| Our Proposal |
Because every firm is different and unique, it requires different, unique software. At Kynetia we undertake custom software development projects in Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, Mobile and SOA environments. Though we work in many different areas, Kynetia’s core experience is in four project types:
We offer four services to structure the development process:
Projects are built on three technological pillars:
Our core experience by sector is in finance, insurance, health and telecommunications. Nevertheless, the nature of our projects means they are not usually industry dependent. Project types
Web 2.0 Basically, Web 2.0 has a major impact in three key areas: Social models (The Long Tail), Software development (permanent Beta) and the User experience (graphics redesign and interactivity). The social side of Web 2.0 depends on the type of project, since some models actively involve users while others do not. However, Web 2.0 includes two remarkable concepts with which we at Kynetia have gained significant experience. These are new ways of approaching software development (Agile methodologies based on open standards, Open Source models, etc.) and an enhanced user-experience based on new rich but light standards-based interfaces 
Enterprise 2.0 One obvious extrapolation of the Web 2.0 movement touches directly on the world of business, where models that have worked well for the wider public (blogspots, wikis, etc.) have been directly extrapolated to the firm. Once again, however, the change runs deeper. Today’s firms need to transform their existing (and newly created) software artifacts into services. These services may be used by the firm itself or by its stakeholders (customers, suppliers, partners, etc.), and the whole strategy must therefore be standards-based in order not only to protect past and future investment, but also to boost collaboration between the different players involved. Likewise, firms need to follow development models that provide a good fit between the business and technological dynamics. “One size fits all” is not an option in core business processes, because this approach stands in the way of competitiveness. Furthermore, an excellent user experience is essential to cut training costs, limit help-line calls and raise productivity. In short, there is a clear path from the world of Web 2.0 to Enterprise 2.0. At Kynetia we have a strong track-record in adapting successful software development models to firms with the goal of maximizing IT investment and aligning Business, Users and Technology. 
Mobility Kynetia has been working in the mobile world since 2001, when we developed the first handset managed on-line broker for Nokia Spain. Since then, we have undertaken numerous mobile projects from WAP portals to technologically complex solutions, such as the vidostreaming platform we developed for Movistar in 2003 and Conecta, a platform developed for Emminens (Roche Diagnostics) to integrate the blood-sugar measurement devices used by diabetics with their mobile phones and hospital servers. Our experience is based mainly on Symbian, Windows Mobile and the Java ME system. 
SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture o Arquitectura Orientada a Servicios) SOA is a single term for two very different things. Service orientation describes a software development methodology, while Architecture refers to the company’s software components model, representing all of the existing software parts that together make up the enterprise edifice. Enterprise 2.0 involves a high degree of cooperation, and this in turn implies providing software as a service. Kynetia has developed a special understanding of SOA to help our clients standardize their software and re-engineer their systems for a variety of purposes, key among which is the adaptation of the technology to the business and users. It is SOA that makes this possible.
Our services
Enterprise Architecture Today’s business requires unprecedented technological support. An isolated software solution cannot support the needs of a highly competitive and dynamic business. In view of this, the software solutions implemented by a firm must fit together like the pieces in a puzzle. Enterprise Architecture crystallizes the business strategy in the form of technology. This means the final software solution will be dynamic, constantly evolving and adapting as new conditions emerge out of the strategy set by the organization. Yet it is also necessary to reuse existing solutions and protect existing investments. Kynetia believes the only way to create a software solution capable of standing up in the face of constant change and successfully aligning Business, Users and Technology is to base the software solution on Enterprise Architecture. The architecture of the software solution is thus critical and must provide the base for any forward-looking software construction. It is also critical to protect past and future IT investments by allowing the harmonious integration of new and existing solutions, while avoiding anything that might condition the implementation of future solutions. The Kynetia software architecture team has extensive experience in the design of mission-critical solutions for multinational clients. These are global solutions, distributed and installed in dozens of countries and serving millions of users in numerous different languages. 
