Search Results

Knowledge sharing, is the key essence in our culture. We are learning and teaching, upskilling and adding value to the community no matter the circumstances (we are looking at you, Covid-19). The desire to spread the best practices has inspired us not only to host the Tech Savvy Talks but to distribute a brand-new experience by opening the events for a live audience". And we didn't stop there. Learn more about it by continuing to read below. As the song says, in the summertime, when the weather is fine, we thought to catch the wave and bring the Tech Savvy talk to another level by doing it live in our Plovdiv, Bulgaria office in front of a real audience. Not in one, but in two days during June. On the 16th, our CTO, Krasimir Kostadinov, welcomed our savvy attendees and, as you can see by the photos, had a fantastic time talking and discussing IPC Distributed Systems, MassTransit and Micro Services. Answers were given to questions like “Could Metcalfe's law save us, and what is its dark side? How do we handle exponentially growing data with asymptotically improving hardware? The limits of humanity's collective mind - are we on the edge of falling off a Cloud?” Ivan Stefanov, Senior Engineer at Scalefocus, had a panel on presenting communication between .NET microservices via MassTransit. Asen Tolsuzov, one of our Front-End Technology Team Leads, explained how to make React and Angular part of a Web application, implemented with Micro Frontend architecture. And all of this is just a glimpse of all that was shared during the event. On the 23rd of June, the second part of Plovdiv’s live Tech Savvy Talk was held. The main characters were Daniel Dutin, Quality Engineer at Scalefocus and Dimitar Tachev, a DevOps Engineer at the company. As you probably already guessed by their titles, the topics of the event were in the field of QA и DevOps. The speciality, served by Daniel was Using Postman as an automated testing alternative and integrating it with Newman in CI. Dimitar fed the audience details about creating a complete CI/CD pipeline in GitLab, including creating containers and running external applications in their deployment process using best practices. On the 4th of July, something revolutionary happened. Our Burgas office collaborated with the BurgasJS to bring you a new technology event. On the seaside shore, in front of a lively and diverse group of people, the CTO of Scalefocus, Krasimir Kostadinov, teamed up with Georgi 'Johny' Ganchev. Krasi shared the hacks of creating cryptography with pen and paper, talked about its importance and place in the world of technology and predicted its future. The other topic presented by Johny was as crucial as the first one - Who's the one to blame for YOUR burnout? Together we found the responsible people and factors, and we'll keep in mind what we learned. Hopefully, it will help us to keep our heads above the deep water. Overall, we had a blast with BurgasJS near the beach. When slicing and dicing code and computing gets to your fingers - limitations of distributed software systems… Krasi gives one more talk on IPC & Distributed Systems. Yes, the previous ones were so successful. This time it was held in Sofia. Again - a live event open to anyone's interest and completely free, just like the rest of our knowledge-sharing sessions. If you missed it - here are some photos. Meanwhile, the Beer.js was happening, and we just had to be there. The venue was a favorite spot of ours - Maimunarnika at Borisova garden. Petar Kadakevliev, Technology Team Lead at Scalefocus, talked about Building high-speed apps with Svelte. Because you know - we are early adopters, and this relatively new but super promising technology nails it! A lot of features that require a 3rd party library or a lot of code are either built-in or can be done with a few lines of dead simple code. Petar compared it with a hegemon at the moment, React, and explored how even in a simple web app built with both technologies - the many benefits of Svelte put it much ahead of its rival(s). All the exchanged knowledge during the past months was garnished with cold beers to cool down the heated atmosphere by the hot topics. If you missed our geek sessions, don’t give yourself a hard time. We have plenty more around the corner. Open your calendar and put reminders. Do you want the best from both worlds? We got you covered with another Tech Savvy Live planned by the sea on the 29th of September in Varna. Expect lightning talks on hot tech tracks such as Java, FE, QE & .NET. We know from experience that it’s the best way to share and learn new stuff while enjoying the beach. In case you are adventurous, you are more than welcome in Skopje, where our team is preparing two (or more) events between the 13th and 20th of September. Swing by our YouTube channel to catch up with all the previous Tech Savvy talks: That’s all (for now), folks. Hope to see you soon. Anna-Mariya Yordanova Content Specialist

Table of Contents: What is Conga CPQ? Are Apttus and Conga the same? Pros of Conga CPQ Cons of Conga CPQ Conga CPQ at Scalefocus Conclusion What is Conga CPQ? Conga CPQ enables/empowers sellers to achieve better deal margins and faster sales cycles. Relying on its AI and ML capabilities sales professionals can manage unlimited product complexity with a centralized view of sales quotes and orders. The result? Up-to-date pricing across all channels, the ability to cross-sell and upsell, bigger deals and, ultimately, increased revenue. Sales is a tough field. A lot of decision-makers believe that salespeople are generally unprepared. On top of that, sales often get delayed because of complicated catalogs, quoting errors and various manual processes. This results in revenue leakage and inconsistent pricing, which, combined with rogue discounting, can impact margins negatively. To combat this and enable their sales teams to sell more effectively in less time, companies use CPQ software. CPQ stands for Configure, Price, Quote. It is a technology solution that is an extension of your CRM and works together with ERP systems. It improves sales processes by automating approvals, controlling discounting, increasing quote accuracy and customer relations. Are Apttus and Conga the same? No, but also, yes. Apttus, the leader in quote-to-cash (QTC) software, acquired Conga, the leader in Digital Document Transformation, back in 2020. The goal was to modernize revenue generation for both small and large enterprises. The newly created company operates under the Conga brand. Its end-to-end solution allows for streamlined workflows resulting in better buying experiences that match customers’ needs. Pros of Conga CPQ 1. Creating accurate quotes faster Selling a product with different configurations often slows down processing times and creates delays in the delivery of quotes to customers. What this means is that often sales representatives waste time they could spend working on actual deals. Conga CPQ speeds up even the most complex quotes leading to faster sales cycles. Customers expect to get offers instantly and delivering quotes within seconds significantly impacts the outcome of a deal. 2. Integration with Salesforce Conga CPQ is built and runs within Salesforce – it is native to the Platform and not a standalone application. There are no data synchronization or connection issues. Updates are made in one place and are available instantly. Your data is in the Salesforce database which means you can access it faster and generate reports more easily. It also means its security is guaranteed. 3. Ease of use and configuration Conga CPQ’s developer guide is well structured and contains in-depth explanations that are simple to follow. The design is user-friendly and sellers can access quoting information in various ways through the home page. You can either use the standard Salesforce UI or choose the CPQ Admin console to create a product. You can then associate it with categories, price lists and price items on a single page. 4. Drafting quotes for different scenarios Conga CPQ maintains a separate price list for each customer and has the business logic built in to meet different scenarios for different clients. Sellers can insert data and customize processes from multiple models to deliver a unique quoting and purchasing experience and use CPQ to create their working catalog page. Conga CPQ is designed to create accurate price quotes with any product configuration scenario. 5. Highly scalable solution Conga CPQ is the most secure and scalable CPQ solution available for enterprises today. Sellers using the platform can create repeatable quoting and contracting processes that could increase profits and support annual revenue growth. Conga CPQ makes their processes faster and more scalable by rebuilding their pricing engine from scratch on their own infrastructure that is not artificially limited. 6. Managing unlimited product complexity Conga CPQ allows for the creation of either standalone or bundles of products, including such with attributes and options. The deal management process is straightforward thanks to two important features: Product Rules and Collaboration Requests. The first one means product rules exist inside the catalog as well as for compatibility, replacements, recommendations, etc. The second allows sellers, managers and other stakeholders to collaborate on quote creation. Cons of Conga CPQ 1. Implementation requires business and tech expertise CPQ projects are often thought of as mostly technical but business understanding is also critical here. In reality, teams working on implementation and customization need both technical and business domain knowledge and skills to set up processes effectively. 2. Support with customization is suboptimal While support engineers deliver great customer experience, if you use Conga CPQ’s out-of-the-box functionalities, they are not always helpful enough if you have made heavy customizations. CPQ projects often do require some degree of customization which means agents might not have a full grasp on the issues you could be facing. 