We have developed a web-centric database tool called “AmpUp” used for rapid development of enterprise systems. Born out of necessity for supporting our customers, AmpUp has demonstrated that it reduces implementation efforts and budgets by more than 50%.

Conceptually, AmpUp is a wrapper between an organization’s data and its website. By providing a number of  high-level enterprises system functions for database access, user security and web page generation, developers can concentrate the bulk of their time on their system’s unique requirements.

AmpUp follows the cloud paradigm of Platform as a Service (PaaS). This is where AmpUp’s functions are available to a public or private cloud and can be shared across several systems. For customers with more sensitive applications, AmpUp is available for installation on their private Intranet as well.

While there is more technical information about AmpUp on the DataPlex website, in this article we would like to focus on these four features:

• Automatically taps into existing databases
• Provides instantaneous web forms and reports
• Enables static and dynamic field dropdown selection
• Easily adds data record navigation controls

In this Part II, we present how, for our clients, we have created Flash-like effects without using Flash at all. Who says that the alternative has to be a boring static image, right?

One word, JavaScript. JavaScript (JScript for Microscoft’s Internet Explorer) is the de facto client-side scripting language embedded in every modern-day browser that, if utilized properly, can be leverage to provide special effects without the need for Flash. All smartphone have to support JavaScript since so many website use it. Note: JavaScript is not the same as Java which, like Flash, needs to be installed in your browser separately and is not available on all device platforms. JavaScript is the only universal browser scripting language.

Let’s explore a few examples of what we can do with JavaScript.

Example 1:  Rotating and Fading Slideshow

Here’s where a spot in a web page is used to show one picture after another. In the old days, a few years ago, abruptly changing from one image to another was an accepted practice. As designers started to use Flash more, they leveraged Flash’s ability to fade one image out and another back in. Well, JavaScript can do that t0o.

Check out Example 1.

Apple eschews Flash technology, and that’s why there is and probably will never be any Flash support on the iPhone and iPad devices. If you go to Apple’s website, you’ll see them using this effect in many places.

Example 2:  Rotating, Fading and Sectioned Slide Show

One disbeliever who is now a happy client said, “so, you can rotate through images, but what about special effects?” We asked him to mention one, and he said “okay, can you have an image swipe across from left to right in three sections?” We worked for a bit and show him something similar to our second example here, and he was convinced.

See Example 2.

What is going on here is that there are actually several images next to one another, three panes as it were. The JavaScript code rotates through the images in tandem, offset by a small delay to get the desired effect. Note the combined effect of simultaneous sectioning and fading.

Example 3: Two-Dimensional Sectioned Slide Show

Just to prove our point without any doubt, we took our second example with horizontal sections and added vertical sections to generate two-dimensional sectioning with two rows and three columns.

See Example 3.

There are other possibilities limited only my our mutual imaginations. Like Flash, JavaScript can create the following effects:

• image fade in / fade out
• image scrolling
• drop-down / slide
• changing speed
• changing color
• rotation
• zoom in / zoom out
• sprite (individual image) control
• overlaying / superpositioning
• multiple image morphing
• synchronization of disconnected animations

JavaScript is not as good as Flash in:

• video playback
• accurate sound and video synchronization
• high frame rates for graphics
• unlimited text font support
• realtime user interaction

This comparison does not suggest that JavaScript is every bit as good as Flash in its handling of effects. Far from it. Flash is a much better environment for creating animation because it has a complete development platform for developing its code and a specialized environment in which to execute it.

That said, if you would like the maximum amount of interoperability especially with smartphones, that Flash is that much a better environment doesn’t matter. In that case, turn to JavaScript.

Since JavaScript doesn’t have an Adobe behind it pumping out development environments for creating animation, you will need to turn to a development firm that knows JavaScripts in’s and out’s, matches up what you’d like to see, and provides a custom solution for your site. While that might sound expensive, it’s really not as we have created JavaScript replacements for fractions of what the original Flash effort cost.

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In our two-part article, we hope we’ve expanded your thinking about how not to use Flash, at least not for every animation. We would enjoy hearing from you if you’d like to see if we can help with your site animations.

Navigate the Intersection of Enterprise, Mobile and the Cloud

As a disruptive phenomenon in the realm of information technology, Cloud Computing is evolving quickly and driving changes both in the personal space and in the corporate world towards a more portable and web-centric infrastructure, particularly in such areas as sales, marketing, customer relations, logistics and fulfillment.

Back in  October 2008, we said “In only a matter of a couple short years, mobile computing with third party applications will become de rigueur, so it would be wise to plan for that eventuality.” It seems we’re on track.

More important than the introduction of the next generation electronic devices such as the latest iPhone and iPad is the prodigious convergence of enterprise IT with mobile computing with cloud-based services. If you missed it, our previous newsletter article “Exploring Cloud Computing” discusses the current state of personal and corporate services being provided over the Internet. It makes cases for when organizations with existing IT structures should explore moving some of their internal and commercial processes over to the cloud.

