Application management tools and practices
Thanks to the ever-increasing importance of web, mobile, cloud and a variety of other application types, keeping a portfolio of business-related applications has become more challenging than ever. Learn from seasoned software experts about the complex details surrounding modern application management tools and practices.
Top Stories
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News
12 Mar 2024
Arista adds network change analysis to CloudVision
Arista's CloudVision Universal Network Observability analyses network changes to assess their impact on applications and workloads, including those on virtualization platforms. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jan 2024
Top observability tools for 2024
Observability tools can help developers and IT administrators improve application delivery, performance, customer experience and troubleshooting. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jan 2024
state management
Application state management is the process of maintaining knowledge of an application's inputs across multiple related data flows that form a complete business transaction -- or a session -- to understand the condition of the app at any given moment. Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Jan 2024
API management
API management is the process by which an organization creates, oversees and controls application programming interfaces (APIs) in a secure, scalable environment. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jan 2024
Top observability tools for 2024
Observability tools can help developers and IT administrators improve application delivery, performance, customer experience and troubleshooting. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Dec 2023
business logic
In programming, business logic is the part of a software program responsible for implementing the business rules that define how data should be created, modified, transformed, communicated and in other ways managed and controlled. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Dec 2023
A review of 7 software architecture visualization tools
Visualization tools like Visio and Draw.io can provide a lot of benefits when it comes to software architecture design and management, but choosing the right one is important. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Nov 2023
Prometheus
Prometheus is an open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for microservices and containers that provides flexible queries and real-time notifications. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Nov 2023
6 common problems with open source code integration
Open source provides its fair share of benefits for businesses that put it to use. However, don't ignore these six hazards that development teams may face along the way. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Nov 2023
end of life (EOL)
End of life (EOL), in the context of manufacturing and product lifecycles, is the final stages of a product's existence. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Oct 2023
Serverless vs. containers: Which one for microservices apps?
How do you know when microservices should run in containers vs. serverless functions? A big factor is what you plan to do with your microservices. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Oct 2023
Scripting vs. programming languages: Where they differ
Choosing a programming language is often dictated by the problem the programmer wants to solve and the compute goal that a language is designed to achieve. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Oct 2023
Kotlin vs. Scala: Which one is right for your project?
As general-purpose programming languages, both Scala and Kotlin have a lot to offer. But that doesn't mean their uses cases are the same. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Sep 2023
Idempotent HTTP methods and REST
The Hypertext Transport Protocol requires all HTTP verbs to identify as idempotent or not. But what is an idempotent method, and how does idempotence apply to RESTful API design? Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Aug 2023
shift-left testing
Shift-left testing is a software testing approach in which the code is tested in the earlier stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jun 2023
How to apply the open-closed principle in Java
How does the open-closed SOLID principle work in a Java program? Here we show you what this important principle means, and how to implement the open-closed principle in Java. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jun 2023
New AWS service targets data security, genAI feature to come
The cloud provider's new service helps employees within organizations be more productive while securing their work. The vendor will add a generative AI feature in the future. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Jun 2023
Cloud-native development still a work in progress for companies
Enterprise Strategy Group's Paul Nashawaty breaks down the research firm's latest survey on the state of cloud-native application development. The picture isn't perfect. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jun 2023
The past, present and future of AI coding tools
Though AI-assisted software development has seemingly hit a historical turning point, things like intelligent code completion, static code analysis arguably led the way. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 May 2023
API security
Application program interface (API) security refers to policies and procedures that protect APIs against malicious attacks and vulnerabilities. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 May 2023
no op (no operation)
No op means 'no operation,' which is a computer instruction that specifies no operation but takes up a small amount of storage space. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 May 2023
Microsoft Monitoring Agent (MMA)
Microsoft Monitoring Agent (MMA) is a service used to watch and report on application and system health on a Windows computer. Continue Reading
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Definition
09 May 2023
state diagram (state machine diagram or statechart diagram)
A state diagram (also known as a state machine or statechart diagram) is an illustration of all the possible behavioral states a software system component may exhibit and the various state changes it's predicted to undergo over the course of its operations. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 May 2023
Falcor vs. GraphQL: The differences that matter
While both essentially represent two approaches to a similar end goal, there are some key differences between GraphQL and Falcor that are worth understanding. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Apr 2023
A few simple strategies to reduce software test redundancy
While comprehensive test coverage is a must, software teams must make conscious efforts to keep suites from becoming overpopulated with hampering numbers of redundant test cases. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Mar 2023
How to apply the single responsibility principle in Java
