Developers Take Shelter as Cloud SDK Storms In
Quoted by Neil
Armstrong as he planted his footprint on the Moon, “This one small step for
man, one giant leap for Mankind”, is indicative of a time when a footprint was
an identifying marker. We’ve all witnessed a British investigative film
from the 19th Century, arresting the perpetrator as the
imprints from his shoes matches the evidence from the crime scene. With the
evidence in tow, they travel a substantial distance to store the shoes at a
central location. Now imagine if Neil Armstrong decided to do a cartwheel off
his shuttle and landed on his palms. What would he have said? “One small print
for man, one giant database for Mankind?” Would arresting officers have to
travel to a physical location to give and take evidence? Not with the future
FingerTec is constructing.
Cloud
Applications cannot be complete without the functionalities of a Software
Development Kit. SDKs are frequently referred to as Application Programming
Interfaces (API) although they are variants of the same category. Don’t quite
get it? Think Robocop, his bionics are the API, his organic remains were
“created” by a SDK to interact with his computational parts. Or is it
the other way around?
 |
| “SDKs or APIs, you are coming with me” |
Developing our SDK
platform required a lot of hard work and careful planning. An echo of Lao Tzu’s
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, we devised a
blueprint to take us on the ride of a lifetime.
In
alignment with our company’s vision, our Software Development Kit adheres to
the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) standard [1]. The CMMI was
established under the wing of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at
Carnegie Mellon University including leading industry and government experts.
TimeTec’s SDK evolution
will be wrought with complexities as we continue our efforts to coax its
maturation, an accomplishment of which we are already victorious. In its
current phase, the Cloud SDKs fundamental functions are authentication,
retrieval and the downloading of data from a majority of existing modules.
Users will be able to view live attendance data. Third party software can be
used to process and filter transaction logs.
The SDK runs on the
standard web services requests (WSDL) and its data are returned in JavaScript’s
Object Notation (JSON) lightweight format. TimeTec works with most programming
languages that employ web services. In addition, our software runs on SSL (HTTPS)
with a 256-bit encryption. We are diligent in ensuring all data communication
to our Cloud is secured.
Developers and programmers are the primary
utilizers of software DKs. However our TimeTec Cloud differs by our aims to
assist our subscribers in enabling a Windows based application to connect
directly to our Cloud, by releasing the Open Source TimeTec Cloud Demo
Application. As an Administrator, you will be able to view attendances without
logging into TimeTec Cloud.
 |
| I'm open, customize me |
The Demo Application is
a step forward for software enthusiasts. It uses the Metro User Interface [2]
and navigational concepts. We aspire to
provide our subscribers an experience not limited to the web but also from a Windows
based application.
IT Cloud environments are constantly evolving. That’s the beauty of our Cloud Demo App. As an open source application, any customizations can be made to our code without fears of infringement(s) of any Data Protection Acts.
IT Cloud environments are constantly evolving. That’s the beauty of our Cloud Demo App. As an open source application, any customizations can be made to our code without fears of infringement(s) of any Data Protection Acts.
In addition to interests in our Demo
Application, we provide support to our partners by offering sample PHP codes
for their integration, either by a Windows Application or PHP via a web
platform.
 |
| Easy to understand, Simple to use |
In our second phase,
with a preferable completion date by the end of 2014, we will extend its
capabilities to enable users to modify configurations and perform updates for
all modules. Third party software vendors will be able to perform updates
seamlessly.
By the end of 2015, our
last phase aims to automate tasks, enable batch import & export features,
generate reports and more. Our focus is to automate the process and simplify
workflow.
Unlike most Cloud
Partners who charge a fee for access their Cloud’s SDK, TimeTec’s Cloud SDK is
now offering premium access to all active subscribers for FREE.
 |
| Believe your eyes. |
If you find yourself in
doubt over TimeTec Cloud SDKs complexities, you can find available resources
including manuals at FingerTec’s Developer Program. As always, we appreciate
feedback, and welcome you to submit your ideas.
