Proper data security is always a concern, whether your data is on-premise or on the cloud. Here are some of the best practices for securing your data on Amazon Web Services (AWS). While this list is not comprehensive, this would be a good starting point for implementing basic security on the AWS platform.

Security is a shared responsibility between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its customers operating a digital commerce business. AWS is responsible for the security OF the cloud, and the customer is responsible for the security IN the cloud. This model clearly defines who is responsible for securing the resources when using AWS.

Protect your Root Account

Enable root account with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
Use root account to create IAM admin users, and AVOID using the root user account for actions that do not need the root account access.

Console Users

User AWS Single Sign-On or use your corporate identity solution to avoid creating multiple IAM user accounts.
Implement Password policies to enforce users to have strong passwords by defining minimum requirements for the password.
Enable MFA for all console users.
Rotate keys older than 90 days for all IAM users.

Enable AWS Config

The first step to securing your environment is to create an asset inventory. Config enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate configurations of the AWS services deployed in the account. Config continuously monitors and records your AWS configurations.

Enable AWS CloudTrail for all regions

CloudTrail enables governance, compliance, operational auditing of your AWS account and provides the event history of your AWS account activity for actions taken through the AWS console, AWS CLI, SDK.

Enable Multi-region CloudTrail
Send CloudTrail logs and alerts to an S3 bucket in a dedicated security account.

To know more - https://katalysttech.com/blog/ten-ways-to-secure-your-aws-account/

Disruptions from minor material shortages to large-scale natural disasters stopping up transportation have always been something every supply chain must be prepared for. However, some events are so sudden it is nearly impossible to properly prepare, with no better example being the COVID-19 pandemic. In mere days, healthcare products and groceries were flying off store shelves. Many supply chains could not properly shift production from their primarily Asian manufacturers to account for this sudden demand.

The pandemic put many companies to the test, something their supply chains were not ready for, exposing many issues in the inflexible nature they operate. With a “new normal” established, it is now more important than ever for companies to look at how COVID-19 impacted their business to improve their supply chain’s resilience for the future.

At Katalyst, we are no strangers to assisting clients start or improve their E-commerce business through the pandemic. Here are five critical factors we recommend considering when planning to build up supply chain resilience in your business.

1) Control your Overhead

In the business world, “resilience” refers to the ability of a company to show flexibility, allowing them to roll with the punches frequently thrown at them and quickly adjust to any change. However, it is much more challenging to bounce back from a monetary loss than a minor supply issue, and your wallet is the first thing a disruption in the business world will hit.

Consider using third party services like Katalyst to help take the load off your shoulders! Many E-commerce businesses do not have dedicated logistics or supply chain specialists as a part of their staff, leading to overpaying for materials or being blindsided by industry-changing events. Katalyst can help set up and monitor your business to optimize your transportation or warehouse costs.

2) Analyze Your Data

Looking at the hard data for your business is always vital, even more so if you want to improve your supply chain management. Through analyzing the information from your business’s day-to-day functions, you can make sure your operation is running according to plan. By measuring each step of your supply chain, from the manufacturing of your products to the shipping of the final product, you can better understand how things run at your company.

A good Warehouse Management System, like Katalyst’s Celero WMS, can show you how long it takes products to be delivered, preferred shipping methods, and more to help you fully understand how your supply chain functions.

To know more - https://katalysttech.com/blog/how-to-build-a-resilient-supply-chain-in-the-age-of-covid-19/

There is no doubt that the future is digital, and it is necessary to adapt methods like digital transformation to survive. As a key strategic initiative, digital transformation is an important term describing the application of new technologies, talents, and processes, to improve business operations and customer satisfaction. A robust and successful digital transformation strategy must have all the elements for future growth.

But this is not an easy or seamless task. When companies started storing data on transformation initiatives in the 1970s, the error rate for company-wide change projects fluctuated between 60 and 70%, according to Harvard Business School.

The 2020 report by Oxford Economics surveyed 3,000 executives in 10 industries, including automotive, banking, insurance, industrial manufacturing, oil and gas, public sector, retail and utilities industries, and found that any kind of business transformation works best when the entire organization is connected Managers need to ensure that quality information permeates their ecosystem of the business and allows everyone involved to interact in a way that achieves company goals.”

So, how do you get into this agile, interconnected situation ?

Step 1: Assess your current position in your digital transformation initiatives:

The first step is to review your existing business assets and systems to examine your technology capabilities. Along with it, you have to evaluate the competitors, your market etc. What are the future trends and risks involved? What opportunities can you utilize for the growth of organization and business? What are the risks your company is most likely to face? And critically, what contingency plans do you have for such an event?

This is also a time when you can evaluate your workforce and see where there are skills gaps present so that organization can arrange skill training for the upskilling.

The better you know the insights- its strengths and weaknesses – t he better you can make the most informed decisions related to the technology and digital transformation.

