaning of ‘on-demand’ is self-explanatory, in the realm of e-learning it would imply ensuring availability of learning solutions to the learner, anywhere and at any time. Post pandemic, millions of students are out of school. On-demand e-learning solutions guarantee easy access to quality course content and premium educators to learners from around the world

Predictive Analytics:

‘Predictive analytics’ is a tool that uses data, statistics and machine learning techniques to predict the likelihood of future outcomes based on available data. It has transformed e-learning by leaps and bounds. Educational institutions have been managing data for many years. Predictive analytics is a technology breakthrough when it comes to capturing educational big data.

E-learning’ next big leap :

The rapid proliferation of mobility devices has resulted in a situation where nearly all school students have a mobile device. With an explosion of the world wide web, innumerable small mobile devices have access to the internet. The affordability, accessibility and common usage of mobiles/ other internet devices makes e-learning a highly plausible vehicle of learning. So how can it become more democratic?

While personalization has existed in people’s lives for a long time, personalised learning has evolved as a new novelty in e-learning. It is the first step for tailoring content, pedagogy and learning environments to meet individual learning styles and learner needs. More than just individualization or differentiation, a personalized e-learning process enables students to customize several learning elements in their online learning process. This usually means that they set their own goals, pace and communicate with instructors to proceed as per their comfort. Ideally this indicates that the student is in charge of his/her learning and has a direct say in their education.

So, why is personalization important?
  • Each learner is different. For example – some learners perceive audio better and others video;
  • Every learner has a different coping speed. Some can learn large materials in a short time while others can cope only with small amounts;
  • Most learners have an independent and individual learning style. While some may like studying on the PC, others prefer a mobile phone or a tab.
  • One size does not fit all. Each learner is different and comes from a different place of learning.
On-Demand Strategy

On-demand is a strategy for learners to access knowledge based content anytime, anywhere. With ongoing education and learning an imperative for every organization, the question for professionals globally is: what are the best ways to deliver relevant and meaningful learning to multi-generational learners in today’s highly competitive world?

Technology, as always, has the answer to this question. Consumers and companies dominate the world in exchanging data. This data consists of millions of questions pertaining to multitudes of products and services, everyone expects information whenever they have an internet connection.

In the context of e-learning and especially with millions of learners, where each one of them differ from one another, on-demand e-learning contains elements such as flexibility, effective user engagement and leveraging the on-demand nature of the content, be it with respect to business or education.

The on-demand economy is here to stay and is yet to reach its fullest heights. However, technology will continue to revolutionize e-learning by conjoining it to on-demand learning. Whenever that happens, guided, self-paced learning formats and addressing the growing need to learn in a time-crunched world, will continue to be a priority.

In the context of e-learning, predictive analysis, a form of big data, is generated when a user engages on the Learning Management System, LXP or mobile app solution. For example – when a learner completes an assignment, their progress or results generated becomes a part of the “big data”.

Globally this data is gathered, analysed and decoded to be turned into intelligence.

Some insights gathered:
  1. Gain insights on learning and knowledge gaps.
  2. Preferred methods and modes of conducting learning events for learners of all age groups
  3. Understand and approach strengths and weaknesses for future learning strategies
  4. Understand how to personalise and customise an individual’s learning journey to improve the ultimate user experience along with the desired results.

Final Thoughts:

The world around us is rapidly transforming alongside a growing number of diverse students. All the three tools and processes mentioned above are useful for educational and professional organizations that work on complex data. This in turn is making best learning solutions available to students. It also provides tailor made learning that is accessible, with data insights that can improve learning for the future generations.

Like other businesses, if you too are looking to develop IT Solutions in e-learning industry, Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have gained significant experience over the years working with Edtech Companies. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done. Click here to know more:

Case study on site setup for selling online courses.

Case study on learning management system.

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Cloud first

Cloud first strategy: Driving innovation for credit unions

Cloud first strategy – The essentials:

Cloud services have transformed the way businesses operate across different sectors. This holds true, especially for the financial sector, where more and more financial service providers are making the transition. As per a recent survey by Celent, over 50% of the global financial institutions say that they expect their system to completely transition to the cloud within 5 years. Post the Covid 19 pandemic, cloud has paved the way for more remote operations within the financial industry, making its adoption more likely in the future.

As the name suggests, ‘Cloud first strategy’ is all about considering cloud-based technology solutions before any other. It allows businesses to save money on software and hardware infrastructure by subscribing to a service provider who can provide the same services at a cheaper cost, and at a premium quality.

