Meet us on 29 - 30 March

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We are looking for an exchange of experience and ideas that improve the digital world and shape our future!

Gathering together Haufe experts and IT companies, partners, and clients, the Haufe X360 Summit takes place at the Kameha Grand Hotel in Bonn from the 29th to the 30th of March.

Lecturers from Haufe and Acumatica - the platform on which Haufe is based- will discuss planned system innovations and software improvements. 

We are looking forward to hearing from great people, meeting other Haufe partners, and sharing experiences and ideas.

‍The Quantox Crew will be there!

• Dušan Milojević / Head of Managed Services
• Thomas Priemel / ERP Consultant
•  Darko Šarenac / Partnership and Business Development Manager

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You can meet our people and find out more about our services, advanced digital solutions, and models of cooperation. We are happy to have a chance to network with new potential clients and all new partners ahead!

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Summit Agenda and more info can be found at the link

Petar Slović, Chief Innovation Officer @ Quantox Technology, will give a lecture at a workshop organized by DaFED at the Rectorate of the University of Novi Sad on March 1, starting at 6 p.m.

At Peter's workshop "Simplifying Full Stack Serverless Development with tRPC in NextJS" visitors will have the opportunity to learn how to use the power of the T3 stack and tRPC to create scalable full-stack serverless applications.

DaFED is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating educational workshops and networking events for designers, developers, and all tech and innovation enthusiasts.

Discover the benefits of using tRPC in NextJS and learn how tRPC can facilitate the creation of secure and efficient serverless APIs without burdensome infrastructure management.

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The workshop is free, and you can find more information, registration, and a link to the live stream at https://dafed.org/

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Over the past few years, Data and Artificial Intelligence have become the most trending technology used across all industries. Yes, technology (singular) because Data and AI need to work in synergy to generate the best results. 

By the time the term 'Data' was coined, there was already so much of it that IT professionals and computer scientists quickly realized that sorting out and parsing all the data and, at the same time, analyzing the same data would be impossible for humans. They knew that if anything could help, it would be AI algorithms that would be able to derive valuable real-time insights from that much data. 

The merge of these two disciplines created a technological boom changing businesses left and right. But how exactly?

AI for Business

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Unlike a decade ago, the internet is now filled with data providing important information about consumer habits, likes, dislikes, personal preferences, and activities. This type of data, when paired with AI technology, can help businesses:

• boost efficiency with various process automation solutions
• improve consistency and speed of service
• use customer insight and review to inform decision-makers
• discover new opportunities for new products and services
• it can detect fraud threats
• optimize supply chain operations

We could list the benefits of AI for business for days. However, many people would still need clarification, a concrete example, about how to get a taste of some of these benefits and how they can improve their business operations with AI. 

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Here at Quantox Technology, we believe in a practical approach and the power of learning. With more than 550 IT experts, our team has some of the best mentors in the industry, ready to convey the usage and possibilities of their products in the simplest way. 

Quantox E-commerce AI Solution Use Case

The Quantox team was introduced to an e-commerce client that needed an AI solution to simplify one part of their working process. Our client had an online furniture store where they sold design furniture and artwork. So naturally, they've set up a webshop with thousands of furniture listings where you can filter your search based on your preferences. For example, you could filter furniture by type (beds, couches, sofas, tables), color, manufacturer, material, and many other specifications.

That meant every product needed a string of descriptive words in their specifications for their search filter to work. For example: If you wanted a black table, you would get a listing of any product that mentions the words "black" and "table." But if you wanted a "Sanne Protin black dining table," if labeled correctly, you would get only one result. 

THE PROBLEM

However, the client's problem was not labeling products correctly, rather than the labeling process being money and time-consuming. At that time, their products were being labeled manually, meaning they needed to pay people to input labels individually. 

OUR SOLUTION 

To fix this problem, the Quantox Data & AI team proposed they create an automatic labeling system that will save them valuable resources. We created an AI system that takes an ad as an input and returns "labels" as an output, meaning product type, color, manufacturer, and material. In terms of business, the result was a significant decrease in the labeling cost and time to obtain the labels, which generally sped up the entire listing processing, had a considerable impact on their business, and positively affected their business efficiency.

Translating Human Problems to Data Problems 

1. ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

So, we were building this system. It's a simple task for a human but could be difficult for a computer. To successfully transfer this business problem into a data problem, we must ask the right questions.

 What would a human do if they had the task of labeling the products?

The trick is to answer these questions in as much detail as possible. For example, some would say, "well, a human would read the description," but the correct answer is, "the human would look at the listing." That means our internal conversation would look something like this:

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Through questions, we slowly realize that humans would look at the image and type in what they see. For example, they see a black table, so they would type that it's a table and it's black. They could also read the description to see who the manufacturer is and what material was used. 

2. DRAWING THE RIGHT CONCLUSIONS

The answers to our questions told us our system needs to be able to emulate human behavior. Mainly it needs to be able to "see" the images and recognize objects on them, but also recognize text, read it, and understand the meaning of it too in order to extract the vital information needed for labeling.

Well, what can "identify" objects in AI? Computer vision certainly can. 

And how can a computer read and understand text just like a human? With Natural Language Processing, of course.

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3. THE DATA AND AI MODELS

As always, we needed data to apply to our AI algorithm, so we took around 20 thousand pre-existing labels to train our AI models. The diagram below shows how data trained our models and how it was deployed, monitored, and maintained.

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On the left side, you'll notice a very important box saying, "hold out a fraction aside." This means we took a small fraction of data from the 20 thousand label batch (about 10-20%), which is the data we did not show to our model. The reason is simple - we wanted to test our model on that data after it's trained. This way, we can see how our model performs on data it hasn't seen before. 

In the middle, you can see that we have two separate models. One that works with images and one that works with text. Each model is tasked to learn different things, and finally, that information is combined to output the desired information. 

The task is simple: "Build a system that says: This listing is selling a lamp, and the color of the lamp is beige-brown-yellow-ish."

We'll learn how this simple task can quickly become a bit more complicated for a computer.

The listings are given as "image+text" pairs, and we're free to choose from a wide arsenal of AI techniques as long as the solution delivers the desired information that is correct for the majority of the time. In the following sections, we describe some methods we opted for.

Our dataset contains around 20 thousand examples similar to this one, containing images of various furniture types: couches, sofas, tables, wardrobes, etc. In addition, the data includes information about where the object is on the image and the product being sold. We used 15,000 examples to train our AI algorithms (training data), while the other 5,000 we used as test data.

Here's an example of what a typical listing looked like.

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‍Disclaimer: The product shown in the photo is for illustration purposes only and does not represent the actual product of our clients. It is used solely to explain and demonstrate the capabilities of our AI models.

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QUANTOX COMPUTER VISION MODEL

Our computer vision model was supposed to extract information from the image. We expected it to localize a lamp and tell us that it is, in fact, a lamp. To do so, our algorithm needed to perform two tasks: object localization and image classification. 

A bounding box consists of 4 numbers representing the coordinates of the box itself:

X_upper_left, Y_upper_left, X_lower_right, Y_lower_right.

Our model, in essence, is a model that tries to predict these four coordinates in an image and assign the label "lamp" to this listing. It does it in such a way that the predicted coordinates should mostly overlap with coordinates provided by humans. At the same time, the product label ("lamp" in this case) should match the human annotations in most cases. 

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‍GOAL: Maximize the overlap and assign the correct label.
Now that we know what the model should do let's see how it does it. 

WHAT ARE CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS?

Each image was run through a convolutional neural network (CNN) tasked with learning the features of the image. Neural networks are made of neurons. Neurons group into layers. Layers hold numbers used to process our data (by multiplication and addition). Those numbers represent the knowledge of our network. Intelligence even, if you will.

The CNN model we created contains 53 convolutional layers. Each layer transforms the image by applying a convolution operation on the image. Convolution is actually a whole lot of additions and multiplication following the pixel grid of the image and some additional rules.

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What that means is, at a high level, we plug an original image into the CNN, and it goes through each of these layers sequentially. The output of each layer is a slightly modified version of the original image. These modifications can highlight contours and shapes of interest in the original image or blur and make insignificant contours and shapes disappear.

We program the network to tweak the convolution operation and figure out what these shapes are on its own. Then, we let the network try multiple times until the results are satisfactory according to a predetermined criterion. This process of tweaking the layers (or, more technically, tweaking the parameters of the convolutions) is known as training the neural network. 

When the image passes all 53 convolutional layers, we add another two layers, which we construct in such a way that we can read what the network thinks the bounding box is and what is the object residing in that bounding box. Finally, we read predictions from these final layers. They're tweaked similarly to convolutional layers during training. When this lamp was successfully detected, we cropped out the predicted bounding box, extracted the dominant colors, and gave it its first label - a "lamp."

QUANTOX NATURAL LANGUAGE MODEL

Now that we know how the computer vision part of the solution works, the question arises: "Why do we need text at all? Isn't computer vision all we need because we got the colors and the product?"

Well, not exactly. What if the lamp was labeled differently, for example, "torch"? In this example, it isn't, but there could be a lot of other instances where labels can be nothing more than misleading synonyms. We can't simply rely on one-word descriptions of the product coming from some people we don't even know who labeled these listings. They might have labeled it for a different purpose, who knows. That's why we're complementing the information we extracted from images with the data from text. We're shrinking the margin of error and trying to output results that align with the industry's terminology as much as we can. 

Plus, the computer vision model can detect a lamp and might even detect some sort of cat on the bottom of the lamp. Of course, it's essentially wrong detection (because it's not a cat, but a llama), but the text helps us deal with these cases as well, and now we'll see how.

So, let's get technical. Now suppose that our computer vision model detected both a lamp and a cat.

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Now we have two detections: a lamp and a cat. Certainly, a cat is not for sale, nor is it a real cat. It's a cat-shaped pedestal for the lamp, which is probably not even a cat but a llama. This is just to give you a sense of ways these models can be wrong. We need to filter the object detection algorithms' outputs by analyzing text. Remember that the listing description states:

"Created and designed by the famous 20th-century art deco designer Jean-Michelle Jarre, this nightlight can be a great addition to your living room or bedroom for only $99.99". 

Our goal is to search for the words "lamp" and "cat" in this text and find a match. But we would fail if we want to match the exact string of words. There are no words "lamp" or "cat" in the description. But there is the word "nightlight." You'd agree that refers to the lamp. Of course, you would, but how do we build an AI system to figure that out?

That's the goal here. And the tool is, again, a neural network. Specifically, the neural network performing the task of "word embedding," unlike the former network performing the task of "object detection." 

The neural network's inputs are text sequences, and the final output is a numerical representation of the input word. Literally, a sequence of numbers. How many numbers? We can decide that, but the common practice is higher degrees of 2, such as 256 or 512. 

So yes, sequences of numbers, like the lottery, but with one crucial property. When two words of similar contexts, such as "nightlight" and "lamp," are represented numerically, they have similar representation, again by some predefined criteria. However, when words of vastly different contexts are represented numerically, these representations are different, such as "lamp" and "truck," for example.  

So we create a neural network consisting of layers, except they're not convolutional. They're different types of layers, each connected and the final layer from where we can read predictions. Like most NNs, this one also has to predict something, and by tweaking this network, it learns which words frequently co-occur, effectively meaning that the network learns which words are contextually similar. Its knowledge is represented in its layers, which we then extract from the network and use as our "numerical representation of the words themselves." 

