Objektum Group - The Technical Diaries

Objektum Modernization announce New Legacy Data Bridge Tool

2014-05-06T16:24:00.001+01:00

Research has shown that up to half of data migration projects fail to produce the required level of data integrity and robustness in the migrated data source. This is often caused by a lack of understanding of the original data structure as well as a failure to implement a migration strategy that mitigates the risk of human error.

Many of the tools that exist to assist with data migration fail to provide the required level of customization when dealing with legacy data sources and are unable to accommodate bespoke databases that differ considerably from commercial off the shelf data solutions.

Therefore we are proud to announce the Legacy Data Bridge tool.

Our invaluable tool addresses these issues by delivering an automated solution to data migration and provides a unique synchronization capability that ensures consistency between legacy data sources and their replacement. Adopting our solution provides you with the confidence to switch over to the new system, secure in the knowledge that your legacy system is there as a safety net in case of catastrophe.

The Legacy Data Bridge is a state-of-the-art, model driven automated solution for migrating and synchronizing heterogeneous data sources. At its heart are a set of highly configurable synchronization rules that are automatically generated from our modern, model based design technology. These rules provide an error free, unambiguous data migration solution that is easy to understand and maintain.

Interfacing to the data sources is achieved through a set of adapters that can be plugged into any data technology. These adapters are specifically developed to meet the needs of your data migration needs and can be configured to access data either directly or via the data source Application Programming Interface (API).

Input data, accessed through the adapters, is then processed by a data source analyser in order to produce a list of elements to which the rules must be applied. Built on our proven parsing technology, the data source analyser is specifically developed for each customer engagement and provides an agile, easy to understand and highly maintainable solution. The rules engine is then executed on the analyser output; the data can be cleansed, duplicates removed and generated into the target data source through the output adapters. Each time the engine applies a rule the system records an in-depth journal, of all actions performed, providing both a complete audit history as well as the capability to undo any action in the event of an error in the rules being discovered after the synchronization process has been applied.

Rules are developed in a modelling environment in order to abstract the purpose of a rule from its implementation. This approach allows experts in the problem domain to create and change rules, using familiar terminology, without needing to understand the implementation technology.

Data synchronization rules can be a mixture of both real-time and periodic, depending on the desired synchronization strategy.

As rules are developed and evolved the Legacy Data Bridge‘s sandpit feature allows them to be fully tested, in a safe environment, prior to deployment on the production system.

Whatever your data migration needs are, our Legacy Data Bridge provides, a rapid, risk free reliable solution.

The Benefits:

Accelerates the data migration activities to deploy your new system sooner

Reduce the risk of deployment to a new system

Provides confidence that your data is cleansed and error free

Allows legacy systems to be decommissioned with confidence

Removes data constraints on the new system architecture

Maintains comprehensive log of all transactions

Ensures consistency between “as is” and “to be” systems through an automated approach

Removes the overhead associated with maintaining both the legacy and new system

To find out more about our new tool click the links below:

www.objektum-modernization.com

http://objektum-modernization.com/legacy_data_bridge.php

Thanks for reading!

Up in the Cloud

2014-04-22T16:35:00.000+01:00

One of the biggest trends we’ve seen in recent years is for organisations of all sizes to move their IT infrastructure in to ‘the cloud’. A move to the cloud can provide myriad benefits such as improved agility, increased efficiency and cost reductions, but a move to the cloud doesn’t suit every business and even when it does there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

Objektum Modernization are proud to announce two indispensable tools for assessing your applications suitability for migration to the cloud; Cloud Explorer and Cloud Bridge.

Cloud Explorer

Every application has a unique set of requirements and dependencies that need to be carefully considered before migrating into the cloud; no two businesses are the same, and no two applications are either.

We understand that successful migration into the cloud can only be achieved when you have the facts you need to make informed decisions. We know the crucial questions that must be answered in order to gather these facts about your existing application landscape. These questions must uncover things such as:

How do I gain a detailed understanding of how my existing applications work?
How do I migrate interdependent applications that have been implemented in diverse languages
How do I ensure functional equivalence in the target technology?
How to maximise reuse and maintainability?
What migration strategy best addresses my needs?

Answering these questions will ensure that you select the correct technology, strategy and architecture to mitigate risk and get the most out of the cloud.

Our Cloud Explorer has been specifically developed to automatically analyse your existing technology landscape and provide the answers you need.

Using our unique process, the Cloud Explorer automatically analyses your existing software and builds a comprehensive, navigable view of your applications.

The Cloud Explorer generates a model linked to use cases which document the prime capabilities of the existing system traced to their implementation. This provides a complete picture of your existing implementation.

Benefits Include:

Supports entire application landscapes including those implemented in multiple technologies and languages
Automatically identifies the suitability of an application for migration to the cloud
Intelligent report wizard allowing bespoke and pre-defined reports to be generated with ease.
Customised migration plans tailored to your specific application environment

Cloud Bridge

Migrating applications into the cloud is often a manual, time consuming error prone process. Our fully configurable Cloud Bridge addresses these issues and provides levels of automation you never thought possible. When developing the Cloud Bridge we had 5 key requirements in mind:

Provide automatic language to language translation
Translate applications implemented in multiple languages
Provide full traceability between your existing and migrated applications
Offer full data migration capability
Review and optimise your application design

The Cloud Bridge is supported by our well defined and documented three phase process which can be found on our website via the links below;

Benefits include:

Review and optimise your application design to fully leverage the benefits of running in the cloud
Automatic translation of GUI elements and layouts, ensure your new system is as easy to use as your existing system
Eliminates human error by fully automating your migration into the cloud
Reduce time, cost and manual effort needed to migrate into the cloud
Ensures functional equivalence between the existing and new systems by providing traceability between old application and new.

To find out more about our new cloud migration Tools click the links below:

www.objektum-modernization.com

http://objektum-modernization.com/cloud_explorer.php

http://objektum-modernization.com/cloud_bridge.php

If you feel that would benefit from these tools then please email us at info@objektum.com

Thanks for reading!!

