ISV Case Study IT Services and Solutions
Accelerating Development Cycles and Enabling Rapid Business Growth To meet increasing client demands for customisation, Pfortner wanted to accelerate its development cycle. By adopting SUSE Studio™ to build and modify its secure connectivity appliances, Pfortner has reduced development time by a massive 60 percent, accelerating the delivery of new functionality to its clients and boosting operational efficiency.
Overview difficult to split work effectively across teams SUSE Business Partner: Based in Centurion, South Africa, Pfortner of developers,” said Aubrey Swanepoel, provides network perimeter security so Managing Director of Pfortner. “As a result, lutions as well as network encryption ap each developer tended to be responsible
pliances. The company is focused on the for the full stack of management and sup
financial services sector, for which it de port for their own product. This slowed livers secure end-to-end connectivity so down the development cycle and pre Name of Company lutions. Pfortner is rapidly expanding its vented them from focusing fully on their Pfortner business throughout Africa, Europe and core competence.” South America, working closely with tech Industry and Location nology partners. By creating a more structured develop IT services and solutions, South Africa ment environment, Pfortner knew that Products and Services Challenge it could accelerate delivery, improve in SUSE Appliance Programme As a provider of secure connectivity solu ternal efficiency and bring on new team members more rapidly. SUSE Studio tions and network appliances to the finan SUSE Linux Enterprise Server cial services sector, which does not tend to buy off-the-shelf software, Pfortner un Solution Results dertakes significant customisation work Pfortner became one of the first compa + Cut software development time by 60 percent for its clients. As the company looked to nies in South Africa to adopt SUSE Studio, + Simplified and accelerated training process for expand into new markets, it wanted to a powerful yet intuitive tool from SUSE new developers accelerate the development cycle and en for building software appliances based on + Achieved competitive advantage through faster time-to-market able new developers to become productive SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server. sooner. Equally, Pfortner wanted to serve its clients better by responding faster to SUSE Studio offers Pfortner a web-based requests for customisation. graphical environment for building and adapting software appliances. Developers “We lacked a comprehensive software can choose an existing base platform or lifecycle management tool, which made it build their own custom kernel, add or re move standard Linux software from any compatible repository, add their own cus “With SUSE Studio, we have a well tom-built software, set up networking security and users, then package the controlled set of base templates complete appliance ready for deployment with the tools to rapidly customise, by clients. test and deliver new appliances. It’s like having jet engines when “In the past, it was difficult for us to respond we previously just had propellers!” as rapidly as we wanted to new requests from clients,” said Systems Developer ALLAN SWANEPOEL Allan Swanepoel. “With SUSE Studio, we Systems Developer have a well controlled set of base tem Pfortner plates with the tools to rapidly customise, “Whether we’re addressing standard vulnerabilities in software packages or delivering new front-end functionality, SUSE Studio allows us to do it rapidly and to a very high standard of quality.”
AUBREY SWANEPOEL Managing Director Pfortner
www.suse.com test and deliver new appliances. It’s like release of new software appliances based having jet engines when we previously on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. just had propellers! The demand for cus tomisation is enormous in the financial “We found joining the SUSE Appliance To read more customer success stories, visit: sector, so the ability SUSE Studio gives Programme from SUSE to be a really www.suse.com/success us to deploy completely new appliances smooth and efficient process,” said Aubrey in one or two days is a huge competitive Swanepoel. “By day 12 of the implementa Contact your Solutions Provider, or call:: advantage.” tion process, we were ready for develop ment work. The excellent support from France In addition to enabling the rapid creation the highly professional local SUSE team +33 1 55 62 50 00 and complete customisation of Linux- was a major benefit.” based appliances, SUSE Studio simplifies Germany lifecycle management, enabling develop Pfortner has cut the average develop +49 211 56 31 0 ers to focus fully on core development tasks. ment time for appliances by 60 percent, Italy enabling faster and more cost-effective +39 (0) 2 99 06 02 01 “SUSE Studio gives us a controlled and response to software patches and client structured development environment in requests for new functionality. Netherlands which it’s much easier to collaborate,” said +31(0)172 50 55 55 Allan Swanepoel. “Our developers are “With SUSE Studio, it’s like we’re using happy because everything is much bet the same amount of fuel but driving twice Poland +48 22 537 5000 ter organised, so they can really focus on as far,” said Allan Swanepoel. “The leap in their core tasks rather than having to spread our productivity has been extraor dinary, Russia themselves thinly across multiple differ and the commercial model is great, too, +7 495 514 1155 ent requirements.” having very low up-front costs.” Spain SUSE Studio helps Pfortner to mitigate With a controlled development envi +34 91 640 25 00 risk and accelerate the development ronment that eases the pressure on de Sweden cycle by enabling the company to test- velopers, Pfortner can now focus on its +46 (0)8 752 25 00 drive appliances before deployment. The strategic expansion plans. SUSE Studio company can take in requests for new makes it much easier to bring on new Switzerland functionality from clients, build and test developers quickly and reduces train +41 43 456 23 00 a revised appliance, then release it back ing costs. Equally, the solution enables South Africa to the client within just two days. Pfortner to tap into the SUSE worldwide +27 11 322 8300 knowledge-base. “Whether we’re addressing standard vul United Kingdom nerabilities in software packages or deliv “For us, the two key benefits of SUSE +44 1344 724 000 ering new front-end functionality, SUSE Studio are that it brings consistency and Studio allows us to do it rapidly and to a stability to software development, and SUSE Maxfeldstrasse 5 very high standard of quality,” said Aubrey that it enables us to leverage open source 90409 Nuremberg Swanepoel. technology to the maximum,” said Aubrey Germany Swanepoel. “SUSE provides extensive sup Results port and documentation around Linux, dopting SUSE Studio enabled Pfortner to which helps us to build robust appliances quickly create a controlled environment for our clients.” for the rapid development, testing and
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