8 Ways a Cloud Workspace Can Save Your Company Time and Money

Posted on February 28, 2019 (September 19, 2024)

Every business, large or small, has critical data and information. From employee and client information to sales and inventory data, these records need to be accessible and secure. You want to retrieve information with just a click and be able to update it when needed. What Is a Cloud Workspace? We hear this statement often: “It’s in the cloud.” But what is the cloud? The cloud is an off-site data center where data and files are stored. Cloud services allow you to access the information from wherever you have an internet connection or cell phone coverage. This gives you instantaneous access to your uploaded files from: Your office downtown A home office Your client’s office Lunch meeting with clients On location at a job site Across the world in a foreign country Cloud Servers Versus In-House Servers When comparing traditional in-house servers to the cloud, there are some significant differences to take note of. In-house servers don’t require an internet connection to be able to access your files but do require VPN or other type of connection if you are not on site. They also avoid any third-party reliance. However, with that comes the burden of managing your own IT support, and if something happens, you are much more vulnerable to losing your data permanently. On the other hand, cloud servers offer access from anywhere with consistent backups, essentially avoiding any risk of physical disasters destroying your data. They also offer scalability — you only pay for the storage you need. In addition, there’s no need for hardware in your office space which can get outdated quickly. The only real downside is that you will require an active internet connection to access your information. In today’s connected world, this is rarely an issue. Is a Cloud Workspace Safe? When information leaves a local server, safety is always the concern. In a world where data breaches are prevalent, data security is of the utmost importance. If you were to consider a cloud solution for your application, you would want assurance that your company’s information is well protected. The good news is a great private cloud-based service, will have multi-faceted security like: State of the art firewalls High levels of encryption Multi-layers of authentication Backup systems in case of emergencies There is always risk, but as technology advances, more is done to protect against theft and misuse of your information. A cloud-based solution is the safest and most cost-effective way to share your company’s information across many places. How Can a Cloud Workspace Save a Company Time and Money? In business, time is money. You cannot make money if you spend most of your time updating business spreadsheets and emailing to team members, clients, vendors and anyone else you work with. When everything is stored in-house, you run into the issues of who has the file, where is it stored, and is it up to date? And, of course the worst case scenario; who deleted the file? Here are some facts about Quickbase’s cloud workspace: 1. You can access it from anywhere. With a cloud-based solution you have a remote desktop anywhere. When you’re away from your desk you still have access to your information. Having information stored in the cloud will save you time from having to call a colleague to email you a file. Information is just a click away. 2. It is easy to use. All companies deal with the struggles of implementing new software. Adopting a cloud workspace, like Quickbase, is easy. This means less training time for employees. Your office staff have cloud desktops wherever they may be. They can create customer orders, complete administrative tasks like changing schedules or appointments, and update employee files for compliance issues. 3. Lower priced than on-premise. On-site storage can get costly. Not only for the storage devices, but for the upkeep. Having a third-party gives you the freedom to allocate your money elsewhere to grow your company. 4. Less maintenance. When your data center is on-site, you pay IT services to maintain storage devices. A third-party service is responsible for keeping their servers running, giving your in-house tech the ability to handle in-house issues within the network. 5. Better up-time. Cloud-based services have several backup systems in place to ensure that you are always up and running. Should one server go down, there is another server for recovery that will keep you working with minimal downtime. 6. Easy collaboration for remote workers. Having current information is another benefit of cloud solutions. For example, one salesman views their spreadsheet and sees ten widgets in stock. Another salesman across town sees the same thing on the copy of the same spreadsheet. They both sell seven widgets. When they return to the office and collaborate, they discover they are four short. 7. Secure and safe. Quickbase is a recognized as an Enterprise-ready, secure platform. For this reason, over half of the Fortune 100 companies use it today, along with over 6,000 others. Quickbase holds to very high standards of safety and security: Employee background checks Strict adherence to Federal laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) They have passed the Cloud Security Alliance’s security assessment Encryption levels that are state-of-the-art 8. Scalable as your business grows. Technology is ever-changing, so are companies. Cloud technology gives you the option to scale needed services to what your company needs right now. It allows you to add services or expand upon current ones as needed. Since Quickbase apps are cloud-based, the information is updated in real-time. In the example above, both salesmen can see in stock numbers in real-time and will know someone just sold 7 widgets. They can inform the customer now, instead of making that dreaded phone call of a shipment delay. This is also beneficial to the purchasing department. They can be immediately be alerted as to when they need to order a new shipment of widgets. What is Quickbase and […]

