Microsoft Inc has commissioned local software developer Ixchange to design a bug-testing application for its software development team in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on its locally developed Customer Ixchange help desk system, the application will assist Microsoft in its localisation programme for the next release of Microsoft Office, and its Internet Explorer Web browser.
Andre Mullan, manager, Web Projects at Ixchange, recently visited Microsoft`s business partner network (MSBPN) site in Phoenix to complete the implementation phase of the project. The application is installed at the site, and is accessible via the Internet.
"Microsoft was looking for a company that has advanced Internet development skills combined with an existing product that could be adapted on short order," Mullan says. "Based on the work we`ve done for Microsoft SA, and the strength of our Customer Ixchange family of products, we were able to offer a service tailor-made to Microsoft`s requirements."
Customer Ixchange is generically an advanced knowledge base of categorised and searchable information relating to various topics. "It`s a variation on the concept of a help desk system," says Mullan, "It allows users to post questions into it, and by resolution, those questions become part of the knowledge base."
Essentially a large-scale customisation of Customer Ixchange, the system has been written into a searchable store of information relating to the job of localising the Office product. It is designed for Microsoft`s Internet Information Server and Internet Explorer 4 client. On the back-end, it interfaces with Microsoft`s Exchange and SQL Server.
The Ixchange development team was faced with many challenges throughout the six-month development cycle of the project. Not least of these was the synchronisation of long-distance communications between Phoenix and Johannesburg, and the rapid deployment requirements set by Microsoft. "The systems we used to overcome these difficulties included an online version of Customer Ixchange, based in Denver," says Mullan. "It`s in the nature of the work we do that we can deliver solutions of this calibre at short notice."
The core of the knowledge base system is easily adaptable to other product families within the Microsoft stable that require localisation. The fundamental technology is deployable in any environment that requires a knowledge base or a customer help desk application. It is an affordable high-end solution that is open to customisation and scalable to the needs of the application.
"As a consultant to Microsoft, we hope to assist its team with the development of internal software tools using our own extensive skills and resources," says Mullan. "As with all our clients, we enable Microsoft to streamline the process of developing and delivering reliable software on time."
JSE-listed Ixchange has a pool of over 30 software developers working in Johannesburg and Cape Town, with four full-time Internet developers based in Johannesburg. As a certified Microsoft Solution Provider, it is skilled in developing largely (but not exclusively) for the Microsoft platform. It makes use of strict software design disciplines and methodologies that are effective in developing large-scale systems.
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