Objektum Modernization team!

Source Code Parsing

2014-04-02T15:54:00.000+01:00

Below you will see an Blog Post written by Mahesha Pandit, we found it really interesting to read about ourself tool someone else's perspective;

"I was trying to explain how the Objektum Legacy Explorer works to a bunch of architects from a leading system integration company. During this interaction, all sorts of terms and phrases such as “source code parser”, “semantic checker”, “grammar cannot be parsed” etc. were being used. I was cursing myself for being the only one who has studied computer science.

We were trying to learn how to write a BNF grammar to parse a source code written in a particular language.

Saying that the grammar is also a source code, I was inviting participants not to use the phrase “source code parsing” loosely. I gave up after a while.

“Source code parser” – in my opinion parser, er, source code (what else!). Its objective is to detect syntax errors etc.

The tool in question had a formal BNF grammar – which itself is parsed and compiled. When the tool runs on the input source code text, it is the parsing engine (which is – very simply understood as – the compiled grammar) that parses the source code to output meta-data.

I understand the participant’s view that the whole tool is nothing but the “source code parser”. But facts such as grammar needs validation, grammar needs compilation, parsing engine parses source code, BNF grammar is also a source code for the tool etc. rush through my head forcing the nerd within me to abstract out all of the complexity, smile and accept.

I realised one more thing - Understanding is different from appreciation. In most cases, we understand but don't appreciate certain things."

Original Source: Mahesha's Blog

Thanks for Reading

SysML – The Clay of Systems Modelling

2014-03-21T16:12:00.000+00:00

By Alex Stevenson, Principal Consultant, Objektum Solutions Limited

“No man ever wetted clay and then left it, as if there would be bricks by chance and fortune.”

-Plutarch

Whenever the subject of Model based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is raised the OMG’s Systems Modeling Language (SysML) is likely to feature in the discussion. Since its publication in 2007 SysML, like its software counterpart UML, has risen to become the de facto standard when modelling system behaviour and architecture. Prior to the introduction of SysML there were a variety of techniques and notations used; each with their own strengths and weaknesses. While SysML is, by no means, a perfect solution to all modelling needs it offers significant advantages in many areas. Some of these include:

Its graphical nature helps to breach language constraints
It is closely aligned to UML and therefore improves communication with software disciplines
It is independent of toolset implementation but supported by major tool vendor
It is process and method independent and therefore suitable for use on almost any project

SysML provides syntax for representing systems but does not impose any methodology for its use. In that I liken it to the toolbox in your garage. The toolbox provides you with everything that you require to fix your car but does not tell you how to go about making the repairs. SysML supports the specification, analysis, design, verification and validation of a broad range of complex systems with each SysML diagram lending itself to representing specific aspects of the system. An effective MBSE method ensures that the correct diagram is used for the correct purpose to produce a system model that can be used to:

Understand and better define the problem space
Analyse agreed requirements for consistency and completeness
Define the necessary structures and behaviours to satisfy the requirements
Specify requirements for system verification and validation
Provide design context / requirements for subsystems etc.

SysML is divided into four broad aspects, often referred to as its four pillars that specify; textual requirements, system behaviour, system structure and and parametric relationships.

There are currently 9 SysML diagrams; they are:

The block definition diagram is used to show the elements that exit within a system and the relationships that exist between them (usually system hierarchy)
The internal block diagram identifies the internals of a block and the connections that exist between its parts (often used for modelling interfaces)
The package diagram depicts the structure of the model (especially nesting and dependencies between packages)
The use case diagram shows the services that are provided by the system and the external entities that interact with the system in order to initiate and support those services
The sequence diagram shows interactions between the parts of a system as a sequential set of behaviours. It can also be used to represent the interactions specified in use cases.
The activity diagram shows system behaviour as a flow of control or objects. It is used to represent complex logic that involves decision making and concurrent behaviour.
The state machine diagram is used to show the states that a system exists in, the events that trigger state changes and the system response to those events.
The parametric diagram is used to express how the properties of a system are constrained and is used to perform analysis of things such as performance and reliability.
The requirement diagram is used to represent textual requirements and the relationships between those requirements and the other artefacts in the model

In the coming weeks I will take a look at each of these diagrams in further detail; providing an overview of their syntax, discussing possible usage as well as their strengths and weaknesses of each.

Our Clients Fantastic Experience at the WBSK First race at Philip Island

2014-03-10T15:47:00.000+00:00

After hearing the great news that Our Sponsor team Voltcom Crescent Suzuki Team were victorious in the first race in Philip Island, we thought we would contact our clients who went to the race to find out all about the exciting event!

Below is the testimonial from the group of our clients we invited along, written by Minnie Tabilog, this was their experience…

“It's a pleasure to share our experience as guests of Objektum and the Crescent Suzuki team at the recently concluded World Superbike Championship in Phillip Island.

Most of us who attended have not been to a motorbike racing event before and so were pleasantly surprised at how well-organised the event was. Collecting our passes, parking the car, and finding the Suzuki team's garage was a breeze.

We first met Christina Bulpett, who kindly went looking for Tim Walpole and brought him over to meet us. They look after Crescent Suzuki's WSBK sponsors and PR. Then Paul Denning (Team Manager) came out to say hello, which was really nice of him given that the race was starting in less than two hours.

After the introductions, Tim took us inside the garage for a tour. The team were very busy preparing for the first race but they gave us a very warm welcome. The atmosphere was very collegial and pretty relaxed, but there's definitely an underlying sense of excitement. We were very impressed with how well the guys worked together, each one calmly going about their tasks.

Tim patiently answered all our questions, and allowed us to take photos of the bikes as they were being put together. He thanked us again and again for supporting the team. We were pretty stoked to be able to personally wish Eugene and Alex good luck for the race.