How does the single responsibility model work in a Java program? Here we show you what this SOLID principle means, and how to implement the single responsibility model in Java. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Mar 2023
death by PowerPoint
Death by PowerPoint is a phenomenon caused by the poor use of presentation software. Continue Reading
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Definition
08 Mar 2023
dependency injection
In object-oriented programming (OOP) software design, dependency injection is the process of supplying a resource that a given piece of code requires. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Mar 2023
API testing
API testing is a type of software testing that analyzes an application program interface (API) to verify that it fulfills its expected functionality, security, performance and reliability. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Mar 2023
smoke testing
Smoke testing, also called build verification testing or confidence testing, is a software testing method that is used to determine if a new software build is ready for the next testing phase. Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Jan 2023
componentization (component-based development)
Componentization is an approach to software development that involves breaking software down into identifiable and reusable pieces that application developers can independently build and deploy. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Dec 2022
gRPC
GRPC is a high-performance remote procedure call framework released by Google in August 2016. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Dec 2022
data dictionary
A data dictionary is a collection of descriptions of the data objects or items in a data model to which programmers and others can refer. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Nov 2022
Signs of a Golden Hammer antipattern, and 5 ways to avoid it
The Golden Hammer antipattern can sneak up on a development team, but there are ways to spot it. Learn the signs, as well as some direct steps a team can take to avoid it. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Oct 2022
Why contract testing can be essential for microservices
Developers face numerous struggles trying to perform traditional, end-to-end integration testing on microservices. Contract testing presents a potential alternative. Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2022
Sisense adds trio of new embedded analytics capabilities
A new integration with Git, a multi-tenant environment and enhancements to the Extense Framework are designed to further the embedded BI capabilities of the vendor's platform. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Jul 2022
root cause analysis
Root cause analysis (RCA) is a method for understanding the underlying cause of an observed or experienced incident. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jul 2022
10 application performance metrics and how to measure them
You've deployed your application, now what? To keep your application performing well, you need to track various metrics. Take a look at these ten critical KPIs. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Jun 2022
7 principles of observability in modern applications
Organizations must keep these seven principles top of mind when monitoring and organizing data to institute observability practices that resolve problems quickly. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Jun 2022
Observability vs. monitoring: What's the difference?
Although observability and monitoring are different concepts, they aren't mutually exclusive; both provide IT administrators with valuable insights on their systems. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Jun 2022
Common use cases for observability
These use cases for observability enable an organization to dig deeper into its systems monitoring and analysis to get ahead of potential issues and alert IT staff. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Jun 2022
8 observability best practices
Observability enables organizations to analyze data on a continuous basis and act on it quickly. Learn best practices for implementing the technology. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Jun 2022
Frameworks for an observability maturity model
Observability helps developers and IT operations teams identify and fix system issues. And with the right setup, it can improve on itself over time to catch potential problems. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Jun 2022
9 steps to implement in an observability strategy
As distributed software systems grow in scale and complexity, things like monitoring and debugging can become a tangled mess. Here are nine ways to bolster your observability plan. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jun 2022
The 3 pillars of observability: Logs, metrics and traces
Logs, metrics and traces offer their individual perspectives on system performance. When analyzed together, they provide a complete picture of your infrastructure. Continue Reading
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Definition
29 Apr 2022
compiler
A compiler is a special program that translates a programming language's source code into machine code, bytecode or another programming language. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Apr 2022
Client Access Server (CAS)
The Client Access Server (CAS) is a server role that handles all client connections to Exchange Server 2010 and Exchange 2013. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Apr 2022
6 ways to perform microservices load testing
While it's not easy to conduct load testing in hectic microservices environments, certain best practices can help testing teams ensure fair and equal distribution of workloads. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Mar 2022
build
In a programming context, a build is a version of a program that, as a rule, is a pre-release version and is identified by a build number rather than by a release number. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Feb 2022
The ups and downs of using an internal developer platform
IDPs can provide a productive and secure environment for development teams. Consider the pros and cons to see if an internal developer platform is right for your organization. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jan 2022
The ups and downs of low-code microservices development
Low-code may not be the most sophisticated of development techniques, but it can often fit the bill for software teams looking to build microservices applications. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Dec 2021
BPEL (Business Process Execution Language)
BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) is an XML-based language that allows web services, APIs and human processes in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) to interconnect and share data in a business workflow. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Dec 2021
12 DevOps KPIs you should track to gauge improvement
What's missing from your DevOps workflow? Cold, hard, impartial numbers. Track these key metrics to ensure DevOps processes achieve stated goals. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Dec 2021
Will .NET 6 features bridge the gap between .NET frameworks?
