COTS vs. Home-Grown Software

We are at an age where businesses must transform and adapt fast. As a result, organizations, especially the ones in the service sector, must find a way to introduce products and services rapidly. So, increasing number of technology executives, architects and developers are facing a newer challenge – build custom software or purchase commercial of-the-shelf (COTS) software.

System of Engagement?

It is amazing to see how social media has transformed our lives today. Social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube are not only playing a huge part in our personal lives; but are also starting to influence the corporate world in a major way. We all know that many organizations are utilizing social media to promote businesses and expand network. Is that it?? Not at all…

Evolution of Data/Information

Data (or information) is at the heart of most business organizations today. An effective management and utilization of data often sets one company apart from another irrespective of corporate specialization or expertise. Organizations constantly collect, share, and analyze data in many ways in order to improve business operations. Naturally, many companies are investing a great deal on efficient data management strategies. However, data has evolved significantly. Not long ago, collecting terabytes of data seemed a big deal. Now a days, we fill up terabytes of data spaces in a hurry.

My New Employer

I had predicted several weeks ago that I would find a new position by end of October. My prediction has come true. I have started with a new employer named Virtify, Inc. on the 26^th of October as a Solutions Architect. Virtify has been involved in the Life Sciences space with several products and services. The company is growing, and hopefully I can contribute to that trend.

Cool Technologies & Business Values

Those of us who are in IT, love new and cool technologies. We always want to get our hands on the newest technologies, do some exciting projects, and always hope that our employers jump on the coolest technologies ASAP. Sometimes, we get so consumed with our desire that we feel the need to promote the latest technologies every opportunity we get. If we don't get to work with something new, we get disappointed and disheartened.

Visual Studio 2010 - Add Config Transforms

When it comes to deploying applications to various environments such as test and production, we typically need different configuration settings. Those who prefer build/deployment scripts, often utilize their scripts to create configuration files for necessary environments. Visual Studio 2010 has a new feature only for Web Applications to create configurations for various environments.

What is a Message??

Today, I was recalling an event that took place some time ago. I was in a meeting with both technical and non-technical folks. We were discussing a project using Microsoft BizTalk server. Obviously, a lot of discussion surrounding data integration, work flows and XML data. Naturally, all the technical folks were using the term 'Messages' constantly. Suddenly, one of the non-technical person posed a set of questions... “what is a message?”, “it seems you guys are talking about data; so, why not say data?”, “why message?”