SmartTrade Blog

These days many people talk about the “Cloud” as if it is the only answer. Online apps are a great solution for many users, the fact that online software uptake is growing strongly is demonstrated by the chart below showing that in 2016 for the first time internet usage on mobile and tablets exceeded desktop internet use for the first time, a proxy for whose using what platform, while PC sales are falling.

In reality the “Cloud” is really just where somebody else’s server hosts the software which you link to via the internet. Traditionally, software was hosted on the user’s own computer system, otherwise known as “Desktop” software. Desktop software can also be hosted in the cloud which creates the hybrid platform.

In this article, we compare the two core platforms which are:

• Online – operate online in the office and field.
• Desktop – office use only.

As discussed above there's also the Hybrid platform - desktop in the office, online in the field, which combines advantages of both Online and Desktop, some pundits are of the opinion that hybrid will eventually emerge as the dominant platform.

Comparison of the Online and Desktop.

Conclusion

• Native Apps – the software is developed in a native programming language for a given mobile platform (e.g. iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, Blackberry) and downloaded to the device. The biggest advantages of native apps are:

- You can take the app with making usable offline;

- They can more directly use the operating system’s native features.

On the negative side:

- Every mobile platform uses a different native programming language (iOS uses Objective-C or Swift, Android used Java, Windows Mobile uses C#). If the software works with multiple platforms the software developer needs to update their software for each platform every time they release a new version of their app;

- Updates must be downloaded;

- They’re designed for mobile platforms, not for desktop platforms.

• Web Apps – the software operates in the web browser (e.g. Chrome, Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera etc) with the software hosted in the cloud. The biggest advantage of web apps are:

- Typically web apps are written using a single development platform (Javascript, HTML and CSS) meaning there’s no plethora of native languages to deal with to make the software work on all popular mobile device platforms;

- Updates are immediately available to the user, you don’t need to download them from an app store;

- They load in the browser so don’t take up memory or storage on the device;

- Because they work through web browsers they work well on desktop devices;

- It’s easier to send messages to users through the app itself;

- Because they’re written in HTML5 they will work better with other web based technologies such as virtual or augment reality (VR, AR) and IOS.

On the negative side:

- Performance typically won’t be as sharp as with native apps;

- They typically can’t access all of the smart device’s features, although this is becoming less of a problem as new features are added to web browsers;

- The web app will usually be optimised for one or two browsers so may not perform as well for others.

What are the SmartForm benefits?

SmartFormsare an incredibly powerful feature on SmartTrade Mobile, our mobile app, they have become perhaps the most popular of all the SmartTrade features! We have developed more than 500 different SmartForms for our customers since we released the current version of SmartForms in early 2013.

The major benefits SmartForms deliver are:

copies in cabinets and storage boxes,or time-consuming hunts for old records!
✓ No losing forms, no deciphering illegible hand writing, more accurate validation! You can even use voice
recognition to populate data;
✓ Much better collaboration between the office, field and customers!
✓SmartForms means improved customer service, your business will look more professional!

Other benefits include:

✓Streamline filling out and managing forms, test-sheets and checklists;
✓SmartForms integrate with Asset Management on SmartTrade Ultimate, asset details is automatically
populated from the office to the SmartForm (see below Image 1);
✓Data, including GIS locations and photos (see below Image 2), can be entered in the field using
SmartForms and then uploaded to the forms cloud database.
✓If the technician loses internet connectivity, for example while working in a basement, the tech can continue
working off-line and then upload the data once re-connected;
✓You can view the completed forms in SmartTrade Essential or Ultimate, print off a PDF copy of the form
result (see below Image 3);
✓If you have a least one SmartTrade Ultimate licence you can:

• Give your customers privileges to view their form results via the SmartGate internet portal (see Image 4);
• Create work orders from the SmartForm that are received back in the office (see Image 5).

✓Forms results can be emailed from the site to the customer, no making the customer wait;
✓Better enforcement of health and safety protocols. JSA, SWMS type SmartForms can be made mandatory,
the field tech has to sign the safety form off before starting the job (see below Image 6);
✓Advanced reports can be written to import SmartForm data for reporting results to customers (see below
Image 7). This works well for sites with multiple assets so you can send the client a summary report rather
than bombard them with a whole lot of forms. This feature requires the SmartForms to be designed to enable
content to be accessed in SmartTrade Essential or Ultimate;
✓SmartForms make longer forms practical;
✓You can edit the form results back in the office, this is privilege controlled;
✓SmartForms can include computations (see below Image 8);
✓Technician and/or customer signoff can be made mandatory (see below Image 9).
✓Change the job status (see below Image 9).