As most people might know it, there are three kinds of cloud:

  1. Private cloud – operated solely for a credit union
  2. Public cloud – shared by several organizations and available to any paying customer
  3. Hybrid cloud – combining your private and public cloud functionality to find packages that best suit one’s needs.

IBM has referred to the public cloud phenomenon as “one of the most important shifts in the history of enterprise computing”. It is still a growing sector, as more organizations are becoming familiar with its increasing benefits.

Similarly, while there are credit unions who vouch for the benefits of the public cloud, others are unsure to bring about a complete cloud migration. CSI’s 2021 Banking Priorities Executive Report cites that over 60% bankers did not have the prerequisite information prior to investing in the public cloud. The next section talks in brief about some of the misconceptions associated with public cloud and how credit unions can benefit from the transition.

Misconceptions:

  1. The pace of transition: A popular misnomer about the public cloud is that the entire transition has to be made at once. Credit unions are creating a hybrid environment where some of the infrastructure remains on-premise.
  2. The fear of ‘all or nothing’ approach: Most bankings services are fearful of making the transition to putting everything on the cloud. The truth is most of their operations such as Office 365 and dropbox are already there.
  3. Security breaches: News of security breaches are often making the headlines nowadays. Many credit unions feel that being on the public cloud will make them vulnerable to data breaches. While such breaches do occur, they can be mitigated with proper security configurations.

With an increase in inclination towards adopting a cloud strategy by credit unions, it is important that proper security considerations are kept in mind while partnering with cloud providers. By carefully working with the right provider, businesses can look into the secure configuration of their environments. They can also maximise the cloud’s security and privacy benefits.

Benefits:

  1. Compliance – A strong cloud strategy provider ensures compliance with tight security measures, making audits much easier than ever before. Partnering with a public cloud provider entails outsourcing of important compliance related responsibilities. This allows credit unions to utilize a provider’s established framework. Many financial institutions have made large investments in cloud based compliance frameworks. These would have otherwise been highly unaffordable and unsustainable in an onsite infrastructure.
  2. Scalability – Physical servers are not compatible with scale. Credit unions therefore must take into account future needs and industry demands. By migrating to the cloud, institutions can bring about greater flexibility, agility and affordability. Migration to the cloud means more resources can be added to their environment while enjoying cost benefits from the process.
  3. Cost efficiencies – It is possible to buy only as much physical infrastructure. This leads to wastage and inadequate utilization. With the public cloud, a credit union can customise its purchases and expand its infrastructure only when needed. This leads to potential cost savings and allows credit unions to enjoy the benefits of a managed IT environment.
  4. Availability – The public cloud ensures a credit union with a resilient IT environment. It ensures a safety net during server malfunctions resulting in a smooth sailing of operations. It improves the overall day to day experience of both employees and customers, engaged in working with credit unions.
  5. Access – In the 21st century and especially in the post pandemic world, timely access to services is everything. Via cloud, credit unions can manage a remote workforce, use an increasing range of high-speed connectivity options, interact with a diverse range of modern cloud based resources and so on. With proper systems, the cloud strategy can transform financial institutions and their private networks.

Final thoughts:

The credit union industry has been slow on the uptake to adopt a cloud strategy due to analysis paralysis. With industry leaders paving the way, more and more people are opting for digital transformation through a secure cloud strategy.

With infrastructure reaching the end of its life, tech inventory mapping becoming challenging. Physical IT infrastructure becomes difficult to build, manage and maintain. With the increasing need to adopt resilient platforms such as Data Recovery, a cloud first strategy is imperative for credit unions.

A cloud strategy can bring down an organization’s costs by 30-50%, primarily by reducing dependency on infrastructure. It also offers an economy of scale by collaborating with cloud providers like AWS on security, compliance and new opportunities. This paves way for credit union IT systems to focus on forging new partnerships and boosting new applications, which they previously did not have the time to do.

Like other businesses, if you too are looking to develop IT Solutions in Financial Services industry, Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have gained significant experience over the years working with Fintech Companies. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done. Click here to know more:

Case study on e-Wallet mobile application.

Test automation of digital payments.

Case study on Smart card for pocket money.

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API

Capitalize on advances of API in Open Banking

Introduction:

While big data and its associated algorithms and analytics are a powerful step to gaining insight, a more fundamental building block for the data market is access. Most industries have started leveraging an easier access to data through API. The financial services industry considers it to be a priority too. Some of the global steps that have been taken to adopt data for public sector transparency and integrity include the G20’s Anti-Corruption Working Group and the European Union’s Payment Services Directive (PSD2).