5 Benefits of Hiring a Quickbase Solution Provider

Posted on February 21, 2019

When you start to notice bottlenecks in your business processes, finding the right solution takes creativity and experience. Each business has its own unique needs and nuances. One size doesn’t fit all if you are aiming for impactful results. That’s why Quickbase has become a go-to platform for business process improvements. It provides the foundation for flexible business application development. The decision to utilize Quickbase is already a step in the right direction. However, as a business-minded person, it makes sense to outsource tasks that aren’t your specialty. That’s where Quickbase Solution Providers come in. These Quickbase experts take the application development off your hands so you can focus on your business. What Is Quickbase? Quickbase is an application development platform in the cloud where business users can create and run custom business applications tailored to exactly the way their organizations work. Quickbase gives companies the ability to create highly customized business applications–to automate and streamline work processes, collect and centralize data, and provide real-time reports and analysis. The unique edge is that Quickbase combines simplicity and ease of use with the power and governance to build enterprise-grade business software. Quickbase gives someone with little to no coding experience the ability to build customized applications specific to their needs. These people are often referred to as “citizen developers.” While it’s possible to try Quickbase application development on your own, there’s a lot of rationale for hiring an external provider. Why Hire a Quickbase Solution Provider? Business process improvements are best approached with expertise. A solution implemented prior to undergoing process improvements will result in a less than optimal solution. While this may be an improvement over what you have today, it will not achieve the results that could have been realized. Learning application development, on top of your primary responsibilities, is a lofty undertaking. It won’t likely be time efficient and the solution you create might have some functionality issues. The decision to utilize Quickbase is sensible, but why should you consider hiring a Quickbase Solution Provider, such as Trinity? Here are five solid reasons. Reasons to Hire a Quickbase Solution Provider 1. Broad Expertise Quickbase Solution Providers have a vast array of knowledge that will result in customized solutions for all of your application development needs. Since we have clients from a range of different business fields, we are well versed in identifying business process opportunities. Thus, we are more efficient with developing the right solution. This increased effectiveness leads to more strategic decision making during the development process. For this reason alone, the decision to use an external provider like Trinity is a no-brainer. 2. Tenured History of Quality and Success A quality Quickbase Solution Provider brings a background of proven success. For example, Trinity has over two decades of experience. As a “Quickbase Gold Partner,” Trinity is distinguished as one of the top five solution providers in the world. To qualify for this award, Trinity has a proven track record of commitment and quality standards. That’s why our clients return for additional enhancements and new projects. Our history of successful partnerships speaks to our specialty in business process improvement. It’s what we do every day, so you can rest assured your solution will be of the highest quality. 3. Speed of Implementation A big reason to hire a Quickbase Solution Provider is for rapid development and implementation. No one likes waiting around, and a solution provider can expedite the process considerably. Once you have your solution, you can more quickly solve the shortfalls in your business that were reducing your bottom line. The quicker you hire a Quickbase Solution Provider, the better it will be for your business. 4. An Objective Perspective When you are in the center of a problem, it’s often hard to have an objective view of the solutions. That’s where the benefit of an external point of view comes in. With a rich experience of addressing business problems across a wide range of industries, Trinity has developed a keen eye for determining what needs to happen. Trinity provides an outside, objective perspective, and vast, horizontal market knowledge. This knowledge, coupled with a fresh outlook on business, enables Trinity to offer valuable ideas that will further any project’s objectives. 5. Delegation to Experts Trinity’s 21+ years of experience, “Quickbase Gold Partner” status, and happy customers display our expertise. Therefore, once the decision is made to search for an outside partnership, the choice is easy. Taking into account the many things on your daily business plate, it is not only smart to leave this task to the experts, it is also vital for the best interests of your business. As a bonus, Trinity’s team is fun to work worth! Trinity approaches every partnership with integrity, professionalism, and a positive energy that is derived from confidence in their abilities and a long history of success. These attributes equate to a successful and fun project. Don’t Just Take Our Word for It As stated above, many firms have called upon Trinity to be their Quickbase consultant. For example, fast-growing Atlanta Recycling is a material recovery facility that didn’t have the workflows to support their growth. They hired Trinity, who provided a new Quickbase ERP application developed to transform their processes. This app tracked customer orders, supplier purchases, and every in between. This allowed Atlanta Recycling to make more educated buying decisions and dramatically cut down on their data entry errors. After the successful implementation of the application, the recycling company no longer needed their other business applications and were able to reduce data entry burdens by 10 hours a week! They now consider Trinity a lifetime partner. For more case studies that display what Trinity can do as a Quickbase Solution Provider, check out our case studies. As any […]

