• IT that grows your business

Corporate

Mandy 2023 1200x800 1 1170x658 - Meet the Team: Mandy Goddard
1024 683 Nicki Smith

Meet the Team: Mandy Goddard

Mandy Goddard – IBMi (AS400/iSeries) Support & Developer

Starting Out…

My ambition was to be a Police Officer and having successfully applied at 17 years of age for the Police Force, they advised me to get some life experience and apply again in a few years.

I was determined to get these skills and find a job that would provide me with this.

Not having a clue what I wanted to do… I just knew I did NOT want to work in an office sitting at a desk all day looking at a computer screen…

…and so here I find myself 35 years later, sitting at a desk, looking at a computer screen, the idea of joining the Police Force a distant memory.

Office Work!

In 1987, I joined the Cooperative Society as an Office Junior, where I was inquisitive about the locked, noisy room at the end of the Office.

The Data Processing Suite was used for running applications on System 36 – a large system, running backups, printing stock reports and updating stock levels.

I became a Data Operator and was known for my incessant questions about how and why the systems worked. 

A year later I found myself at a local firm called Sweetheart International as a Computer Operator and then become proficient at CL Programming, I decided to move into programming using RPG. This role, in a small company, meant I could still run applications, loading software and looking after hardware.

Sadly after 31 years, they made me redundant and I thought my time working with the AS400 (IBM i) was over until… 

Mandy 2023 327x267px - Meet the Team: Mandy Goddard

Starting at KFA Connect

In June 2019 KFA Connect came into my life, based in Ringwood – about 45 miles from my home, a place we only visited during the summer holidays.

How did I feel about commuting? 

The driving to and from work before going home to the manic mayhem of family life was great and OMG! They even let you take dogs to work.

My interview was a blur – my black trousers were covered in dog hairs from a lovely dog called Jazz who came and sat in on the interview – personally, I think she helped me get the job but she never let me forget it – hounding me daily for treats on her arrival to work. We all work remotely now since Covid – and I do miss the office, well the dogs anyway!  

Every day is literally a school day, learning how processes work in other companies and then resolving their issues is both satisfying and rewarding.

I am lucky enough to work on new innovations, recently working with other team members to set up a Customer with IBMi in the Cloud backing up to our server with minimal effort.

Work-Life Balance

Travelling, reading and shopping are three things I like to do.    

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team today.

How can you achieve more from your integration projects 1170x658 - How Can You Achieve More From Your Integration Projects?
1024 683 Nicki Smith

How Can You Achieve More From Your Integration Projects?

How Can You Achieve More From Your Integration Projects?

Undertaking a new integration project to streamline business processes can be a daunting task for some businesses.

Development timeframes can eat into everyday activities and on occasion, projects can be outsourced to ease the workload.

Unfortunately, as the project grows, modifications often require the same software development team to make the necessary changes making the process time-consuming and costly.

From this, and other hidden factors such as delays, or compromises and automated data queries caused by ‘fault lines’ between integrated systems how can businesses looking to become more efficient improve IT performance in a timely and cost-effective manner?

Testing icon - How Can You Achieve More From Your Integration Projects?

Luckily, SAP Business One has been designed to provide a flexible and easy-to-use framework with clear functionality for integration with third-party software.

This flexible framework enables SAP Certified integration solutions such as BPA Platform from Codeless Platforms to remove the need for complex coding by providing a selection of tools that enables anyone with a basic understanding of their database structures to build integrations and practically any number of automated business processes between SAP Business One and other business systems, applications and web services no matter how complex the requirements.

Highlights of BPA Platform include:

  • SAP Certified integration solution
  • Data integration and synchronisation
  • Workflow
  • Report and document automation
  • Notifications and alerts (including External notifications)
codeless BPA - How Can You Achieve More From Your Integration Projects?

Primarily, SMEs are looking for business software and integration tools to be easy to install and simple to use – but they also want to see working examples of how other organisations in their industry have maximised business software and applications to their advantage. They know it can help them they just want to see how.

Integration projects no longer need to be complex, time-consuming and costly – BPA Platform has over 6,000 customers globally utilising its integration and automation tools to significantly reduce operational costs and improve business performance.


