Weidenhammer Systems Inc.

Hammer Dev

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<p>When a long-time employee retires, it is an opportunity to celebrate their many years of service to the company as well as the key contributions they have added along the way. It also highlights the many ways an organization has come to rely on the individual to keep their everyday operations running smoothly.</p>



<p>As ideal as it would be to have every step of every process in an organization well documented, there is often a disconnect between this ideal and the reality of setting things down on paper. It is natural to take an “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” approach, and this can work well for teams that remain together indefinitely, but falls apart the moment that retirement announcement comes, and the rest of the team needs to identify what slack they now must make up for. Hammer Dev has helped&nbsp; clients with similar situations, and in each case, there was an opportunity to mitigate a variety of risks involved with having a lack of clarity into the organization’s key processes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">But First, Why Document?</h2>



<p>Documents are in many ways the backbone of society. They are a key method for transmitting and codifying information about individuals, organizations, and processes, so the value of documentation in theory is pretty self-explanatory.</p>



<p>When it comes to business, documentation provides a unique kind of value that is often overlooked. Depending on the industry, proper documentation can help mitigate risks like:</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Key Man Risk</h3>



<p>When one key person in an organization leaves and no one else knows how to perform the tasks they were responsible for.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Tribal Knowledge Risk</h3>



<p>When the entire organization develops best practices and protocols that are not written down or easily shared with new members.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Limited Bandwidth Risks</h3>



<p>Details are missed because employees are too busy managing the workflow to double check them.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Compliance Risks</h3>



<p>There is no obvious way of identifying and mitigating safety and regulatory concerns.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Data Fidelity &amp; Accessibility Risks</h3>



<p>There is no clear guidance on how to collect, manage, and store data, so data quality is compromised.</p>



<p>The case of a retirement announcement was pulled from a real situation where a Hammer Dev client in the manufacturing space had an employee of 30 years, scheduled to retire. Once the decision was made, business leaders at the organization were forced to reckon with the fact that there were many ad-hoc workflows that their employee had handled in response to the needs of the business, none of which were documented in an easy to access format.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">When Documentation Is Not Complete</h2>



<p>The manufacturer Hammer Dev helped had documentation for many of its processes, but by virtue of spending 30 years at the company, the employee who was retiring had a wealth of knowledge that never actually made it onto paper. Part of the reason the employee’s knowledge never made it to formal documentation is that even the best prepared set of policies and procedures cannot account for every issue that may arise, and the employee handled many ad hoc requests which kept the business going but lacked any formal place in the established documentation. Given the dedication to the organization and its mission, it was also perfectly understandable that the employee focused more on helping the manufacturer grow rather than setting the information down for the record.</p>



<p>However, with the announcement of the employee’s retirement, the manufacturer’s leadership knew they needed to download as much information as possible from their employee precisely because they had played such an integral part in the organization’s success. When the manufacturer enlisted Hammer Dev’s help, it was found that some key processes required as many as 50 different steps and there were 18 processes that could have been optimized to ensure that the employee was maximizing the value of their time. In addition to the established processes, the employee had been a part of many ad hoc workflows that forced the employee to operate in a more reactive manner for a good portion of their role.</p>



<p>By documenting the various processes and identifying key areas of improvement, Hammer Dev was able to not just codify the existing processes for the organization, but also make clear to the manufacturer’s leadership team and organization more broadly what steps were critical to their process and which still needed some work to be effective.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">So…How Can I Document My Business Processes?</h2>



<p>Process Documentation requires a bit more work than simply writing down what each employee does. While a written document is the goal, whenever documentation is done internally, there are often steps omitted unintentionally, making such efforts ineffective. The reason for this is these documents are generated by a team that already has a shared understanding of how the process works, so they may assume certain knowledge. Someone outside of the organization may not have access to the same knowledge shared by the team. However, working with an outside consultant can overcome these challenges, because it allows someone without any prior knowledge of an organization to get granular details about how each process works. Here’s what to expect when working with a process documentation consultant:</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Make Sure There’s Ample One-on-One Time</h3>



<p>A major misconception about process documentation is that it is possible to complete it in a single sitting. Any professional who will effectively document your business’s processes will want to dig into the details of the process to ensure that no small step is overlooked while generating the documentation. This is necessary to understand how a specific process works within an organization and how it connects to the wider ecosystem of actions, but it does require time.</p>



