PQ Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal region has thrown its weight behind Sun Microsystems` Java development platform as part of the group`s strategic drive into e-business. Headed by Java development team manager Charmaine Singh, the team has secured a number of key contracts in the region, including three in the financial services arena.
"Java has come to be accepted as the de facto object-oriented language of choice," says Singh. "As such, it carries significant benefits for our clients, who can deploy it on almost any server and any operating system. This portability means we can provide a solution for all customers regardless of their hardware or software preferences."
Support for Java is a strategic initiative for PQ Africa in the region, adds Singh. "As we grow our skills base, over time all our developers will be able to perform cross-platform development. This in turn consolidates the range of skills we need to provide, as all development can be done with the same basic development language."
In addition, says Singh, PQ Africa is preparing its developers for the future, as most emerging technologies are strongly supported by Java, including e-business and intelligent devices.
PQ Africa`s Java skills embrace object-oriented design and development, three-tier system development, large-scale server development, Web-based system development, the use of Java applets and servlets and Java middleware development. In addition, the team has gained critical competencies in the use of third-party middleware such as Tibco`s Rendezvous and Software AG`s EntireX. These allow developers to rejuvenate legacy applications, leveraging them into modern e-business systems without rewriting.
The move to Java has also enabled PQ Africa to attract developers, adds Singh. "This is a tight, skills-strapped market," she notes, "but it has helped that Java is the language most developers wish to use. It also provides a way forward into object-oriented development for developers experienced in legacy languages.
"While we do encourage younger talent, we`ve been keen to train experienced developers and help them make the shift to "objects". Our more experienced developers are therefore incentivised to stay. A major spin-off is that our core Java team has an average experience in the IT industry of over a decade."
The team prides itself on adopting a pure object-oriented approach to Java development. "We are true believers in object orientation," says Singh. "The team strives to incorporate the best international thinking and best practices, such as Design Patterns, when developing new systems."
Share
Editorial contacts