Python 2’s ending is postponed: Does that mean an amnesty is coming?

In September, the Python Software Foundation announced that Python 2 would reach end of life when this year started. That means the foundation would stop supporting the software and will not improve it, even if they found security issues in it.
At the time, the foundation called developers to upgrade to Python 3 as soon as they could do it. Python 3 launched in 2008, nine years after the language was born. Python 3 was initially intended to fix a significant number of flaws Python 2 had and help it evolve. However, as Python 2 had found many ways to accomplish the same tasks and deal with previous bugs and flaws.
That simple fact slowed down Python 3’s adoption. Add up the fact that Python 3 performance was lackluster in comparison to Python 2, at least until 3.3 was released, and that many third-party tools didn’t support Python 3, and you’ll understand why so many developers didn’t adopt Python 3.
That’s a reason why it was a major turmoil when the announcement came. Nevertheless, Python 3 has improved significantly, and it’s a somewhat smooth transition to do.
However, many developers thought that the plan to EOL Python 2 was halted when it didn’t happen on January 1st. Does that mean Python 2 will get a new life?
Unfortunately, no. Python 2 is going to be retired in April 2020, which was, in fact, always the plan.
According to the official Python 2.7 release schedule document, PEPE 373 January 1st, 2020, wasn’t the date when Python 2 would die off. It was marked as the date when it would get “code frozen.” That means the Python Software Foundation would not fix bugs, improve, or update Python 2.7.18 (the last update) in any way.

However, from that day to April 2020, the Python development crew will be testing that frozen version of Python 2.7.18 to guarantee it’s all fine, and it has no regressions or bugs. All changes made during January and April will be made to ensure that the final release has no bugs or significant flaws. That means they’ll still be supporting Python 2, but only while they improve the latest launched version, not that they will be updating it into a new version.
That means that around mid-April 2020, Python 2.7.18 will be released, and that’s the actual end-of-life of Python 2 as the core Python development crew will cease all development or fixes on Python 2. All deployments of Python 2 will continue to run as they are, but won’t receive any updates, additions or bug fixed by the Python Software Foundation core team.
That’s bad news for some developers as many use Python 2 out of habit or because their organizations command it. However, transitioning from Python 2 to Python 3 is quite simple. If some particularities of your organization make it harder for you, it’s better to start planning how to mitigate Python 2’s EOL.

Why is leadership so important in the Health Sector

The figure of the Manager in the Health System has formal authority, given by the confidence that his position represents, and the success of his management rests directly on the quality of his performance, decision making and the most solid actions of his leadership.

In health organizations, leadership consists in the process of directing, organizing, designing, optimizing, evaluating the activities of the members of an interdisciplinary group and influencing them to promote collaboration and concertation; In addition to facilitating communication and teamwork. The leader’s goal is to forge an action group committed to quality, willing to achieve the vision and objectives of the organization. The power of a leader lies in the ability to influence others, frequently shading beliefs, traditions, norms, experiences and values ​​of each organization. The leader must be visionary, and according to JP Kotter, “the visionary leader sets the future, leads people according to this vision and inspires them to make it happen, despite the obstacles.”

Leadership in the health sector must be oriented to produce the necessary changes. The leaders – given their brilliant performance and great energy – are a source of inspiration for their followers. The leader is the key factor in making the difference between success and failure and achieving optimization in the quality of health care.

Useful information for those who plan to start their own business

Making the decision to start a business can be a difficult task. Many people dream of being their own boss but some of them stay on the middle of the road due to mistakes or poor decisions. The ideal to start your own business and not succumb in the attempt is to be informed and take care of every detail because a decision that seems small can be the difference between success or crash.

At the time of investing do not spend money that you do not have yet. To start a business, it is essential to plan an annual budget, taking into account absolutely all costs and possible unforeseen events. Once you have done this, multiply that budget by three to get the amount you will need to resist the different situations and crises that may arise, during the time that your business will need to reach the breakeven point and start producing money to be sustainable.