When this is trained, we get a numerical representation of all the words from the listing description and all the words from the object detection model, namely, "lamp" and "cat." Now we measure the similarity between the word "lamp" and all the words from the description individually and then repeat the process for the word "cat." The similarity score is a cosine (remember trigonometry?) between the numerical representations of two words for which we calculate the similarity. This cosine similarity ranges between 0 and 1, 0 meaning not similar, and 1 meaning identical. 

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Now relying on the fact that the listing descriptions are highly likely to mention the product itself or at least some products' synonyms, we can expect that whatever the product is ("lamp" or "cat"), it will have a high similarity score with whatever the product is in the description. 

• In this case, the words "lamp" and "nightlight" have, say, the highest similarity between all the combinations, so we say - "THE PRODUCT IS THE LAMP."  
• The word "cat" will have minimal similarity with the words in the description because the description never mentions animals, cats, dogs, pets, or anything within that context, and context is learned in the neural network, so "cat" will end up omitted. That's how we know - "THE PRODUCT IS NOT THE CAT."

Now let's see the results. 

THE RESULTS

When all this is said and done, and the models are trained and validated, it's time to put them to the test and see how they behave on the data they weren't trained on. Remember that the test data contains the "text + image" and the "location + object" parts. We hide the "location + object" part, obtain the predictions from it, and then compare them with the actual location and object. 

When predicting a product, we achieved 91% accuracy on the training set of around 5k examples. As for colors, the number is at about 70% on the same dataset, but it is a pessimistic estimate based on sampling and employing the naked eye to method to say "this is right" and "this is wrong." The reason for that is that people see colors differently. In the case of our lamp, one person can say "beige," but the other person might say "light yellow." Suppose you convert the color names into an RGB system. In that case, they can differ vastly, so if we calculate the Euclidean distance between "beige" and "light yellow" in the RGB coordinate system, we can wrongly conclude that the model made a wrong prediction. In fact, both the model and the person labeling are right. We believe the actual number is much higher than 70% since the errors mostly come from the edge cases where you can argue it's the same color.

‍THE DEPLOYMENT

Once we've run all data through our models and our models were trained and tested, we deployed the model in production. This means that we need to save the models in some sort of model storage, which could be on some location on our server, on our client's server, or on a cloud storage service of choice. In this case, it was the client's server.

Specifically, we used Flask to create a Python API and Docker for deployment. When the API is called, it triggers a forward pass through the neural networks, which returns some predictions. The application then processes those predictions as described above and returns a response. Finally, the client integrates with our model by calling our API from their application, which gets them the desired information. 

They can then process the information however they see fit, e.g., display them in some sort of drop-down menu on their front end or have radio buttons to help their users filter their search when buying furniture. Here's a diagram describing the solution's architecture at the highest level.

And that's it. We described the process of training a computer vision model, a natural language processing model, we touched neural networks a bit, shining a light on what it means to train the neural network, what are "As" and "Is" in "AI," and how the information obtained from these networks is used in practices to improve the user experience when shopping for furniture online! A lot of math and engineering for such a seemingly simple task, right? However, the work pays off when implemented correctly, especially in the eCommerce industry, where there's a great deal of data and many different types of applications for AI solutions.

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Data, AI, and Quantox - a Perfect Recipe for eCommerce Growth!

Transforming your eCommerce business paradigm in 2023 can make your business stand out from the competition by increasing revenue, conversion rates, and the overall popularity of your brand. Integrating AI technology in your eCommerce business gets that much easier with Quantox Technology team of experts that have been providing Data and AI services and eCommerce solutions for years and have a proven track record of success. Our team will take the time to understand your unique needs and develop a customized solution that fits those needs. So, are you ready to unleash the potential of AI for your eCommerce? Let's Talk!

Propel Your Business and Find Your New Team Of Developers @TES Affiliate Conference

‍Lisbon | February 22-25, 2023

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Are your software projects delayed due to a lack of developers?
Are you finding it hard to hire and retain good developers?
Are you trying to reduce costs and increase the flexibility to scale your project?
Are you looking for a partner you can trust?

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Quantox Technology is coming to Lisbon with 50 developers available right now!

Complete software development from scratch and all-round IT support services.

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Pinpoints!

• 16+ years of experience
• 550+ experts in the diverse technology stack
• 13 offices & 7 countries
• 250+ successful projects
• Super-quick scaling
• ISO 9001 and 27001

Boost Your Business!

• Thorough understanding and approach
• Flexibility & adaptability to each client and change
• Managed team & scaling resources to your project
• Efficiency, excellence, and trust

See You @ TES Affiliate Conference!

3 days, 2000+ participants , 75+ speakers, 200+ exhibitors, 80+ countries

The Oitavos Hotel, Cascais/Lisbon, Portugal
Quantox Booth Location: MMT6

‍And Meet Our People!

Schedule a Meeting

Alek

If you are looking for a man who will answer your questions about potential partnership opportunities, look no further. Alek is our CDO with solid skills in leading teams and running projects developed over the years.  Do you have projects that need reinforcement, and engineering support or do you need a partner for brand-new software solutions? Talk to Alek and find out more.

Schedule a Meeting

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Dan

He is your guy if you have a major project planned or ongoing but don't know quite yet how to ensure your software development is running smoothly. As our COO, with more than 15 years of experience in the IT industry, Dan can understand you and optimize your software development process.

Schedule a Meeting

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Welcome where ideas are made possible!

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A new milestone in the IT world! Building the future with strong partnerships!

Quantox Technology and Sandberg Capital have signed a partnership for the further expanding growth of the company, bringing it to a higher level! A €20 million investment is aimed at making a significant leap for Quantox’s future sustainable development, talent acquisition, and strategic global expansion.

Sandberg Capital is a Slovak private equity company established in 2014 with an AUM exceeding €340 million. It focuses on investments in small and medium businesses in the Slovak Republic and the region of Central and Eastern Europe, including among investors institutional ones, such as the European Investment Fund.

This partnership is one of the top 5 investments in the region so far, signed with companies from Serbia.

With Sandberg’s support, Quantox Technology plans to make successful breakthroughs in new markets, building even stronger client relationships with greater freedom and creativity in creating new software solutions.

“By entering into a partnership, we want to broaden our expertise and further strengthen our position as a leading IT employer in the region. Also, this investment will enable us to have a greater presence in the European and US markets, which will mean a lot to our clients by increasing the range of services in delivering high-end digital solutions and providing comprehensive IT support”

Vuk Popović, founder of Quantox Technology

The company’s focus remains the same – discovering new perspectives and empowering the Q team. The partnership is an additional lift that will bring Quantox even closer to long-term growth, sustainability and stability.

“Given Sandberg’s multiple investments in the IT sector, we see an increasingly strong push for digitalization across the economy. At the same time, we perceive a severe shortage of IT professionals that may be preventing companies from growing and achieving their strategic goals. The investment in Quantox reflects our long-term strategy of partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs in sectors that directly or indirectly help with the digital transformation of the economy,”

Michal Rybovič, Partner at Sandberg Capital.

Matej Klenovsky, Investment manager at Sandberg Capital, believes that Quantox and Sandberg share a similar growth mindset and have the same ambitions and perspectives for future achievements.

“Quantox, in addition to employing a large number of IT professionals and having a great ability to attract clients from various industries, is truly committed to the development of the local IT community. We believe that this company is more than ready for the next step and we are eager to follow them along the way, giving support through our experience, knowledge, and capital.“

Matej Klenovsky, Investment manager at Sandberg Capital

Both partners will be focused on strengthening Quantox’s business – establishing a local presence, expanding the spectrum of services to respond to clients’ demands from all parts of the world, and improving internal processes and organizational structure.

“We are extremely grateful for the trust and support of our new partners – this is a kind of confirmation for everything we have done so far, as well as the opportunity to be even better and grow together. Following the shared vision for Quantox, we strive for global expansion and adoption of new knowledge, skills, and experiences while preserving the values ​​and culture of the company itself”

Vuk Popović, founder of Quantox Technology

With 16 years of experience, Quantox is recognized as a reliable partner in the world of digital technologies. After three successful acquisitions in the last year, this is an important step and kind of “wind at our back” that will lead us closer to our vision – to grow in expertise, nurture people as the priority value and become one of the most trusted and efficient partners in the digital world.

Quantox was advised by Grubišič & Partners – Corporate Finance as financial advisor and Four Legal as legal advisor and Sandberg Capital was advised by ESFA as financial advisor, EY as financial & tax due diligence advisors, and BDK Advokati as their legal support.

A new digital era is at our doorstep. By supporting clients worldwide and developing IT potential in our region – we continue making ideas and vision possible!

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It’s the final curtain call for 2022 and, as 2023 is slowly approaching, it’s already clear that Data & AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies will play a major role for many businesses in the future. Companies around the globe have already switched their business model and, in some cases, mindset to the digital world and are now looking for ways to bridge the gaps they found in their digital experience. The best solution is now also the talk of the town- Data & AI technology.

With such a wide range of uses in business, from streamlining job processes and aggregating business data, AI is ready to take the two-dimensional technology and surround the consumers with a three-dimensional physical environment.

We probably already interact with AI on a daily basis without even realizing it. However, it is not the same AI most of us imagined, culturally influenced by decades of science-fiction books and movies. Instead, today’s AI can be something most people, especially younger generations, consider a norm, like ”Alexa”.

The idea of AI is not new, but it certainly took a long time to develop. AI technology came into existence in 1956, and it would take decades of developing the technology and systems to get what we have today. Now, Data & AI go hand-by-hand and are even applicable, soon to become invaluable, to any business if they want to ensure success and steady growth. With the potential to simplify the mundane work process and achieve breathtaking results, AI technologies are becoming necessary if you want to gain a competitive edge in any industry. What was once a theory is now a tangible business toll perpetuated by tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and IBM.

So, if you are a business owner looking for a way to transform your business, this article will help you learn about the benefits of Data & AI in business.

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

In order to fully understand how AI technologies can help a business, it’s essential to know what they are. There are many definitions of ”Artificial Intelligence.” Still, the broad term is that ”AI is any computer software that engages in human-like activities like learning, planning and problem-solving”. A bit vague, huh? It’s like saying your colleague is a ”human”- it’s technically correct but doesn’t specify anything. We must go beyond the basic definition and scramble through the details to learn more about different types of AI and where artificial intelligence is used.

Machine Learning

One of the most used AI technologies in business must be machine learning. Machine learning uses algorithms that process large amounts of data in an extraordinary short amount of time. Plus, those algorithms have the ability to ”learn” over time. The more data the algorithm processes, the more its modeling improves.

For example, you own a factory with all sorts of different machinery, and you need each and every one of those to work like a clock. This is where AI comes in. A large amount of data about the functionality and production of your machinery goes into a central location where, thanks to AI technology, a human worker is presented with real-time information about the condition of your machinery.

Such quantities of data and patterns are impossible for a human to sift through, and that’s why AI technology plays an important part. Machine learning can process all the data more rapidly, recognize the patterns and anomalies, and finally notify the decision-makers if maintenance or a repair is needed.