<p>Any business leader signing up to have their processes documented should be prepared to dedicate considerable time for them to work with the stakeholders involved in the process. Doing so will ensure nothing gets missed, maximizing the value of the project.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">It Can Be Used to Identify a Roadmap to Efficiencies</h3>



<p>With detailed documentation of an organization’s processes, leaders will be able to see how the different workflows within their organization work together, but with the help of a skilled business analyst, those documents provide an opportunity for even more insight.</p>



<p>While process documentation provides immense value on its own, it allows a business analyst to identify opportunities to improve an organization’s overall efficiency, reducing cost in the process. Hammer Dev was able to identify 18 different processes that could have been optimized when evaluating the manufacturing company whose employee was retiring, which would have gone unrecognized if the organization had not dedicated the time to documenting those processes in the first place.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Documentation Gets Everyone on the Same Page</h3>



<p>Businesses are complex organizations, and even if the ultimate responsibility for how they operate rests with leaders, it is unreasonable to expect any business leader to know all the intimate details of how an organization does what it does from observing the office, because it is physically impossible to be there for each step of an employee’s daily tasks.</p>



<p>Having detailed documentation of key processes will enable teams to develop a shared understanding of what work will have the highest impact on the organization. Developing a shared understanding within the organization will allow anyone to quickly understand their impact within the broader organization without requiring in-depth discussions or observations of their fellow team members.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Taking the Time to Write Things Down</h2>



<p>Dismissing the need for detailed documentation as unnecessary sets an organization up for failure. Things may run fine while the tribe remains intact, but the reality is that even the best teams experience turnover eventually, and it is important to be prepared for that.</p>



<p>Partnering with a skilled consultant with experience in the business analysis space is one of the best ways to protect your organization from that kind of turnover because they will be able to dig into the details of how each step of a process fits into the overall picture of the organization. With years of experience helping organizations across industries document and optimize their business processes, Hammer Dev will work with any organization that may need help getting their key workflows codified.</p>



<p>Want to know more about Hammer Dev’s process?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hammer.net/teams/dev/" data-type="page" data-id="94" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The journey starts here.</a></p>


When Employee Turnover Reveals an Organizational Vulnerability

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<p>In a world where creativity fuels productivity, the relentless management of emails, meetings, data, and notifications threatens innovation, as work hours expand and precious minutes dwindle. That’s why generative AI represents an enormous opportunity for business leaders interested in establishing a more productive way of working. Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot is designed to integrate seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 apps your employees use every day, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption to existing workflows.</p>



<p>While leveraging Copilot is both minimally disruptive and very affordable, it would be a mistake to jump in with both feet before evaluating your organization’s readiness across a few key areas:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Technology, Security &amp; Governance</strong>&nbsp;– Do your data privacy and governance policies align with Microsoft’s latest guidelines? Is your M365 environment operating in alignment with best practices? Missing checkboxes here could quickly put your organization in a world of hurt.</li>



<li><strong>Data</strong>&nbsp;– Is your data ready for AI to take advantage of it? If not, you could have a “garbage in, garbage out” scenario.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hammerdev.com/is-your-data-ready-for-ai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em><u>Check out our recent blog for more on this topic</u>.</em></a></li>



<li><strong>Business Strategy</strong>&nbsp;– Does your company know how it plans to leverage AI specifically? Are your users educated on how to adopt AI? How can you ensure that your investment will yield the maximum return?</li>
</ul>



<p>&nbsp;As your Microsoft partner, Weidenhammer offers you an integrated team of specialists to help you maximize the value of Copilot, while minimizing security and data risk. In 30 days, we will deliver a roadmap for AI-ready opportunities in the organization, optimizing your data, and critical security and governance steps. We will also deliver two Copilot proof of concepts.&nbsp;<a href="https://insights.hammer.net/weidenhammer?__hstc=59082418.840bad8db276e6721a9320f0eb0894e2.1729689581923.1729689581923.1730213666538.2&amp;__hssc=59082418.3.1730213666538&amp;__hsfp=1092514284" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em><u>We are calling this our Copilot Preflight offering, and you can read more about it here.</u></em></a></p>