Get advice from experts! Your friends and family are good advisors and can have very good intentions, however, do not hesitate to share your ideas and business models with experts in the areas you need to strengthen. Experts are those who have a long history and their experiences can be your best advice.

Take care of your physical and mental health! It is true, it can be difficult to find the time and energy to dedicate yourself during a venture, however, this is as important as having your business plan. Leaving your mental and physical health aside can cause physical and mental decompensations such as anxiety attacks and nervous breakdowns so it is more likely that you will succumb to pressure and give up before moving forward with your project. Even if you think not, you can always and should get time for yourself

If you don’t have the talent … Hire it! It is impossible for you to be the best in everything, and if you tell yourself that you are, you are lying to yourself. Many leaders and entrepreneurs have problems delegating the work but the truth is that although you believe that nobody will do better than you, the most likely and common is that yes, especially in the areas in which you are less expert. Hire the best possible talent for your company and pay them what they deserve, work their sense of belonging and your communication skills to make sure they understand what you want to achieve and feel committed to helping make that project a reality. As they say out there: If you are the smartest in the room, you are in the wrong room.

Keep your mind open. Many successful businesses were born as a simple idea that ended up succeeding, perhaps becoming another totally different or slightly modified, a clear example of this are companies like Facebook or Uber. Do not be afraid to change, the market will tell you what you want and what you expect and you must learn to listen to it.

Say yes to your impulses and start today to turn your dreams into your reality. Remember that if it doesn’t work you can always learn from it and start over, failure is a fundamental part of success. If you keep these simple recommendations in mind, you will not only be one step ahead on your path to entrepreneurship but also avoid several headaches

If you want to continue learning how to self-manage your brands and your employees in a competitive market like the current one, you can see the offer of masters focused on business that we have at your disposal. Many successes!

How to choose the best database for your app?

Choosing the best database is one of the most vital elements to create a successful app. Taking the advice of providers or using one just because you have it may be more comfortable but cheaper, but it’s probably not the best way to go.

There are many elements to consider to make the best choice. How much data will you handle? How many users will use it simultaneously? How often will you change schemas? What is the natural shape? And so on. It would be best if you made your pick based on this and other questions. Here we’ll go through some of them.

How much data do you expect to store?

If your calculations are in gigabytes, then, this is a non-factor. If you are in the terabyte range (from 1024 GB), there are still plenty of options. Now, if we’re on the petabytes field (millions of gigabytes), options are way more scarce, and you’ll need a substantial budget for a tiered storage option.

How many simultaneous users do you project?

Before installing your database, you have to estimate the number of simultaneous users you expect. Lots of databases cannot handle thousands and thousands of users accessing petabytes of data. Clearly, the estimate also depends on the use of your database. An internal database is much easier to estimate than a public database and even way easier to cover.

What about availability, scalability, and such?

Availability is vital. Not all apps need to run 24/7 with full availability, but it depends. Some cloud databases give you 9-to-5 availability, while on-premise databases may give you almost full availability.

Scalability is something you need, too. Horizontal scalability is way better for No-SQL than SQL. Dynamic scalability is way easier for cloud databases. Good scalability is key if you’re awaiting a significant amount of simultaneous users.

Latency refers to the response time of both the database and the app. You usually want sub-second latency for simple transactions. Depending on your database, analytic queries may take seconds or minutes, will your users hold for those minutes?

What about the stability of your database schemas?

If they won’t change much in time and you want consistent types, SQL databases may be the way to go. In other cases, NoSQL databases may be better, as they sometimes don’t even offer schemas’ support.

Do you need transactions, analysis, or both?

If you need fast transactions, you need fast write speed with little indexes. If you need analysis, you want lots of indexes with fast read speed. Some databases are faster at reads others at writes. Your pick depends on the mix you expect.

A few concluding tips

First of all, remember it’s not just a question of SQL vs. No-SQL database. What matters the most are features like structure, size,  speed, and scalability.