While one might understand that the cloud is basically a set of remote software services that can be leveraged to reduce the size and cost of in-house IT support, what he or she should also understand is how the growing shift to the cloud is affecting the types of devices and applications we all use.

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Here is a rundown on most of the current issues concerning cloud computing:

Security – While a leading edge cloud services provider will employ data storage and transmission encryption, user authentication, and authorization (data access) practices, many people worry about the vulnerability of remote data to such criminals as hackers, thieves, and disgruntled employees. Cloud providers are enormously sensitive to this issue and apply substantial resources to mitigating concern.

Reliability – Some people worry also about whether a cloud service provider is financially stable and whether their data storage system is trustworthy. Most cloud providers attempt to mollify this concern by using redundant storage techniques, but it is still possible that a service could crash or go out of business, leaving users with limited or no access to their data. A diversification of providers can help alleviate this concern, albeit at a higher cost.

Ownership – Once data has been relegated to the cloud, some people worry that they could lose some or all of their rights or be unable to protect the rights of their customers. Many cloud providers are addressing this issue with well-crafted user-sided agreements. That said, users would be wise to seek advice from their favorite legal representative. Never use a provider who, in their terms of service, lays any kind of ownership claim over your data.

Data Backup – Cloud providers employ redundant servers and routine data backup processes, but some people worry about being able to control their own backups. Many providers are now offering data dumps onto media or allowing users to back up data through regular downloads.

Data Portability and Conversion – Some people are concerned that, should they wish to switch providers, they may have difficulty transferring data. Porting and converting data is highly dependent on the nature of the cloud provider’s data retrieval format, particular in cases where the format cannot be easily discovered. As service competition grows and open standards become established, the data portability issue will ease, and conversion processes will become available supporting the more popular cloud providers. Worst case, a cloud subscriber will have to pay for some custom data conversion.

Multiplatform Support – More an issue for IT departments using managed services is how the cloud-based service integrates across different platforms and operating systems, e.g. OS X, Windows, Linux and thin-clients. Usually, some customized adaption of the service takes care of any problem. Multiplatform support requirements will ease as more user interfaces become web-based.

Intellectual Property – A company invents something new and it uses cloud services as part of the invention. Is the invention still patentable? Does the cloud provider have any claim on the invention? Can they provide similar services to competitors? All good questions and answerable on a case-by-case basis.

Once someone understands that cloud computing potentially suffers from much of the same fate as proprietary systems, the question becomes “do the advantages of using the cloud outweigh my concerns?” For low-risk operations and for insensitive information, the answer can easily be “yes.” Realize that cloud-based services can be backed-up, verified, double-checked, and made more secure by combining them with traditional non-cloud IT processes.

Here is a list of the five most common types of cloud computing.

Software as a Service (SaaS) – a single application, library of applications, an API of web services, infrasructure or development platform users who are not necessarily aware of one another interact with through their browsers; Salesforce.com, Google Apps and Zoho Apps are a few examples. Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) are closely related derivatives of SaaS.

Utility Computing – specialized apps coupled with dynamically reconfigurable resources with often a significant reliance on virtualization for ease of maintenance, portability and scalability.

Managed Services – piecemeal software extensions for existing IT departments such as virus scanners for email or remote desktop managers.

Service Commerce Platforms – a hybrid of SaaS and Managed Services presenting an automated service bureau. Think ADP.

Internet Integration – a combination of any or all of the above, from the same or different providers over a common “service bus,” today in its infancy. The “bus” is a standardized data transfer subsystem which allows different providers’ service elements to be plugged in and swapped out, allowing data to be shared across different providers and giving competitive choice to the user.

These services are provided by “cloud service providers,” also called “cloud vendors” or “cloud providers” for short. A “public cloud” provider is one who purveys services to pretty much anyone on the Internet. The largest public cloud provider in the world is amazon.com’s Amazon Web Services. A “private cloud” is a proprietary network or a data center that supplies hosted services to a limited number of other organizations or people. When public cloud resources are used to create a private cloud, the result is called a “virtual private cloud.” Private or public, cloud computing provides easy, scalable access to computing resources and IT services.

EFRS uses our new AmpUp enterprise tool for fast enterprise systems deployment. For this brand new system, we used AmpUp to take the MySQL database schema we created to automatically create data entry forms and reports. We touched up the field placement and substituted some forms based on Microsoft Word.

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Could You Be Using It Someday?

We have entered an era of Things Cloud: “cloud storage,” “cloud computing,” or, just simply “the cloud,” referring to how IT personnel often represent the Internet in their diagrams. Are there opportunities to save money or get improved processes by moving to the cloud? In our analysis, we find that the answer is a qualified “probably so.”

The Cloud

Most business have already encounter the first embodiment of the cloud, “cloud storage,” also know widely as “online storage,” where data is kept not on your local computer but “somewhere” on the Internet, often accessed through a web portal that serves as a user interface for storage and retrieval. Flikr, Gmail, Facebook, and Remote Backup are examples of large implementations of cloud storage. While cloud storage has been around for a while, the cloud-based concept is in the process of evolving into not just providing data storage but operations on that data as well. We’ve entered the age of “cloud computing.”