References
References
Capability Maturity Model Integration, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capability_Maturity_Model_Integration
Metro (design language)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_design_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_design_language
FingerTec Developer Program, http://www.fingertec.com/developerprogram/timeteccloud.php
By Daryl Choo, Chief Information Officer, FingerTec HQ
Sync Attendance Policy With Attendance System For Better Staff Management
I have been very fortunate to have observed these
“I’m gonna get sick soon” behaviors from the fellow staff over the years. Some
like to cough rigorously, some sniff loudly, some pretend to blow nose using lots of tissue and
many of these behaviors happened on Thursday, preferably noticeable by other colleagues. Not that I claim all who called in sick on Fridays and Mondays faked it, but I'm not wrong to assume some did. To those who do not yet get my
point, those were the signals to justify their day off on Fridays. Absent
on Mondays are also as regular as Fridays, if not more often. Sometimes we wonder whether these absences were genuine or they simply cited
acceptable excuses like medical, personal or family matters to fake a legitimate absence.
Simply put, absences on Mondays and Fridays will
give an absentee a 3-day weekend. Inquiries on those absences from the managers have to be
carried out delicately to avoid any risks of lawsuit to the company. However,
there are steps that could be taken to minimize these preventable absences
before it becomes chronic and impacting negatively on the company’s operation.
Written and enforced employee attendance policy is
very important even for companies with small operations. While some companies
want to appear lenient and providing flexibilities, these flexibilities could
turn out to be opportunities for abuse. And this could affect the entire
company’s discipline and productivity.
Some pointers when preparing the employee
attendance policy should include first and foremost the employee work days and work
hours. Specify when are the company’s workdays? When are the off days? When is
the start and stop time of work hours for all employees? What are the
exceptions? Does your company offer multiple breaks? What is the duration for
each? Do you provide any leeway for breaks? How the attendance data is going to
be collected? What’s the sign in and sign out procedure?
The staff needs to know what the company means by
late for work. Detail it out in the company attendance policy. Does the company
provide buffer zone? If yes, what’s the duration? Say for example, the working
hour starts at 9:00, and the buffer zone is 15 minutes. When an employee signs in
at 9:13, he will still be considered on time. Only when he arrives at 9:16 will
he be considered as late. What is the cut off time before an employee is
considered absent? All these policies have to be stated clearly and understood
by all employees.
A company, regardless of its size, has to also define
leave benefits and holidays clearly in its attendance policy. Clear description
of paid and unpaid leave including what qualifies an employee to take what kind
of leave must be explained to the T. How many days can a staff take a sick leave? When shall the medical certificate be sent to HR? What type of clinic is acceptable? Can a staff call in sick and rest and home? Type of holidays approved by the company and whether the holidays are paid or unpaid must also be ascertained to avoid confusion.
 |
| Leave type can be defined in TimeTec Cloud |
 |
| Once defined, the leaves can be edited later on |
Apart from detailing out the policy, a company
needs to pay attention to the process that is to be followed for violations of
employee attendance policies. Specify the steps to be taken for various
infractions, to protect your business from charges of racism, favoritism,
discrimination and etc. For example, a warning letter must be issued if a staff is absent without a valid reason or a show-cause letter needs to be issued if it happened the second time around within 6 months, something like that.
 |
| Each employee's time settings can be defined in TimeTec Cloud. |
By having all this policy in place, it’s best to
have an attendance system that can operate based on the policy for smoother
operation. In TimeTec Cloud, user can define the attendance policy of the company to
match with the attendance system's settings. Key in the day types, leave types, clocking
schedule and many other attendance details to suit to the drawn written policy. For example, once the rules for tardiness are set, Tardiness Report generated will provide the company a clear idea about the lateness problem in the company and which area or personnel that requires improvement or perhaps, lateness has never been a problem that the company needs to worry about.
 |
| Define staff attendance easily on TimeTec Cloud |
Overall, syncing attendance policies with an attendance system like TimeTec Cloud will make sure that the data received from the attendance system is useful because it has been aligned with the
policy that is in place. And another advantage, TimeTec Cloud also provide some sample warning letters to be used. :)
Get TimeTec Cloud 30-day trial at https://www.timeteccloud.com/signup.php
By Norana Johar, COO, FingerTec HQ
There’s More to Attendance Than Just Time
What is the best trait that a company could ask for an employee? It’s dependability. An employee who is reliable is very much an asset to the company than any other traits. As an employer, ask yourself which one is preferable? Having an excellent employee who is always not punctual and always absent or an average employee who is always available at the office, ready at your disposal. The thing is, the company cannot depend on someone who isn’t at work. Therefore, it’s safe to say that attendance is highly valued to other metrics such as productivity and quality.
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