The Customer
Our client, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS) is a leading mortgage compliance software manufacturer based in the United States. It provides major financial institutions with powerful and reliable data processing and analysis tools. Tech Data Solutions became a technology partner to the client and continues to provide resources and execute critical end to end projects.
The Challenge
The client's main business is a suite of mortgage-related applications, StratTree™ and StratQ™. These tools are often deployed at remote sites, and FIS needed a way to automate data transfer between the remote sites and the head office. FIS worked with TDS to develop a proprietary method of communication, which allows for an easy feedback mechanism and simplifies software maintenance and updates. The first priority was to update the communications protocol, to improve error reporting and to create processing tools and utilities. Updates of the communication protocol had to be done through a new software layer which would have allowed for a command-based communication between servers and clients in the network and provided complete back word compatibility. In addition it was required to achieve an improvement in the overall quality of the communications mechanism.
The Solution
TDS had evaluated the technological needs of this project and put together a dedicated team of testers and developers with expertise best suited to perform the work in the most effective way. The team consistent of 4 test engineers, 3 development engineers, one of which was a Microsoft MVP, a test lead and a development lead.
Analysis & Design: It involved study and assessment of the clients systems and the business processes. TDS was able to architect and design new components and improvements in the existing system while protecting the client's investments in the currently utilized technologies (solution based on Visual Basic.NET). TDS through its proven off-shoring methodology was also able to provide substantial cost benefits while ensuring a top quality service on both the development and quality assurance fronts.
TDS Benefits
TDS has provided end to end services to the client for the project with consistency and reliability from the development and quality assurance perspectives. TDS was also able to provide the following well-defined benefits to the client:
Speed of Development: All Projects were delivered on schedule, e.g. TDS has helped the client's develop a number of features of the StratTree and StratQ applications well within schedule and on budget.
Iterative Process: TDS has followed through a proven iterative development and testing project model. This helped eliminate projects risks at early stages, maintain high quality of builds for better testability and produce final deliverables on time.
Active Feedback: Our staff provided the customer with active constructive feedback on their processes, technologies, system architecture. This allowed for increasing efficiencies in terms of our collaboration with the customer, as well as the quality of the product itself.
Proven Testing Methodologies: TDS has provided the Customer with an offshore quality assurance center. Through its proven testing methodologies TDS provided a high level of build quality verification, automated testing tools and regression trend analysis.
Cost Savings: By leveraging the optimum mix of Onsite management and Off-shore work, the client received cost benefits of Off-shoring and at the same time maintaining a consistent and high quality of the deliverables throughout the course of the project. Cost benefits also accrued to the client due to consistent increase in productivity achieved by TDS over the period of the project.
Rapid Manpower Deployment & Productivity Enhancement: TDS has through its efficient resource allocation and recruitment practices provided to the client with the right expertise whenever required. The client's projects involved dozens technologies and TDS was able to provide skilled resources for most of them on a short notice. The productivity per person was also substantially increased over the project duration, which has helped in delivering projects in time and on budget.
Release of Client's IT Staff: The client's staff was released from application development and testing work to newer projects, which were core to the client's businesses.
Dedicated Core Team: TDS set up a dedicated core development and quality assurance team for the client, a virtual extension of the client's development facilities. This helped the client to gain economic advantage while improving the quality of their products.