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As technology advances, so does the way many industries go about their usual operations. For healthcare, imaging machines have become a critical component to gain an understanding of what is going on within an individual’s body. As such, a recent report by Global Information Inc has shown that the medical imaging industry is burgeoning with developments.

Some of the main catalysts for the industry’s projected growth are nontraditional uses for diagnostics and monitoring for new therapies and minimally invasive procedures, according to the source.

“The dynamics of imaging agents are changing and significant growth lies ahead,” says the report’s press release. “Among the key trends: ultrasound contrast media is a rising star in the quadrant; PET is a prime growth driver for radiopharmaceuticals; nuclear medicine provides a potential growth avenue for radiopharmaceuticals; and fledging market battles teething challenges.”

Clearly, technology development and research is taking a priority in the healthcare industry. As such, biomedical engineering firms and other developmental companies may want to invest in custom database software to ensure that they are able to keep up with the rising competition in these fields.

By consulting FileMaker developers, companies can create a research database that can be used to help manage projects and spread information between departments. This software can also be accessed via mobile devices through using FileMaker Go, which can be very valuable in laboratory settings where researchers may need to move from stations and machines and record insights and observations.

By using FileMaker and FileMaker Go for research and development teams, companies can ensure they can stay ahead of the pack and not fall behind the competition.

According to a study by IBM and Broadridge, financial market firms are experiencing a “1-2 punch” of regulatory compliance and customer demands that are forcing the companies to change the way they manage digital information.

According to the study, the companies that are excelling in these times of change are focusing externally. They’re looking at how they can differentiate from competitors, improve “marketplace agility,” and expand their companies geographically, allowing for increased worker flexibility and supporting local industries.

“Based on regulatory, competitive and margin pressures facing financial services firms today, current operational systems are challenged to deliver the needed scale and cost efficiencies,” said Charles Marchesani, corporate vice president of securities processing solutions as Broadridge, in a press release. “Increasingly, financial firms are looking externally to adopt more flexible and scalable operating models to quickly respond to new growth opportunities and the continuous regulatory changes.”

In addition, the source states that the current leaders are at least three times more client-focused than those falling behind and 2.5 times more collaborative across departments than industry laggards. These essential characteristics can be improved by investing in custom database software.

By consulting FileMaker developers, companies can create custom applications that can be used across all departments to store and share information. Customer relationship software can hold necessary details about demographics, which can then be shared throughout the company, allowing for greater collaboration as all departments will have a greater understanding of their clients.

Furthermore, by using custom database software to mold the program to their specific needs, companies will be able to comply to the regulations while still maintaining a close watch on consumer demands and trends.

Mobile is on the rise as the latest iPhone is being predicted by many analysts to reach 27.2 million units sold by the end of the September quarter, according to CNet. Despite the increase and availability of this technology, a survey by vSplash, a data and analytics company, has found that nearly 98 percent of small to medium-sized business' (SMB) websites are not optimized for mobile use.

According to the press release, 76 percent of SMB mobile websites do not have a privacy policy, which can put them at risk of not being trusted by many search engines. Furthermore, 44 percent of mobile homepages do not contain a phone number or point of contact for customers to immediately access and 78 percent don't have a Facebook or social media marketing link.

"Some experts are predicting smartphones and tablets will account for around one-third of all website visits coming holiday shopping season," said Umesh Tiberwal, CEO of vSplash, in a press release. "According to our current data, nearly SMBs will be challenged to capitalize on this mobile commerce opportunity due to their incompatible websites."

In order for small businesses to take advantage of this rise in mobile usage, they may need to update their custom mobile software. Whether this is being used by employees to access data and key information from their mobile units, or customers to access the site and its call to action from a smartphone or tablet, improving a mobile site's capabilities in the near future can be incredibly useful for businesses.

By consulting FileMaker developers to assist with this process, companies can fully implement technology such as FileMaker Go into their daily operations as a custom application that can be molded to fit their specific needs.