3. Pricing conditions are not very clear Conga CPQ has a licensed-based pricing model and is available in Salesforce AppExchange. Although customers are asked to request a quote specific for their case, initial research is confusing and the process makes it hard to estimate a provisional budget. Conga CPQ at Scalefocus When it comes to working with Conga CPQ (formerly Apttus CPQ), our consultants have comprehensive technical experience combined with excellent industry know-how. We put this expertise to practice by implementing the solution for a Dutch medical equipment manufacturer and enabled them to create error free quotes. The client wanted to combine the sales processes for products and services and speed up quoting times. They also needed to centralize fragmented internal procedures across business departments and improve catalog management by automating manual interactions. Our team performed an end-to-end implementation of Conga Configure, Price, Quote and data migration. We improved the product record and catalog structure through in-depth analysis and continuous collaboration with various business units. The results: Process standardization and automation of manual tasks Improved response times from an average of 30–60 days to several hours for quoting Evolved revenue operations with real-time product and pricing configuration Full auditing trail and visibility with granular permissions configuration Automated approval, simplifying business processes Conclusion Conga CPQ (formerly Apttus CPQ) is not without its flaws. Some users have pointed out that its implementation requires advanced tech and business skills. Also, customer support is not impeccable when handling customization issues and its pricing terms are sometimes hard to figure out. However, it’s by far the most robust CPQ solution out there. It enables a seamless experience for sales teams by allowing them to create accurate quotes for different scenarios faster and is fully integrated with Salesforce.com. On top of that, it’s intuitive and exceptionally scalable. If your company is looking to achieve significantly better business results, adopting Conga CPQ is definitely the thing to do. Scalefocus is the type of technology partner who not only provides excellent Conga CPQ implementation services but brings additional value to your organization thanks to our industry knowledge. Our team will help you sell faster and more efficiently while eliminating revenue leakage. In the end, adopting Conga CPQ with the guided assistance of Scalefocus will result in more closed deals, improved customer success and, ultimately, higher revenue. Get in touch today so we can begin mapping out the transformation of your company’s entire sales cycle and get you where you need to be – ahead of the competition. Velina Derilova Senior Content Writer

Table of Contents: What Are the 6 Types of Salesforce Clouds? Sales Cloud Service Cloud Marketing Cloud Commerce Cloud Experience Cloud Analytics Cloud Salesforce Clouds at Scalefocus Conclusion 6 Types of Salesforce Clouds Salesforce is a collection of tools and services designed to serve different functions. The platform enables companies to build process automation into their business and create seamless workflows. Read on to learn more about the different types of Salesforce Clouds and how these platforms manage your company’s sales, marketing, and customer relationship. 1. Sales Cloud The Salesforce Sales Cloud is an application designed to help organizations sell smarter and faster by centralizing customer information, logging interactions, allowing collaboration across teams, and automating various tasks. It puts all your customer and prospect information in one place and makes sales teams more productive. As a business leader, you can: Easily get insight into your business, so you know where to focus your efforts and make decisions based on market changes. Visualize and redistribute your customers’ territories, shifting your sales coverage to changing market demands. Quickly update end-to-end operations of a company’s Sales department to adapt to change. As a sales rep, you can: Manage deals from a single workspace. Maintain Customer Contacts, Triggering Emails, Reports, and Dashboard features. Track every customer interaction from a customer 360 data, powered by AI. 2. Service Cloud Salesforce Service Cloud is among the most significant Salesforce Clouds and provides all the necessary functionalities that boost customer engagement. Its intelligent workflow automates business processes, facilitates customer interactions across channels, obtains real-time customer information, and uses Artificial Intelligence to increase sales and revenue. 3. Marketing Cloud The Salesforce Marketing Cloud connects companies with every customer interaction and experience across different channels. It is easy to control messaging flows, react to customer actions, and discover useful insights to grow your business. 4. Commerce Cloud The name says it all – Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a cloud-based eCommerce platform from the commerce cloud market where we can create eCommerce websites, manage, and sell products. It provides businesses with a complete infrastructure and tools to set up an eCommerce store effortlessly. Commerce Cloud major takeaways: Quick online sales with the world’s most trusted commerce platform. Access to hundreds of out-of-the-box features, drag-and-drop tools, and commerce portals alongside Salesforce CMS. Ability to use Einstein intelligence to increase average order value and shopper engagement. Self-service capabilities, like curb-side pickup and chat, are available. Everything is connected to Customer 360 data, so you can quickly build an integrated B2B commerce channel. Buyer Managers have the control to set up account-based rules such as contract pricing, custom catalogs, and approval workflows. 5. Experience Cloud The Salesforce Experience Cloud platform is integrated with Salesforce and enables businesses to engage with customers, partners, and employees. It consists of online portals or websites hosted by Salesforce named Experience Sites – exquisitely branded digital experiences that are easy to create and maintain. Experience Cloud ensures that the data displayed on the site is already recorded in your unique Salesforce CRM platform. The data shared and displayed is more than safe as the admins decide what to give access to and with whom. Sharing different data with different audiences enables the creation of multiple sites and experiences and customizing exactly what each user accesses. 6. Analytics Cloud Analytics Cloud is a robust cloud-based analytical solution that accelerates exploring and analyzing huge volumes of data. The Salesforce Analytics Cloud is powered by Einstein Analytics and Tableau tools. Analytics Cloud users can identify trends, improve efficiency and comprehend the logic behind the data. The solution bolsters Customer Relationship Management (CRM) by providing self-service analytics applications that offer deep insights into the collected data and trends. Salesforce Clouds at Scalefocus Salesforce Clouds represent standardized business processes based on very detailed and thorough research. Yet, every company is different, and every business operates with its own specifics. Taking this into account, Salesforce allows for multiple customizations. As a Salesforce partner, we work to provide expertise in specific business domains and industries next to our purely technical knowledge of configuration and customizations. Our Salesforce team covers all roles from Administrators to Salesforce Consultants with industry-specific expertise. On the technical side, we work with some of the best software developers and technical and solution architects. Conclusion Businesses can use Salesforce Clouds as a standalone solution to help a specific department increase efficiency and productivity by having a single location to record all operational data. The charm of Salesforce lies elsewhere. All of the clouds share the same database instance. They are connected and allow data to flow freely across applications. This way, the Sales team can recognize the Marketing department’s efforts and build upon them. One united platform to help all departments across the organization work together is the biggest strength of Salesforce. The Salesforce team at Scalefocus has vast experience with cloud-based CRM and all sorts of cloud computing projects that have helped our partners drastically improve their sales processes. Contact us today and schedule a chat with our experts, we are certain there is a lot you can learn, and our collaboration will be a success! Tanya Marinova Senior Salesforce Consultant

Key Takeaways: Financial software development is the creation of systems and processes for the financial and banking industry. Recently, AI and ML are playing a major role in shaping the way customers engage with banks and other financial institutions. These two forces are shaping the future of the financial services market Table of contents What is financial software development? The role of AI and ML in financial software AI-powered financial software applications Data-driven decision making Fraud detection Customer experience personalization Customer service Data management Benefits of AI and ML in Financial Software Development Summary What is Financial Software Development? Financial software development is the process of developing, optimizing, and implementing software programs in the finance and banking industry. Accelerating AI technology has made it possible for development companies to offer cutting-edge solutions to their clients in the financial world. As the need of financial companies for digital-first products is here to stay, so is the need for experienced providers of custom-build software solutions, capable to address this demand. The right technology partner can cover nearly every area of the financial realm. System Modernization For example, rearchitecting monolith applications into a modern microservices-based solution that can scale to millions of transactions and users. Applications Integration Integration of all applications across the organization, building a comprehensive integration strategy based on using enterprise integration platforms and API management technologies. Data, Advanced Analytics and AI Optimizing the way financial companies gather, store and process data is the first step toward the data-driven enterprise. Once all data flows are streamlined companies can add advanced analytics and business intelligence solutions to uncover the hidden gems in their data. Custom Application Development Working with a custom software development partner, ensures that your specific business goals are fully aligned with your technology capabilities. Custom fintech software drives accurate decision-making and stable growth of the customer base of the client. Financial software development has advanced significantly in recent years, especially after the Covid-battered global economy emerged from state-wide lockdowns. In that context, financial services companies have shifted their focus from working with clients on-site to migrating their services fully digital and available 24/7. The Role of AI and ML in Financial Software Artificial intelligence and machine learning are two powerful components in the process of creating and maintaining financial software. AI and ML algorithms are used to collect and analyze big volumes of data, assess trends, make predictions, and offer solutions. Further, they can extract and organize insightful conclusions presented in a relatively easy to understand way. Financial operations such as banking and credit offerings, have benefited greatly from the use of AI and ML in the process of working with data. In addition, most operations in the finance and banking sector like asset management or