If you would like to discuss how you can automate your business processes to help your business achieve more, please contact us to arrange a demonstration.

KFA Connect are Codeless Platforms Partners – authorised to sell BPA Platform with in-depth knowledge of developing integration and Process automation using the solution.

How are SAP Business One users staying ahead of the competition 1170x658 - How are SAP Business One users staying ahead of the competition?
1024 683 Finley Austin

How are SAP Business One users staying ahead of the competition?

How are SAP Business One users staying ahead of the competition?

Having a clear view on all areas of your business operations and managing customer expectations is becoming a necessity that companies need to achieve to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Understanding the day to day business processes throughout an organisation helps to explore new ways to strengthen relationships and introduce a new customer base to a business’s products and services and assists with streamlining everyday processes.

Independent systems and applications achieve what is asked of them for a specific purpose; the only downside is that they work in isolation. This means that organisations are turning towards solutions that can provide the dynamic synchronisation of data between business software and applications such as an eCommerce store (Magento, PrestaShop, Shopify etc.) or an integration between a data service (Creditsafe, Companies House, VIES).

Common processes that can be achieved through SAP Business One integration include:

  • Automated entry and processing of web shop orders (Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce etc).
  • Automatic creation and distribution of reports including attachments (manufacturing reports, marketing campaigns, financial reports, sales reports).
  • Automated SMS / email notifications for inventory reorder points etc.
  • Multi-level workflow approvals such as credit limit increase requests, discount authorisations and purchase order.

Including business systems and applications in an environment where they are empowered with added functionality to seamlessly integrate and synchronise information can ensure that business software and applications are used to their capabilities improving day to day processes and performance.

SAP Business One has been designed to provide a flexible and easy to use framework with clear functionality for integration with third-party software. This well designed platform gives BPA Platform the opportunity to offer code free data integration and synchronisation across practically any online or on-premises information system or database store across sales and marketing, customer services, finance and accounting departments and warehousing to increase company performance and efficiency to increase profit margins.

Testing icon - How are SAP Business One users staying ahead of the competition?

How is your business planning to grow?

Growing a business can bring a multitude of questions and associated challenges – do your systems and applications do what you want them to do? Do they provide full visibility of business processes? Can they provide a 100% audit trail?

To grow in line with your strategic goals, these questions and many more must be answered. In fact, ensuring that your business systems and applications meet your exact business requirements presents a clear goal to achieving your businesses potential.

As your company grows, business processes evolve over time and having the ability to streamline administration tasks and receive real time information when it’s needed the most can play a major part in improving your ROI. But how do organisations running SAP Business One achieve this?

SAP Business One has been designed to provide a flexible and easy to use framework with clear functionality for integration with third-party software enabling organisations to explore possibilities such as the SAP Certified integration solution BPA Platform.

BPA Platform provides:

  • Code free drag and drop integration tools to reduce costly development time frames
  • Ensures systems and applications ‘play nicely’ no matter how complex the requirements
  • Automation for practically any business process
  • Automated reporting set to business rules you define
  • Real-time data for improved decision making
  • Protection against future upgrade paths

If your company is planning to grow, BPA Platform can assist in helping you to achieve your long and short-term strategic goals.

Careers icon - How are SAP Business One users staying ahead of the competition?

codeless BPA - How are SAP Business One users staying ahead of the competition?

KFA Connect are Codeless Platforms Partners – authorised to sell BPA Platform and have in-depth knowledge of developing integration and Process automation using the solution.

the future of ibm i application modernisation cover - The Future of IBM i Application Modernisation
800 500 Finley Austin

The Future of IBM i Application Modernisation

The Future of IBM i Application Modernisation 

The idea of modernising IBM i applications is not a new one.

The green screen 5250 application has long given the platform and the applications that run on it an image problem.

Evolving Architecture for Modern Applications

The perceived problems with the terminal application led to the creation of client-server architectures to provide graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

In turn, problems with management of client-side distributed code were then solved by browser-based applications. The growth of mobile and plethora of devices meant that the front end couldn’t be designed for a predictable size of screen. Our applications’ front ends became responsive.