Microsoft's original .NET Framework has come a long way, but will the new iterations of this framework be enough to convince developers to leave it behind? Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Aug 2021
Microservices vs. SOA: Choose the right app architecture
This primer explains the ins and outs of a microservices vs. SOA architecture: when and where to use either one, and how both are evolving, thanks to containers. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Jul 2021
Resilient software strategies all developers should know
Failures are unavoidable. However, the right software design and development choices can help minimize their impact, isolate problems and speed recovery times. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 May 2021
3 ways to maximize business process automation benefits
As business automation continues to take the enterprise by storm, there are a few ways software teams can better prepare themselves to confidently kick-start BPA initiatives. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Apr 2021
Feature toggles: A simple fix for complex release cycles
While development teams should always strive to improve app functionality, unchecked collections of feature releases can quickly cause trouble. Feature toggles may be the answer. Continue Reading
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Definition
04 Mar 2021
software
Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and execute specific tasks. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Feb 2021
Guide to building an enterprise API strategy
In today's digital world, businesses increasingly rely on APIs to deliver data and services. Follow this comprehensive guide to build a successful enterprise API strategy. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Feb 2021
The basics of monitoring and observability in microservices
We examine how monitoring and observability help development teams keep a distributed architecture from coming unraveled by individual failures and performance bottlenecks. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Jan 2021
BPM vs. BPA: The differences in strategy and tooling
The differences between BPM and BPA come down to process complexity, an organization's proficiency with software code and how quickly the business must see ROI. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Nov 2020
Microservices logging best practices every team should know
Creating a log system for distributed microservices is a task much easier said than done. Joydip Kanjilal offers a few best practices to shore up microservices logging processes. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Oct 2020
A basic overview of micro front ends
Microservices enable independent app-dev teams, asynchronous app updates and precise troubleshooting. If these benefits sound good for your UI, consider a micro front end. Continue Reading
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News
06 Oct 2020
Ardoq architecture tool adds new Scenarios planning module
The new Scenarios module in Ardoq's enterprise architecture tool enables customers to model and analyze potential future states in a collaborative way. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Sep 2020
A lesson on how to test microservices locally
Microservices are small pieces of a big picture, so they're difficult to test in isolation. Use these tips to run unit and integration tests locally on microservices. Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
New performance monitoring tool alerts developers in real time
New performance monitoring feature in Sentry's error tracking and release integration platform helps developers find and fix performance issues. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Apr 2020
The 5 essential elements of an RPA strategy
RPA's benefits can be wiped out by an improper implementation. Give your business a sound RPA strategy and roadmap before you rush in. Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2020
COVID-19 unemployment claims up demand for COBOL programmers
There is an urgent need for COBOL programmers amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated the U.S. economy and overwhelmed unemployment insurance systems in some states. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Apr 2020
Microservices availability tips for pandemic's scaling challenge
Surges in app user activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced architects to make immediate decisions around service availability and performance, especially for distributed architectures. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Apr 2020
The 7 crucial RPA developer skills
As enterprises move in on RPA, they need developers who can juggle both the business and technical sides of automation. Here are seven essential RPA developer skills. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Feb 2020
3 microservices resiliency patterns for better reliability
The flipside of microservices agility is the resiliency you can lose from service distribution. Here are some microservices resiliency patterns that can keep your services available and reliable. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Feb 2020
Is microservices adoption right for your organization?
