SaM Solutions

Challenge

Due to the rapid evolution of the tech industry, particularly within the fields of automation, security, mobile, and personalized services, Courtware management selected SaM Solutions and Arke to develop and implement the company’s product modernization initiative.  

Solution requirements consisted of the following:

• Reliance on Azure Government for stringent security standards and automation of product infrastructure 
• Architecture creation employing leading-edge tech designed for multiple user bases
• Engineering a custom enterprise data model and service layers, both of which can be scaled on-demand
• Consistent product branding and UI/UX across the multi-device platform
• Reliance on Solr for advanced query and search functionalities
• Enhanced capabilities for personalized end user experiences and settings
• Ability for end users to work more productively using advanced voice automation and cross-platform dashboards
• Advanced analytics and business intelligence via enterprise data warehouse functionalities

SOLUTION

Courtware management was able to swiftly jumpstart the project’s initial development lifecycle. SaM Solutions’ technical leads, with support from Arke, worked together using an agile-based methodology to execute the project’s development lifecycle – developing the new software platform and related products, as well as rebuilding Courtware’s current product line. The lifecycle implemented by SaM Solutions and Arke utilized Azure tools for solution development and management.

The JusticeONE® platform was born, becoming the backbone for numerous Courtware product offerings:

• The iOS and Android-based JusticeONE® e-Ticketing Mobile App. Developed for use by law enforcement personnel in the field, the mobile app allows users to issue parking and traffic tickets in a safe, streamlined, and efficient manner. The app features full integration with the NCIC database, as well as vehicle registration, driver’s license, and license plate scanning capabilities – allowing officers to autofill and issue tickets faster than ever before. Designed for both iOS and Android mobile devices, the software allows officers to use their tablet or phone instead of laptops, Mobile Data Terminals, or other inefficient, time-consuming systems.
• Utilizing SignalR, Microsoft Azure, and other technologies, the JusticeOne CFS Module allows 911 dispatch team members to work, manage, and oversee the entire lifecycle of an emergency call. The software allows dispatchers to respond to the initial 911 call, dispatch field units, and resolve the call on a singular web-based solution for maximum efficiency.

The cloud-based solution uses CJIS Secure and Microsoft Azure Government Cloud for hosting, and features cross-device functionality designed for all members of the emergency response lifecycle – from 911 dispatchers and field response units to backend sysadmins.

The Call For Service Module features total integration with the entire JusticeONE product line, and allows for seamless system management, administration of device licenses, and citation data management. Relying on backend technologies like Microsoft Azure Service Bus and SignalR, the CFS Module allows 911 dispatch teams to manage inbound emergency calls, assign response units in real-time, and oversee the full emergency call lifecycle.

The CFS Module is accessible via numerous devices and displays, and provides an elevated, role-based user experience for the entire emergency response team – from dispatch members to responding public safety officers, backend admins, and management.

The cloud-based software is hosted via CJIS Secure and MS Azure Government Cloud.

Technologies

Languages and frameworks: C#, .Net Core 3.1, EF Core, SignalR, Azure Functions, DevExpress, Swagger, Angular 9, TypeScript, TSQL, .NET Standard 2.0, Xamarin Forms 4.6
Build and automation: Microsoft Azure Pipelines
Project management tools: Microsoft Azure DevOps Boards
Cloud platform: Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Azure Government Cloud
Integration: DevExtreme Widgets, SmartySheets, Adobe Captivate Prime LMS
Development environment: Debian GNU/Linux, Jira, Git
Deploy mode: SaaS, Microsoft Azure DevOps
Databases: MSSQL, SQLite

SUCCESS

The e-Ticketing Mobile App and CFS Module are both currently active on the main JusticeONE platform, and are being utilized by numerous law enforcement organizations in Tennessee and Georgia.

This joint cloud-based SaaS platform project completed by Courtware, SaM Solutions, and Arke has successfully pushed public safety into the era of cloud computing – leading to a safer, seamless, and more efficient solution for all emergency response personnel.

TESTIMONIAL

“Success starts with people. When tasked with executing a multi-year technology modernization roadmap, you need great partners and elite talent. Courtware is fortunate to be working daily with the elite technical resources from Arke and SaM Solutions. Over the past year, we have been able to collectively build one of the strongest and highest performing development teams I have worked with in my career. I am proud to work side-by-side each day with these team members and partner organizations and cannot wait to release new JusticeONE ® products together!”