Design of user-oriented interfaces HTML won out clearly as an open standard for the development of user interfaces to achieve the highest possible level of compatibility between different systems (Windows, Macintosh, etc.). However, HTML was originally conceived to create pages that would index content, but not for use as an interactive applications interface. While the use of HTML as a model to support transactional applications has spread over time, the problems of interactivity and usability have never been fully solved. Because of this, it is necessary to reload a full page for each action wanted, even though 90% of the content does not change. Clearly, compatibility won out over usability in this case, and the interactive capability standardized through the client/server model failed. Today, substantial progress has been made in the design of new interfaces. The arrival of standards such as Ajax and related frameworks that integrate perfectly with the classic HTML model have made it possible to create new interfaces, which have greater interactive capabilities and are therefore much more user-oriented and less technologically conditioned. At Kynetia we are fully committed to the design of rich, light, standards-based interfaces which are, above all, user-oriented. We believe that this substantially reduces costs, limiting the need for training, reducing help-line calls and error correction time, and at the same time raising productivity and making it less likely that applications will be ditched. 
Custom software development The keys to Kynetia’s software construction strategy are the protection of past and future investments using open standards and the inclusion of changing business dynamics in the development process using a methodology that ensures cost control, delivery times and quality. Our clients’ technology investments are very important, and we at Kynetia are particularly concerned to preserve existing assets and condition future additions as little as possible. The use of open standards is unquestionably provides protection, but our standards-based strategy also allows us to create open, shared frameworks, allowing our clients to relate technologically with their customers, suppliers and partners and, at the same time, ensuring their independence from the creators of software solution, both key issues in today’s world. Business dynamics are another key aspect of custom software development projects. While software construction is a live, highly dynamic process in itself, it has taken on special relevance in today’s changing business environment. Client needs change over the software construction cycle in line with shifts in the market, and new requirements must be integrated while controlling project costs and meeting deadlines without compromising the quality of the final solution. Two conditions are needed for this. In the first place, the architecture must be designed to support the change dynamic in order to assure the quality of the solution over time. Secondly, the development methodology must allow the inclusion of changes in the construction of the solution with the minimum impact in terms of costs and time. At Kynetia we have a strong track-record in the construction of sophisticated software solutions that have been (and can be) adapted to changing client needs in harmony with their business needs while preserving an aggressive time-to-market and ensuring control of budgets. Moreover, all of the solutions developed have been integrated both with legacy closed systems (thereby protecting the client’s past investments) and standards-based open systems. Meanwhile, open services have been created to ensure that the client’s systems will work with the software solution developed by Kynetia today (thereby protecting future investments). 
Live Software Support The “Permanent Beta” concept introduced by Web 2.0 highlights the importance of regarding software development not as a discrete event but as an ongoing process. In this light, the concept underlying the term Live Software Support is much more than conventional maintenance and technical support. We view an application as a “living organism” requiring special care from the moment at which development begins, and all the more so when the application enters service. This means much more than merely guaranteeing the functionality for which the software was designed. It is a matter of providing support for the “living” growth of the software solution. It is necessary to include new functionalities in real time and on the hoof (without shutting down the application), at the same time as assuring full operational performance. Kynetia has entered into Live Software Support agreements with multinational corporations, providing a high level of service (under SLAs) and appropriate mechanisms for the continuous functional and operational growth of solutions. The technology
Java EE At Kynetia we have worked on major projects using Java Enterprise Edition since the late 1990s, when the technology had only just begun to be implemented on large servers. Basically, we won our spurs in the financial and insurance industries, where we have developed transactional applications integrated with conventional hosts (such as IBM mainframes), e-business systems and other high-load developments. While we are not dependent on any single manufacturer, our experience is mainly in servers running IBM, Bea, Oracle and JBoss applications in Unix and Windows environments. 
Microsoft .NET Framework As in the case of Java, at Kynetia we have many years’ experience working with the Microsoft technology stack. We have developed high load systems mainly for clients in the Telecommunications and Manufacturing sectors.. 
LAMP In line with the whole Web and Enterprise 2.0 wave, the technology pile based on Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Perl/Python is rapidly gaining ground, to the point where major firms are now becoming increasingly permeable to technologies of this kind. We have also gained considerable experience with this pile, basically in the telecommunications and media sectors, although the technology is spreading to other sectors by the day. |