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Tag: process

Zyna: A Simple & Cost-Effective Test Automation for Business-Critical Quality Engineering.

Posted on by Ces_creative

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, delivering high-quality products and services is paramount for companies across all industry verticals. As a result, test automation is no longer considered an option but is regarded as essential. However, conventional test automation methods often prove to be burdensome, time-consuming, and riddled with challenges.

At CES, we understand the complexities faced by growing organizations striving to stay ahead in the competitive market. Our in-house test automation accelerator, Zyna, is purposely designed to empower your Quality Engineering teams effectively. In this short read, let’s explore how Zyna helps the test automation landscape, yielding tangible and superior business outcomes.

Zyna-simple cost-effective automation

Unraveling the Benefits of Test Automation Accelerator Zyna

Built by CES on Open-Source frameworks, Zyna offers a suite of easy-to-use features to streamline your testing processes. Its unified platform, multi-platform support, pre-built utilities, seamless integrations, and exceptional customizability make Zyna a catalyst for efficient testing. Here are some of the positive impacts it delivers:

Unified Platform for Streamlined Testing

Zyna provides a unified platform that seamlessly integrates regression testing for API, Web, and Mobile applications using the same codebase, eliminating the need for managing separate projects. This streamlined approach significantly reduces maintenance overhead, allowing companies from manufacturing to healthcare to reach their customers swiftly and effectively.

Enhanced ROI through Multi-Platform Support

The versatility of Zyna lies in its compatibility with various programming languages like Java, C#, and Python. This flexibility enables Quality Engineering teams to leverage their preferred languages and integrate our proprietary accelerator with the existing frameworks, speeding up the adoption of test automation. Thus, by eliminating language barriers, Zyna optimizes team productivity, reduces training costs, and maximizes ROI for your automation initiatives.

Maximize Efficiency with Pre-Built Utilities

Zyna is equipped with an extensive array of built-in utilities, such as Data Connectors, File Readers, Runtime Loggers, and Customized Reports, to drive operational efficiency and save invaluable time & effort. In contrast to traditional open-source tools, our in-house accelerator goes the extra mile by leveraging these pre-built capabilities. Engineering teams can focus on crafting automation scripts and delivering comprehensive test coverage promptly, leading to faster time-to-market and reduced operational costs.

Seamless Integration with Leading DevOps Tools

Zyna seamlessly integrates with industry-leading DevOps tools like Azure DevOps, Bitbucket, GitLab, and Git Actions, allowing organizations to incorporate them into their existing DevOps workflows effortlessly. With version control, continuous integration (CI), and deployment capabilities, Zyna ensures efficient collaboration, traceability, and scalability throughout the software development and testing lifecycle. 

Customizability to Align with Business Goals

Zyna’s key quality is its ability to be customized to perfectly align with businesses’ specific requirements, workflows, and toolchains across all industries. Whether incorporating specialized testing frameworks, integrating with existing toolchains, or adapting to unique workflows, our accelerator enables companies to mold the automation solution according to their unique business goals. 

Zyna’s abilities reach far beyond its technical capabilities. Organizations leveraging Zyna unlocked significant business values, including decreased release time, accelerated test execution, and reduced man-hours (up to 1000 man-hours). These improvements reduced operational costs, enabled faster time-to-market, and increased customer satisfaction.

Zyna Spotlight: Transforming Vision into Reality

Seeking further proven evidence of Zyna’s capabilities? Below are a few real-life payoffs realized by our valued customers:

  • Case Study 1: Minimized the duration of test execution by up to 80% through careful optimization efforts..
  • Case Study 2: Reduced automation costs by up to 50% and saved substantial man-hours by jumpstarting automation efforts within a week.
  • Case Study 3: Shortened release cycle times by up to 60% by embracing Continuous Testing in DevOps practices.
  • Case Study 4: Improved efficiency and test coverage by incorporating API testing along with UI automation.

Adding value to our customers, we offer Zyna free of cost as part of our engagement, along with enhancement support and the entire codebase. Whether accelerating time-to-market, reducing automation costs, optimizing resource utilization, or enhancing quality, our motto is to enable and support every business to achieve its goals.

Contact us at info@cesltd.com to learn more about how Zyna can transform your business, regardless of your industry, and discover its rewarding customization capabilities.

Convergence of IT, OT, AI, and 5G for Renewable Dynamic Markets

Posted on by Ces_creative

In the ever-dynamic world of technology, terms like AI, IT, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity have become widely recognized. However, amid this progress, it is important to highlight another crucial element within the renewable energy sector: Operational Technology (OT). 

In this blog, let us understand how the convergence of AI, IT, OT, and 5G is shaping the renewable energy sector and transforming problem-solving approaches and solutions. Knowing how these technologies work together can help us achieve optimal integration & utilization, eliminating data complexities, functional gaps, and duplications. As the world accelerates the adoption of renewables at an unprecedented rate, the convergence of these technologies becomes critical for effectively managing the power of sustainable energy sources.

Complexity and Roadmap for Renewables

Changing ownership of assets in the renewable energy sector is a common occurrence involving investors, Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and developers. With companies merging and new investors entering the market, ownership structures evolve, and assets change hands frequently. In this dynamic landscape, the convergence of IT, OT, AI, and 5G technologies helps in seamless transitions, optimized asset management, and efficient utilization in the renewable energy industry.

Expanding renewable energy assets through battery storage or hybrid systems offers significant benefits, enhancing energy generation and grid stability. These integrated systems store excess energy during peak production, ensuring a smoother supply during low-generation periods and continuous delivery during high-demand times. Additionally, they increase renewable penetration, support the grid, provide economic viability, and enhance energy resilience.

Managing expiring or unsupported inverters creates challenges in maintaining renewable energy systems’ reliability and performance. To minimize downtime and enable compatibility with evolving technologies, organizations need to implement strategies like proactive maintenance, timely replacement of inverters, and retrofitting solutions. These actions help optimize energy production, ensure system compatibility, and reduce operational disruptions. 

The Need for Convergence

After examining the complexities and roadmap for renewables, it becomes evident that convergence is the key to advancing technology in the market. Renewable energy systems generate massive amounts of data from various sources, including sensors, monitoring devices, and operational systems. This data complexity can be overwhelming and challenging to manage effectively without convergence. Integrating IT, OT, AI, and 5G technologies allows for streamlined data processing and analysis, enabling more efficient operations and optimized energy production. 

The integration of IT, OT, AI, and 5G can be further enhanced by incorporating the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge processing. IoT connects sensors to collect real-time data from renewable energy assets like solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage systems. This allows performance monitoring and environmental condition tracking, facilitating improved decision-making processes.