7 Project Management Best Practices

Posted on February 14, 2019

When it comes to project management, we’ve developed some best practices based on Trinity’s extensive work with our clients. Projects are by definition unique undertakings. No one project will be identical to the next. Thus, having tried and true general guidelines can provide a lot of support in making sure projects are handled successfully. What is Project Management? Project management is defined as planning and executing an undertaking with a team to attain specific goals in a defined window of time. Thus, a project manager has a lot of constraints to work within. Efficiency, service, and quality are paramount to any project’s success. Companies that value business agility are always evolving their methods and tools to increase the efficiency of critical business processes. Depending on a project’s key processes, a project manager can either establish themselves a competitive edge or find themselves failing to meet imperative deadlines. Over-allocated resources, poor communication, unreliable estimates, and poor monitoring are all things to guard against. 7 Best Practices to Ensure Great Project Management With that in mind, let’s take a look at 7 project management best practices that will aid in your project management success. Set Clear and Realistic Goals Setting realistic and clear objectives is essential for a project’s success. It’s important that key stakeholders are aware of the goals from the get-go. If the chosen goals are unattainable, even the best efforts will result in failure. Likewise, if the team isn’t on the same page about what the objectives are, setbacks are surely going to occur. From the onset, clearly defined goals will help a team focus and make educated decisions. Each process should be designed and implemented with the goals in mind. By keeping the goals realistic and developing the right processes, success will follow. Accurate Resource Forecasting Resource forecasting is a vital aspect for allocating human capital and financial resources. Since each project is different, there is not always a lot of uniformity when it comes to constraints and deadlines. However, that doesn’t mean forecasts can’t be done accurately. A good project manager will use the right analytic data to forecast estimates. The more past data that’s available, the more accurate a forecast will be. However, if you are new to project management, there are always business consulting experts, like Trinity, who have extensive experience across a wide range of businesses. By scheduling your team effectively and optimizing your resource utilization, you will stay on budget and on time. This, of course, is every project manager’s goal. Accurate Time Estimation There’s a common saying that every project takes double the time and double the money than anticipated. However, with great project management, this isn’t the case. Similar to resource forecasting, timelines can be predicted accurately with data and analysis. Unexpected events can happen to anyone, but this is much less likely to happen if each task is tied to a project timeline. This way, every task is accounted for, and nothing is susceptible to falling through the cracks. By setting attainable goals and deadlines (going back to Best Practice #1) the prospect of accurately estimating a projects length becomes much more realistic. Budget Management As I’m sure you know, money doesn’t grow on trees. This is especially true with projects. Since a project involves many stages, you must make sure you manage your money effectively. Budgets will almost always be a notable constraint of project management. Thus, from the beginning, it’s important to map out where your money is going to go. A well-planned budget takes into account every necessary task. Reference past budgets, track all adjustments, and plan for some unexpected costs along the way. This way, you know you are covered. Utilize the Right Reporting Capabilities A well-executed project involves a lot of reporting. The team will develop periodic reports to the project manager. And the project manager has to report to the stakeholders. The right reporting software makes sure all data is being collected and presented properly, in order to keep everyone involved accountable. As previously mentioned, these reports are a gold mine of data for future projects. There are various types of reporting commonly seen in strong project management. Status reports Risk reports Board reports Resource reports Tasks Overdue reports Expense reports Budget reports Role-specific Dashboards Using a tool that allows for automation can save a lot of time when creating your reports. Trinity offers a Quickbase reporting application, called TrinityDashboards+. It’s a flexible reporting software that allows for filtering through multiple reports at once. Define and Evaluate Quality Standards Throughout the Project A common problem in working through a project is adherence to quality. What might be an outstanding result for one project can be mediocre for another. The definition of what constitutes quality will change, but what remains constant is its’ importance. Quality standards must be based on criteria acceptable to every stakeholder, especially the executives who have the responsibility of signing off on the closure of the project. Maintaining the proper quality standards from initiation through completion will pay dividends in the long run. Consolidate and Streamline the Project Data Place all project-related data in one easily accessible location. The last thing you want dragging down your timeline is required documents missing in action. These templates and tools will help you stay organized and keep everyone on track. A cloud-based workspace, as provided by Quickbase, is a great tool for improving accessibility. Templates, schedules, budgets and documents should be easily accessible to relevant team members. Past project data is another resource you want to keep handy. Trinity Wants to Share Our Project Management Insights With You It’s common for companies to struggle to find software applications to meet their needs and help with the best practices we’ve outlined. Since every business is different, generic solutions just […]

How No Code and Low Code Solutions Will Streamline Your Business

Posted on February 6, 2019

Unless you’re an IT professional or coding hobbyist, you might get intimidated when you think about computer coding. That’s why no code and low code platforms are revolutionizing app development, especially for businesses. What is No Code / Low Code? No code and low code are application development methods that require little to no software coding knowledge. While similar, no code and low code have some key differences. No code development is great for business users. It provides intuitive solutions that can be developed in a timely manner. Low code has a bit more flexibility, but it’s also more complex and time consuming. However, both methods are considerably more efficient and agile than traditional programming. These tools are sometimes referred to a as rapid application development (RAD) platforms. Whatever the term used to describe the new technology, there’s no question that companies in every niche have benefited from the no code/ low code revolution. A Brief History of Low Code Technological trend setter, James Martin, published a groundbreaking book in 1982 called Application Development Without Programmers. Martin predicted the future of what would one day become known as low code. Martine wrote: “The number of programmers available per computer is shrinking so fast that most computers in the future must be put to work at least in part without programmers.” During the 80s and 90s, IT professionals were interested in reducing the demand for hand written computer code. They started to develop new techniques with simpler code. These techniques were for fourth generation programming languages (4GL) and early rapid application development (RAD) business automation tools. In the 2000s, no code and low code techniques improved dramatically, and have only continued to get better. Forrester Research predicts sales revenue for no code and low code solutions will increase from $3.8 billion in 2017 to more than $21 billion by 2022! How These Tools Have Streamlined Business Processes Today, leading a business has unique challenges. Customer expectations are always increasing, and markets are transforming faster than ever. These factors motivate digital change leaders to pick up the pace and move away from custom computer code. This is the reason why no code and low code have become essential strategies for streamlining business processes through the use of mobile apps and cloud-based apps. Here is how these business process improvement tools increase productivity: They offer business process management (BPM) capabilities, which support business process optimization Their software is innovative and flexible, with easy widgets, plugins, and templates They are highly scalable, which is great for growing businesses and large enterprises alike They are intuitive and visual, making them easy to learn and successfully utilize What Are the Benefits of No Code / Low Code for Businesses? There are a plethora of benefits that come with no code and low code solutions, especially if you plan to use them as business analysis tools. These are just a few: Improved efficiency Reduced operational costs Less of a gap of understanding between business people and their IT staff Optimized business process improvement tools Improved efficiency within IT departments Solving of complex business challenges While no code and low code application development is possible if you’re willing to learn, Trinity can take that burden off your shoulders. The business process improvement experts at Trinity enable their clients to manage the daily operations of their businesses, rather than worry about application development. Trinity Creates Quality No Code / Low Code Business Solutions No code platforms, like Quickbase, allow organizations to streamline business processes, thus improving efficiency. That’s why Trinity has chosen Quickbase to leverage as their platform of choice when building business process improvement solutions. Trinity has helped numerous businesses use customized applications to solve their business process challenges. By doing so, Trinity saves their clients time, money, and the effort required to improve efficiency. Trinity builds amazing cloud solutions focused on business process improvement, tailored to the unique needs of each client. Flexibility and scalability are integral to these solutions, since Trinity understands that good businesses evolve over time. For over 21 years, Trinity has worked with clients to improve their efficiency, increase service levels, and upgrade their quality of output. […]