Step 2: Set realistic KPIs for your digital journey:

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are the basis for cultural and technological change in every company. Instead of general goals like “becoming more sustainable” or “increasing productivity,” KPIs link specific, achievable milestones and goals to your transformation initiative. When setting KPIs, it is crucial to be realistic first. Then make sure you connect with professionals from across the company to fully understand the implications and potential of each department and role within your company.

To know more - https://katalysttech.com/blog/digital-transformation-strategy-a-pathway-to-growth-through-sap-solutions/

Shopify merchants earned more than $307 combined billion in revenue worldwide in 2020. That total revenue would rival many business giants, putting Shopify as the 7th largest company income of the year more than various business giants, according to the survey by Deloitte.

If you are a trader looking forward to build an E-commerce application, If you are a trader looking forward to build an eCommerce application, you want to implement products and monitor costs with ease.

The question now is, does Shopify live up to all of those expectations?

Before we take a deep dive into the capabilities of Shopify, lets first talk about what exactly the platform is.

By the end of the post, you should have a better understanding of what Shopify is, how it can benefit you, how much it will benefit you, and whether or not you should choose it for your website development.

So, let’s get started.

What is Shopify?

Developed on Ruby on Rails, Shopify has grown into a one-stop-shop for E-commerce development for market pioneers . From creating a personalized website to creating a complete, high-performance storefront, Shopify has a lot going for it.

In general, it is a set of E-commerce development tools for those who cannot code, but has its advantages for those that are more experienced.

Who can use Shopify?

Do you have a business idea and plan to run your E-commerce store? Then Shopify is for you.

Do you want to create third-party applications to resell and generate revenue on a multi-user platform? Then Shopify is for you.

If you have the expertise to contribute to the Shopify website and personalized changes, you can take advantage of the many features this platform has to offer.

From pre-installed designs and customizable templates, that will benefit retailers, vendors, developers, and business professionals.

How Can You Use Shopify in E-commerce Development?

More than your usual CMS, Shopify is a power-packed package of E-commerce development solutions and is one of the most popular E-commerce platforms in the world market.

From design to development, Shopify-based products receive a unique competitive advantage that ensures positive results.

To know more - https://katalysttech.com/blog/shopify-complete-guide-for-e-commerce-website-development/

The age of E-books is upon us, and no other industry has felt its success than academic publishing. Since its inception the digital education publishing industry has been booming. According to Statista, the sector is expected to surpass 243 billion U.S. dollars by 2022. These statistics indicate how the new-age technology is reshaping the way schools handle their textbooks, allowing teachers to efficiently instil knowledge in their students.

With online learning becoming the norm amid the pandemic, publishers are looking for ways to digitize their content while ensuring high-quality standards are kept. These new digital learning models help publishers achieve better productivity and reduce operational costs, allowing them to efficiently conquer the market. Moreover, the students and teachers now have more ways to stay connected, as the educational eLearning publishing industry intends to establish engagement across the spectrum. Let us dive in a little deeper to learn more about the future benefits of going digital bring to the table for the education publishing industry.

The benefits of aligning with digital publishing:

Facilitates Distribution and Offers Cost-Effectiveness

New information is always flowing in the education sector, so the publishers have to update their contents and distribute them constantly. This was an extremely daunting process in the traditional format with paper texts and books, especially when it came to mass distribution. It bore huge costs because they had to scrap the older content, update the new ones, republish them in the market. However, the landscape is entirely different with the onset of digital technology in the publishing industry. With eBbooks, they can be easily updated in time and distributed more conveniently and cost-effectively. The emergence of new digital distributions methods, such as mobile apps, online E-books, and many other latest solutions, makes it easier for both the publishers and readers to access the most up-to-date content.

Meets Environmental Demands

With print textbooks, there was also a large cost to the environment. As tons of trees were cut down to make paper out of them, which led to the problems we are witnessing now. According to TCK Publishing, over 2 billion books are printed every year in the U.S., requiring more than 30 million trees to be cut down which lead to the emission of over 40 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. With the production of books harming nature, the term “sustainable” was introduced in the sector; however, stakeholders didn’t pay any heed to them.

The upsurge of digital learning made publishers think about their acts and quickly change their attitude towards the planet. With the onset of online learning, these sustainable solutions are no more “nice-to-have” features. As a result, leading publishing houses, such as Penguin Random House, are incorporating eco-managed service and support systems to ensure minimum waste of books and reduction in emission of the carbon-di-oxide.

Offers Interactive Content

The benefits of making textbooks digital allows publishers to implement dynamic content, such as images, videos, quizzes, and many other features that make learning more fun and interactive. These features allow students to engage far more with their education, something static content in print material can not. E-books can also provide external links to additional resources and various multimedia interfaces, helping publishers to improve the readers’ learning curve.

To know more - https://katalysttech.com/blog/publishing-content-management-system-digitizes-the-role-of-education-publishers/