Share Registrar Cuts Testing Time and Improves Application Lifecycle Management

Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Customer Solution Case Study

Overview “By automating tests with Visual Studio 2010, we’ve Country or Region: United Kingdom reduced both labor requirements and the time Industry: Financial services—Capital markets and securities required to complete the tests. Now, we expect to

Customer Profile execute tests in half the time.” Equiniti provides share registration and Mike Jolliffe, Chief Technology Officer, Equiniti investment services for corporations, shareholders, and employees. Based in Equiniti, a leading share registrar in the United Kingdom, wanted Worthing, England, the company has to manage development processes more efficiently. It sought to 1,500 employees. reduce costly, time-consuming manual testing and gain better Business Situation insight into development activities. To improve software Equiniti wanted better tools to help it manage the development of a mission- development, Equiniti is implementing an application lifecycle critical application. Manual processes management solution based on Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 could slow product delivery, and managing changes was challenging. Ultimate, Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010, and Visual Studio Lab Management 2010. The company expects to cut Solution Equiniti is implementing a solution based testing time in half through automation, and it plans to reduce on Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate, development costs as a result. In addition, Equiniti is saving Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010, and Visual Studio Lab Management money by replacing products from IBM and Compuware. The 2010. company is also improving overall project management and

Benefits visibility with the integrated solution. By implementing Visual  Simplifies development Studio 2010 tools, Equiniti expects to enhance its core services  Improves visibility  Cuts development costs faster and more affordably.  Enhances customer service Situation needs. However, ongoing development of Equiniti is a leading provider of shareholder the complex system could be challenging. and employee services in the United Jolliffe says, “We need to be sure that when Kingdom. Based in Worthing, England, the we make changes to the system or correct company offers services including share defects we don’t actually introduce further registration, pension administration, and functional or performance issues.” employee investment programs. It also provides business process outsourcing Equiniti performs extensive regression solutions such as human resources, testing to ensure that changes will work document management, and finance and with the existing environment. In the past, accounting services. the company used products from Compuware and other companies to Equiniti delivers its core services on Sirius, a manage and automate tests. However, it share registration system that went live in decided to return to time-consuming 2006. The company began developing the manual testing instead. Jolliffe explains, mission-critical application in 2003 with “We had to stop using tools for automated help from Accenture, a global IT services testing because with them we couldn’t company that Equiniti still depends on for keep up with the rate of changes that we ongoing development and support. Equiniti were doing to the code set.” has invested millions of dollars and more than 140,000 workdays in the project, The company also wanted better insight which includes approximately 2 million into development activities. Before lines of code and 2,500 classes. modifying the application, developers checked diagrams to understand existing The company continues to enhance Sirius code and earlier changes. It was often with new features. Because it has more than difficult to find information when diagrams 800 corporations and 24 million were outdated and created in different shareholders depending on it, Equiniti formats. “Some of the code was written by needs to ensure high levels of availability, large teams, and documentation was functionality, and performance. Each day created at the same time,” say Jolliffe. “But the Sirius application tier handles because it’s such an enormous system, approximately 1.4 million connections, or there was quite a high code churn, and the hits, through its Web-based interface. “We documentation didn’t always keep exactly have about 1,200 concurrent users on the in step with the changes. We wanted to system at any point during the day,” says produce diagrams in a consistent format Mike Jolliffe, Chief Technology Officer at that would reflect what the code was really Equiniti. “They expect a response time of doing.” less than six seconds, and most of the activities aren’t just a screen transition— Tracking and managing information related they’re very complex processes.” to current projects could be equally challenging. Equiniti was using another Equiniti wanted a flexible solution that it product from Compuware to track code could adapt to meet changing business changes, but it wanted a more integrated “We believed that the solution. “There was no linkage between Kingdom. Then, with help from Microsoft, the source code and defects, or between Equiniti started a larger proof of concept integration and the source code, work items, and build,” that included Accenture testing teams in centralization of says Steve Hirst, Systems Architect at India. Equiniti performed an in-depth Equiniti. “End-to-end tracking of defects evaluation of the solution’s testing everything in one was difficult, and it was also a time- environment with a focus on coded user consuming manual process that required interface and load testing. Jolliffe says, environment would be a exporting lots of things to spreadsheets.” “With each evaluation, we saw that Visual big productivity boost. Studio 2010 was the way forward—because Equiniti stored its defect-tracking data in a of both the functionality and the cost- We also liked the new Compuware database and maintained effectiveness of meeting all our needs with features, and altogether source code in Rational ClearCase from one tool set.” IBM. What it wanted to do instead was to it made a compelling manage all product information in a central A second partner, SQS Group, helped the case for us to implement repository. The company sought a fully team set up an automated testing integrated solution to handle all framework that includes a virtual Visual Studio 2010.” development activities, including testing laboratory. It also provided onsite training scripts, testing activities, and project so that Equiniti could deploy the solution Mike Jolliffe, Chief Technology Officer, management. with confidence. SQS Group is a global Equiniti provider of software testing and quality Solution management services. “When we build a The company explored several products, test now, it goes into a library,” says Jolliffe. including the Microsoft Visual Studio Team “Then we can put together larger, more System 2008 Team Suite development complex tests from those we’ve already system. It used some of the testing features created. A lot of that testing is now done in and looked forward to more capabilities in a completely virtual environment.” future releases. When it heard about Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, the search The proofs of concept were so successful was over. “We believed that the integration that the company decided to standardize and centralization of everything in one its application lifecycle management (ALM) environment would be a big productivity processes with Visual Studio 2010. “We’re boost,” says Jolliffe. “We also liked the new ramping up our use of Visual Studio 2010 features, and altogether it made a so that it is the only way we do something compelling case for us to implement Visual as opposed to an option,” says Jolliffe. “It’s Studio 2010.” now part of the process.”