Why a CRM Software System Needs To Be A Part Of Your Business Strategy

Posted on January 29, 2019

Customers are the heart of any business. Maintaining great relationships with them can propel your business towards success. On the flip side, failing in this department could make all your other business efforts futile. How do you develop these quality relationships? Like with any relationship, it comes down to listening to them and connecting with them where they’re at. For example, remembering details about prior conversations with them and bringing those up can provide a personal touch. This often makes a customer feel heard and valued like a person, rather than simply a sales prospect. Customer Relationship Management software, also referred to as “CRM” software, makes this process easy. What is a CRM System? CRM software provides business owners with simple tools to efficiently manage customer interactions. They also result in greater alignment between marketing and sales efforts. CRM software stores all relevant information about a prospect in one location, where it can be easily accessed and updated. Rather than committing important customer dates to memory, CRM software stores the information digitally and alerts you to important pending customer dates. A CRM application also helps salespeople understand where a particular prospect is in their buyer’s journey and follow-up dates for important communications. CRM software systems are not limited to fostering customer relationships. Many CRM applications now offer the ability to include other adjoining business processes into their offerings. A great example of this would be project management. Project management software also improves relationships with vendors and team members by connecting them together and providing visibility to key tasks. When talking about CRM software, there are three important components to keep in mind: Process Strategy Technology CRM allows for a comprehensive process of managing interactions with loyal and potential customers alike. Every relationship evolves and having a background of information during this process is incredibly helpful. The strategic component of CRM represents the business philosophy of how to build long lasting customer relationships. Each business will be different, but any good customer relationship strategy has a foundation of a solid CRM. The technology used in a CRM application is often cloud based. It records and analyzes interactions between customers and company employees. By being on the cloud, access is from anywhere and can be granted to as many employees as needed. Why CRM is Important CRM software offers tools that keep track of prospects and improve the quality of your customer service. By having all customer data stored and organized in one digital location, you can make the most of that data. Businesses can customize dashboards that present to their end, user’s customer histories, order status, and service issues that require prompt attention. Experts at Gartner released results of a study that stated by 2021, CRM software will be the largest area of computer software spending for businesses of all sizes. If you want your business to sustain profitability, it is important to implement a compelling CRM strategy to attract and retain a growing loyal customer base. Benefits of a CRM System CRM software allows employees working in different departments to seamlessly forge bonds that lead to more phone calls with customers. With detailed CRM data, a business can develop tailored-made marketing strategies for a variety of customer demographics. By accessing contact information through a CRM application, every team member can move forward a conversation with a customer, without asking for repeat information. This allows customers to avoid irritation, and to actually feel valued. Clearly, CRM offers great value to a business. Here are 4 specific reasons a customer relationship management tool needs to be a part of your business strategy: 1. Improved Productivity Cloud based CRM software can accurately account for every email and phone call made to each of your customers. Thus, CRM applications eliminate redundant management and administrative tasks. This ensures that no potential customers fall through the cracks. Take our client, Defenshield, for example: our team at Trinity built a CRM application that tracked 100% of all their customer data according to their needs. CRM apps also will improve your productivity and efficiency. 2. More Accurate Reporting CRM platforms provide users with a one-stop place to analyze data. The software ensures important data is easy to obtain and, more importantly, easy to understand. For example, PatientNavigator is a CRM tool for healthcare professionals that simplifies compliance reporting. More accurate data reporting saves your team members time, which allows them to spend more time developing customer relationships by using the old school approach of the human touch. 3. Improved Understanding of Customers Before customer management software, many business operators wasted time by targeting the wrong customer prospects. CRM software highlights important sales metrics, which allows you to target the right customers for up-selling and cross-selling. This will optimize your ability to close deals, and also save your team time and resources. 4. Exceed Customer Expectations Employee retention is a key metric for any quality business. Well, the same retention principles apply to customers. There are many customer retention strategies that are easily applicable when using CRM software. CRM software presents clear information that describes customer interactions. Understanding these interactions leads to better anticipation of customer needs and a quicker response to customer complaints. By offering a more positive experience for your customers, you develop the kind of relationship that leads to customer loyalty and word of mouth promotion. How CRM Applications Benefit Different Business Functions As we mentioned, CRM software brings different organization departments together to form a cohesive team. Your sales team receives data from the marketing department that leads to enhanced service. In return, the marketing experts on your team receive data from the sales team, which present a much clearer picture of customer profiles and buying behavior. Marketing professionals can then create more effective campaigns. As you can see, CRM […]