Deep Learning

The development of an interconnected web of artificial intelligence ”nodes” is also known as deep learning. It is a specific type of machine learning relying on neural networks to engage in nonlinear reasoning. Sounds confusing, right? So let’s try to simplify it.

There’s been a lot of hype around self-driving cars, and understandably so. The idea that a vehicle could make the right decisions in traffic as a human would is revolutionary, but thanks to deep learning, today it’s a reality. Self-driving cars use deep learning algorithms to process data collected from their sensors. Information like the distance from other objects and their speed, predictions of where those objects will be in 10 seconds- all that data helps self-driving cars decide when to change lanes. Moreover, deep learning models can improve with every bit of data they process.

Data & AI in Business Today

While the idea of AI was still fresh and developing, many feared that AI could and would replace humans and their job positions. Still, rather than taking over the world, AI today serves as a supporting tool for all of us.

AI technology still has some difficulties completing common-sense tasks in the real world, but what it can do is process data- and fast! By analyzing data faster, AI can also present us with every possible solution for our problem and the consequences of each action. This can help businesses streamline the decision-making process.

For decades, data collection has been a central business practice but impossible for any individual and company to use efficiently. Why? There’s simply not enough time to interpret all data. However, with AI-enabled applications and other digital tools, businesses can collect real-time data from an established database and learn about their consumers’ problems and preferences. Once they know that, they can easily increase efficiency, personalize their product or service, make informed decisions, and reduce costs. All this will eventually lead to increased revenue.

Common Uses of AI in Business

While there’s more room for AI to grow, as it inevitably will, today, we use artificial intelligence technology in the following ways.

• Machine learning: is often used in systems with a large amount of data. AI helps contextualize that data so the company’s decision-makers can understand energy usage or maintenance demands.
• Customer Relationship Management: CRM systems are rapidly changing with AI technology into a self-updating and auto-correcting system that helps businesses stay on top of their relationship management.
• Internet and Data research: AI has become irreplaceable when it comes to providing internet users with customizable experiences. Now, businesses of all sizes and types can easily target their specific audience without relying on the users’ search box. Thanks to AI, the right information is finding its way to the user now.
• Digital Personal Assistant: businesses can leverage Data & AI in many different ways, not just by transforming their services and customer relations. Artificial intelligence can help reorganize a company’s operations and streamline the workflow. Everything from emails, calendars, and work processes can be done with the help of AI personal assistant bots. So, by leaving smaller tasks to AI, employees, managers, and decision-makers can dedicate themselves to developing strategies that will increase revenue and boost company success.
• Cyber-security: AI serves as a 24/7 ”extra set of eyes” that monitors data input patterns, finds anomalies and threats, recognizes cyber-attacks, and backtracks to their source. It can also prevent future threats.

How Can AI Improve Business Processes?

Do you want to start using artificial intelligence technology in your organization but still don’t know which processes you can and should automate with AI? The latest Data & AI reports show that many industries that implemented this technology are already experiencing major growth in revenue just by automating a portion of their business processes. Well, let’s learn more about the stronger points of AI technology to know how a business can use artificial intelligence to their advantage.

Five Things AI is Just Better At

AI technology is a long way from surpassing human intelligence and has its limits, but there are some things where AI technology is a better solution. Easy to adopt and implement in any business practice, AI is very good at interpreting visual, text, and speech formats.

Visual

Many industries use visual tracking in order to increase productivity and efficiency. This is only possible with AI and its vision-trained capabilities that range from storing and captioning documents to supporting IoT (Internet of Things) sensor arrays.

In short, you can train AI technology to process, identify and search images using computer vision and later use it for things like tracking clinical workflow, automating inspections for a manufacturing process, or even monitoring store conditions.

Speech

So we are back to Alexa or Siri as an ultimate proof of just how much users and consumers love to be engaged. Customer engagement, in this case, excelled thanks to the AI technology converting speech to text and vice versa. You can also use this AI benefit for company staff training.

Knowledge

By mapping information, providing recommendations, and supporting semantic search, AI can be used to improve user experience and offer your consumers information they’ll actually find helpful.

Search

The profile of your everyday user has changed, and newer generations of consumers will be hard to satisfy and engage. Accuracy and search engine speed are the key to success. Still, they can only be achieved by using AI to enhance your search functionality while enabling it to use images, videos, web pages, and more to give your consumers exactly what they need.

Language

We’ve come a long way from communicating to technology in 0’s and 1’s, and today we can even hold a real, full-sentence conversation with it. Thanks to Natural Language Processing (NLP), businesses can integrate bots to chat with consumers. This type of AI technology can translate languages and even recognize sentiment, letting you know whether your consumers are satisfied or not.

How to Manage Data & AI in Business?

With great data comes great responsibility- this is something every business owner should know. You can quickly improve products and services with AI by using the data and increasing its value, but only if you manage and secure your information and protect your business, employees, and customers.

If you own a business that uses AI technology, you should have a comprehensive data management strategy for:

• access
• authentication
• creation
• privacy
• processing
• security
• storage

Cyber-criminals target other businesses’ information by looking for emails, addresses, phone, and account numbers. It is a significant concern of every business, regardless of the size or industry. AI technology can tackle a great deal of tasks related to security of any organization by fine-combining through all patterns and finding any anomaly within milliseconds.

5 Steps to Take Before Implementing Data & AI in Business

Using AI technology for business may be the next best thing, but you should still take steps before transforming your business with AI-based tools.

Step #1 Ask Important Questions

Using the latest AI technology trends can be beneficial for a business only if the right trend is picked and implemented. With that being said, don’t dabble in trends that offer little to no benefits to your business or industry. Instead, ensure that the AI technology is the best tool you can use for your specific industry, business size, and model. Ask yourself if AI can be used to boost your business, but also how you or your users can misuse it.

Step #2 Stay Human-Oriented

Remember that humans created AI technology and, as such, it is prone to mistakes. Dispose of the idea that you’ll create a mistake-free environment by replacing a human employee with AI technology. Always keep this in mind as you review the results your AI provides.

Step #3 Stay Unbiased

Believe it or not, human bias can affect the AI algorithm in many ways, so carefully choose the data set you’ll use as you create a training model. Also, ensure that the creator hasn’t unintentionally programmed their own bias into your AI.

Step #4 Explain Your AI

Your users or stakeholders will want to know the logic behind your AI and how it reached a particular conclusion. Explaining your AI’s decision-making process will help you maintain trust between you and all other parties.

Step #5 Use Data & AI Responsibly

Since AI technology can be quite a powerful tool, it mustn’t fall into the wrong hands. Responsible AI refers to frameworks that ensure businesses act transparently and ethically with AI technology. So ensure you can follow all government regulations regarding using AI technology before you even create an AI business strategy.

The Future of Data & AI

While we can’t predict the future, it is clear that Data & AI technology will become an even more integrated part of the workforce. With the potential to replace many human jobs, this technology can also lead to the specialization of employee skills. Where AI will take over data analysis, people will be required to cultivate qualitative skills like creativity and problem-solving.

With further technology development, we’re bound to see new business applications, consumer uses, and new startups emerging. The Internet of Things and Data & AI make a powerful combination that can easily change the economy. With so many benefits of artificial intelligence, those companies that utilize this technology in the right way can make it to the top in no time, completely turning the tables for themselves and their competition.

Start Your Data & AI Journey with Quantox Technology!

Quantox Technology ensures the best professionals in the field create your AI solutions. Our Data & AI experts have over a decade of experience building reliable AI applications engineered to scale your business and increase revenue. Discover the potential of AI technology and benefits of big data and how it can ensure long-term success for your business with Quantox Technology. Let’s Talk!

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Proud to announce that our team has received another reinforcement! We are introducing Marko Nikolić – the New Head of Finance at Quantox.

With many years of experience in various senior positions and expertise in the financial sector, Marko brings a unique set of skills. He is highly creative, innovative, and well-versed in the latest financial trends and strategies.

His passion for finance and enthusiasm for achieving results and high goals make him the perfect person for this position at Quantox. With his expertise in the financial sector, Marko will bring fresh ideas that will help the company develop and grow even more.

What are the expectations, and what is the biggest challenge in working in an international IT company like Quantox?

My primary expectation is to grow professionally together with the company. The biggest challenge of working in a large company like Quantox is coordinating activities with many colleagues from several countries.

In what way will your experience contribute to Quantox in further business?

My experience is complementary to colleagues from the finance sector. I expect that it will contribute to the realization of new initiatives, such as, for example, the implementation of the new budget.

The events of the last few years have led to sudden turbulence in the global market. We see them even today, and they are, to some extent, the cause of changes in how many IT companies work. In your opinion, which strategies of financial adaptation to such changes have given good results, and which could be applied in Quantox – bearing in mind the spread of the company over seven markets?

Quantox has a concrete and straightforward business model, and we should stick to it – “back to basics”!

This can be a competitive advantage in the current global financial trends and can be used in both cases – to expand in the markets where Quantox already operates and to win new ones.

How do digitization and accelerated development of technology affect the role and work of the financial sectors? Do methods and approaches change, and how?

In the Finance and Accounting sector, a sudden jump in the application of Business Intelligence tools for reporting to management and investors was noticeable in the previous years. As a result, CFO-s and their teams had to adapt and improve their reporting. Modern platforms and programs help them in these endeavors; technology is progressing and taking an important place, so constant adjustments are also needed in this sector.

Many factors influence decision-making, especially now. What are the biggest risks, and what are the biggest opportunities you currently see for Quantox’s business?

I believe that the current global situation on the market is simultaneously the biggest risk – it can lead to a decrease in demand for our services – but also the biggest opportunity to expand into new markets under more favorable conditions than before.

What is your main motivation and inspiration in business – what drives you again and again?

I like to innovate, propose and create new things, and constantly look for ways to improve and upgrade that creation.

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New Head of Managed IT Services opening new paths and opportunities for Quantox

Quantox is dedicated toward providing organizations with a solution for system monitoring and management that will help dispose of the break-fix approach. As a managed IT services provider, we aim to simplify IT management for other companies efficiently and affordably.

Dušan Milojević has the expertise and experience to make Quantox a leading managed IT services vendor in Europe, implement new IT technologies and build worldwide-applicable solutions with his team.

From Microsoft to Quantox – can you describe your career journey and what does it mean for you to further develop your expertise at Quantox?

I started from the university and Microsoft Academy, and then went through the positions of Consultant, Developer and Analyst. Right now my official role means leading three different teams for the implementation of various products. The biggest challenge for me to get the company as a leading vendor for managed services as Quantox is for custom development.

What are the goals of the managed IT services department and what do those goals bring to the overall business process of Quantox Technology?

The goals of the managed IT services department are to accumulate as much expertise and projects from various vendors like Microsoft, Salesforce, even IBM, and Oracle. The people in our department and their work are very strongly connected, no matter which team they depend on.

In the future, Quantox will expand its business areas and build solutions that can be implemented worldwide. So, the power this department gives to the company is being able to cover all needs that come from one customer. Custom development and managed services have a great tendency to work well together and bring new opportunities to each other.

After the first month at Quantox, what are your impressions?

I’m thrilled to be a part of Quantox. At the moment, I’m still trying to get all procedures lined up and getting to know the on-boarding team members while working with other colleagues on our first potential projects.

Why would a company need managed IT services and what parts of its environment would Quantox’s managed IT services department look after?