With the tour over, we decided to grab something to eat before finding the best spot to watch the race. We ended up on the pit garage roof, overlooking the start/finish line. We were very quiet, initially, but cheered louder and louder as Eugene climbed his way up from seventh to lead the pack.

The other spectators definitely knew which team we were supporting when the race ended. Lots of hugs and high-fives to go around. It really made the trip quite special. Their first World Championship win since 2010 and we were there to see that happen! Awesome!!!

Next on our agenda was to look around the expo. On our way there, we bumped into Christina bearing flowers and champagne for the team. She stopped for a chat and we enquired about Alex because we were quite worried after seeing him crash. More photos and congratulatory messages for the guys, then we set off again.

The expo was like an Aladdin’s cave, well, for bikers. It was fun looking at the superbikes and accessories on display. Some folks got a bit carried away with their wish list for their dream superbike(s). I can see a shopping trip coming up soon! The talk was quite animated and carried on until we reached our chosen spot for the second race.

We settled down with our picnic blankets on a grassy bank just before the final turn, where you can get very close to the action at ground level. Other, more energetic, members of the party went to explore further around the circuit. We knew they just wanted to keep debating bike purchase options.

The atmosphere was even more exciting at the start of the second race. All the teams were doubly fired up for their last chance of a win at Phillip. We were so relieved to see Alex and his bike were okay to race again. He certainly won a lot of admirers that day. It was incredible watching Eugene advance from fifth to first, and remained confident even when he dropped to second on lap fourteen. So imagine how bad we felt for him when heard the engine blow up and the red cards come out.

We made our way back to the garages to thank Tim and Christina, and pass on our well wishes to the rest of the team. We had a fantastic time and didn't let our disappointment at the outcome of the second race keep us from celebrating the win. The team showed us that they can take on their much bigger competitors and come out on top.

We'd like to thank Objektum for inviting us to attend the opening event, and wish the Crescent Suzuki team all the best for the rest of the 2014 WSBK season. "

Systems Engineering is from Venus, MBSE is from Mars?

2014-03-04T09:57:00.000+00:00

By Alex Stevenson, Principal Consultant, Objektum Solutions Limited

Before I receive any irate diatribes (assuming anyone reads this) on the title of this post I urge you to look back at the aforementioned title and note the question mark. My title was selected not because it represents an opinion that I hold but rather one that I am often faced with. While many engineers that I have encountered have embraced and adopted MBSE practises there are still those who would rather stick with the document centric SE approach. While I will always advocate the use of MBSE I also recognise that it is not a cure for all that ails your projects.

The INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook © INCOSE (www.incose.org) defines systems engineering as follows:

“Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems. It focuses on defining customer needs and required functionality early in the development cycle, documenting requirements, then proceeding with design synthesis and system validation while considering the complete problem: operations, cost and schedule, performance, training and support, test, manufacturing and disposal. Systems Engineering integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort forming a structured development process that proceeds from concept to production to operation. SE considers both the business and the technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality product that meets the user needs.”

In addition the handbook quotes Howard Eisener’s Essentials of Project and Systems Engineering Management which refers to SE as a process.

In A Practical Guide to SysML: The Systems Modeling Language the authors (Sanford Friedenthal, Alan Moore and Rick Steiner) define MBSE as follows:

“Model-based systems engineering is the formalized application of modelling to support system requirements, design, analysis, verification and validation activities beginning in the conceptual design phase and continuing throughout development and later life cycle phases.

The key difference for me is that systems engineering is a process while MBSE is a method.

As the lead systems engineering trainer for Objektum Solutions I spend many hours discussing these concepts and it is my style is to educate through questions. I do this for two primary reasons; firstly it allows me to establish what the level of understanding amongst my delegates is but, more importantly, it affords them the opportunity to guide them through their own discovery rather than simply dictate what I believe they should thin. Although this medium does not afford me the same opportunity I urge you to ask yourself; what is the difference between a process and a method. For those who do not have time to have this discussion with themselves or are concerned about the mental health implications of talking to yourself; read on immediately and I shall share my thoughts.

As I’ve said, Systems Engineering is, for me, a process but what does that actually mean? The dictionary defines a process as a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end but in an engineering context that is too vague. I would elaborate that definition by adding that a process defines a generic set of actions or activities must be undertaken to evolve the development of a system. These steps identify key development stages together with required inputs and deliverables while remaining independent of implementation. In other words a process describes what you must do but does not mandate how you should achieve it. For example; a process might tell you to analyse stakeholder requirements and produce a systems specification without detailing the artefacts to be produced or the method of analysis. A good systems engineering process should be applicable to all projects and be able to be realised by a number of different approaches (e.g. document centric or MBSE).

A method, on the other hand, represents the realisation of a process and details the techniques to be used and artefacts to be produced during the development effort. While a process is often mandated, within an organisation, projects should be free to select the most suitable method for the task at hand. The only constraint on the selected method is that it fully satisfies the process. Like processes; methodologies can be introduced at an organisation level however, an organisation’s method should always be a recommendation that individual projects can tailor to suit their specific needs. That being said, I do not believe that projects should be free to do what suits them in the moment. A projects method should always be fully documented prior to its implementation and that documentation must be maintained as the method evolves and grows.

Any MBSE method that I adopt will, until something better emerges, be based around the OMG’s Systems Modeling Language. Rather than detail the specifics of how and why I choose to use SysML I shall, over the coming weeks, discuss the key features of the language as well providing guidance on recommended usage. I shall not, however, be detailing my full MBSE methodology. It would, after all, be economic suicide if I gave away all of my secrets.

Victorious win for the Crescent Suzuki Team

2014-02-24T16:12:00.000+00:00

A huge congratulations to our Sponsor team, all their hard work paid off in their first race!

We would like to give an enormous thank you to the team. The clients we sent to the race had a fantastic time, Paul Denning the team manager and all the mechanics really made our guests feel welcome.

Eugene Laverty stormed to victory on his Voltcom Crescent Suzuki debut in race one at Phillip Island in Australia on Sunday afternoon, securing the first World Championship win for the Japanese manufacturer since 2010.

