Our services

 

Data Consultation Services

 

Data consultation is available in the following ways:

 

1. Data Support

Talk with a researcher to answer in-depth and site-specific questions about your survey results. We can connect with you by phone, virtually or on-site.

 

2. Data Presentations

Take a deeper dive into your survey results through a formal presentation. Available virtually or on-site.

 

3. Collaborative Planning with Data Workshop

Understand and use survey data for planning and improvement. In this session, you will:

Explore your survey data to identify strengths and growth areas

Establish focus areas for action

Develop strategies and goals

Half-day on-site workshop

 

Contact Us About Data Consultations

cloud Services

 

How do cloud services work?

Cloud services are managed by IT service providers. 

By using cloud services, your company can quickly scale both infrastructure and software. You will also lower costs as you don’t need to pay for on-premises software licences, or the IT employees to perform installations and upgrades. 

What are the different types of cloud services?

 

There are three basic types of cloud services: 

 

The first is Saas, which stands for Software as a Service. This would be a software application that you could access over the cloud without having to have it installed on your device.

PaaS stands for Platform as a Service. A service provider delivers a platform to you, enabling you to develop, run, and manage business applications over the cloud.

Finally, Iaas, or Infrastructure as a Service is infrastructure delivered over the internet. This would be the actual data storage – instead of maintaining servers and physical data centres, you can access all your data seamlessly though the cloud.

 

Software as a Service (SaaS)

A variety of services are available as Software as a Service, including file storage, backup, web-based email and project management tools. Using one of these applications, users can access, share, store and secure information in the cloud. SaaS cloud solutions examples include Dropbox, Slack and Microsoft 365.

 

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Platform as a service is an environment in the cloud where developers can build and deploy apps. PaaS provides the database and operating system that is needed to develop cloud-based software. Developers can focus on their task, without needing to build and maintain the infrastructure that such software development processes normally require. AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Windows Azure are two cloud technology examples of PaaS.

 

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a service provides the infrastructure that you need to manage SaaS tools, including servers, storage, and networking resources. The cloud provider would manage the storage servers and networking hardware and may also offer additional services like load balancing and firewalls.

 

What are some examples of cloud services?



Common SaaS services include Dropbox, Salesforce, Cisco WebEx. PaaS services include Google App Engine, Apache Stratos and OpenShift. Some well-known IaaS services are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod and Microsoft Azure. Many of these cloud computing service examples are already familiar to us all.



How are cloud services delivered?

 

Cloud services are delivered through a public cloud, private cloud or a mix of both commonly known as hybrid cloud.

 

Public cloud services

Cloud services that are available over the web are referred to as public cloud services. The main benefits of a public cloud service include the ability to share resources at scale, flexibility and lower costs. The popular SaaS apps like Slack, Dropbox and Gmail are all accessible through a public cloud.

 

Private cloud services

With a private cloud services model, apps and data are only available through the company’s internal infrastructure. Companies working with highly sensitive data often use a private cloud, which can offer them greater security.

 

Hybrid cloud services

Hybrid clouds combine public clouds with private clouds, with the two platforms interacting seamlessly together.
 

 

Dimension Data: experts in cloud

 

Dimension Data offers cloud advisory services and is able to help you with cloud migration, operation and optimisation. We will help you unlock the full power of cloud through a flexible, optimised solution that’s inherently secure. 



We provide everything you need to view and control the assets, data flows and security risks in your cloud-based workloads and applications. Our cloud security solutions provide consistent protection across multiple clouds in line with your governance, risk and compliance requirements. 



Speak to us today for a free cloud assessment.

 

Bespoke Applications

 

WHAT IS BESPOKE SOFTWARE, AND WHY SHOULD YOU GO BESPOKE?

 

Software Development

 

Bespoke software is described as software directed at the needs and wants of both your customer and company brand. It is a growing trend in the digital world.

As technology advances and users evolve, bespoke software is being seen as a necessity in order to meet the complex demands of businesses and users.

In this article, we will give a definition and introduction bespoke software, and then explain why many companies are now choosing to go bespoke.

 

WHAT IS BESPOKE SOFTWARE?

Bespoke software – sometimes called custom software or tailored software – is a software solution created for a specific user.