The idea of what modern means is constantly changing.

application modernisation 3 1 768x480 - The Future of IBM i Application Modernisation

As the industry evolves, so does our concept of a modern application. New architectures, development and delivery paradigms and demands for different types of integrations rise and fall, present new challenges and require new solutions.

Today, a modern application may need to interoperate and integrate with multiple front ends, with messaging hubs, with APIs and different kinds of data-interchange. It may run in the cloud (IBM i in the Cloud), freeing us up from the management of the hardware.

The Evolutionary Process of Modernisation

The logic, the real business value that the applications hold, that has been invested in, refined, adapted, and customised over thousands of hours. Where it was once entwined with screen handling and data access, in a modern application it has broken free and is able to be discretely accessed in different ways, by different clients and composed as parts of different services.

Databases no longer a massively shared single resource, but part of dedicated, encapsulated units. All of this implementable today on the modern IBM i, with the tools and languages that have served us well for decades complemented by the growth of open-source technologies offered on the platform.

While businesses may need to undertake a modernisation project to pay off significant amounts of technical debt incurred over years and play catch-up – modernisation should not be thought of as a project that you implement and walk away from.

application modernisation 1 768x480 - The Future of IBM i Application Modernisation

Today’s modernised application is already legacy code. Rather, modernisation or transformation should be an ongoing evolutionary process that is as much a part of the regular maintenance of applications as regulatory changes, operating system upgrades and security reviews.

Continuously refactoring code to improve its design, break it down into smaller, functionally cohesive units with true separation of concerns and that are testable and accessible will help to make our software more adaptable and ready for the next wave of challenges that it needs to solve. 

Stuart Bramley

KFA Connect – Technology Manager

9th May 2023

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team today.

Integrate Magento with SAP Business One using Codeless BPA 1 - Integrate Magento with SAP Business One Using BPA Platform
800 500 Finley Austin

Integrate Magento with SAP Business One Using BPA Platform

Integrate Magento with SAP Business One using Codeless BPA Platform

E-commerce has brought an unprecedented ability to connect vendor and customer, with even small companies and startups being able to present a global ‘shop window’ with their websites.  And when everything is going well this can quickly translate into large numbers of orders and so business growth.

But taking an order and fulfilling it are two very different things, likewise, taking a payment, and entering it into an accounting system, or having stock on a shelf and running an efficient website.  Often to cope with this new growth manual processes are used, taking information from one system; the eCommerce site, and entering it into others; spreadsheets, accounting tools, and warehousing systems.  This might be viable when orders are few, but very quickly these manual processes become an impediment to future growth making for a busy rather than an efficient company.

Magento and the closely related Adobe Commerce are eCommerce frameworks which contain all the functions necessary to create and maintain a superb eCommerce website, however businesses usually have other systems in place, vital to their smooth running.  One of the most universal is an accounts package or ERP.   

Testing icon - Integrate Magento with SAP Business One Using BPA Platform

The remainder of this blog piece discusses how a Magento website can be comprehensively linked to an ERP system common in medium-sized companies; SAP Business One.

The best solutions have a plan behind them, so rather than leading on how, let’s understand why it’s important to integrate Magento with SAP Business One.

Efficiency and Accuracy

Integration means that orders, customer records, invoices, payments (which we’ll refer to as data) can transfer between systems without being re-entered manually.  To better reap the benefits of this integration, it would usually also be automated, so that no human intervention is required.

Consequently, delays are minimised, errors are reduced, and staff time can be freed up.

Improved Customer Experience

An integrated e-commerce system and ERP mean that orders arrive quickly, contain the right items, and go to the right doorstep, all hallmarks of a happy customer journey.

With stock being updated in real-time 24 hours a day selling items which are out of stock becomes a thing of the past.

How could Magento be integrated with SAP Business One?

There are broadly two ways of approaching an integration such as this.  If an integration is unusual or particularly complex, then it might be that the most effective way of approaching it is with bespoke software development.  Both Magento and SAP Business One are incredibly customisable and so sometimes this will be the most appropriate course of action. 

Many Magento sites and SAP Business One systems are broadly similar, the same data is being passed between systems so isn’t there a simpler way to connect them?

