Webinars

Top 5 Secrets to Increasing QA Results

Managing product quality and knowing the most efficient path to get to market is one of the most important challenges facing software development organizations today. Growing complexity of underlying domains, multitudes of platforms to be supported and ever reducing release cycles are making the quality assurance challenge even more complicated. Symphony Services helps organizations achieve their quality imperatives through a focus on people, processes, tools and methodology.

Driving Higher ROI on Non-Core & Legacy Products

In today’s economy many technology companies are looking to maximize the ROI from their products and extend the output from their R&D; teams in the face of shrinking budgets. One of the big challenges is that much of the R&D; budget – sometimes more than 90% – goes to maintaining older versions of products. Oftentimes, a large chunk of the budget go to products aren’t even key to the company’s future, but still require a lot of resources to keep going.

Seven Ways to Tell if Your Company is Ready for Cloud Computing

Symphony Services and OpSource join together to speak about this important topic. Cloud computing has become an increasingly important capability for many vendors, even though it faces several significant challenges. In a recent study, 45% of CIOs and CFOs said they believed, “cloud computing was not just hype,” and 44% of those businesses using or planning to use cloud computing said they expected to invest between 6–15% of their IT budgets on cloud computing in the next two years, in order to achieve:

• Improved time-to-market by shortening delivery while building out innovation
• Reduced application development and delivery costs
• Improved operational performance, leading to increased customer satisfaction

Cloud Computing for ISVs - Five Uses to Improve Product Development

During this webinar, we will be talking about some of the trends driving Cloud Computing, define a standards-based Cloud Computing reference model, introduce five uses of Cloud Computing that have positive impact on the business, and discuss essential issues that need to be addressed prior to starting a migration to the cloud.

5 Steps To Achieve Business Outcomes Through Test Automation

In the world of software testing, a strong and well executed test automation program can act as a force multiplier for not only your QA organization, but the entire R&D; team. With an aggressive test automation program you can:

• Reduce test cycles by at least 40%
• Slash testing budgets by removing the time and effort from manual testing
• Vastly expand code coverage

China-the Next Frontier

India is the clear leader in offshore software engineering. But as many companies look for alternatives or to diversify their global R&D; portfolio, many companies are starting to take a close look at China. Already the king of offshore manufacturing, China is beginning to nurture their software development industry. But what's the real scoop on China. Is it ready for prime time? How does it compare to India, Eastern Europe or the Philippines as a source of commercial grade software development talent? How should companies best incorporate China into their R&D; strategy? Hear from leading analysts at Forrester Research and AMR who have slightly different views on how to think about China today and what the future holds.

Globalization Webcast Series: Product Development Globalization-State of the Union

A direct sales force is a powerful force for driving top line revenue but it is not the only force. There are many go to market strategies (e.g., value-added resellers, telemarketing, Internet channels, strategic partners, etc.); each with its own pros and cons. How can you tell if the go to market strategy you are using is the best one for your company and more importantly for your prospects and customers? Should you have multiple channels? Join us for our September 11th webinar entitled Selecting the Appropriate Channel as we explore the pros and cons of alternative go to market strategies.

Over the past two decades, ISVs have increasingly off-shored product engineering activities with the primary motivation to cut costs. But that’s changed significantly. Today, growth, time to market and competition are driving the emergence of a global development model, alongside cost savings, as evidenced by reports from Duke CIBER/Booz Allen Hamilton and the SIIA.

What started as staff augmentation 20 years ago has emerged as a mainstream strategy and has evolved from low-level tasks to encompass the most complex architectural and development roles. Today there is virtually no aspect of the product development lifecycle that isn’t being done offshore.

Hundreds of ISVs have moved a portion of their R&D operations offshore to India, China, Eastern Europe and other locales. Some have set up their own captives, some work with providers, and others employ a combination strategy. How are they faring? Which strategies work and which do not? We’ll get the industry perspective from Forrester Research, in addition to real-life feedback from Cisco and EMC, who have taken different paths to a globalized R&D model.