Also, an excellent way to understand what you need is using data modeling, as it’ll help you map the main features of the app into the data structure. That will give you a much better picture of the kind of database you’re looking for.

Likewise, don’t close yourself into one particular type of database. You may need to combine them. While modeling, you may find out that some queries cannot be optimized in the data structure you’re using. That’s normal. You can adopt a variety of databases as long as they own specific data sets.

All of these considerations will help you choose the optimal database(s) for your application so you may offer a better service.

 

How to leverage consumer behavior data?

Data has become one of the greatest weapons in the retail industry. Knowing who’s your target, what do they like, and how do they behave and react towards your product can give you a significant advantage. However, it’s also true that the retail industry has some really harsh competition, which means your competition probably has the same information as you, if not more.

So, how can you get some leverage from consumer behavior data in such a competitive landscape, especially if you’re not a data analysis expert or an IT geek? Here we’ll give you some tips to take advantage of consumer behavior data.

First things first, what’s consumer behavior, and why is it so important?

Consumer behavior studies consumers and their process of selecting, using, and disposing of products and services. It includes the study of all consumers’ responses: on their behavior and on an emotional and mental level.

Why is it so important? Because it allows businesses to understand why a consumer picks one brand or one product over another. It lets you know the rationale that makes someone select your brand and if they are reacting and using your product the way you intended to.

When you understand the thought process of your potential consumers. It will help you know how they feel about the alternatives in the market, how they research and shop, how their environment shapes their behavior and decisions, and what makes them choose one option over another. All this helps you reach your clients in a better way.

Now, the tips

So, knowing it’s vital to collect consumer data, what can you do to leverage it? There are many ways.

1. Improve your store layout: Don’t limit your data to e-commerce. If you have a physical store, tracking technology can help you understand how people move in it. What do they look for? Is it easy to find? It can also help you to stock your shelves in a better way. When you know what are people looking for, you can re-arrange your shelves to attract attention to those products putting them on the paths consumers’ pass through the most.
2. Use shopping behavior in your favor: Heat maps can help you see where people are going. Some routes may set up alarms letting your crew know when a customer is having trouble finding something (walking all around the place but continuing to be empty-handed is a good indicator).
3. Boost the supply chain: A common issue may be that customers can’t find a product on the shelves, but you have some more on the warehouse. The customer doesn’t ask about the product and assumes you don’t have it. Then he goes to the next door store and buys it. And that’s how you lose a client. POS data can help you know what’s being sold at every time and can help you activate automatic restock alerts to avoid such issues.

All these are creative ways to use consumer behavior data to improve your customers’ experience and to boost sales and the efficiency of your team. That’s good for clients, for employees, and for the business. It will help you make better business decisions that are beneficial for all. When you can anticipate a customer’s mindset and needs, you will increase sales and overall satisfaction, which leads to happy customers and a healthy business.

Data security continues to be the #1
reason to worry in cloud computing

Even as the world embraces cloud technology, and most companies understand their advantages, data security continues to be the top reason why companies are worried about using it.

Savoystewart.co.uk conducted a study polling 6,000 professionals in different European countries and the US, noticing that the thing most respondent fears are data breaches or unauthorized access to customers’ private data.

In general, the most worried sectors are financial, insurance, and healthcare. The financial industry is the most pessimistic regarding cloud computing.

What companies fear the most is that data breaches result in significant economic losses and, what’s worse, loss of reputation and customers’ trust.

Those fears are not just paranoia. Even as security improves, there still are some reasons for concern.

Cloud computing develops faster than data security

The most significant reason is that. We are more advanced in cloud computing that we are in protecting the data that’s stored in the cloud. Worldwide spending on cloud infrastructure reached $38 Billion this year. Cloud environments are way more complicated than regular security environments, which means they need extra effort in data security. Also, some customers initially relied on the cloud providers’ protection, which isn’t generally included with cloud services.

IT crews don’t think they have the tools to make the cloud safe

Most IT specialists don’t feel that traditional network security tools don’t work well enough in the cloud as most security platforms were not built to operate in the cloud. Yet, in conventional IT environments and data centers, which means they need solutions adapted for cloud environments.