Customer Benefits of IT/OT/AI/5G Convergence in Renewable Dynamic Markets

The real-time monitoring and control of renewable energy assets enables optimized energy production and consumption. This leads to significant cost savings and more cost-effective renewable energy solutions. Customers also gain real-time data insights on energy production, consumption patterns, and system performance, allowing data-driven decisions, energy optimization, and identifying opportunities for energy savings.

Partner with CESNEOSILICA’s IT/ OT Integration To Advance Your Renewable Energy Solutions

In the dynamic and fast-paced realm of renewable energy, CESNEOSILICA offers a transformative and innovative Digital Energy Platform – NSoT. The solution combines Edge Intelligent IoT, Edge & Cloud SaaS, and Analytics with Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, empowering renewable energy businesses to monitor assets, automate operations, and maximize outcomes.

With a wealth of experience in IoT, IT, and IT/OT integration, the NSoT platform offers vertical-specific tailored products and solutions that help enterprises drive Digital Transformation, Renewables, M&A, and ESG initiatives. Its robust capabilities are deployed across businesses, analyzing billions of data points daily and presenting invaluable insights and opportunities. By enabling real-time asset monitoring, automating operations, and utilizing advanced analytics, our platform empowers businesses to optimize energy production, streamline processes, and achieve improved ROI.

You can learn further at https://cesltd.com/renewables-and-sustainability/ . Schedule a consultation with us @cesneosilica to get connected.

Industry 4.0: Real-Time Monitoring for Optimal Asset Health

Posted on by Ces_creative

Industry 4.0 and How it Revolutionized Asset Monitoring in Manufacturing Sector

Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or 4IR, brings forth the integration of digital technology and intelligent automation into the physical world of manufacturing. By harnessing the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Cities, Cloud Computing, and Artificial Intelligence, it enables faster, more efficient, and personalized production of goods while cutting costs. 

Industry 4.0 brought a paradigm shift in manufacturing by leveraging cutting-edge technologies and data-driven insights, transforming manufacturing operations. Here, we delve into some of the foremost advantages and benefits –

Real-Time Data Monitoring

Integrating IoT devices and sensors into manufacturing equipment enables valuable data collection in real time. This constant stream of information offers manufacturers an accurate understanding of asset conditions around the clock, facilitating swift responses to emerging faults.

Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics

With cloud computing and interconnected systems, maintenance teams can access real-time asset health data anywhere. This remote capability promotes efficient monitoring and quick diagnostics without physical presence, thus saving valuable time, money, and resources.

Data Analysis and Insights

The digitized nature of Industry 4.0 enables the collection, management, and analysis of vast quantities of data across numerous assets. Leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI/ ML), users can extract valuable insights from this data trove and make informed decisions.

Predictive Maintenance

Combining real-time data and machine-learning algorithms allows manufacturers to predict when an asset is likely to fail accurately. Driven by this foresight, potential issues can be addressed before they escalate, saving on repair costs, eliminating unplanned downtime, and extending equipment lifespan.

Collaboration

Furthermore, Industry 4.0 promotes seamless collaboration between teams across the supply chain through real-time data sharing, remote access, and centralized control. Manufacturers can achieve an agile and responsive environment by breaking down silos with streamlined coordination and communication.

Real-Time Asset Health Monitoring

A new chapter has unfolded where advanced breakthrough technologies are transforming traditional factories into intelligent, data-driven powerhouses, revolutionizing how manufacturers operate and maintain their valuable equipment resulting in operational efficiency and cost optimization. But before we dig into it, let us understand how traditional monitoring methods in manufacturing are burdened with multiple challenges.

Drawbacks of Traditional Asset Monitoring Methods in Manufacturing

Lack of real-time insights: As manual data collection introduces delays in issue identification, traditional monitoring methods lack real-time insights.

Inefficiency and human error: Manual data collection is susceptible to human errors, inconsistencies, and delays, thus compromising the accuracy of analysis and insights.

Reactive approach: Relying on a reactive approach to issue resolution leads to production disruptions, quality issues, and increased repair costs.

Difficulty in scalability: Traditional monitoring methods struggle to scale alongside production and manufacturing processes, as manual data collection is burdensome and error-prone in complex setups.

Lack of integration and connectivity: The isolated nature of traditional methods inhibits incorporating advanced transformative technologies like machine learning and smart automation.

Limited visibility: Traditional monitoring methods fail to provide end-to-end visibility, restricting traceability and hindering the identification of bottlenecks.

Image of IOT trends

Benefits of Real-Time Asset Health Monitoring

As a game-changer, real-time asset health monitoring provides a myriad of invaluable benefits.

Proactive Maintenance: Real-time asset health monitoring helps identify early signs of deterioration, enabling proactive maintenance scheduling to prevent major breakdowns, minimize downtime, and avoid operational disruptions.

Increased Asset Availability: The equipment monitoring system can swiftly identify malfunctioning assets and alert personnel proactively. This promptness allows for quick troubleshooting and ensures enhanced asset availability.

Improved Reliability and Performance: Organizations can maximize operational efficiency and reliable performance by monitoring critical parameters and maintaining assets healthy.

Cost Optimization: Saves money by detecting and addressing issues promptly and avoiding costly repairs, emergency maintenance, and production losses.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Asset health monitoring systems collect and analyze data on performance, trends, and patterns. This wealth of information helps enterprises to make informed decisions and improve maintenance strategies.

Extended Asset Lifespan: Regular monitoring helps identify and address issues that may lead to premature asset failure. By extending the lifespan of assets, organizations optimize their investment and reduce the need for frequent replacements.

Embrace Digital Transformation with CES as Your Reliable Partner

Embracing Industry 4.0 is not just about adopting new technologies; it’s about unleashing a transformation that redefines how you do business. In this transformative process, CES is committed to providing continuous support and expertise to help enterprises navigate the complexities and seize the opportunities presented by Industry 4.0. 

Our experts work closely with your team, providing in-depth insights and hands-on assistance to optimize the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies into your existing processes. Our services help organizations harness the power of data-driven decision-making, predictive maintenance, and interconnected systems, gaining a competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving market. Our comprehensive range of services includes:

  • IoT Integration: We seamlessly deploy, manage, and analyze IoT devices, allowing for real-time monitoring, process automation, and optimization.
  • Cloud Computing: We help you harness cloud infrastructure’s scalable and flexible capabilities to collect, store, and analyze the vast volumes of data generated with Industry 4.0 technologies.
  • Custom Web and Mobile Applications: We build tailored web and mobile applications to provide visualized real-time data collected from IoT devices, sensors, and machines in a user-friendly interface.
  • Analytics and Reporting: We collect valuable data from diverse assets and transform it into detailed reports with actionable insights, aiding you in making educated business decisions.
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: We develop and deploy advanced AI and ML algorithms that automate processes, unlock predictive insights, and reveal data patterns.