Fighting back from a difficult start, a determined Laverty made his way through from seventh to hunt down the leading pack of Giugliano, Melandri and Guintoli by lap seven. Biding his time, the Irishman advanced on the leaders, making his break for the lead on lap 17 and not looking back. The Yoshimura-powered GSX-R firmly controlled the pace for the remaining five laps bringing the first victory for Crescent Suzuki on the world stage. Race two continued to find Laverty challenging for the lead, a brief battle in the opening laps resulted in the Suzuki GSX-R again dominating the mid-race before a mechanical issue – causing a visible engine failure - bought about an early end to the weekend’s activities.

Alex Lowes, battling the injury sustained in Saturday’s free practice, looked to be finding a strong rhythm in his debut race in the eni FIM Superbike World Championship, before a crash at turn one saw his efforts halted prematurely. Regrouping for race two, the Englishman’s team worked tirelessly to rebuild the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000. Despite running on at turn four in the opening lap, Lowes’ determination saw him charging through the field and into the top 10, from 21st, in just five laps. Scoring his fastest lap of the race on his second revolution, Lowes held the fastest time for a further 10. The ankle injury ultimately compromising his race, and causing a further mistake at turn four, Lowes finished his debut weekend with three points and a top 13 finish to show for his brave efforts.

Sunshine, blue skies and a pleasant 22°C greeted the growing crowd as the track temperature fluctuated by more than 10 degrees between the two races, peaking at 48°C for the afternoon’s event. As the championship prepares to travel back to Europe, Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli heads the standings with 41 points, Laverty’s win positions him in fifth and Lowes begins his rookie campaign in 15th.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki will now use the month-long break to re-evaluate the data from this weekend’s racing before preparing for the first European leg of the World Championship with a private test at Jerez on 31st March ahead of the second round of competition at Aragon in Spain on Sunday 13th April.

Below is response from the fantastic racers and the Team manager on the action packed day!

Eugene Laverty:

“A day of highs and lows! The first race was incredible! To be so far back on the first lap and come through to win, it was the perfect race for us and a nice way to pay back the whole team for the belief they’ve shown in me. Paul Denning worked hard to get me on board and he delivered everything I needed. He brought in my Crew Chief Phil Marron, Davide Gentile to work on the electronics, and Stan, who I’ve worked with before. All the rest of the boys have welcomed me, so it was nice to be able to reward them with the win right away, and it’s a win that means more to me than any so far in my WSBK career. The second race was a disappointment for everyone. We didn’t deserve that, that’s for sure but that’s racing and unfortunately that’s how it goes sometimes.”

Alex Lowes:

“I’m frustrated with today. I tried really hard and don’t have a lot to show for it really. The first race crash, and in the second race the run on, on the first lap and then the crash later was all because I was struggling to change gear with my foot. I had a numbing injection, lost a bit of feeling and I couldn’t change gear so it was hard work! I was riding through the pain, so to just get three points has upset me a bit because we had such good pace all through the test. I’ve never been here before and we were still looking like we could run at the front and challenge for a podium so I’m really disappointed, but I’m going to come back fitter and stronger and we should be ok for Aragon.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“It’s very strange to have won our first ever World Superbike race - and in such a dominant fashion - and still be leaving Phillip Island feeling very disappointed! As a team we are very sorry to have let Eugene down in race two when another podium - and quite possibly another win - was on the cards. We will do everything in our power to ensure it’s the last time!

“The additional disappointment is for Alex who was so unlucky to dislocate his ankle in the Saturday morning crash, many other riders crashed heavily and got away with it. The injury made it impossible to enter the corners properly, and inevitably the difficulty in down-shifting gears caused the mistakes in the races. The frustrating thing is that he was still so fast and could have joined the fight at the front.

“I have to once again thank the team and all our partners for getting us and the Suzuki GSX-R back in to the winner’s circle and on top of that, thank Eugene for believing in this project and for riding with such aggression, precision and outright desire to win.”

Phillip Island – eni FIM Superbike World Championship – Race One:

1. EUGENE LAVERTY (VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI) 33’39.440: 2. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +2.959: 3. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +3.034: 4. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +6.972: 5. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +11.132: DNF. ALEX LOWES (VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI):

Phillip Island – eni FIM Superbike World Championship – Race Two:

1. Guintoli (Aprilia) 21’34.034: 2. Baz (Kawasaki) +0.283: 3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +1.103: 4. Giugliano (Ducati) +2.052: 5. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +4.951: 13. ALEX LOWES (VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI) +19.694: DNF. EUGENE LAVERTY (VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI):

World Championship Classification:

1. Guintoli 41: 2. Baz 31: 3. Melandri 28: 4. Giugliano 26: 5. EUGENE LAVERTY (VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI) 25: 15. ALEX LOWES (VOLTCOM CRESCENT SUZUKI) 3:

Good luck to Crescent Suzuki with the next race in Aragon, Spain on 13^th April!
Objektum Modernization are cheering you on!

Thanks for reading

The Objektum Team

Original Source

Exciting sponsorship with the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki Team!!

2014-01-31T11:32:00.000+00:00

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki striving forward with Objektum Modernization!

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki is delighted to welcome Objektum Modernization on-board as a team partner for its assault on the 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Championship.

Objektum is an innovative and dynamic software engineering company with a global reach and it’s this business model that creates a perfect fit with the fast-paced world of motorcycle racing. Objektum’s drive for excellence in serving a demanding world-wide network while maintaining their solid UK roots yields a perfect synergy with Crescent Racing’s ethos and history.

Following a long-standing relationship between the two companies, the formalised partnership for 2014 will allow the bond to develop further, providing opportunities to network on a world-wide basis at the track, via the championship’s television and social media coverage and through the team’s wider sponsor partner associations.