personal financing, could be significantly enhanced by implementing AI and ML. AI-Powered Financial Software Applications Financial software applications underpinned by AI/ML include: Data-driven decision making; Fraud detection; Customer experience personalization; Automated customer service; Data management. Data-driven Decision Making Timely decisions are among the most important components in financial software operations. While humans have a hard time trying to accurately analyze piles of data, AI-powered software could easily scan vast amount of information and predict trends. Moreover, AI is useful for carefully and thoroughly identifying patterns, as well as anomalies, and pulling insights from the data it gathers. Banking will undergo a change thanks to artificial intelligence as attention would move from scale of assets to scale of data. Rather than creating mass-market items for broad audiences, banks would now strive to provide their consumers with customized experiences. Being more customer-focused will offer significant retention advantages, as opposed to maintaining them through high switching costs. The most significant change would be that banks would no longer just rely on human inventiveness to improve their services. Performance would instead result from the interaction between talent and technology. Examples of using AI in finance include budget tracking, investment management assistance, deposits, lending, automated operations and more. Fraud Detection Fraud detection is an integral part of every well-functioning financial software solution To this end, AI and ML could effectively deal with detecting and preventing fraud attempts to ensure safe and secure transactions. AI could easily analyze transaction data and information and uncover inconsistencies in payment documents, user location, or even used devices. AI and ML could be trained to spot any kind of unusual activity along the workflow. To mitigate the risk of fraud, AI could apply predictive analytics or other solutions to check every step in the transaction process and find traces of manipulation. Customer Experience Personalization Customer experience, as with any other field, is highly important in the finance and banking industry. Financial services companies continuously aim to improve user experience, as they seek ways to provide better engagement and have more satisfied customers. AI is readily available to give their efforts a boost. What AI does, in this situation, is to try and understand customer journey problems and come up with effective and scalable solutions. In particular, AI can track and analyze every click or comment. On a deeper level, it could also evaluate users’ information and present a behavioral profile. Further, as users keep interacting with the software program, they provide more traces about behavioral patterns which are collected and assessed by the AI in the backend. In turn, artificial intelligence is able to offer tailored solutions to regular customers. Customer Service AI could considerably enhance the way traditional customer service operations work. More precisely, solving customer issues could be quicker and more efficient without the intervention of a customer service agent. Automated AI-powered software could deploy advanced chatbots that could be available to customers 24/7. Furthermore, chatbots could not only solve customer issues, but also collect experiences and complaints reported by users in order to improve existing customer service operations. In addition, automated chatbots could easily replace humans, which would remove hassles and waiting time on the customer’s end. Data Management As financial services companies work with huge data volumes, data management powered by AI and ML could make workflows more convenient and paperless. Artificial intelligence could easily handle complex data from a wide range of sources in a matter of seconds. Text analysis, data analytics, and predictive analytics are powerful tools that could yield deep insights, which could later be used to improve decision-making processes. Benefits of AI and ML in Financial Software Development Artificial intelligence and machine learning are two strong components of a growing number of financial software applications. Some of the benefits they offer in the field of finance include: Automating repetitive tasks Cost optimization Elevated security Less room for errors Mitigated risks Advanced data analytics Summary AI and ML-powered financial software development promises to bring a wave of benefits that could offer your business a competitive advantage. As part of the BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) industry, you need to be assured that you are staying ahead of the curve when it comes to platform functionalities, automated processes, and smooth customer experience. To help you do just that, Scalefocus is ready to empower you with the latest cutting-edge AI and ML tools. They have the potential to accelerate your services, bring more revenue, and engage a large base of customers. At Scalefocus we make it our business to know the finance sector in and out and help organizations with their technology-related challenges. Our comprehensive portfolio of services is designed to help banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) companies to evolve into digital product powerhouses. With the help of our Remote Delivery Center framework we support the custom software development needs of our clients who can easily extend their operations offshore or onshore.

Table of Contents: Healthcare Software Development in 2022. Key Trends Telemedicine is crucial EHR, HMS, PHR Software Blockchain to revolutionize Healthcare AI becoming the norm Internet of Medical Things Big Data & Analytics Cloud Transformation continues Security remains paramount Remote software development Conclusions Healthcare software development in 2022: Key Trends The past two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the world, but in a sense, they have accelerated processes and validated trends that were already tangible. Given the circumstances, healthcare has naturally been at the forefront of innovation. There are a number of key trends in the industry that are very hard to ignore if a medical organization really wants to remain relevant at the very least, and we have selected the areas to address in 2022. Telemedicine Remote Patient Monitoring, Interactive Patient Care, and Store and Forward methods are all parts of Telemedicine – the ultimate form of remote communication between patients and medical professionals. Telemedicine proved crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote care, online appointments, and video conferencing contributed more than just sparing resources to medical organizations. They granted all patients equal access to healthcare services and increased their quality. Those challenging times changed healthcare forever, and remote contact between patients and physicians has quickly become the norm. Such a trend has greatly been helped by the expansion of Electronic Medical Records software and the process of medical records becoming digital to connect all data that is still separated. Self-care, online communication, and medical treatment and examinations only if essential – such characteristics of patient behavior are here to stay well beyond 2022. EHR, HMS, PHR Software Healthcare software solutions build the foundation of future-proof health technology. They facilitate the interaction between patients and medical institutions and provide medical organizations and professionals with a fluent workflow. Electronic Health Recording (EHR) collects patient data and history, digitalizes and stores it. It facilitates data sharing across healthcare systems, minimizes the volumes of paperwork, accelerates all processes in the organization, and improves service quality. Hospital Management Software (HMS) handles different aspects of the medical facility workflow to provide smooth communication between co-workers, automate routine tasks, and manage human and financial resources. Personal Health Record Software (PHR) enables patients to assess their physical condition and manage treatment remotely. PHR is accessible from any device and contains the entire history of medications, immunizations, allergies, etc. Other healthcare software solutions include E-Prescribing Software, Appointment Scheduling Software, Medical Imaging Software, Medical Diagnosis Software, and Medical Billing Software. Blockchain Blockchain technology can potentially revolutionize healthcare by pushing the boundaries of HealthTech. It increases supply chain transparency and guarantees secure online financial operations. The number of blockchain-related healthcare applications is rapidly growing as forward-thinking organizations have recognized the technology as a primary innovation driver for the industry. Blockchain integration is projected to save billions of dollars within the next couple of years as it optimizes substantial costs related to software development, operations, personnel, and health data breaches. Future-proof, data-driven, and patient-centric solutions – progressive companies already know what is worth exploring in 2022 and beyond. According to Statista, in 2021 AI systems in healthcare generated almost USD 7 billion in revenue compared to 2 billion in 2018 and 10 times up from 2014. Infographic source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/938775/global-healthcare-artificial-intelligence-market-revenue/ Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming indispensable for the remote treatment of patients, new drugs development, and improving diagnoses accuracy. It is dramatically changing the way patients and healthcare providers interact. What is more, it is yet to play an even more crucial role in diagnostics healthcare, as it enhances human insights into care processes, treatment variability, and patient outcomes. In oncology, AI analysis helps early cancer detection companies create mobile apps that evaluate the risk of cancer. This allows them to detect the illness years earlier than traditional methods. Quick and precise diagnostics combined with optimal anti-cancer drug combinations means AI now technically saves lives. The Internet of Medical Things IoT and Wearables (also known as IoMT – the Internet of Medical Things) include the likes of smartwatches, bio patches, smart hearing aids, and smart pills, and make healthcare more connected than ever. Physicians not only receive real-time information on the patients’ health state but use precise statistics on their sleep and nutrition habits or average activity level to perfect their treatment programs. Self-care is becoming ubiquitous, as patients would rather contact medics remotely and get medical treatment only if necessary. Fitness trackers record and monitor their daily behavior to detect tendencies or anomalies and address improvements required to the routine. Healthier lifestyles