Using a tool which has the capability to connect the systems in a simple way can pay dividends by enabling much of the software development to be side-stepped so that the focus can be on the business requirements.

BPA Platform from Codeless platforms acts like an integration ‘Swiss Army Knife’, it packages together many functions ideally suited to delivering an integration quickly and reliably.  With business processes being designed using a simple drag-and-drop interface designing and maintaining an integration doesn’t need to involve software developers.

Using connectors which are available for numerous e-commerce, ERP, and delivery platforms BPA is an ideal way to integrate Magento and SAP Business One.

A Typical Integration Using Codeless BPA Platform

First the BPA software is installed along with the SAP Business One toolset, and the Magento connector.

Planning What Needs to be Integrated

Then, before any development is started a high-level plan needs to be made detailing what should be integrated between the Magento site and the SAP Business One ERP system. 

Typically, this might be the integration of orders coming in from the website into the SAP system and frequently some sort of stock-level functionality.  However, using BPA, it becomes possible to integrate customer information, product data, despatch details and so much more as the specific business requires.

Building the Integration with BPA

Next, BPA is used to realise the plan, the exact path taken will obviously vary but typically:

Connectors will be configured to the SAP Business One and Magento systems.  Because these connectors are tailored to their specific platforms, they need the minimum of set-up.

Now tasks are created in BPA which relate to the process that is being designed, an example would be getting new orders from the eCommerce site.

It will often be necessary to manipulate data from one system to meet the requirements of another, in other cases simply mapping fields from one system to the other will fit the bill.  BPA makes this understandable with a visual system.

For an integration between Magento and SAP Business One it is highly likely that several tasks will be required.

Careers icon - Integrate Magento with SAP Business One Using BPA Platform

Ensuring that Most Eventualities are Covered

Before using an integration in production it’s important to check that it matches the plan that was created at the beginning of the process.  Checking that the integration works functionally is vital too and tests should be devised to cover as many potential situations as possible.

Reaping the Benefits

Finally, the integration can be moved to production and data will begin to flow between Magento and SAP Business One.  As new requirements become available, BPA is well positioned to meet them allowing the business to react quickly to an evolving market.

Bringing in Expert Help

It’s not essential to bring in expert help to write tasks to integrate Sap Business One and Magento using BPA Platform (depending on the technical ability of your in-house IT team of course) – although you will need engage with a BPA Partner to procure the annual licence.  

Whilst BPA removes much of the need for extensive software development, the integration process can be daunting.  Engaging a partner who has a high level of knowledge of BPA, Magento, and SAP Business One is certainly an option and that expert help can help you get the best ROI from the product.

Conclusion

Integrating a Magento e-commerce site with SAP Business One offers easily demonstrable benefits with regards accuracy of orders, stock levels, customer records and more.  In addition, replacing manual processes with automation means that reactivity increases and orders can flow 24/7.

Customer satisfaction increases and staff within the business can be deployed doing work which promotes growth and the business’s interests, rather that performing data entry, re-keying information, and other drudge work.

Using a tool such as BPA Platform can reduce the requirement for investment in bespoke software development but does not mean that development needs to be handled internally; finding a partner who can work to deliver the business requirements can be a great choice.

Joe Vavasour

KFA Connect

For more information on how BPA Platform can be used to automate the flow of information between your business systems and applications to streamline your business processes, contact us to arrange a demonstration.

codeless BPA - Integrate Magento with SAP Business One Using BPA Platform

KFA Connect are Codeless Platforms Partners – authorised to sell BPA Platform and have in-depth knowledge of developing integration and process automation using the solution.

6 step guide to SAP Business One credit control automation 1170x658 - 6-Step Guide to SAP Business One Credit Control Automation
1024 683 Finley Austin

6-Step Guide to SAP Business One Credit Control Automation

6-Step Guide to SAP Business One Credit Control Automation

Consistent cash flow is one of the key heart beats of an organisation. Credit control teams work tirelessly to ensure that a business adheres to its processes and procedures so that cash flow remains consistent and the cost of debt recovery is reduced.

Unfortunately, this is a time consuming, error prone and costly process – how can this be improved so that your debtor repayment cycles are reduced?