In June 2009, Equiniti began working with Equiniti started to go live with the solution beta versions of Microsoft Visual Studio in January 2010 and expects to complete 2010 Ultimate, Visual Studio Team deployment in several months. It is already Foundation Server 2010, and Visual Studio using Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Lab Management 2010. First, the company extensively for regression testing. For set up a small proof of concept with a example, it uses the coded UI testing group of developers in the United feature to automate the testing of user “The workflow and interfaces and back-end services, and it items. In addition, they can link the work uses load testing to evaluate performance. items to requirements, test cases, and other project-tracking tools in The company also looks forward to working work items, and track changes throughout Visual Studio Team with IntelliTrace, a new debugging tool that the project lifecycle. Equiniti plans to developers can use to record test runs and extend the solution by integrating Visual Foundation Server 2010 locate the origin of defects. “I’m particularly Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 with interested in IntelliTrace because we its help-desk system. Help-desk calls that are essential for helping sometimes have real challenges diagnosing report code defects will each be logged us understand what tasks what went wrong,” says Jolliffe. “I believe into Team Foundation Server as a work this tool will be the perfect mechanism for item and tracked until the problem is developers are working doing that type of investigation.” resolved. on, and how far they In addition to using testing features, the have progressed.” Benefits company is migrating its development data Equiniti is streamlining development and from Rational ClearCase to Visual Studio Mike Jolliffe, Chief Technology Officer, working more productively with Visual Equiniti Team Foundation Server 2010. The Studio 2010. By cutting testing time company also stores some of its reference significantly through automation, the material in Microsoft Office SharePoint company can deliver new services to Server 2007, which interoperates with customers faster and more affordably. Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010. Developers connect to a team project Simplifies Development portal through the Microsoft Visual Studio When Equiniti began looking for a new Team Explorer 2010 and Microsoft Visual ALM solution, automated testing topped its Studio Team Web Access 2010 clients in list of requirements. By implementing Team Foundation Server. Visual Studio 2010, it can significantly speed the development process. “In most Developers use the new Architecture cases, it would take several people working Explorer feature in Visual Studio 2010 for a week to finish regression testing,” says Ultimate to find sections of existing source Jolliffe. “By automating tests with Visual code that they want to visualize. Equiniti Studio 2010, we’ve reduced both labor then creates UML 2.0–compliant diagrams requirements and the time required to to model the application’s design and complete the tests. Now, we expect to dependencies. The company builds models execute tests in half the time.” for all new projects and has started to reverse-engineer diagrams from older code The company believes that a centralized to bring its reference library up-to-date. environment with integrated testing, collaboration, and project management The company can also create work items in tools also improves productivity. “We are Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 quicker with development, testing, and that link to diagrams. Developers can release,” Jolliffe says. “Visual Studio 2010 define virtually any part of the project as a offers end-to-end productivity work item, including code defects and tests, improvements. We feel that we can and they can also create custom work considerably improve our turnaround on “We expect to save defect fixes or new functional faster and more affordably. “We’re in a development.” service industry, and our company depends money by replacing on us to turn projects around quickly to multiple products from Improves Visibility meet customer needs or specific business Equiniti also wanted better insight into past requirements,” says Jolliffe. “We can meet other vendors with Visual and current development activities. It has those expectations quicker with Visual improved visibility by reverse-engineering Studio 2010. In this case, time is definitely Studio 2010. Some of part of its existing code base and building money.” those licenses are quite models that represent the complex application. As a result, developers can find Enhances Customer Service costly, and we feel that historical project information faster. “We From the beginning, Equiniti has ensured we can realize significant can plan projects better with Visual Studio that its customers, including 24 million 2010,” says Hirst. “For example, we can use shareholders, receive reliable online savings by implementing Architecture Explorer to navigate into services. The company expects that it can this solution.” specific code that we need to investigate or enhance those services further with help support. As a result, it’s much easier to find from Visual Studio 2010. “From our Mike Jolliffe, Chief Technology Officer, the sections of code that we are looking customers’ point of view, we offer a highly Equiniti for.” available, stable environment,” says Jolliffe. “With Visual Studio 2010, we can deliver Equiniti is also taking advantage of tracking change and improvement faster and and reporting tools to manage maintain the same high level of reliability.” development of new features. Jolliffe says, “The workflow and project-tracking tools in Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 are essential for helping us understand what tasks developers are working on, and how far they have progressed.”

