Arsenal IT Consultants

Application Performance Monitoring APM - Application Performance Monitoring- one of the best tools that ensure that the development teams get to know how the application works in real-time in production environments. There are a lot of great APM tools - many of them based on open source licensing as well, that gives key pointers to the performance or non performance of the application in question. In the context of home grown applications in India, it is rare to see these tools being used. Development teams generally are focussed on delivering functionality to end users, resulting in no focus on the performance. In very rare cases where teams do look at performance, the methods used as not in line with what the rest of the world does. Implementing APM tools ensures that the pain points are identified easily and in a speedy manner in production environments, leading to fast and immediate fixes to them. Examples of Open Source based APM tools are New Relic, Jaeger, OpenTelemetry, Zabbix,Apache SkyWalking, Zipkin and Netdata For any APM related consulting, do reach out to Arsenal IT Consultants. #APM, #ApplicationPerformance, #Troubleshooting

Best Wishes for a Great Year Ahead

Very many learned professionals continue to use Pirated Software - they make presentations in Business Forums where the sofware clearly displays that the version is pirated and that it may not save the data. How do we respect such a person profession? Maybe we need to stand up and show them that they are using pirated software is unbecoming of them, setting civilities aside. #piratedsotware #lackofprofessionalism

Open Source – lack of awareness in Indian Private Sector     In India, in my limited experience, there seems to be a big lack of awareness about Open-Source software solutions, mainly in private enterprises.   Delving into why this scenario is possible, one does come up with certain observations:   1.       Lack of awareness that we need to buy licensed software – even now lot of hardware vendors tend to load copies of unlicensed Operating System and Microsoft Office when they deliver new computers to small businesses and home buyers 2.       Benefits of purchasing legal software especially Operating System not being prominently highlighted to end users, especially in schools & colleges where young minds can be inculcated with the correct values. 3.       Highlighting various open-source solutions which play a vital part of day to day life – Linux, Gitlab, MongoDB, Thunderbird, WordPress to name a few   Recently, an open source company, ODOO https://odoo.com – which specializes in open source ERP/CRM  and which has an enterprise paid version as well, has been advertising heavily in billboards and Uber cars about its offerings. They tend to say Free software rather than highlighting the Open-Source licensing!   The Government of India to its credit, has been mandating and pushing the implementation of Open-Source solutions in a very big way, which has resulted in better utilization of resources which are anyway scarce. An example of this is https://lnkd.in/gHf65K6z #open-source #odoo #nic  

The Reserve Bank of India audited the IT department one of the financial firms that I support with on SQL Server. It was a new experience for the client mainly due to the levels of documentation required for basic stuff, the team with close to two decades of experience were not aware of how to generate/maintain certain documents. Time has now come for all home grown software solutions to be documented in full - side benefit would be that it would remove person dependency and not be a bottleneck. Key Takeaways: Documentation as a Compliance Mandate: Regulatory bodies often assess not just technical performance but also how well an organization maintains documentation of its processes, configurations, and incidents. Documentation bridges the gap between technical expertise and regulatory requirements. Experience vs. Documentation: Even seasoned teams with decades of experience can struggle if documentation practices are inadequate. Knowledge that resides only in people's heads creates dependency and poses risks. Benefits Beyond Compliance: Comprehensive documentation ensures continuity and reduces risks when employees transition roles or leave. It acts as a reference point for troubleshooting, upgrades, and audits, enhancing efficiency. Suggestions given to the client: Develop a Documentation Framework: Establish templates for key documents like architecture diagrams, process workflows, incident logs, configuration files, and user manuals. Include both high-level overviews and detailed technical aspects. Audit Readiness Documentation: Create documents specific to regulatory needs, such as access control policies, data backup procedures, disaster recovery plans, and security protocols. Ensure these are updated periodically to reflect changes in systems or policies. Train Teams on Documentation Best Practices: Conduct workshops to familiarize team members with documentation tools and standards. Encourage ongoing documentation as part of daily operations rather than a one-off task during audits. Use Documentation Tools: Leverage tools like Confluence, SharePoint, or specialized software for IT documentation such as IT Glue, SolarWinds, Docusnap or specific to SQL Server like Apex SQL Doc or Red-gate SQL Doc etc. Version control systems like Git can also be used for managing changes in code or configurations. Perform Regular Internal Audits: Simulate audit scenarios to evaluate the adequacy of your documentation. Use the findings to identify gaps and improve readiness. #documentation, #RBIaudit https://arsenalitc.com

AI: The Buzzword of Today – Practical Applications for Software Developers AI isn't just a trending topic; it's a powerful tool that software developers should harness effectively. One of its most impactful applications is diagnosing and understanding system exceptions. Writing high-quality code is essential, but it’s not always enough. When your code is deployed on a server or different environments, countless variables come into play—many of which may be beyond your immediate awareness as a programmer. AI tools can help by offering deep insights into why software that works flawlessly on one system might fail on another. These tools can analyze patterns, identify discrepancies, and pinpoint root causes, enabling developers to address issues more effectively and ensure a smoother deployment process.

Legacy Applications & Database - surprised to recieve a call from a close friend of mine who is an Ace Oracle DBA. His team has been saddled with a legacy application which uses SQL Server. SQL Server crashed and they did not have the credentials for the service account!!!! Sad to say that inspite of being big in terms of transactions, turnover and all other parameters, a lot of Indian companies do not adhere to basic documentation standards and handover procedures. Was lucky that we were able to get the instance working using a local system account!! #SQLServer #LegacyApplication #Documentation