and disease prevention are currently trending like never before, and IoMT is a suitable addition to this modern mindset. Scalefocus worked with a global biotech company to develop and implement an innovative software solution that manages automation hardware to accelerate cancer diagnostics. The process leads to a proper treatment of affected patients as early as possible and eventually will help reduce women's mortality rate worldwide. Big Data and Analytics Data analytics devices and methods improve health prevention, intervention, and patient experience, increase healthcare efficiency and reduce costs. Big data allows businesses to base insights on numerical evidence and make data-driven decisions. It also enables researchers to combine historical, real-time, and predictive metrics in order to detect the new vaccines and medications’ weak and strong points. Processing the amounts of information available today is technically impossible without big data, and it helps healthcare organizations to identify trends and anomalies, develop treatment plans and predict at-risk patients. It is indispensable for strategic planning, cybersecurity, and telemedicine and accelerates the time to market of new medical products and services. Cloud Transformation Healthcare organizations struggle to understand the significance of long-term cloud strategies – what steps to take, which types of data to migrate, and when. Adequate planning of cloud migration would optimize resources, leverage tech stacks, and reduce costs. These have been pain-points for many years, and the focus needs to turn to a complete overhaul of cloud infrastructures. Scalefocus has established a number of remote development centers for our customers around the globe. This way, we help companies develop holistic strategies and transform outdated software solutions in compliance with their business models and needs. We have developed and deployed numerous software solutions, including a recent one for a significant US healthcare organization. As a result, cost savings surpassed 40% while doubling the speed to market with the help of private cloud-based platform. You can read the entire story here. Security According to a recent IBM report, the average cost of data breaches in healthcare is fast approaching the USD 10 million mark. Besides severe sanctions, medical organizations risk losing patients’ trust and business. That is why healthcare privacy and security will remain crucial for the industry beyond 2022, as protecting patient data will always be a top priority. Infographic source: https://www.ibm.com/security/data-breach Healthcare devices that process any patient health data must observe strict security standards and regulations, and this is merely a foundation to build upon. Scalefocus cybersecurity teams go beyond the security minimum – we utilize modernized platforms where compliance updates can be executed constantly and always upgrade them with advanced digital operational resilience testing. Remote Software Development Finding the best software solution provider is key to success in your digital transformation journey, and many healthcare organizations are turning to remote software development centers for cooperation. This way, they can concentrate on their core competencies while getting the level of flexibility and scalability any in-house team would struggle with. For example, one of our clients, a global company fighting diseases on many fronts like oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, etc., benefited from enhanced operational effectiveness, reduced training and overhead costs, and expanded their R&D capabilities. You can find more about our mutual journey here. Areas like Eastern Europe provide access to a formidable talent pool, and companies can cherry-pick top developers, engineers, or project managers. Furthermore, cutting-edge technologies accelerate time to market, and different time zones extend business coverage, so the region’s popularity and especially its EU members Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia, is only expected to grow. Conclusions Telemedicine, Blockchain, and AI might have been perceived as sci-fi only a few years back, but they have become the norm in modern healthcare and are improving it radically and at an extremely rapid pace, too. HealthTech has proven it can be more than beneficial to humanity by playing a major role in developing medicines and vaccines, providing high-quality patient care and diagnostics, and generally saving lives. Scalefocus has extensive experience in healthcare and life science that has helped leading medical organizations in the US and Western Europe to excel in their digital journey. Contact us today, we will be happy to discuss your projects and how we can help you scale them. Krasimir Kunchev Senior Content Writer

The most significant financial technology events came back in 2022 and Team Scalefocus was buzzing to reunite with the community. There was a lot of catching up to do at both Money20/20 and Fintech Nexus (formerly known as LendIT) as the industry had been changing at an even faster pace since the pandemic started. And catching up in person was certainly part of the fun. Let’s start with Money20/20 Europe – the biggest financial services forum in the world. Banks, payment providers, startups, and technology leaders like Scalefocus – it seems everyone who wants to be one step ahead of the game was in Amsterdam between 6 and 8 June. What has left the most lasting impression is how quickly XaaS (Anything as a Service) solutions have progressed and the fact they now cover 100 percent of the ever-growing needs of the sector. Migration to end-to-end solutions for integrated data systems as a service is also a trend that companies are keen on following in 2022. Other hot topics included the focus on User Experience over tech stack and the increasing importance of interoperability, distribution, and standardization. FinTech is more open and collaborative than ever - companies are not only investing in innovative solutions, but also in easier ways to integrate with each other. We see an ecosystem that is really capable of elevating customer services enabled by technology. LendIT/Fintech Nexus took place in New York on 25 and 26 May. It was an interesting collection of US-based fintech platforms, traditional banks, and hybrid disruptors all looking to take advantage of the booming world of data-driven financial innovation. The focus was on how AI, ML, and RPA can be used to make traditional banking more enticing to a new generation of customers. While there is no shortage of innovation in the space (including blockchain/crypto to go along with AI and ML), it is clear that legacy institutions are not willing to sit on their laurels and get lapped by startups. The result is an exciting ecosystem of innovation and competition in the Fintech industry, where everyone is trying to get better, and the best of the best are rising to meet the challenge. For Scalefocus it was particularly encouraging to acknowledge that our solutions are very much in tune with the latest trends as our participation in the hot topic discussions proved. And we can’t wait to get back next year and discuss all things FinTech with our friends from the industry again. Krasimir Kunchev Senior Content Writer

In this article, we compare Salesforce CPQ to Conga (formerly Apttus) CPQ, two of the big players in the Quote-to-Cash world. We will walk you through their key features, strengths, and weaknesses. Key Takeaways: Both Conga (formerly Apttus) and Salesforce CPQ automate the quoting process to facilitate and accelerate sales throughout the revenue lifecycle. Conga’s advantages include selling product bundles and complex subscriptions, exquisite pricing capabilities, and capacity to handle large-scale customers. Salesforce’s strengths lie in its add-on software products ecosystem, balanced product complexity, and mobile device support. Table of Content What is CPQ? What are Conga (Apttus) and Salesforce CPQ? Product Features Key Capabilitites Salesforce vs Conga CPQ Pros & Cons of Apttus CPQ and Salesforce CPQ Conclusion Read on to learn how Conga (formerly Apttus) and Salesforce CPQ compare in terms of product features, product offering and pricing, convenience of use, capacity to expand the base offering, customer satisfaction, and product support. What is CPQ? CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) is a sales tool that allows businesses to generate quotes for orders quickly and precisely. CPQ applications frequently work in conjunction with CRM platforms, ERP programs, and other corporate technology, ensuring data integration and accuracy. Quotes generated with CPQ software are automated and based on preprogrammed criteria, ensuring error-free pricing that accounts for quantities, discounts, customizations, optional product features, numerous revenue types, and incompatibilities. Adopting the right CPQ solution results in higher sales revenue and increased profits. Some key benefits are listed below: Improved accuracy and zero errors Faster sales cycle Shortened response times Automated quoting process Enhanced efficiency and productivity Reduced learning needs Enhanced brand image When it comes to Quote-to-Cash software, Salesforce and Conga (formerly Apttus) CPQ are the two main rivals. Both are package-based solutions built on the Salesforce.com platform. However, you still need to select the best option that meets your requirements, and Scalefocus is here to help you choose! What are Conga (Apttus) and Salesforce CPQ? Apttus were among the pioneers to offer a Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solution, as well as a powerful, enterprise-level CLM tool. Apttus CPQ has been operating under the Conga name after Apttus and Conga merged in 2020. Conga CPQ facilitates and accelerates sales throughout the revenue lifecycle. It allows teams to configure pricing, discounts, carts, and more to build out complex proposals, contracts, renewals, and other critical business documents. Salesforce CPQ, formerly known as SteelBrick CPQ, is another popular CPQ solution that has been gaining momentum and constantly evolving since its 2015 acquisition by Salesforce. Salesforce CPQ provides sales teams with easy-to-use software that is accessible from any device. Hosted on the Sales Cloud platform, it links directly to the CRM to allow making the best-informed sales decisions possible. Product Features Conga CPQ and Salesforce CPQ have similar features such as product and pricing configuration, various discounting options, quote creation, negotiation, and proposal document generation. The difference is in how granular or complex product and pricing configuration can be provided and how flexible and capable are Conga CPQ and Salesforce CPQ when it comes to capturing and adapting to each customer's business specifics. Conga CPQ focuses on medium and large enterprises. Conga offers complex product and pricing configuration