Born from the 25 year success of its partner company Objektum Solutions, and recognised as some of the industry’s most experienced individuals, Objektum Modernization’s unique and dynamic approach to software engineering has forged a thriving and diverse client base across the globe. Working with market leaders in Aerospace, Defence and Finance, its automated, model-driven technology and hand-picked, highly-skilled staff are the key to its successful position within a challenging industry, maintaining and modernising legacy software applications. For more information visit www.objektum-modernization.com

Objektum Modernization’s logo will feature on the new livery of the Yoshimura-powered GSX-R for the first time at the official unveiling of the machine early next month and will be seen in track-action at the opening round of the season at Phillip Island in Australia on Sunday 23rd February.

Derek Russell – Objektum Modernization Director:

“2014 promises to be an exciting year for us and joining the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki WSBK team is a fantastic opportunity. We see great value in partnering the team, not only due to our personal interest in motorbikes but we also believe the association could help us increase our clientele. We are looking to globally expand our brand and we have already seen benefits. It hasn’t been too long since we made the decision to join the team and we can already see results, liaising with new clients and gaining potential business, as well as maintaining clientele relationships. Recently we successfully completed a large contract in Wellington, New Zealand, and the sponsorship has allowed an opportunity for us to invite several of our customers (and potential customers) to the Phillip Island Race in February.

“Objektum has seen benefit from their involvement with the Crescent British Superbike Team in the past so it seemed perfect to involve ourselves in the World Superbike team this year. On a personal note I spend a significant amount of time riding my bike around the UK and European tracks and after I recently crashed in Jerez, the Crescent team looked after me so well, it wasn’t a difficult choice when it came to deciding which team to sponsor! I am really excited at the prospect of being involved with Voltcom Crescent Suzuki and we are looking forward to the months ahead.”

New Training courses and a New Training Facility

2014-01-22T16:50:00.002+00:00

Objektum starts the year with an unprecedented demand for training courses including requirements management, programming, design and software engineering. As a result we have scheduling a number of public courses to address this demand.

Code	Course Description	Dates
SY-02	System Engineering using SysML	3^rd-5^th March
PG-02	Programming in Ada95	24^th- 26^th March
DE-02	Software Modelling using UML	7^th- 9^th April

This has motivated us to invest in a new dedicated training facility that provides the right environment when training delegates to the highest possible standards. Our new facility boasts a spacious and modern look, up to date IT and good transport links with the train station just metres away. With close proximity to M25 our training venue is in a superb location that is very easily accessible.

If you are interested in attending any of the courses or would simply like to take advantage of our new training facilities please do not hesitate to contact Ajay Patel on 0845 1999932 or email at info@objektum.com

A Fantastic start to 2014.....

2014-01-10T15:59:00.000+00:00

Happy New Year to you all!!
We hope you have all had a fantastic Christmas and new year!!

After a lovely long break for Christmas I thought it would be a bit of a struggle getting back into the routine of work but I feel it is great to be back and has actually been great fun returning to work thanks to the action packed day we had on Monday 6th January!

To explain, before Christmas I had done a bit of researching for things we could do for a Christmas party, we didn’t want to do the normal dinner and drinks or the same old office party. We wanted something different that everybody would enjoy! I had found a few good options but I started to found it stressful due to the fact Christmas was edging nearer and availability was lessening every second!!, I was running out of ideas (and time!) and I got to a point when I realised we wouldn’t get to do anything decent before Christmas!

It then hit me that we could have our Christmas party when we return to work in January! Everybody seemed more than happy to do that!! I thought it would allow us more availability as well as it was something to look forward to when returning to work! The 6th January was the best day we had decided, everybody was back to work then and Fabrizio was able to make that day as he was here in the office instead of being in Italy!

Now I had the date decided I looked further into what we could do and after more research I had a fantastic day planned!! I consulted with the rest of the team, everybody was happy so I confirmed and booked the date and time and then we all looked forward to a fun and adventurous day of Indoor Go- karting and Bowling!

The weeks leading up to Christmas following the booking, fighting talk was in conversation around the office, people were pretty confident they could win the go karting or bowling but Todd was the most confident, especially when it came to bowling!!

Below is the exact quote Todd told me when he discovered Awards and trophies will be available in both Go-Karting and Bowling:

“I'm going to wear my bowling crown every day, and drink coffee from my trophy!”

I think he was joking and being sarcastic however ironically he did win Bowling as the best bowler with an impressive score of 185 and now has a trophy on his desk to prove his achievement!

So well done to Todd and I hope the coffee tastes good in your winners’ cup!

Before I get ahead of myself we started the day at the office, we all spent the morning getting back into the swing of working. I should also mention I organised a secret Santa before Christmas. For those who do not know what that is, it is where everybody puts their name into a pot and everybody takes a name (providing it is not their own!) and whoever it is they have to buy them a gift but don’t tell anybody who they choose, (which is where the “secret” Santa comes from!)

I set the rule that the gift had a budget of £15 and was to be given on our Christmas party day. In the office I had decorated a Christmas tree so we used that as the place to put everybody’s gifts and when it had reached the afternoon we had lunch and then opened our presents.

Derek received a game of Skittles
Fabrizio- a phone case and lighter
Fiona received a Cocktail Kit.
I got a lovely bag in my favourite colour, purple.
Ajay got a bottle of Cava.
Todd was given chocolates and a doodle book.
Stefano got a rather fetching Dinosaur Onesie
Alex was given Star Wars figurines and a Recipe book

And Damian received a nice Art book.
I think everybody was pleased with their gifts, I certainly love mine!!

After present opening we made our way to Crawley where our first event was held at an amazing indoor karting track. We arrived a little early so we had enough time to register and relax and then we were instructed to put on the karting outfits and head back down to reception to be briefed on the safety instructions and information of the races.

We had booked for two 15 minute race sessions, the first was a qualifying round and mainly practise and the 2nd was a grid start “race to the death” sort of race!