<p>Hammer Dev, a division of Weidenhammer, provides the workflow, data and software engineers specific to AI and other cloud-based solutions. Hammer Tech, our sister band, cover M65 infrastructure, security and licensing. It’s a combination that, for 46 years, has guided thousands of clients through their digital transformation—and we can do the same for you. Copilot is already helping businesses push past boundaries and reimagine their future. Let’s make sure your organization is ready to leverage AI’s full potential.</p>


Starting Your AI Journey with Copilot

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<p>As you likely know, Microsoft is one of the main companies leading the charge in modern AI, offering a range of products, services, and platforms for every size organization and at almost every level of expertise. But that does equate to a lot of different moving parts that offer different advantages.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Microsoft AI Applications and Services</h2>



<p>We’re now hearing a lot about Copilot, one of Microsoft’s flagship AI products. Here’s a quick look at other AI offerings from Microsoft:</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Azure AI</strong></h3>



<p>Azure AI is a set of cloud-based services that allow you to build, deploy, and manage AI solutions at scale. Azure AI includes services such as Azure AI Studio, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Cognitive Services, Azure Bot Services, Azure Databricks, and Azure Synapse Analytics. With Azure AI, you can access state-of-the-art AI models and tools, integrate AI into existing workflows and applications, and create custom AI solutions for your specific scenarios and requirements.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Azure OpenAI Service</strong></h3>



<p>Azure OpenAI Service is Microsoft’s implementation of tools in Azure for custom design and development of large language models (LLMs). You also can harness the power of the many LLMs available from Meta, Nvidia, etc., based on the needs of your custom development solutions.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Copilot</strong></h3>



<p>Copilot is a new AI product that was developed on the ChatGPT platform. It combines the power of LLMs with in-house enterprise data generated by Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 applications. Using the power of AI and natural language conversations, users can find better answers to their questions and potentially create content from those answers. Two versions of Copilot are available: 1) Copilot for Microsoft 365, which requires a subscription; and 2) A more general Copilot.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Microsoft 365 AI</strong></h3>



<p>Microsoft 365 AI is a set of AI features and capabilities embedded in Microsoft 365 apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. Microsoft 365 AI helps you work smarter and faster, boost your creativity and productivity, and improve your collaboration and communication. Some examples of Microsoft 365 AI features are: Ideas, which provides intelligent suggestions and insights for your documents and presentations; Editor, which helps you write with more clarity, accuracy, and style; Designer, which helps you create professional-looking slides and graphics; Presenter Coach, which helps you rehearse and improve your presentation skills; and MyAnalytics, which helps you optimize your time and well-being.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Windows AI</strong></h3>



<p>Windows AI is a set of AI features and capabilities integrated into the Windows operating system, such as Windows 11 Professional. Windows AI helps you personalize your experience, enhance your security, and access AI-powered apps and services. Some examples of Windows AI features are: Timeline, which helps you resume your activities across your devices; Focus Session, which helps you set a timer and block distractions; Snap Window, which helps you arrange your windows in different layouts; and Windows Hello, which helps you sign in with your face or fingerprint.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>GitHub Copilot</strong></h3>



<p>GitHub Copilot is a new AI product that helps developers write code faster and better. GitHub Copilot is powered by OpenAI Codex, a large language model (LLM) trained on billions of lines of public code. GitHub Copilot can generate code for a variety of languages and frameworks, based on natural language prompts or existing code. It can also suggest alternative solutions, write tests, and fix bugs. GitHub Copilot is currently available as a technical preview for Visual Studio Code.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Differences between Copilot versions and instances</strong></h2>



<p>As we mentioned earlier, Copilot is one of the flagship AI products of Microsoft, and it comes in different versions and implementations, depending on the use case and the target audience (and monthly cloud spend).</p>



