THE BUSINESS ISSUE

ARCAD Software Configuration Management (SCM) solutions make it possible for clients to bring their application lifecycle under control, with the following objectives:

• Reducing development costs and timeframes,
• Improving software quality,
• Securing development processes (traceability and security),
• Streamlining the organization of the IT teams,
• Harmonizing work processes

Within the Information System, applications must be continually in operation and able to quickly adapt to rapid configuration changes imposed by business activities. ARCAD believes that these activities often require the occasional assistance of a highly-targeted skill set, both in terms of method and the ARCAD products.

In a word: “Always have a competent, available ARCAD resource to perform all of the tasks related to our solutions.”

THE ARCAD APPROACH

ARCAD Software often proposes to take charge of all of its clients’ SCM activities. Following a study that allows an estimate of the necessary volume of monthly assistance and familiarity with the procedures used, the ARCAD consulting teams are available every working day to perform SCM processes in coordination with your in-house teams. Services are usually performed remotely from the ARCAD site (thanks to a connection to the user’s development/integration environments) and can take place either upon user request (project managers, developers, system engineers, etc.) or according to an established schedule.

Work requests and the actions taken by the ARCAD teams are always logged and recorded. They are the basis for reports, which are presented at scheduled activity monitoring meetings. ARCAD can also ensure assistance outside of normal working hours (nights and weekends), as required.

Some of the activities that the ARCAD team can handle for you:

• Management of Error Reports and Modification Requests,
• Acceptance of deliveries from external developers or suppliers,
• Control and integration of software deliveries into the IS,
• Opening versions for developers,
• Version control before transfer to your test/validation environment,
• Transfer of testable versions to the user’s test/validation environment,
• Replay of scenarios impacted by each new version in the test/validation environment,
• Transfer of test reports to test personnel,
• Management of version re-tests to the development/integration environment,
• Control of tester version validation,
• Tracking of base-line reference versions,
• Preparation for version deployment to production sites,
• Assistance in deployment to production sites,
• Generation of version documentation,
• Creation of new applications in the ARCAD Repository,
• Handling of new component types,
• Environment creation and modification of the cycle so as to fill new test environments,
• Modification of acceptance and integration controls,
• Lifecycle process modification,
• Lifecycle optimization,
• Definition of new sites to be deployed,
• Configuration file updates,
• Assistance to IT team users (developers, operators, etc.),
• Incident analysis and DR resolution,
• Incident reproduction and generation of logs to be provided to ARCAD Support.
• ARCAD documentation intended for users,
• Profile/authorization management,
• Management of ARCAD keys on new sites,
• Installation of new and innovative ARCAD versions,
• Management of component types (source code, object, compilation, etc.),
• Cleanup management (transfer log and backup library),
• Repository integrity control,
• Audit of the macro-command log,
• Audit of all the various version libraries,
• Coordination with the teams in charge of backups

ADVANTAGES

Our consultants’ dual skill set on the i System (AS400) platform and on the ARCAD solutions will make it possible for you to:

• Focus on core activities: free up your internal resources so you can assign them to projects for which business line expertise is essential,
• Cost and efficiency savings: Have access to an system administrator that is always available and has the most up-to-date knowledge of ARCAD. You will not be dependant of holidays if you have only one ARCAD-Product administrator. Then, you can reduce your overhead costs, and you increase your staffing flexibility,
• Increase your efficiency: our consultants bring you ideas, transfer their skills and method to improve your effectiveness,
• Control  your operations: Have a continually-operational Change Management tool, which monitors developments in the Information System,
• Manage an annual fixed forecasting budget,
• Improve the service offered to your IT teams.

Implementation takes place following a study of needs and definition of the operating rules specific to each organization. ARCAD Software can easily adapt its offer in order to fulfill its clients’ expectations in a tight budgetary context.