Jason Norton, CIO at Courtware Solutions

An online application providing rich user experience and advanced features for invoice preparation and management.

Client Profile

Lexware GmbH, a member of the Haufe Mediengruppe since 1993, is a major German software firm. It is a leading software supplier of off-the-shelf solutions for financial management, accounting, tax, travel, HR, payroll, billing, petty cash management and web shops. Today, it is a software provider of commercial software for entrepreneurs, freelancers, small and medium-sized organizations and businesses in Germany.

Challenge

Lexware, a leading German supplier of business and consumer financial applications, turned to SaM Solutions for additional capacities in C++ development. The strategic goal of Lexware was to find a reliable partner for the maintenance of its existing product base, as well as conducting R&D with state-of-the-art technologies for new product architectures.

The development of the LexLive solution became a prominent landmark in the cooperation of the two companies and laid solid foundation for further work. Intending to develop the first prototype of the new online product, Lexware and SaM Solutions started a corporate research project. Created with an Agile process, the product demanded particular skills in Web 2.0 AJAX technologies. The web application itself was developed on the ASP.NET platform.

The implementation of the GUI was the biggest technical challenge, since the web application had to be functionally and visually on par with desktop applications. An equally challenging part of the project was the creation of a hack-proof, stable, and reliable application that was intended for manipulating sensitive and confidential user data.

SOLUTION

LexLive Software is an AJAX web application, which enables small and medium-scale enterprise managers, the self-employed, and freelancers to generate invoices and manage their entire accountancy via the Internet. The product thus provides qualified assistance in various finance-related situations. Installation on a PC is not required. After registration at www.lexlive.de, the program can be used online without restrictions – anytime, anywhere. Guaranteed data integrity ensures access protection, security of information and permanent availability. The program is easy to use even for people with no financial background or experience in this area. The interface uses step-by-step wizards that help users fill in complicated forms and perform complex operations in the most convenient and hassle-free manner. When the user activates the web application, there are five colored folders serving as central navigation elements:

• Service Folder
• Item Folder
• Invoice and more Folder
• Customer Folder
• Overview Folder

These folders allow the user to generate Quotes, Orders, Invoices, Item Lists and Credit Notes, as well as manage them all within LexLive. It is also possible to select the preferred operating mode for the application: anonymous or authenticated/registered user. Authenticated users can save documents, such as quotes and invoices, get an overview of their business situation and recommendations on improving their financial standing.

Functional Features

• Generation of invoices, quotes, orders and credit notes
• Printing and saving of all types of documents
• Generation of business improvement recommendations
• Use of to-do lists for working with the recommendations
• Customer management
• Item management
• Reports on the critical aspects of users’ businesses
• Data access by a Datev (German company that has defined some standards in the area of financial software) export interface for tax accountants
• Integrated help

Technologies

Languages: C#.NET
RDBMS: MS SQL Server
Platform: MS Windows Server
Bug Tracking, Version Control: MS TFS
Other technologies: ASP.NET, ASP.NET MS AJAX Extensions, .NET Framework, MS Visual Studio, HTML, CSS, Java Script

SUCCESS

SaM Solutions delivered a feature-loaded web application with an impressive dynamic interface full of charts, graphs and other visual elements that make interaction with the user more intuitive and facilitate the perception of complex information. The company managed to provide users with the level of interactivity and the general look-and-feel of a standard desktop application, but also made it possible to access the application online anytime and anywhere. The selected development model, based on distributed SCRUM practices, proved to be a success and allowed the project to be completed on time and on budget.

TESTIMONIAL

“We have chosen SaM Solution, because there we found the highest technical skills amongst all potential development partners. This factor is undoubtedly of decisive importance in case of such a complex development project as LexLive. The decision proved to be right. The cooperation has worked wonderfully and the results are just as we required.”

Uwe Rymkuss, Director Engineering at Lexware

The development and support of Sitecore-based websites for the world’s largest flexible workspace listing provider.

Client Profile

The Instant Group is a global leader in independent flexible workspace solutions. It has been providing services in the commercial real estate sector for 20 years.

