Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank (SCMB) has made a significant investment in Rational Software tools from Software Futures, a wholly owned subsidiary of JSE Securities Exchange-listed MGX, uniting its diverse development teams under a common development framework.
The investment in Rational Suite AnalystStudio and Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio will allow SCMB to adopt the Rational Unified Process (RUP), the leading software development process based on internationally accepted best practices.
The SCMB environment consists of many smaller project teams developing complex business systems. "RUP will unite our diverse development teams into a common framework that supports the SCMB business," says Sue Wilson, manager - Technology Risk Control IT Division.
The bank offers its clients a wide range of services including asset management, corporate banking, online banking, international and investment banking, project and structured finance, treasury services and securities.
A common framework will enable the SCMB development teams to create cohesive solutions that integrate to support the business. It will also ensure a consistently improved development project outcome.
Speed of implementation and meeting of project specifications are key factors in the SCMB development process, as is total cost of ownership (TCO). The framework's focus on roles is important to SCMB achieving a high level of maturity in software development. High-level maturity is helping the bank shift the focus of development from simply coding to an emphasis on requirements and design.
"RUP stresses architectural principles and is key to us in terms of maintaining low TCO," says Judy Browne, RUP implementation manager for SCMB. "We were also happy to note that our mix of skills was very close to RUP requirements."
Adherence to high-level processes will allow for speedier, integrated development in the bank's diverse environment. RUP also allows SCMB, in its multi-project environment, to determine the impact of changes and new requirements on systems, thus speeding up the delivery of new business applications.
The combined functionality of Rational Suite AnalystStudio and Rational Suite DevelopmentStudio includes: visual modelling; managing and tracking requirements; configuration and change management; centralised project reporting from various domains; test management; and round-trip engineering in multiple languages and databases.
RUP uses these tools and Unified Modelling Language (UML), the industry-standard language for specifying, visualising, constructing and documenting the artefacts of software systems. It simplifies the complex process of software design, creating a blueprint for construction. "The underlying UML is key to us because it is a standard and we see it as our future approach to software design," says Wilson.
Craig Parker, strategic account manager, Best Practices at Software Futures, says SCMB's investment in Rational closely integrates software development with business processes.
"Software Futures is accelerating SCMB's RUP implementation by providing training, consulting and technical support to the teams as they adopt Rational's best practices and tools," concludes Parker.
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Software Futures, a division of JSE-listed MGX Holdings, is one of the largest business solutions companies in SA. With over 500 people, Software Futures focuses on delivering low-risk business software solutions to the Top 100 companies, and is SA's leading component-based software development company.
Software Futures is in a unique position of achieving the highest level of certified partnerships with the worlds leading software technology companies (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and Rational). These preferential partnerships, use of global best practices, and its ability to attract, develop and retain some of the top people in their respective fields in the industry, enables Software Futures to advise and consult authoritatively and deliver the best software solutions to its customers.
Software Futures has acknowledged expertise in eWorkplace, CRM, Portal and Enterprise Content Management, ERP, Enterprise Application Integration, Software Development Best Practices, Strategic Sourcing and Business Intelligence.
MGX
MGX is a JSE-listed, new economy company that represents world-class products and services and delivers measurable business outcomes for customers across business-critical areas of the information economy. Recognising that the strategic value of a company lies in its information, the company's focus is on information-rich business solutions that transform each client's unique business information into competitive advantage. MGX comprises five business value domains: content management, storage management, business availability management, software development and enterprise value management. With strong operational and strategic synergies, the business units create and implement solutions for business users across all sectors and industries. MGX has operations in SA, Botswana, Australia, the UK and the US. During its five-year history as a listed company it has delivered consistent growth to shareholders. For more information on the company, visit www.mgxgroup.com.
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