Custom software developers sometimes anxiously wait for the maintenance period to begin. During maintenance, the software is already locally installed on the customer’s equipment and infrastructure, and the detailed job of adapting the software to the customer’s processes and needs is in almost all respects finished. If the development and implementation phases were well managed and finalized, during the maintenance phase, the software developer’s effort should be significantly diminished and the profitability should increase. With a little luck (or maybe it’s more than luck at stake), during maintenance, the developer’s work and allotted resources will be minimum, while the maintenance cost (some quite generous) will compensate for the low profitability of the project in earlier phases.

Internet of Things or IoT is already here and cannot be ignored. The concept is becoming increasingly used in Romania as well, and it refers to the connection among various physical devices - via Internet and software applications, which allow them to communicate with one another (and with us, the users). In brief, IoT brings together the physical world and the virtual world. It is estimated that – by the year 2020 – we will have 200 billion interconnected devices, according to Intel, which is approximately 26 devices for each individual on Earth. What do you think about these numbers?

As you well know, stormy clouds have recently swept across the European sky. The 23rd of June 2016 marked the Brexit referendum. Great Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU). Upon hearing the news, several people expressed their shock and anger, which was quickly covered by the media, the social media, the Internet and on TV. As a result, the political, financial, economic and social implications of Great Britain’s exit from the EU started to unfold. All led to a bleak prognosis. The juridical implications soon followed.

The first months of 2016 have brought about a series of changes regarding the protection of personal data. This change also affects Romania, an EU (European Union) member state. For this reason, when the organizers of the [IT Camp](https://itcamp.ro/) event (www.itcamp.ro) invited me, for the third year in a row, to Cluj-Napoca, I stopped and pondered on whether I should tackle these issues or not. However, because the IT&C field is many times shrouded by the "dark clouds" of personal data - I mustered all my courage and wrote "The rise of privacy & personal data in the IT business".

If you are wondering what the relevance of this subject in the IT domain is, here are three aspects that are worth thinking about: • The brand strategy in cyberspace should be on the agenda of any company that wants to develop in the digital era. •  Most businesses in the IT domain “lead their life” mostly in the digital world – therefore, they should be interested in how they can use their domain names and brands on the Internet. • Changes happen quickly on the global level, and companies must adjust to them. For instance, nowadays, we are witnessing an unprecedented expansion of domain names – the new gTLDs (generic top-level domain names). In the near future, domains such as *.tech, .software, .technology, .game, .SRL, .online, .web, .site or .website* will be very common, representing a great risk of conflict for the companies that are active in IT and online. 

Some legal aspects concerning software applications in general, such as intellectual property and the usage of open source code, collecting personal data through an application, publishing in Google Play, have been analyzed in the previous issues of Today Software Magazine. In the article of the current issue, I would like to focus on the way applications of the SaaS (Software as a Service) type are commercially exploited and, especially, on the partnerships that can help you collect revenues from the usage of these applications.

Once, Arthur C. Clarke, the author of the famous science fiction novel “2001 – A Space Odyssey”, stated:

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic .”

Each day, we are amazed by new and new wonders of science and technique which are becoming part of our everyday life. Things such as the Internet of Things, tablets, smart phones, mobile applications, drones, analytics software, online tracking tools and geolocation tools, self-driving cars, storage in the cloud,

In the IT domain – as, in fact, in any business area – you will find yourself in the position of signing contracts with your partners (contracts for website development, software outsourcing or application development, etc.). But, sometimes, until you get to the moment of signing, you have to negotiate certain aspects of the contract with your partner, in order to reconcile your interests. As you probably already know, contract negotiation does not necessarily involve applying a classical method or formula. But, most of the time, the process of reaching a common point, accepted by both parties, is different for each case.

Cloud Computing is a cool concept, often employed in the IT domain and vertiginously booming. According to a report of HIS Technology from February 2014, it is estimated that until 2017, companies will pay 235.1 billion $ for cloud services – that is three times more than in 2011. Among the giants that share the cloud market there are Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Barracuda Networks, Dropbox, etc. – each one of them with their own cloud “specialization”.

Any entrepreneur (the IT domain not excepted) knows how difficult it is to build a brand and how important it is in a business – a prestigious trademark on the market, but also time, energy and money investments for advertising, promotion, etc. The brand plays an important role in the marketing strategy of any company and it contributes to the consolidation of its image and fame. For some companies, it even represents their most valuable asset.

Many of you have dreamt of being entrepreneurs. And maybe, one day you had a great business idea. So, you entered a partnership with one or several friends skilled in a specific field and… you set up a startup. ‘Entrepreneur’ and ‘startup’ are two fashionable words. They are repeatedly used in almost all relevant conferences and meetings, where it is emphasized that any startup must be planned in detail and in perspective - from concept, business model, financing, development to how to benefit of SEO and social media – all in view of gaining success.

Do we have to deal with personal data in our activity? What does this involve? These are legitimate questions for a mobile applications developer, since collecting these data has become an inherent phenomenon of the digital world and a more and more controversial topic along with the evolution of mobile applications, due to the various situations that can arise. Moreover, the subject is of a greater interest since, in the future, a tightening of sanctions is foreshadowed for non-compliance with the legislation of the personal data.

One of the highest legal risks associated with software development outsourcing by a company (Client) to a software developer (Developer) is intellectual property (IP). IP covers copyright, trademarks, industrial designs, patents, trade secrets, know-how, etc. and it can take a wide range of forms (databases, source-code, logo, graphic interface, notebook, etc.).