Challenge

The Company’s core product is a powerful platform that hosts more than 14,000 flexible workspace centers globally and allows its customers to search for shared, managed or enterprise office solutions.

The changing business landscape required significant modification of the website to enable robust handling of a great number of online requests and to provide powerful functionality and up-to-date user experience.

SOLUTION

SaM Solutions’ team has provided the full cycle of services required for the website enhancement, which involved:

• The management and improvement of Sitecore-based website functionality and performance
• The implementation of UX and UI improvements
• The analysis and development of new features
• The support for conversion rate optimization
• Search engine optimization enhancements
• Server and database support and optimization
• Quality assurance

To ensure process efficiency, our team opted for Agile development frameworks based on a feature roadmap and established 24/7 support service.

Stages of software development:

• The analysis of existing IT and infrastructure landscape
• The support of a proper website development strategy
• Continuous software development and deployment
• Maintenance and support

Technologies

Technologies: Sitecore 7.5–8, Glass.Mapper, TDS, ASP.NET, MVC, jQuery, Webpack, React, Bootstrap
Tool: TeamCity
RDBMS: MS SQL
Platform: Windows, Linux
Bug Tracking: Jira
Version Control: SVN

SUCCESS

The cooperation between the Instant Group and SaM Solutions allowed the Customer to optimize website performance and get the 2.6-fold increase of the page loading speed. Our team has fixed server and infrastructure limitations, has established an efficient development and support procedure and has set proper monitoring and quality control.

The project results satisfied the Customer, as the enhanced website performance and functionality have boosted business growth. That is why the successful cooperation between SaM Solutions and the Instant Group has evolved into a long-term partnership.

TESTIMONIAL

“We chose SaM Solutions as a long-term development & support partner for Instant to buy into technical excellence coupled with assured solution delivery experience. Their size and technology experience align well to our technology portfolio and has significantly raised our technical capability. We have been working with SaM Solutions for nearly 2 years now and one of their main areas is to support and complete the roadmap product develop for our Sitecore product. The team has done an excellent job and we are very pleased with the outcome. They are very knowledgeable, capable and have a great attitude.”

Mark Turner, Chief Technology Officer at The Instant Group

The development of a board support package based on Linux and Android.

Client Profile

PHYTEC Technologie Holding AG is an international IT service company with more than 30 years of industry expertise. The Company provides a wide range of services such as system integration, hardware and software design and development, mechanical design and manufacturing. Also, the Customer produces end-to-end products that are widely used in numerous systems and in various industries: systems on modules, single-board computers, industrial cameras and CAN network solutions.

Headquartered in Germany, the Company has its subsidiaries in the US, France, China and India, as well as an extensive network of distributors.

Challenge

The Customer was extending the product line with a brand-new hardware product based on the latest version of i.MX6 CPU. The product required a robust board support package (BSP) so that a full-fledged and seamless performance could be enabled.

The project deadline was tight, as the Customer needed to launch the product within a short timeframe.

SOLUTION

Based on the initial board prototypes and technical specifications, SaM Solutions’ embedded development team performed end-to-end development of a full board support package to make it meet the product requirements.

The team created a ready-to-use Linux-based BSP that has all the essential drivers and board-level feature support. Android BSP was created as a second phase, based on both the initially created Linux BSP and the Android version from the Freescale reference board. The resulting solution — PHYTEC phyFLEX-i.MX6 SOM — is cost-effective and provides high performance at low power, allowing universal use either in consumer electronics or intense industrial environments. Its key characteristics are:

• The support of the Freescale™ i.MX6 Solo, i.MX6 Dual, and i.MX6 Quad application processors
• Standardization across the phyFLEX product family
• Comprehensive Linux package with GCC C/C++ cross-development toolchain, PTXdist build system, Bootloader (Barebox/U-Boot), kernel, root file system and source BSP
• Full-featured Android BSP with complete hardware peripherals support and memory management
• 64-bit DDR3, USB, Gigabit Ethernet, integrated FlexCAN and MLB busses, PCIe, SATA-II, multiple simultaneous displays, camera interface and HDMI

The project included the following phases:

