Silicus helps PCI Network Security Solutions Company accelerate R&D with an extended engineering team

About the Client

The client is a leader in providing highly secure networks across widely distributed enterprises. The client’s software and services are centered on general business networking and security, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) solutions for level 4 merchants, Managed Virtual Private Networks (VPN) for enterprises, as well as an architecture platform enabling end users to deploy networks in an effortless fashion.

Challenge

As a fast growing company with multitude of initiatives the Client’s in-house engineering team was stretched. The Client was looking for a cost-effective solution to build a temporary extension to its engineering team. Given fast changing priorities, the Client wanted to retain control over activities and deliverables completed by the external resources.

The client partnered with Silicus for offshore staffing wherein Silicus would provide experienced and high quality Microsoft.NET resources, in addition to a secure offshore development center for the resources to work from.

Silicus and the client worked jointly in identifying the lead resource for the engagement. The interview process involved participation from the management via audio conferencing. Once the lead resource was on board, there was a 4 week knowledge transfer session at the client’s Houston office.

The offshore resources worked on the back log of projects, ranging from development, maintenance to automated testing.

There were basically three parts to the client’s flagship software product:

• Client side application that runs at the merchant location (client) that needs network security for performing card transactions
• Web services that contains the business logic and rules for the application
• Windows based monitoring application at the server side for handling alerts (either automatically or manually)

Based on the above application description, the following services were performed by the offshore resource:

New Development

• Dealing with new situations and new alerts from the merchant location and developing additional components / business logic for handling these situations
• Development of numerous windows services for monitoring and diagnostics of client down time at merchant locations
• New feature additions such as developing a module for Performing checks on remote clients: the resource had to design and develop a small database for implementing this new functionality

All new development required expertise on Web services, Windows libraries, desktop applications and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)

Software Maintenance

• UI changes
• Fixing production issues
• Modifying Stored Procedures, queries and adding new business logic to the database as and when needed
• Supporting new commands between client side application and the Windows based monitoring application
• Supporting more alert types

Automated Testing

In an attempt to achieve more productivity and efficiency during the testing process for each new feature release, the client had identified modules where automated testing was feasible. For these modules, the offshore resource was responsible for the following broad set of activities:

• Identification of test cases
• Writing test scripts in Microsoft Test
• Developing the UI for triggering test cases periodically
• Test script deployment

• Platform - .NET 3.0 / 3.5
• Languages – C#
• Microsoft Services – Web services, Windows services, Desktop apps, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
• Tools – ncover (code coverage)
• Automated Testing – Microsoft Test
• Database – SQL Server 2005

Handpicked Team

• The resources were handpicked jointly by the client and Silicus based on exact profile matches

Reduced cost of software engineering operations

• Silicus helped the customer significantly reduce product engineering costs

Faster time to market for new features

• The offshore resources helped the client to significantly reduce the new feature / functionality backlog,  allowing the client to generate more revenue faster by including these features in its product