Increasing Customer Intimacy through Globalized Services and Support

As in all industries, software companies are trying to get closer to their customers. Increasingly, it is the channel partners who have greater control over the customer relationship, particularly with increased customer collaboration from product implementation right through to ongoing product support.

So what can software companies do to get cozier with their customers? Many have found that through enhancing their support capability and expanding professional service offerings they can move further up the value chain with customers. This in turn increases customer satisfaction and helps solidify profitable longer-term relationships. One of the key enablers to this formula is properly leveraging a globalized services and support delivery model.

Hear industry leaders from Oracle, Hyperion, Autodesk and Business Objects talk about the underlying strategic drivers for expanding their service and support offerings, as well as the operational and organization implications you need to consider to make it happen. Find out what works well and learn where the pitfalls might be.

Globalization of R&D: The Impact on Innovation

If you are living the truth of R&D globalization you know that with focus and effort you can scale tight budgets and get products out faster. But with more and more product development work being done in other parts of the world, how will this impact your ability to innovate?

So what are others doing to manage innovation—under their own roof and in extension with partners? The imperative to get differentiated features, capabilities and services to customers before the competition is not going away. Hear our panel discuss the way they are approaching innovation in a global environment, how they are gauging the health and vitality of their innovation capability, and where the hot spots are around the world.

Globalization Webcast Series: QA - It's not about Testing

So how can we get there? Is the answer just more testing? Increased testing would negatively impact build cycle times. Are we even testing the right things? "Acceptance criteria" is usually based on prior releases, and set by the product manager, but doesn't always solve the problem. So what should the QA community be working towards? Our panel will discuss the state of the art today and where things are going.

Multi-Shore Agile Development: An Oxymoron?

This session will review some of issues with implementing Agile in a multi-shore environment to reveal how Agile methodologies have been adapted to effect rapid knowledge transfer, training, transition planning, goal setting, governance, as well as the comprehensive operational reviews required to achieve these results. We'll also talk about specific case studies at leading software companies to show how dramatic results have been achieved and the comprehensive metrics that can be used to track the new offshore team's ramp up from a quality/productivity/on-time delivery standpoint.

New Software Economics: What’s the Impact on the R&D Organization?

The economics of the software industry have changed dramatically. Top line revenues are growing modestly, but margins are slipping due to the shift towards services and the downward pressure of new development paradigms (Open Source) and delivery models (SaaS). ISV financial performance is drawing more scrutiny from Wall Street – increasingly valuations are based on profitability, not license revenue. And the Street provides no premiums for who, how or where software is produced

So what does this all mean for the future of the R&D organization? Offshore development centers are in disputable trend, but optimizing R&D effectiveness is the key. What should the modern R&D organization look like?

Speakers

1. Gordon Brooks, CEO, Symphony Services Corporation
2. Bikram Sarma, Vice President, Platform Engineering, Oracle
3. Amar Hanspal, Vice President, Collaboration Services, Autodesk
4. Jason Maynard, Software Analyst, Credit Suisse

The Path to SaaS Success: Choosing the Right Metrics for Operational and R&D Excellence

Everybody is looking for the perfect set of metrics to manage their R&D organizations. There is even more of a desire to identify and manage to metrics when using a global development organization. How do you compare “onshore” and “offshore” productivity? Some companies are doing a good job of using metrics, some are not so effective and some are not even using metrics at all.

While the use of metrics has not reached the level of maturity in the software industry as they have in manufacturing, most of the thinking on the subject revolves around traditional packaged software companies. But with the emergence of Software as a Service as a new business model, it has caused a radical re-evaluation of what software companies look like and operate. Does the SaaS model also impact the type of metrics used to manage the R&D organization? What about operations? If new metrics are required, what are the right ones?

We’ll talk to some of the leading companies in the SaaS industry and get their opinions on how to most effectively use metrics to monitor the performance of their R&D organizations and manage operations.