Transform your Manufacturing future with Industry 4.0. Reach out to our experts at info@cesltd.com.

GSK’s Environmental Sustainability Journey: A Pioneering Commitment

Posted on by Ces_creative

Continuing our insightful journey exploring environmental sustainability commitments with exemplary leaders, we now turn our attention to a global biopharma leader: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). By recognizing the critical interconnections of climate, nature, and health, GSK showcases its commitment to building a net zero, nature-positive, and healthier planet. Let’s delve into GSK’s climate and nature targets and how it empowers businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable practices.

Mapping the Path to Net Zero Impact on Climate

“As a global biopharma leader, we want to play our full part in protecting and restoring the planet’s health, in order to protect and improve people’s health. Improving the environmental sustainability of our business makes us more resilient, so we can deliver the products that patients rely on.”

Emma Walmsley, CEO.

Top five pharmaceutical companies by environmental sustainability metrics in their filings

[Source: Environmental Sustainability Ranking 2023]

To address environmental impact as a core mission, GSK sets ambitious climate and nature targets to mitigate risks. GSK aims to achieve 100% renewable electricity for its operations by 2025 (including Scope 2 emissions). By 2030, the company targets an 80% reduction in carbon emissions across all scopes. The remaining 20% will be addressed through investment in nature-based solutions, which help offset the environmental impact. GSK’s goal is to achieve net zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2045, encompassing all scopes of emissions.

A) Priority Actions to Minimize Operational Emissions – Recognizing around 8% of its carbon footprint stems from its operations, GSK is dedicated to implementing targeted strategies for minimizing these emissions, which includes investing in renewable electricity, electric vehicles, and energy reduction initiatives.

  • Renewable Electricity – GSK is a member of RE100, committing to source 100% renewable electricity by 2025. In 2022, GSK reached 73%, an increase of 28% since 2020, by adopting various methods, including on-site generation, off-site power purchase agreements, and wind and solar energy investments.
  • Electric Vehicles – Being part of EV100, GSK plans to transition its sales fleet to low-carbon vehicles and install charging infrastructure at 100 sites. Currently, GSK has installed 435 chargers at 30 sites. This shift reduces tailpipe emissions and improves air quality and human health.
  • Energy Reduction & Eco-Design – GSK accelerates its energy reduction program by analyzing on-site energy consumption and identifying opportunities for efficiency improvements. To reduce environmental impact, GSK incorporates eco-design and green chemistry principles into developing and producing its medicines.

B) Value Chain Emissions – Approximately 92% of GSK’s carbon footprint originates from its suppliers’ and patients’ use of its products. Identifying this, GSK is committed to collaborating with its entire value chain to mitigate carbon emissions with its structured engagement program with suppliers as a foundation for further progress.

  • Suppliers – GSK tackles supply chain emissions (29% of total emissions) through the Sustainable Procurement Program. Suppliers must act on carbon reduction, renewable energy, waste management, water conservation, sustainable sourcing, and greener API sourcing. From 2023, suppliers will be expected to disclose emissions, set 1.5°C-aligned reduction targets, and shift to renewable energy. GSK’s Energize program collaborates with peers and nine suppliers committed to buying two terawatt-hours of renewable electricity. GSK joined the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force, partnering with seven global healthcare firms to cut emissions.
  • Logistics and Carbon Credits – GSK is transitioning from airfreight to sea freight whenever possible, reducing emissions from logistics. Moreover, the company invests in high-quality nature protection and restoration projects to offset residual emissions, securing carbon credits with a focus on projects with positive co-benefits for nature and human health.

What does Nature Target mean for GSK?

The company prioritizes nature targets to mitigate risks from habitat degradation and deforestation. This includes the emergence of pathogens while ensuring raw material sustainability. GSK leads in setting nature-based goals that promote a sustainable future with clear targets on water, biodiversity, waste, and materials.

Water:

  • By 2030, lessen overall water use by 20%.
  • Be water neutral in own operations and with key suppliers in water-stressed regions by 2030.
  • Achieve good water stewardship at 100% of GSK’s sites by 2025.
  • Zero impact Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) levels for all sites and key suppliers by 2030.

GSK reduced operational water use by 5% overall in 2022 compared to 2021, with a 1% decrease in high-water stress areas. This translates to a 23% drop in overall water use and a 6% decrease in high water-stressed areas from its 2020 baseline. In 2022, all GSK facilities and 98% of antibiotic suppliers met industry requirements for safe discharges by the AMR Alliance.

Waste and Materials:

  • Achieve zero operational waste by 2030, including eliminating single-use plastics.
  • Attain a 25% reduction in the environmental impact of products and packaging by 2030.
  • Reduce waste from the supply chain by 10% by 2030.

GSK’s Environmental Sustainability Ratings from Multiple Agencies

[Source: Rating by Multiple Agencies]

My Green Labs, the gold standard for laboratory sustainability best practices worldwide, has certified GSK’s R&D facilities in Upper Providence. At some of its locations, GSK has eliminated the usage of disposable gowns, implemented new solvent recovery procedures and recycling for chemical containers, and removed the use of PVC and plastic in products.

Biodiversity:

  • Create a positive impact on biodiversity at all GSK-owned sites by 2030.
  • Sustainably source 100% of agricultural, forestry, and marine-derived materials, ensuring they are deforestation-free by 2030.

In 2022, GSK completed biodiversity assessments for 80% of its sites and commenced biodiversity uplift projects at three of its largest R&D facilities. It is addressing 12 critical agricultural, forestry, and marine-derived materials as part of its sustainable sourcing standard. GSK has reached 90% sustainable sourcing of paper and palm oil.

GSK invested in community-driven reforestation projects in Ghana, and mangrove restoration in Indonesia, covering 2,500 hectares. Additionally, the brand actively engages in the LEAF Coalition (Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance), supporting emissions avoidance measures in tropical and subtropical forests, and evaluates recommendations from the Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity Initiative to guide carbon credits.

GSK’s comprehensive climate and nature targets showcase its deep commitment to environmental sustainability, leading the way for a greener future in the pharmaceutical industry and beyond.

CES NeoSilica: Your Strategic Digital Partner for Energy Transition, Digitalization & Net Zero

We offer extensive IoT, IT, and IT/OT integration and functional expertise to build advanced enterprise solutions through Digital Transformation, Renewables, M&A, and ESG initiatives. As the portfolio expands asset classes, we facilitate smooth scalability. NSoT, a one-stop digital energy platform, digitally tracks all direct and indirect carbon sources and helps optimize energy consumption, integrate renewable energy sources, and reduce operational waste. The platform offers a unified system view across your entire portfolio with the seamless alignment of all stakeholders to attain maximum performance and revenues.

