Exploring new frontiers - What is real?

Shiny use cases, marketing stories and always the question what is real and what has been beautified? Let me share a real life example. I have chosen a single app example to make it real. It works at scale as well.

For one of the clients I do work with directly, we had the challenge to modernize a twenty year old app with no app owner and zero documentation. The technology in use was java and an Oracle DB. It was a standalone app that was not integrated into the client's current environment, e.g. CI/CD, IAM.

What we did:

• We analyzed the source code within two days and suggested a target architecture including a detailed report with line by line statements pointing out where the current code presented challenges
• We transformed/modernized the code to microservices in containers in six weeks.
• We transformed the Oracle database to Postgres in paralell
• We did our testing, supported the customer side testing and transferred the knowledge on the new archtiecture and code back to the client.

So, the marketing message is transformation in 6 weeks. The reality though is a bit different. There is a lot of stuff that has to happen to get to the point of assessment and tranformation execution.

• Creation of user User IDs in the client environment
• Setting up the VDI environment (often more than once as you will end up with a collaboration VDI in the first place and getting a developer VDI creates a whole new round of questions and approvals)
• Execution of mandatory trainings to access the client environments
• Setting up a VM to operate in (depends on the model chosen by the client)
• Transmitting the Hexaware tool, can the client download it, FTP,...
• Security discussion about the automation tool used
• Access to the source code repository
• Target environment briefing
• Dev environment provisioning, often the old apps have no dev enironment or in other cases it is currently in use. (Alignment with ongoing dev work is a challenge for more active apps)
• Target environment changes, in this case new tech, new environments, etc. led to waiting for firewall rules to be changed on the clients side
• Test case discussion, often the graveyard apps have no defined test cases or just manual ones
• In case there is an app owner, funcitional briefing, in case there is an app developer, briefing on the current implementation and architecture
• Setting up of project governance and the rhythm of the business

.. and many more small and bigger tasks.

All of this is to get the rocket off the ground.

And this is where all of us, consultants, system integrators and clients, knowlingly set ourselves up for a bad start. Each and every proposal spells out a best case prep and ramp up time in the range of two weeks. The reality is that this will always take longer and as a result the projects start on the backfoot from day one. more on this here.

Having mastered all these challenges the results of the modernization itself are spectactular. We kept every promise and delivered a range of benefits:

1. Core modernization time six weeks
2. Modernization of a graveyard app to micro services running in containers
3. Full integration into the CI/CD environment
4. Full integration into the client's standard IAM (and elimnating a major security risk by doing so)
5. Reducing license costs significantly by moving off a commercial DB platform, Oracle in this case, to Postgres

This app now is not only up to date, integrated, cheaper to operate and has reduced license cost, it also is enabled for faster innovation through smaller increments and easy scaling through the power of the cloud.

It is important to understand that this whole process carries zero data risks, as we operate on the source code and not the live production environment and that it creates zero lock in as the code delivered as a result is free of any Hexaware specifics.

Now, the statement I get from clients, when I explain all this in a sales setting and with slide decks, is that "this sounds too good to be true". What can I say? Other that stating that I have done this before and it is real, I can only prove it through execution. Give me one ore two of your apps and I deliver on the promises like we did in the project described above.

In addition, allow me to explain how we do this. We harness the power of automation to increase speed and reduce cost. We have created IP to do so. If you are interested in more insight into our approach I recommend the AMAZE ebook.