5 Reasons Why Your Business Should Focus On Process Improvement

Posted on January 24, 2019 (September 19, 2024)

What is Business Process Improvement? Business process improvement (BPI) is a practice of analyzing business procedures to identify where improvements can be made. After pinpointing those areas, the next step is to transform those procedures to allow for increased accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency. How Can Business Process Improvement Transform Your Business? A successful BPI campaign starts with defining a company’s goals and taking a look at the current processes in place. Are these processes supporting the goals? Oftentimes, they could actually be hindering them. Thus, company leaders must clearly identify every process within the organization that has room for improvement. Through the use of business process automation tools, companies can increase the ease and efficiency of various key processes. For example, a company might store its customer data on business spreadsheets. Locating a specific data point in the future could be challenging, especially if files aren’t organized or properly updated. The result will be inefficient and unsatisfying customer interactions. Data could be their best friend, if only it was quickly and easily discoverable. This is just one example where business process improvement could be leveraged. Regardless of field or niche, every business relies on key processes. Business leaders should look into revamping any processes that benefit from adjustments. Depending on the level of inefficiency, these adjustments could result in substantial improvements. 5 Benefits of Business Process Improvement What sets successful businesses apart? Successful companies consistently implement business process improvement solutions when needed, and they keep ongoing tabs on efficiency. Here are five compelling benefits of using project management tools to improve business processes: Organizational Agility Businesses of all sizes have to adapt quickly as the market changes. Companies that fail to keep up will eventually fall behind. This is why business agility is so important. Adopting software solutions that enable business process improvement is a key element of embodying agility. Trinity helps companies adapt to new technologies, such as advanced cloud services and scalable, flexible business software solutions. These innovative systems allow businesses to continually adjust processes as needed over time. Improve Productivity Improving productivity is a universal business goal. BPI solutions are great for automating processes that would otherwise be done manually. Not only does refusing to automate waste employees’ time, but these tasks are often prone to manual errors. By removing redundancies and troublesome bottlenecks, efficiency naturally skyrockets. Improved productivity permits team members to spend time working on more important projects and reduces operational costs. Lower Security Risk While we wish it wasn’t true, business come with a variety of security risks. To minimize vulnerability to fraudulent activities, leaders have to stay vigilant. At the heart of customer service is the protection of valuable data. Many business process improvement tools exist that have great security and monitoring measures built in. For more about cloud security, check out our blog: 5 Reasons Cloud Security is Safer Than Traditional Security Boost Employee Morale Nothing discourages employees more than having to deal with process inefficiencies. By giving your workforce the tools they need to work efficiently, their productivity and job satisfaction will boost as a result. BPI solutions deliver two other workforce benefits for companies: Measurability and sustainability. Measurability holds everyone in an organization accountable for their performance and sustainability allows businesses to improve processes on a daily basis. All around, BPI will help your employees achieve their best work with fewer distractions and frustrations. Make Customer Service Priority Number One Customers want efficient and quality service. While slow, unreliable processes are annoying for employees, they leave an even worse impression on your customers. No one wants to wait around or repeatedly give you the same information. Customer service should be the first priority of any company. Service-focused businesses, from hospitals to hotels, could greatly benefit from the implementation of a BPI solution. This case study with Defenshield showed how a new CRM application enhanced their business process by organizing their customer data and improving their quote delivery for customers. Turn to Trinity for Business Process Improvement Trinity is team of experts in business process improvement. Although we are best known as a respected Quickbase Gold Partner, our BPI knowledge extends beyond applications. We are able to pinpoint a company’s productivity, service and quality challenges and develop a solution that’s a perfect fit for their goals. Before you choose Trinity as your business solution provider, we take the time to get to know your company and build a comprehensive plan. Trinity’s formula for success is to: Understand the need Define the best practices Develop the solution Deliver a world class application Train for success Provide unparalleled ongoing support Flexibility and scalability are integral to the solutions we develop, since Trinity understands that growing businesses evolve over time. For over 21 years, Trinity has worked with clients to improve their efficiency, increase service levels, and upgrade their quality of output. […]

The Many Benefits of Low Code Application Development

Posted on January 17, 2019 (March 11, 2025)

“By 2020, 60% of all fast-mode application development projects will be done outside of IT teams” – Gartner Low code development platforms, such as Quickbase, simplify the app creation process significantly. They do so by offering a great user interface and removing the complicated, code-heavy obstacles of traditional computer programming. Choosing a low code provider is the first step in modifying your app creation process. Quickbase is a leading low code development platform. By aligning IT and Business in the process, Quickbase allows for solutions that boost productivity and flexible scalability. As a Quickbase solution provider, Trinity provides businesses with a more streamlined user experience and accessibility. Benefits of Low Code Low code offers a plethora of business benefits. Apps built for Quickbase’s platform have been known to result in ROIs of up to 260%! By switching to a low code development platform, not only will you save time, but your IT staff will have their resources freed up to focus on other critical matters. Best of all, low code applications are easily scalable. You can evolve them as your business grows. Low cost is another benefit of using Quickbase’s low code platform. When working with low code, many tasks that may have been designated to a third-party web developer can be accomplished in house. With minimal coding required, drag, drop, click, and configure are the basic operations your developer will need to know. In addition, seamless low code applications allow for more input from the business team, who have direct relationships with clients. Their input will allow for a greater user experience because modifications to your app can be made based on first-hand interactions with customers. Choosing a Low Code Solution Provider Quickbase solution providers, like Trinity, can take away all the burden of creating a custom application. Trinity builds amazing cloud solutions and business process improvements, tailored to the unique needs of each client. After partnering with Trinity, Southwest Airlines saw results that not only simplified their management and reporting capabilities but also enabled effective policy and process creation. Flexibility and scalability are integral to these solutions, since Trinity understands that good businesses evolve over time. For over 20 years, Trinity has worked with clients to improve their efficiency, increase service levels, and upgrade their quality of output. Trinity is passionate about your satisfaction during all aspects of the engagement. Combine that with our technical expertise and you can understand why 90%+ of our clients return to us for other projects. […]

5 Reasons Why It’s Time to Ditch Your Business Spreadsheets

Posted on January 10, 2019

We’ve all used business spreadsheets. Since the advent of Lotus 123, back in the late 1980s, professionals from all fields viewed business spreadsheets as an indispensable tool. As with many other aspects of technology, Lotus became obsolete and, in its place, Microsoft Excel became the spreadsheet program. Microsoft Excel was used for organizing everything from financial data to business contact information. Spreadsheets eventually morphed into project workflow and project management tools, but they left a lot to be desired. In recent years, there’s been a trend brewing that could reduce the use of spreadsheets as an operational business tool. The Issues with Microsoft Excel Whether you love it or hate it, Microsoft Excel remains a vital part of the business software industry. Many corporations and small businesses have used Excel since the early 1990s. However, this dominant player of business spreadsheets has gradually fallen out of favor. Prominent corporate finance chiefs and groundbreaking entrepreneurs now expect and require greater efficiency. A major complaint with Excel is that it has not kept up with the ever-increasing demands faced by professionals, who are tasked with making important decisions and running companies of all sizes. For example, older versions of Excel don’t allow users to collaborate in one document. There is also a limit to how much data a user can bring into a single Microsoft Excel document. In the contemporary workspace, the lack of collaboration is tantamount to closing your doors and shutting the business down. In essence, the king of business spreadsheets is simply not an effective workflow system. It hinders productivity, collaboration and visibility. 5 Reasons Why Spreadsheets are Bad for Business Technological innovation never rests in the digital age. Thus, some tools that were once integral find themselves becoming obsolete. The expiration date for business spreadsheets for workflow and project management has long since passed. Here are five reasons why spreadsheets are bad for business: 1. They Contain Too Many Mistakes Financial business resource, Market Watch, performed a study that concluded nearly 90% of all spreadsheets contain at least one significant error. This staggering percentage is not surprising, given a vast majority of the errors are caused by humans. Simple mistakes, such as placing a decimal point in the wrong place, can dramatically alter the financial status of a small business. One misplaced number can paint an incorrect picture, having significant consequences. 2. They Hinder Business Change Excel is familiar and consistent. It’s easy to make it your go-to tool. However, it’s not suited for a business that plans to grow and change. Business spreadsheets do not offer the scalability or flexibility that other innovative tools do, such as Quickbase. Embodying business agility is key to having lasting business success. It allows a company to grow in conjunction with new technological innovations and increasing customer expectations. If you want your business to thrive, it’s time to move past the shortcomings of Excel spreadsheets. 3. Slow and Steady Does Not Win the Race Have you heard the story about the tortoise and the hare? Well, in the case of business spreadsheets, slow and steady does not win the race. In fact, Microsoft Excel is incredibly inefficient for handling large amounts of business analytics data. Compensating for the long load times experienced with Microsoft Excel forces users to break data up into more manageable worksheets. In addition, entering data manually is a major time lag. Worst of all, you can never be sure if everyone is using the most up-to-date version of the spreadsheet. Cloud-based platforms solve many of these problems. 4. Lost in Cyberspace As far as workflow and project management tools go, business spreadsheets represent one of the worst tools for securing data. Anytime you need to import your data over the Internet, you risk compromising its security. From a computer virus to a hard disk crash, business spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel place important business analytics data at risk. Hardware malfunction could wipe out large amounts of project planning data. 5. Spreadsheets Make Poor Business Intelligence Tools Programmers design Microsoft Excel to store data within spreadsheets. If you need business intelligence tools to make decisions, then business spreadsheets are not the workflow and project management tool for you. To manage businesses today, you need a better solution. Quickbase is a platform that can improve your decision making by storing your data in one place and allowing for accurate and easy decisions. Quickbase: An Alternative to Microsoft Excel Quickbase is a much easier and less expensive way to organize data for workflow and project management. The simple-to-use interface increases productivity, accuracy and visibility — three important elements for small businesses. A Quickbase application ensures the tool never becomes obsolete, as new features can be added as business needs change and new processes are added. For Quickbase support, Trinity can take care of all the logistics for you, from project planning to design to development to implementation. How Trinity Can Help Organizations Move Away from Business Spreadsheets Trinity has helped several corporations and small businesses end the practice relying on business spreadsheets. For example, SEVATI Therapeutics transformed their efficiency levels by partnering with Trinity. Together, they ended the practice of using paperwork and business spreadsheets, which were slowing them down and dragging the SEVATI bottom line down with them. Trinity developed a multi-faceted Quickbase solution that managed the workflows used by all SEVATI team members. The Quickbase app allows therapists to record patient data on portable tablets, with the data seamlessly integrating with patient scheduling features, invoicing, and enabling communication across the team. The result of the collaboration with Trinity helped SEVATI increase patient visits by more than 20% per day. The Quickbase app also reports financial metrics that are not accessible on a real time basis. In addition, Trinity helped SEVATI improve billing cycles by 21 days. It’s time to discover what impact ditching spreadsheets could have for your business. Trinity builds amazing cloud solutions focused on business process improvement, tailored to the unique needs of each client. Flexibility […]