CES NeoSilica is committed to contributing actively in critical areas to achieve UN SDG – for Clean Water & Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Industry and Infrastructure, and Sustainable Cities and Communities. Our experts can help improve enterprise sustainability targets and enhance efficiency. You can connect with us at cesneosilica for further consultation.

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Impact of DevOps on Software Development

Posted on by Ces_creative

In the realm of software development, we cannot overlook the impact of DevOps. The transformative approach of uniting once-independent separate teams – development (Dev) and operations (Ops) unlocks a harmonious synergy to accelerate software delivery while maintaining uncompromising quality standards. This blog delves into the pros and cons of embracing DevOps methodology, key considerations before adoption, and use cases of successful utilization by industry leaders.

DevOps: Redefining the Software Industry for a Better Future

Traditional software development methodologies faced challenges due to a growing gap between software development and IT operations teams, resulting in silos and delivery delays. To address these issues, DevOps emerged, emphasizing collaboration, automation, and a customer-centric approach in every step of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). By fostering a culture of continuous collaboration, innovation, and rapid scalability, DevOps empowers enterprises to navigate through roadblocks and adapt to the ever-changing market needs.

Benefits of Adopting DevOps for Efficient Software Development

The reasons why DevOps has earned its rightly deserved status are –

Accelerated Deliveries

DevOps enhances the speed and efficiency of software development, testing, and deployment by implementing continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD). Companies can swiftly and consistently release software updates to meet the ever-growing user demands by employing the’ Automate Everything’ mindset of DevOps.

Enhanced Productivity

Unlike the traditional, sequential development processes, DevOps embraces an iterative approach that brings global teams together, eliminating idle time and boosting productivity. The automation of repetitive tasks frees up valuable man-hours, allowing teams to focus on more critical tasks.

Streamlined Communication

At its core, DevOps strongly emphasizes cross-team collaboration to break down silos and permit transparency between the development and operations teams. This culture cultivates efficient communication, a sense of shared responsibility, and aligned goals.

Rapid Innovation

DevOps plays a pivotal role in fostering innovation within organizations. The methodology embraces new ideas, allows fail faster, and continuously enhances code with its repetitive and short development lifecycle.

Consistent Quality

Leveraging automation tools and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) prevents manual errors and ensures consistent quality. Additionally, the iterative nature of DevOps enables a continuous feedback loop across teams to identify and resolve issues promptly.

Better Data Privacy

DevOps offers key vaults or secret managers to securely store sensitive information, including passwords, keys, and tokens. This centralized and secure location eliminates the need for hardcoding crucial data directly into the base code, preventing data leakage and unauthorized access. Secret management also enhances audit control for better monitoring and management of sensitive assets.

Key Challenges in DevOps Adoption

The successful adoption and implementation of DevOps practices are highly rewarding but come with a few challenges. 

Culture Change

Embracing DevOps requires a major cultural shift, as development and operations teams must unite around a common goal with shared metrics and toolsets. Transitioning to this can be challenging, particularly for those accustomed to traditional methods. Achieving complete collaboration relies on building trust and overcoming resistance within teams.

Steep Learning Curve

The transition to DevOps and adopting new practices can pose challenges for management and individuals attuned to traditional methodologies. Like the saying ‘Rome was not built in a day,’ a functional DevOps culture cannot be established overnight. It is a gradual process that requires a commitment to learning and continuous improvement to embrace it fully.

Upfront Expenses

Implementing DevOps comes with a few upfront costs, including acquiring new tools, establishing an automation infrastructure, and training employees. Even if the long-term benefits of DevOps often outweigh the initial capital, the initial investment may be challenging for enterprises with limited resources.

Possible Vulnerabilities

With a strong focus on speedy deliveries, security can sometimes be overlooked within the DevOps lifecycle. The open-source tools and the presence of weak access controls can present vulnerabilities. The fix is enterprises must incorporate DevSecOps practices like automated security testing and continuous monitoring at every step of the development process to alleviate these risks.

Will DevOps suit you?

Now comes the golden question! 

Despite the widespread popularity of DevOps, it may not be the perfect fit for every enterprise. Before embarking on the journey, it is crucial to conduct a thorough assessment to determine its compatibility with your organization. Here are some key considerations:

Not Focused on Rapid Releases

DevOps best suits companies that thrive on regular software releases and continuous improvements. If your enterprise operates in an industry where frequent releases are unnecessary or if your existing infrastructure is sufficient; a full-fledged DevOps adoption may be wasteful and can become a price burden.

Prioritizing Security over Speed

Regulated industries like healthcare and banking prioritize protecting sensitive information with robust security measures. However, the fast-paced nature of DevOps can introduce potential security risks if not implemented and monitored. It is paramount to establish adequate security measures.

Heavily Relying on Manual Expertise

In DevOps, automation is a key aspect that drives efficiency. However, it is important to acknowledge that not everything can be automated. There are instances where manual intervention or intricate decision-making processes are necessary. In such cases, it is pragmatic to stick to the relevant methods rather than add complexity to the entire process.

Even if a complete cultural shift may not be suitable for every organization, it is possible to adopt certain elements of DevOps practices that will lead to a desired value. For instance, adopting a collaborative work culture can improve the teams’ productivity, regardless of the extent of automation implemented.

Impact of DevOps on the Digital Giants: Exemplary Industry Leaders in Action

DevOps had a game-changing impact on tech titans Amazon and Netflix, revolutionizing their software development practices and organizational culture.

Impact on Amazon

Amazon’s DevOps story inspires organizations worldwide, showcasing the ultimate power of DevOps to drive operational excellence and business transformation. Leveraging the continuous deployment capabilities, the e-commerce giant releases new software updates to their production servers every 11.6 seconds, accelerating innovation and response to market demands. Prioritizing quality and risk management, Amazon implemented a cutting-edge load balancer that reduced the number of outages to just 1 per 100,000 deployments, improving customer satisfaction and brand reputation.

Impact on Netflix

Netflix’s DevOps adoption sets unmatched benchmarks for efficiency, speed, and customer satisfaction, paving the way for other digital media. With a cloud-based infrastructure and automated deployments, the streaming company seamlessly integrates code, delivering flawless experiences to 100+ million users. Through open-source solutions and the Simian Army’s automated tools, Netflix effectively tackles challenges and maintains smooth operations. 

CES Devops Capabilities

Partnering with CES for DevOps Adoption

In today’s high-speed, tech-powered digital era, adopting DevOps practices is no longer optional; it is slowly becoming necessary for organizations striving to succeed and maintain their competitive edge. 