Image 1	Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5	Image 6
Image 7
Image 8	Image 9

How do I use SmartForms?

SmartForms for our desktop hybrid product operate on our SmartTrade Mobile app, the online companion product to our desktop office based software SmartTrade Essential and Ultimate solutions (SmartTrade Essential and Ultimate can also be hosted in the cloud). You can open up SmartTrade Mobile on a PC should you wish to fill out forms in the office.

SmartForms for our new SBO cloud app work directly.

What types of SmartForms are possible?

We are often surprised by the wide variety of requests we get for SmartForms. The most popular SmartForms we have developed include:

✓Certificates of compliance;
✓Test sheets;
✓Timesheets;
✓Job Safety Assessments, Site Safety Method Statements etc;
✓HVAC compliance forms;
✓Occupational Health and Safety checklists.

What do SmartForms Cost?

SmartForms are available either as standard library forms (at a one-off cost of plus tax each), or can be customised to your needs (we will quote you for this).

We recently introduced a suite of free standard SmartForms designed for electricians and plumbers, the suite also includes a customer satisfaction survey form.

How can I try out SmartForms?

Existing SmartTrade Mobile users

It’s easy to try out SmartForms if you already have SmartTrade Mobile, there is a suite of sample SmartForms on SmartTrade Mobile you can play with at your leisure. If you need some help our support team is a phone call away.

Non SmartTrade Mobile users

We can set you up with a free SmartTrade Mobile trial so you can try out SmartForms. Again, if you need some help our support team is a phone call away.

What features are available with SmartTrade Essential and Ultimate?

SmartTrade Essential

SmartTrade Essential allows users to attach SmartForms to jobs which are dispatched to SmartTrade Mobile users in the field to complete the form; the field tech can email a PDF copy of the form results to the customer from the site, or the results can be emailed to the customer from the office; form results can be amended in the office (subject to privileges); the office can generate summary reports to send to the customer.

SmartTrade Ultimate

SmartTrade Ultimate allows Mobile users to do everything SmartTrade Essential users can do. Ultimate also includes Asset and Work Order management, SmartForms can be attached to assets (the key asset information is automatically populated in the SmartForm); the asset is then attached to the job which is dispatched to SmartTrade Mobile users in the field to complete the form; the field tech can generate work order requests from the SmartForm. Customers can be set up to see SmartForm results in the SmartGate portal.

Can I develop my own SmartForms?

The answer is no. The reason is SmartForms are integrated into SmartTrade’s job management solution allowing forms to be attached to jobs and dispatched to SmartTrade Mobile, information is populated from the office to the SmartForm, summary information and work order requests can be brought back to the office for reporting purposes. This means every SmartForm involves software development work.

There are many other e-form solutions available, some of which are free, but none of which will integrate with SmartTrade.

Can I delete SmartForms once they have been created?

The answer is no, once the SmartForm is created it stays in the system so there is an inviolate copy. You have the ability to make a SmartForm inactive if you wish to stop using it or change to another SmartForm.

What do our customers think about SmartForms?

This is what Bryce Donaldson, Argus Fire Protection’s service manager, had to say about our SmartForms:

“Using SmartForms to automate compliance testing has had a huge impact on our accuracy, productivity and customer response times ...now we are doing things electronically, our customers can get detailed, accurate and fast information while we are on site as opposed to waiting for it in the post ... SmartForms is a cost saving for Argus Fire and it is a cost saving for our clients.”

Smart devices revolutionise the SME field service business model

By Matthew McGann,

Sales manager, software house SmartTrade Ltd

May 2014

Matthew McGann from SmartTrade talks about the impact affordable consumer grade smart devices and improved mobile internet connectivity are having on the world of SME field service providers. The field service sector includes a host of business types offering installation and/or maintenance services. Statistics in the table below illustrate the growth in the smart device market.

There would be few if any business models with more to gain from the smart device phenomenon than the SME field service providers. Until relatively recently sophisticated field service mobility solutions were largely the preserve of the larger corporations who could afford expensive IT solutions. Mobile phones didn’t have sufficient smarts to allow the smaller players to effectively manage their workflow from the field. As a result they were pretty much limited to using the voice and text functionalities on their mobile phones to communicate with their customers and suppliers. The emergence of affordable consumer grade smart devices with reasonable processor capacity and vastly improved internet connectivity is revolutionising the way SME field service providers manage their businesses. It helps if the smart devices come with a ruggedized case!

Job management solutions hosted on smart devices expand the growth opportunities for the SME field service providers by enabling them to compete more effectively in the marketplace. This in turn is an enabler for progressive SMEs navigating the chasm of death from being small to big businesses.

