api gateway
Posted on AWS Tour

API Gateway – Amazon’s Service for Connecting Your Systems

Many of our modern software solutions include pieces distributed across servers and various devices.  This approach requires a maintainable way to transfer data.  Luckily, an API is a perfect solution.  When you build a good API, the solution can expand opportunities for solving new problems or provide better features.  However, an API is not always easy to implement.  That is where the AWS API Gateway comes in handy. The API Gateway is Flexible This service is a front end to any API you want to build.  There is the option to create serverless calls with Lambda, but that is one of many options.  Thus, even if you already have an API implemented, this service can be useful to you.  The service even includes... Read more

target market
Posted on General

Keywords and Finding Your Target Market

We have looked at some tools to assist in researching keywords for your target market.  However, there are also some general rules to follow when you start down this path.  Selecting keywords is not quite a science, but these steps can help avoid keyword writer’s block. Start with Foundational Ideas A goal of effective keyword selection is finding niches.  Of course, you can’t find a niche without making some scope reduction.  Thus, we can start with some broad terms that still help narrow our focus.  A safe start is industry terms to get you in the ballpark.  These words may end up being thrown away later, but they are a good starting point.  For example, let’s look at a consulting... Read more

keyword tools
Posted on General

Five KeyWord Tools For Researching Your Market and Competition

An Internet business needs to work with keyword tools.  This fact has become a lifeblood of traffic and thus, sales for many companies.  These five are great places to start building your knowledge of your site and your competition. SpyFu Link: https://www.spyfu.com This tool provides free insight into your competition.  Who is your competition?  Well, if you do not know that then your chances of success are slim.  The site also provides a useful keyword research tool for free.  The paid version adds a lot of great features for around $30 – $200 per month depending on your needs. The keyword tool is fantastic.  Enter your words or phrase, and you will get a report on suggested campaign approaches, related words, associated... Read more

appstream
Posted on AWS Tour

AWS IOT – Managing All of Those Devices

It is hard to separate Cloud services from IoT (Internet of Things), and Amazon is no exception.  Their IoT service on AWS is part of a series of tools for managing all of those devices in the Cloud.  To stay clear, we will look at the IoT service (AWS IOT) in this article as opposed to the larger IOT group of tools that includes other services like Green Grass and the Dash Button. Internet of Things in a Nutshell It may help to provide a brief synopsis of IoT.  Think of all the devices around your house that communicate with the Internet.  Those all fall into this category.  In short, a device that connects to the Internet/Cloud for any reason is... Read more

winning your first it project
Posted on AWS Tour

Amazon IAM – Securing Your Cloud

We probably should have started our AWS tour with the Identity and Access Management service (IAM).  This stop on our tour is one of the most pervasive of the AWS services.  It is also one of the most important. Security First Once you have spent any time in the AWS environment, the focus on security becomes apparent.  Likewise, you have run into IAM at some point if you have used any of the services we have covered in the past.  Amazon has made sure that security is a consideration with all of their services.  However, they also make administration of it fairly easy.  This ease of management is where IAM comes in. Groups and Users Across Your Cloud The IAM approach... Read more