<p><strong>Copilot for Microsoft 365</strong>&nbsp;is the enterprise version of Copilot, which is designed for business users who want to leverage AI to enhance their productivity, creativity, and collaboration. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is integrated with the Microsoft 365 apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, and it can access the enterprise-specific data generated by the Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 applications. Copilot for Microsoft 365 can help users find answers to their questions, generate content from those answers, and communicate better with their colleagues and customers. Copilot for Microsoft 365 requires a subscription, and it is currently in preview.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Microsoft Copilot</strong>&nbsp;is the general version of Copilot, which is designed for anyone who wants to use AI to search for information on the internet, generate content, or have a chat. Microsoft Copilot is accessible through the Bing search engine, the Microsoft Edge web browser, or other web browsers and mobile devices. When this blog was written, Microsoft Copilot (not Pro) was running ChatGPT 3.5. Microsoft Copilot can also be used to create content such as reports, images, outlines, and poems, based on information gleaned from the internet and Microsoft’s database of Bing search results. Microsoft Copilot is free for anyone to use, and it is currently in beta.&nbsp;Note: There is also&nbsp;<strong>Copilot for Windows</strong>&nbsp;included under the next bullet.</p>



<p><strong>Microsoft Copilot Pro</strong>&nbsp;is a premium version of Microsoft Copilot, which is designed for individuals who want to supercharge their personal Copilot experience with more AI features and capabilities. Copilot Pro allows users to use Copilot in select Microsoft 365 apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and to access premium AI features, such as summarization, translation, sentiment analysis, and more. When this blog was written, Copilot Pro was running ChatGPT 4 Turbo. Copilot Pro also provides users with more control over their data and privacy settings, and it offers them exclusive access to new Copilot features and updates. Copilot Pro requires a subscription and is currently in preview.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There also will be “professional” Copilot instances available later this year (2024):&nbsp;</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Copilot for SalesCopilot for ServiceCopilot in Viva</strong></li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Power Platform Lo-Code / No-Code AI Assistance:</strong>&nbsp;</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Power Apps Copilot</strong>: AI Lo-Code / No-Code assistance in developing simple to moderately complex business applications for deployment within an organization’s M365.&nbsp;</li>



<li><strong>Power Automate&nbsp;</strong><strong>Copilot</strong>: AI Lo-Code / No-Code assistance in developing business workflows for deployment within an organization’s M365.&nbsp;</li>



<li><strong>Power BI Copilot</strong>: AI Lo-Code / No-Code assistance in developing not only complex DAX queries for calculated metrics and data insights, but also the development of full-page reports that relay at-a-glance data visualization and discovery in seconds (assuming your data and semantic model are very well architected).&nbsp;</li>
</ol>



<p><strong>“Lo-Code / No-Code” Custom Copilot</strong>&nbsp;was formerly known as Power Virtual Agents before being injected with GenAI functionality. It uses&nbsp;<strong>Microsoft Copilot Studio</strong>&nbsp;for development, testing, and deployment.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>“Pro-Code” Custom Copilot</strong>&nbsp;utilizes the new Azure OpenAI Service, allowing developers to leverage OpenAI functionality within their custom applications at scale by integrating with a robust set of REST API endpoints.&nbsp;<strong>Azure AI Studio</strong>&nbsp;is used for development, testing, and deployment. Note that Azure AI Studio will allow you to work with the previously available Azure Cognitive Services offerings as well.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Azure Copilot</strong>&nbsp;helps you manage operations from cloud to edge with an AI assistant. Azure Copilot leverages large language models (LLMs) and the Azure Resource Model to help you simplify cloud operations and management, discover and use new capabilities, and generate deep insights and scale improvements. Azure Copilot is currently in preview and available for selected customers.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Microsoft Security Copilot</strong>&nbsp;brings LLM AI capabilities to security professionals by quickly (and sometimes proactively) responding to security threats. It also performs real-time monitoring for security risks. Note this is not a replacement for any of Microsoft’s Entra, Sentinel, Defender, or Purview products.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>GitHub Copilot</strong>&nbsp;is a separate product from Copilot, which is designed for developers who want to use AI to write code faster and better. GitHub Copilot is powered by OpenAI Codex, a different LLM from the one used by Copilot, and it is trained on billions of lines of public code. GitHub Copilot can generate code for a variety of languages and frameworks, based on natural language prompts or existing code. GitHub Copilot can also suggest alternative solutions, write tests, and fix bugs. GitHub Copilot is currently available as a technical preview for Visual Studio Code.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>We can help you get started on your AI journey.</strong></h2>



<p>Whether you are a developer, a business leader, or an end user, Microsoft AI products and services empower you to build, use, and manage AI applications and solutions to suit your needs and goals. Still, navigating these Microsoft AI offerings (and non-Microsoft AI offerings) is a daunting task. With the powerful synergy created by Hammer Dev and Hammer Tech, we can help you get started—and act as your navigator through every step of your organization’s AI adoption roadmap.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.hammer.net/teams/dev/" data-type="page" data-id="94" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Talk to an expert</a>.</p>


What is Microsoft AI?