Data sharing can be seamlessly accomplished through API or more popularly known as application programming interface. According to a Mckinsey report, API is an intelligent conduit that allows for data flow between systems in a controlled yet seamless fashion. APIs are in use in banking systems for years now. However, with the breakthroughs in advanced analytics and the positive market response to numerous non-banking fintech companies, APIs are once again in the limelight. Experts believe it has the potential to enhance the delivery of financial services across sectors, including retail and business.

Open banking with its benefits to consumers, banks and non-banks is expected to usher in a new financial services ecosystem where the roles of banks may undergo a marked shift. It also raises issues around compliance and data privacy. This is the reason why global markets have been leaning more towards increasing governance. There is a global momentum towards open banking models, leading to an overhaul in the blueprint based on which these systems have been previously operational. This requires banks and fintechs to position for success in a new environment while anticipating what its impact on customers could potentially be.

What is open banking?

As per the same McKinsey report, open banking is a collaborative model in which banking data is shared through APIs between two or more unaffiliated parties to deliver enhanced capabilities to the marketplace. API has been popularly adopted for decades, particularly in the US. This helps to foster the growth of personal financial management software, show billing details on bank websites and connect platform developers to payment networks like Visa and Mastercard. However, API was primarily used to share information rather than to facilitate the transfer of monetary balances.

Benefits of open banking:

The benefits of open banking are substantial. They include improved customer experience, new and increased revenue streams and a service model that can cater to traditionally unexplored markets. Examples include Mint, Lending Club in the US to Lenddo in the Philippines.

However, these advances are not as easy as they sound. Research says that with the emergence of integrated digital ecosystems, these ecosystems collide threatening operating models and preventing business innovation. Additionally, most of the breakthroughs have happened outside the realm of financial services. This makes rich data and their associated data flows look more like a threat than an opportunity. The non-banking sector has demonstrated a more serious market traction so far. Hence, open banking is a model still in its nascent stages.

However for the banking sector, there are inherent risks in sharing data flows. This makes data security and matters of compliance and governance of utmost importance.  The real API value proposition lies in streamlining systems integration for data access. The aforementioned issues of privacy and security makes it a monumental infrastructure challenge.

Facilitation of a futuristic collaboration:

Open banking models can facilitate a series of services for all stakeholders in the financial services. For example Wechat has enabled e-commerce through their platforms. This model can evolve into a one-stop-shop platform integrated with personalized experiences and commerce centered apps. Other services like Trustly provide credit extensions at checkouts, where a purchase decision can be influenced.

Open banking also ensures financial inclusion. This helps banks and financial networks arrive at a more precise risk and credit analysis of members who have been potentially excluded from the financial system. For example – Angaza in Africa. This is a unique way of introducing and including more consumers to the formal financial system.  This has the possibility of expanding market opportunities in a particular geography. Incubators and venture capitalists from around the world have shown particular interest in newbies who are aspiring to incorporate nonfinancial data with transactions based on data insights.

While it is true that open banking will reduce control in traditional banks, the banking ecosystem will however gain from larger profit pools. It can also position itself to play a leading role in combining artificial intelligence and predictive analysis. This in turn will improve integration of banking services for customers and the enhancement of business offerings.

Challenges:

The challenges vary by geography, demographics and the ecosystem development in that particular country. Banks with larger global footprints expect to face challenges in the future regarding regulations and standards. By 2023-24, banks should leverage their incumbent advantages by doing the following:

1. Be a game changer by staying ahead of the curve, exploring data sharing with fintech and non-financial services.

2. Explore the value of APIs and how they can benefit the bank’s service model.

3. Fully understand data privacy mandates and determine if their institution has the appetite for a less conventional approach. Also examine how API could facilitate future customer messaging without incurring any damage.

Final thoughts:

Open banking and API banking are two terms that are becoming universally popular. They have the potential of radically transforming customer experiences and making banking experience a more personalised and less time-consuming process. It is important that banks, fintechs, investment houses and other payment service providers look into its potential and explore opportunities around it.

Change is rarely comfortable, but with the market evolving across countries, it is slowly coming across as inevitable. It will be better if banks start defining the trend rather than waging a futile battle to repel it.

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Like other businesses, if you too are looking to develop IT Solutions in Financial Services industry, Mindfire Solutions can be your partner of choice. We have gained significant experience over the years working with Fintech Companies. We have a team of highly skilled and certified software professionals, who have developed many custom solutions for our global clients over the years.

Here are a few interesting projects we have done with API in Fintech industry. Click here to know more:

Case study on Student loan approval system

Case study on Smart card for pocket money

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