DevOps success relies on the right partner choice – evaluating benefits, drawbacks, and compatibility with utmost care. As an expert Cloud & DevOps service provider, CES helped several businesses to adopt the DevOps culture and methodologies. Explore our compelling success stories in –

  • How we helped a leading Agri Retailer achieve faster time-to-market, improve code quality, and achieve a 50% reduction in downtime by implementing CI/ CD pipelines, Azure DevOps, and Python technologies.
  • We helped a global Asset Management Firm to implement DevOps by setting up automated deployment mechanisms to achieve reduced downtime, secured configuration, and consistent environments.

To know more about the transformative power of DevOps and kickstart your DevOps journey, contact us at info@cesltd.com.

Achieving ESG Roadmap: Insights from Apple’s Environmental Impact

Posted on by Ces_creative

With each passing day, ESG is gaining more attention as investors and consumers are increasingly drawn to businesses that prioritize sustainable practices. Companies look to ESG influencers and pioneers to start their own ESG journey. The technology giant Apple has been at the forefront of these efforts. Apple’s 2022 ESG report provides invaluable insights into ESG goals, achievements, and impacts. After our first blog on ESG 101 series, our second blog explores key initiatives that can help your company implement similar environmental practices to reduce carbon footprint, conserve resources, and promote a sustainable business.

ESG: An Ambitious Goal to Begin with

Apple started its environmental initiatives in the 1990s, but the turning point came in 2013 with the appointment of Lisa Jackson, former US Environmental Protection Agency administrator. The company accomplished 40% of its objectives in 2022 under her oversight. This depicts how you can achieve real results when the goals are attainable, quantifiable, functional, and applicable across your value chain.

Apple’s environmental statement precisely does that, which says: “Innovation at every step: Our commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 drives everything we do. Every Apple product will be made with clean energy and even more recycled and renewable material. Because the earth won’t wait, and neither will we.” [Environment]

(A) Identify Your Focus Areas

First is to define your ESG objectives and specify short and long-term goals to achieve these objectives. After finalizing your ESG objectives/ goals, you ensure strict control during the implementation stage through proactive monitoring and tracking.

CES NeoSilica as a strategic digital partner plays a vital role in this process. Our NSoT platform provides digital tracking capabilities for measuring and managing companies’ carbon footprint. This real-time visibility enables organizations to work towards their ESG goals. With NSoT technology and proven expertise, enterprises can effectively implement sustainability initiatives, ensuring continuous optimization and control of their environmental performance.

Apple has identified three key pillars of focus as part of its commitment: Climate Change, Resources, and Smarter Chemistry.

1.Climate Change

By 2030, Apple aims to:

  • Achieve carbon neutrality and Create products with net zero carbon impact.
  • Transition its entire product supply chain to 100% renewable electricity.

Key Findings on Climate Change based on Apple Press Release –

Apple has more than doubled the number of suppliers dedicated to using 100% clean energy to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire supply chain and product line. A total of 175 suppliers have committed to transitioning to renewable energy sources, generating over 9 gigawatts of clean power worldwide. These efforts are estimated to prevent more than 18 million metric tons of CO2e annually, equivalent to taking 4 million cars off the road yearly. A few examples of the successful projects are:

  • Corning Incorporated uses clean power from Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions’ Conetoe solar installation in North Carolina to support Apple’s renewable energy goals. The partnership aligns with its commitment to power all of Apple’s operations with 100 % renewable energy.
  • Due to Montague Wind Power Facility in Oregon, among Apple’s significant renewable projects, its carbon footprint has been reduced by 40 % over the last five years.
  • Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program has gained considerable traction in China, with 50 suppliers actively involved and maximizing the utilization of on-site clean energy solutions. Additionally, 31 suppliers in India, Japan, and South Korea have joined the program, with substantial participation from SK Hynix, one of the pioneering Korean suppliers to commit to sustainability initiatives.
  • In Nigeria, the company is supporting a solar power system establishment. This initiative aims to provide sustainable energy to a primary healthcare center and 200 households in the surrounding area.

2. Resources

Apple wants to reach a point where it can:

  • Only use recycled and renewable materials in their products and packaging.
  • Enhance material recovery.
  • Eliminate plastics in packaging by 2025.
  • Reduce water impacts in manufacturing facilities.
  • Eliminate waste sent to landfills.

3. Smarter Chemistry

  • Apple is working to integrate smarter chemistry innovation into designing and building its products and avoiding exposure to harmful chemicals.

(B) From Design to Market

The common factor observed among ESG pioneers is their adherence to the product value chain. Product design teams collaborate with the ESG team to create low-carbon products. Procuring raw materials from recycled sources and manufacturing using low-carbon energy ensures responsible sourcing, minimizing freshwater use, preventing toxic chemical usage & pollution, and eliminating waste across operations.

In 2021, Apple switched its carbon-intensive component to the M1 chip for the 13-inch MacBook Pro and now to the M2 chip. This single move helped reduce the energy needed for the chipset’s manufacturing and improved the MacBook’s energy consumption, reducing the product’s carbon footprint by over 8 %. The brand also prioritizes 100% recycled aluminum in various product enclosures, achieving a remarkable 68% reduction in carbon emissions since 2015. These are ways to enhance energy efficiency throughout the product value chain.

As businesses realign or redesign their products to incorporate ESG principles, it is crucial to maintain an uncompromised end-user experience. Apple, for instance, utilizes recycled materials to produce their newer phones and tablets while prioritizing products with exceptional quality, durability, and world-class design aesthetics. By not only incorporating recycled materials but also adhering to stringent quality standards, Apple ensures that its products deliver a dependable and long-lasting user experience.

ESG infographics

[ Source: Apple Environmental Progress Report 2022]

(C) Groom ESG Champions in Your Value Chain

Large organizations like Apple depend on an extensive network of suppliers & contract manufacturers upstream and dealers, shippers, data centers, and retailers downstream. This is where Scopes 2 and 3 of ESG require Apple to account for the carbon impact of its entire value chain. Some significant endeavors as how the brand is leading the charge for ESG –

  • Apple’s periodic guidance is designed to help suppliers uncover opportunities for energy efficiency and investment in renewables. It launched the Supplier Energy Efficiency Program in 2015, which enabled suppliers to avoid over 1.15 million metric tons of carbon emissions in 2021.
  • The company announced that its manufacturing partners now support over 13 gigawatts of renewable electricity worldwide, representing a nearly 30 percent increase in the past year.
  • More than 250 suppliers across 28 countries have committed to using renewable energy for all Apple production by 2030. This denotes over 85 percent of Apple’s direct manufacturing spend, showing a significant effort to transition to renewable energy sources.
  • Apple has invested $4.7 billion in Green Bonds, financial instruments to finance environmental projects.
  • Suppliers receive valuable assistance through Apple’s Clean Energy Academy, which offers a range of free learning resources and live training sessions, enabling them to meet their commitments and strive for further sustainability goals.