I will be honest I was awful in my first race, It is so fast on the track! Although the karts are fairly small they build up speed so quick and I would bottle it when I got too fast by pressing hard on the brake, therefore my lap times were pretty awful in comparison to the others.
The first 15 minutes went really quickly, when we all came off the track we looked at our lap times and rankings on the screen, for most of us it was the first experience Go karting and bearing that in mind I think everyone did well, including Fabrizio who took last place!

Our second race session started at Grid position, it is different from the first as everyone starts the race at the same time! the rankings from the first session were used to decide who starts where on the grid!. Damian, Our new sales member Ben and Stef were the top three so on the grid they took the first 3 positions, whereas the last two spots were taken up by me (9th place) and Fabrizio (10th).

I really enjoyed the second session I decided to give it some welly and speed up and that worked in my favour as I boosted myself up to 7th place, which I was really pleased with.
Once we had completed the session we were eagerly waiting the final results, in front of us was the winner’s podium and 3 trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd, I was already 100% sure I wasn’t in that category however it was still exciting to hear the results!

The winners were:

In 3rd place was Stefano
In 2nd was Damian
In 1st was Ben!

Well done to you guys!

Everybody did so well, the three winners were excellent but I have to say there was one dark horse of the races and that was Fiona! She had never done it before and during the first session she had become 8th but during the 2nd session she really turned it around, she had managed to change her position from 8th to 4th with only a 0.5 second gap stopping her from becoming 3rd! She did it for the girls and 4th is a fantastic position to finish with!

After the races, we changed out of our outfits and made our way to Bowling. I had organised two games and food. We collected our bowling shoes and made our way to the two lanes we had reserved, included in the price we paid, we all had one free drink each and then we started the Games!

1st game went full steam ahead, there was many strikes and spares being achieved as well as many gutter balls! We had split into 2 teams of 5 there was 5 players on each lane and each lane were competing for highest score overall.

Team 1 on lane 17 was:
Ajay
Alex
Fiona
Derek
Stef

Team 2 on lane 18 was:
Todd
Damian
Katie
Fabrizio
Ben

The last few bowls of the 1st game were tense, our overall numbers were really close to each other and unbelievably the end of the 1st game was a tie! Both lanes achieved 435!

Score at the end of the first game!!!

(This is a good time to note- Ajay came first in the 1st game with 125 and I came second overall with a respectable score of 102 which I was really pleased with!)

Between the two games we ate food, our lane host bought over our food, it was all the unhealthy stuff like hot dogs, onion rings, chicken wings and fries but it was tasty!

After food and more drinks we played our second game and everybody knew this game would determine the overall winners so everybody tried their best, again it was tense and so close but thanks to the amazing play by Todd in the second game, as by no exaggeration he had literally scored a strike on most of his bowls and won the game for us!

We already knew Awards and Trophies were going to be given out, the best and worst bowler was based on scores however I had to decide who got Funniest bowler and who the most stylish Bowler was!

I consulted with Fiona and we both agreed that Ajay should definitely get the Funniest Bowler, Ajay was really good however his pre- bowl preparation was comical as he practically dance with the ball! He gave a little wiggle then bowled! I have to say that although it was funny it did work for him.
After a little thought we decided Damian would get most stylish, because although he got many gutter balls and didn’t get the highest score he put a quirky wrist spin on his throw which looked interesting!

Finally it was announced Todd was the Best bowler and like I said earlier he has the trophy on his desk to prove it and Poor Fabrizio got the award for the Bowler who needs more improvement!

Bowling Champ!!!

Better luck next time Fabri!!

After all the action we headed back, It was a fantastic evening which I would love to do again, who knows maybe in a few years’ time we will be go karting and bowling like the pro’s!!

A few photos from the event*

*(Pictures provided by Damian and his amazing camera)
Thank you for reading

The Objektum team

Merry Christmas to you all!!!

2013-12-17T13:45:00.001+00:00

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS AND CUSTOMERS!!!!!!!!!!

All of us at Objektum wish you the best Christmas ever and we hope you continue to support us and read our post in the New Year!!!

As many of you may have noticed, on the blog we have created a link to our Christmas surprises!! It is on the right hand side of the page and not hard to spot!!

If you like laughing(and let's be serious who doesn't?!!) please click the links you won’t be disappointed!!!!

Just to ensure you don't miss out here are the links on this post:

www.objektum-modernization.com/christmas/
www.objektum-solutions.com/christmas

Thanks for reading!

The Objektum Team!

Google Doodle well deserved!!!!

2013-12-09T17:03:00.001+00:00

Grace Hopper honoured with Google doodle

Google Doodle- 9/12/13

One of the pioneers of computer programming, the creator of the first ever compiler and a Rear Admiral in the US Navy, Grace Murray Hopper, has been honoured with a Google doodle today, on what would have been her 107th birthday.

With a PhD in mathematics from Yale, Hopper enlisted in the US Navy Reserve in 1943 to contribute to the war effort, working on early computers at Harvard University for a Bureau of Ships project. She remained in the reserve force after the war but went to work for the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation to develop the UNIVAC I – only the second commercial computer in the USA.

It was here that she helped to lay the foundations for modern computer science. She created the first ever compiler, which is a program that takes source code from one language and converts it into another and a key component in her idea of writing machine-independent programs. Until then, programs were highly specialised for the hardware that they written on. Her ideas then led to the birth of COBOL, one of the first languages that freed programs to run on a range of hardware.

She is also credited with coining the term “debugging” for removing glitches from a program’s source code. It is thought to have arisen from her work on the rudimentary Mark II Computer, when a moth had become stuck in a relay and stopped the machine from working. As she removed it she was said to be “debugging” the system. The remains of the moth are still on display today at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington DC.

We at Objektum Modernization find her really important in the history of Software development and feel she is well deserving of a Google Doodle and a mention on our Blog!!!

Nowadays many companies still have legacy COBOL systems which are based on the early work done by Grace Hopper. Those same companies are now turning to Objektum Modernization to provide the technology and services required to bring their business critical applications into the 21^st century, whilst providing maximum return on their initial development investment.

