Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has become one of the latest buzzwords in the IT industry. Most enterprises have now heard of SOA, but few are actually responding to it. Despite the many promised benefits of SOA, only large organizations and enterprises in the business and financial services sectors have taken steps to adopt this technology, most of which are still in the proof-of-concept or...

Many IT managers face a fundamental question: Java or Microsoft’s .NET. Info-Tech’s analysis indicates that .NET is far more popular than Java regardless of enterprise size or industry sector.

If in-house developed applications are not secured as well as they could be, achieving a level of comfort with enterprise risk will be difficult. Enterprises that employ dedicated security staff should be leveraging this expertise to improve application security, and they should be doing it far earlier on average than they currently do.

Compliance remains a key concern for many IT managers. Frameworks like ITIL and COBIT are very popular, but the NIST 800 guidelines and ISO 17799/27002 may be more beneficial. Regardless of the approach, IT leadership is sacrificed when violations occur.

While the Java Enterprise Edition (JEE) and .NET application development platform debate rages on, alternative development frameworks such as Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP (LAMP) and Adobe Flex are gaining enterprise traction. Adobe Flex is a capable framework for developing and delivering Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) for delivery to both internal and external users.

IT managers with a desire to understand software testing can quickly become overwhelmed by the various types of testing, all seeming equally important. However, when attempting to improve the functional quality of software, only six primary goals need to be met. To meet these goals, six basic types of testing can cover the gamut and effectively contribute to application quality.

IT leaders considering expenditures to improve software quality are faced with important decisions around whether and how much to invest in specific quality improvement initiatives. IT leaders must look at the business impact to quantify the benefits of quality initiatives for software projects.

There are several key issues that need to be addressed when making the choice between Java or .NET as the primary development platform. Every IT executive must address how Java and .NET differ, how these differences affect adoption success, and how to mitigate the associated risk.

Agile software development has become a major catch phrase over the last several years. Such development concepts can provide significant business value, but without clear understanding of the processes, they can also deliver major failures. Knowing what is and is not critical to an agile software development environment is essential to moving forward successfully.

Requirements gathering is a critical part of custom software development and the procurement of commercial applications. Poor requirements gathering can lead to costly rework, expensive workarounds, and/or poor purchasing decisions. Learn the fundamentals of the requirements gathering process to build or purchase an application that fits business needs.

Slow Web applications frustrate customers, reduce employee productivity, and ultimately cost the enterprise money. Although the complexity of modern applications often makes pinpointing performance bottlenecks difficult, automated performance testing can help application developers and network engineers avoid many performance irregularities. Understand the benefits, review the drawbacks, and...

This practical tool helps IT managers identify situations where a feasibility study would be the best method to employ for making a decision to either accept or reject a software project.

With the increase in demand for data for strategic decision making, companies are forced to collect information about customers, customer behaviors, and markets for use in decision making. Storing and managing this data in an easily accessible location is critical. IT leaders must build an Information Architecture Roadmap (IAR) to ensure that data is optimally stored and leveraged across the...

Data volumes are growing exponentially as more companies capture information about customers, customer behaviors, and markets for use in decision making. Managing this data can be a challenge. IT leaders must build an Information Architecture Roadmap (IAR) to ensure that data is optimally stored and leveraged across the organization at the lowest cost possible.

The process of selecting an enterprise software solution is complicated. Requirements are messy and RFP preparation is complicated and political. The effective use of a solution specification eases the process.

Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) blend the benefits of instant Web access to centralized data with a user experience that is both easy to use and cool to watch. But just because they're cool, doesn't mean that they're always a good investment. Evaluate the business case for RIAs and learn key design factors that ensure their success.

Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) blend the benefit of instant Web access to centralized data with a user experience that is both efficient and easy to use. This combination offers attractive ROI for high-volume computer-supported employee tasks. Use this ROI calculator to determine if RIAs are a good development investment in the enterprise.

Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) blend the benefit of instant Web access to centralized data with a user experience that is both easy to use and cool to watch. This combination offers attractive ROI, especially for customer-facing applications in the B2C or B2B space. Use this ROI calculator to determine if RIAs are a good development investment.

User experience engineering (UXE) ensures that custom software is not only useful, but also effective, efficient, and easy to learn. While end users appreciate a friendly UI, the big payoff goes to the enterprise: an ROI of at least two dollars for every dollar spent is typical, making user experience engineering a good investment for any development organization.

An important tool in a feasibility study or project assessment report is a Cost/Benefit Analysis. Use this tool to help provide deeper insight to pros and cons of the project options under consideration.

In the age of terabytes, effective data management is imperative to business success. Turn to data integration solutions to provide stakeholders, both internal and external, with a unified view of enterprise information in preparation for the trends that are shaping the coming future of IT.

Customer-facing Web sites and applications are critical in creating a good first impression, yet they often drive customers away by being hard to navigate and difficult to use. User experience engineering (UXE) can solve this problem and make a significant contribution to corporate profits. Evaluate the customer-facing UXE business case, learn how to calculate its ROI, and be ready to incorporate...

User experience engineering (UXE) for customer-facing Web sites can turn site visitors into customers and that keep on buying through the Web channel. Calculate the return on an investment in UXE using this ROI calculator.

User friendly employee-facing applications greatly improve employee productivity while reducing training, support, and maintenance costs. Thus, user experience engineering (UXE) can make a significant contribution to corporate cost reduction. Evaluate the employee-facing UXE business case, learn how to calculate its ROI, and be ready to incorporate UXE into the next development project.

Since so much work in the modern enterprise is computer mediated, employee-facing Web sites and applications have a huge influence on employee productivity. User experience engineering (UXE) can improve the usability of internal sites and applications, reducing training, support, and maintenance costs. Calculate the return on an investment in UXE using this ROI calculator.