Here is a 6-step SAP Business One credit control automation process that practically any business can benefit from implementing:

1 – Order Confirmation

An order confirmation is automatically created and sent to the client on the receipt and input of a sales order within your accounting system. Internal checks ensure that the sales order contains a valid Purchase Order (PO) number. If no PO number is found an internal email is automatically triggered to the employee who processed the order, requesting them to find an associated PO reference. When the PO number has been added to the sales order an order confirmation will then be distributed.

2 – Pre-Invoice due reminder

A payment reminder is scheduled before the invoice is due for payment or before a customer’s payment run eradicating the issue of misplaced or lost invoices and ensuring that it has been received by the customer. Early settlement discounts can be included within the payment reminder.

Testing icon - 6-Step Guide to SAP Business One Credit Control Automation

3 – First overdue reminder and internal notification

An overdue reminder notice is automatically created and distributed to the customer one week after the invoice due date triggering an automated notification to internal personnel stating that the client has been informed.

4 – Second overdue reminder and internal notification

A second, stronger overdue reminder notice is dynamically created and distributed 2 weeks after the overdue payment with an internal communication escalated to include key decision makers.

5 – Notice of the addition of penalties

The notice of additional penalties is automatically sent out 3 weeks after the invoice payment due date. This template notifies the customer that you will be applying penalties to the invoice total providing a deterrent for continuous late payers. This email can also be accompanied by an internal email to accounts personnel or even the customer account managers to prompt them to try to bring the account up to date.

6 – Notice of Account Suspension

The notice of account suspension is automatically sent out 4 weeks after the invoice payment date. This template notifies the customer that their account will be suspended in the next 7 days if full payment is not received. Internal personnel can be sent emails listing impending suspensions.

So now that you know the 6 steps to credit control automation, how can you put it in place?

The business process automation solution, BPA Platform from Codeless Platforms, provides the ability to automate credit control processes ensuring that procedures are adhered to, cash flow remains consistent and the cost of debt recovery is significantly reduced.

BPA Platform users that have automated their credit control procedures claim that debtor repayment cycles have reduced by at least 2 weeks and the costs associated with this activity have been slashed by around 80-90%.

Careers icon - 6-Step Guide to SAP Business One Credit Control Automation

codeless BPA - 6-Step Guide to SAP Business One Credit Control Automation

KFA Connect are Codeless Platforms Partners – authorised to sell BPA Platform and have in-depth knowledge of developing integration and Process automation using the solution.

day in the life 1 - A Day in the Life of an IBM i Developer: Unlocking the Power of Legacy Systems
800 500 Finley Austin

A Day in the Life of an IBM i Developer: Unlocking the Power of Legacy Systems

A Day in the Life of an IBM i Developer: Unlocking the Power of Legacy Systems

In this blog, we’ll take a glimpse into the life of an IBM i developer and explore the challenges and rewards of working on the IBM i…

As a developer at KFA I have a very varied day, with numerous customers running IBM i applications we develop across a wide spectrum of operating system levels and different ages of code.

If I have been part of a deployment of code changes the night before my first task is to check my code is working and that there are no system errors.

I will then implement my code into any system test and UAT environments to keep all the code levels up to date. I will also check that there are no errors in any of the test environments so the test team can run their tests without any problems.

I am in the fortunate position of being a developer as part of a development team, so we have a separate Support team that check our system dashboards, and review system logs, error messages, and performance metrics to ensure that the IBM i system is running smoothly.

If an error has occurred in our code then I may be asked by the support team to look into the issue, especially if it is an area of the system where I have previous experience.

day in the life 2 - A Day in the Life of an IBM i Developer: Unlocking the Power of Legacy Systems

If I am working on a development project then I will attend a scrum meeting to tell my project manager how I am progressing, raise any issues and highlight any problems with the design I am working to.

It is nice to be head down and fully focused on code writing when part of a delivery project. I write in the latest free format RPGLE using RDI and I keep myself up to date with the latest functions with each release of the operating system.

My project may include new database files which will need to be journalled to work with replication tools for disaster recovery.