Contact us if you are struggling with an obsolete system!! We can help!
We found all the information about Grace Hopper on the telegraph website!

Thanks for reading
The team at Objektum Modernization :)

Modernization & The Archaeology of Software

2013-12-06T11:47:00.000+00:00

The past is not dead. In fact, it’s not even past. -William Faulkner

Objective
Retrieving legacy code has something to do with archaeology as both try to retrieve undocumented artifacts and understand their initial context and purpose. The fact that legacy code is still well alive and kicking may help to chart their structures and behaviors, but it may also confuse the rationale of initial designs.

Legacy Artifact: Was the bowl intended for turkeys? at thanksgiving ? Why the worm ?

Hence the importance of traceability and the benefits of a knowledge based approach to modernization organized along architecture layers (enterprise, systems, platforms), and processes (business, engineering, supporting services).

Model Driven Modernization

Assuming that legacy artifacts under consideration are still operational (otherwise re-engineering would be pointless), modernization will have to:

Pinpoint the deployed components under consideration (a).
Identify the application context of their execution (b).
Chart their footprint in business processes (c).
Define the operational objectives of their modernization (d).
Sketch the conditions of their (re)engineering (e) and the possible integration in the existing functional architecture (f).
Plan the re-engineering project (g).

Modernization Road Map

Those objectives will usually not be achieved in a big bang, wholly and instantly, but progressively by combining increments from all perspectives. Since the different outcomes will have to be managed across organizational units along multiple engineering processes, modernization would clearly benefit from a model based approach, as illustrated by MDA modeling layers:

Platform specific models (PSMs) should be used for collecting legacy artifacts and mapping them to their re-engineered counterparts.
Since platform independent models (PIMs) are meant to describe system functionalities independently of implementations, they should be used to consolidate the functionalities of legacy and re-engineered artifacts.
Since computation independent models (CIMs) are meant to describe business processes independently of supporting systems, they should be used to reinstate, document, and validate re-engineered artifacts within their business context.

Model Driven Modernization

Corresponding phases can be expressed using the archeology metaphor: field survey and collection (>PSMs), analysis (PSMs/PIMs), and reconstruction (CIMs/PIMs).

Field Survey

The objective of a field survey is to circumscribe the footprint of the modernization and collect artifacts under consideration:

Given targeted business objects or activities, the first step is to collect information about locations, distribution and execution dependencies.
Sites can then be searched and executable files translated into source ones whose structure and dependencies can be documented.
The role of legacy software can then be defined with regard to the application landscape.

Analysis (with regard to presentation, control, persistency, and services)

It must be noted that field survey and collection deal with the identification and restoration of legacy objects without analyzing their contents.

Analysis

The aim of analysis is to characterize legacy components, first with regard to their architectural features, then with regard to functionalities. Basic architectural features take into account components’ sharing and life-cycle.

The analysis of functionalities can be achieved locally or at architecture level:

Local analysis (a) directly map re-factored applications to specific business requirements, by-passing functional architecture. That’s the case when targeted applications can be isolated, e.g. by wrapping legacy code.
Global analysis (b) consolidate newly supported applications with existing ones within functional architecture, possibly with new functionalities.

Analysis (with regard to presentation, control, persistency, and services)

It must be noted that the analysis of legacy components, even when carried out at functional architecture level, takes business processes as they are.

Reconstruction

The aim of reconstruction is to set legacy refactoring within the context of enterprise architecture. That should be done from operational and business perspectives:

As the primary rationale of modernization is to deal with operational problems or bottlenecks, its benefits should be fully capitalized at enterprise level.
Re-factored applications usually make room for improvements of users’ experience; that may bring about further changes in organization and business processes.

Reconstruction

Hence, modernization is not complete until potential benefits of re-factored applications are considered, for business processes as well as for functional architecture.

From Workshops to Workflow

As noted above, modernization can seldom be achieved in a big bang and should be planned as a model based engineering process. Taking a leaf from the MDA book, such a process would be organized across four workshops:

Technical architecture (deployment models): that’s where legacy components are collected, sorted, and documented.
Software architecture (platform specific models): where legacy components are put in local context.
Functional architecture (platform independent models): where legacy components are put in shared context.
Enterprise architecture (computation independent models): where legacy components are put into organizational context.

Modernization workshops

Those workshops would be used to manage the outcomes of the modernization workflow:

Collect and organize legacy code; translate into source files.
Document legacy components.
Build PSMs according basic architecture functional patterns.
Map to PIMs of system functional architecture.
Consolidate enterprise architecture.

Modernization Workflow

I found this blog post, written by Remy Fannader on LinkedIn. He perfectly captures the essence of why we at Objektum Modernization provide the technology that we do.

Thanks for reading

Derek Russell
derek@objektum.com
08451999932

The PA's Posts!!!!- My course progress

2013-12-06T11:45:00.000+00:00

My PA course

As promised in my last blog, this is the first post about my PA course! I hope you find it interesting!

I am really enjoying my course, I have only been going once a week for the last 6 weeks and I have already learnt so much!

As I have said before I really wanted this job for a variety of reasons one of them was that I was offered the opportunity to further my skills and get a diploma which really was the cherry on top!! After a few weeks adjusting to full-time work and adapting to my role, I went to the centre I would be learning my diploma in, and an even bigger bonus is that the location is fairly local to me with an easy journey! Once I got there I met the lovely trainers and was shown around the centre…. Well I say centre but it is more like a huge room full of computers, none the less I was impressed especially as it is fully equipped with a kitchen where I can help myself to tea and coffee throughout the day, which is perfect for me as I am a huge tea addict!!.

When I was there, I enrolled and was given my first workbook and a demonstration on how the courses work, to explain they are all self-paced. All the lectures are audio based, so you can work at whatever speed suits you!

