http://www.systemiclogic.net/ Radical Ideas, Practical Implementation! Fri, 4 Jul 2008 19:32:24 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss/ XOOPS 2.0.9.2 New Articles jayvanzyl@systemiclogic.net jayvanzyl@systemiclogic.net en http://www.systemiclogic.net/images/logo.jpg http://www.systemiclogic.net/ 144 58 http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=78 Open Source in Corporate Organisations Today Open Source as a paradigm has gradually made inroads in corporate organisations on both a local and global scale. Many organisations today are using Open Source as a viable alternative to proprietary solutions, but often choose to keep low visibility of its utilization and harbour remaining fears around support challenges. Research and experience in adoption shows that Open Source is a realistic option for companies today, but that the decision is not without its challenges. It is within this context that SystemicLogic would like to invite you to our Open Source Open-Day Event. The event promises to present insightful views of the Open Source landscape, with valuable information around lessons learnt in adopting solutions on a broader enterprise scale. We also present a perspective on the current Open Source application stack and forward looking research in this space. The event is also aimed at providing an interactive environment Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:21:22 EST http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=78 http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=77 Most organisations today use some form of Open Source package or utility set. This is particularly true in the infrastructure software environment. Some negative perceptions do however still remain regarding the true value of not “paying” for the Open Source software and the guarantees related to service support. Is it viable to suggest that an Open Source strategy should be put on the table in your organisation? Evidence across several large financial, manufacturing and government organisations show that Open Source is a realistic option and plausible alternative to some classic proprietary solutions in the modern IT context. This evidence also reveals strong emphasis on infrastructure software, with some growing capabilities in business areas. Recent experience in the field of Open Source adoption reveals that Open Source is not a decision organisations should take lightly, especially due to the millions invested in already existing software assets. Several myths also exist Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:20:49 EST http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=77 http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=76 Testing as a discipline is often seen as a “budget-cut” area, specifically in industries where safety critical software development is not the core focus. The cost of testing splits in two ways. The first cost comes in when problems start creeping in after the production stage. The second major challenge lies with how optimally the testing process is designed. This raises questions such as “Does better quality need to cost more?” Recent observations in industry (especially financial service providers) show that software testing truly is an area that requires critical consideration. Testing as a discipline is also not viewed with equal status globally. Some organisations view testing as a lower grade function compared to the prestige of design and development work efforts, leading to a cool disregard of the potential cost and quality implications. The most common stance held by business is that testing is only a function that needs to be conducted by users. Wed, 2 Jan 2008 04:33:07 EST http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=76 http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=75 Business Intelligence (BI) is playing a more prominent role across all industries today. Its importance as a discipline is highlighted, especially when concepts such as client centricity comes into play. But just how well is BI’s role understood in modern industry? How are BI teams structured and how should your data be accessed? Cross-Industry research has been conducted to gain an enriched understanding of the critical areas in the BI space. Want to know more? Click Here Recent research in the BI space reveals that there are several core topics that need to be addressed in the modern BI age – not just from a textbook methodological point of view, but also the core realities faced by complex organisations today. The most prominent areas identified across retail, first and second tier banks include topics that extend to BI team structure, data access, data analysis and knowledge usage. From a structural point of view, the pervasive sentiment suggests that BI centers of Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:57:00 EST http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=75 http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=74 Financial Service providers seek ways to ensure IT systems support their core functions and that development activities are cost efficient and internally consistent, while retaining high degrees of flexibility. One way to achieve this is to make use of banking reference frameworks and architectures which provide a set of models that cover business’s functions, data, processes, applications, interface designs and technical implementation aspects. Research in this space reveals that several financial service reference frameworks exist in the market today. These frameworks do however vary considerably in depth and breadth of coverage. Banks generally opt for commercial, open or in-house developed frameworks and continuously need to manage the benefits associated with the implementation efforts. A framework such as IBM’s Information FrameWork (IFW) represent one such example and is also considered the most popular and widely used commercial offering in banking today. Wed, 5 Dec 2007 01:49:59 EST http://www.systemiclogic.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=74