Is Solr Your Next NoSQL Solution?
Wirtten on 01/14/2014, by Steve Williams | Comments
Extend your storage to improve integrity, variety and velocity Are you looking for solutions to improve interaction with your data? Are you outgrowing your current system and need to evaluate other options? Are you already using Solr to provide search indexes? Do you already have established workflows to process data with Solr? If so, then you are already using Solr as a NoSQL solution, but could...
Controlling Budget
Wirtten on 12/31/2013, by Vanessa Turke | Comments
We are right to be worried about budget. Multiple studies justify our concerns: In 2004, the Standish Group reported that 71% of IT projects were over budget, while University of Oxford researchers found that large IT projects run 45% over budget, and an article in the Harvard Business Review in 2011 reported average overrun of 27%, but also brought up the fact that as many as one in six of the...
The Art & Science of Requirements Gathering, Part 1 Defining the Problem
Wirtten on 12/20/2013, by Vanessa Turke | Comments
Where do web projects come from? This used to be something you just didn’t talk about in mixed company. Sometimes a website would slip away - claiming to be visiting a great aunt or working at an overseas mission - and return looking ‘refreshed’, revived and… well, simply glossy and glowing! It was only a few years ago that I remember reviewing requests for proposals...
Hiring a Freelancer? Hire a Project Manager
Wirtten on 12/04/2013, by Vanessa Turke | Comments
Who is reading your project’s pace notes? Why it’s best to have a project manager on every build. Custom application and website development is a creative, complex process with lots of twists and turns. While it’s easy to imagine that one wouldn’t hire a handyman to build a skyscraper, it sometimes feels like a technical project could be a one man job. The tendency is to see things through the...
Content Cleanup!
Wirtten on 10/26/2013, by Vanessa Turke | Comments
What it is and Why it’s especially important prior to migrating to a new CMS I always say that website is more like a garden than a house… (Well maybe not always but at least twice now). Today’s article is about why pruning and tying back straggly overgrown content can be super helpful for site usability and planning for a content migration into a new content management system. So you’ve had a...
The Long Distance Drupal Trek
Wirtten on 10/03/2013, by Vanessa Turke | Comments
How a challenging long-distance hike and building a Drupal site are similar This August I crossed the famous West Coast Trail off my bucket list (aka. ‘Wet Coast Trail’ or the ‘ Worst Coast Trail’). 130 bridges, 70 ladders, various water crossings using hand-powered cable cars, slippery walkways, wobbly suspension bridges and 46.6 miles of muddy, root entangled trekking. Much more than a...
Drush Policy is the Best, Honestly!
Wirtten on 08/22/2013, by Ed Zwart | Comments
There is no shortage of blog posts about how Drush is the one indispensable tool for working with Drupal. If you are new to Drupal, or just have not yet checked out what all the fuss is about, I highly encourage you to go check out Drush now (recently moved from drupal.org to GitHub). I want to highlight a feature of Drush that despite being little known is actually very high value: Drush...
Drupal Connect's Latest Work
Wirtten on 08/16/2013, by Kim Murphy | Comments
This past year has been a busy one for Drupal Connect- we’ve hired some amazing new talent, joined the Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies in America, and launched several great projects. It’s been wonderful to be a part of a fast-growing company. One of my favorite aspects of working with Drupal Connect is the variety of clients we get to work with. From fashion to medicine, academics to...
Drupal and Agile Development. Why Clients Love It.
Wirtten on 08/14/2013, by Brian Tribulski | Comments
I have always loved to surf. The ocean is a complex, dynamic and ever changing environment. It may at times be unpredictable and risky, but what makes surfing so fun is that every wave is different. Waves can take on unique characteristics depending on combinations of location, tides, weather, or currents. It takes experience, skill, and agility to successfully ride a wave and when it all comes...
Transitioning from Freelancer to CEO in 9 Simplified Steps.
Wirtten on 08/13/2013, by John Florez | Comments
Making the jump from freelancer to business owner is never an easy step. It's a decision riddled with fear, doubt and uncertainty. But despite these challenges, there are enormous advantages to establishing a multi-person organization versus a one-person operation. One of the biggest shortcomings freelancers face is their inability to attract reputable clientele. The fact of the matter is that...