Software Tools @ Infosys

Software Configuration Management is an integral part of any application development lifecycle. With the growing trend of complex application development processes teams require configuration management solutions that not only provide version control capabilities but also extend these capabilities to other project management aspects, enabling collaboration and effective tracking. Team Foundation Server (TFS) and Rational Team Concert (RTC) are the recommended tools at Infosys that help in Application Lifecycle Management.

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Posted by Anupama Kemparamaiah at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Requirement prototyping helps to preview the end product at an early stage there by providing more clarity and an option to collect feedback from various stakeholders. IBM Rational Requirement Composer (RRC) provides a complete solution for work with requirements in the project execution that includes requirement definition, prototyping capabilities and a collaborative platform.

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Posted by Pallavi Bomma at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The growing demand for software development at lower costs, without compromising on quality and security is a de-facto requirement for software application development these days. Open Source software (OSS) is one solution that tries to address this challenge. However, it is to be noted that most free open source software, are not free in the real sense. Open source software has its origin from the free software movement. Here "Free" refers to the freedom of the software and not that of the users. Users are not free to do whatever they want with open source. The risks associated with open source software are equally numbered when compared to the benefits they provide. It is essential that organizations take necessary steps to identify and understand the risks inherent to open source software usage. Implementation of a comprehensive risk mitigation/contingency process and an automated solution is essential to ensure the organization doesn't end up spending more than what is saved through the open source software usage. Infosys has formulated methods and solutions to deal with the challenges to implement Infosys' approach for open source compliance.

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Posted by S. Sujit Rao at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

BlackBerry as a mobile platform emerged from the pager era to enterprise email technology. Blackberry came to be primarily known for their ability to send and receive email using the push email mechanism, while maintaining a high level of security through the on-device communication channels. Developers have the privilege to develop custom applications using APIs built on java ME or the BlackBerry proprietary APIs. As such the developers anticipate a smooth and quick environment to leverage the usage of the exposed APIs for BlackBerry application development keeping in mind the security concerns of the applications.

To achieve this, the primary focus must be on data and security. Additionally, specifications such as testing portability across multiple devices and data synchronization opens up new challenges for developers .These challenges need to be handled carefully and with full focus. To ease out on these challenges, there is a need for tools and automation to be introduced in the development of Blackberry applications. There are both open-source and commercial tools available to handle these challenges at every life Cycle stage.

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Posted by Pallavi Bomma at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Transformation programs involve complexities around changes to existing business processes or introduction of new business processes. These large Programs involve managing groups of related projects in a coordinated manner to achieve desired program objectives and goals. Generally a large program has multiple tracks like IT/non-IT and they could run in parallel or sequential. It also involves multiple stakeholders like vendors, clients, client's customers, client's vendors, partners etc.

In transformation programs, development timeframes are measured in years, the ability to track & test requirements and establish traceability is definitely seen as a critical mission because teams for these programs are distributed across multiple business units/segments. Since the teams are distributed across the globe and resource sharing is very high in large programs, there is a definite need for automation tools for Requirement & Test Management.

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Posted by Anupama Kemparamaiah at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Operating systems for mobile have evolved from the Palm OS in the 90's, Pocket PC in 2000 to iPhone and Android. Android is an open source operating system which was introduced by Google Inc. in 2008. Since then the demand for Android application development is growing rapidly and so is the demand for tools that accelerate Android application development. The rapid pace of growth in this area also creates a sustained pressure to continuously enhance productivity and quality of the applications developed. Automation and Tools therefore play a significant role in the application development on Android, and in more ways than one mitigate the many challenges that teams face on the application development process.

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Posted by Anupama Kemparamaiah at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

From the days of standalone application development to today's globally distributed delivery models, IT industry has gone through significant progression. Automation tools have evolved synchronously, paving way for higher productivity and efficiency. The expansion of global markets and the omnipresence of IT in all walks of life have propelled the creation of global collaborative platforms that empower organizations to communicate comprehensively and work together in mutually beneficial partnerships.

The evolution of integrated development environments, better known as IDEs was the first step towards cohesively performing multiple activities in a single platform. While this addresses issues with respect to activities like build, connectivity with other LC stages still remains a challenge. End to end integration of tools across the SDLC provides a solution in terms of seamless integration across the lifecycle that enhances traceability, efficiency, governance and deliverable quality.

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Posted by Shashank H. N. at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It is beyond any doubt that technology has ridden on a dramatically steep and exponential curve over the last few centuries. From pigeons and pony riders to Video Conferencing and Twitter, the communication and networking media testifies the progress very aptly. Until the last two decades, the advancements in technologies, though significant, had limited audience and users. However, the massive communication and entertainment revolution has resulted in technology becoming affordable and easy to use. Never before in the history of humankind have so many people and diverse physical objects, ranging from mobile phones to microwave ovens been networked. [1]

Perhaps the best illustration of the impact of this change would be the penetration of cell phones in the day to day lives of people. Simplicity and affordability hold the key to the success of this device and the technology that runs it. If however, one draws a parallel to the engineering tools used in the IT industry on the same lines, these tools have some catching up to do.

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Posted by Shashank H. N. at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every time I write on productivity, I imagine this inherent clash in the way we look at individual and team productivity.

If you look at Individual productivity, it is all about concentrating hard, thinking, focusing on the job at hand, ensuring there are no distractions while you are at the task. It is all about segregating yourself out of the prevailing environment and doing the job in the most efficient manner using tools and accelerators. Now when we look at team productivity the expectations are brazenly different from what they were with Individual productivity. Barring a few common things, the focus shifts and shifts dramatically to interactions, communication, discussions, involving other team members, stakeholders, leveraging tools and accelerators.

Can a person inherently "trained" to be individually productive become a positive contributor to team productivity just as naturally? Can a person shift between these two paradigms rapidly and multi-task without loss of efficiency, Quality and focus?

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Posted by Naresh Choudhary at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that result in the creation of a specific service or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or customers. It often can be visualized with a flowchart as a sequence of activities. [Courtesy Wikipedia]

Validation of business processes prior to implementation was not a norm earlier, as this activity would typically be taken post implementation of the process by IT as systems within the enterprise. However, the success of business process deployment in an organization depends on how effectively and completely the business process has been tested.

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Posted by S. Sujit Rao at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)