by webadmin | Feb 27, 2012 | COTS
Commercial off-the shelf software, easier known as COTS is the type of computer application that can be purchased at any computer retail store. Examples are most anti-virus programs, games and even computer utilities, such as word processors, database managers, spreadsheet creators and so on. COTS software is usually less expensive than custom created software. This is because it is designed to be used by millions of users worldwide. Since a lot of time and effort has been put into creating such software, creating a COTS application that will only aid a select few number of people is a waste of money on the part of the developing company. Another point is COTS software is usually very reliable. Developers of COTS components conduct research into the most common types of business processes or problems solving techniques and compress them into software packages that can be used across the board. It is important to note that any software product that is bought as an “out of the box” product and does not require any custom modification from the user or anyone is generally considered a COTS product. They are usually easier to find and purchase from retail stores. Furthermore COTS applications are easy to install, with instructions contained in the package that encloses the COTS product. A softcopy is also usually included on the disc that contains the installation files and resources and in several languages to boot. Even though companies can make do with freeware software, it has become a requirement on their part to ensure that majority of the applications they rely on to be COTS products. This is...
by webadmin | Feb 22, 2012 | legacy modernization, system integration
Legacy systems are old technology components. They are usually computer systems that were implemented long in the past, but are still currently in use. In spite of the fact that there are several other systems that have been developed that out shine the current system, legacy systems are still heavily relied upon. Legacy systems support institutions such as banks, air traffic control in airports, nuclear power plants, military facilities and even the United States NASA Space Shuttle program. There are several reasons why the users of these legacy systems still continue to use them. For starters, if the user feels that the system adequately meets their requirements then they employ the adage “Do not fix what’s not broken.” The amount of capital, human working hours, and effort required to introduce a new system is a lot. Therefore, the argument to bring in entirely new systems that the current legacy systems can already tackle is not very compelling. It would cost the organization an arm and a leg. Even the seemingly simple task of redesigning the legacy systems is gargantuan in nature. Another explanation why legacy systems still thrive is that they eliminate the need for re-training staff. Should the new systems that replace the current legacy systems be implemented successfully, they will still need users to make use of them. Therefore, should the new system be different (and it inevitably will be) in any way, it would require an organization wide retraining exercise, to ensure that they are oriented to use it. The legacy systems are used in nearly every industry to run the core business operations of the...
by webadmin | Feb 16, 2012 | .NET, JAVA, legacy modernization, Software Development
Software development is when a user desires to create new software or, usually, upgrade their already existing system for a more efficient one. The users can be as diverse and large as an entire corporation or organization, a team that relies heavily on said software or even a small group of individuals. Once they establish that they wish to create a new system or upgrade said existing system, they will be required to devise and implement a master plan which will lead to the creation of this new system. Several steps are required to complete this software development process. This includes, but is not limited to, working out what the system needs to accomplish, developing it accordingly, writing out the code, thorough testing and debugging, and finally launching, should everything work out. This development process can take as few as a motivated programmer to several or even hundreds of developers. To establish what is required from the system, in other words, the problem(s) that it must solve, there has to be research. Sometimes the problem can be a common one, requiring the creators of new software to make theirs to solve the problem in a way that puts their product ahead of their competitors. However the problem can be entirely new, requiring the team to come up with a method of resolving it. Finally, it can be a recent problem that has been discovered, making the previous software obsolete, requiring a new creation to resolve said problem. And so, at this point of software development, the goals that are meant to be attained are set out. Once these objectives...
by webadmin | Feb 8, 2012 | COTS, general
The acronym “COTS” is used to refer to commercially available off the shelf items sold in both substantial and commercial quantities in the market place. Such items can generally be bought or used under government contact in the exact form or structure as available to the public. For instance, technology related products such as hardware systems, computer software and construction materials all qualify as commercially available off the shelf items. Typically, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) based software solutions are commonplace for their timely and affordable provision of standardized functionality. Purchasing commercially available off the shelf software is an alternative to in house developments. Such products offer both government institutions and many businesses the chance to make a considerable saving in procurement, maintenance and development of computer software systems. Because COTS generally requires configuration that is developed for specific uses, its employment has been mandated across numerous business and government programs. Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) software solutions have become commonplace in many domains, including establishments such as the military, because they can provide standardized functionality with more responsiveness, a shorter time-to-market and at lower costs than custom made solutions. The main motivation for employing commercially available off the shelf software’s for most businesses is the desire to cut back on overall system cost and development which is achieved since components can be licensed or purchased instead of being constructed from scratch. Another big motivation for using COTS is that doing so reduces long maintenance costs. Some of the advantages of COTS software are: – They are specifically fashioned for business, institution or organizational needs and can be tailored to fit respective individual...
by webadmin | Feb 8, 2012 | architecture, SOA
SOA or in full, Service Oriented Architecture is a technology that shares resources on a network within the workplace, to be accessed when needed by the users. Unlike the other system architectures, SOA is more flexible and in that the resources that are being shared are connected and can be made use of at the same time. It is the best choice for a network of especially great numbers, in that there many users on the network. Also if there are users who will connect remotely, it is a good approach to use spread the resources. By using SOA, each of the services provided will make use of the software system individually, while making use of the same system. As much as it sounds wasteful and over bearing on the system, it is not. Given that the services on the SOA are making use of the system that they are on, they are only producing different outcomes to that of each user; however it is the same service or action. An example of SOA is the use of ATMs (Automated Teller Machines). The concept is that the individual (remote) users can each have access to the banking services, in a kind of unique way to them. Now when we apply the SOA approach, the users will make the use of the “Retrieve balance” on the system, however, the results will be the balance of their own bank accounts. This is the same if a company makes an internet based request. In the end the same system is being made us of, because in the end it is the same...
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