develpreneur podcast
Posted on Free and Low Cost Tools

Financial and Accounting Applications (Free and Low Cost)

This first episode of the season on free and low-cost tools looks at finance and accounting applications.  I assume that these will not be the most fun and exciting applications we cover.  However, they will be some of the most critical to any business. Accounting Applications For You As we go over the applications in this episode, it is essential for you to remember that the best tools will be the one that works the closest to your current processes.  When you find yourself fighting against your application, then it is time for a change. These tools have a range of features and types of business that they focus on.  The good news is that there are free trial periods available for each... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Patterns of Software Design

A Look at Software Design Patterns

This season will take a look at the software design patterns that we should know.  Each episode will dig into a pattern and how to implement it.  Some of these will be very familiar, and some may open your mind to a whole new approach to software solutions.  In this first episode of the season, we look at why patterns matter at all. Proper Object-Oriented Design Software design patterns are the next logical steps once you are comfortable with OOD.  It is one thing to create objects to model your system.  However, patterns show us ways to use objects to model functionality and even bootstrap our applications with core object-oriented programming principles. There are four main aspects of object-oriented programming. Encapsulation... Read more

server security
Posted on General

A Quick Guide For Server Security

We have looked at security in the past, but we have gotten into the specifics of given platforms.  It can help to start with a common sense list of tasks that will help you lock down server security no matter the platform you are on.  In the modern world of virtual machines and containers all over the network, these general rules may be easier to track and implement. Keep Up To Date If you don’t know where to start on server security, then go to the experts.  The OWASP and NIST sites are an excellent source for the latest information and best practices.  You may think these sites are too complicated or security-minded for you to find them useful.  However, these... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on A Summary Of Amazon Services

AWS – The Compute Family of Services

This season (season 4) will cover the groups of services Amazon provides in their AWS offerings.  Each episode will focus on a particular group and review the included services from a high level.  We have created posts over the last year to go a little deeper into each service.  However, this season will give you some great ideas on where to start and what they currently offer. The Virtual Machine We start our season with a focus on the “compute” family of services.  These cover a few different ways to handle your cloud-based applications.  The first we look at is the traditional virtual machine.  This service starts with the elastic compute cloud (EC2).  We use this service as part of... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Podcast

Management By Walking Around – With Remote Teams

There are a large number of management strategies that have been pushed over the years.  The study and promotion of these approaches is a cottage industry unto itself.  One of my favorite ideas is Management By Walking Around.  This is a practice that works excellent for traditional office environments.  However, it becomes a bit of a challenge when some or all of your team is remote. Casual Communication A key to management by walking around is the idea that you can get all you need from informal communication.  Formal channels like status reports and meetings are sufficient.  These methods are just not the most effective.  There is also the challenge with reducing bias in communication that comes from a formal... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Podcast

Deadlines: A professional approach to the Side-Hustle

We have focused a lot on the fun part of a side-hustle.  The goal is to enjoy our work as we pour more effort into our success.  On the other hand, we need to have a professional approach to the side-hustle.  It is not enough to say we are working on a side project.  There has to be some effort, dare I say “hustle,” that is included in your march to success. Deadlines, Not Soft Dates You have spent time and effort on planning out your side-hustle.  This might include statements or promises made to a client.  That makes those dates you set as part of the plan deadlines.  These are dates where you must deliver what you said you would. ... Read more