Cuts Development Costs The company will be able to cut costs by managing all of its development and testing processes with one environment. “We expect to save money by replacing multiple products from other vendors with Visual Studio 2010,” says Jolliffe. “Some of those licenses are quite costly, and we feel that we can realize significant savings by implementing this solution.”

Equiniti is also reducing development costs by automating testing and managing projects more efficiently. As a result, the company can implement new features For More Information For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426- 9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568- 2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 is an integrated development system that helps For more information about Accenture simplify the entire development process products and services, call (312) 842- from design to deployment. Unleash your 5012 or visit the Web site at: creativity with powerful prototyping, www.accenture.com modeling, and design tools that help you bring your vision to life. Work within a For more information about SQS Group personalized environment that helps products and services, call 44 (0) 20 7448 accelerate the coding process and supports 4620 or visit the Web site at: the use of your existing skills, and target a www.sqs-uk.com growing number of platforms, including Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and For more information about Equiniti cloud services. Also, work more efficiently products and services, call 44 121 415 thanks to integrated testing and debugging 7047 or visit the Web site at: tools that you can use to find and fix bugs www.equiniti.com

Software and Services  Technologies IntelliTrace  Microsoft Visual Studio − Microsoft Visual Studio Team Explorer − Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 − Ultimate 2010 Microsoft Visual Studio Team Web − Microsoft Visual Studio Lab − Management 2010 Access 2010 − Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 Partners  Microsoft Office  Accenture − Microsoft Office SharePoint Server  SQS Group 2007

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published April 2010 quickly and easily to help ensure high- quality solutions.

For more information about Visual Studio 2010, go to: www.msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio