Information Technology is indispensable for business success in the digital era. To stay competitive and agile, many companies in Dubai turn to IT outsourcing. This blog highlights the benefits and considerations of this strategic approach. We’ll explore the advantages of partnering with IT companies in Dubai and the UAE, while also discussing key factors businesses should consider when making such a choice.

IT outsourcing offers cost efficiency, access to cutting-edge technology, and enhanced cybersecurity measures. Collaborating with IT experts in Dubai allows businesses to focus on core competencies. Cultural compatibility, SLAs, and reputation are vital factors to consider when selecting an IT company. By making well-informed decisions, companies can harness the full potential of IT outsourcing and gain a competitive edge in Dubai’s dynamic business landscape.

The Role of IT Companies in Dubai’s Business Landscape

Dubai’s thriving business landscape owes much of its success to the significant role played by a plethora of IT companies in the region. These companies act as crucial technology partners, catering to diverse industries and offering a wide range of services, including software development, IT support, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. By collaborating with reputable IT companies in Dubai, businesses can tap into a pool of highly skilled IT professionals with specialized expertise. Moreover, these IT firms possess in-depth knowledge of the local market and regulatory landscape, enabling businesses to tailor their IT solutions to meet specific requirements and stay compliant.

Key benefits for businesses in Dubai partnering with IT companies:

• Opportunity to focus on core competencies.
• Streamlining operations and boosting productivity.
• Strategic outsourcing of IT services.
• Effective resource allocation.
• Concentrating on primary business objectives.
• IT experts handle technological aspects.
• Time and effort can be allocated to driving innovation.
• Enhancing customer experiences.

IT companies in UAE serve as crucial enablers for the business community by providing access to cutting-edge technology and advanced IT solutions. The collaboration between businesses and IT firms fosters a dynamic ecosystem where innovation flourishes, leading to increased efficiency and adaptability. By leveraging the expertise of these IT partners, companies can stay at the forefront of technological advancements, ensuring sustainable growth and continued success in Dubai’s fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape.

Unraveling the Advantages of IT Outsourcing in Dubai

a. Cost Efficiency and Flexibility:

One of the primary benefits of IT outsourcing in Dubai is cost efficiency. Setting up an in-house IT department can be financially burdensome, considering recruitment, training, equipment, and maintenance expenses. On the other hand, outsourcing IT services allows businesses to convert fixed costs into variable costs, paying only for the services they need when they need them.

Moreover, IT outsourcing in Dubai provides flexibility in scaling IT services up or down according to business requirements. This agility is particularly valuable for startups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to grow without the constraints of infrastructure investments.

b. Access to Cutting-Edge Technology and Innovation:

IT companies in Dubai constantly invest in the latest technology and innovation to stay ahead in the competitive market. By outsourcing IT services, businesses gain access to cutting-edge technologies, specialized software, and industry best practices without the need to invest heavily in research and development. This not only enhances operational efficiency but also keeps businesses at the forefront of technological advancements.

c. Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures:

In an era marked by cyber threats, data breaches, and ransomware attacks, ensuring robust cybersecurity is paramount. IT companies in Dubai offer sophisticated cybersecurity measures and protocols to safeguard sensitive business information and customer data. By outsourcing IT security tasks to experts, businesses can mitigate risks and protect their reputation.

Considerations for Businesses When Outsourcing IT in Dubai

a. Cultural Compatibility and Communication:

When choosing an IT company in Dubai or the UAE, businesses must consider cultural compatibility and communication. Smooth communication and shared cultural understanding foster a productive and collaborative partnership. Engaging with an IT company that values open communication and adapts to the business’s culture can significantly impact project success.

b. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Data Protection:

Before finalizing an outsourcing agreement, businesses should carefully review the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) offered by the IT company Dubai. SLAs should clearly outline the scope of services, performance metrics, response times, and penalties for non-compliance. Additionally, businesses should ensure that the IT company follows strict data protection and privacy regulations, safeguarding sensitive information from unauthorized access.

c. Reputation and Track Record:

Researching the reputation and track record of potential IT companies is essential. Businesses should seek references, read reviews, and evaluate case studies to gauge the IT company’s capabilities and customer satisfaction levels. A reputable IT company with a proven track record of successful projects is more likely to deliver satisfactory results.

Conclusion

IT outsourcing in Dubai offers a plethora of advantages and is a strategic move for businesses seeking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. By engaging with proficient IT companies in Dubai and the UAE, businesses gain access to specialized skills and cutting-edge technologies without the burden of heavy investments. The cost-efficiency and flexibility of outsourcing enable companies to focus on their core competencies and scale their IT services according to their needs.

What was once simply considered wild imagination is now a possible reality thanks to Augmented Reality. AR is basically a complex computer-produced vision that augments real environments in captivating ways. It’s redefined software and app user experience today. AR software development is a booming industry as we speak. It isn’t easy to master the technology however.

Businesses that realized the potential of AR in enticing their customer base have started investing in AR-powered apps, and developers are looking for the best approaches to mastering the technology. This is where open source comes in.

The gaining momentum of AR led developers to seek out open source technologies that could help them effectively leverage the technology to build AR apps. That said, here are the 4 most popular open source AR software development kits that have impressed AR app enthusiasts across the globe.
 

Google’s ARCore

 
Right at the forefront is Google’s ARCore. Launched in 2018, the SDK is open source under Apache 2.0 license and is designed to bring sensational AR experiences to Android devices.

ARCore enables developers to build AR apps that utilize the features of the mobile device to sense and augment real world environments transforming them into interactive, creative AR scenes that serve multiple purposes. The popular platform also features a multitude of APIs. Some of these APIs are available on iOS as well supporting shared AR experiences. The three most important capabilities of the ARCore are motion tracking, light estimation, and environmental understanding.
 

DroidAR

 
DroidAR was initially developed in 2010, and is known as the only open source AR exclusive to Android. The SDK supports image tracking, location-based and marker-based AR app development. However, it lacks a Unity plugin. DroidAR is a simple SDK licensed under GPLv3 – an ideal option for those looking for a free kit to deliver top notch location-based and marker-based AR experiences.
 

AR.js

 
Licensed under MIT, AR.js is a JavaScript-powered SDK that enables developers to incorporate AR experiences to web browsers without installing an app for it. What makes AR.js unique is the fact that it runs very fast – fast enough to hit 60 fps on older smartphone models. AR.js can be used on all popular mobile platforms such as Windows, Android, and iOS.
 

ARToolKit

 
ARToolKit stands next to Google ARCore as one of the most widely used AR open source technologies. With this SDK, developers can overlay virtual imagery on real environments while delivering a fast and intuitive user experience. ARToolKit is also cross-platform i.e. you can use it on Linux, Android, iOS, and Windows.

Its primary capabilities include tracking the user’s viewpoint and physical position to draw the imagery, tracking of planar images, Unity plugins support, and camera orientation tracking support.
 

Conclusion

 
As Augmented Reality expands its boundaries and crosses over to various industries including healthcare and fashion, the open source SDKs mentioned in this blog could be the game changer for developers who wish to utilize AR in the most effective manner.

Share your thoughts below on AR and AR app development.

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Open source is so popular and widely used that there are people who are using it daily without even realizing it. There are people who use WordPress, one of the most popular open source platforms, for blogging. There are many who use Mozilla Firefox, another digital contribution from open source, for browsing. Open source development services are highly demanded by enterprises across various industries.

As a matter of fact, a survey by Black Duck last year revealed that 60% of the surveyed businesses reported an increase in the use of open source in 2017.

Despite the wide acceptance and popularity, open source technologies are heavily criticized by many. Many myths surround the technology and many people believe those myths and misconceptions are true. Here are 5 such open source myths that people still believe to be true.
 

It’s free

 
The ‘free’ of open source technologies relates to ‘freedom’ i.e. open source technologies tend to have fewer restrictions than their proprietary counterparts. People think it’s all about the monetary cost and ‘free’ means it wouldn’t cost them anything.

However, there are free (literally) open source technologies available but they may not be the most up-to-date or feature-rich. Typically there wouldn’t be any licensing costs for open source software. But there are exceptions to this as well. The bottom-line is that not all open source is free, and not all free open source is good enough to make a difference for users.
 

Large companies don’t use open source tools

 
Open source tools, especially open source software, has been used by organizations of all sizes since the early 1990s. Corporate giants like Microsoft, Google, IBM, and many other companies use open source tools in some form. Open source software development is a big industry with an ever increasing number of developers.
 

Open source software aren’t secure at all

 
Many organizations refrain from using open source tools due to the misconception that they are less secure than proprietary software. This wrong notion is mostly due to the fact that the source code of an open source software is openly available to anyone who wants to tinker with it. This increases the likelihood of black hat hackers figuring out a vulnerability to exploit.

But this isn’t the whole truth. Contrary to public perception, open source codes also serve as a way for many open source experts to verify the integrity and security of the code i.e. security vulnerabilities are more likely to be detected, reported, and removed.
 

You can’t always count on support for open source software

 
It’s true that some open source software don’t have a long lifespan. These software “die” once the community backing them leaves them behind. It’s the community itself that provides the biggest support for open source technologies. It’s pretty much the same for proprietary software as well. The company that developed the software may simply stop providing support one day, and move on to a more lucrative project. Popular open source software with a reputation will likely still have a community backing it, ready to help anyone with technical issues.
 

Conclusion

 
These are but a few myths around open source software. It isn’t as unreliable as many people still seem to believe. It’s open source technology that powers quite a lot of popular platforms that have proven their worth across various industries. An enterprise can have a customized open source software developed to drive business growth efficiently and securely – something that can do the job just like a proprietary software can but more cost-effectively.

Enterprise DevOps adoption seems to be increasing consistently. Many enterprises have seen how a DevOps culture is important to becoming successful faster. Practicing a DevOps culture isn’t hassle-free however, and comes with its own fair share of challenges. A DevOps ecosystem requires Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment, test feedback etc. to be faster. A poorly thought out automation strategy here could be detrimental to the test automation efforts.