Companies in some sectors, like Fintech and Telco, use more than fifty systems in their daily business. All of those need to be integrated into one place, and that’s where we come in – we can fully cover all these processes with our team. Having a corporation as a client is a great opportunity that can lead us to long-term partnerships.

The IT industry is fast-paced and constantly evolving and at the moment we have many new technologies present at the scene. In your opinion, can those new technologies be implemented in the processes and what benefits would that bring?

Of course, we need to follow all new approaches and technologies. From the last conference in Munich, I’ve realized that we can integrate PowerApp with Business Central as an app that can be the solution for warehouse management with fewer costs instead of building the app by itself from scratch. We also plan to get RPA (robot process automation) part of the integration team and start working with machine learning. Quantox’s managed service department is pretty good at keeping up with the latest technology trends.

What do you think is the most interesting part of your job, and what are some of the biggest challenges Quantox managed IT services department may be faced with?

The most interesting things about working in Managed Services will be the projects and the possibility of having a proven team working for one of the biggest customers in their branches globally. However, the biggest challenge will be to put Quantox on the managed services market for this part of Europe which is our goal for the next two years.

What is your main drive, motivation, and inspiration in business – what drives you over and over again?

What drives me forward is having new opportunities on a daily level – new employees, technologies, countries, projects, and approaches. I also firmly believe that people can improve their skills only if they step out of their comfort zone, which is what my team and I are doing right now.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has always been wrapped in a veil of mystery, looked upon in pure awe or fear. Regardless of how much we all want flying cars, we also vividly remember the plot of the Terminator movies. However, whether we think the future of AI will be bright or bleak, it’s already here, and it’s promising to be a 5-star rated one.

AI technology is already playing such a big part in our day-to-day life. So much so that, during the worst case of pandemic a world has seen in the last century, AI technology was what kept many businesses afloat, changing their services, products, and strategies forever. It also gave those companies a considerable boost in revenue and led to cost reductions, making AI technology and implementation one of the leading business strategies in 2023.

There are thousands of surveys, case studies, and reports on the future of AI in the business world. From global to local reports, predictions, and industry-specific details, AI technology has been the ”talk of the town”. After all, the data and numbers never lie, and AI has proven to give magical business growth percentages every business owner would want.

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Most Important AI Business Statistics

• By 2027 the global AI market value is expected to reach more than $260 billion.
• AI could contribute more than $15 trillion by 2030 to the worldwide economy.
• As much as 37% of all businesses and companies have integrated AI into their processes.
• 9/10 of leading global firms investing in AI technologies.
• While AI will eliminate 85 million jobs by 2025, it will also create 97 million new ones.
• Today we have more than 3 billion voice assistants in use, but next year we’ll have 8 billion.
• By 2025, the AI industry will be earning around $126 billion annually.
• more than 67% of US citizens believe self-driving cars are safer.
• 25 countries worldwide are currently designing self-driving vehicles.
• The autonomous car industry could be worth more than $600 billion in the next five years.

Artificial Intelligence Business Usage

Companies worldwide use AI technology to automate some parts of the work or help their employees achieve better results. However, looking at AI across all industries, we notice that while some have everything to gain through AI, many sectors are still dipping their toes into AI and how it can be used to its fullest capacity.

• By 2030 AI will help boost the GDP of many local economies. China is expected to be the leading one with a gain of 26%.
• Startups that used AI received more than $7.4 billion in funding during the second quarter in 2019.
• According to Gartner’s 2020 report, more than 37% of businesses used AI technology in their workplace in 2019.
• There was $57.6 billion of spending on AI and cognitive systems in 2021 globally.
• From 2015 to 2019, the number of companies that implemented AI in business grew by 270%.
• 38% of healthcare providers use AI technology for diagnosis assistants.
• 52% of all telephone companies employ chatbots (AI technology).
• The public opinion about AI technology is turning positive, and now, more than 50% of consumers are agreeable with AI.
• More than two-thirds of consumers are agreeable with AI helping boost customer engagement.
• 26% of all consumers interact with AI on a daily basis.
• The Wearable AI market size is predicted to grow to $180 billion by 2025.
• One-third of commerce consumers prefer to interact with AI.
• More than 52% of consumers are doubtful about AI protecting their private information.
• 4/10 consumers trust that companies using AI are more careful about customer data.
• Netflix’s AI recommendation engine is worth $1 billion a year.

How Do Businesses Adopt Artificial Intelligence?

According to Forbes, 4 out of 5 companies are putting AI as top priority business strategy for their organizations. A staggering 83% of companies claim AI strategies they implemented are the reason behind their growth and success.. One of the most common ways companies use AI is through chatbots and automated emails, simplifying everyday business communication and saving time, and those are just some of the many benefits of AI implementation.

33% of organizations have started implementing AI technology in some capacity, while 25% have fully developed AI-enabled processes. As much as 21% of all companies already have a few strategies and concepts and are looking to scale, but only 14% have had concepts with limited success. A small percentage of organizations, 7%, don’t use AI but are interested and currently looking for a way AI can help increase their revenue and overall boost their organization’s success.

Analytics Insight reports that 80% of retail executives will adopt AI at some level by 2025. The majority of the executives say that in the next three years, their company will be using AI.

How To Leverage Data, Cloud, and Analytics in Business?

According to the PwC report, most companies that work with AI reported promising proof of concepts that are ready to scale. But some companies use AI in a more advanced way and are achieving incredible results like significant ROI.

What those companies are doing right is using data and AI not to solve only one problem but adopting AI for business transformation, enhancing decision-making, and modernizing systems and processes. According to the report, the holistic approach to AI implementation in business had the best results.

The holistic approach enables fast AI success, and leaders should be looking to invest in and manage data, AI, and the cloud as a whole. A Holy Trinity of AI, if you will, but taking on this approach will deliver more value at scale because it means data from inside and outside the organization is being analyzed constantly.

The Value of AI in Business

More than 44% of organization leaders think real AI value is realized in automation, increasing productivity. Next, as much as 41% of all leaders think AI solutions improve decision-making, while 40% of all executives believe AI helped them improve customer experience. Finally, products and services innovation values of AI were also one of the significant points for 40% of CEO and leaders.

Decision-Making with AI solutions

Business leaders know just how vital decision-making is, but how does AI help exactly? To make an informed decision, you’ll need a lot of information, do some fact-checking, calculate the risks, and do a prediction analysis. AI technology can simply analyze and process a lot more data than any human being.

For example, suppose you want to optimize pricing. In that case, AI can analyze historical data on margins, supplier costs, product sales, and customer satisfaction and then estimate possible solutions and scenarios. It can show you how your competitors may change their prices, make an analysis with the predictions of future economic events and enable better decision-making. And with the combination of edge computing AI can make that analysis and give you solutions at lightning speed.

More than 74% of leaders said AI is used to make technology decisions within their organization, and 62% said it is used for operations and maintenance. In comparison, 61% of leaders claim AI is used to boost customer experience.

How Can Companies Implement AI?

Start From The Back

Don’t start with data if you’re considering adopting a new AI model for your business. Instead, go backward and think about the outcome you want, then look for the data to back up your goals. Next, you need to consider other decision-makers using this model in the same way, where the model will fit in the decision-making process, cloud integration, monitoring, scaling, improvement, and finally, a retirement plan for the model. Make sure to learn more about the latest Data & AI trends and how they can help you navigate the change to a new business model.

Leave the Data to AI

Many companies have tons of messy, unstructured data, whether it’s documents, images, or videos. Just tell your AI what kind of data you need to achieve the desired result, and it will sort through all the mess before placing only the most vital data in front of the company’s decision-makers.

Focus First, Scale Later

Having a holistic approach to AI business implementation doesn’t mean you have to do everything simultaneously. Instead, start from the essential functions you want to simplify or automate within your organization, then scale up to other and more complex tasks.

AI Simulations in 2023

If there’s one thing all survey respondents (as much as 96%) agree on is their plan to use AI simulations in 2023. A compelling feature, AI simulation can provide detailed, real-time insight into a company’s real-time performance.

Just imagine creating a simulation of all suppliers, customers, competitors, weather, economics, and whatever variable you need and be able to predict supply chain pricing flow, both dynamics and disruptions. Now, you can plan a navigation strategy by knowing what will happen.

57% of leaders from the survey plan to use AI simulations for market conditions forecast, while 54% will use AI simulations to support financial, sales, and marketing planning.

AI simulations can also help hire and train employees, with almost two-fifths of surveyed companies already doing so. In addition, AI-powered simulations give room for better virtual recruiting, finding candidates worldwide, and managing and monitoring remote workers.

AI Labor Market Solutions

Labor market challenges are present in any industry, but 98% of companies believe AI can help overcome these challenges. In addition, many companies put great hopes in AI by automating their processes or reducing their hiring needs.

However, AI has its own labor market challenge: a lack of AI talent and a high cost of the existing AI talent. However, holistic AI companies know that AI initiatives increase revenue and are not paying much attention to the lack of AI talent. They know it’s money well-spent. As a result, those companies are 1.5 times more likely to leverage third-party vendors like managed services providers with a complete AI workforce.

Find Your Data & AI Talent in Quantox!

Quantox Technology Data & AI experts can help you adopt and leverage artificial intelligence and optimize many different work processes within your organization, by completing essential data gathering and analysis that can help streamline your operations and enhance your business’s profitability. Let’s Talk

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Although AI technology is not new, it’s beginning to have a significant impact as businesses realize the potential and the possibilities new Data & AI trends offer. With AI today, companies can transform and create new opportunities in almost every industry.

“If you want to think of a new thing, the new thing that is going to be most attractive is going to be something that you can do with scaled AI,” said Whit Andrews, vice president, and an analyst at Gartner Research. However, not many know that behind the magic of scaled AI is a significant amount of data being processed and labeled. Therefore, it’s imperative that companies realize their data needs to be in order before they see what scaled AI is capable of.

Now, in 2022, we’ve seen AI trends emerging, promising scalability to any business, regardless of size, type or industry and those trends are going to be even more popular in 2023. So what are those AI technology trends, and how can they impact companies and their digital transformation efforts? Let’s find out!

#1 Large Language Models

Language Models are AI models that rely on machine learning to, in simple terms, learn how to speak our language. These models determine how sentences, phrases, or even paragraphs are related by processing a considerable amount of text and building a model. That model understands how we, as humans, use language and copies our semantic techniques to output a more human-like interaction.

AI language models have come a long way from being fine-tuned by us. Today, your AI can learn and solve a new problem in only a few training examples. In the business world, this means that the cost of artificial intelligence is now reduced, and it’s easier and more affordable to automate many business processes.

#2 Natural Language Processing

Not only is AI able to copy our way of communicating, but it’s also able to understand what we are saying. NLP or natural language processing is the “ability for a computer to understand the meaning of text or speech.” Do the names Siri, Alexa, and Cortana sound familiar? That’s precisely what NLP does- it creates technologies that can understand what people say and then make appropriate actions and give the right responses. Now just think about all the ways one company’s internal NLP-based AI can assist all employees and scale business operations.

