Software Mind

Our client is a financial management company from Finland that needed to extend its development capabilities due to the growth of their business.  We were the first external partner that our client ever worked with, so apart from the development itself, it was necessary to set up a whole framework for effective remote work and cooperation.

The first phase consisted of 2 Software Mind developers who worked with the client’s teams onsite and created the foundation for future cooperation. These included, for example, communication channels, practices regarding work planning and tracking and even basic aspects like managing access to the clients’ environment. We managed to successfully finish the pilot in half the presumed time. Once ways of working were established, the cooperation expanded.

The team grew over time to 30 people (accounting for approximately 40% of the client’s development capabilities). The cooperation is still ongoing and a further ramp-up is on the horizon. Over the years we managed to improve multiple internal processes (we introduced TDD and CD/CI) and support breaking the monolith system into micro-services. Although the client had no experience in such cooperation at first, we managed to establish a partnership of equals, rather than a client-vendor relationship. Our teams are focused on results and work directly with Product Owners and Tech Leaders to ensure business and IT alignment and maximize the value of the product. 

Technology Used

• Java 8
• Cassandra
• Apache Kafka
• MySQL
• Jenkins
• Vaadin
• Tomcat
• JUnit, JBehave, JMockit
• Spring
• Spring Boot
• Docker

Our client was one the biggest Polish telecommunication operators, providing services for both business and individual consumers. The goal of the project was to migrate service logic and users from a legacy SS7 IN based platform to a custom network function built on an open platform based on the Telestax Java SLEE framework. Among the others, we have developed or just migrated Fixed Mobile Substitution, Virtual PBX, or Virtual Private Network.

Software Mind was responsible for the automated deployment of the platform, software development of JSLEE services, as well as the tools to automate the migration process of service and user data. To start, we ran technical deep-dive workshops to obtain a complete understanding of the service logic, user and service data model of the legacy platform to start designing new data models and migration tools. Later we designed, drafted and implemented Chef cookbooks for all the new components, which allowed them to be deployed fully automatically and reduced the time necessary for additional preproduction instance.

The challenge was that the complex and distributed service data model in the legacy platform required quite a large amount of code for the migration tools needed to automate the migration. Due to the fact that the old platform was End of Support, the team was sitting on a ‘time bomb”, yet we managed to hand over on-time.

Technology Used

• Chef
• SIP
• CAMEL
• VoLTE/VoWiFi
• Telestax JSLEE
• MySQL Cluster
• Kamailio
• Java

Our client is one of the leading telecommunications operators in Poland. Our task was to carry out a digital transformation in their value-added service area by replacing their monolith system with microservices, which is part of the client’s overall strategy to move away from legacy systems to enable further business development and facilitate scaling.

Over the years, our client has integrated with more than 20 partners and created a significant number of functionalities, which resulted in a tremendous variety of technologies and numerous interactions. We took responsibility for the entire project, providing not only developers, but also roles such as BA, PO, and PM who coordinated the cooperation with different departments in the client’s organization. We started with a comprehensive analysis of the existing system and consultations with all stakeholders, which allowed us to understand their needs and group clients with similar technology stacks and business functionalities. Based on our analysis, we designed and then built the appropriate microservices to replace the monolithic system.

The incremental work methodology and involvement of managerial roles allowed us to maintain complete control over the progress, while close cooperation with dispersed stakeholders enabled us to address all their needs. We have completed the first stage of implementation according to the assumed schedule, which in the client’s opinion constituted a solid foundation for further cooperation and subsequent development of the project.

Technology Used

• Java 1.8
• MongoDB, Postgres DB
• Angular
• SpringBoot2
• Karate
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• AWS

Our client offers an innovative solution that allows their clients to measure and manage carbon footprint. They came to us in 2019 looking for a partnership that would provide them with guidance and support throughout the entire process of creating a new product.