Lack of visibility

Cloud computing generally means you don’t directly control the data center, so you don’t have as much visibility as you may want into your cloud security. That’s the case if you’re working on a public or hybrid cloud. It’s way harder to know if your data has been breached.

What if security is an afterthought?

As we said before, many companies rely on their cloud providers for security, and that’s a huge mistake. Specialized cloud security products must be integrated into DevOps processes.

Data security requires a specialized crew, not only in IT but particularly in cloud security, especially if you host sensible client data.

What about the legal issues?

Legal and regulatory compliance is an issue of concern for many companies. In countries such as the US, regulations are quite intricate, and failing to comply with them may lead to strong sanctions or even lawsuits.

Storing more and more data in the cloud due to its incredible benefits in costs, speed, and agility may lead to significant regulatory and legal complaints. Businesses such as healthcare providers are moving patient data into the cloud. Retailers and other types of companies are moving customer data to the cloud. That means companies must be completely aware of any compliance loopholes of issues they may have, even if they are trusting their cloud provider as a data custodian. A data breach may not only lead to significant losses, but to deep legal issues, too.

Using Pinterest to promote your brand

Each month, around 250 million people use Pinterest to discover and buy products and find inspiration. Since it launched a decade ago, the site grew enormously to the point of being one of the most popular social media out there.

Just as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, Pinterest has evolved to adapt and be able to pose itself as a stalwart in social media. One of its advantages for businesses is that it can be used as a vital part of a solid E-Commerce strategy, even as that may be a somewhat unknown feature.

Here are a few tips on how can you use Pinterest to improve your E-Commerce strategy.

Focus on telling a story

All successful content in Pinterest has one common element: they’ve been created to tell a story you can relate with. Yes, the visual content and the information you add about the product are key, but the story you’re trying to tell is just as important, if not more.

You can have a gorgeous visual design, but if your public doesn’t personally relate with what you’re trying to communicate, then it’s an empty case. You have to pick a protagonist: who are you talking to? You have to choose a hurdle to overcome, and you have to give a clear idea of how your product helps people overcoming that obstacle.

Delight with your text

How you write your text and what resources you use have a significant influence on the impact your ad may have. To create a killing ad, you need to develop a text that captures your audience. That means you need to find a balance between raw information and the story your telling. You have to use it to give potential consumers some context about the product without just throwing information on their faces.

Text is not only information but a way to reinforce your message, including what your product promises and your call to action. Use it accordingly.

Mix your content formats

But you can’t stop with text. As you know, Pinterest is mostly a visual search engine, which means the first impression is incredibly important.

Domain and pin quality, additional images are vital to captivate the attention of users. Visual content is the first impression you’ll give and is way more stimulating than any other type of info and will help users get context on your product when they read your post.

However, that’s not it. It’s also crucial to use all of the available formats. Blog posts to give profound information about your product, product updates to show your newest products or the latest releases, and videos to show how your products look and work.

Promotional pins and promotional videos are also a way to go, especially when you’re starting growing your brand and attract some attention from potential clients.

Also, it’s vital to update your landing page if you want to take users from Pinterest to your webpage to buy your products.

Guía para salir ileso de una crisis de marca

Las crisis de imagen de marca ocurren sin previo aviso. Tener un plan de contingencia puede marcar la diferencia entre caer en el odio y el olvido colectivos o llevar a tu empresa un lugar de respeto y reconocimiento en el que los seguidores siguen eligiendo tu producto o servicio.

Las crisis de marca, también conocidas como crisis de comunicaciones, pueden ser ocasionadas por diferentes razones y tener diferentes tipos de impactos, esto dependiendo de la cantidad de clientes y trabajadores con que cuente la empresa, o de si se trata de un evento ocurrido sólo una sucursal o un producto en específico que resultó defectuoso o de si el evento compromete a toda la marca. Las crisis pueden ser categorizadas en dos tipos: crisis interna y crisis externa. Todas las empresas consolidadas pasan por crisis, es imposible huir de ellas porque muchas se deben a factores externos, generalmente fuera del control de la organización, tarde o temprano alguno de tus grupos de interés (empleados, consumidores o proveedores) necesitará atención especial y alguna corrección en la forma de hacer las cosas.