Not only is AI able to copy our way of communicating, but it’s also able to understand what we are

#3 Generative Artificial Intelligence

We can consider Generative AI to be a whole different branch of AI, like that one cousin we all have that’s exceptionally good at arts. As the name says, Generative AI generates content like images, converts text to images, makes music, and writes the text. It is a strategic AI technology for 2022 and 2023 , according to Gartner. And while making music and generating images doesn’t sound like important work for any business, think about the application Generative AI can have in marketing. To be able to generate human-like grammatically correct text relevant to the topic and give it a compelling visual with only AI can easily change the flow of the digital marketing industry.

#4 Reinforcement Learning

Do you need a way to successfully use AI in robotics, games, data science, and finance? Then you need artificial intelligence focused on decision-making and reward-based training. Reinforcement learning is the keyword here since this branch of AI learns from the environment and then adjusts its behavior to maximize rewards. In other words- it goes by the ‘trial and error’ principle, learns from its mistakes, and does better the next time. Just like humans do!

Only AI won’t fall into the trap of making the same mistake again. If Reinforcement AI comes across a situation it has already “learned,” it will always pick the best outcome and the one that achieves its goals. It’s easy to understand why business owners are most excited about this AI trend seeing the possibilities it can have in boosting any business.

#5 Multimodal Learning

Multimodal learning helps the system learn more about our world, extracting the data needed from images, text, speech, sound, and video. Things we, as humans, instinctively know because of a little thing called commonsense.

“Common sense is the dark matter of artificial intelligence,” said Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, when talking about AI having zero common sense. And until now, AI didn’t know how to grow its own common sense in the same way we humans – through a combination of visual, linguistic, and sensory cues.

Enter Multimodal AI systems. Finally, artificial intelligence can address the lack of commonsense knowledge with these types of systems. For example, the concept of apple for AI includes vision-related information- color, shape, size, and sometimes even texture. But Multimodal AI systems will be able to know that green apples are also more bitter than red apples, that apples can be used to make apple pie, and the reason why apples are considered a sign of appreciation. So, in short, Multimodal AI systems can ”see the bigger picture”.In business, multimodal AI systems can serve as a good tool in digital marketing by recognizing the images and generating automatic descriptions or detecting false news by verifying, understanding, and cross-referencing one text with billions of others.

#6 AI Virtual Reality

The dawn of the virtual world is rising, and it’s all thanks to AI technology. The creation of an online environment is no longer a science-fiction thing but is almost guaranteed in the near future. At the core of virtual and augmented reality are different branches of AI technology trying to solve problems like creating realistic holograms to shape the virtual world. There are many benefits to Data & AI for a business, and Virtual Reality trend is probably the most exciting way to explore most of those benefits.

“Only recently, with the emerging machine intelligence innovations, have we had access to the powerful tools and capabilities to make use of the advances in computer technology,” said Yifan Peng, a researcher at Stanford Computational Imaging Lab.

It goes without saying that pairing AI technology with some of the most popular software development trends like AR and VR can open a whole new world of possibilities for companies. The ways businesses connect and interact with their users can change completely, and those businesses that try it first now will also be first on top.

#7 Computer Vision Technology

A recent Gartner poll showed that companies worldwide are expected to spend more than $670,000 over the next two years just to get their hands on machine vision technology.

This type of AI enables machines to interpret pictures and videos, with algorithms capable of identifying and categorizing items. It’s primarily used in self-driving vehicles, healthcare, manufacturing, farming, and agriculture.

Automated Artificial Intelligence tools will be a way for many businesses to overcome the skill shortage and cut costs. Unfortunately, data scientists are few and far between, and not every company can afford to hire one. So, to generate value from their data, many businesses will use AI-powered tools to analyze data streams, generate ML models and find actionable insights. This will help companies increase revenues, enhance operations and optimize their costs.

How Data & AI Will Shape Business Growth In 2023

As we near the end of 2022, we can say that this year was where companies learned about the power of AI and how to leverage data & AI to spur business growth. Many reports show that implementing Data & AI in certain industries, even if you automate a portion of your daily business processes, can result in a staggering revenue increase. The development of digital services was the primary strategy for surviving the pandemic, but now business’ digital transformation is playing offense with AI-powered solutions.

Many companies have already made investments in AI innovations that are developing and refining at an incredible speed, already creating trends and changing industries. Read on and see how Data & AI shaped business growth in 2022 and will continue in 2023.

• HOLISTIC PLATFORMS REIGN

Most businesses have collected data to solve a specific problem in the past. However, 2021 and 2022 marked the years of consolidations through acquisitions and mergers, which will continue in 2023. Therefore, if enterprises use point solutions, it can lead to conflicting information across all departments.
Machine learning and AI are the way to create holistic DEA (Digital Experience Analytics) solutions that will analyze a large amount of customer data and give a more comprehensive picture of user experience, thus impact organizational efficiency.

• DATA DEMOCRATIZATION

With a shift to a data-driven decision-making mindset in most companies, the data collected needed to be accessible to more people. So, in 2022, data was democratized within an organization, with leaders and departments able to access data, increasing transparency.

The focus on data will lead to a greater need for AI-powered tools, with a particular emphasis on the quality of data and data tracking.

• PRIVACY CHANGES

Many businesses have already adopted Responsible AI solutions, but not all. With the new government rules and regulations regarding data collection and privacy, companies will have to balance being compliant and giving their users control over their data.

In 2022 companies had to find a way to accommodate the regulations and their customers’ desire to be able to control how their data is being used while still having a hyper-personal digital platform experience. Responsible AI solutions are, at the moment, a perfect tool that allows for both and further helps companies make fairness and transparency become consistent practices.

• DATA & AI IT TALENT

Businesses that want to implement automation to increase productivity need to know that automation can be overwhelming. Leaders should start small in order to scale efforts successfully but to do that, they need great data IT talent.
Due to a talent shortage and Data specialists, having an in-house data scientist is no easy feat. The solutions come in the shape of companies that offer services of creating AI solutions tailored for each business.

• SAFER ROADS

There’s a theory that AI is replacing humans and, one day, we will perish because of it, but no one is talking about the dark side of human beings and how AI can help us make this world safer from….well, us. For example, safer from an individual’s uncontrollable desire to operate a vehicle while under the influence. Or perhaps safer from the misfortune of having a drowsy truck driver falling asleep at the wheel because the economic situation caused him to take on more working hours.

These are all possible scenarios happening daily worldwide, often ending up terribly and counting many fatalities. But AI technology can help us, humans, stop taking unnecessary risks by taking a ride with us and keeping us safe.

AI-enabled cameras and sensors built into commercial or personal vehicles can prevent a person from drunk driving by measuring moisture content on the drivers’ hands via sensors located on the wheel. AI can also save drivers from carbon-monoxide poisoning by gaining data through an air quality monitoring system and executing an automated window opening. Such AI-powered systems are needed in order to make professions like trucking safer and more appealing, which would be a great way of solving the current driver shortage.

Implement the Latest Data & AI trends with Quantox Technology!

Connect with some of the best Data & AI specialists in the IT industry here at Quantox Technology – a place where AI innovations are born! From computer vision to natural language processing, we use cutting-edge technology to build reliable AI applications tailored to your industry and a way to scale your business and boost revenue. Want to implement AI in your business? Let’s Talk!

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The rise of mobile apps began when businesses realized they could use mobile apps to boost their revenue by reaching their consumers easier. Now more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon of leveraging mobile apps for business and earning a great deal of profit through the mobile medium. Whether they’re developing in-house applications or hiring a mobile app development company, they all want the possibilities and opportunities which come with having a business mobile app.

Knowing why investing in a mobile app is a smart business move in 2022 is the first step to success. Still, once we go deeper into mobile app development, we uncover other important factors that can lead to either success or downfall. One of those factors is knowing which mobile app development tool to use that will fit the budget and the app's specifications perfectly.

What is App Development Tools, and How Do They Work?

If a mobile app is a painting and the developer is a painter, then mobile application development tools are the brushes. There are many of them, and their usage comes down to the app's requirements but also the developer's personal preferences.

Mobile app development tools are the software used by the developer to build innovative, secure, and scalable applications. These tools will give all the resources to the developer in order for them to build an app that integrates with the device's hardware as well as any other business feature that can lead to high-quality results.

The Best App Development Tools You Can Use in 2022.

Sketching the business mobile app idea is a great way to simplify mobile app development. Having all features, goals, and designs ''on paper'' allows developers to clarify their tasks and goals while building your app and which app development platform they need to build for. Once you have sketched your idea, the developer can go on and choose the best app development tool and platform to make that idea come to life.

Many great mobile app dev tools can help them with this job:

Open-Source

• Framework 7- offers both iOS and Android support, and it can help create an app that has an iOS feel for Android. In addition, it's easy to understand for those who already have excellent knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The most notable features are Material Design UI, custom DOM library, native scrolling, and XHR caching and preloading.

• Ionic- based on the Sass CSS language and cross-platform. It can be used to build advanced apps because it can be integrated with AngularJS. Ionic has a library of mobile-optimized HTML, CSS, and JS CSS components and tools and works with predefined components.

Cross-platform & Hybrid

• BuildFire- high-performance, DIY mobile app builder that supports iOS and Android phones and tablets. It has over 45 pre-built plugins, features, a direct integration to Segment, Smooch, and others, and pre-existing templates. With BuildFire, you can launch your mobile app in 30 minutes. In addition, the building of the app is free, while launching costs only $20 per month.

• Mobile Angular UI- allows you to build HTML5 mobile apps with Bootstrap and Angular JS. It also provides overlays, sideboards, switches, scrollable areas, and bottom navbars for an easy mobile to desktop transition.

• Xojo- app development tool for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, x86 Linux, iOS, Raspberry Pi, and the web. It allows developers to create native apps while providing Xojo Cloud for easy maintenance-free web app hosting.

• Corona Labs- supports all platforms, and while being specially made for building 2D graphic games and educational apps, it can be used for developing other 2D apps.
• Jotform Apps- has over 300 app templates that are very easy to customize and manage. With this drag-and-drop builder, you can add anything you want- forms, external links, widgets, and images. It is the best app builder for small businesses, HR departments, restaurants, and healthcare providers.

• Unity- it is one of the most popular game development platforms you can use to build high-quality 3D and 2D games. You can even use Unity to build AR and VR apps, the industry’s latest development trends, in no time and deploy them across multiple platforms.

• Xamarin- is a Microsoft-owned software company with a C# codebase you can use to develop iOS, Android, and Windows apps. It allows code sharing on multiple platforms and has a cloud service that you can use to test the app on an unlimited number of mobile devices.

• Appcelerator- uses JavaScript to create native code. It also offers over 5,000 APIs for Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry, and HTML5. Appcelerator is not the easiest tool to learn but has loads of features.

• React Native- open-source framework from Facebook with a ''learn once, write everywhere' mantra using JavaScript as its main code. It allows quick prototyping and high initial velocity while being easy to learn and implement with any feature you can think of.

The best mobile app development tools for Android are Android Studio, Eclipse, ItelliJIDEA, and Corona Labs.

No-coding needed mobile app development tools are BuildFire and EachScape.

The best Windows mobile app development tools are Xamarin and Corona Labs.

Disadvantages of Using an App Builder Tools

By using an app builder tool, developers can build a solid working mobile application in a short amount of time. Presenting a business app before your competition may have its perks. Still, rather than that, you'll want to submit a mobile business app that works perfectly and offers a great user experience to your consumers.