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<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is like a genie in a bottle, granting wishes and making our lives easier. But like any genie, it needs the right tools to work its magic. That’s where data readiness comes in.</p>



<p>Is your data ready for AI?</p>



<p>Here are a few key questions to guide you in answering that question:</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Is your data clean?</strong></h2>



<p>Data quality is a measure of how precise, comprehensive, coherent, and pertinent your data is for your AI objectives. Inadequate data quality can result in erroneous insights, prejudiced models, and undependable outcomes.</p>



<p>Labeling your data is also a crucial step. Data labeling involves adding annotations or tags to your data to make it comprehensible and usable for AI algorithms. Data labeling can help you train and evaluate your AI models, enhance your data features, and optimize your data performance.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Is your data integrated?</strong></h2>



<p>Data integration is the process of merging data from various sources and formats into a centralized repository or environment. Data integration can enable you to access and analyze more data, enhance your data with additional attributes, and eliminate data silos and inconsistencies. There are several ways to approach solving this challenge. Ultimately each organization will have to assess which enterprise data architecture best fits its needs – from the now classic data warehouse or lakehouse, to the recently trendy data mesh and data fabric.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Do you have enough data?</strong></h2>



<p>Maybe not. But there are several solutions.</p>



<p>Data augmentation is a technique that artificially increases the size of the training set by creating modified copies of an existing dataset. This can be achieved by making minor changes to the dataset or by using deep learning to generate new data points.</p>



<p>Unstructured data, which is often undocumented, can contain valuable information about a company’s products and processes. By transforming unstructured data into structured or semi-structured data and linking it with other structured data, companies can expand their datasets and gain new insights.</p>



<p>In addition to internal data, external data can also be a valuable resource for companies. By linking internal data with external data generated, gathered, and shared by reputable third party sources, companies can enrich their existing insights, fine-tune their operations, and unlock further growth. The right data signals can have a tangible impact on data analytics and machine learning model performance.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Where is your data stored?</strong></h2>



<p>Storing and making data discoverable and accessible is a crucial aspect of data management. Businesses are already reluctant to dispose of data, even though in many cases a significant portion of that data is never accessed or leveraged. The promise of AI will only further strain the capabilities of data storage solutions (and only increase our spend on these solutions). This is why it is critical to nail down a data storage strategy that enables users to easily access and work with both active and inactive data, while also controlling costs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How about data privacy &amp; governance?</strong></h2>



<p>Data privacy, security and governance are as critical as they’ve ever been. One of the promises of generative AI is to empower the end user to make lightning quick use of the data at their disposal. Connecting all employees with unfettered access to data across all depths of your organization however is not advisable (ie. trade secrets, social security numbers, etc..). Today, a rogue employee may have to go hunting for such information – however a generative AI assistant can do that hunting for them with ease. Before unleashing AI it is well worth a second look to ensure that your data is secure, encrypted where it should be, and that sensitive information is only accessible to the appropriate parties.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Summary:</strong></h2>



<p>Creating a data strategy is crucial to prepare your organization and its data for AI. A data strategy defines how your organization will collect, store, manage, and utilize data to achieve its objectives. It encompasses a well-defined plan for data governance, quality, security, and privacy. The strategy should be aligned with the organization’s overall business strategy and be adaptable to changing business needs and technology.</p>



<p>This may sound like a lot to get your arms around, but luckily,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hammer.net/teams/dev/" data-type="page" data-id="94">I know a guy who can help</a>.</p>


Is Your Data Ready for AI?