features that are also very flexible in proposal document generation by covering different scenarios. Salesforce CPQ targets the entire segment with small, medium, and big enterprises. According to a recent Gartner study, the core Salesforce CPQ product would not be rated so highly on its own. Its standard configurator and document generation, in particular, are not as reliable as some competitors' solutions. Pricing is another differentiator. According to the same study, the Salesforce CPQ base package is among the costly CPQ options. If partner ecosystem products are added to fulfill a company's requirements, the solution becomes more expensive than its competitors. Getting and integrating software from several providers is also more complicated than purchasing everything from a single company. Key Capabilities Salesforce vs Conga CPQ Below you can find some comparison aspects to consider while evaluating the efficiency of Conga (Apttus) vs Salesforce CPQ: Customer Size Conga (Apttus) CPQ focuses on larger enterprise solutions at the upper end of the market. Salesforce CPQ operates with big, midmarket, and small businesses. Customer Support Conga (Apttus) CPQ support resources are available via phone, online chat, video tutorials, and the partner community. Salesforce CPQ can be reached by phone or ticket. They offer an extensive knowledge base and customer community to help users find solutions to their problems by themselves. Salesforce offers different levels of customer support. Standard support comes for free, while Premier and Signature plans can be requested at additional costs. Standard Success: every license includes a two-day response time, salesforce customer support community, interactive webinars, events, and guided journeys. Premier and Signature Success plans offer increased support for additional fees, with features like 24x7 Phone Support, Developer Support, expert coaching sessions, and more. Product Offering Both products have a strong market presence. In terms of features and configuration capabilities, they are similar. Conga (Apttus) has recently introduced Max-AI – an artificial intelligence tool that salespeople can use to build effective quotes based on instant comparisons to the company’s top reps. Max-AI chats with the salespersons to give recommendations based on the quotes. Conga (Apttus) also provides the whole range of services required for your quote-to-cash process, including CPQ, Billing, e-commerce, and CLM (contract lifecycle management). Salesforce also has an AI tool named Einstein. It makes recommendations for quote scoring and also offers guided selling. Other useful features include real-time forecasting right after the quote delivery. Regarding product offerings, both Salesforce and Apttus provide excellent options for improving quote delivery. Ease of Use Unlike Conga (Apttus), Salesforce CPQ offers a free trial period which is a great advantage for customers who would like to test the product before making a final decision. Apttus and Salesforce CPQ have both expanded their functionality and features to make the design user-friendly and easy to grasp. Delivering high-quality quotes to attract potential clients is straightforward with these platforms. Customer Experience The evaluation of customer experience and satisfaction is based on the Gartner reports on customer feedback for Conga (Apttus) and Salesforce CPQ. Conga (formerly Apttus) CPQ users find the tool very flexible and highly customizable with outstanding capabilities. The document generation functionality is solid. It has reasonably seamless integration with Apttus CLM tools and external data sources. On the other hand, product administration can be very challenging, and customizing requires good product understanding and some previous knowledge. Product performance and UI can also be improved. Salesforce CPQ users usually like the mobile access support that allows them to work from anywhere. Another popular advantage is the seamless integration possibilities with other tools, friendly user interface, and increased sales productivity. Customers might complain about the higher pricing and maintenance cost. The quality of training materials and product documentation can also be improved. Some customers find Salesforce CPQ too slow. It requires more effort and expertise for customizations and maintenance than expected. Pros & Cons of Apttus CPQ and Salesforce CPQ Conga (Apttus) CPQ Conga lost its Leader status in Gartner Magic Quadrant last year, partly due to the lack of product development momentum. However, its CPQ product has a wide range of capabilities that are suitable for most companies selling on the Salesforce platform. Pros: 1. Product selling: Conga CPQ supports selling product bundles and complex subscriptions. Its out-of-the-box support for subscription ramps is among the most accomplished on the market. 2. Large-scale customers: Conga CPQ is a proven solution at an enterprise scale with deployments of over 10,000 users. 3. Pricing capabilities: Conga CPQ’s pricing functionality is among the best in business and includes extensive support for list pricing, attribute-based pricing, promotions, coverage pricing, and price waterfall. 4. It comes with а community, partner portal, and product documentation for additional help. Cons: 1. Performance: Slow performance within the shopping cart product configuration and pricing calculation has been frequently reported. Conga introduced “Turbo Pricing” and “Turbo Configuration” engines to address this issue. 2. Mobile support: The Salesforce1 Mobile UI does not support the selling of configured products. 3. Customer support: Conga customer support is not efficient enough and end-users might face product support challenges. Salesforce CPQ Salesforce CPQ tops the Gartner Magic Quadrant charts due to the vendor’s market presence and extensive software partner ecosystem. Pros: 1. Ecosystem: Salesforce CPQ has an ecosystem of add-on software products from third-party vendors as well as a wide network of implementation partners. 2. Balanced product complexity: It is neither too basic nor too complex. 3. Mobile support: Mobile devices are supported by the Salesforce1 Mobile App. Cons: 1. Core product functionality: The core product alone has some limitations as there is a basis for improving its standard configurator and document generation. 2. Higher cost: The Salesforce core product is more expensive than its CPQ competitors. The solution price increases further if partner ecosystem products are added to meet a company’s requirements. Getting and integrating software from several providers is also more complicated than purchasing everything from a single company. 3. Product education: Salesforce CPQ is a complex system, make sure your team receives extensive product training because the tech documentation can sometimes be incomplete. Conclusion Both Salesforce and Conga CPQ are more than capable of accelerating the sales cycle and making the quote process more efficient. Make sure you consider the complexity of your products and whether they require specific and multilevel configurations. How complicated are your pricing requirements? Would you need CLM, Billing, or other extensions to complement your CPQ process, and are they offered by the same vendor? Scalefocus has vast experience with both Salesforce and Conga CPQ projects that have enabled many businesses to improve their sales processes. Do not hesitate to contact us, our CPQ team can help you meet the challenges of today’s dynamic market and will be happy to hear from you! Nataliya Stefanova Senior Salesforce Consultant

Get to know Hristina Yonova, a Quality Engineering Technology Manager at Scalefocus, a connoisseur of wine and a person who loves to change bravely the colors around herself. 1.  On Quality Engineering The thing that has always appealed to me about Quality Engineering is that, despite popular belief, it’s not only about identifying problems, but also about preventing them as well as finding a solution. 2. On your background My career journey started 20 years ago. After graduating from Sofia University with a degree in Computer Science, I became part of an IT support and system administration team for 2-3 years, after which I switched to a QE role. Ever since then, my work experience has been related to QE. My first position as an Automation QA was at an international company, where I was responsible for maintaining and utilizing the internally developed test automation framework. We are talking about times when the tools we use nowadays didn’t exist, and my work was based on Еxcel and Visual Basic scripts. At that time, I got ISTQB-certified. What is interesting is that people usually begin their QE career with the foundation of software and manual testing, and then jump to automated testing. In my case, I started my QE journey backwards. A few years later, I transferred to a Bulgarian company where I focused on performance testing for a big project of the first telecom company in Bulgaria. Almost seven years ago, I became part of Scalefocus. When I say seven years, it sounds long, but it feels like yesterday. Here I had a chance to go through many different positions, to learn continuously and take on increasing responsibilities, so the company quickly turned into the place that has had the most significant impact on my professional development. 3. On your role at Scalefocus My entry role at Scalefocus was of а QE Lead on various projects. After a while, my position evolved to a Practice Lead. My QE Мanager had gone on parental leave, so I got into a situation where I had to take responsibility for the technological development of the whole QE team for a year. Giving my best and learning quickly ad hoc, I managed to establish solid relationships within the team and build trust with the rest of the company. As a result, I kept the QE Manager position even after the return of my manager. Organically through the years, my role evolved to the present point - a Technology Manager, who is leading the QE team at the company and is responsible for their personal and professional development. I am very happy that I have the chance to lead a strong team with a diverse expertise: on the one hand, our colleagues have a detailed knowledge of various technologies, tools, frameworks, and testing techniques; on the other hand, they have a solid cross-industry expertise gathered through our work on different client projects. Another important aspect of my work is the focus on knowledge-sharing. Together with the other technology leaders at Scalefocus, we build training programs and onboarding plans, and organize knowledge exchange sessions in various formats which help spread fresh ideas in the team and across the company. Last but not least, I find very rewarding my involvement in presenting the company's QE services to end customers, in proposals and in designs for customer solutions; in measuring the results achieved by the QE team and evaluating QE activities within each project. 