I am expected to develop and manage my own code changes, thoroughly unit test and document my tests. My unit testing documents are my evidence that I have understood what my changes are trying to achieve and are a pre-requisite for me to deliver my code into the system test environment ready for our test team to start their work.

I will work closely with the Business Analysts and the System Testers to ensure I deliver to the requirements of the project.

If I am working on Application Maintenance work where I am enhancing/fixing various parts of an application then I may be working on code written 20+ years ago, this requires me to have a deep knowledge of RPG and how it has developed over the years.

If I am working on a support issue where code is falling over or producing incorrect results then I may be required to debug code. This may involve analysing complex RPG (Report Program Generator) code, which is a programming language specifically designed for IBM i, to identify and fix defects. Debugging may also involve working with other programming languages such as CL (Control Language) or COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language).

I can debug interactive or batch processes and I need to be an expert in the IBM i architecture to understand how processes run. I, therefore, need to have a deep understanding of job queues, output queues, message queues, data queues, job logs, sub-systems and much more.  

day in the life 3 - A Day in the Life of an IBM i Developer: Unlocking the Power of Legacy Systems

A great deal of our code is now developed to interface with external systems, because of this I need to understand SFTP, SCP, MQ, ODBC, JDBC and web services. Data can be passed using flat files and as with many of our interfaces, XML.

While IBM i development may require a unique skill set and expertise, it is very rewarding.

One of the biggest advantages is the stability and reliability of the platform. IBM i systems are known for their uptime, speed and security, making them a trusted choice for many mission-critical applications.

The IBM Community

IBM i developers have the opportunity to work with a supportive and dedicated community.

IBM provides extensive documentation, forums, and resources to help developers learn and grow their skills. The IBM i is constantly being improved by IBM so the system goes from strength to strength.

At KFA we love the IBM i, its solidity, its speed and its ability to interface with just about any other system out there. Developing on the system is fast and easy when you have the right skills and we can turn our hands to anything.

Anonymous

KFA Connect – IBM i Developer

27th April 2023

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team today.

elizabeth 1200 1170x658 - Meet the Team: Elizabeth Austin
1024 683 Finley Austin

Meet the Team: Elizabeth Austin

Elizabeth Austin – Project/Programme Manager

Starting Out…

I started my working life in Barclays Bank straight from school. As the career options were a bit limited with only O-levels, it was the motivation I needed to go back into education.

So, I set out on the path to becoming a Lawyer. After doing my Law degree and Law school, I applied for a trainee solicitor position, however, I also decided to apply to IBM as a graduate trainee (and was offered the job).

I loved it! I worked for Assist400, which was a call centre providing technical assistance to IBM AS/400 customers who paid for this service, beyond just the normal Operating System Defect Support.

By the time a job offer for a solicitors firm in Winchester came through, 3 months after starting at IBM, I turned it down. I figured, I could always go back to Law in my life if I wanted to, but I wanted to see where this journey with IBM was going to take me first.

Initially, I started out in the defect team, sending out PTFs to customers to fix specific error codes, and after going through initial training in all the various teams, from Ops support, Client Access, and Printing team, I successfully passed an interview to join the Comms team. From here I guided customers on how to set up their systems to talk to each other.

I worked with some of the most intelligent people I have ever met, who would have secondments in the US to write Red Books. It was an amazing learning ground and I attended countless IBM AS/400 training courses.

After doing the role for a couple of years, I decided I wanted to get my hands dirty, rather than doing the work theoretically and over the phone instructing others. So, I took the role of AS/400 Technical Analyst at Manor Bakeries in Eastleigh.

Be careful what you wish for…

At Manor Bakeries I was responsible for anything technical across the several AS/400’s, Comms and Printers, into those systems in Eastleigh, and in the Rugby Distribution Centre.

Every month, I would go up to Rugby to flip between the 2 mirrored boxes. It really was a baptism of fire, and while at first, I was part of a small team of 3, the team quickly dwindled down and I was on my own in the team for quite a while.

With the twenty-four seven on-call support, it was pretty wearing. I knew I enjoyed IT still, but I was ready for something different. So as soon as we had successfully got over the Y2K fears, I left to rejoin IBM in Global Services as a Resource Manager.