No importa si tu empresa es grande o pequeña, cualquier marca es susceptible a una eventualidad, es por esto que a continuación te presentamos una guía sencilla de pasos a seguir en el momento que se presente una crisis de marca.

• Evaluar la situación, el origen y por qué se siguen llevando a cabo los hechos que ocasionaron la crisis: Puede que sea cuestión de mala gestión, negligencia, o un error de control de calidad. Llega a la raíz del asunto y evalúa cómo solucionar la situación lo antes posible.
• Programar una rueda de prensa o identificar el canal comunicacional adecuado, dependiendo del alcance de la marca y de la magnitud de la crisis: Desde correo electrónico interno, pasando por redes sociales hasta un espacio en un canal televisivo.
• Redactar cautelosamente una nota que funcione para ser leída en un intervalo de tres a cinco minutos y, a su vez, una publicación para redes sociales o televisión que encaje y pueda ser fácilmente leída en una imagen.

En esta nota el director ejecutivo de la empresa, preferiblemente, debe:

• Disculparse por los inconvenientes asumiendo la responsabilidad: No existe nada mejor que la transparencia para fidelizar a los clientes aunque los mismos se encuentren enojados y afectados, cuando como marca admites un error y acudes a la emoción, la reacción de los usuarios pasa de atacar a mostrar receptividad y consideración por el mensaje que se tiene para decir.
• Plantear soluciones y cambios: Como comentamos anteriormente, en lugar de ponerse a la defensiva y continuar con el error, es importante que la empresa plantee cambios que se ajusten a los valores sociales y morales que se expresan explícitamente en la filosofía corporativa.
• Responder con rapidez ante la crisis. Es importante que el comunicado sea difundido con rapidez, de lo contrario los usuarios asumirán que a la empresa o no le interesa, o continúan siendo irresponsables. Lo que ocasiona la pérdida de credibilidad y seguidores de la marca. Nuestro consejo es: No esperes más de 48 horas para emitir el comunicado.

Organizational Leadership Trends for 2020

Leadership trends change in time. Its essence remains the same: moving others towards a particular set of personal or collective goals, but the ways considered the best to achieve so have changed deeply in time. Leadership is increasingly horizontal and “relaxed.” Freelancing, remote jobs, and millennial culture have led to different organizational structures and ways to approach leadership.

The debate on what makes a good organizational leader continues. Some say that leaders of the past will find it hard to be effective leaders today, but are not considering one of the most significant qualities of true leaders: adaptation. Historical, cultural and social circumstances shape the way leadership is conducted and organizational culture.

As the year and the decade come to a closure, it’s time to review what trends we see in organizational leadership for 2020 and beyond. Business leaders must acknowledge the trends in technology, society, culture, and more that are shaping what people expect from their leaders. Let’s review some of those trends.

Leading multi-generational workforces

Inter-generational culture differences have heightened in the last few years. That’s a challenge leaders have to face. They have work environments filled with Baby Boomers (born between the late 40s and the 60s), Gen Xers (born between the 60s and the 80s), millennials (born between the end of the 80s and the mid-90s) and even Gen Zers (mid 90s-). That’s a significant culture shock. The inter-generational culture differences between boomers and Gen Xers were not as large as it is between Gen Xers and millennials, or boomers and millennials.

Sum that with an increasing trend of contingent workforce and remote jobs, and it’s a significant challenge for leaders.

Non-Stop Learning Is More than a Competitive Advantage

Knowledge is not power, to paraphrase Cersei Lannister: power is power. Knowledge contributes to power inasmuch you know what to do with it. It’s not about what you know, but about what you do with that knowledge.