Much like a bespoke suit, these software solutions are made and tailored entirely to your exact specifications.

A bespoke software solution is designed to your precise needs and as such will meet all of your business requirements.

These bespoke solutions are even be developed to fit into your current ways of working, so you needn’t change how you work in order to employ the system.

As the solution is tailored to your individual business and you own the source code, the solution can be easily integrated with other bespoke or packaged software, used to replace a legacy system, and can be updated and expanded in the future.

Bespoke software is seen as the alternative to commercial software or “off the shelf” software.

You can read a comprehensive list of the advantages and disadvantages of bespoke software here.

 

WHAT IS OFF THE SHELF SOFTWARE?

Off the shelf software, also called commercial software, is a pre-packaged solution available to purchase on the mass market. it is general-purpose and designed to work with different business models, in order to be used by as many people as possible.

 

This pre-packaged off the shelf software is intended for use by the mass market, and as such, is not built to any one set of specifications, offering general tools and features that many businesses will need.

 

This can cause a predicament because you could just as easily find you have more features availible than you will ever use, or not enough to even carry out your business functions.

As such, you may able to carry out all the functions you require to run your business with commercial software.

Equally, you may find you need to hire a developer to try and change it to meet your needs, or purchase additional software in order to carry out your work. In which case, you will have to adapt your ways of working around the software or purchase another solution to fill the gaps.

 

WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE BESPOKE SOFTWARE?

With bespoke software, what you want is what you get.

The features of the product are tailored-made, meaning that you will use 100% of them.

It is the perfect solution for companies that want to set themselves apart from their competitors by creating a system that is unique to them, and designed for maximum efficiency, rather than relying on a commercial system that their direct competitors are likely using too.

With custom-made software, you are no longer compelled to compromise. Forget all about buying packages that are made “one size fits all”, and make your business stand out with unique applications that will help improve productivity and performance.

 

THERE’S MORE TO BESPOKE SOFTWARE THAN MEETS THE EYE.

The changes you may want to implement along the way are done throughout the making process of your software. This helps you grow your business and meets your client’s demands.

Bespoke software is made to match your business model, making it possible to reduce issues and result in less supervision and fewer errors, whilst boosting positive factors such as improved performance and increased efficiency.

Costs are also reduced because repetitive tasks are automated, meanwhile utilising technology like the cloud means bespoke solutions can be more scaleable than the commercial software they are designed to replace.

In a world of advanced technologies, custom-made solutions are the key to differentiating your business from your competition.

The end result is a more fluid work-flow, unique services, and better products that fit with the demands of you and your customers.

Furthermore, bespoke can be used to integrate data from your current applications. As a consequence, the information is easier to integrate with your business model, and your customers are provided with better services and products.

Find out more about the specific ways in which bespoke software employed.

 

IS BESPOKE SOFTWARE TRENDY OR IS IT NECESSARY?

Bespoke software is not just a trendy concept that companies go for to make an impression, it has become a necessity.

Whether we like it or not, it’s tough to rise above the crowd and make yourself and your business stand out.

Why?

Because the competition is fierce. And a system that can’t adapt to change or evolve with business becomes a burden, and one that could cost the company big time.

You may have a product that exudes potential, but when a hundred more companies are offering something similar in the same way, you won’t make much headway.

What you should do is go bespoke and customise and personalise your product to make it unique. You can better match it with the demands of your clientele and give you the best chance of boosting awareness and bridging the gap between supply and demand.

 

BESPOKE SOFTWARE – ADAPTABLE, FLEXIBLE, AGILE

Unleash the power of your business and leverage its potential with custom-made software.

As opposed to off-the-shelf, custom software is adaptable, flexible, and agile: it is built and can be modified throughout the development process.

You can also adjust, expand, and improve the features without starting from scratch.

Adaptability – Targeting the right audience becomes easier when you use bespoke software solutions. Customers are more satisfied when they certain features of a website or app perfectly match with their expectations and demands.

Flexibility – Customization helps you develop functions that are targeted at your audience. Bespoke software is flexible in the sense that it allows designed to develop a clear interface. The process is adjusted and modified along the way; you can always go back and modify, improve, add and remove features as you see fit.