Elizabeth 2023 327x267px 1 - Meet the Team: Elizabeth Austin

IBM Global Services

At first, I was the Resource Manager for the 130-strong, IBM Test Services team, having the responsibility to not just keep the 130 Testers (Test Consultants, Managers, Test Analysts etc) busy on projects, but also make sure IBM Projects were resourced.

I moved through from Test Services into Capacity Planning, Resource analytics, and Reporting for all Global Services (3.5K resources) and then later moved into the planning and approvals of Contractors engaged across the UK and providing cover to European colleagues.

After 14 years in IBM Global Services, I decided I wanted to work in an environment where there was more opportunity to have a direct influence on processes and procedures, so I joined KFA Connect as Programme Manager.

KFA Connect

Here at KFA Connect my role has evolved over the 9 years. I have facilitated best practices for the Project Management and delivery of projects, using my experience in resource planning and forecasting.

My role very much focuses on the Commercials, and various aspects of running the company.

Work-Life Balance

My day always starts with a walk in the New Forest with our dog.

The New Forest is a big part of my life, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I love getting away in our motorhome camping with the family too.

I enjoy cycling, skiing, walking up mountains and generally being out in the fresh air.

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team today.

Email Header - Earth Day - Saturday, 22nd April 2023
800 500 Nicki Smith

Earth Day – Saturday, 22nd April 2023

As we celebrate Earth Day 2023 tomorrow (22nd April) it’s important to reflect on the progress we’ve made in protecting our planet and to consider what we still need to do to ensure a sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a significant shift in public attitudes towards environmental issues.

More and more people are recognising the urgency of the climate crisis and are taking action to reduce their carbon footprint. Governments around the world are also starting to take action, implementing policies to reduce emissions and transition to a more sustainable economy.

However, there is still much work to be done.

The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent, with more frequent and severe weather events, rising sea levels, and the loss of biodiversity. We need to accelerate our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift towards renewable energy sources.

One of the most effective things we can do to reduce our carbon footprint is to reduce our consumption of meat and dairy products. The livestock industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing our meat consumption can have a significant impact on our carbon footprint.

Another important step is to reduce our use of single-use plastics. Plastic pollution is a major environmental problem, with millions of tons of plastic waste entering our oceans each year. By reducing our use of single-use plastics and recycling more, we can help to reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in our oceans.

We also need to transition to a more sustainable economy, one that prioritises renewable energy, green infrastructure, and sustainable transportation. This will require significant investments in new technologies and infrastructure, but the long-term benefits will be worth the effort.

Being an Eco Warrior doesn’t have to be super time-consuming and difficult, here is a list of a few things you can do to play your part in saving our planet:

  1. Use reusable shopping bags instead of single-use plastic bags when shopping.
  2. Use a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
  3. Turn off lights and electronics when not in use.
  4. Use public transportation, carpool, or bike/walk instead of driving alone.
  5. Take shorter showers and turn off the water when brushing your teeth.
  6. Reduce paper waste by using digital copies of documents and emails.
  7. Buy products made from sustainable materials, such as bamboo or recycled plastic.
  8. Recycle and compost as much as possible.
  9. Use energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances.
  10. Choose to buy second-hand or repurpose items instead of always buying new things.
  11. Plant trees and support reforestation efforts.
  12. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products.
  13. Avoid using pesticides and chemicals in your garden.

By making small changes in our daily lives, we can all make a difference in protecting the environment and promoting a more sustainable future.

Check out Earth Day’s Action Toolkit to get involved:

Sustainability Main - Earth Day - Saturday, 22nd April 2023

Here at KFA, we try to be as environmentally friendly as possible, some of these ways include; operating a paperless office, recycling and donating equipment & furniture, continuing to work from home to reduce emissions from travelling to/from the office, relocating servers rooms to use the data-centre’s air-conditioning 24/7, instead of our own. We also have put measures in place using Alexa to “power up and “power down” the office every day.

We admit that some of these changes that help the environment have happened organically as we reacted to Covid-19 measures over the last three years. However, some of the changes that either make us more efficient or enhance our team’s work-life balance have become more permanent.

