Kirill Sokolov, Business Logic: The pilot of a system less than in a month allows to start building block solution

Kirill Sokolov: To creation "Logicians: Platforms" we were pushed by the market reason, but not new technology trends. I will explain: we are guided by big customers from the Top 400, and these are those companies which are not ready to take nonflexible shrink-wrapped software products without any serious adaptation under their requirements. But at the same time such customers want to receive ready-made solutions quickly enough. For a row of years we with a possible speed executed for them big projects. At some point became obvious that a large amount of functionality necessary for such customers is crossed. At the same time there are also unique tasks and also small, but important differences in tasks which were set for us. So quicker to create the necessary solutions for customers, the platform is necessary for us. Project approach using component, building block solution - it is very effective!

Kirill Sokolov: Over "Logic:" we worked with the platform a little more than 2 years. At first we, of course, carried out the analysis of practices in the projects and products and also - market research and market trends, the perspective directions of development. Further developers were connected to analysts: as a result from our projects and solutions we could select the general components, unify them for the purpose of further use in new projects. The third stage goes and now: in process of emergence of new projects we acquire new functionality in the concept of the platform at once. Now the command which is engaged in the platform densely interacts with project teams.

Kirill Sokolov: The platform team was initially formed, analysts and architects whose task was to understand how we can build the platform entered it to reduce the volume of custom completions within projects. In this command we brought together people with a broad outlook, competent of the different technologies capable to select the best. I will note that some participants of a command of the platform had experience of development of functionality still EDMS "BOSS-Referent".

Then developers who selected the general functionality in the form of modules joined a command. We have a repository of these modules, documentation to them, descriptions. Thanks to these artifacts of a command of projects can always understand by means of what modules it is possible to implement the tasks set by customers and quickly to connect these modules in the project. Of course, in the course of creation of products both testers, and technical writers, and designers participated. In general, we had enough internal resources, besides, as consultants we involved specialists who worked in staff of Business Logic earlier and are well familiar with our specifics.

At the moment the command of the platform develops "Logic: The platform", relying on market analysis results, a feedback from project teams and sales department. In a command of the platform there is a management committee changes - group of people who define what functionality needs to be added first of all. We make all important decisions jointly: architect of the platform, main analyst, head of a development team and I as director of products. Very much the management system for requirements and changes implemented in Business Logic helps a platform team. In it all requests requiring attention are brought: requirements from projects, the requirements which arose in an analysis result of competitors and new technologies. Weekly the command of the platform browses all new requests, discusses them and places priorities.

If the request arrived from a project team, and the command of the platform made the positive decision on entering into the platform of required changes, then the project team is informed on terms in which innovations will be implemented. Further the project team can either wait, or implement necessary functionality independently, but so that we could take away then these practices in "Logic: Platform". Compliance of completions of the general concept is monitored by architects. In general, the dilemma always remains: yes, it is simpler to make the project under the specific customer, but if to spend more than forces and to enter completions to the platform – it always works for the future. Results of platform approach are already obvious: if before 60-70% of functionality it was necessary to develop during each project from scratch, then now the same percent is made by already ready modules.

Kirill Sokolov: We work with technology platforms which key problems – work with content, loading, storage and to that similar basic services. If the functionality of vendors is good, we do not create from scratch own analogs. "Logic: The platform" for us is not only product, but also processes around it, and it is important for us that in all projects about use of the platform they were identical.

"Logic: The platform" includes components which implement applied functionality which is not in technology platforms, for example, document registration, logic of integration with external systems. Stack of technologies "Logicians: Platforms" are technologies Java with support of the JSR standards. Using standards of interaction interfaces, we can flexibly select this or that framework implementing them under specific requirements of customers as blocks in the designer of Lego. As database management systems use popular commercial and supported by community is possible DBMS: Oracle DB2 MS SQL or PostgreSQL - for those to whom it is relevant import substitution.