4. On the cross-cultural diversity One of the most exciting things about my role is that it allows me to work with different people, to learn how to ‘read’ them and to get to know their nature, temper, and qualities. To match them with the correct people and to form a strong team. To predict future problems and what might cause them. And even though I mastered well those skills over the years and with practice, the recent opening of the Turkish delivery location of Scalefocus presented a challenge. We had to quickly learn the specifics of the local culture and habits, so as to understand well our colleagues. This was important as we had to find a way to correctly mix the teams and to be able to address different situations without confusion. And we found the right approach for that, treating everyone with the needed respect and balancing the professional and cultural differences. In other locations such as North Macedonia, for example, this challenge did not exist — even though our team is pretty new, their bond has been strong from the very beginning. Maybe the pandemic made our colleagues hungry for building connections, and the human factor grew stronger. I am sharing all this to highlight the diversity we have at the company and how important it is to be open to accepting and understanding well the differences. This allows us to establish and manage cross-cultural and distributed teams who can work seamlessly together, achieve strong results, learn from each other, and grow professionally. 5. On your team When I joined the team, we were less than ten people. Since then, the team has grown several times and I am happy that as part of the hiring process I was able to meet each candidate and find the right fits for the team. As the team grew bigger with time, staying connected with all colleagues became more challenging. To address this, we started organizing various meetings, gatherings, and regular practice sharing sessions, such as our QE breakfasts and QE catch-ups. We are keeping many of those formats today and even expanding them. These initiatives are vital not only from a team bonding perspective, but also because they help us keep everyone on the same page. What is interesting is that even though we are part of one team, we work on entirely different client projects and use various tools, techniques, and specifications for approaching niche solutions. This requires regular knowledge-sharing. Another essential part of our work, deeply built into the Scalefocus culture, is the encouragement of all our colleagues to choose their own professional development paths. We want to listen to everyone’s needs and support them in the best way we can. That is why the company has established a clear career path for each technology team. What is interesting is that the main prototype has come from the QE team. We were the first to define the requirements and responsibilities of each position. By incorporating a skills matrix in the career path, the Technology team leads have the flexibility to create individual development plans in their departments. This practice proved good and was adopted by all the other technology teams, winning a reputation for the QE as an internal trendsetter in the company. 6. On the right candidates for the QE team Team players. Individuality is an important quality, but our work is a team one, so it’s very important for each of our colleagues to integrate well into the team. Especially the QEs need to be critical, analytical, and responsible for the process, so that they are able to both identify the problems and solve them. A Quality Engineer needs to ensure quality not only in the code itself but also in the teamwork. 7. On Scalefocus and what makes it the right place for professional development? It's simple. New colleagues join our company and team because of the people and environment they create. Through the years, I've learned that the projects come and go, but it is the people who make the work meaningful. If you feel good among the surrounding teammates - hold on to that. And because of the challenges, there is always something new to do even after seven years in the company. 8. On the best advice to new software engineers To never stop improving themselves and to be self-critical. They should not be afraid to try or to fail. 9. On your everyday work life Probably the most challenging question so far. Not two days are alike. I always check my calendar for the next day, but when the sun rises, the calendar is completely changed. In brief, I try to plan, but my plans often go down the drain, so I constantly need to adapt promptly. Almost everything happens ad hoc. A lot of communication with various people on different topics keeps me energized. If someone wants to imagine what makes me passionate about my work – this is certainly everything opposite to a calm day. I try to be there for my team where and when they need me. I am completely fine to help, join a meeting or do something after the working day or when I am on vacation, just because it does not cost me anything to help others and help resolve issues. That said, however, I genuinely try not to bring my work home, mostly because I know that there will always be more of it, and it never ends. It is healthy to set some boundaries and to know your limits. It’s important to be able to define what is urgent. 10. On who you are outside of work… except the woman with the purple hair* Actually, this was a mistake of the hairdresser, but the people around me are always curious about how I will appear after they find out that I have an appointment at the salon. Overall, I like to try new and different things - my hair is a perfect example of that. I enjoy discovering unique aspects of life. I’m interested in wines too. And very quickly, that became a “thing” among my friends, so now I’m the person who always picks the drinks wherever we go. I guess I’m good at managing people outside of work, which is why they trust me to organize trips. So, my casual position is as a tour operator. *At the interview, Hrisi had purple hair. If you are curious about her colour now, don’t hesitate to contact her. Anna-Mariya Yordanova Content Specialist

Key Takeaways: Machine learning enables financial institutions to analyze data and create an automated model around it With ML companies can leverage increased productivity, fraud detections, better compliance, algorithmic trading and more Key use cases of machine learning in finance include monitoring, algorithmic trading and more Table of contents What Is Machine Learning in Finance? Applications of Machine Learning Challenges for Machine Learning in Finance Machine Learning Use Cases in Finance Summary What Is Machine Learning in Finance? Machine learning in the financial services industry is the use of statistical models aimed to help collect and evaluate datasets, extract insights, apply algorithms, and make predictions. Machine learning (ML), by definition, is a method of data analysis that interprets and automates model building. In finance, the rapid acceleration of technology has placed machine learning front and center. Quickly-advancing software and hardware have propelled financial services companies to rely heavily on ML applications as they lead to better operations and bring improved results. With this in mind, machine learning could be used in finance by selecting certain models and feeding them with data. The data will be used to automatically adjust the model and improve the outcome. In that sense, the more data you can collect and analyze, the better and more accurate results you will get. Applications of Machine Learning Some of the reasons why banks, investment funds, and other financial services companies should consider using machine learning include: Better, quicker, and more efficient scaling; Increased productivity; Automated trading activities; Improved user experience; Fraud detections and better compliance; Low maintenance cost once implemented. Challenges for Machine Learning in Finance Key challenges for the fusion between machine learning and finance include: Lack of understanding and unrealistic expectations; Relatively high development cost due to a global shortage of data scientists and engineers. Financial services companies are greatly in favor of machine learning as they want to exploit the opportunity and build on it. But unrealistic expectations and lack of a proper vision are among the main reasons why some companies fail in this aspect. Next to the difficulties on how machine learning can be implemented is the relatively high cost of R&D involved in the development process. Companies need to implement new processes for collecting, cleansing, governing, and using their data as the starting point for successful Machine Learning models. Preparing all this data for a machine learning processes is a task often carrying a high price tag. However, once developed and implemented, machine learning can significantly bring down costs by leveraging process automation, algorithmic trading and other key benefits. Nevertheless, machine learning is increasingly popular among financial services companies. From hedge funds to investment banks and fintech, this technology offers some attractive benefits in a wide array of use cases. Let’s find out what they are. Machine Learning Use Cases in Finance Process automation A common use case of machine learning is process automation. This technology allows to save time, cost and effort by replacing manual work and repetitive tasks with automated processes. Not only does this increase productivity, but it also raises the quality of the operations as it eliminates the human error factor. Process automation through machine learning could be applied to a number of services including: Chatbots Call-center automation Processes automation like claims processing and marketing optimization Financial monitoring Machine learning algorithms can greatly boost financial monitoring. Moreover, through financial monitoring supported by machine learning, data scientists could stay up to date with the functioning of systems and operations. Financial monitoring would easily detect red flags such as money laundering attempts, frauds, or cybersecurity attacks. Investment decisions Machine learning in investing could help financial companies get better results as they base their investment decisions on moldable and flexible data. With this in mind, a report by US investment bank JPMorgan says that “machine learning is entering a new era.” “While previous algorithms were hard-coded with rules,” the study says, “J.P. Morgan is exploring the next generation of programming, which allows machine learning to independently discover high-performance trading strategies from raw data.” Machine learning enables institutional investors to work with advanced market insights and take advantage of price changes before the rest of market participants can react. Algorithmic trading Machine learning in