Introduction

When preparing for an environment change, it is necessary to first get a clear view of where you stand at the beginning of the process; this will show you the best path to follow to meet your target. This principle holds true for information systems. The difficulty arises from the sheer volume of the programs and files in a system.

Objectives

Experienced ARCAD Consultants use our tools to provide guaranteed results:

• Time savings on analyses;
• Thoroughness of subjects studied;
• Research;
• Ability to reproduce data;
• Process repeatability.

This combination of elements makes us unique in the market. They derive from use of the ARCAD Repository, its Macro-Maker tools, and the ARCAD-Observer Suite.

These services are useful for all phases of a technical audit performed on your information system:

• Preliminary study before transitioning an entire application system to upgraded technology;
• Migration from one application to another;
• Quality certification procedures;
• Preparation for a transition to TPAM;
• Preparation for implementing high-availability procedures;
• Information requests for access-granting authorities;
• Commit-control implementation.

Implementation

An audit examines machine contents in descending order, from libraries (sometimes grouped in coherent batches to form applications) down to lines of source code. Depending on your configuration and goals, several stages can follow the content study:

• Search for software configuration anomalies: Multiple occurrences of sources or objects, sources without objects and objects without sources, sources with a more recent date than the object, unused objects, etc.;
• Library cleanup: ARCAD tools allow safe manipulation of groups of objects. This permits rapid restructuring phases focused entirely on relevant objects;
• Implementation of a functional tree: Technical components are sorted in a structure that includes the functional distribution of the applications studied. This facilitates dialogue between the two domains and allows you to focus studies on sensitive areas.
• Database modeling: Starting from files on the machine, an enhanceable model of database links can be established.
• Exhaustive analyses and documentation of calling chains and production chains before implementing security or high-availability procedures, or when performing information searches based on user documents (going up a calling chain using an amount from a report).
• Logical analyses of programs to integrate commit control principles.