Background
This client is contracted to build trains for UK and international rail services. They have multiple teams working on various projects at the same time, with management staff co-ordinating resources centrally.
Brief
A system was required to assist finance teams in forecasting staff and manufacturing costs across the teams in different budget scenarios. Each team would need to submit their estimated timesheets for different scenarios, which the finance team would then review and sign-off. Reports were required for each scenario so that they could be compared and analysed.
Solution
Netready created an online replica of the Excel based system that the client used previously. This had the flexibility of Excel (copying columns, calculating totals etc.) whilst standardising the format the data is provided in. The system imported data from 3 other systems to eventually produce a collection of reports that are then exported back into Excel. During development Netready’s project manager liaised with the client in face-to-face meetings and conference calls, and provided task-by-task weekly progress updates. The final solution is a secure, robust system that meets the client’s requirements of an efficient, usable application accessible from all over the world.
Security
The data processed by the system is highly sensitive business and financial information, as such needed to be protected from external threats and unauthenticated access. Netready assisted with configuration of the servers running the system so that only the client’s staff could access them. Beyond the server security (e.g. firewalls, authenticated connections etc.), application level security was applied (e.g. user login with various permission levels) to ensure that staff could only access the data they were entitled to access. Data integrity has been protected by applying backup routines and defining responsibilities for backup restoration tests, which make sure that should a backup be needed it can be used to fully restore the system.
Technology
- Application in a Web Application developed in PHP