trading is done through automated algorithms that take away the stress and emotional burden when dealing with the forces of the financial markets. Algorithmic trading is now present in market strategies used by a growing number of fund managers and large-scale investors. Automated solutions and trading models allow for quicker and more efficient market reactions. An automated trading strategy could be tailored, for example, to react to news that could move prices by precisely specified margins. Further, machine learning could analyze hundreds of data sources, charts, and price movements in a matter of seconds. As a result, the outcome of this process could offer a distinct advantage when participating in the financial markets. Some key benefits from algorithmic trading include: Higher probability of being right Optimized risk-reward ratio Human errors are reduced to a minimum Could be applied to any market at any time Risk management and security Machine learning techniques help bring risk levels down. Banks and other financial institutions that transact billions of dollars every day need to have resilient systems that can withstand cyber-attacks, fraud attempts and a whole spate of online threats. To this end, machine learning can analyze significant volumes of data and quickly flag any potential threats or high-risk situations. In practice, machine learning algorithms can be trained to detect financial frauds, suspicious account behavior or other crime-related activity. Additionally, through large volumes of data sources, machine learning techniques could be used to track customers at risk for defaulting on their loans. Summary Machine learning plays a key role in the shaping of today’s financial world. From managing assets, to servicing customers and collecting raw data to spot inefficiencies, automated algorithms have powered a big technological leap forward. This said, machine learning algorithms are constantly working with data and improving their own performance. As a result, they become better and more reliable while the financial system becomes stronger and more automated. In this light, finding the right machine learning services partner will likely determine the level of your success. By utilizing data science, advanced analytics, machine learning (ML), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, Scalefocus supports financial companies in their efforts to extract valuable information from their data. With the right tools, enterprises can make result-oriented decisions, get deeper insights, deploy resources more effectively, and improve customer experience. Across the financial services industry, our teams have developed numerous systems and platforms underpinned by machine learning algorithms and advanced analytics. We are working with financial institutions of various sizes and manage a number of machine learning projects, all with unique use cases. We have successfully reached major milestones such as improved revenue, cost optimization, and risk reduction. Scalefocus employs its technological know-how to deliver reliable offshore and onshore development services for financial companies. Our custom-built software, web and mobile applications drastically improve customer experience. This helps our partners build their own software solutions that fit their business models and benefit from significant cost savings and business processes optimization. To learn more and discuss how you can successfully employ machine learning in your projects, contact us today.

E-World Energy & Water, Europe’s leading energy trade fair, usually marks the start of the year in the industry event calendar. This time though, it took place in June, and exhibitors from all over the world presented sustainable technologies and intelligent services for the future of energy. Decarbonization and energy diversification remained hot topics, but during the three-day event, it became clear that climate-neutral energy supply and integration of renewable sources are stepping in from the sidelines and are already dominating the debate. New challenges for Energy Trading and Risk Management One of the major discussions during E-World ’22 was the new challenge ahead of the existing Trading Risk Management landscape. The increasing renewable portfolios of market players are now significantly impacting how energy is contracted to be produced and traded. Participants in the wholesale market must deal with rising shorter-term PPA volumes of renewables, involving complex contract structures, which call for automation and further market integration of ETRMs. Businesses must rethink their approach to risk management and performance by establishing new platforms that can integrate the dynamic nature of renewable energy generation, vast number of data assets and which can address the unique risks they bring, while offering continuous trading and last-minute adjustments. “A robust ETRM that brings together traditional and renewables related trading and risk management activities is necessary to support companies in their energy transition. The ETRM must also provide the right level of sophistication to support the complexities of renewables and cover asset classes like power and certificates, support variability in contract terms, long-lived agreements, and significant increases in trading activities and related data volumes.” ION Group whitepaper: Global renewables transition requires dedicated ETRM capabilities Optimization and security of the LNG supply chain At the Energy Leadership Meetings, the shift from fossil natural gas to liquified natural gas (LNG) was one of the main topics. The emergence of new destinations and new LNG suppliers for the European market, the fluid demand, and the growing supplies bring further complexity to the supply chains. Optimization of the supply chain through new commercial solutions was dominating the conversations. New technology solutions should empower traders to efficiently create and manage complex contracts without missing a beat. Hydrogen and green gas In the halls and conferences of the trade fair, there was a plea from numerous sides for the greater use of hydrogen and green gas as energy carriers. Hydrogen and green gas generation had left the R&D laboratories and now are waiting to enter the energy mix and take their place in portfolios. These bring new attributes to the existing technology landscape of the energy companies. Amongst other things, options for producing and storing hydrogen were presented – from use cases powering aircraft carriers to maintaining pipelines and power lines. At our booth, we were actively participating in the conversations, discussing with participants the three D’s of the energy market - decarbonization, decentralization, and digitalization. The Scalefocus team was delighted to meet business leaders, energy experts, and professionals and exchange ideas about the future of the energy market and the changing energy models. Scalefocus has always been up to the challenge of solving the business riddles in the energy sector through software engineering. Easier market access and data availability have made trading more democratic, and now it’s time for new software solutions to push that process further. Dimitar Grancharov Manager Content Team

Table of Contents: Benefits of Outsourcing Software Development Scalefocus Solutions End-to-end Product Development Easy-to-use Virtual Experience AI Models Data Solutions Legacy Systems Modernization Cloud Transformation Migrate Locked-in Vendor Solutions Success Stories Conclusions Outsourced Software Development for Healthcare Businesses have been outsourcing software development for decades, and the healthcare industry is no exception. As stated in a recent survey by Deloitte, cost reduction might be the most obvious, but not the only factor for this. In-house teams offer less flexibility and are harder to scale up and down when necessary. On the other hand, working with remote development centers gives access to a broader talent pool and state-of-the-art coding and project management tools that accelerate time to market. IT outsourcing to areas like Eastern Europe and especially the EU members like Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, or the Czech Republic combines cost reduction with EU legislation, better transparency, and predictability of the market. Scalefocus is among the companies that prove that the region’s rise in popularity is a trend that is here to stay for all the right reasons. Source: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/operations/articles/global-outsourcing-survey.html The Scalefocus Solutions Scalefocus designs custom solutions that scale and digitalize our partners’ businesses. We leverage modern technologies to bring healthcare organizations to the forefront of HealthTech and overcome the industry’s most pressing challenges. Our remote software development centers redefine the telehealth experience by providing end-to-end platform development, including IPR, CX, UI, UX, mobile, Data, and AI solutions. by Thus, mobile solutions that emulate the experience of visiting a doctor alter the way patients and healthcare providers communicate and make healthcare safer and more efficient. End-to-End Product Development The Scalefocus healthcare industry experts have vast knowledge of the market, so our offshore development centers can build solutions with thorough strategic planning. Identifying the most relevant tools and technologies to integrate into each specific solution accelerates time-to-market and reduces costs. Therefore, tying together pre-built frameworks, customized components, and user-centric design can be instrumental in optimizing resources. Easy-to-Use Virtual Experience Telehealth solutions must be easy to use and maintain to optimize digital inclusion. Before the pandemic, the slow evolution of telehealth UI/UX was almost acceptable as it had fewer users, but that is no longer the case. Increasingly accessible technology means intuitive design and simplified functionalities provide flawless consumer experience to all potential consumers regardless of their level of tech-savviness. Artificial Intelligence Models AI models and tools like chatbots and automated surveys facilitate patients to resolve issues without the help of a physician or contacting one asap. They collect and use patient interaction data to improve the way they are being serviced. Scalefocus’s custom solutions increase the efficiency and flexibility, minimize the new features’ time to market, and accelerate the execution of business concepts. Data Solutions Healthcare organizations rarely take advantage of available information, thussabotaging their own decision-making in the process. IT outsourcing to experienced remote teams is a viable option as they can offer advanced digital solutions that analyze patient data and present it in a user-friendly way. Scalefocus uses end-to-end data strategies and tailored transactional databases, as well as Data