Agile – when implemented correctly, bespoke software increases the quality of the product. Designers can experiment, fix errors, and resume work where they left off without compromising the initial stages of the project. The development process allows your team to make changes, therefore ensuring that the customer is 100% satisfied.

 

CONCLUSION

As technology becomes more sophisticated and widely available, the whole population feel somehow compelled to adapt and become more computer savvy too. 

For consumers, this means they expect a seamless experience that provides everything they need simply, on whatever device they are using.

for employees, it can cause friction when they are using legacy systems and software that are far worse than the tools they have available at home and in their daily life.

This is giving us all much higher expectations of the software that we use, and many commercial tools simply cannot cut the mustard.

Even though off the shelf software is versatile and easy to use, bespoke wins out because it’s qualitative and targeted at the needs of the client, their employees, and their own customers.

A demand for “smart” solutions drives today’s businesses to rethink their strategies and re-purpose the way they cater to people’s requirements.

If you are looking to develop your own bespoke software, IT Enterprise can help craft the perfect solution.

Whether you want to design and build a website or test an app idea with a MVP, we can help.

 

Contact us today.

Shared Application Services

 

The Shared Application Services (SAS) unit provides support for the design, installation, maintenance, and monitoring of applications and databases hosted by the University.

• This unit is responsible for providing:
• Application installation, patching, upgrading, and maintenance
• Application tuning and performance monitoring
• Application troubleshooting
• Application environment architecture design
• Database installation, patching, upgrading, and maintenance
• Database tuning and performance monitoring
• Database troubleshooting
• Database security maintenance
• Change control
• SSL Certificate Management

 

Contact us today

WEB BASED SERVICES

 

You can’t mention the term “web services” nowadays without immediately evoking references to Amazon Web Services or Google’s Web service, Google Cloud Platform. There’s a reason for that, though. These tech giants have raised the bar by addressing the need for application development. And scale from the likes of Amazon and Google is exactly what makes modern web services possible.

 

However, despite all of its technological advancements, web service testing and processes are still complex animals. Since they depend on operating systems to manage applications, the smallest of variances can result in multifaceted workflows when trying to move data between servers and the cloud, which can throw a wrench into your ecosystem and application integration strategy.

 

But with APIs, web developers can integrate advanced functions and features into apps, allowing for much better customization and flexibility. And the end result is a better experience for users and customers. They reap the benefits of well-built web APIs, increasing efficiency and practicality of services and apps. At the end of the day, the goal is to offer an enjoyable experience.

 

So, how do web services work? What does it take to bring these processes to life? Here’s a breakdown:

 

What are Web Services?

There is more than one way to answer, “What is a web service?” But, essentially, web services include any software, application, or cloud technology that provides standardized web protocols (HTTP or HTTPS) to interoperate, communicate, and exchange data messaging – usually XML (Extensible Markup Language) – throughout the internet.

 

In other words, web services are XML-centered data exchange systems that use the internet for A2A (application-to-application) communication and interfacing. These processes involve programs, messages, documents, and/or objects.

 

A key feature of web services is that applications can be written in various languages and are still able to communicate by exchanging data with one another via a web service between clients and servers. A client summons a web service by sending a request via XML, and the service then responses with an XML response. Web services are also often associated with SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture).

 

To break that down, a web service comprises these essential functions:

 

Available over the internet or intranet networks

 

Standardized XML messaging system

 

Independent of a single operating system or programming language

 

Self-describing via standard XML language

 

Discoverable through a simple location method

 

A web service supports communication among numerous apps with HTML, XML, WSDL, SOAP, and other open standards. XML tags the data, SOAP transfers the message, and WSDL describes the service’s accessibility.

Here’s an instance of how it works: A web service sits between two sets of java, .net, or PHP apps providing a way for these applications to communicate over a network. On one side, for example, a java app interacts with the java, .net, and PHP apps on the other end by way of the web service communicating an independent language.

 

Web services offer different benefits across business operations. The technology helps IT pros and web architects streamline connectivity by minimizing development time. And with this simplified infrastructure, company executives begin to see higher ROI (return on investment). In a B2B operation where both parties understand how the process works, web services provide efficient technology distribution throughout an entire network.

What are the Different Types of Web Services?

