Specialist IT consulting newcomer, Airborne Consulting, recently received a real vote of confidence from Microsoft when Airborne technical director, Stuart Kelly, was invited to attend WinFX developer training at the software giant`s HQ in Redmond, Seattle.
Kelly, widely considered to be one of the top architects in the country, was the only African delegate among 90 other delegates from around the world. He says, "When the delegate sitting next to you is a genuine rocket scientist, you know you`re in for a pretty exciting ride!"
And he was not disappointed. According to Gartner.com, the WinFX family of developer interfaces will represent the most significant advancement in Microsoft application design since the introduction of 32-bit Windows. Says Kelly, "These technologies are the platform on which the next wave of Microsoft products will be built, and upon which all future Microsoft development will take place. They are the next core technologies of the .Net framework, and represent a significant shift towards simplifying development and allowing developers to build more powerful, more manageable, and highly connected systems."
The in-depth, lab-based training focused on the three fundamental areas of the new technologies - Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), and Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF). It was presented by the Microsoft Enterprise Go team, and included input, demo`s and one-on-one Q&A sessions with members of the product development teams.
He says, "Windows Communication Foundation unifies eight previously different technology stacks into one, on which all future Microsoft products will be based to enable communication. Windows Presentation Foundation is a true split between the styling of a presentation layer and the logic behind it, also taking advantage of modern hardware and 3D acceleration. There is also a whole suite of tools to enable designers and programmers to work together, but independently, on the same presentation layer. Windows Workflow Foundation is the programming model, engine and tools for quickly building workflow enabled applications on Windows."
Kelly`s training was a significant investment for a small consultancy that has been in operation for just over a year, but, he says, "It reflects our commitment to Microsoft, and to giving our customers access to the most advanced technologies on the market."
Danny Naidoo, developer and platform group director at Microsoft SA, says, "We are pleased to see that organisations like Airborne have been quick to invest in ramping-up on the new technologies presented by WinFX. We expect market demand for solutions that leverage WinFX to grow over the coming months and this investment places Airborne at the forefront of capabilities."
With around 20 staff members, Airborne already has an impressive client list, including the likes of Microsoft itself, Sanlam, Old Mutual Investment Administration, Old Mutual SA, The Waterfront Company, Virgin Life Care and others. Sean O`Connell, MD of Airborne Consulting, says, "We are excited by the thought leadership and innovation currently emanating from Microsoft and are confident that it is going to make a significant contribution to the software solutions industry and ultimately the Knowledge Worker across the enterprise. Our partnership with Microsoft and commitment to their technology has been very rewarding to us and our customers. This invitation and subsequent import of knowledge to our shores attests to this and will definitely enhance our offering, ultimately to the benefit of our customers".
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