Here's why using an app builder tool can sometimes put you at a disadvantage:

1. Limited Design

When you use an app builder, you limit your mobile app in terms of design. There are only that many templates you can use to create your app, and most of them are alike, which little to no editing possibilities. If your business mobile app needs to be unique, an app builder will not give you the design you need to stand out.

2. No structure or code editing

Because most app builders use made-ready templates and features, it's hard to change or add a new feature to the app builder. So if your app needs a unique, never-seen-before feature, the app builder will not allow you to create it or code it. Furthermore, you may have access to a smaller pool of templates and features if you choose the basic subscription plan.

3. Additional Charges

Do you need a feature for your mobile app but don't have access to it? You probably missed out on paying the ''premium'' or ''pro'' subscription plan. The more you spend, the more the app builder will give you. Not to mention, subscription fees are not a pay-once expense but an ongoing expense that may as well amount to quite a lot.

Hire Quantox to Build Your Application - Stay Competitive, Save Time and Money

Quantox has been successfully working in the software development field for many years, during which we have accumulated the knowledge of what it takes to create exceptional web and mobile applications for small businesses and large enterprises. As your partner, we will work on the project focusing on your business' needs, as our expert developers turn your idea into an effective mobile solution that will save you time and money and help you dominate your market. Do you need a mobile application for your business? Let's Talk!

DISCLAIMER: 

All products and company names are trademarks™ or registered ® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. In addition, any product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks or images featured or referred to within the article are the property of their respective trademark holders.

These trademark holders are not affiliated with Quantox Technology, our products, or our websites. They do not sponsor or endorse Quantox Technology or any of our products.

Why Investing in An App Is A Smart Business Move in 2022?

As consumer behavior keeps changing, now more than ever, businesses need to adapt their strategies to ''find'' their target audience. Unlike before, consumers are no longer interested in hanging around business centers in large cities or searching for their products ''by foot''. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the matter, and many businesses with physical locations became unreachable due to frequent lock-downs. So, where can companies find their customers? The answer, of course, is- online.

The nature and the potential of mobile phones are slowly reshaping how business is being done. As a result, the leading companies in the industry have taken on a mobile-first approach to creating effective business strategies. One of the critical points of such a strategy is the mobile app strategy. Still, many other companies have yet to embrace mobile apps, relying on mobile web to help them increase traffic. 

On the other hand, mobile apps have shown to be an invaluable asset that helps grow customer relationships and increase customer retention. So, while not being an all-around solution to business success, mobile apps have much to offer.

Why Invest in Business App Development?

How Can an App Help You Reach More Customers?

If a business wants to stay afloat in today's world, they need to find a way to reach as many of its consumers as it can. To reach those consumers, they need to think like them and put themselves in the client's shoes. Only once they do they realize that most of their target audience doesn't have time to sit in front of the computer and browse the whole day. Their consumers are busy and have but a bit of time to search for things of their interest. However, what almost all consumers around the world have in common, regardless of the industry, is the presence of a mobile phone.

Mobile phone and mobile app usage grew to the point where search engines like Google decided to use mobile-first indexing when ranking websites. In simple terms, those websites that are optimized for mobile search are ranked better. Doing business with a mobile-first approach is catering to the consumers' needs, which means a superior customer experience.

The Benefits of an App for Customer Engagement

When it comes to customer engagement, businesses have a tough job at their hands. The latest app development trends allow businesses to reach out to more customers, but how do businesses make their consumers stick around? 

Today's business environment is hyper-competitive and is exceptionally inventive when it comes to making the buying process as streamlined as possible. In other words, customers are willing to buy products, goods, or services as long as it's not too much of a hassle and doesn't take much of their time.

That's where mobile apps come in, making almost two-step buying processes, automating routine tasks, and giving new possibilities to consumers and businesses every day. 

Catering to Customer Preferences

The irony of mobile usage is that the more we develop mobile phones, the less the users are inclined to use them for calling other people. Instead, today they prefer to manage their life with just a few clicks. Take Domino's Pizza, for example- their new delivery mobile app in the UK increases their e-commerce sales by 24.4%, with more than half of the orders coming through the app. With more than 10 million downloads, their mobile app proved they understand how their customers think.

Push and Pull Notifications

''Out of sight, out of mind'' is the adage, but that's why push and in-app notifications are here for. Such notifications, provided they contain relevant and valuable content, can bring a customer back to the app they forgot they even have on their phones. Moreover, notifications that can catch a consumer's attention can also make them respond to any marketing offer, thus leading to more sales.

Location-based Content

A good business marketer knows you can never cater to your consumers' needs too much. That's why the best marketers leverage geofencing technology to send location-specific, timely, data-driven, and contextual content to their users. This type of beacon can be used to send location-based offers, promote loyalty programs, and even offer mobile-based payments in the area to your consumers.

Rewards and Loyalty Programs

Consumers love rewards, and the better the program and incentive, the more loyal consumers are to the brand. In addition, the mobile app allows businesses to present loyalty programs to their consumers more efficiently and transparently. Through an app, consumers can easily access the points they've collected, how to add them up and where they can use them.

The Power of Analytics

The biggest leverage mobile apps bring to the table is knowing your consumers inside out. Valuable data collected through apps can help companies understand the customer better. For example, they can fine-comb their browsing history to find what consumers need, what problems they need solving, and what their technological preferences are. Later on, businesses can use information from data and create special offers for their consumers which will target their needs and requirements perfectly.

The Different Types of Apps You Can Develop for Your Business

There are three main types of mobile apps businesses can choose from and see which one is more suitable for their brand:

Progressive Web Application

PWA is a software app that will install on your system. It's a sort of web app but looks similar to mobile apps. The main difference between mobile and web apps is that web apps need internet connectivity to run. PWA can work both online and offline, and that's where the similarity to mobile apps comes from.

Examples: BookMyShow, Pinterest...

Native Mobile App

Native Mobile apps need to be downloaded from Google Play Store (Android) and App Store(iOS). These types of applications are developed specifically for a specific type of device. For example, photos can be uploaded directly from a device to the mobile Instagram application, but the same is not possible on the Instagram Web app.

Examples: Instagram, Twitter, Google Maps, Skype, etc.

Hybrid Mobile App

If you want to build a mobile app that combines the features of Native app development and PWA in one platform, hybrid apps are the best route to take. 

Examples: Facebook, Amazon, etc.

Mobile Apps vs. Web Apps - Which is the Better Option?

Whether a business should build a mobile app or a web app depends on its specifications. Companies need to think about the features they believe are most important, the company's goals, and the app's main function. A web app is the best way to go for businesses that need an interactive resource for additional information. Native mobile apps are better suited for those who need access to the device's camera or GPS. So, to create a perfect app, you need to know all about app development platforms and which one you’ll be using to build your app. Choosing the right app development platform may expedite the app development process.

Here are the pros and cons of mobile and web apps to help you determine which one is the better option.

Mobile Apps

Pros: Mobile apps are faster than web apps and have great functionality because they have access to system resources. They are also safe and secure, needing approval from the app store. In addition, they can work offline and are easier to build by using great app development tools and SDKs.

Cons: They are more expensive to develop because they are platform-specific. That means a version needs to be built for every platform, meaning programmers and developers need to make a new code for each version. This also means maintenance and updates are costly, and some native apps may have difficulties being approved by the app store.

Web Apps

Pros: Unlike mobile apps, you don't have to write the code twice to make web apps. They tend to be built using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5. There's also no standard software development kit, and developers have access to templates. So the development process is easier and quicker. 

Cons: Web apps are much slower than mobile apps and have fewer features. On top of it, they don't work offline. And because they don't need to be approved by an app store, their quality and security are not that great.

What to Consider When Planning Your Business App?

Several vital aspects in a mobile app planning stage need to be planned out to perfection for the app to reach its full potential. Take a look at the most important things to consider when planning your business app.

Define a concept

Your business app needs to help people, i.e., your consumers, solve a real problem. What are the benefits of your app? Is it going to make their lives easier? To get you started, here are some questions you can use at this stage:

• What is the app's purpose?
• What do we want to achieve with the app?
• How will it engage consumers?
• What are its core features?
• Are my client's going to see the app as useful?

Understand your Consumers

Learn as much as you can about your consumers and their needs, goals, and technological preferences. Consider the following:

• Who are my users?
• What type of problems are they faced with?
• How are they solving a problem I am trying to solve with an app?
• Which platforms do they use?
• Which devices do they use?

You can also connect with your users by asking questions on forums or working with a focus group.

Do the Market Research

It's always good to check on what your competitors are doing. Take a look at the apps similar to the one you are trying to make and ask yourself:

• What are these apps like?
• Do they solve the user problems?
• How do they engage users?
• How do they communicate with users?

Establish App Goals

Mobile app development includes planning to prevent feature creep and help with important business or technicals you'll need to make. But regardless of the goals, you set for your business app, the most important thing is to know them early and work towards them from phase 1.

Determine the Value

Your app has to have a unique value for your clients to consider downloading and using the app. Whether it's access to some features or a low-cost service, you can satisfy your consumers' needs and your business with an app.

App Development Process - The challenges of developing an application

Irrespective of the app concept, design, and marketing plan, mobile app development has many other challenges related to the app development itself. So even with the best laid-out plans, developers need to overcome many hurdles to create a high-quality mobile app. This is something businesses need to know and keep in mind for them to set realistic goals and timelines.

• Standing Out From the Crowd: Creating an app that will stand out is tough these days with so many great apps available on app stores. However, businesses that strive toward creating world-class mobile apps need to develop an app that includes functional features, intuitive design, and graphics to boost the user experience.

• Responsive: A great business mobile app needs to work like a clock on all platforms. This means that developers need to adopt responsive design throughout the whole app development process.

• Battery performance and consumption: No matter how great the app is, users will choose not to use it if it costs them valuable battery percentages. Large battery consumption and low performance can cause other issues in the mobile application testing phase.

• Choosing the right technology: Whether it's a native, hybrid, or cross-platform application, a great mobile app needs to be adaptable and versatile, bespoke to its user with a design that will keep them engaged.

• Security: To prevent the disintegration of both software and hardware, the mobile app needs to be free from malware issues.

• Hiring the right developer: Businesses can choose to hire in-house developers, freelancers, or app development agencies. However, the first two come with a few drawbacks. Building an in-house development team can take several months and can be costly while freelancing developers are hard to keep track of, especially if they are working in a different time zone. Also, there’s more focus on the building of the app itself, while the design, something users appreciate the most, may suffer. Many businesses rely on a mobile app development company to handle their projects. App development agencies usually provide end-to-end services, meaning they will be running your project from idea to launch while also managing each task in-between. Businesses can even get advice and help with their digital strategies from an app development company. However, businesses should only work with app development agencies that are willing to sign a service agreement to protect their intellectual property and determine the app's ownership. For that reason, it's essential to know how to hire the right app development company that you can trust.

How Quantox Can Help Your Business with App Services?

With more than 15 years of experience working in mobile app development, Quantox Technology proved its expertise in developing apps never seen before on the market. Our team includes mobile app developers but also sales and marketing specialists with the knowledge of managing the mobile app development process from the initial idea to final market placement. With 13 offices in 7 countries and more than 500 dedicated professionals, we've joined forces to create next-generation digital products. Do you need a business mobile application? Let's Talk!

