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Case Studies
Scenario Description
For more than a decade, Misys Healthcare Systems and Veracity Solutions have partnered to develop innovative applications that meet the needs of healthcare providers while improving the quality of patient care. To help medical staff reduce manual, paper-based processes, Misys Healthcare Systems and Veracity Solutions collaborated to create FreeNatal, a Web-based application that provides prenatal care providers with an easy-to-use, secure interface for managing patients' records. Using Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2008 SP1 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, eight members from the Misys-Veracity team created the application. By taking advantage of these powerful technologies, the team increased development speed by 60 percent, enabling accelerated market delivery and further strengthening their respective positions in the healthcare informatics industry.
Companies worldwide increasingly rely on testing to screen prospective employees and evaluate existing staff. The Test Factory, a fast-growing software development firm based in Durham, England, provides an online solution for creating and administering tests to meet this growing need. Following the brilliant debut of its Web-based testing solution, The Test Factory pushed ahead with an aggressive schedule for the delivery of version two of its application. Using Microsoft® Visual Studio® Team System and technologies introduced in Service Pack 1 for the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, a team of five developers completed version two in four months—two months ahead of schedule. Now, The Test Factory benefits from faster development, improved application scalability, and increased business agility.
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group serves value-conscious travelers through its familiar brands, Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental. However, modifications to the company's COBOL, mainframe-based, car rental system were time consuming. Dollar Thrifty remedied its problems by using Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly WinFX®) with Windows® Workflow Foundation and Windows Communication Foundation. To create the company's next-generation car rental application, codenamed Rent Our Cars (ROC), developers are using Microsoft Visual Studio® Team Edition for Software Developers, and designing ROC to take advantage of Windows Server® 2003 today and the Windows Vista™ operating system in the future. With a consistent programming model, Dollar Thrifty improves developer productivity and connects emerging technologies and devices with existing systems.
Headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, with 17,000 employees, Avaya is a global provider of business communications applications, systems, and services. To manage all of the hardware and software in an enterprise IP telephony network, Avaya created an application in 2005 called the Hosted Solution Element Manager (HSEM), which it built using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 1.1. To make the HSEM more efficient and easier to manage, Avaya upgraded the HSEM using the Windows® Workflow Foundation and Windows Communication Foundation functionality in the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0. The result is key HSEM functions that run automatically, without manual operation. Some operations run a hundred times faster in the new version, and the performance gains mean less costly, more reliable operations for Avaya's customers.
Eduserv, one of the leading technology providers to the United Kingdom (U.K.) education sector, was asked by Microsoft to develop the identity management component of a Web site aimed at student software developers. Using Windows® CardSpace, Windows Communication Foundation, Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2008 Professional Edition development system, and the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, Eduserv developed a solution that has been used by thousands of students to download the latest Microsoft development software.
In the 1970s, Crutchfield's car stereo catalogs revolutionized the industry by catering to do-it-yourself audio enthusiasts. Today, Crutchfield leads in expertise and service for a range of consumer electronics and relies on IT to support a growing and diverse online presence. While the company's entrepreneurial approach to building systems resulted in unique and valuable capabilities, it also made those systems difficult to manage. In order to increase business agility, Crutchfield needed to move to a service-oriented architecture where applications share core services. To help solve interface issues and ease development of these new services, Crutchfield chose Windows® Communication Foundation, part of the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.0. Using the service-oriented architecture of Windows Communication Foundation, Crutchfield expects to respond more quickly to business needs.
Begun as an authentic American diner in London in 1971, Hard Rock International today owns restaurants, hotels, casinos, and live venues throughout the world, as well as an unparalleled collection of rock 'n' roll memorabilia. Hard Rock wanted to reinforce its authentic brand and role as custodian to rock 'n' roll history by sharing its collection of memorabilia with fans. Working with Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Vertigo and design and advertising agency Duncan/Channon, Hard Rock used Microsoft Silverlight™ 2 to create a unique Web site that serves as a shrine to all things rock. Visitors use intuitive zoom technology to navigate the collection, investigate the stories behind each piece and share their discoveries with friends. Using Microsoft products and technologies, Vertigo built a content management system and infrastructure for the site in just 30 days.
Premium movie service provider Starz Entertainment needed a better way to create branded, service-specific movie files for its expanding distribution channels. It automated the process by creating the MediaForge production solution, using Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2008 and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. The result boosts productivity, provides capacity for new distribution deals, and saved Starz U.S.$2.4 million on development.
International Game Technology (IGT) builds game equipment and systems for the gaming industry. The industry has adopted standards to move from mechanical to networked games that casinos can configure electronically, rather than through mechanical retrofitting. IGT needed to create a gaming system that would enable casino managers to dynamically modify game themes and content on the casino floor. The company turned to Windows® Presentation Foundation—part of the Microsoft® .NET Framework—to create the richer visualizations needed to make the new system easy and intuitive to use. These insightful visualizations and efficient communications made possible by the Microsoft .NET Framework help IGT offer a superior user experience to expedite decision making by casino managers so that they can provide the finest service and player experience to casino visitors.
Bunkspeed is an innovator in the three-dimensional-rendering software world. One of its core products, HyperDrive, enables companies to transform design and engineering data into realistic on-screen models. With the goal of evolving this product to next-generation status and opening up additional market opportunities, company developers built HyperDrive 2.0 on the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.0 with Windows® Presentation Foundation. In addition, the team is taking advantage of the capabilities of Microsoft Silverlight™ to develop configurators that can run on Web sites or on-site kiosks. By using Microsoft products and technologies, the Bunkspeed developers succeeded in creating a more compelling look-and-feel for the software to match its rich functionality. What's more, the team benefitted from streamlined development that helped them get to market quickly.
To enhance productivity and product quality, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner SMART wanted to upgrade the technologies on which its workforce management solutions were based. By redeveloping its eHuman Logistics solutions on the Visual Studio 2008 development system and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, the business is taking advantage of new development tools and enhancements to increase productivity by up to 20 per cent, accelerate time to market, and significantly reduce system bugs.
German retailing giant OTTO is always looking for ways to offer innovative shopping experiences. A pioneer in multichannel retailing, OTTO is known for its specialized mail-order catalogs that offer customers high-quality fashion, furnishings, and technology at good value. In order to extend its lead in retailing innovation, OTTO wanted to build a virtual store for fashion apparel—a shopping experience that would break through perceived barriers in online shopping. Working with Microsoft®, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner ATE Software, and design specialists from SinnerSchrader, OTTO built the groundbreaking OTTO Store application that takes full advantage of the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 programming model and Windows Vista™ operating system capabilities. The solution provides customers with stunning visuals and secure e-commerce functions.