• Linux package development
• Android porting
• The development and adjustment of kernel modules for various peripheral hardware components, such as LVDS, HDMI, touch controllers, SPI NOR, NAND, SATA, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB OTG, I2C, CAN, PCI Express, audio, PEB interfaces, camera interface, GPU, GPIO, thermal sensors and other

Technologies

Languages: C/C++, Qt, Python, BASH, Assembler
Technologies: GNU/Linux kernel, Android, U-Boot, Barebox, Oselas toolchain, DirectFB i2c, LVDS, HDMI, CAN, GPIO
Platform: ARM: Freescale iMX.6 (with PHYTEC PBA-B-01 phyFLEX), TI OMAP 5
Development Environment: Debian GNU/Linux, Jira, Git

SUCCESS

The SaM Solutions team has performed all of the project-related works in a time-sensitive manner, which allowed the Customer to successfully meet the product’s short time-to-market. The solution’s robust performance contributed greatly to an efficient and smooth operations of the new hardware product.

The project’s success, as well as SaM Solutions’ extensive expertise in embedded development, resulted in a long-standing partnership between SaM Solutions and the Customer.

Therapy-in-Montion (TiM) is an easy to handle, powerful desktop application enabling digital end-to-end management of physiotherapy practice.

Client Profile

azh GmbH is a subsidiary of NOVENTI GmbH (former VSA). Today over 20000 clients in Germany rely on software products and services of azh to process billings with health insurance providers of medical invoices and prescriptions.

Challenge

azh has set an ambitious goal of bringing to the market a powerful, yet user-friendly software product that would manage and simplify 100% of daily operations in physiotherapy practices. The envisioned Therapy-in-Motion (TiM) application should be end-to-end solution for management of patient data and diagnosis history, scheduling treatments, managing prescriptions and billings.

However, the project stumbled half-way on technical challenges and consequent delays. azh needed a reliable IT partner to help it meet the shrinking market window for the product under limited budgets.

Solution

SaM Solutions came on board as an experienced IT partner, specializing in custom software development, also leveraging the global delivery model.

Within a few weeks SaM Solutions ramped-up a team that worked out a roadmap for project completion. It spanned 14 months and included finalization of usability and feature requirements, design and delivery of the software, as well as rigorous testing and software quality assurance activities. The architecture and technology stack were completely revamped, to take advantage of open-source frameworks and technologies shortening the development cycle and ensuring easier supportability of the software code.

Despite all time limitations and geographical distribution of the project team, the azh product management and SaM Solutions IT professionals established effective working process to align business priorities and communicate industry-specific requirements efficiently. The nearshore team of SaM Solutions ensured paced delivery of the software application under strictly observance of predefined quality metrics and project KPIs, in strict compliance with fixed schedule and budget.

Technologies

Languages: Java 1.6
ОS: Windows XP SP3 (2000, Vista Ultimate, Vista Home Basic, Server 2003)
Application Server: Tomcat 5.x-6x
Frameworks: Spring 2.x, Hibernate 3.x
DB: MySQL 5.X, PostgreSQL 8.X, H2 1.X
Bugtracking System: Seapine TestTrack Pro v.6.0.3
Other Technologies: Microsoft Office Visio 2003; Enterprise Architect v. 7.0.813; TestLink 1.7.1; QFTest 2.2.2; VMWare Studio 1.0.0.620; Check Point VPN-1 SecureClient NG_AI_R56

Success

SaM Solutions has successfully delivered software product for azh GmbH under defined timeframes, budgets and quality metrics. Since its first release in 2009, the TiM software has been maintained and further enhanced by SaM Solutions, setting new standards for user-friendliness, yet functional comprehensiveness for physiotherapy practice management software solutions.

Testimonial

“As concerns transparency, versa-tility and flexibility of everyday work the azh TiM is definitely the only one of its kind. Successful co-operation with SaM has had as a result the fast time-to-market launch of the solution at limited cost.”

Susanne Hausmann, Managing Director at azh GmbH

Client Profile

The partner is Toradex, the Switzerland-based provider of embedded computing solutions, especially Arm®-based system on modules and customized single-board computers. The company has offices in the USA, Vietnam, China, India, Japan and Brazil.