Speakers

1. Todd Gagne, Sr., Director of R&D, Concur Technologies
2. Jon Tyson, Director of Engineering Buzzsaw, Autodesk
3. Luke Schneider, Senior Vice President, Operations, Verticalnet

Storage Market Dynamics and Global Product Innovation

The storage market is one of the most dynamic segments of the software industry. It’s growing leaps and bounds and the definition of "storage” is increasingly fluid – hardware companies are becoming software companies and vice-versa – and then there’s the impact of industry consolidation.

But the growth of the industry predictably comes back to customer demand. Corporations are accumulating more data every day and managing and maintaining that data has become mission critical both in terms of business impact and compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPPA. Leaders in storage software are using global strategies to enhance their product development lifecycle activities and drive growth and spur innovation.

Join industry thought leaders from the SNIA, Iron Mountain Digital and Mimosa Systems as they discuss the latest trends, issues and experiences in leveraging globally distributed development environments.

Globalization Webcast: Offshore Software Development Metrics

Symphony Services and the SIIA have recently completed a survey of more than 100 ISVs about their offshore and outsourced product development activities. Not surprisingly, one of the key findings from the survey revolved around productivity measures of their offshore product development activities. In this webcast Symphony will share the findings of the survey and talk about some of the issues around collecting, measuring and interpreting of metrics as they relate to software development. We will also explore what learnings that the industry might be able to take from other industries where outsourcing and offshore are the norm. Joining the conversation will be representatives from Citrix Sytems and Verticalnet, who will provide their point of view on metrics and talk about how they are using them to improve the productivity of their operations.

Tapping Global Talent for .NET Environments

For those considering or in the process of making the move to .NET, this webcast will highlight some of the benefits of the .NET platform and discuss the options available for making the move to .NET fast and easy by leveraging global talent pools. Learn about how to gain access to specialized skills and new support programs to help make the transition to .NET.

Speakers

1. David Bishop, Director Solution Architect, Microsoft Corporation
2. Roger Nessier, Vice President Product Management, Symphony Services

Establishing Software Development Operations Offshore:

When to Partner, When to Run Your Own, When to Use a Hybrid Approach

In today's global business environment, ISVs are starting to view offshore software development as a required element for success.

The first fork in the road is deciding whether to set up your own Offshore Development Center or partner with an established Offshore Product Development Provider. Many companies have tried to follow the path blazed by industry behemoths such as Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP in establishing their own offshore development centers, with varying success.

For those that have been successful establishing and running their own operations, what are the options to optimize performance? Especially when the limits of the existing infrastructure have been reached and there is a lack of appetite for further investment.

Speakers

1. Dayon Kane, Director and General Manager, Legacy Business Unit, BMC Software
2. A.B Maynard, Managing Director, Agilocity Consulting

Offshore Software Development for Emerging ISVs:

Proven Strategies that Improve Your Investment Profile

Early stage, venture-backed companies have unique challenges that affect the path they take to implement an offshoring strategy. Burn rate is the #1 KPI and time-to-market is critical. Any mis-step in execution can be devastating to an emerging company, so the opportunity to learn from those who have successfully made the leap will be especially beneficial.

Speakers

1. Andrew Frawley, CEO, Click Tactics
2. Peter Wang, CTO, Intransa
3. Ramanan Raghavendran, Managing Director, THLee Putnam Ventures

How To Measure the Effectiveness of Your Offshore Software Development Center:

A Metrics Driven Approach

In today's distributed global development environments, it is more important than ever to effectively measure and quantify the effectiveness of individual teams to achieve success across the collective development organization. The way these measures are defined and applied can play a pivotal role in driving development behaviors. Carefully engineered metrics can challenge developers to increase throughput, accuracy, independence, and even increase their breadth of application knowledge.

Speakers

1. Tom Mudd, Vice President Development, GERS Inc.
2. David Carpini, Vice President, Symphony Services

A Multi-Shoring Approach to Software Product Development

As outsourcing moves from a cost motivated option to a globalization imperative the nature and approach to leveraging offshore talent is becoming longer term and more strategic. With several iterations of outsourcing behind them, a new breed of company is approaching access to global talent and global markets as a key strategy.

Speakers

1. Robert Gersten, Chief Development Officer, Hyperion
2. Gordon Brooks, CEO, Symphony Services