Axis renews Microsoft Gold Certifications

Axis Technical Group recently announced that Microsoft has renewed Axis’ Gold Level Partner Certification for 2010. The certifications are for key competencies in Custom Software Development, Data Management, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Business Process, as well as for Advanced Infrastructure Solutions.

Axis Expertise. Certified.

The Gold Level Partner status ensures the close working relationship between Axis and Microsoft, and stands as a testament to the outstanding work and expertise of the Axis in Motion strategic consulting team. The certifications represent the expertise and high level of competence in Axis’ service offerings, and, it doesn’t hurt our sales efforts in talking with clients either.

Read more about Axis’ certifications here.

Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

Comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email us here.

Microsoft and their huge problem in the clouds…

*Note – This Blog is a repost of Alex Espinoza’s Blog Entry on 10/31/09. You can find the original post here.

I just recently read an article from Krishnan Subramanian, which I believe is very interesting: Microsoft’s Huge Cloud Problem.

I agree with most of the article’s comments. They have to be taken with a grain of salt, since most of is speculation. Very smart speculation, but speculation none the less. But What I do disagree completely, is the following line:

“..cloud is an evolution from the web and .NET was never a platform of choice in the web…”

I agree that the cloud is an evolution of the web, but the article talks about choice, who is it referring to? Is it the open source community? Or is the enterprise community? or is it both?

Obviously as an Open Source advocate, .Net or even Mono would not be your web platform of choice. You usually go to either PHP (which is the leader in the Open Source community) Ruby or Python (just to name a few, I know there are a lot more).

But in the enterprise world, .Net is very much relevant, and in most of the cases it is the platform of choice. I know that this is a huge market and the competition is strong, but to completely dismiss Asp.Net as not a platform of choice is far from the truth.

Asp.Net and .Net are very much relevant right now, and it will stay that way for a long time. Whether Azure succeeds or not.

It is a mistake to think that everything will be in the cloud. What will prevail are hybrid environments. That is why I think Microsoft will not only survive this (even though is going to be a really difficult climb), but it will remain relevant.

Google’s view of *EVERYTHING* in the Cloud is not very down to earth (hence the name, everything in the clouds). And in my opinion, it will never get there. A lot of things are going to be done in the cloud, and probably the majority, but not all. We are creatures of choices, and we will keep our options open.

Now with the open source movement, Microsoft has done a lot. And I actually think we should thank Miguel de Icaza and his team for this. He might be called a traitor by some, but I think he is the biggest Trojan Horse of all. He has been pushing Microsoft to open source (with the help of so many).

But let’s think about Mono for a minute. Microsoft already released the source code for .Net in a very closed license, which I see as a glass box (look but don’t touch). It is getting there, to that openness that the article is talking about. They know they have to do it. But they don’t know how.

Now, Mono is a very good example. They have been reproducing the signatures and interfaces to use .Net on Linux and it works like a charm. Also they have been adding their own mix.

Microsoft will end up releasing .Net as an Open Source project, it will not be soon though. They already have their own license for that. With what Mono has done, when Microsoft plans to release, the integration with Mono will make it easier to hit the market.

The article is right about one important thing, in order to compete in the clouds, they have to kill Windows as an Desktop OS. But I think it will prevail as Windows Azure. That is why the word “Windows” appears in there.

Just one more thing before I close this rant. I think the mistake that Netscape did with Mozilla, is a learning experience that can be applied anywhere. When Netscape decided to build their browser from Scratch instead of fixing their bloated browser at the time. They lost too much time, and they lost the browser wars. They should have fixed their browser, not start a new one, which ended up with the same problems. It eventually got fixed when the community did the right thing and fixed it with Firefox, but they didn’t not start from scratch, they fixed Mozilla.

Microsoft is the browser and we (the community) are Netscape. Are we going to kill Microsoft so that Apple or Google takes its place? And then end up with the same problems all over?

I wouldn’t really want Apple in Microsoft’s shoes. I can see what they can do with their App Store. They have so much to learn. It would be like going back to the 90’s. We already went this route with Microsoft so many times, and now, Microsoft is learning.

How about Google? I wouldn’t want Google either. They are still too young, and we haven’t seen their evil yet, which scares me a lot. They not only have a lot of power in the internet, they hold most of our data, and they want *ALL* of it. Everybody has an evil side, and Google is not any different. We just haven’t seen it yet.

Microsoft is a known evil, let’s fix it. Why change it for a new one, when this evil has already been changed so much, and it is learning to live with the community?

Well enough of rants…I’m going back to work.

Post contributed by Alex Espinoza Alex Espinoza, Software Development Manager for the Axis in Motion consulting team at Axis. Read more of Alex’s blogs at http://neonlabs.structum.net/blog/

Want to learn more about Alex and the Axis in Motion team? Email Alex here

Click Here to learn more about Axis Technical Group, or follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

General comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email us here.

