ISV/Software Developer Guest Commentary
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Tips For Solving Top Business Challenges Through Software Development
9/7/2016
Historically, software development projects would spend considerable time gathering tedious amounts of requirements from a group of business leaders before the developers write a line of code. In this process, months can pass by before any tangible results begin to form. However, Agile was created to solve this problem. Agile helps to organize your development into smaller components so that developers can start writing code right away. Agile is effective because the business receives real and tangible results very early in the process. Because of its benefits, Agile enables the developer to meet timelines and expectations; therefore, we learned how to do it really well.
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ISV Valuations: Exposing The Silent Power Play Between Integrated Software Vendors And Payments Processors For Ownership Of The End-User Relationship
8/18/2016
Valuations for ISV platforms with payments integration, and payments processing companies which have vertically integrated high margin, high growth software platforms with measurable EBITDA contribution, are on the rise. The level of M&A activity for both is striking.
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Top 5 Issues To Consider Before Customizing Technology
7/15/2016
Customization used to be a bad word to many business owners. It was viewed as encumbering higher costs and depending on complex IT infrastructure. However, with the availability of more outsourced technology resources and the increased drive for innovation and marketplace gains, customization is becoming a more common business practice. By Kristen McAlister, President, Cerius Executives
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ISV And VAR Valuations Are Rising With Payments Integration
7/8/2016
Payments processors and service providers aren’t the only ones benefiting from rising valuations in today’s massive convergence of technology, banking, and payments. Though the payments industry has successfully leveraged synergistic value from the acquisitions of, and/or strategic partnerships with ISVs and VARs, there has been a similar effect evidenced on the other side of the equation as well.
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The Best Management Advice I Ever Received
7/7/2016
When I first started managing, I thought a lot about myself: how I was doing with my team, how I didn’t want to be a terrible manager, things I could do to become a great manager. Yet when I first started out, the advice I got was “it’s not about you anymore.”
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The Payments Industry Has Gone Vertical And They’re Building Shareholder Value On The Backs Of ISVs And VARs
6/15/2016
I’ve spent over a decade advising payments service providers on growth strategy and value creation. For many years, much of the growth and enhanced shareholder value was created inorganically through successfully executed horizontal acquisition strategies whereby payments service providers have acquired other payments service providers. By Adam T. Hark, Co-Founder, Preston Todd Advisors
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2016’s Top Field Service KPIs How To Help Service Managers Meet Them
5/24/2016
Key indicators of a successful service organization haven’t changed much in the last few years, but the tools and strategies service managers use to meet them are changing all the time. When it comes to setting and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) each year, service managers see better results when they focus on the process of delivering service, rather than the results. For example, rather than measuring profitability or number of service calls per day, analyze the success of the processes involved in delivering service. When the process goals are being met, the desired results will follow.
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Demystifying Mistakes ISVs Make When Pricing Software
5/9/2016
Pricing strategy is perhaps the most critical factor for gaining a competitive advantage for any ISV, but most still struggle to price their software effectively. Today, ISVs are dealing with quickly evolving markets and enterprise demands at unprecedented levels. For an ISV to thrive in a transforming marketplace, the road ahead is clear: ensure your software delivers real ROI and it is priced to perfection. In this discussion, we will be focusing on the latter part of this ISV challenge, i.e. pricing the software.
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Breaking Into New Space, Out Of The Old
4/19/2016
Dear IT’ers, Everything I’ve done over the past 40 years with folks like you – business guys – had to do with the huge discomfort that comes from being asked to think differently than my audience is used to think.
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Increased Revenue For Integrators: 6 Trends To Watch
4/13/2016
Working hand-in-hand with integration partners is the key to this business in many ways. Integrators have the advantage of knowing exactly what an end user needs, and are engaged with end users from day one when they are fostering a new relationship as partners. Not only that, integrators have the added advantage of knowing exactly what a manufacturer can do to address the needs of the end user — which is critical in planning, designing, and implementing a security solution that performs under pressure.