Overall, Apple has tremendous influence in the market, with the speed at which they accomplish their ESG goals, influence the value chain, and raise a strong voice for sustainability with policymakers.

“At Apple, we’re carbon neutral for our own operations and innovating every day to go even further in the urgent work to address climate change. With partners around the world, we’re adding even more renewable energy to power our global supply chain and investing in next-generation green technologies. The scale of this challenge is immense — but so is our determination to meet it.”, said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

Paving the Way for ESG Adoption and a Greener Tomorrow with CES NeoSilica

Apple’s environmental impact showcases the transformative power of ESG initiatives, inspiring organizations to embrace sustainability, drive efficiency, and bring sustainable change. In this blog, we delved into the different facets of environmental impact and emphasized the significance of integrating ESG practices that prioritize climate impact and sustainable sourcing. Throughout, we gained valuable insights and guidance from Apple’s environmental impact as a means to effectively navigate and progress along the ESG roadmap.

CES NeoSilica, a leading provider of DeepTech and SaaS systems, fully aligns with this vision, helping enterprises with energy transition and operational efficiency. Our commitment to supporting enterprise sustainability efforts conforms with the increasing demand for ESG concerns. You can leverage our digital solutions and expertise to assess your environmental impact, integrate seamless ESG practices, and build sustainable supply chains for profitability and a greener tomorrow. Connect with our experts @ cesneosilica for further information on this.

Sources:

ESG-101

Posted on by Ces_creative

Sustainability and social responsibilities have become significant in shaping the world that we live in today. Hence, ESG investing has become a holistic approach that aligns financial results with environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical governance. 

Over our “ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) – A Global Phenomenon” blog series, we will unveil the relevance and significance of ESG in today’s business environment and how CES NeoSilica can help transform your business in this space. Our introduction blog, ESG 101 explores ESG along with a day-to-day example of smartphones and related issues.

80% of the natural resources are used by 20% of the population.

Overconsumption and reckless usage of natural resources are leading to global warming, flooding, deforestation, and extinction of species & biodiversity. Most of us are aware that sustainability means reducing energy wastage, minimizing water consumption, eliminating plastic usage, etc in simple terms. In the past, some of these activities would fall under CSR or energy conservation without a comprehensive approach or long-term path toward a corporate mandate or goal.  

 With governments, corporates, and investors prioritizing sustainability, there has been a fundamental shift to establish an ESG framework. Led actively by the UN and GCC (Global Climate Change), a comprehensive ESG framework is being developed so that nations, corporates, and other institutions can drive targets and roadmap for Net Zero to ensure global warming under the 1.5° pathway. Concerning this, countries have taken the pledge for their Net Zero and released their policies to 

A)  Reporting simple-to-understand ESG scorecards to track and report carbon impact and ESG performance. This helps stakeholders evaluate sustainability efforts and drive progress toward Net Zero targets. 

 B)  Rewarding and incentivizing early players and initiatives: To amp up sustainable practices, early players’ incentivization is available for the next 3-5 years, referred to as the ‘period of encouragement.’    

C)  Imposing strict penalties after the initial period: Penalties and regulations to ensure compliance with the Net Zero targets to reinforce ESG. 

As the awareness to mitigate the environmental impact arises, companies are considering approaches to assess their manufacturing or service offerings and any related sources that may contribute to their carbon footprint, whether directly or indirectly. In light of this, businesses are proactively developing a roadmap of initiatives to achieve Net Zero targets within a 5/10/20 year horizon. With rising government incentives and a push towards a collective war on carbon, sustainable reporting is essential for achieving net zero carbon footprints and a 1.5° pathway. 

Now, how do we begin? 

Since ESG is many things to many people, we asked the CEO of CES NeoSilica, Satyam, a seasoned leader in the Energy & Sustainability sector for the past 15 years – What is ESG 101? How do you introduce ESG? 

He brought up an interesting example of the ESG impact. He voiced, “Let us start with our phone conversation here. I am sitting here in New York with a mobile in my hand, and you too are carrying a smartphone. Do you know the ESG impact of our conversation?” 

Let us have a closer look at some hard facts – 

  • Smartphones are made of electronic boards, fiber/plastic/composite casing, battery, camera, speaker, and many more. 
  • Many of these components are built using core material, where there is a little bit of recycling opportunity.
  • We carry 1-2 smartphones with an average of 5-10 people per family, which they change every 2-4 years. 
  • Global usage of 16 billion phones in 2022, of which 5 billion of them were discarded, adding to massive electronic waste (12% of global e-waste annually). 

We can only imagine the ‘carbon footprint’ of these smartphones!

Now, how do we calculate the ‘carbon footprint’ of the product – starting from the initial stage to the time a phone lands in your hands? It includes raw materials, third-party components, manufacturing processes, factory energy/water/waste, shipping, stores, and packaging materials. 

Additionally, let’s consider how are we communicating with each other. What components enable a ‘virtual connection’ between us through telecom? 

  • We are using a local internet connection by cabling, telecom towers, switching equipment, and NOC & systems to manage.  
  • The local internet provider subscribes to long-distance providers with their infrastructure & management and is supported by submerged cables across oceans that carry our voice and data packets (IP). 
  •  Telecom generates 1.6% of global carbon emissions, which will expand to 14% in 2040 (as per BCG report 2021) with faster net usage. 

So, what is the carbon footprint of our conversation? It is a question we should be asking for sure. But unfortunately, we don’t realize the impact of carbon in everything we do around us and how much we are contributing– directly and indirectly to environmental degradation. 

ESG is no more lip service. Companies are no longer only being scrutinized for the balance sheet but also their ESG disclosure and risk. The implementation of ESG is a one-time endeavor that reaps benefits for the future. In conclusion, let us reflect on these wise words by Paul Polman (Former CEO of Unilever) – 

“Businesses that understand and integrate sustainable solutions into their core strategy will be the ones that thrive in the long term”.   

CES NeoSilica, Your Strategic Business Partner for ESG Initiatives. 

CES NeoSilica deployed 100+ projects globally, helping improve operational efficiency through advanced digital technologies involving AI analytics integrated into applications and custom ESG frameworks. We offer solutions across industries, including energy, utility, buildings, data centers, factories, water treatment facilities, and EV sectors. To achieve corporate sustainability objectives, we help you to “connect” with your assets, such as smart Net Zero buildings, and their ESG initiatives, including renewables, energy efficiency, recycling, water conservation, materials, EV, and Industry 4.0. 