There are a number of simple job management apps appearing in the market. An effective job management solution needs to be feature rich plus have excellent help desk support, the field service providers are using it every working day all day! Simple apps lacking a help desk don’t cut the ice!

A contributing factor is societal change. The first of the Gen Y’ers , the generation brought up with computers, are now in their early 30’s. They will increasingly make their presence felt in terms business ownership and management, plus in the field service game the techs tend to be young, mobile and computer savvy. A state-of-the-art smart device will often be an important part of the Gen Y’er’s persona! They will often happily employ their personal smart devices at work (the BYOD factor).

It doesn’t take an Einstein to work out that if your employees are linked at the hip with a productivity tool one would be foolish not to catch the wave!

In response job management software developers such as SmartTrade are increasingly tailoring our software products to work on smart devices. SmartTrade has superseded our earlier PDA based mobile products with solutions specifically designed for the Android and iOS platforms.

We have also developed Smeedi®, a document exchange platform, offering increased office productivity by automating the exchange of invoices between supplier and customer.

Smart device statistics

For the statistically inclined the following data demonstrates why smart devices are becoming truly ubiquitous.

• 2013 was the first year smartphone sales exceeded 50% of all mobile phones sold!
• 2013 was the first year the number of internet connection instances from smart devices exceeded those from desktop PCs!
• More than 1.5 billion smart devices were shipped in 2013, dominated by 1 billion smartphones!

The trends are clear to see:

➤ Consumers are moving to smart devices at the expense of desktop PCs (and fixed landlines).
➤ Consumers are increasingly using their smart devices to surf the net.

This is far from a first world phenomenon. Some indicative estimates:

• The International Telecommunications Union (May 2014) estimates there are nearly 7 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide.
• Ericsson (February 2014) estimates 6.7 billion subscriptions worldwide with 4.5 billion unique mobile phone users once customers with more than one subscription and inactive accounts are factored out.
• Ericsson estimates there will be 5.6 billion smartphone subscriptions by 2019 with most of the market growth coming from the developing nations.

By all measures the worldwide uptake of smart devices is extraordinary!

About SmartTrade

SmartTrade is an Auckland based software house, we began developing job management software for SMEs in 1999, starting with back office solutions designed primarily for tradees.

While SmartTrade’s office solution is now used by a wide range of SME’s the most common user is a field service business with two or three administrative staff receiving and scheduling jobs on our office solution. They then dispatch the jobs to a team of technicians in the field via our mobile solutions for smart devices, the techs return the job to the office once completed.

Our largest New Zealand customer has more than 150 staff using SmartTrade in the office and the field to manage their workflows.

http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a

Cyber Attack Alert

Summary

Many of our customers around the world and the critical systems they depend on have been victims of malicious “WannaCrypt” software. We are using the MSRC blog - Customer Guidance for WannaCrypt attacks to post information and resources in one place, to help customers respond to this latest threat.

The first and most important piece of guidance is to immediately deploy the security update associated with Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010, if you have not done so already. Customers that have automatic updates enabled or have deployed this update are already protected from the vulnerability these attacks are trying to exploit.

Malware Detection

Windows Defender, System Center Endpoint Protection, and Forefront Endpoint Protection detect this threat family as Ransom:Win32/WannaCrypt.

In addition, the free Microsoft Safety Scanner http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/ is designed to detect this threat as well as many others.

Recommendations

Review the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) blog at Customer Guidance for WannaCrypt Attacks for an overview of the issue, details of the malware, suggested actions, and links to additional resources.

Keep systems up-to-date. Specifically, for this issue, ensure Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010 Security Update for Microsoft Windows SMB Server is installed.

Customers who believe they are affected can contact Customer Service and Support by using any method found at this location: https://support.microsoft.com/gp/contactus81?Audience=Commercial.

Microsoft Malware Detection and Removal Tools

Use the following free Microsoft tools to detect and remove this threat:

• Windows Defender: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-defender
• Microsoft Safety Scanner: http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/

Additional Resources

• Microsoft Security Response Center Blog: http://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/msrc
• Microsoft Malware Protection Center Blog: http://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/mmpc
• Microsoft Safety and Security Center webpage: http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.aspx

Regarding Information Consistency

We strive to provide you with accurate information in static (this mail) and dynamic (web-based) content. Microsoft’s security content posted to the web is occasionally updated to reflect late-breaking information. If this results in an inconsistency between the information here and the information in Microsoft’s web-based security content, the information in Microsoft’s web-based security content is authoritative.