DISCLAIMER: 

All products and company names are trademarks™ or registered ® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. In addition, any product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks or images featured or referred to within the article are the property of their respective trademark holders.

These trademark holders are not affiliated with Quantox Technology, our products, or our websites. They do not sponsor or endorse Quantox Technology or any of our products.

In 2022 mobile applications are on the rise, and many business owners are slowly discovering the benefits of having a mobile app. Still, the mobile app development process can be pretty complex and even more complicated for those with no prior app development knowledge.

So, in order to fully leverage the power of mobile apps for business, business owners should first learn more about the app development platforms that will help them build an app bespoke to their business profile and goals.  Mobile app development platforms will allow you to build your application fast, explore all the benefits of having one, and finally make you understand why investing in an app is a smart business move in 2022. 

But first-What is an app development platform? What are the benefits of app development platforms? Read more and find out all the answers.

What Is An App Development Platform?

When it comes to building a mobile app, there’s no getting around MADPs- mobile application development platforms. These platforms are actually software that allows businesses to build, test, and sometimes even deploy mobile apps. It is a collection of app development tools, services, and technologies that enables business owners to design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain their mobile apps across different platforms, networks, and devices. That’s why MADPs are also referred to as cross-platform mobile app development.

Mobile application development is complex because an app has to be compatible with all devices and mobile platforms to gain success. So, designing one app sometimes includes creating many codebases to ensure that compatibility. However, developers have to maintain only one codebase with a mobile application development platform, making MADPs a great high-tech-low-cost solution for many businesses. 

The Benefits Of Using A Mobile App Platform

According to the newest research, as much as 42% of developers worldwide are using some type of cross-platform or framework to develop applications. The reason is apparent- it makes their job so much easier by having to write just one code instead of a code for each device, platform, or network. 

However, business owners should know that app development platforms have other benefits that directly impact their brand's relationship with its user.

Here are the main benefits of app development platforms for businesses:

1. Helps Your Brand Stay Consistent

Keeping your business application consistent across all platforms will make your consumers' life more manageable. Instead of being greeted with a new user interface every time they switch devices, they'll be welcomed to an environment they're already familiar with. Mobile app development platforms can help you stay consistent with the UI and UX of your business application.

2. You can Market Faster

Since there's no need for developers to create a different application for each platform, they can quickly build and publish your business app and market them on app stores simultaneously. In terms of business, this means you can reach all your potential customers and consumers at once, be they Android, iOS, or Windows users.

3. Easy Implementation

One of the features most application development platforms have is the ability to convert any type of code into a different one. That means that a developer can write the code in HTML and later convert it to other platforms. In terms of business, this lowers the cost of building a mobile application. Instead of hiring a full-stack developer, you only need a developer proficient in one programming language.

4. MADP Makes Maintenance Easier

The mobile industry is forever evolving and constantly updating, so bugs are inevitable in making the mobile application run perfectly. However, multiple codes mean bugs and fixes become a hassle, and managing a business application for all devices and platforms becomes very difficult.

Mobile application development platforms allow you to fix bugs on just one codebase and make instant improvements for all devices. You also won't have to run as many tests, and the deployment will be quick and easy, making the support part streamlined and hassle-free.

What Is The Best Mobile App Development Platform?

The three types of mobile app development platforms- Native, Hybrid, and Mobile Web- can all be used to build a successful business mobile app that will attract consumers and increase revenue. However, knowing which one to use is a different matter entirely. Depending on the type of business, products, target audience, and budget, business owners should carefully select the platform with the most potential to ensure success.

Native Mobile Apps

Native mobile apps are built for a specific mobile platform, like Android and iOS. The developers building native mobile applications usually use Objective-C or Swift for iOS and Java for Android to build the app's code.

When To Use It: 

• If you are making an operating system-specific business app, building native apps will utilize the device's hardware like GPS, Bluetooth, or Camera better. 
• Gaming apps are also better when made native because those apps will have the best performance, thus providing the best user experience.

When Not To Use It:

• If you're developing a cross-platform app, bear in mind that you'll have trouble finding one developer who knows many different programming languages. Even if you do, expect their rates to be higher than most and considerably affect your budget.
• Furthermore, native apps require APIs to control the content, so you'll need to have a technician on board skilled at developing APIs. Be warned that developing API is troublesome and costly.
• You'll probably want to stay away from building native mobile apps if you're on a tight budget but want to build a cross-platform mobile app. Native mobile development and maintenance are both very costly.
• If you are developing a blog mobile app or news site, you won't get much out of a native mobile app. The native mobile app leverages the device's capabilities like camera features or gesture to increase user experience. If the only thing your mobile app is offering is information and content, there's no need for you to create a native app.

Hybrid Mobile Apps

One part native, one part web- hybrid apps are web content in the form of a local repository. The code is usually written in web languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

When To Use It:

• If you are creating a cross-platform business mobile app, hybrid apps may be your best choice. This is because they can be ported to multiple platforms and save considerable time and money while doing so.
• When your mobile app development budget is on the low side, it's good to build a hybrid app because it doesn't require resources with specific programming requirements. By using third-party libraries, the native code can be wrapped over the existing layer making development affordable while still getting the benefits of reaching more users.
• If your app requires it, the hybrid will give you many opportunities for monetization for in-app purchases and advertising.
• Hybrid mobile apps are easy to build now there are so many great tools with cloud IDE, CLI, debugger, and remote online building tool all in one.

When Not To Use It:

• If your business app requires you to alter the platform's hardware features, hybrid may not be the best solution for you. Changing the code may result in getting rid of some features to make your app work, and you'll never be sure if those changes will only cause more bugs or not.
• Do you want a fast mobile app? Well, then, you should reconsider making a hybrid mobile app. Unfortunately, hybrid mobile app rendering may include some additional time lag so the data is not processed as fast as it is in native data, which gives hybrid apps only moderate performance.

Mobile Web Apps

Mobile web apps are not really applications but more like a website with functions similar to a native app. They run through the web browser, but they are designed for a mobile app by single-time coding.

When To Use It:

• Only one code is needed to make a Mobile Web Application before you deploy it to multiple platforms at the same time. They are an excellent choice for multi-platform usage.
• Also, if your mobile application offers more content than functions, like, for example, a news app, a mobile web app would be the best pick for you.
• And because your web apps are not bound by app stores, there are no rules when it comes to mobile web app development. This gives your app the benefit of introducing web app updates quickly, with your users seeing them within the app instantly. 

When Not to Use Them

• Suppose you are developing a business app that requires high-quality graphics or low latency for something like online gaming, online trading, and VOIP services. In that case, you're not going to get the level of performance you need with a mobile web app. That's because the mobile web depends on the internet speed.
• The drawback of mobile web apps is that they should be developed across different devices and fit the content to any resolution. In addition, the added coding increases the overall mobile app dev expenses.
• Finally, mobile web apps can offer only a subscription-based monetization model and have little to no monetary benefits.

As you can see there’s no one perfect application development platform and by using the correct one you’ll be able to build an app that not only caters to the users, but also fits your business goal, model, and budgeting. So, before you dive deeper into mobile app platforms, make sure to determine the target audience of the app and what you want to achieve with your business mobile app. Furthermore, make sure you check out all the top trends in app development like 5G and VR because they may impact which type of mobile app you need to build. 

What Are The Drawbacks Of Using An App Development Platform?

As the title says, while there’s ‘’the Good’’, there’s also ‘’The Bad’’ and ‘’The Ugly’’ of the mobile app development platforms. The drawbacks are something business owners must learn about in order to avoid spending more money than necessary, but also ensure a hassle-free mobile applications dev process. 

There are several drawbacks to using MADPs and creating a cross-platform app:

• Low Functionality and Performance

Since cross-platforms are not built for just one specific platform, you may not be able to leverage the functionalities of all smartphones to their fullest potential. For example, developers could be having a hard time trying to make use of the different devices' cameras and microphones. 

Also, native apps use at least half less CPU power than any corresponding cross-platform app. The same goes for memory usage- native apps are far less demanding on the hardware. And on top of it all, these types of applications require an additional layer of rendering which often impacts the speed and overall performance of the app.

Moreover, when you build an app with a cross-platform framework, the more complex apps are at a higher risk of issues running on one of the platforms. Cross-platform frameworks also have delayed access to the latest Android and iOS updates. In order to bypass the bugs and errors, you need to have high-quality code at the base of the development and proper testing.

• Limited Customization Options

Cross-platforms aren't as flexible in UX components as native mobile apps. In other words, cross-platform apps are limited in terms of layout, and this can badly impact the user experience.

• Inefficient code

The main advantage of MADPs can also become its major flaw- almost every developer can use them to create a mobile application for a business. However, this risks developing inefficient code, which, when translated for other platforms, just doesn't perform well.

For business owners having a mobile business app that doesn't work could mean losing money instead of earning. In addition, having an in-house app development team can cost thousands, and freelancing developers are sometimes hard to reach and manage.

Knowing how to hire the right app development company you can trust can be your saving grace. App development companies can offer much more than having a developer build your app through MADP. With such a company, your mobile app idea can be developed to the fullest because most of these companies offer more than just their developers. Besides building an efficient code, they also provide market analysis, marketing strategies, and target audience research. They can help you determine your mobile app's goals and milestones while coming up with a user-friendly interface, impeccable design, and ensuring your application includes all necessary features. 

Why You Should Hire Quantox to Make Your App Idea A Reality?

To its clients, Quantox provides more than just mobile business applications. We give our clients a choice to take advantage of all the benefits of having an app that will improve their brand's performance. By taking on a cumbersome development process, writing immaculate code, and creating efficient mobile applications, our clients are free to focus on product innovations. In addition, our expert developers always focus on end-user experience and conversion, which allows us to take your idea to a whole new level. Let's Talk about your new business application!

DISCLAIMER: 

All products and company names are trademarks™ or registered ® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. In addition, any product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks or images featured or referred to within the article are the property of their respective trademark holders.

These trademark holders are not affiliated with Quantox Technology, our products, or our websites. They do not sponsor or endorse Quantox Technology or any of our products.

As one of the fastest developing industries, the mobile phone industry has brought us many innovations in the past decade, and software solutions capable of changing all aspects of our lives. Today, almost everything can be done through or on a smartphone, leading to the rise of mobile apps as a crucial part of our day-to-day lives. With the accessibility and connectivity that comes with our phones, it's clear to understand why having a mobile app is a smart business move. A business can offer convenience and rapidity to their users through their mobile app, catering to consumers via phones and reaching a broader scope of their target audience.

However, not many business owners know how to build a mobile app, so they are usually looking to hire a good and reliable software and app development company to build one that will ensure their brand's success. And with so many service providers, there's bound to be some stress over choosing the right app development company. So, to help you find the perfect app developing partner, we've presented a few important points you need to follow and shed some light on mobile app development companies and their services.

What do Mobile App Development Companies Do?

A mobile app development company is an agency specializing in designing and building apps and software solutions for all types of businesses and, more importantly, for various app development platforms and devices. Their development team can build any kind of app for mobile devices, smart devices, web, wearable technologies, smart TVs, tablets, and much more.