3 Powerful Steps Leaders Can Take Towards Business Agility

Posted on January 3, 2019 (September 19, 2024)

You are probably familiar with the importance of agility when it comes to athletes. Skilled running backs stop on a dime and leave defenders gasping for air. Olympic gymnasts backflip on top of a balance beam that barely measures a few inches wide. Their agility is what enables their excellence. We know what agility means to accomplished athletes, but what does business agility mean? In what ways can leaders encourage the development of agile organizations? What is Business Agility? Business agility is the ability to understand and adapt quickly to changes in the market. Expectations for businesses are constantly evolving, and companies must evolve as well in order to compete. Today’s business process improvements can empower rapid responses to change. Agile organizations are able to respond swiftly to ever-changing customer demands. They improve efficiency through app development and by utilizing cloud-based services. By using the most advanced business tools, agile organizations are able to stay at the top of their game. Businesses that struggle with agility, on the other hand, risk falling behind. Why is Business Agility Important? Business agility has become a leading factor in surviving today’s highly competitive environment and achieving long term success. The importance of business agility relies on four operating principles: Acknowledge the importance of business agility and prioritize it when developing strategies Stay ahead of rapidly changing customer demands by adopting innovative technologies Work with analytic tools to continuously improve processes optimization Deliver efficient communication and quality service by upgrading service platforms Modern markets require that businesses evolve. By doing so, they can better promote innovation, address complex business challenges, and efficiently complete tasks. Three Powerful Steps to Achieve Business Agility Business agility experts have created a myriad of strategies that accommodate changing customer demands. Here are three powerful steps to achieve organizational agility as a leader of your company. 1. Transform Organizational Culture to Embrace Agility The move towards running an agile organization begins with aligning company culture to future agility. Leaders must be willing to adapt to technological change. Resisting change is common, but failing to adapt has consequences. You’ll miss out on so many productivity and efficiency benefits that app development, cloud applications, and other agile tools can offer. As a leader of your company, nurturing a culture to embrace change and reward innovation is the first step. Educate your entire company on how business process automation upgrades will improve their efficiency. Get everyone on the same page so they can also embrace change. 2. Implement Efficient Management and Analytics Tools The next business agility strategy is to leverage efficient management tools. Business process improvement tools, like Quickbase, result in better management decisions that get to the heart of the operational and financial issues at hand. You can improve your decision making with accurate data collection and strategic analysis. TrinityDashboards+ allows for easy navigation of reports that educate your business decisions. 3. Transition From a Rigid, Silo-Based Structure to Team-Based Collaboration Generating quick and innovative ideas requires tapping into the skill sets of your entire team. Everyone involved in the achievement of key metrics should have the ability to collaborate on their goals and strategies. Gone are the days of long approval procedures and cumbersome organizational structures. By focusing on productivity and strategic evolution, organizations can create the structures that will support business agility. Trinity Helps Companies Improve Business Agility Trinity offers support services for improving our customers’ business agility, documented in a number of our case studies. When a business has bottlenecks in their workflows, we come in and provide custom application development so solve their challenges. Atlanta Recycling is a great example of the success of our agile business improvement tools. Over the course of three years, Atlanta Recycling has increased the amount of recycled materials an average of 25% per year. Although the incredible growth rate boosted the company financially, the inability to manage the large amount of data generated by the increase in the processing rate bogged down company operations. Key leaders had a difficult time constantly updating changing data requests, which eventually spilled over to impact material buying decisions negatively. After several head scratching months, Atlanta Recycling turned to Trinity for a revamp of how they addressed the significant uptick in data requests. Trinity produced a Quickbase application that tracked, managed, and reported on the entire work process much more effectively. Atlanta Recycling now uses a Quickbase ERP tracking solution to stay on top of their material management. Here are the results of Trinity’s business agility program developed for Atlanta Recycling: Reduced the number of hours key leaders had to input data by an average of 10 hours per week Decreased the number of business analysis tools used to manage the company from five to two, with Quickbase and QuickBooks emerging as the software that helped create a competitive advantage Improved business process automation to ensure better decision making that includes reducing the number of data entry errors Streamlined payroll by removing the need to hire a specialist that understood both data entry and accurate bookkeeping Increase Your Agility By Partnering With Trinity Companies now have more agile business management tools at their disposal than ever before. Contact Trinity today to see how we can help you move your business towards a more agile organization. Trinity builds amazing cloud solutions and business process improvements, tailored to the unique needs of each client. Flexibility and scalability are integral to these solutions, since Trinity understands that good businesses evolve over time. For over 20 years, Trinity has worked with clients to improve their efficiency, increase service levels, and upgrade their quality of output. […]

