The ability to rapidly deploy applications based on service composition and configuration enables organizations to be more responsive to business needs, says Itamar Ankorion, Director of Product Marketing
Speed is of the essence in today’s modern society. It seems to be such a cliché to talk about the 24x7, global society created by the Internet, email and instant messaging because it’s so ubiquitous. But it has laid the foundations for change not only in the way that people communicate and purchase, but also how organizations work.
Today’s workplace is knowledge-focused; what matters in our knowledge economy are people and the value creation captured in their intellectual capital, experience and actions. This has given rise to a new breed of software applications that we call ‘workplace applications’.
Workplace applications focus on improving the people-driven activities of an organization and are based on four ‘pillars’:
- Information Access and Search – enables workers to rapidly find relevant information (whether structured or unstructured, internal or external to the organization), analyze it within context and make timely and informed decisions;
- Collaboration, Discussion and Interaction – enables communication around a common focus, share insight and actively communicate to collectively make decisions and move important business agenda items forward;
- Content, Knowledge and History – manage user-generated content, and learn from information snapshots and previous activities to drive continual improvements and to provide historical reference for on-going learning.
- Rapid Delivery and Configurability – deploy workplace services quickly and re-use components to build prototypes in days and deliver in weeks, minimising support costs. Enables tight alignment with changing business priorities and needs.
This article will be examining the fourth pillar – the ability to rapidly deploy and configure applications and services – to demonstrate how speed of delivery can benefit the organization as a whole.
The power of speed
IT departments are crying out for tools and applications that enable them to do their job faster. It would not only help them solve problems quicker, but also enable them to respond faster to the needs of the business. Analysts and vendors have often talked about a mis-alignment between IT and business. SOA-based platforms such as Attunity InFocus bridge the gap by enabling IT teams to create, configure and deliver applications and services that meet a real business need, as and when required.
This gives organizations greater flexibility in responding to market demands and lowers the risk of investing in new applications and services. After all, what level of financial or other risk are you taking if a project takes a few weeks to complete compared to six months? It means end users can take a more active role in recommending changes and work closely with IT to create workplace services that respond to real market conditions.
Organizations that can bring services to market faster tend to see the results faster too. In the context of workplace applications, results mean real improvements in the performance of an organization’s greatest asset: its people. As a result, we believe that application composition is one of the ways in which organizations will deliver services faster to knowledge workers in the future.
Attunity InFocus provides three elements that support rapid delivery, including:
1. Configurable Workplace Services
2. Rapid Configuration and Tools
3. SOA
The following section details each element, and shows how they come together to provide the ability to prototype in days and deliver in weeks.
Configurable workplace services
Attunity InFocus includes a set of configurable workplace services designed to help an organization offer more in-depth support to its knowledge workers as quickly as possible.
Being a dedicated platform for workplace applications, Attunity InFocus provides the core services required to support rich workplace applications. These services support the three functional pillars mentioned earlier and can be set up quickly via configuration and composition.
This offers significant benefits for organizations. First it supports the rapid nature of delivery; there is no need to code so the IT department can roll out services almost instantaneously. Pre-packaged configurable services also reduce the risk involved in a project dramatically, and lower the total cost of owning and maintaining the solution as well.
Rapid configuration tools
With version 2.1, Attunity InFocus introduces the InFocus Designers, with two new developer tools – the Attunity InFocus Workplace Designer and Attunity InFocus Composition Designer – that can be used to speed up the configuration of the client-side workplace and server-side services respectively.
Both tools make it very easy for IT to configure and deliver services, as well as model the end user application, so the team can see what it will eventually look like. Again, this helps reduce the development cycle, but it also means that business analysts can be actively involved in using the system to model scenarios and recommend changes, as no prior knowledge of advanced coding is needed.
Workplace Designer gives the analyst a quick way to build the front end user interface (The InFocus Workplace) and visualize the workplace through a WYSIWYG interface. It can be used to define frames and items such as RSS feeds, for example, in conjunction with the end user. A drag/drop and familiar menu system allows business analysts to configure the application, rapidly accelerating the time taken to develop a product.
Working alongside Attunity InFocus Workplace Designer is the InFocus Composition Designer. While the Workplace Designer helps users to configure the front-end of new services, it creates a default record of the solution metadata at the same time; the Composition Designer then takes this data to configure server-side services and fulfill the information request.
Composition Designer provides a dynamic and light approach to composing services using XML scripting and a composition technique we call COJAX (this stands for Composition of JSP and XML). It also includes pre-packaged service libraries that support the common functions required for developing workplace services, such as seamless integration with Attunity Integration Suite to provide information access.
SOA-based
Much has been written about the service oriented architecture (SOA) and the valuable role it plays in speeding up application design and development. Unsurprisingly, many companies have embraced the concept of SOA and are redesigning or architecting their IT infrastructure to allow for the rapid re-use, assembly and delivery of new and modified applications and processes to create new and compelling services.
By their very nature, workplace applications are composite applications (or ‘mashups’), as they bring together information, activities and other services into an integrated working environment. In addition, as modern business applications, it is likely workplace applications will fit into an enterprise’s SOA strategy.
Leveraging XML, Web services, and SOA, the Attunity InFocus platform draws on underlying services and technologies to provide the necessary capabilities for robust management-focused workplace applications. We also support Web services information sources externally and use script-based service composition through COJAX, enabling the seamless integration of Web applications and services.
Prototype in days, deliver in weeks
Attunity InFocus brings IT and business people closer together with tools and services that allow for the rapid configuration, testing and delivery of workplace applications and services.
UK-based commodity trader, Balli, implemented a single platform that its traders could use to enhance visibility, effectiveness and improve the overall profitability of its deals using Attunity InFocus in a matter of weeks. In the US, development was even faster at Norandal USA Inc. At this leading manufacturer of rolled aluminium foil and light gauge sheets, Attunity quickly provided the ability to identify potential areas for quality improvements and to take action in a more timely manner. Norandal now benefits from greater visibility to support its drive for continuous quality improvements.
Attunity InFocus delivers a set of configurable workplace services, rapid delivery tools and leverages SOA to allow companies to develop concepts and, ultimately, software applications in a few weeks. The end result is faster processes, greater alignment between business and IT, and most importantly an agile organization that is better equipped to anticipate opportunities and effectively make timely decisions to drive the company forward.
Want to find out more? Contact Itamar.ankorion@attunity.com