Johnson & Johnson, a major home care product company, has announced that it plans on establishing four new "regional innovation centers" in California, Boston, London and China. These centers will focus on developing research and projects with experts and innovators in those industry hotspots. Surely, this advancement is something that would benefit from the use of custom database software to maintain the rise in projects and partnerships.

"Today, leading innovation sources have concentrated geographic presence in selected locations around the world, and our goal is to become an active part of these ecosystems," said Diego Miralles, MD, head of the California innovation center in a press release. "By refocusing our outward facing activities and locating our experts and deal-making capabilities in those regional hubs we can simplify the deal making and coordination for entrepreneurs who are looking to collaborate with the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies."

The press release goes on to explain that the centers will allow scientists and entrepreneurs to increase collaboration in "early-stage opportunities" by combining the technological innovations of these local businesses with the knowledge of experts available at Johnson & Johnson. The centers are projected to "be operational in the coming months."

With the company's commitment toward partnering with innovative companies in the area of these new centers, the corporation may benefit from the implementation of database software to help keep organize its projects.

By consulting FileMaker developers, companies that are embarking on research and development initiatives similar to Johnson & Johnson will also be able to maintain an organized list of its projects and with custom software as it can help spread necessary information and documents while keeping track of pertinent data and statistics.

Big Data has become a universal term in the current business world. While the idea of Big Data is so new, many companies that attempt to use it aren't entirely sure how to best implement it into everyday practice. While Big Data has the potential to be useful to nearly every company, there are certain ways marketing and advertising firms can best take hold of this new trend.

According to IBM, everyday internet users create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data. In fact, over the last two years, we've created roughly 90 percent of the world's data. And, according to BusinessWeek, that data is prime information for companies to be able to increase the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and web presence, something that's become critical in the 21st century.

"Where there's traffic online, there's opportunity for Big Data," Yuchun Lee, vice president of enterprise marketing management at IBM, told the source.

But in order to be able to not only manage the massive amounts of data, but also analyze and dissect what each metric means, businesses will need the help of custom database software. By consulting FileMaker developers, marketing firms can create and implement the system they may need to ensure that they not only provide creative advertising services, but also the right information to measure the success of the efforts.

Without the ability to properly accrue and analyze Big Data, account managers and small business owners wouldn't be able to make marketing decisions with the clarity and insight that the new form of information can offer. In this digital age, that can spell bad news for companies seeking to get ahead.

According to a survey by Avanade, a business intelligence company, 95 percent of executives say that data management has extended beyond the realm of IT. Companies are now using big data as a way to make even the smallest decisions across all departments.

In addition, the survey found that 75 percent of the respondents also said they plan on making additional investments in their ability to aggregate and analyze data within the next 12 months. This marks a surge in the importance of custom database software to help managers effectively interpret large amounts of data.

Corroborating that, a recent Harvard Business Review article states that many managers may not be "data-minded" enough to handle the rise in big data. This problem can be solved with the supplementary use of custom software.

"Managers and business analysts must be able to apply the principles of scientific experimentation to their business," writes HBR contributor Jeanne Harris, a senior executive research fellow at the Accenture Institute for High Performance. "They must know how to construct intelligent hypotheses. They also need to understand the principles of experimental testing and design, including population selection and sampling, in order to evaluate the validity of data analyses."

One of the key components to the scientific method is the recording of data and, when using such large amounts of information with big data programs, its essential for managers to be able to store it all in custom database software.

By consulting FileMaker developers, companies can create the software they need to effectively manage the information they will use to based their decisions off of. These decisions will form the grounding for the experiments and changes they may make to improve business operations and employee productivity.

Businesses have always made a point to be where the consumers are. In this century, that means the internet and social media. But, unlike the traditional advertising and marketing tactics of the last century, companies are still finding ways to improve the performance of their online presence, such as using database software to track key web analytics and data.