Challenge

The operation and productivity of industrial equipment directly depends on the motor performance. That is why a solution that allows maintenance engineers to continuously monitor their production assets and be alert to any aberrations, from slight malfunctions to outage, helps prevent failures.

SaM Solutions aimed to create a predictive maintenance system that assesses the behavior of a motor and, based on that, determines the status and alerts about aberrations, if there are any.

Solution

Our team has created the prototype of a system that relies its predictive capability on motor vibration frequency and force, as an abnormal vibration level signals that the motor has probably failed. As a hardware platform for the prototype, they have used Toradex’s computer-on-module Colibri i.MX6-ULL, as it has all the capabilities required for predictive maintenance processes.

The system relies the detection of abnormal behavior on AI methods, while data analytics is based on a pre-trained model. The team has applied TensorFlow/Keras-based algorithms to train and build the model after collecting the data specific to each of the motor performance states. To provide flexibility, the system is based on two cloud solutions: it was trained on Azure, while AWS Greengrass has been used for algorithm deployment.

The process of the motor state analysis includes the following steps:

• The system acquires performance parameters from the motor using MPU-6050 data that is read continuously and transmits it to an AWS Lambda-based algorithm that is written in Python.
• The data is prepared in the way the model can accept it as input characteristics. Then the system applies machine learning algorithms to identify the motor state based on Amazon Greengrass and Amazon Lambda function. An ‘off’ state when it is stopped, a ‘normal’ state when it is on and behaves normally, and an abnormal state that indicates malfunctions such as undervoltage, overvoltage or motor failure.
• The board reports the motor status via a web interface or using various communication protocols.

Watch the webinar to study up on the predictive maintenance system that can help maintenance engineers monitor the state of electric motors.

Technologies

Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft IoT Edge, Amazon Greengrass/Lambda, MQTT, SMTP, TensorFlow/Keras frameworks, Python, Jupiter
Tools: Toradex’s NXP i.MX 6ULL Computer on Module – Colibri iMX6ULL, InvenSense’s MPU6050 Gyroscope-accelerometer

Success

SaM Solutions’ team has developed an efficient prototype of a predictive maintenance system that features a probability of prediction results of up to 99%. This system allows companies to avoid down-time-related costs and improve the productivity of their assets.

Client Profile

Telekom Slovenije is an enterprise-level telecommunications organization headquartered out of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The company provides a wide range of telecom-related services, such as cloud, infrastructure, and systems integrations, as well as both fixed and mobile network services. Telekom Slovenije is one of the largest B2B and B2C telecom providers in Southeastern Europe.

Challenge

After acquiring a company in the same vertical, and the subsequent fusion of both businesses’ product and service offerings, Telekom Slovenije was in need of a highly capable, powerful, and flexible digital commerce platform. One of Telekom Slovenije’s key requirements was for the platform to seamlessly handle both B2B and B2C digital marketing, sales, CRM, and other relevant functions.

Solution

SAP Commerce Cloud (ex Hybris) was determined to be the best platform by Telekom Slovenije, with SaM Solutions and VERSO Altima Group being the companies selected for the platform’s custom development and implementation.

The platform needed to successfully meet the following functionalities and requirements:

• Scalable and efficient digital B2C/B2B sales processes
• Ability to provide subscription-based service/payment models
• Digital portal for customer self-service/user management
• CMS
• Product/service catalog management
• Discounts, redemption codes, and promotional functions
• Management system for product/service inventories
• Seamless integration with back-office services/systems
• Deep-level search functionality
• Product/service recommendations
• Personalized website notifications
• Search engine optimization

Technologies

Languages and frameworks: Java Spring (Core, MVC, Integration, Security), jQuery, Node.js, Angular
Integration: DataHub, Impex, Web Services
Build Automation: jenkins, GitLab, Git, Selenium
Deploy Mode: On premises cluster
Authentication: LDAP, SSO
Search: SOLR, Google Search
Project Management and Architecture: Jira, Confluence
Databases: SAP HANA

Success

The joint implementation team from SaM Solutions and Altima successfully delivered all project requirements, resulting in a successful SAP Commerce Cloud implementation for Telekom Slovenije. The custom SAP Commerce Cloud solution also featured numerous complex integrations with Telekom Slovenije’s backend systems.