Analytics tools to enhance patient engagement. Data lakes can be a solid foundation for ML and AI, while Business intelligence solutions allow organizations to make data-driven decisions, empowering patient self-service, better diagnostics, and personalized treatments. We employ ML and AI algorithms to help businesses derive insights from data and facilitate business decision-making. Legacy Systems Modernization A centralized view of data from various sources within the organizations is vital for gaining a competitive advantage. However, legacy platforms create data silos that make this impossible, as silos affect the efficiency of analytics and AI that thrive on high quality data. Therefore, processing vast amounts of content inevitably impacts performance and complicates extracting data-driven insights. Investing in on-premises data architecture is already a thing of the past as cloud-based solutions enable data and insight-driven businesses to get real value and build competitive AI models while alleviating the data integration costs. The Scalefocus team utilizes a data-driven approach to improve customer experience and increase revenue. The integration of data from different sources enables us to break down silos, that is why rebuilding old systems is paramount for AI and ML innovation. Cloud Transformation Healthcare organizations often feel underwhelmed after moving to the cloud. Migration failures can be blamed on poor planning, wrong conceptual decisions, focusing on quick fixes, and delaying the complete restructuring of cloud infrastructure. At Scalefocus we help businesses to transform their outdated software solutions. We provide project plans and strategic consulting to make sure the overall transition is tailored to our partners’ business models. It is never about just moving everything to the cloud – a cloud strategy must be based on the function of the cloud within the organization. Therefore, we only select cloud apps that accelerate workflow automation and business processes. Migrate Locked-in Vendor Solutions Vendor lock-in makes businesses vulnerable to any changes applied by the providers and hampers flexibility in tech infrastructure and operations. They become overly dependent, and breaking free typically means high costs, legal constraints, or technical incompatibilities. For Scalefocus, moving workloads, applications, and data between platforms should be a repeatable and automated task. We work with clients to assess every component of their IT environment to help them understand what they are buying and the benefits it brings. Our software engineers migrate locked-in vendor solutions, starting with the initial architecture redesign all the way through handover and client training to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of the client’s business. Read on to learn more about some of our landmark success stories in the field of healthcare. Scalefocus Success Stories 40% Cost Reduction Via Private Cloud-Based Platform Leaving behind an entire monolithic solutions system for a single cloud-based microservice platform divided by business domains was always going to be a challenge. And our team certainly rose to it to help our client, a North American next-generation healthcare coordination provider, replace their legacy network for clinical solutions management. Scalefocus developed and deployed a modernized platform that substantially accelerated time to market while reducing cost by 40%. We turned the supposed disadvantage of different time zones in our favor to remain engaged with the project 24/7, so our partners could focus on business development. The finished solution had a tangible impact on their core business and its future development and large-scale growth plans. Achieving Two Times Higher Productivity with Fully Redesigned UI/UX Our client, a European personalized healthcare organization, needed to rearchitect their new software system that expands support for legacy instruments for Tissue Diagnostics (RTD) Advanced Staining. Scalefocus provided architecture, design, and UI development expertise, using the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®) methodology that allows implementing Agile, Lean, and DevOps practices at scale. Our team helped the company overcome the inevitable technology challenges and revamped the client-facing side to comply with the client’s One Company Design policy. The end software product had to live up to the high standards the system users (medical practitioners, lab workers, researchers, and patients) had come to expect from a true HealthTech leader, and it certainly did. Conclusions AI models, data solutions, legacy systems modernization, and cloud transformation – these are just a few of the Scalefocus software solutions our North American and Western European partners from the healthcare industry leverage. We have built a reputation as a reliable end-to-end service provider for the past ten years, and our portfolio is the best proof. Contact us today to discuss your software development projects – we love talking about all things HealthTech! Krasimir Kunchev Senior Content Writer

Table of Contents: What Exactly is Conga CPQ (formerly Apttus CPQ)? CPQ Functionalities Benefits of CPQ Transformation How are Scalefocus Partners Leveraging Conga CPQ? Conclusion Use Cases of Conga in 2022 What Exactly is Conga CPQ (formerly Apttus CPQ)? Conga CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) is a multi-channel sales solution that enables businesses to precisely configure, price, and quote deals. Customers benefit from this approach because it helps them improve sales, save time, and increase revenue yield. Every single quote creation takes forever. Complex pricing models across spreadsheets. Tedious approval processes. Different versions of the Product Catalog that never gets updated. These are some of the most common challenges Sales reps face and yet still need to reach their monthly quota. Conga CPQ is designed to address enterprise customers’ most complicated use cases and scalability needs. Through guided selling, pricing assistance, and margin protection, Conga CPQ enables sales professionals to scale their actions throughout the whole sales organization. CPQ Functionalities As the name suggests, CPQ allows for configuration of complex products, handling of various pricing methodologies, and generation of well-organized quote documents. Conga (formerly Apttus) CPQ comes with a robust product catalog to upgrade the standard Salesforce Product Management functionality. In Conga CPQ, users can effortlessly create standalone and bundle products. Products that require additional information like attributes and options can easily be configured by the system admin or the power user in the app console directly. And this is just a part of the Product Management module. Product Rules and Collaboration requests make the deal management process much more straightforward. Conga CPQ allows product rules to run inside the catalog and validate product compatibility, replacements, recommendations, and saved favorites. The collaboration requests enable managers, SMEs, and co-workers to join forces in the quote creation process and provide advice or help when needed. Once a product is selected from the catalog and added to the shopping cart, it becomes a line item. This is the robust Conga Pricing Engine territory. Repricing operations, discounts, markups, uplifts, and automated pricing rules flow seamlessly within the app. Conga CPQ supports recurring pricing models, usage pricing, one-time, price tiers, conditional pricing, etc. CPQ allows for the addition of hundreds of line items without increasing quote complexity, as well as the user-controlled splitting of huge quotes. Quote generation is the last part of the CPQ process. Conga CPQ allows users to build templates, choose what data to be visible, and apply business rules for attributes like regions and language. Through conditional content, the number of templates is lowered drastically. Version control will not let you lose vital company information on the Quote. Conga CPQ allows for integration with Conga’s own e-signatures module as well as with partnering vendors like DocuSign. All versions of the quote document, together with the e-signed quotes, are stored in a single location with version and comments control for history tracking and auditing purposes. Benefits of CPQ Transformation Speed up the Sales process Vendors that are first to quote have better chances of winning a sale. Conga CPQ is the ultimate application for automated product, pricing, and quote management. Accelerated processes and freed up resources mean sales reps spend more time selling and less time doing manual work and compliance. Remove errors from the Quote CPQ minimizes the mistakes in manual Quote creation while Pricing and Product rules will give sales reps the motivation to sell more when configurations are error-free. Increase revenue The full scope of the Conga CPQ functionalities allows for fast and accurate cross-sell, up-sell, and guided selling highlights. In a nutshell – Conga CPQ is here to eliminate quote errors, help sales reps perform better and improve the enterprise business processes. Users fully adopt the application and report amazing figures of improvements. How Scalefocus Partners are Leveraging Conga CPQ? One of our team’s most challenging projects was the implementation of Conga (formerly Apttus) CPQ with a leading medical manufacturing company. The product catalog and quote creation process were so complex that it used to take up to a month for the Sales reps to build a quote. With the implementation of CPQ, that time has dramatically decreased. A Sales user can now independently configure the products without supervision from a qualified engineer. The number of active quote templates has been reduced to merely ten. The total time between a quote request and a quote sent to the end customer – to around 45 minutes. Collaboration across engineering and sales departments has drastically improved, and the Sales team is more focused on sales than ever. Team Scalefocus has supported the implementation by providing the full scope of software development specialists – from Configuration Engineers, Software Developers, and Solution Architects to Quality Assurance engineers. Conclusion Conga (formerly Apttus) CPQ and Salesforce are not only the Sales platforms with the best track record but they can be integrated together. This way Conga CPQ can upgrade upon Salesforce’s functionalities with its own unique features like guided selling, collaboration requests, upsell, cross-sell, and discount recommendations. Scalefocus has formidable expertise in the CPQ sector with both Salesforce and Conga and has helped our partners overcome serious issues and improve their sales processes to no end. Contact us today, our experts will gladly find out what your current project needs are and in what ways we can assist! Nikolay Bizev Salesforce Technology Team Lead