"Logic: The platform" includes components, the implementing applied functionality which is not in technology platforms: for example, document registration, logic of integration with external systems based on an integration bus. Stack of technologies "Logicians: Platforms" are Java technologies

At last, the frontend is thin clients for whose creation the full-function JavaScript-framework of Dojo is used. All main work of users and administrators happens via the browser.

Kirill Sokolov: As I already told, vendor products implement basic functions, such as storage, content, work with processes. "Logic: The platform" implements more applied tasks, everything them can be divided into 2 categories: basic services and business services. Management of dictionaries and reference books, production calendars, management of regular structure, work with the electronic signature, search and so on - all this basic services which bring additional value to a product of rather technology platform from vendors, but do not solve directly a problem of customers. Business services solve specific objectives of customers - approval, document registration, management of paper documents and so on.

All our products represent a set of services "Logicians: Platforms", grouped for the solution certain a set of business challenges. For example, "Logic: The financial dock", a product for management primary financial documentation, consists of about 20 modules of the platform united in one distribution kit.

I will explain the value of services "Logicians: Platforms" on the example of service of search. In the search implemented in a technology platform it is possible to make a request only on a certain class of objects, and we in addition do so that it was possible to look for on several classes of objects, to save the preconfigured search criterions, to manage flexibly availability of search queries to users of different roles and so on.

Kirill Sokolov: We have products on outdated platforms, but they are functionally identical to products from the current line. We support an old stack of products because there is such demand from customers, but actively we do not develop. Some companies prefer not to touch the solution, not to upgrade if its work in everything arranges. But it happens and so: the customer integrates different solutions and at some point the Logic comes to understanding of benefit of transition to the general platform, whether it be FileNet or Alfresco, to such projects ": The platform" perfectly fits in.

Kirill Sokolov: We pay to the integration moment the most close attention. The issue of integration arises in each project, and costs for it is frequent - an essential part of the project.

If to speak about the organizational party of integration, then all existing integration mechanisms have the description that the customer or the partner could use them independently. As for integration scenarios, there is a lot of them: integration through services, through the file system, via the corporate bus. To the most widespread systems – 1C, SAP, MS SharePoint, Galaktika - are the standard connectors. Quite often it is necessary to carry out integration with MDM systems.

I will give one of the last projects in bank where our solution "Logic: File" is integrated with CRM, CORE BANKING SYSTEM and several more information systems by means of the corporate data bus as an example. In this project of a system of bank can transfer content to our archive solution, look for and request from it content on attributes (a barcode, other identifiers) or according to the link to the document which forms in the archive solution when loading content, to update attributes of content, to use reference books of our solution and so on.

Independently to be engaged in development and support of solutions of Business Logic, including to integrate them with other IT solutions, specialists of the customer do not need to have any special competences. There are enough developers with knowledge of Java technologies who will be able independently to perform necessary works by means of the description of our API. We, of course, are always ready to train users, administrators and if it is necessary – that and developers in customer companies.

Kirill Sokolov: "Logic: The platform" continues to develop within traditional service architecture, but many customers already begin to be interested in microservices and deployment in containers. Respectively, we begin to be engaged too in it especially as we already have projects where the customer needs deployment of products of Business Logic in containers. The second direction – the organization of intellectual search in content in our solutions which at earlier stages we already learned to accumulate, store, archive. Besides, we see in the market the requests connected with intellectual processing of texts, for example, selection of objects from the text – the amounts of contracts, details of the organizations, the change history in the document.

Kirill Sokolov: Our special pride is that in the company advantage of upgrade of a product line, of the created platform now – the admitted fact. The concept does not raise questions any more, all understand that these conversions are useful and necessary. This understanding results in the bigger involvement and developers, and project teams. The result did not keep itself waiting: if earlier on each project it was required for us one or two years, then now we in time from a week to one month can implement based on "Logic: Platforms" pilot solution for the customer. From the coming year we wait many new interesting projects!