A well thought-out automation strategy on the other hand would also consider every important aspect rather than focusing all efforts on ensuring that the application is ready to ship. API testing is one such important aspect every testing strategy should take into account.

Thanks to a plethora of tools available in the market today, it’s not that difficult to perform API testing provided the strategy allocates a slot for API testing in the project’s lifecycle. And a few of the most effective of those tools are open source technologies.

The following are 3 great open source tools any tester should check out for API testing.
 

SoapUI

 
SoapUI is not a new tool. It’s been contributing to QA & testing for a while now, and is ideal in API testing environments where there are mostly QA engineers instead of developers. The open source test tool is designed for effective API testing, and even allows users to create custom workflows or functionalities (if necessary) by coding up the solution in SoapUI using Groovy.
 

REST-Assured

 
If Java is what the team’s using for the project, REST-Assured is what they need for API automation. The tool has a large following, and is recommended by many experienced testers for API testing.

REST-Assured is basically a Java library generally used to test HTTP-based REST services. It can integrate with every existing Java-based automation framework and comes with a number of functionalities that testers usually have to code in. The bonus is that the tester need not be an expert in HTTP to use the tool. As validating REST services is comparatively harder in Java as opposed to Ruby and Groovy, REST-Assured can be a great asset since it allows testers to bring dynamic languages like Ruby and Groovy into the Java domain.
 

Fiddler

 
Another open source tool, Fiddler is not exactly known for its API testing capabilities. It’s mainly used to monitor, manipulate, and reuse HTTP requests. It has many extensions that allow you to perform even more tasks – from debugging websites to API testing itself, making it invaluable for certain mid-scale software development projects.

API testing is possible with the APITest extension. The extension allows the tool to test and validate web APIs. However, it may not be ideal for extensive testing. For that purpose, an API testing infrastructure should be built with the FiddlerCore.NET Class Library. Fiddler is a preferable option for teams using .NET languages for their projects.
 

Conclusion

 
The use of a tool should be based on the requirements of the test strategy and the nature of the testing subject itself. There are many API test tools, including proprietary ones, with features that would prove very useful when testing APIs. The ones above are popular open source alternatives that many experienced testers recommend. If you are a tester who likes to explore and experiment, do give each of these tools a shot.

A great majority of businesses today rely on open source technologies to push towards progress under dynamic market conditions. Open source today extends itself to even enterprise security and VPN sectors, though companies are reluctant to use open source security products.

Thanks to the large community behind many popular open source solutions and contrary to popular belief, open source software is as secure as proprietary software. This also explains the rise in demand for open source development services that can build custom enterprise open source solutions.

Considering the recent controversy over unaddressed vulnerabilities that may lead to disastrous security risks in the products of many popular online security and VPN vendors, this seems to be the right time for enterprises to take the open source route.

That said, there are many enterprise-level open source VPNs that meet the requirements of any business, regardless of their size. Here are 4 great open source VPN solutions that might just be what your business is looking for.
 

Tcpcrypt

 
The Tcpcrypt encryption protocol is quite unique due to the fact that it doesn’t require configuration, changes to applications, or any noticeable changes in network connection. It’s compatible with both Windows and macOS, and operates with what’s generally referred to as ‘opportunistic encryption’.

If the other end of the connection relays messages to the tcpcrypt, the communication will be encrypted. Otherwise, it would be just plain text. It has robust protection against active and passive threats though it isn’t known for being useful as a company-wide solution. It’d be ideal in an environment with transfers of comparatively less-sensitive data.
 

strongSwan

 
strongSwan comes with unique encryption standards, and is maintained by Andreas Steffen, the head of the Institute for Internet Technologies and Applications at the Swiss University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil. strongSwan is easy to configure and features IPsec policies that support large, complex VPNs.
 

Tinc

 
A free open source VPN software, Tinc is licensed under GNU General Public License and is known for its variety of features including optional compression, automatic mesh routing etc. on top of encryption. It’s ideal for businesses that want to create VPNs out of a number of smaller networks at different locations.
 

OpenConnect

 
OpenConnect grew into a popular VPN client because of the fact that it was designed to support Cisco’s AnyConnect SSL VPN. Cisco is one of those popular VPN vendors mentioned at the beginning of this blog, whose product’s had potentially harmful vulnerabilities. Naturally, this led to companies doubting OpenConnect as well, as the client is believed to be associated with Cisco’s SSL VPN.

However, that’s not the case at all. OpenConnect has no association with Cisco, and got popular simply because it was compatible with their equipment. After the security vulnerabilities of Cisco were discovered, OpenConnect was subjected to some serious redevelopment. It’s now rectified all of the identified Cisco client deficiencies. OpenConnect is Linux compatible, and is one of the leading alternatives to Cisco for enterprises.
 

Conclusion

 
Open source security has always been questioned. But if you dig deep enough, you can find many experts discussing how secure open source is today, and why open source security rivals that of its proprietary counterparts. Open source also leads in the Middle East, particular when it comes to software development in UAE. Because of the large number of eyes and brains working behind open source solutions, pretty much every security gap has already been identified and filled. Enterprise-level open source VPNs can get the job done, while effectively securing business’ sensitive data.