Google Analytics is a popular way for companies to track the performance of their website, advertising campaign or blog.

When companies use Google Analytics, they are given a wide swath of data that's been compiled by the tech company's service. This includes reports on site traffic, such as unique visitors and time spent on each page, as well as click-throughs and conversions for display ads. Real-time reporting measures website activity as it happens. And content and social media analytics measures audience engagement and in-page analytics that show where users go within a site.

While Google Analytics can provide excellent data for companies to monitor how well their website or blog is performing, self-hosted web analytics are rising in popularity among users.

According to Search Engine Watch, self-hosted analytics solutions offer the convenience of speed to customers, as they do not have to wait for a remote server to respond to a request for analytics. In addition, they allow the owner full control over their website data. Part of this control is the added security measures that self-hosted analytics offer.

When using a web-based service such as Google Analytics, companies put sensitive data at risk of being intercepted or lost through the cloud. Self-hosted services, though, securely store the data wherever the administrator would like it. Companies may want to consult FileMaker developers to work with creating their own self-hosted analytics software.

Businesses can customize this software to provide more details on conversions and leads than they might receive through Google Analytics. FileMaker developers can consult with businesses and aid them in developing the best possible analytics software for their company by creating a custom-made solution to their advertising and web tracking needs

According to leading research and consulting group McKinsey & Company, big data is becoming an increasingly important asset to all businesses – regardless of size or industry.

In a study released by the group, 15 out of 17 sectors in the United States have more data digitally stored per company than the entire United States Library of Congress's digital archives.

In addition, the company found that there is a 60 percent potential increase in operating margins for retailers that use big data effectively. 

But, CompTIA, a nonprofit IT consultant, found that many companies do not have a thorough understanding of all the data they're gathering. The survey also found that most companies are using big data for Web analytics, with 15 percent using it to measure email marketing campaigns and 12 percent using big data for social media monitoring.

"As expected for an emerging technology with an evolving definition, many executives are still moving along the big data learning curve," said Tim Herbert, vice president of research at CompTIA. "Not every business will need a big data strategy. But, just about every business will need to effectively aggregate, store, manage and analyze the data they do have, regardless of its volume, velocity or variety."

In order to effectively do so, companies will need to invest in custom database software that can aggregate and help interpret this big data.

By using database software such as FileMaker, companies will be able to effectively gather and compartmentalize all the terabytes of data that they may be collecting.

In addition, McKinsey's report also cited a potential lack of professionals that would be needed to help analyze this data in the years to come. Companies that may be struggling with understanding the raw numbers on their own may find that this software can aid in the implementation of data-centered IT branch.

Recent studies show that working from home can have many positive benefits for employees and their company. This may be why, according to Stanford University (which reported on the study) over 10 percent of employees in the United States say they regularly work remotely.

With the growing trend of working from home and allowing employees to bring their own device to work, it has now become critical for companies to provide their workforce with custom database software they can access from anywhere.

Especially because, according to Stanford University's report on CTrip's study, the employees who consistently worked remotely for a nine-month span saw an increase in performance by 13 percent, further encouraging the practice.

In addition, the control group, which worked from the office for the same time period, saw no increase in performance. The remote employees also recorded "substantially higher work satisfaction and attitudinal survey outcomes."

While CTrip's study may not speak for every company, the rise of remote workers is certainly an indication of the burgeoning trend. If companies wish to support a company where employees can work from home, they may want to invest in custom database software that can aid in project management despite being out of the office.

When attempting to finish tasks or make deadlines, it can often be imperative that the lines of communication are completely open and can induce the cooperation that may be needed to complete a task in a quality manner. While many employees may need to work remotely, by implementing a project management software program, managers can ensure that all employee are able to access task lists and critical documents when they need them.

Furthermore, using mobile database software, such as FileMaker Go, can help those employees who are even more remote by allowing them to access the same data and documents on their smartphones.