 

There are a few central types of web services: XML-RPC, UDDI, SOAP, and REST:

XML-RPC (Remote Procedure Call) is the most basic XML protocol to exchange data between a wide variety of devices on a network. It uses HTTP to quickly and easily transfer data and communication other information from client to server.

 

UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration) is an XML-based standard for detailing, publishing, and discovering web services. It’s basically an internet registry for businesses around the world. The goal is to streamline digital transactions and e-commerce among company systems.

 

SOAP, which will be described in detail later in the blog, is an XML-based Web service protocol to exchange data and documents over HTTP or SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). It allows independent processes operating on disparate systems to communicate using XML.

 

REST, which will also be described in great detail later in the blog, provides communication and connectivity between devices and the internet for API-based tasks. Most RESTful services use HTTP as the supporting protocol.

Here are some well-known web services that use markup languages:

 

Web template

JSON-RPC

JSON-WSP

Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

Web Services Conversation Language (WSCL)

Web Services Flow Language (WSFL)

Web Services Metadata Exchange (WS-MetadataExchange)

XML Interface for Network Services (XINS)

SOAP vs. REST Web Services

 

For years, IT pros and web developers have debated over which web service is better and why. Well, there isn’t a clear-cut winner – it all just depends. RESTful web services and SOAP offer different variations. For example, a REST web service is generally a better choice when time is a factor, but SOAP wins out when building a service with multiple, non-CRUD methods. A company’s specific requirements determine which type of web service a partner will implement unless already decided by the WS provider.

 

Then there are times when both options are the right answer. That’s the case for two of the world’s biggest e-commerce companies: Amazon and eBay use web services for both REST and SOAP. And as more organizations become service-focused and explore more functionality, they will have no choice but to support both types.

But what is the difference between REST web services and SOAP web services? Let’s break down each option while exploring some pros and cons.

 

RESTful Web Services

What is a RESTful web service? The acronym REST, or sometimes ReST, stands for Representational State Transfer and is an architectural style, meaning each unique URL represents an individual object of some sort. A REST web service uses HTTP and supports/repurposes several HTTP methods: GET, POST, PUT or DELETE. It also offers simple CRUD-oriented services. Fun fact: The original RESTful architecture was designed by one of the leading authors of HTTP, Roy Fielding.

            Pros: Lightweight, human readable, easier to build

            Cons: Point-to-point communication, lack of standards

 

SOAP Web Services

SOAP is defined as Simple Object Access Protocol. This web service protocol exchanges structured data using XML and generally HTTP and SMTP for transmission. SOAP also uses WSDL (Web Services Description Language) documents to distribute a web service description model. This describes how the SOAP requests (client-side) and responses (server-side) must appear. Additionally, SOAP web Services have standards for security and addressing.

 

            Pros: Usually easier to consume, more standards (WSDL, etc.), distributed computing

            Cons: Difficult set-up, more convoluted coding, harder to develop

 

API vs. Web Services

 

Web services and APIs are often mistaken for each other, which isn’t all that surprising since there is some distinct common ground.

Most web services provide an API, which, with its set of commands and functions, is used to retrieve data. Here’s one example: Twitter delivers an API that authorizes a developer access tweets from a server and then collects data in JSON format.

But here’s something to keep in mind: All web services can be APIs, but not all APIs can be web services. Now, if that syllogism makes your head spin, maybe these distinctions will clear up the API vs. web services confusion:

Differences between APIs and Web Services

APIs can be hosted within an app or IIS (Internet Information Services), but a web service can only be hosted on IIS.

Web services are not an open source and are used to understand JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) or XML, whereas APIs are an open source and only used for XML.

API is a light-weight architecture (best for limited bandwidth devices (e.g. smartphone). Web services are not lightweight architectures since they require SOAP to send and receive network data.

APIs can use any form of communication, but a Web service only uses SOAP, REST, and XML-RPC.

APIs support URL, request/response headers, caching, versioning, content formats. Web services only support HTTP.

 

 Similarities between APIs and Web Services

Both are accessed through HTTP/HTTPS to enable communication between services providers and customers.

Both call a function, process data, and receive a response.

 

Modernized web services have changed the digital landscape with evolved system integration and interoperability. Before advancements to web services, limited and burdensome integration prevented streamlined data exchange among various technologies, formats, vendors, and B2B operations. Now, web services offer a level of modern functionality and less complexity.

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