Their work includes programming the apps and creating an app concept, databases, admin panels, and APIs. Also, they'll be in charge of testing your mobile app, launching it on various app stores, and performing regular maintenance. But more importantly, a mobile app development company will take on the task of creating a design unique to your business brand and focus on giving the best user experience possible. This will allow your brand's voice and vision to come to life, reach your target audience faster and stand out from the competition with its functionality and consistency.

How to Choose the Best Mobile App Development Company?

Your business will benefit the most if you manage to find a company with extensive experience, proven performance, and knowledge of the latest technology and industry trends and business skills. Here's what you need to do in order to snatch a great app developing partner:

#1 Define Your App Development Needs

Before you even start thinking about searching for a mobile development company, you need to sketch your business app goals and needs. For example, are you a retailer and need an eCommerce mobile app? Do you offer content rather than goods? The answers to these questions will impact the technology and app development tools needed to create your mobile business app. Therefore, it would help if you had your app development needs laid out before you take that initial consultation with an app development company of your choosing because it's up to you to translate those needs to them and their developers in order for them to do their job well. If you fail to communicate what your mobile business app is all about, the values it should bring, and the problems it should solve for your users, you'll make it impossible for the development team to build a wholesome and effective app. 

#2 Do Your Research: Check Out The Company's Portfolio

Checking a company's portfolio has never been easier. Today, most app development companies present their portfolio online and are happy to advertise their projects. Once you have your list of companies, go online and search for the projects they were involved with. You'll gain a clear sense of their technical expertise and industry domain. You can always ask them to show you examples of projects they've worked on similar to yours to gain insight into their experience. This will help you know whether the company is proficient at handling projects like yours and what their results were.

#3 Ask For References And Read Online Reviews

Testimonials and reviews are one of the most valuable clues you can find and learn more about the company's reputation. Happy clients and diversity in clients are clear signs you've found a great app development company. Likewise, people dissatisfied with the service and product are more likely to share their experience in an online review. This will allow you to determine the company's flaws, whether it was a one-time mistake or something that the company has had issues with for a while now. Now, thanks to the reviews, you know which companies you need to stay away from.

#4 Ask The Right Questions Before Hiring

The more questions you ask, the more you know about what awaits you when you start working with an app dev company. However, you should always ask those most important questions rather than being hung up on some minor details. Make sure you see the example of their previous projects, learn all you can about the cost of their service and hidden expenses (if any), and their maintenance and support services. Learn as much as you can about the services they offer and which part of the mobile app development they'll be in charge off. For example, most companies provide UI and UX services, but some don't. On the other hand, some companies may include developing a marketing strategy or giving you a complete market analysis of their price. Always clarify what you're getting for the cost of their service.

Here are some questions you need to ask your app development company:

• What is their Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?
• How much will the app cost?
• How long will it take to build the app?
• Should you build an Android or iOS app, and can they build both if needed?
• Who will manage the project and how?
• How will they test the app?
• Will they submit the app to the Stores?
• Can they refer you to a client in your sector?
• Do they offer maintenance and support services?
• Are they willing to sign the NDA (Non-disclosure) agreement?
• How can they handle your security concerns?
• How do they specify the code ownership?
• What is their approach to design?
• How many developers will be available for your project?

#5 Keep Communication Open Throughout The Entire Process

A company that does not offer feedback regularly is not really a company you'll want to work with. However, the more experienced app development companies will make an effort to include you in the app development process by giving you at least a weekly report on the mobile app dev process. They'll also notify you of any changes, issues, or setbacks that may impact your business app's price or timeline. This type of transparency and honesty on their part means you have chosen an app company you can trust. Look for a company that will give you at least a weekly update and keeps you posted throughout the whole development process. Don't be alarmed if the company is notifying you of issues and problems they've encountered while developing your app- this is an honest approach and a good communication practice on their part. With a company like that, you'll be sure there will be full transparency in work and that they're not trying to cover up their mistakes.

Why You Should Trust Quantox As Your App Development Agency?

By being passionate and creative and collecting the best talents from the industry, Quantox became an award-winning mobile app development company. With an objective to provide top-quality app development services bespoke to our client's requirements and exceptional communication, we've become known as a leading mobile app development company in 7 different countries and one worth trusting in. If you need an expert mobile app development company that caters to your brand's needs, Quantox is happy to help you. Let's Talk!

DISCLAIMER: 

All products and company names are trademarks™ or registered ® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. In addition, any product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks or images featured or referred to within the article are the property of their respective trademark holders.

These trademark holders are not affiliated with Quantox Technology, our products, or our websites. They do not sponsor or endorse Quantox Technology or any of our products.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear exactly how much we can, and we do rely on technology to help us in our day-to-day life. The mobile application market has been burning since the first lock-down and in 2020 it was worth $318 billion. According to Statista, the mobile app market is expected to climb to $613 by 2025- a growth promising many opportunities for mobile software developers to build and deliver extraordinary mobile applications. This is why mobile apps are considered a smart business move in 2022.

With the technology advancements, consumer demands, and many other factors, mobile app trends are on the rise, but also hard to keep up with. Staying up to date with the latest mobile app trends is the most vital thing for businesses that want to leverage mobile apps to boost user interaction, retention, and increase sales. Furthermore, with the rise of mobile application trends, it becomes clear why investing in an app is a smart business move, one every business needs to consider. 

What are the Application Development Industry Trends in 2022?

caption mobile app development trends 2022

Armed with the tools for app development that will help you dominate your market, following these app development trends can be a game-changer for your company and your business mobile app.

• 5G

Where once 5G was just an idea in the making, now it has become an industry standard. With 5G everything we do on our phones from this year on will be faster and more efficient. While some application development trends end up being just a one-year trend, 5G will change the way mobile apps are being built. With so many advantages of the 5G coming with every new device, developers have more opportunities to create faster, more efficient, and innovative apps.

Furthermore, it will be easier for businesses to move to 5G in 2022 because many mobile operators stated they will dedicate as much as 80% of their profit to building 5G networks until 2025, according to GMSA Mobile Economy 2021 Report. Also, 5G technology may pave the way for Open-Ran, an open radio access network, which is an industry-wide standard for RAN interfaces that support the exchange of information between vendors' equipment.

• Mobile Commerce

Another thing the COVID-19 pandemic changed significantly is the way people go shopping. With the restrictions and lockdowns, people globally had to rely on the online eCommerce sector. To stay afloat, many businesses and retailers relied on mobile apps to earn profit during the crisis. And it worked. Not only that, but mobile apps during the pandemic also provided a much-needed sense of normality to all people by allowing them to shop for groceries, clothes, and other essentials.

Now, however, businesses are facing much larger competition and the only way to come out on top is to leverage an eCommerce business app.

Not only is an eCommerce app easy to use and gives easy access to products and services to its users, but it's also a great marketing tool. By using mCommerce platforms as a marketing channel, you directly connect to the end-users. Now, all it takes is a few push notifications of the latest deal, or a newsfeed informing them about the new offer, and you'll have better chances of reaching your target customers. Furthermore, if they decide to purchase your service or a product, this type of app will offer faster transactions for them, and they can get what they want in a shorter amount of time.

Mobile eCommerce can also increase in-store sales. Your users may use your mobile eCommerce app to check for product availability, pricing options, and reviews. By the time they come to the store, they've already decided to purchase your product.

• Blockchain

One of the biggest concerns of mobile app users is the misuse of their personal data. Blockchain technology trends can solve this issue because it provides decentralized databases. So, those mobile apps that use blockchain technology for security purposes become end-to-end encrypted. This means no person or company has the rights to the data or to modify the data. E-banking systems and e-wallets use blockchain technology for safer digital transactions and knowing how to find an app development company you can trust is imperative if you want to build this type of mobile application.

Keeping duplicate records and third-party validations can make any system vulnerable to fraud and cyberattacks. Blockchain is a members-only network, meaning you'll be receiving timely and accurate data, which can be shared only with those to whom you specifically granted access. As all transactions are recorded permanently, they are immutable, and not even a system administrator can delete them. And lastly, every transaction can be sped up with something called a smart contract- a set of rules which is stored on the blockchain and can be executed automatically. So, when it comes to security, blockchain is guaranteed to give you that and then some.

• Augmented Reality Technology

All the latest mobile app development trends include AR as a way to give a personalized experience to the end-user. Sellers and retailers can use AR to showcase their products in a more realistic way and even give their customers an option to try on clothes virtually before making a purchase. 

However, AR is not just a great trend to follow for retailers. Google Maps has something called ''Live View'‘; a feature created with the help of augmented reality technology. It lets you see the route in real-time on real-world images. We also must mention Pokémon Go which paved the way for AR in mobile app development with its unique and revolutionary way of using AR to engage its users.

Out of all trends, AR offers the most unique digital experience to the users. The best thing about it- your users don't need any special platform, hardware, or software to enjoy it. AR was first labeled as a gaming and entertainment technology, but there are so many examples of AR being used by businesses to increase user engagement. Those are the businesses that also managed to stand out from the crowd and cast a shadow on their competition by using AR to its full capacity. With AR they were able to come up with more creative campaigns that increased their position in the market.

• Wearable Technology

No matter how convenient and easy mobiles are and how they've absolutely minimized the user's effort needed to handle one, we still need to use at least one hand for them. Driving with the phone has even become punishable by law since mobile phones prove to be a distraction during rides. 

This is the reason why wearables have gained such popularity and the industry has been growing more each year. Manufacturers and developers today are designing several different versions of smartwatches and smart earbuds and all of them allow their users to take phone calls and navigate their destination while being engaged in another activity. Today, wearables are an industry valued at over $44 billion and one of the top mobile application trends.

Mobile-first Approach in Application Development

Cell phones today are being used more than ever and are embedded in our daily routines. With their busy schedules, people have just a few moments to check for news while waiting for the train or an appointment. All the downtime we have is being used to ''check something online'' and it's no surprise that on average people use their phones as much as 5 hours per day. 

The term ''mobile-first'' was coined by Google CEO Eric Schmidt back in 2010 when he first recognized that developing and designing applications for mobiles has great potential. Mobile-first approach was supposed to fix the problem of desktop applications giving a low-quality user experience when switched to mobile, which was always a problem between different app development platforms. However, if the applications were created and designed with the mobile-first approach, prioritizing features and capabilities of this app development platform, developers would get a space where they can be creative about how to engage users. 

The ''Mobile-first'' approach is specifically important in design. The mobile-first design means that you start designing a mobile app from the mobile end, which has more restrictions. Once you satisfy the mobile platform criteria you can expand the app's features to create a desktop or a tablet version. This method is also called progressive advancement. However, if the designers decide to do it the other way around, start building the app from an advanced end like a desktop then gradually cut some functions or content to make it compatible with the mobile end, this method is called graceful degradation.

How to Get Started with Quantox App Development for Your Business?

Quantox Technology prides itself on staying on top of the latest mobile app development trends but also on using our in-house genius to come up with new and innovative ways our clients can improve their customer retention and user experience. With more than 16 years of knowledge and experience in the app development industry, we can accurately predict what the future app development trends will be and ensure our clients are one step ahead of the game. The future of mobile apps is with Quantox! Let’s Talk!

DISCLAIMER: 

All products and company names are trademarks™ or registered ® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. In addition, any product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks or images featured or referred to within the article are the property of their respective trademark holders.

These trademark holders are not affiliated with Quantox Technology, our products, or our websites. They do not sponsor or endorse Quantox Technology or any of our products.