Thus, non-stop learning is a pre-requisite for an organizational leader, not an edge.  Continues learning is a must for your team in this era of an ever-changing environment and ever-growing technology.

Accountability and Transparency

Those two elements have always been vital in organizations, indeed. However, the spread of big data have turned people obsessed on what companies do with their personal information. So transparency has become a significant issue for companies.

On the other hand, intra-organizational accountability is also critical. As we said, we are experiencing an increase in remote working, freelancing, and flexible hours. Even as it may be something good for productivity, it also calls for greater accountability. Leaders will need to create a culture that embraces it with clear processes and structures or it will get lost.

Leadership, and not HR, must lead the design of organizational culture

Forget about the top-down, photocopied approaches. The structures built for the 20^th Century do not necessary work now. We are well in into the 21^st century to have to discuss this. That means organizational culture is vital, it cannot be seen as something HR can deal with as it was a mere formality.

Leaders must be in the battlefront of the design of organizational culture because they are the ones who should know where is an organization going, what’s its vision and its strategy.

Embracing a new mindset

Yes, revenue is vital. But now, providing value is even more important. Putting value first turns one-time customers into regulars, increasing monetization, too.

Customers have an incredible amount of choices to pick from, and will almost surely put the eye on those that prioritize value over sheer revenue.

Conclusions

As we said in the beginning, one key characteristic of every leader is his or her ability to adapt to the environment. The last few years and the years to come have proven it’s even more significant these days. Business culture is changing dramatically, and the successful leaders will be one who know to adapt to those changes and be a step ahead.

4 Data Security Things To Watch for 2020

Closing a year usually means we’re up to reflect on what happened on it and project what may be trendy or relevant in the next. That’s true, especially in cybersecurity, which is an ever-evolving area of an ever-evolving business, as it’s IT. Antivirus and endpoint security developers are always looking ahead for more innovation.

New kinds of threats that emerged in 2019 will likely be common next year. That means 2020 will be a challenging year for cybersecurity. Creating effective strategies against hacking and malware is as complex as it has ever been. Here are some cybersecurity predictions for the next year.

AI and Fake Data for Fake News

Fake news has existed since the press exists; however, with the rise of social media, its spreading has become more dangerous and has influenced public opinion and elections. As its effectiveness is shown, it’s being spread not only through politics but through business. Next year, the use of fake data against companies will see a hefty rise.

How to fight them? Artificial intelligence is a significant way to go. The tech behind the creation of fake data and fake news targets individual profiles to influence their views and decisions. Fact-checking companies are on the rise against this kind of data, and we’ll see more of them.

An imbalance between privacy and security

It seems like the scale is turning towards privacy over security. Cyber-protection is becoming harder to sustain, and a growing perception of the companies and governments as a digital “big brother” is leading people to find new ways to hide their online identities and activities. That means companies will have to rethink how to comply with legal regulations and to keep their networks safe while respecting their users’ privacy.

Moving to hybrid clouds will expand the attack surface

Cloud adoption has been one of the most significant trends in data managing and security in the last few years. However, lately, organizations have moved to hybrid clouds and multi-clouds, and that means one thing: an expansion of the attack surface and an increase of data risk for organizations.

Add to that the extra complexities brought by privacy and dark data, and you have the perfect cocktail for a substantial decrease of threat visibility.

Automation is excellent but will show its risks

Automation is reducing risks. Nobody doubts that. However, it’s also true that it is a double-edged sword. It’s a powerful tool if joined by deep learning, which has become the way to go for top-notch automated solutions.

However, we are seeing a rise in dodging automated solutions. For example, fooling an automobile’s autonomous driving system by altering traffic signs is something that happens, and we’ll happen more often. Just imagine the destructing potential of tricking defense systems and weaponry. You may see stuff you only saw while playing Watch Dogs.

Conclusions

However, that doesn’t mean everything is grim. Companies are working hard to offer a better and safer online environment, and they are taking a step ahead from attackers. AI solutions and better cloud security are just two of the trends we also see that may counterbalance new security threats.