Improving the Software Development Experience

Improving the Software Development Experience

It is no news that Software Development is a complex process that requires a successful methodology in order to get high quality final products. The challenge is not following a methodology, but choosing a successful one. This difficulty of doing so grows with the inner complexity of organizations, where every single process is handled differently. So, a methodology or process that works with one company, might not really work with another. It might need to be adjusted, thus eliminating the certainty of success and leading to the failure of countless Software Development organizations and companies. Recently however, development groups are riding the “Agile Development” wave and with it a framework, NOT a methodology: Scrum.

Using the Framework, not building from Scratch
Everybody is reinventing the wheel to fit their organization; but a wheel is still a wheel, and a tire, a tire, regardless of if it is on a small import sedan or a flashy sports car. The tires may be different sizes and offer different performance values, but the functionality remains the same. This is what Scrum provides for the Software Development process: a Framework, not a methodology. You can build your own process and define the elements of the Framework that you want to use. More importantly, the framework is so rich, that you can add or remove elements as you go along, depending on your needs, and avoiding the need to tailor your own with trial and error. This is a major leap for project management and software development, since most methods usually focus on staying on track and making sure things are followed exactly by the book, not allowing any room for flexibility. With Scrum, the focus is on getting things done and delivering value all of the time. This, of course doesn’t mean that with Scrum time doesn’t matter. But it will only matter if you want it to. Scrum has elements for measuring speed. So if your project is focused on time, you will most certainly use the Speed elements. That is the beauty of Scrum. It is just like a development framework in the sense of .Net or ATL. The framework provides a set of building blocks, and you build your process according to your needs.

People not Technology
The problem with most methodologies is they focus on the technology. For example, Rational Unified Process is centered on the technology you use, be it C++, Java, etc.; with Scrum, the focus is on people. Project Managers sometimes lose focus on what is most important – the team members. Their work is what makes the final delivery a success, so focusing on the technology as part of a Software Development process is not really a priority. The main focus of managing people is not to make them work like slaves until they deliver what the client expects; the main focus is to improve productivity and collaboration in the team so that they can all deliver innovation and value to the client.

Conclusion
Software Development is still an art and not an exact science. The people who make up software development organizations, like the team at Axis Technical Group , are finding intuitive ways to solve complex problems and focus on getting things right the first time. This is a major shift and is helping rid the industry of a ghost that has haunted it for so long. The answer has never been in copying successful companies, but creating a tool that actually works for each project and organization. With a set of elements and rules that can be combined as needed, there is no stopping innovation.

Post Contributed by: Alex Espinoza – Software Development Manager on the Axis in Motion Consulting Team

Want to learn more about Alex, the Axis in Motion Consulting team, and Scrum? Email Alex here

Comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email us here.

Follow Axis on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

Axis Technical Group Launches New Website

Out with the old, and in with the new. If you have visited the Axis Technical Group website before, then you must have noticed a change with the recent launch of our new corporate homepage www.axistechnical.com .

Axis’ new home on the web offers better focus on our service offerings and provides a springboard to future client functionality. Utilizing the latest in Microsoft .Net 3.5 technologies including ASP.net and AJAX, and featuring a fresh interface, the site is designed to give Axis customers, employees, prospective candidates and partners, easier access to company news and information. The site launch is the first phase in a lengthier initiative to introduce technological innovations that will offer additional service and value to our customers.

“Our new website is more representative of the reasons Axis stands out in our industry, and fortifies our strength as a company – customer service to both our clients and our candidates,” explains Michael Valdes, Axis Technical Group President. The website will grow to include newly integrated portals for customers, job seekers and employees in addition to information about Axis Technical Group Inc’s global offices in India and Mexico.

Comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email us here.

Follow Axis on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

Axis in the Cloud…

Axis Technical Group sponsored the first ever Cloud Camp in Los Angeles on Wednesday September 30, 2009.

Cloud Camp is an “un-conference” where early adopters of Cloud Computing technologies exchange ideas. With the rapid change occurring in the industry, IT professionals, heads of business, end users and suppliers alike, all need a place to meet in order to share experiences, challenges and solutions. Cloud Camp offers such a place in a unique arena where participants are encouraged to share their thoughts in several open discussions, all in the pursuit of advancement in Cloud Computing.

Our Axis in Motion consulting team led by SVP of Technology Ken Tu, and Software Development Managers Gilberto Ramirez and Alex Espinoza, were joined by Russell Wolf, Axis VP, for a night of learning what the Cloud is (a new utility like gas & electric but for technology) and what it means for the future. Axis is working on its own offerings for the cloud and as we further define those offerings, and what our place in the cloud will be, we will post updates here and our website.

Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

Comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email us here.