With the popularity of software development constantly on the rise, new IT tools are being released on a daily basis. However, many of them are never even noticed due to the popularity of established competitors. The following 3 are the bread and butter of almost every IT company – and for good reason.
VISUAL STUDIO
There’s not a single developer out there who hasn’t heard of Visual Studio. Visual Studio is one of the first modern IDE’s in the industry. It has some of the most advanced features in terms of debugging, error checking and overall security. Being both scalable and user-friendly, Visual Studio is used in software engineering companies of all sizes. With support for over 36 different programming languages, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better alternative.
Additionally, Visual Studio has been largely praised for its code editor’s IntelliSense feature. This is an intelligent code completion mechanism that can help you save thousands of unnecessary keystrokes. Visual Studio does have its disadvantages, such as poor support for Linux systems. It also comes at a fairly high price point. However, it remains an irreplaceable tool.
GOOGLE DRIVE
Managing files can be a pain, especially once storage requirements become overwhelming. Google Drive is an affordable solution that seamlessly integrates with other Google tools – Docs, Gmail, Sheets etc. Google Drive lets users create folders on their devices, and every new file that goes into it automatically gets uploaded to the cloud. Besides serving as a convenient backup tool, Google Drive syncs files across different devices. It also offers a straightforward file sharing method through shared drive files. Administrators can modify a user’s permissions to access files at any given time.
To keep files secure, Google Drive implements a mix of 128-bit AES and 256-bit SSL encryption. This depends on whether the files are at rest or in transit. While in transit, the tool implements an additional precaution by using two separate encryption keys. This makes it extremely hard to hack. If there are more than five users, Google Drive offers unlimited storage for just $12/month.
SLACK
Good communication makes all the difference for a successful project. Slack allows teams to create different group channels. Here, teams can chat, share files and communicate via audio or video calls. Everyone can exchange ideas in a single place and each person can be kept seamlessly up to date. Slack supports formatted code snippet sharing. This is especially useful when there’s a channel exclusively for developers. Since it’s available on pretty much all platforms, it’s accessible from anywhere in the world.
If that’s not enough, Slack provides built-in integration for hundreds of different apps, one of which is Google Drive. There’s also an open API for developers who wish to add support for custom tools. Slack has three different plans for businesses depending on their size, ranging from small to extra large.
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For maximum security and a smooth workflow, all of your components should work in harmony. 1+1 Technology handles this to let you focus on the more important aspects of growing your business. An onsite evaluation will help you get an idea of some of the weaknesses, security holes, and risk areas in your infrastructure. Contact us and apply for a risk assessment today.