While initial ESG reports may rely on spreadsheet calculations and estimations, corporates must track “real data” from digital systems across the organizations. We offer a flexible, scalable, and secure digital platform that connects all your assets and efficiency projects to track within the company and integrates with the supply chain to track indirect impact. 

To learn more about how we empower energy stakeholders with intelligent technology solutions to unlock efficiency, resilience, and scalability, visit us at https://cesneosilica.com/

Ready to explore the possibilities? Please schedule a consultation with our experts @ veerababu.tirumalasetty@cesneosilica.com 

Top Factors Affecting the Cost of Mobile App Development

Posted on by Ces_creative

Our previous blog, Top 5 Reasons your business needs a mobile application, explored how businesses can benefit from mobile applications. If you are considering developing a mobile application for your company, one of the fundamental questions that might come to your mind is – How much will it cost?

Developing a mobile application can be a significant investment for any business, and understanding the key cost factors is crucial to ensure a successful and cost-effective development process. This blog addresses the Top Factors that Affect the Cost of Developing a Mobile Application. The cost of mobile application development depends on various factors. However, the key cost drivers of any app development are the development platform, level of complexity, core features, UI/UX, and the app development team.

1. Development Platform

One of the key factors influencing the cost of mobile app development is the type of app. Depending on your business goals, you can invest either in a Native App developed for a specific platform like Android or iOS or a Cross-Platform app with a single code base that can be deployed to multiple platforms.

Image of development platform

2. App Complexity

 As businesses look to develop an app that meets their unique needs, they often require a range of functionalities and integrations to create a complete solution. However, each feature and integration can add to the complexity of the app and the time it takes to develop it. As a result, the complexity level of an app impacts its development cost.

3. App Development Team

A complete on-site POD (Product Oriented Development) team will typically be expensive, while outsourcing to nearshore or offshore partners can save up to 40% of the operational expenses. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of offshore outsourcing versus onshore to make the best decision for your business. Let’s analyze this below in more detail.

When it comes to compensation, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, as many other variables come into play, such as –

  • The Specialists involved (Designers, Programmers, Testers, Scrum Masters, Business Analysts, and Project Managers)
  • Programming Language of the application development (Swift, Objective-C, Kotlin, Java, React, and Dart)
  • The Experience Level (Senior, Mid-Level, or Junior)
image of app development team

4. UI/UX

Investing in a well-designed UI/UX is determining, as it directly impacts user engagement and satisfaction. An app with a user-friendly interface and a seamless user experience will keep users engaged and ensure retention, allowing improved revenue and brand loyalty. The sample list given of design tasks and the time taken to develop offers a glimpse of how cost/ time varies based on the designs & animations.

The user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) are the next critical factors affecting the overall mobile app development cost. The UI design of an app determines how users interact with it, while the UX design determines how they feel while using it. In essence, the UI/UX sets the tone for future products and impacts customer satisfaction.

image of ui ux

5. Other Hidden App Development Costs To Consider

A few other hidden cost factors to keep in mind while developing an effective app are: 

  • Functional Costs: Third-party integrations. SMS or push notifications, geolocation, or payment gateways. 
  • Admin cost: The development of an admin panel and custom APIs to manage the app’s operations, content, and user profiles. 
  • Infrastructural costs: The payment for server, CDN, and integrations like Redis. 
  • Support and maintenance cost: Additional costs to update an application, fix bugs, or make future improvements.  

 Interested in Dynamic and Custom Mobile Application Development!

The cost of developing a mobile app is influenced by various factors, including additional features required by businesses. Therefore, it’s advisable to seek expert consultation. By considering these factors, businesses can better understand the costs associated with developing a mobile application and make informed decisions to ensure a successful and cost-effective development process.

As a competent app development company, CES helps you control your development expenses while delivering high-quality mobile applications. If you are looking for an estimate to develop your app, we are happy to help you! Reach us info@cesltd.com

Why Reducing Chargebacks is Crucial for Merchants – Explore the Impact and Mitigation Strategies

Posted on by Ces_creative

E-commerce fraud has become a pressing problem, especially after the changes in Visa and Mastercard regulations in 2018. As online commerce continues to grow, it is imperative to take proactive steps to detect and prevent fraud and chargeback. Businesses can achieve this by partnering with the right e-commerce fraud prevention companies that prioritize consumer protection measures and merchant loss prevention.

Being a prevalent issue for e-commerce businesses, chargebacks often result in significant financial loss for merchants. Therefore, it is crucial for retail, social networking, SaaS, gaming, and streaming brands to understand the risk factors involved in chargeback management and explore ways of reducing them. This blog highlights the key aspects businesses should consider when dealing with chargebacks and provides practical tips on minimizing their impact.

Minimizing Chargeback Risk: How to Reduce Losses

After implementing Visa Claims Resolution (VCR) and MasterCard Dispute Resolution Initiative (MDRI), merchants had hoped for a substantial drop in fraud and chargeback ratio. However, recent statistics have shown otherwise. Almost 75% of e-commerce merchants have reported a rise in fraud attempts. Global fraud is expected to top $100 billion in 2027, with $35 billion already reported in 2022. In the US alone, chargeback fraud reached $15 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to hit $17 billion in 2023. 

Merchants are losing an average of $3.75 for every $1 lost to fraud due to additional fees, increased overhead costs, and other losses. The other losses with chargebacks include loss of revenue, loss of products, and even reshipping/handling charges. Furthermore, merchants spend a significant amount of time/ resources dealing with the entire process, which is time-consuming and expensive.

Taking preventive measures to reduce chargebacks and safeguard business accounts is of prime importance. A business is under control if its chargeback ratio is less than 1%. If it exceeds 1.5%, the acquiring bank will request a chargeback reduction plan, and the merchant account will be placed under chargeback monitoring. When the chargeback ratio exceeds 2%, the merchant account is deemed high risk, resulting in additional penalty fees and eventual closure.

The best way to minimize chargeback is by taking preventative steps.