I have to say I was really impressed with everything and it was a no-brainer when I was given the choice to either start the course there and then or come back next week to start, of course I started then! My first course was all about Word 2010, it consisted of 10 lessons of about 1 hour and half each and during my first session I got stuck in and completed about half of them, I have to say I found them really interesting, I’ve used Word throughout my life and knew a fair amount before I started, so needless to say when I was being taught to scroll down a document and key in words, there was a voice in my head shouting “YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS!!!”, however I stuck with it and as the lessons went on they got more complex and I must admit I learnt a few features I didn’t even know Word 2010 had!

I honestly am enjoying the diploma, at the moment I feel I am flying through as since I started the course and got round to writing this post, I have already passed the first course (Word 2010) with a DISTINCTION!, and done the final test for the second course I studied for which was Word 2010 Expert! Hopefully if I pass this too and I may be referred to as Katie, the Word 2010 Expert!!

After the brain- exhausting exam, I was a good student and went straight onto the my next course which is PowerPoint 2010, I feel pretty confident in this, I am more than capable of creating presentation however I am looking forward to learning the features I have never used before!

I have a long way to go but I really feel I have made a good start and like I said I am enjoying learning the courses. For the last 6 weeks I have also been practicing my touch-typing, and It has really helped, I am typing quicker than before which will help in my job, and once I feel really confident that I can do it without much fault, I will be doing a test in that, so watch this space !!
I will keep you updated with my results and experiences and this time next year, if everything goes to plan I will be a fully qualified Executive PA!!!

Thanks for Reading

Happy December!

Katie

Public Ada Course!

2013-11-22T13:52:00.002+00:00

ADA Blog

PICTURE OF ADALOVELACE:

Due to a high demand for Ada training, we have now scheduled a public Ada training course to be delivered 20th to 22nd January 2014 near our offices in Caterham.

The course details are as follows:

Course: PG-02: Programming in ADA95

Course Date: 20^th – 22nd January 2014

Course Location: Caterham, Surrey, CR3 6QB

Course Description

This course is specifically designed to teach the concepts and notation of Ada95. It promotes the concept of reusable software components and encourages a style of programming, which enforces a disciplined approach to software engineering.

The course focuses on the key constructs of types, subprograms, control structures and program units and object-oriented programming. It then tackles the more difficult subjects of tasking, generic programming and exception handling, supported throughout with simple analogies and a multitude of programming examples. Throughout the course the differences between Ada83 and Ada95 will be highlighted.

This course is highly recommended for those who have had little or no exposure to developing Ada programs and who want to master this elegant language.

For more detailed information please click here

So if you have engineers that would benefit from attending this course then please Call us now on +44(0)845 199 9932 or email info@objektum-solutions.com

Ajay Patel

Blog posts to suit everyone!

2013-11-14T11:55:00.001+00:00

Expect blogs from us all!!

Hello again, this is Katie, I’m writing my second blog post and I have to say I am really getting into this blog writing. As you may have already seen our blog is going through a few cosmetic changes and I am positive it is going to look fantastic once it’s done!

This blog is about the blog, ironically! I thought it would be a good idea to let you know, that I am currently encouraging the whole team to get involved in this blog, that way there will be a huge variety of blogs posted, which will apply to our readers from all walks of life.

The best way to explain this would be to use myself as an example! I am not the brightest crayon in the box!, So I would struggle to write the posts that this blog should mainly consist of which is obviously technical ones, evidently as it is called the “THE TECHNICAL DIARIES”!
These posts will be crammed full of information and technical language that is really useful for you to see as they may help you gain full understanding into what our company can offer to you. Now giving myself some credit, I am not stupid either! Common sense kicks in and the obvious candidates to write the technical ones, will be the technical people?!….am I right? Of course I am! Therefore I WILL be forcing blogs from the likes of Todd, Stefano and maybe even a few from the big bosses Derek and Fabrizio! (*if you haven’t read my 1^st post then please do as I introduce everyone there!).

Ok, now adding to the Technical posts, is me. I will being posting blogs about the staff and my job role etc. to mix it up a bit, I mean let’s be honest who doesn’t want to hear about our Fake Moustache day! (*again refer back to my 1^st blog!)

Anyway, my intention is to posts about special days like that, our occasional team building days, Christmas parties, birthdays and so on! But also to talk about my role as a PA. Like I have said before I have only been in this job for 1 month and this is my first PA role, I am learning so many new things, I really love my job because of all the fantastic people I work with but one of the other reasons I am pleased that I have the job is that I get to go to a course once a week where I am currently studying for a PA Diploma, it is such a great opportunity for me, I have only been 3 times so far however I really enjoy it and I intend to post a few blogs on things I learn there!

I am sure you will also hear from Rupert a few times! Like me he is new to the role and I know that he plans to posts about what he is learning which I’m sure you will benefit from reading as you will get to hear about the tools we offer in detail in a way that I am sure you will all understand whether you are technical or not, so look out for his too!

So I’m now left with Fiona, Ajay, Alex and Damian.

Alex is one of the Lecturers who delivers a lot of the courses that Objektum Solutions provides. I am sure you will see posts from him as well as it will be great to show you all what our courses are like and whether we have any coming up that may be useful for you or your company

Fiona, like Todd and the others I mentioned earlier, certainly does have the capability of writing the technical ones too but she is an all-rounder, so you should see a few posts from her talking about all sorts of things!

Damian as I have said before is our graphic designer so if posts are written by him, you can bet they will be about graphics and his work but to give him his due, he is already contributing heavily to the blog , as you can see from the major changes to the design! Which looks fantastic!

Last but not least is Ajay, now I feel he may be the toughest challenge for me! He has already said he isn’t a natural blogger, but one way or another I will get Ajay to post a blog or two (Ajay you have been warned :D), so keep a look out for those!

So that’s everyone, I will try my best to get as many blogs posted for you to see, We really want this blog to interesting and entertaining as well as informative for you all !

I hope you enjoy reading our posts, in the next couple of days I will be posting my first blog based on my experiences working at Objektum and how I am getting on with my PA diploma!

Thanks for reading

Katie