Digital Subscription Management

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:46:17 +0200

Both today’s fiscal environment and the ongoing federal budget constraints lend themselves to cost cutting initiatives and an increased focus on the responsible stewardship of taxpayer money. While belt tightening may be a necessity in many areas throughout the government, operating more effectively should be the desired goal in any environment. “Doing more with less” has become the adopted mantra of many of our federal clients.

In accordance with these new attitudes, the federal government is emphasizing increased efficiency and transparency of performance. At Triton, we are the subject matter experts, and our clients rely on us to recommend and implement effective solutions that meet these federal directives.

Digital subscription management is a cost effective way to improve communication and transparency in federal organizations, while leveraging existing infrastructure (websites/social media tools). With effective utilization and a strategic emphasis placed on digital subscription management, clients have a unique opportunity to proactively inform stakeholders of key information, metrics, and relevant news. Triton currently supports a digital subscription management tool called GovDelivery, and we have recommended its use to numerous clients.

GovDelivery is an easy to use, software-as-service solution that has become the preferred way of leveraging digital communication for many federal clients. In response to increased emphasis placed upon knowledge sharing with the public, GovDelivery helps content managers and communication specialists perform their jobs effectively. This tool is subscriber based, and helps increase public awareness of website and social media content.

Triton and GovDelivery help customers save money by improving communication management without requiring staff changes or significant training. GovDelivery boasts that it allows administrators to design and develop content effectively, without requiring background knowledge in either. Content is tracked using the unique open rate metric, as well as other important analytics. Consequently, content managers can customize websites and social media based upon stakeholder level of interest statistics. Not only does this software help clients understand their audience better, but it also allows the client to interact with its audience in a timely and effective manner.

From the subscriber perspective, GovDelivery is very flexible. Subscribers can personalize their account to determine which content they receive, and how frequently they receive it. Additionally, subscribers are able to sign up for related topics from other federal clients based upon federal partnerships. As with most digital content management systems, subscribers have the ability to opt out at any time.

While just one of many tools out there, GovDelivery is a significant player in the digital subscription management environment. Software fees are based on desired features and number of website visits; therefore, GovDelivery and client incentives are aligned. A digital subscription management solution, like GovDelivery, can help clients “Do more with less,” and is just one example of a solution that Triton has effectively recommended and implemented for its clients.

If you would like to learn more about the GovDelivery tool or other potential solutions contact:

Stephen Raymond

Triton Federal Solutions

703-574-6423

Stephen.Raymond@tritonfsi.com

Flexible Mobile Development with Adobe Flash Builder

Tue, 31 May 2011 17:57:33 +0200

As more and more organizations are exploring entry into the mobile application space, key decision makers are faced with a strategy choice in determining how to extend their online brand to mobile devices. Due to the fragmented nature of the current mobile marketplace, developers have different software development kits at their disposal to create separate mobile apps that work specifically on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and other devices. Specific applications need to be coded several different ways to properly penetrate the wide spectrum of available mobile devices. This can result in increased project timelines and a phased approach to application delivery. Since the Apple iPhone was the first global smartphone platform to fully incorporate a profitable application development model, businesses will often release an iOS app first and then deliver follow-on versions for other mobile operating systems. IT leaders have a few alternatives options to explore to avoid the traditional staggered release of individual native mobile apps.

One solution that is feasible for certain projects is to build a mobile web site that a user can interact with on any mobile device. Using this approach, an organization can quickly gain a mobile presence while keeping a single code base for development purposes. The mobile users view and interact with the content through their phone’s web browser. The drawback of using this method is that users cannot get the same rich interactive experience that can be provided through a native app built specifically for Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone, etc.. Users on different devices will also experience different formatting of the content due to varied browser and screen size configurations. This mobile web site method of delivery does not ensure a consistent end user experience.

At Triton we are focused on extending existing desktop web applications to mobile devices for easy and timely access of information. Part of the appeal of using a native application to deliver mobile content is to keep the dynamic interactive user experience found in most desktop applications. Through the use of leading industry tools such as Adobe Flash Builder, we are able to capture pieces of the rich interactive applications we create for clients on the web and expose them to various portable devices. Flash Builder allows a developer to use a single source base of code and easily publish mobile applications on several devices at once using the Adobe Air mobile platform. Adobe Flash Builder 4.5 currently features integrated support for Android mobile development. Later this year, Adobe plans to release updates to Flash Builder that will allow developers to export Adobe Air mobile applications for iOS and Blackberry devices as well. The added appeal of using the Flex framework with Flash Builder is that developers can now have a common platform for creating applications for the desktop, the web and for multiple mobile platforms using the same codebase. This streamlined process can significantly reduce the time and cost associated with application development projects while keeping a consistent look and feel for the end user across multiple platforms and applications.

Triton developers have a wide range of experience in developing interactive web-based dashboards that engage the user through a desktop-based browsing experience. The next level that Triton is gaining expertise in is to bring the same engaging experience to native mobile applications that are specifically tailored and optimized for an individual user’s mobile device. This method of mobile content creation allows users to access data and content through a rich interactive mobile interface while providing developers with a quick and integrated path to application delivery.

To learn more about the latest version of Adobe Flash Builder 4.5, visit this link: http://www.adobe.com/products/flash-builder.html

Jordan Rose

Technical Consultant

Triton Federal Solutions

(703) 574-6392

Jordan.Rose@tritonfsi.com

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Digital Subscription Management

Flexible Mobile Development with Adobe Flash Builder