Our goal was to transform their complex spreadsheet into a scalable web app that would allow handling current and future clients’ needs. Having limited experience with software development, they trusted us to realize the entire project. We started with ideation using Event Storming, then designed and delivered not only the final product, but also a 100% automated CI/CD environment on MS Azure.

The Software Mind team managed to deliver the app, with a previously agreed set of functionalities, in 8 months. The web app allows our client to optimize the resources needed to deploy it and acquire larger clients, while at the same time making it more user-friendly.

Technology Used

• Angular
• .Net Core
• Docker
• MS Azure
• AWS

Our Client is a well-known investment management company established in Edinburg in 1908 and operating ever since. Our cooperation started in 2018 when they decide to extend their development capabilities by cooperating with an external partner and establish first development centre outside their HQ.   

During past 2 years the team grew from 3 developers to 40 people including not only software engineers but also different roles like PM or Security Officers. Now Software Mind's people are divided into smaller teams and work on 8 different projects including front-office, back-office, and clients facing.  

Through the years we build cultural alignment that enables close cooperation with daily online meetings and regular onsite visits. Apart from developed products, our team managed to introduce new ways of working (CI/CD, DDD) and supported Client in the transition from centralized Oracle-based solutions to more modern architecture (microservices).  

Technologies: 

• CQRS, event-driven messaging, DDD, REST
• CI: Linux containers, TFS/VSTS
• MS Azure, Rancher, Kubernetes
• C# (.Net Framework 4+, .Net Core), Javascript, Typescript
• SQL Server, Oracle
• Oracle Advanced Queues, RabbitMQ
• Selenium
• Splunk, CarbonBlack, CylanceProtect, Palo Alto, Sophos AV, Windows, RHEL, Azure, Powershell, Bash

Our client is a leading telecommunications operator in Poland. Our task was both to develop new solutions in the area of identity management and to migrate the 120 previously integrated systems/applications to the new architecture, along with the support for other providers. Additionally, we also carried out the migration from decentralized secret databases to a new centralized structure, which included enhancing the encryption level.

Our team was responsible for most of the project work – from analysis and design, through the implementation of new solutions, migration between versions, testing, training, maintenance and post-implementation assistance. The functionalities we created include, but are not limited to, a federated authentication and authorization system, user authentication and authorization, easy onboarding for mobile (TMForum) federation between applications for microservice platforms, anomaly paternity detection, seamless authentication, two-factor authentication and enhancement to n-factorA scenarios, devices’ whitelists, backchannel authentication, biometric verifications, and sensitive data protection – through consent and permission management.

The solutions we prepared were based on microservice architecture using containerization, which allowed us to achieve high scalability and responsiveness (max 10ms). The multi-level system created ensures full customization and is easily multilevel auditable. In addition, the experience we gained allowed us to implement solutions in the area of identity management for several more telecommunications operators.

Technologies:

• OpenId Connect Core
• OIDC CIBA
• OAuth 2.0
• Mobile Connect
• DID authentication
• SAML 2.0
• Kerberos
• NTLM v2
• SPNEGO
• JAAS
• RADIUS
• RBAC
• NTLM v2
• Mutual SSL
• Aselect

Our Client was a UK based company operating on the highly regulated B2B financial market. Having an innovative idea for a new product but at the same time no experience in B2C which was the target market they decided to get a helping hand from an external company and chosen Software Mind.  

The idea for the project was very general and required to be more detailed to be developed. At the same time, it was crucial to move fast in order to get ahead of the competition. We provided the autonomic team of developers that cooperated with the Client business department on a daily basis using prototyping approach to give them “touch and feel” of new product.   

Creating the MVP for "family&friends" took our team 3 months only and after that it went through all the bureaucracy and audits to tick all the formal boxes and get the final approval. Following development was constantly improving the product and creating fully automated delivery pipeline where new releases where deployed 2/3 times per week. One year after the initial release the user base grew to one million, passing the three million mark in the next two years and becoming one of the main company products.  