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<p>With the development of computing and digital tools, organizations across industries have relied on applications to do everything from manage their data to optimizing workflows. However, even the most modern organizations often fail to keep track of the new technologies developed every year to make their jobs easier. Over time, the technology stack can become too reliant on deprecated technologies like Access to keep the lights on.</p>



<p>While outdated technologies seem like they don’t need to be replaced unless there’s an issue, Hammer Dev has helped enough clients update their technology stack to know that relying on outdated technologies often results in serious security risks within the organization’s operations and plenty of missed opportunities to differentiate oneself from the competition. Migrating away from tools like Access allows leaders to secure their environment while also offering key drivers of success in a digital economy like faster data processing and streamlined operations.</p>



<p>Hammer Dev actually had a recent engagement with a company that specialized in mineral processing and manufacturing that illustrates why it’s important to keep your technology stack up to date.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">But First, Some Background</h2>



<p>The manufacturer had been operating for almost 90 years, and just like any other manufacturer, it had a quality assurance and testing process built into its operations. For this organization specifically, labs were used to test the quality of the mineral materials prior to their being sold. Each test required technicians to record key metrics like thickness of the stone, temperature it could handle, and the like. While the organization was in its infancy, it had a single laboratory that could easily manage this process on paper, but they eventually grew to several global locations, and evolved to a more digital process by transferring the data from paper to an Access Database.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What is Access?</h2>



<p>Access is a database management tool that Microsoft released in 1992, and it’s not uncommon for businesses to rely on it to handle their organization’s data or create simple applications to run their business’s workflows on. However, it’s limited in its overall functionality, because it’s designed for creating departmental applications, not large enterprise ones. Furthermore, Microsoft has focused on investing in other products for several years, meaning that Access has not kept up with the evolving needs and expectations of a modern business, and because of that many businesses are running their workloads on versions of Access that are no longer supported by Microsoft. To compound the issue, many who have remained on Access have attempted to stretch the capabilities of the platform to meet their needs.</p>



<p>In the case of this manufacturer, another issue also arose around its use of Access: connectivity with other data sources. The manufacturer had expanded over the years, requiring the establishment of multiple laboratories and even outsourced some testing capacity to third party labs. To establish a linkage between the different data sources, it was necessary to hardcode the link into the Access coding, and this presented its own unique issues because it required dedicated resources to maintaining and troubleshooting those linkages, which didn’t always run reliably. Further, Access lacked the ability entirely to connect with some of the business’s other applications like Salesforce, creating more steps within the workflow.</p>



<p>The lack of connectivity and reliability became such an issue that the team returned to collecting the data on paper first and keying into the Access database to ensure accuracy. This necessity to key in data and the manual troubleshooting of the linkages hampered the organization’s ability to scale its operation as efficiently as it would have liked.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Moving Past Access</h2>



<p>Access served organizations well when it was first developed, but since its inception, there have been a variety of robust reporting and digital workflow tools that have been developed to allow organizations like the manufacturer to scale efficiently.</p>



<p>As a consequence, the manufacturer worked with the Hammer Dev team to migrate its existing data infrastructure onto a cloud-based platform which could easily integrate with any number of testing facilities and applications without compromising the security of the data. On top of this, a BI reporting layer was built to create an easy way to look for trends over time. Additionally, there are plans currently to expand the capabilities of the solution by deploying an application that could connect to servers remotely without needing to be on the manufacturer’s network.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How the Migration Impacted Operations</h2>



<p>While the switch from Access to a cloud-based solution required time and resources, that investment had an immediate ROI on the organization’s ability to function because it eliminated the need to keep paper records of the data and the manual process for pushing those data into the database. Additionally, having all the data centralized in a single place meant that every testing facility or partner is now able to gain insight from across the entire organization as well as historical data. Similarly, the solution has driven consistency across all locations and delivered the ability to manage and update the application from a centralized location.</p>



<p>While Access was useful in helping organizations to manage data and workflow when operations were siloed and disconnected, it can be a serious impediment to growth when placed along side an otherwise modern workplace.</p>



<p>If you’re curious about how Access or other legacy solutions may be holding your business back, or what role they should play in a modern organization,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hammer.net/teams/dev/" data-type="page" data-id="94">contact us</a>.</p>


From Microsoft Access to the Cloud: Unlock ROI by Modernizing Your Business Applications

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<p>In the early days of software development, deploying software could be a fraught experience: organizations would need to frequently evaluate the software for bugs across every platform on which the code was deployed, eating up valuable time the developers could use for furthering organizational initiatives. Modern developments in the area of containerization have allowed software developers to bypass this issue by creating a self-sustaining application that doesn’t require significant troubleshooting once it’s deployed.</p>