Assess whether your org will benefit from microservices, and use this expert advice to take the initial steps to make a successful architectural and cultural transition. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Feb 2020
Popular microservices testing tools developers should know about
Testing microservices gets messy as services are independent and communicate often. Here are tests necessary for microservices, and popular tools developers use to perform them. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Jan 2020
Pros and cons of monolithic vs. microservices architecture
Developers interested in shifting to microservices should seriously consider whether a monolithic approach may be the smarter choice. Here are the key factors to consider. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Jan 2020
Weigh these RPA benefits and challenges against APIs
APIs are a safe, reliable way for applications to execute a workflow. But they're not always available. Here's how to craft an integration strategy around APIs, RPA and even people. Continue Reading
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Guide
12 Dec 2019
A guide to open source technology in application development
The open source community continuously adapts to address the latest application development and deployment needs of organizations large and small. What can these tools do for you? Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Dec 2019
Business process automation software requires a strategy
Organizations of all sizes can benefit from automation, but they need to move beyond tactical deployments. To really make use of BPA software, a strategic approach is needed. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Dec 2019
Why workflow automation isn't really about cost cutting
BPA can reduce expenses and boost efficiency. Its real value, though, is in how it can drive innovation throughout a company and provide a competitive advantage. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Dec 2019
When business process automation benefits the whole company
Here's what you need to know about BPA tooling, from how it works, how it helps and how to consider potential providers. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Nov 2019
Scaling microservices takes conceptual skills and good tooling
Independent scalability is a major benefit of microservices, and simultaneously a complex and challenging thing to implement. Scale microservices with a focus on users' priorities. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Oct 2019
The right (and wrong) way to think about code refactoring
Code refactoring keeps code clean, sharp and efficient -- ideally without changing any of its functionality. Learn how to refactor code without interrupting your deployment pipeline. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Sep 2019
Invoke these 3 commandments of microservice applications
Unlock a microservice app's potential with a three-pillared approach centered on a thorough component directory, absolute service flexibility and reliable backwards compatibility. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Aug 2019
Digital business upends the CIO and enterprise architect role
IDC analyst Mike Rosen explains how new digital business pursuits amplify enterprise architects and CIOs into newly amplified roles that put business goals and requirements first. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Aug 2019
What semantic monitoring can and can't do for microservices
Semantic monitoring can identify microservices performance problems, catch bugs in transactions and ensure uptime. But when you test in production, you'd better know what you're doing. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Jul 2019
Streamline CI/CD with the Jenkins Blue Ocean tool
Organizations that run Jenkins may find that plugins complicate their CI/CD pipeline. Here's how the continuous delivery tool Blue Ocean can help keep things on track. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Jun 2019
Analyst details why pros and cons of serverless architecture matter
Get an expert's take on the top three pros and cons of serverless architecture, including the potential cost savings, but also rearchitecting work involved for existing applications. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jun 2019
Use event processing to achieve microservices state management
What good are stateless microservices for stateful processing? Bring complex event processing into the mix to manage microservices state through scaling and failures. Here's how. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jun 2019
How to pick the right application wireframing tool
Determine the best application wireframing tool for mobile and website projects based on team collaboration, prototype complexity and other real-world factors. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Jun 2019
8 practical serverless design patterns for enterprise devs
Serverless app teams can turn to architecture patterns to guide the way to a successful product. Learn the criteria to narrow your options and the key differences between eight patterns. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 May 2019
Insurer's cloud application modernization approach gets real
Helvetia views its enterprise architecture from all angles to automate and raise efficiency on the back end, improve customer experience on the front end and secure data throughout. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 May 2019
Address goals with various enterprise architecture strategies
Enterprise architects have a range of frameworks at their fingertips, but their role also entails creating consensus and understanding between business and technical stakeholders. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 May 2019
Discover practical serverless architecture use cases
While architects and developers were slow to find practical use cases for serverless, numerous enterprise trends should drive the need for this architecture style. Continue Reading
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Guide
26 Feb 2019
How serverless works to usher in a new era of applications
Dive into this architecture-centric guide on serverless computing that includes API management tips and advice on when to implement serverless microservices designs. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Feb 2019
Enable an antilatency cloud event processing architecture
Event-based applications cannot tolerate unreliable networks or latency. Consider an architecture that puts some event processing local to the source to alleviate cloud traffic. Continue Reading
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Answer
24 Jan 2019
What tools help with microservices Salesforce development?
It's not always easy to develop Salesforce apps with microservices. Developers and admins should evaluate CI/CD tools that support microservices development in the Salesforce world. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Oct 2018
3 ways to prep microservices applications for big data
It's easy for the expansion of big data to spin out of control in a distributed architecture. Think carefully about database management to avoid performance-killing bottlenecks. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Sep 2018
Understand business logic to fortify microservices design
Before software teams introduce microservices, they must take a critical look at the business logic that frames their architecture because, as contexts change, so does the logic. Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2018
BP Logix BPM tool packs AI features in latest release
With BP Logix's latest BPM platform release, predictive analytics comes to BPM without a posse of data scientists. The AI tools inside could fill BPM's machine learning gap. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Jul 2018
Utilize microservices to support a 5G network architecture
To satisfy next-level network promises, 5G networks should be supported by a microservices-based infrastructure, as monolithic architectures won't meet demands. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jul 2018
Middleware tools demand to peak in 2018, before iPaaS ascends
Gartner predicts that enterprise on-premises middleware will go out with a $30B bang this year. Ready to plan cloud middleware migration projects? Think iPaaS and MWaaS. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Jul 2018
Serverless vs. containers: What's best for event-driven apps?
Serverless and containers give teams new options to host event-driven applications, but each has pros and cons. Decide which platform is best for your app to avoid a costly mistake. Continue Reading