“We have been cooperating with SaM Solutions on an SAP Hybris Commerce development for quite a while and we are very satisfied with their team’s performance. SaM Solutions’ experts proved to be highly proficient, while project organization and implementation methodologies are efficient and reliable. The team flexibly adjusted to changing requirements, and the excellent competences and expertise of its members empowered the creation of a robust solution. That is why we continued our collaboration on further project phases with SaM Solutions, which we hope will evolve into a long-standing efficient partnership.”

Damir Pleško, Director Project Management Office at VERSO Altima Group

Client Profile

Botany Labs is a consumer electronics startup based out of Barcelona, Spain. The company is focused on creating IoT-enabled consumer electronics products centered around plant care, with their flagship product being “KORU” – a smart plant pot and air purifier.

Challenge

Founded in 2020, Botany Labs was formed around the unique goal of developing IoT-based consumer electronics for plant care and air purification. The company wanted to create a product that would allow consumers to control, monitor, and analyze the health of their plants through a mobile app that’s connected to a smart plant pot.

While the startup had strong internal expertise in plant care and certain technologies, they required highly advanced and specific software/hardware development knowledge to create an MVP and bring their product to market.

Botany Labs’ desired smart plant pot and air purifier product required expertise across the following technologies:

• IoT
• Cloud
• Mobile
• Hardware

Specifically, the MVP needed to possess the following functionalities:

• Hardware device with multiple cloud-connected sensors;
• Sensors with the ability to automatically store and transmit collected data to the cloud
• Mobile applications for iOS and Android for users to remotely control, analyze, and monitor the device

Solution

The project’s deep-level technical requirements were one of the main reasons why Botany Labs chose SaM Solutions, due to our expertise in IoT, mobile, cloud, and embedded technologies.

Because the project spanned numerous technologies, it was divided into two separate outputs: software and hardware.

The software work stream consisted of the following:

• Architecture design
• Firmware
• Embedded
• Cloud configuration
• iOS and Android development
• Backend configuration
• System testing

The prototyping of hardware components was undertaken in partnership with EnCata. The scope of work involved the following:

• Initial project planning
• PCB design and prototyping
• Housing design
• Delivery of POC prototypes
• Prototype testing

Throughout the entire course of the project, the joint development teams followed an Agile methodology. Additionally, some of the latest and most leading-edge technologies were used such as AWS Lamda, AWS IoT Core, and Google Firebase.

Technologies

Architecture: Firmware/SDK, Cloud computing, Client-server applications
Backend: Python 3, boto3 library, DB – DynamoDB, Notifications – Google Firebase, Storage – AWS S3, Authentication – AWS Cognito, AWS IAM, Logs – AWS Cloudwatch, Firmware – ESP-IDF
Frontend: Java, RxJava2, – Swift, RxSwift
Other Technologies and Tools: Serverless architecture – AWS Lambda, IoT – AWS IoT Core

With such a complex set of end goals, technologies, and product functionalities, the joint development teams accomplished all project requirements within budget, on schedule, and with maximum efficiency.

The solution’s IoT capabilities utilize a cloud-based infrastructure and rely on serverless computing functions. SaM Solutions’ development teams contributed the following:

• Native mobile app development for iOS and Android devices
• Microcontroller embedded development
• DevOps services via AWS
• Project management
• Business Analytics

Botany Labs’ resulting MVP features the following capabilities:

• Database of 150+ common household plants
• Automated and customized plant care programs
• Fully automated and remote controlled plant watering and water level monitoring
• Real-time mobile notifications, alerts, monitoring, and control via iOS and Android devices
• Comprehensive plant life/health indicators
• Automated air purifier
• Extensive plant health history via statistics, visual data, and analytics

Developing the KORU smart plant pot was an exciting and interesting opportunity for our development teams. The project required an advanced level of expertise across numerous cutting edge technologies such as serverless computing, cloud, and IoT. SaM Solutions is proud to have successfully contributed to the technological growth of the plant care and agriculture industries.

The resulting consumer electronics product, KORU, is available for purchase!

“While we were developing a smart home device and looking for a qualified partner to take the proposed concept to the next level, we partnered up with SaM Solutions. We chose SaM Solutions to be our partner for this project because of their high competencies in the field and their flexibility to adapt to various needs throughout the process. In the end, we are pleased with the high quality and thorough understanding of the task at hand and helped tackle any issues that arose. Overall, we are delighted with the dedication and enthusiasm of the entire team to make this project a reality and look forward to more successful projects together.”

Ahmed El Ibiary, CTO & Co-Founder at Botany Labs

Client Profile

Loyalty Partner Solutions GmbH, based in Munich, is a provider of first-class customer relationship management, and customer loyalty solutions with a primary focus on retail, transportation and aviation industries. The company has extensive experience of delivering tailor-made, business-critical solutions to major clients across the globe, thus contributing to their long-term success and business efficiency.

Challenge

The initial version of the Loyalty Management Suite (LMS) was developed by LPS in an effort to enable retailers to in-crease revenue, better understand shoppers, build brand awareness, and generate shopper excitement. Later on, the decision was made to enhance and modify it for extra flexibility and functionality, which was needed in a broader range of business domains. To keep the loyalty system up to date and make it more convenient to use, LPS engaged SaM Solutions as a soſtware development partner. The system had to enable partners to configure redemption options and other relevant settings using a convenient online interface. The primary goal of the project was to perform a major update of the solution to offer partners more flexibility, redemption options and raw business value.

Solution

SaM Solutions provided LPS with a team of skilled Java developers that used Agile methodologies to seamlessly blend into the existing development environment, quickly respond to changing technical and business requirements and adjust the development process according to the client’s immediate needs. Some of the features delivered to the client include, but are not limited to:

• Possibility to identify members with CPAN;
• Possibility to use a PB payment card for bank;
• Possibility to enter und update promotion data;
• Possibility to enter and update gift data
• Possibility to redeem points against vouchers
• Possibility to redeem points against gifts
• Possibility to reserve redeemed vouchers

The solution is based on a service-oriented architecture (SOA) applying state-of-the-art technologies, frameworks and open system operation standards. The resulting system possessed the necessary functionality for inciting visitors to buy goods using the Payback card system (reward system), to collect points and redeem them for discounts at stores while making purchases, miles (for transportation services), vouchers or gifts depending on the services/goods offered by a web store of loyalty partner. Compared with the initial design, the updated solution delivered by SaM offered a host of new redemption options, easier access to loyalty program settings and greater business value.

To ensure the quality of the product, SaM Solutions involved experienced QA engineers. Due to high-performance and well-adjusted process of development and testing, during the first 9 years of work on the creation of this product, more than 15 thousand Issues has been processed. Every test prepared by engineers, passed a critical analysis based on 4-eyes principle, ensuring high quality of these tests and, thereby, enhancing the quality of the product itself. Tricentis Tosca Testsuite tool was used for not only test management and test data, but also for test automation. Due to this, from 50 to 100% (depending on functional modules) of manual test cases were automated, thus, it improved the efficiency of the testing process. By implementing regular regression testing, it was possible to provide reliable product quality. Currently, the volume of regression tests reached the number of more than four thousand tests.

The cooperation between SaM Solutions and Loyalty Partner Solutions was based on the agile principles of soſtware development and QA. This methodology required very efficient interaction between teams in Minsk and Munich. At the same time, both teams worked towards reducing the bureaucratic overhead by strictly complying with a few basic rules.

The resulting soſtware development and quality assurance processes were flexible and lightweight. The partners worked according to the SCRUM model, which emphasized the crucial importance of communications between team over the course of a project. The development and QA teams were self-organized in technical tasks and working soſtware products were released every two weeks. The result was increased productivity, transparency of soſtware development, high quality of released versions of product and high satisfaction of all the project members.

Success

By choosing to rely on SaM Solutions as an offshore software development services provider, LPS was able to take advantage of the superior quality and reliability of software development services offered by SaM and significantly improve the efficiency of their software development process. SaM Solutions used its best practices accumulated over the 30 years of its history. The product delivered by SaM Solutions helped LPS confirm its standing as a leading provider of LMS software and allowed hundreds of partners and millions of users sell and buy more efficiently.

Client Profile

electrical-components.com is one of the largest international marketplace selling electronic components. The company established itself as a reliable partner in wholesale and retail market of hardware in Netherlands. It provides a great range of products from everyday electronic gadgets to specialized components for industrial use.

Challenge

The Client looked to expand to other countries in Europe and beyond by creating an international brand “electrical-components.com” and a new eCommerce system was needed for this task.

The company approached SaM Solutions to develop a new online-shop for an international market of electronic products. They set a goal to create several online stores with a single control panel. SaM Solutions team started to build a Adobe Commerce website from scratch having analyzed all the requirements. Attention to such aspects as the user-friendliness, SEO-compatibility, as well as high speed and overall website security was required.

Solution

SaM Solutions established a team of Adobe Commerce-certified developers and set a goal of creating an online shop that would be easy to use and manage at the same time. For this task, a Adobe Commerce Enterprise platform was chosen. It uses modern, easy-to-learn, and agile backend business tools as well as customizable platform that integrates with third-party solutions and can be deployed in any environment.

SaM Solutions team delivered the following services:

• Creating a easy to use catalogue
• Providing well-structured product pages
• Integrating the website with a search system
• Implementing PayPal check out
• Creating a unique design
• Developing the customer loyalty system, etc.

Technologies

The stack of applied technologies and tools comprised Adobe Commerce, Zend, MySQL, PHP, jquery, HTML, CSS.

SUCCESS

SaM Solutions helped electrical-components.com to become one of the most popular online electronics store in the EU, based on Adobe Commerce Enterprise Edition. The result of our work is a user-friendly website with many unique features. Growth that followed the launch of the new website helped The Client to go global and become one of the leading sellers of electronics in Europe as well as claim their part in the worldwide electronics market.

CUSTOMER PROFILE

The client is a large children's fashion retailer. The company provides a wide range of clothing, toys, and accessories via an extensive network of retail shops and their large-scale eCommerce website.

CHALLENGE

The customer used an outdated eCommerce platform that lacked system flexibility and failed to provide robust performance levels. The customer required a scalable and cost-efficient eCommerce platform to support large amounts of daily transactions, robust data processing functionality, and a customizable customer experience.

Project Requirements:

• Streamlined management of large datasets in the client's online product directory, retail stores, customer service functions, and in-store/online promotions.
• Data storage and its transfer from the client's old system.
• Personalized marketing capabilities including custom campaigns, promotions, and specialized multichannel content.
• A variety of technological functionalities for customer interaction management, such as pick-ups, deliveries, partial refunds and compensations.
• Total integration with other systems and services such as SAP ERP, payment functionality, loyalty systems, product recommendations, intelligent/AI-based marketing, and logistics.
• In-depth user behavior tracking
• Detailed data reporting and analytics

SOLUTION

To empower efficient retail sales, the SaM Solutions team decided on an omnichannel SAP C/4HANA for the development of a comprehensive eCommerce platform.

Our team performed a full range of activities to adjust an out-of-the-box SAP solution to the customer's requirements, which includes the following:

• The deployment of an out-of-the-box solution
•  Fine-tuning and customization of the solution
• The development of a responsive web design
• Integration with other systems the customer uses
• Quality assurance
• On-going maintenance and support

The updated solution that the SaM Solutions team developed features the following functionalities:

• Product catalog control panel
• Customized mapping of product categories
• High-quality search and navigation capabilities based on Apache Solr
• Easy-to-use ordering system and streamlined payment process
• Customizable promotions and cross-selling capabilities
• Order management system
• Call center management system
• Cost and delivery time calculation module for enhanced UX
• Reporting system

TECHNOLOGIES

• Hybris 5.4
• Java 7
• Spring 3 (Core, MVC, Security, Integration)
• HTML
• CSS
• JSP
• JSTL
• jQuery
• AJAX
• JSON
• Axis 2
• DataBase (Oracle 11, MySQL 5, HSQLDB)
• Jenkins
• Git
• Ant 1.9
• Jira
• Confluence
• IntelliJ IDEA

SUCCESS

• The cooperation with SaM Solutions allowed the customer to rely its business on an efficient and highly scalable platform that integrates eCommerce and website functionality.
• SaM Solutions successfully delivered all of the project requirements to the customer, resulting in a highly efficient and scalable eCommerce platform built using SAP.
• This advanced system allows the major retail chain to increase sales while providing greater control over content management, product management, as well as data and order management.