Here are some of the effective ways to reduce/prevent chargeback:

  • Refund /Return Policy: Clear returns and refund policies should be indicated on the website along with the time frame. RMA (Return Merchandise number) is provided to track customer returns. Dissatisfied customers receive a refund to avoid a possible chargeback.
  • Policy Abusers and Compliance team: Fraudsters take advantage of the friendly policies of merchants, like returns and refunds. Such policy abusers are a nightmare to merchants as it requires research on the delivery or returns of merchandise. This robust validation process will help the merchant from future disputes and financial losses. The CES delivery research team thoroughly evaluates customers’ historical data about purchases, returns, refund claims, etc., which helps differentiate fraudsters from genuine customers. We build a strong layer of protection between merchants and consumers.
  • Back Office Support & Shipment Tracking: The back-office support team should verify the address by contacting the customer and monitoring the shipment. Also, the automated workflow should be tested periodically every two months. Delay in shipment to be notified to the customers in advance to avoid dissatisfaction leading to a chargeback.
  • Accurate Descriptor: It is essential to use clear and precise statement descriptors to reduce chargebacks and disputes on bank statements.
  • AVS Tool: To prevent fraud attempts, the billing address entered by the customer must match the one associated with the cardholder’s credit card account.
  • 3D Secure: Customers must verify payments through 3DS with the card issuer at the time of payment. 3D authenticated payments cannot be disputed.
  • Terms & Conditions: Terms & Conditions of the services should be clear. In subscriptions, businesses must state the date of recurrence. Cancellation policies should be mentioned. All communication must be sent to customers by email or text message.
  • Account Executive: Almost every dispute starts with a customer service contact. A customer determined to reach the bank to file a chargeback would have contacted the business in the first place. This first contact is critical as it provides clear and precise information on the customer’s needs. Resolving a dispute on time and assisting customers with empathy requires a skilled customer service team, and at CES, we have hands-on experience handling dispute inquiries.

Best resolution at the first instance

image of charge back

How our services can effectively help merchants address Chargeback nightmares.

We face a fair share of expected and unexpected market changes each year. The fraudsters change their pattern according to the market changes. Visa 3.0 regulations for compelling evidence are taking effect in April 2023. 

CES offers top-notch Chargeback services with experienced professionals who create cover letters for both Fraud and Non-Fraud Chargebacks. Our team focuses on winning disputes and doing representment within the allotted time frame by monitoring and tracking chargeback SLAs to avoid chargeback losses. Appropriate compelling evidence and highlights help the merchant to win chargeback. The experts at CES are prepped and prepared to help merchants with all the support they need. Our services conform to new standards matching the previously undisputed transaction copy, IP address, device ID, card, etc. 

 Our primary objective is to resolve chargebacks on the first attempt, minimizing the possibility of a second chargeback. Our team has expertise in representing disputes and assisting merchants in achieving a remarkable win rate between 60% – 70% while cutting the operational cost by 50%. Fight online fraud and chargebacks with a dedicated and cost-effective team. Visit us @ https://cesltd.com/fraud-prevention-services/ to know more. 

Alleviate Account Reconciliation Issues with Smart Automation

Posted on by Ces_creative

Overview of a configurable rule-based automation platform to reconcile transactions and remove friction in the accounting systems.

“According to an Ernst & Young survey, about 59% of the Finance staff work on managing transaction-intensive processes, and around 95% of this effort is wasted on transactions that already match. “

Ernst & Young

Handling the mundane and the complex

Reconciliation is a mandatory process of validating the company’s financial records, identifying discrepancies, and reconciling the same. Companies perform account reconciliations monthly, quarterly, or even daily as part of standard accounting procedures. Everyone from the CFO to business owners, banks, and auditors wants a prompt and accurate view of the company’s cash and position for reporting and compliance purposes. Yet, despite promising accounting technologies available in the market today, most companies continue to follow the manual reconciliation method to determine the accuracy of their financial statements.

Even today, many companies use manual reconciliation as a customary practice to validate the accuracy of their financial statements.

That is because account reconciliation is a complex, time-consuming process and often leads to aged unreconciled items, inaccurate accounting statements and discrepancies, and open-ended dispute cases. It is often monotonous, depending on the number of transactions requiring simple one-to-one matches. But more often, each business has a unique set of rules to be handled in a certain way. For example, payments received need to be balanced against multiple invoices or receivables. In addition, there could be several payouts from different paying accounts to different vendor account payables requiring many-to-many reconciliations in different ledgers. All these may not be possible with the in-built functionality of the standard accounting software.

Reconciliation often requires a particular way of handling cases unique to the business by identifying and codifying complex rules of reconciliation. 

The need to customize and automate the reconciliation process

Large companies that handle high-volume and complex multi-currency transactions may need more time, budget, or staff to work on the time-consuming manual reconciliation process. This is especially the case with Investment Management companies that reconcile a large number of fund accounts and custodian accounts in multiple currencies. Manual reconciliation of such voluminous data will be an impossible task and often an unviable option.  

The finance office may need more money or staff to work on the time-consuming reconciliation process. However, their biggest challenge is to achieve a faster and more reliable close. So, how do companies achieve this? 

Companies need an automated and user-friendly workflow-based system that allows reconcilers to perform high-volume reconciliations.

An automated reconciliation software or platform will enable businesses to automate the entire recon process, increase accuracy, minimize costs, optimize resources, improve financial governance, and reduce financial risk. Automating the rules of reconciliation eliminates the monotony and mundaneness of matching simple straight-through transactions. This helps the business focus only on the most complex recon tasks and on high-impact business activities.  

A good reconciliation software must have a specific set of features. At the minimum, it must help the business:

  • Know its cash position with the banks accurately by reconciling daily.
  • Reconcile from anywhere via the web or mobile-based interfaces.

CES’s CASHTRAX is an intelligent cross-platform account reconciliation software that leverages technology to save time and cost of unproductive reconciliation activities.

Intuitive and Automated: Smart Reconciliation Platform

We are a leading IT Services and Business Process Management company in the US, providing customized outsourcing services to clients in the IT and Financial sectors. Our flagship product, CASHTRAX, is a fully automated cash and fund reconciliation platform designed intuitively to cater to your Cash, Fund, and Corporate Account reconciliation requirements. The platform standardizes, streamlines, and automates complex reconciliations with complete transparency. It is a cloud-based account reconciliation platform that performs automated reconciliations of all accounting processes in multiple currencies using customer-specific templates, file interfaces, and rules.  

This technologically advanced automated reconciliation platform’s architecture modernizes your account reconciliation process for greater productivity and performance. It also guides and assists in migrating from Microsoft Excel and legacy recon processes to automated reconciliation. 

The reconcilers can upload large volumes of account data, manage risk-based cycles, automate the recon process, and achieve real-time visibility into the entire process. CASHTRAX intelligent data matching system ensures organizations get the accurately matched balances, real-time recon reports, and closing balances corrected up to a difference of $0.99 or such predefined number.

CES has the required knowledge, experience, and expertise in statutory accounting processes. Our automated reconciliation platform helps customize and automate reconciliation processes to a high level of accuracy. It is the trusted reconciliation tool for several small and medium businesses, corporate houses, and large fund management companies in the US. 

For more information or a conversation on how CES can simplify and automate your complex reconciliation processes, contact us at sales@cesltd.com.