<p>Containerization as a concept has been around for some time, but the development of the open-source Docker Engine in 2013 allowed it to become a more mainstream tool for developers to use when working with cloud-based deployments. The ability to create a piece of software that can operate across platforms with minimal bugs is so attractive to most organizations and software engineers that containerization has become a standard process for most development projects.</p>



<p>But what actually is containerization and how does it benefit your organization?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A Quick Explanation of Containerization</h2>



<p>Defining containerization has been attempted many times, and if someone hasn’t had experience working on the technical side of software development, the confusion is understandable. While it’s easy to understand that containerization can lead to software that works across platforms, how is it actually developed?</p>



<p>Broadly speaking, every piece of software relies on four key things:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Computer Infrastructure, or the hardware used to run an application.</li>



<li>The Operating System that system uses to operate an application.</li>



<li>The Software Engine used to operate an application.</li>



<li>The Application you’re looking to deploy.</li>
</ol>



<p>The issue with this set-up in the past is each layer was integrated with the last, which means that coding an application for a Windows operating system would experience bugs if ported to a Linux based system. Even within Windows operating systems using a different OS or Software Engine version (like IIS versions), this integrated approach could cause problems for implementation.</p>



<p>Containerization bundles these layers together, creating a single file that’s guaranteed to work on every deployment platform you want to use, provided the platform supports docker (or other) containers.&nbsp; This is usually a “yes” or “no” question since a host either supports containers or it doesn’t. You’re not asking questions about OS versions and .NET versions, or other technical details. The file isn’t tied to the host operating system used to develop it, so the result can be moved to other servers without causing a disruption in its functionality.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What are the Benefits of Containerization?</h2>



<p>Containerization has become the standard approach for cloud-based software development because of how beneficial it is to the development process. It enables software developers to create applications that are:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Portable, so they can run consistently across platforms.</li>



<li>Faster, given that containers share the OS kernel of the host machine without additional overhead.</li>



<li>Efficient, since containers are smaller, allowing you to use more of them without impacting start-up times.</li>



<li>Easy to Manage, as there are several robust container orchestration platforms that can help automate the management and deployment of containers.</li>
</ol>



<p>There are other benefits to using containerization for software development that largely depends on the organization that wants to deploy it and the complexity of the project. For example, containerization can enable a software developer to create a complex application that relies on multiple containers, effectively compartmentalizing functionality to ensure any one fault doesn’t cause the entirety of the system to stop working. This would have the added benefit of also protecting the application from a malicious piece of code, since it would only be able to impact a single container at any given time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why Shouldn’t I Use Containers?</h2>



<p>Using containers to manage your software development efforts only works if you’re working with a cloud-based application. You can’t use containers to develop locally-based applications as the system is primarily designed for ease of portability, but they can be used as an option for migrating existing servers to the cloud.</p>



<p>If you’re working with APIs, websites, or other cloud-based applications, then containerization is by far a better strategy to use than any other. Even if you’re looking to bundle a simple website into a single container, you’ll still see benefits from the process because it will make it easier to move the website from one hosting service to another if the need arises.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Containerization and DevOps</h2>



<p>Using containers as the basis of your organization’s software development strategy will naturally introduce flexibility and speed to your development process, and that makes it an ideal framework for pursuing a DevOps strategy.</p>



<p>Each container within a containerized application has everything it needs to be deployed, and that allows different functions to be deployed across an organization’s development team. This kind of deployment allows teams to iterate quickly and create more stable applications overall.</p>



<p>With the help of an orchestration platform like Kubernetes, it’s possible to use the principles of DevOps to automate a significant portion of the testing and deployment of new code.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Need for Containers</h2>



<p>As with any piece of technology, the use of it can be defined by general rules, but those general rules often miss key areas of nuance that can change the recommendation.</p>



<p>As stated before, there are clear moments when containers aren’t called for in your software development initiative, but if you’re considering implementing it on existing applications, it’s definitely possible to do. Due to its portability and scalability, containerization can be an ideal tool to help with cloud migrations so you can set your organization up for success down the line.</p>



<p>If you’re interested in talking about how containerization could help your specific organization, contact us, and we’ll be happy to discuss your business’s needs in greater detail.</p>


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