The nGen Technology Platform
In a recent blog post, Marc Andreessen deftly described the elements and benefits of a technology platform. In short, it's a mechanism that eliminates many of the barriers to application interoperability. A technology platform also houses and interfaces to other applications according to a common set of rules.
Another benefit of a platform is that it enables ready interoperability. We create a piece of code - a Web service - that lives on our platform and can be combined with other Web services to create composite applications. These composite applications are nothing but special combinations of Web services designed to meet a particular need. We can create new virtual functionality simply by devising a particular sequence ("mash-up") of existing functions that execute only when they are requested.
We hear stories of clever programmers delivering amazing functionality with "20 lines of code." This is not an exaggeration - because the bulk of the code is sitting within the Web services! The 20 lines of code simply dictate how the Web services are to interact with each other and with the user. It takes months to hand-craft a Lamborghini - it takes hours to build a BMW.
Another benefit of a platform is reuse. We only need to maintain one instance of a given Web service. There is no need to duplicate them - we simply "reference them into" a runtime environment where they interact seamlessly with other services, on demand. Also, because a service exists in only one place, when we enhance it or maintain it, this latest version is the one that executes - no matter what mash-up uses it.
The Next Generation Enterprise leverages technology and the Web to give it process flexibility (agility) and a connectedness to the outside world like never before. It's not just about doing business differently, it's about putting technology to work to change the game; to continuously gain and regain competitive advantage. Technology is at the heart of what makes nGenera different, and is behind how our customers leverage technology to enjoy key business outcomes.
About nGenera's On-Demand Products
We define each of our offerings as a seamless combination of applications, skills, research and processes that together deliver a set of related outcomes to our customers.
Our offerings have been designed to meet the following criteria:
- The scope of each is end-to-end - that is, far beyond that of a specific application or discrete deliverable. It creates an ecosystem of value - not a point solution.
- A selection of on-demand applications and Web services will constitute the bulk of each offering.
- Research, education, advisory and implementation services will be woven in and around the applications to turn the offering into an on-going process - a complete customer experience.
- We charge our customers an annual subscription to enjoy the outcomes each offering delivers.
We believe that in order for a company to drive the most utilization from its resources - whether internal or external - it must organize itself as a platform.