Digital: You nerds might be interested

[ianw]

Dear member,

On Tuesday 12th March, the digital team will be hosting an interactive technical infrastructure webinar.

Starting at 7:30pm and lasting approximately 30 minutes, the webinar will cover work undertaken over the past year to upgrade and improve the architecture underlying our digital systems, including:

Our transition to the Public CloudCloud Native developmentOur software development lifecycleDevOps
The webinar will be hosted by our Digital Product Manager, Rachel Davidson, and you will hear from our Solution Architect, Jeff Nayler. There will be a chance to ask questions at the end.

If you are interested in learning more about our technical infrastructure, please click "Join the webinar" below or visit scouts.org.uk/digitalwebinar ( https://scouts-news.org.uk/31ME-ULT1...HWH89-0/c.aspx ) at 7:30pm on Tuesday 12th March to join the meeting.

Join the webinar ( http://scouts.org.uk/digitalwebinar )

For those unable to attend, the webinar will be recorded and available to watch on our digital blog ( https://scouts-news.org.uk/31ME-ULT1...HWH8B-0/c.aspx ) from Wednesday 13th March.

[nevynxxx]

Looks fun. Pity I'm going to have to catch up and wont be able to ask questions...

[Kastor]

"the webinar will cover work undertaken over the past year to upgrade and improve the architecture underlying our digital systems"


Can't say I've noticed anything other than the "new" first page of the website.


Everything else just looks to be same old, same old.

[pa_broon74]

A Solution Architect?

Is that a real architect? As in, an Architect?

I think there's a badge in that... Possibly in the same category as the Thinking-Outside-The-Box badge...


*Edit. You know you're getting old when you start posting like this...

[hippysurfer]

"the webinar will cover work undertaken over the past year to upgrade and improve the architecture underlying our digital systems"


Can't say I've noticed anything other than the "new" first page of the website.


Everything else just looks to be same old, same old.

My guess is that they are having to rebuild everything from the inside, whilst keeping the existing services running.

If they are successful we should see an improvement in services in the future. If they are unsuccessful they will all leave and TSA will be left with a Cloud-based DevOp systems that noone understands! Let's hope it is the former.

A slap on the back for communicating about this though.

Shame I will be at an Exec meeting at the time.

[ianw]

A Solution Architect?

Is that a real architect? As in, an Architect?

No, it's someone who designs computer systems. In a way, to stretch the analogy, understanding the building blocks of a system, and how to put them together.
I.e. someone who architects the solution.

*Edit. You know you're getting old when you start posting like this...

You said it not me.

[shiftypete]

Shame they have put it on the exact same date as one of the HQ GSL webinars I am already signed up for

- - - Updated - - -

"the webinar will cover work undertaken over the past year to upgrade and improve the architecture underlying our digital systems"


Can't say I've noticed anything other than the "new" first page of the website.


Everything else just looks to be same old, same old.

What part of "architecure underlying our digital systems" would lead you to believe you would notice any difference visually?

[pa_broon74]

No, it's someone who designs computer systems. In a way, to stretch the analogy, understanding the building blocks of a system, and how to put them together.
I.e. someone who architects the solution.
)

I see, like that white-haired fellow with the Van **** beard in The Matrix?

[Big George]

No, it's someone who designs computer systems. In a way, to stretch the analogy, understanding the building blocks of a system, and how to put them together.
I.e. someone who architects the solution.

Or in my previous life’s experience, someone who does a fancy PowerPoint presentation drawing boxes and clouds with lines between them and no real concept of how to get that to work. Other people’s experiences may vary (and I’m so glad that’s all behind me now).

[DKRSL]

The issue is often that you can't deliver what you want with just one system. So it's less a case of designing a computer system than of designing how to put together a set of computer systems in order to deliver what the customer needs. For example, the Scouts need at least a system to maintain members' details, a system to deliver a Web site, bookings systems for camp sites, sales systems for merchandise, and so on and so on. In reality, they almost certainly need some kind of repository of information as well that's more than just the Web CMS, but is connected to it (exactly where is the master copy of POR held?!)

So you start putting systems together and find that three of them have calendars and four have contact databases, and two of those won't work unless the contact databases are up to date and comprehensive, so you're going to have to duplicate everything. They all claim to be designed for integration, but even then the duplication of functionality between them makes it difficult. And one system has 75% of what you need, if you buy the right modules, but two key ones don't seem to be as good a match for your requirements as the alternatives that would need more integration work.

[Kastor]

What part of "architecure underlying our digital systems" would lead you to believe you would notice any difference visually?

I would hope that changing the architecture would have some noticeable effect otherwise what is the point?

It may be that the website is faster, updated quicker, has the new logo, or only contains relevant information and not stuff that is years out of date.

It may be that Compost didn't still have the wrong appointments and issues with showing who had DBSs.

How about the TSA search for a Group giving links or info that related to the Group rather than just generic "stuff" that hasn't changed in years?



If it doesn't affect the basics then who cares? After all, were the passengers on the Titanic really bothered about how efficient the engines were when there hit the iceberg?

[Magician]

I might sign up

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[RisingStar]

I would hope that changing the architecture would have some noticeable effect otherwise what is the point?

It may be that the website is faster, updated quicker, has the new logo, or only contains relevant information and not stuff that is years out of date.

It may be that Compost didn't still have the wrong appointments and issues with showing who had DBSs.

How about the TSA search for a Group giving links or info that related to the Group rather than just generic "stuff" that hasn't changed in years?



If it doesn't affect the basics then who cares? After all, were the passengers on the Titanic really bothered about how efficient the engines were when there hit the iceberg?

Future proofing and /or removal of obsolescence issues are two good reasons for system upgrades which wouldn't be noticeable immediately but would prevent future issues.

As it stands I can't see that TSA's systems are used enough to stress even a mediocre system by moderns standards

[ianw]

If it doesn't affect the basics then who cares? After all, were the passengers on the Titanic really bothered about how efficient the engines were when there hit the iceberg?

They'd have received plenty of benefit from an iceberg detecting radar, and would probably never have known it had even been called into use.

The search working better is a good thing. That they've started with the low hanging fruit is a good thing. I mean, previously it seemed the low hanging fruit would have just fallen off and rotted like an out of date superseded fact sheet. That the front page you hit now has direct links for us volunteers to the things we most look at is a good thing.

Lets just keep our fingers crossed that this bunch of IT people stick around for a few years and don't have to try and ram the iceberg of intransigent HQ committees.

Urgh, too much metaphor. Sorry!

[nevynxxx]

I would hope that changing the architecture would have some noticeable effect otherwise what is the point?

Ever heard that parable about building a house on sand? Sometimes underpinning the foundations is a good idea before you start building....