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Technologies used:  

• .NET, ASP, MVC   
• Castle Windsor   
• NHibernate   
• TeamCity   
• Octopus Deploy   
• mSpec   
• Selenium  

Our Client was a leading gaming technology and integrated lottery operator. They decide to diversify their operations and use the existing lottery infrastructure to provide the possibility of buying mobile phone top-ups and paying bills. For the software provider the chose Software Mind. 

The IT infrastructure for the sale of new services had to be built from scratch and since the competition was getting close to our Client it had to be done within 6 months. What's more company's CEO and CIO mandated for the system to provide 24x7 service with 99,9% availability.  

Having related experience from the former projects we were able to deliver the project within the assumed deadline with costs 25% under the agreed budget. In a week after service launch, more than 70,000 transactions per day were completed without even a single failure. The system became even more popular, later it was used by hundreds of thousands of customers and as a result, highly increased our Client revenue and ensured their market leader position. 

Technologies:

• SAP, DB2, MSSQL Databases  
• Java 1.4  
• JSP, Swing  
• Delphi 

Our Client is Silicon Valley post-startup with post-money evaluation over 1$ billion. They provide solutions that unify user measurement across different devices, platforms, and channels allowing to obtain a holistic view of various user touch points and ensuring that links take the user to the right place on the website or native app.   

Our Client had been looking for a self-managed and results-oriented team that would be ready to work without excessive support. What's more, the product consists of a blend of many technologies, so the outsourced developers needed to be highly experienced and technologically flexible. Finally, our Client required that the vendor would fit into the organizational culture that supports our Client fast growth. 

Our people managed to become onboarded in 1.5 months, which was impressive for the Client. During the first 8 months our team almost doubled in size and include highly sought roles like data science engineers. Apart from the development of the product itself we suggested and helped to adopt a lot of improvements regarding development and processes. They were experiment based Lean Startup, Unified Roadmap and many infrastructure improvements (better CI/CD process, monitoring and alerting). Now our developers are considered as co-workers rather than external contractors.

Read our Client review of the cooperation here 

Technologies:   

Languages: Java, Python, Go, React.js   

Databases: FoundationDB, ElasticSearch, Postgress   

BigData: Spark, Hive, Presto, Parquet    

Infrastructure: AWS, k8s, Tekton, StackStorm, Loki, Prometheus    

Other: Flink, Airflow, Protobuf, Dropwizard, Bazel  

Our Client is the leading global property information, big data, and technology solutions provider based in the US. The cooperation had started in 2011 and since then Software Minds' teams are participating in more and more areas of our Clients' operations.  

Software Mind's teams are building projects from scratch, participate in the modernization of legacy apps, are a part of R&D in Client’s Innovation Labs and perform SLA-based managed services. Most of the work is being done in a highly regulated environment under the strictest security regulations (ISO27001, SOC 2) with regular customized bank audits. For new products ideation we use Pivotal Labs Methodology. 

Currently, the team consists of approximately 40 people and we became Tier1 Partner. During past years we managed to for example lower the maintenance cost (40% down), shorten the release cycle (5x faster), introduce automated regressions tests (10x less time needed to complete testing), speed up critical change delivery (4x faster) and transfer multiple Client’s applications to the Cloud.  

Read more. 

Technologies: 

• Java 8 
• Spring Boot 
• Spring Cloud 
• Spring Data 
• RabbitMQ 
• Apache Zookeeper 
• AngularJS 
• Cucumber 

Our Client is a global company that delivers a comprehensive service for all administrative aspects of the clinical trial process across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and healthcare industries using technological solutions.   

The project can be generally described as digital transformation. Our job was to transform their service into the SaaS model, transfer the knowledge of their consultants into the software, introduced Machine Learning components and decompose the monolithic system into microservices. We also supported our Client with embracing Agile practices and introduced true DevOps approach with fully automated Continuous Delivery pipeline (TDD, CI/CD, one click deployments).

All of that allowed us to shorten time to market, improve scalability, and lower overall costs while strengthening the market leader position and creating an environment for further improvements that we're constantly working over.