5 Reasons Cloud Security is Safer than Traditional Security

Posted on December 20, 2018 (September 19, 2024)

Adopting a cloud solution is becoming increasingly more common. Nowadays, up to 86% of companies utilize the cloud, and for good reason. It offers a plethora of advantages in efficiency and flexibility. However, with its rise in popularity, some security concerns have garnered attention. What are Cloud Services? The cloud platform delivers real time computing abilities, ranging from cloud applications to cloud storage solutions. The primary principle of cloud services is to allow for easy scalability to meet an ever-changing user demand. Operating on a pay-to-use fee system, users pay for data in a similar manner that homeowners pay for electricity. This means clients only pay for the cloud resources they use. User flexibility represents one of the greatest appeals of using cloud solutions but concerns still persist because of the reputation cloud security has for becoming vulnerable to cyber-attacks. In 2017, an Insight Intelligent Technology Index report stated that more than 40% of information technology managers view data security as a number one concern. When asked about cloud security specifically, that number climbed to above 50%. However, we are here to explain why fear about the cloud is a misconception. Cloud security actually offers greater protection for sensitive business data and applications than the security provided by traditional computing storage systems. What are Cloud Security Solutions? Cloud security solutions protect data against online theft, deletion, and leakage. Here a few strategies that enable cloud security to prevent these breaches: Adding firewalls Creating private virtual networks (PVN) Penetration testing Tokenization Obfuscation Implementing one or more of the cloud security solutions dramatically reduces the security threats of data loss, account hacking, and service traffic hijacking. Fortunately, Quickbase, the application development tool of choice for Trinity, already utilizes many of these solutions to ensure data security. 5 Ways Cloud Applications are More Secure than Traditional Applications According to a 2016 Clutch study, 64% of enterprises believe the cloud is safer than traditional security. Since the study, that number is believed to have risen. Let’s review five reasons why this might be the case. 1. Cloud Service Providers Invest Heavily in Security The cloud computing industry has invested up to 75% of its research and development budget on cloud security systems. This research has enabled improved protection of valuable SaaS applications and business software, such as Quickbase. Trust has grown for cloud security, as this money has been invested wisely. This significant focus on preventing data breaches have allowed cloud computing systems to surpass traditional systems in providing tighter security. 2. Built-in Role Based Accessibility One of the best features of systems like Quickbase is role-based accessibility controls. A vast majority of cloud services include built-in security features for SaaS applications, such as role-based authentication systems for employees. Quickbase, for example, requires that all access be authorized by direct invitations from the administrator. This ensures your data is only in the hands of those you want to give it to. Role-based authentication requires several more layers of identity verification than traditional security ever could. This provides business owners significantly more control in who has access to data. If accessibility is controlled in this way, data is much less likely to be in a vulnerable position of being misused. 3. Enhanced Monitoring If unauthorized access were to occur, cloud solutions have superior ways of dealing with the problem compared to traditional security. The answer to unauthorized access involves closely monitoring activity throughout a cloud computing system. With the capability to monitor resources, hardware components, and adherence to employee policies, unauthorized access to sensitive cloud platform decreases substantially. If something does happen, alerts enable teams to take action quickly. Traditional security doesn’t offer this level of monitoring. 4. Continuous Improvements of Data Center Services The advancements made in cloud security might not have come as swiftly, or for that matter come at all, if it were not for the improved security in data centers operating throughout the world. Cloud data is stored in these data centers. The great thing about them is it means you can access your information from wherever you are. Also, your data is protected against physical damage that can happen with floods, fires, or other disasters. These data centers have improved due to greater scalability, lower security costs, and time saved by computing faster than ever. They have led to an evolution in the way cloud service providers adapt innovative security measures. 5. Artificial Intelligence: Making Cloud Security Smarter Over the past few years, the role of AI in the protection of cloud data and applications has received more attention from industry IT professionals. Artificial intelligence quickly detects security vulnerabilities and then implements solutions to prevent the compromising of data and applications. Simulations of cloud drive and cloud storage security systems allow cloud service providers to enact tougher security measures. With AI on your side, data security measures can be attended to 24/7, leaving fewer and fewer gaps of vulnerability for security mishaps. Trinity Values Data Protection Cloud solutions are continuously improving security. Since Trinity leverages the Quickbase platform in application development, these apps enjoy the protections that Quickbase provides. Quickbase has a growing set of thorough security measures: Background checks and security training of Quickbase staff Regular penetration testing to continuously optimize and tighten security on their end Encryption of data that’s in motion or at rest Maintenance of up-to-date data backups Automated incident detection Dedicated security incident response team Your company will save both time and money, as well as improve security, by working with the team of Quickbase experts at Trinity. […]

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