Recently refreshed automated functional software testing tools from HP, IBM, Borland, Compuware, and Seapine provide significant improvements in usability, advanced features, and tool integration. Use this vendor landscape to cut through vendor hype and identify the products that can shrink testing time and boost software quality.

Automated functional testing tools can save testers time, bring software to production earlier, and raise the software quality bar. However, sorting through vendor claims and finding the right tool for the QA team can be difficult. Innovative features in the new release of HP QuickTest Professional 10.0 and HP's history as a market leader make it a product to consider. Evaluate this new offering...

Automated functional testing tools can save testers time, bring software to production earlier, and raise the software quality bar. However, sorting through vendor claims and finding the right tool for the QA team can be difficult. The robust scripting capabilities and multi-platform support of IBM's Rational Functional Tester make it a product to consider. Understand the Functional Tester...

Differentiating among automated testing tools can be complicated. With so many options on the market, decision makers can find it difficult to select a product that complements the QA team's testing processes. Use this research note to evaluate Compuware's automated functional testing solution, TestPartner, to help decide if it is a good fit for the QA team.

Finding an automated functional testing tool that suits the QA team's needs can be a confusing and complicated task. Sorting through vendors and product features quickly turns into a time consuming activity. Cut through the confusion and determine if Borland Software's SilkTest functional testing tool is a good fit for the QA team.

Automated testing tools can be difficult to evaluate. Buyers must sort through a sea of vendor offerings and features. This research note helps sort out the details and evaluate Seapine Software's QA Wizard Pro to determine if it is the right solution for the QA team.

As businesses increasingly embrace Web 2.0 technology, choosing the right JavaScript library becomes important. Learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the top nine no-charge JavaScript contenders in the lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight classes. Then rank, explore, and test the core contenders to select a champion.

The selection of an automated testing tool is a complicated decision-making process. There are many competing tools to choose from that offer a confusing array of similar features. Decision makers must carefully and thoroughly research the available options to ensure that the selected product meets the QA team's needs. Cut through the automated testing hype and make the best choice for the QA...

The test strategy template provides IT managers with a tool to document a comprehensive testing plan that focuses on testing scope, schedule, resources, defect tracking methods, and functional metrics.

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) can provide solid, near-term benefits to enterprises if they invest in the right messaging technologies. IT executives should build their SOA deployment using ESB to gain the benefits of security, scalability, and reliability.

A test strategy is required to achieve thorough and successful application testing. Consider testing scope, schedule, resources, defect tracking methods, and functional metrics when developing an application test strategy.

Creating a feasibility study is a daunting task for newcomers and for companies that lack experience in developing feasibility studies. Use this checklist as part of a quality assurance process to ensure the feasibility study document meets existing documentation quality standards.

Improving agent-facing software usability is a key factor in the contact center productivity picture and provides significant financial payback. Take a lesson from the usability engineering process Apple uses to develop its products, including the phenomenally successful iPod. One financial institution did and found it significantly reduced call handle time and agent stress.

A feasibility study is an invaluable tool that helps companies assess the level of risk the company faces when selecting certain IT projects. Creating a feasibility study is a daunting task for newcomers, and angst-ridden for companies that lack documentation standards. Use this template to reduce documentation preparation woes, and create a standard for the company.

Code inspection is a powerful technique that identifies code defects early in the development cycle when they are inexpensive to remove. Nonetheless, many development teams avoid code inspection because of the overhead involved in review meetings and defect tracking. Learn a rapid code inspection method that leverages collaborative technologies to glean maximum benefit at a minimum time...

Code inspection is a powerful technique for identifying code defects early in the development cycle when they are inexpensive to remove. Unfortunately, one major time sink with traditional code inspection involves the consolidation of information received from reviewers, often on paper. Use this Code Inspection Tracker to efficiently manage the code inspection information flow.

QA teams ready to implement an automated testing tool into the testing phase of the software development lifecycle often overlook important aspects that are critical to success. Avoid common implementation mistakes and manage expectations in order to reap the benefits of automated functional testing.

The framework for applications maintenance and change practices has been established. In this step of the program, you will be setting up a process for gathering, assessing, and accepting/denying change requests from users within the organization.

Testing an application is a critical task to validate code performance and software features. While most organizations understand the importance of testing, very few automate the testing process with the assistance of specialized tools. Trim down the software development lifecycle by accurately determining whether to test manually or automatically.

Investing in an automated testing tool can be a significant expense, but as it is used and reused, it can quickly become an asset. Use this ROI calculator to compare the cost of automated testing with the cost of manual testing, and determine if automated testing tools will be a viable solution in the organization.

Deciding whether to move the QA team to an automated testing environment requires a thorough evaluation. Careful consideration is critical to making the right choice and to realizing the full benefits of an automated testing tool if test automation is selected. Make sure that automation is right for the QA team, and that the team is ready for the switch by using this "Automated Testing...

Virtualizing the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) environment drives cost savings through server consolidation and improved development efficiencies. Increasing the ease and speed with which environments are recovered is a key enabler. Pursue virtualization for the development stack, but keep the production environment on physical hardware for at least another year.

Development costs are one of the primary culprits for the high cost of maintaining an ERP system. Control these costs by using virtualization as a key enabling technology.

Efficiently managing application development projects can be a challenge at the best of times. The cost-conscious and tactical advice in this podcast provides insight on how to develop a strategy to align app development with business-critical needs. Use this guidance to reach short, medium, and long-term cost-reduction targets, and save on the bottom line.

This research note provides techniques for cost reduction within the application development services area. The techniques are categorized according to time frame and are accompanied by potential pitfalls to help IT align the need to reduce costs with the need to meet business requirements.