Read other KFA Connect blogs relating to this topic here:

On this Earth Day 2023, let’s celebrate the progress we’ve made and recommit ourselves to protecting our planet.

By taking action individually and as one massive team, we can build a more sustainable and resilient world for ourselves and future generations.

2 1 - Earth Day - Saturday, 22nd April 2023

Nicki Smith

Sales & Marketing Manager – KFA CONNECT
Outsourcing your IBM i Application Support - Outsourcing IBM i Application Support
800 500 Finley Austin

Outsourcing IBM i Application Support

Outsourcing IBM i Application Support

In today’s fast-paced business environment, companies need to be agile, efficient, and cost-effective to stay competitive. One critical aspect of business operations is managing the IT infrastructure.

Many businesses rely on IBM i (formerly known as AS/400) for their mission-critical applications, but maintaining in-house resources for IBM i application support can be expensive and challenging. That’s where outsourcing IBM i application support comes in as a smart solution for businesses to optimise their IT operations.

In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of outsourcing IBM i application support and why it makes sense for your business.

Cost Savings

Outsourcing IBM i application support can significantly reduce costs for your business. Maintaining an in-house team of IBM i experts can be expensive, with costs associated with hiring, training, salaries, benefits, and infrastructure.

Outsourcing allows you to tap into a team of skilled professionals who are experts in IBM i systems without incurring the full costs of an in-house team.

Outsourcing also provides scalability, allowing you to flexibly adjust the level of support based on your business needs, without the burden of fixed costs associated with maintaining an internal team.

Outsourcing your IBM i Application Support 2 768x480 - Outsourcing IBM i Application Support

Access to Skilled Experts

IBM i systems require specialised skills and expertise to manage and maintain effectively.

Outsourcing IBM i application support gives you access to a team of skilled experts who are experienced in IBM i systems and applications.

These experts are up to date with the latest technologies, best practices, and industry standards, ensuring that your IBM i applications are well-maintained, optimised, and secure. They can handle a wide range of tasks, including system administration, performance tuning, software upgrades, and troubleshooting, ensuring that your IBM i applications run smoothly and efficiently.

24/7 Support and Monitoring

IBM i applications are critical to the operations of many businesses, and any downtime can result in significant losses. Outsourcing support can provide round-the-clock support and monitoring, ensuring that your applications are up and running 24/7.

With a team of experts monitoring your IBM i environment, they can proactively detect and resolve issues before they become critical, minimising downtime, and ensuring that your business operations continue uninterrupted.

Enhanced Security

This is a top concern for any business, and IBM i systems are known for their robust security features. However, managing IBM i security requires specialised knowledge and expertise. Outsourcing support can provide you with the peace of mind that your applications are secured against potential security breaches.

The outsourcing team can implement security best practices, manage user access and permissions, perform regular security audits, and keep up with the latest security updates to protect your IBM i environment from potential vulnerabilities.

Focus on Core Business

Outsourcing allows your in-house IT team to focus on core business activities instead of spending time and effort on managing IBM i systems.

By offloading the responsibility of IBM i application support to a trusted outsourcing partner, your internal IT team can focus on strategic initiatives, innovation, and other business-critical tasks that can drive your business forward.

It also allows you to free up resources and reduce the burden on your IT team, enabling them to be more productive and efficient.

Flexibility & Scalability

Outsourcing IBM i application support provides flexibility and scalability to meet your business needs. Whether you need occasional support or ongoing support, outsourcing allows you to customise the level of support based on your requirements.

You can easily scale up or down the support level depending on your business demands, without the constraints of managing an in-house team.

This flexibility and scalability allow you to adapt to changing business requirements, ensuring that your IBM i applications are always up to date.

Outsourcing your IBM i Application Support 3 768x480 - Outsourcing IBM i Application Support

At KFA we have a team with such diverse skills on the IBM i that we are confident we provide outstanding application support for our customers. We offer flexible support terms to meet any customer needs.

For more information about how we can help your business, get in touch with our team today.

Richard Austin

KFA Connect – Director

21st April 2023

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team today.

    Get in touch

    Request a call or ask us a question.

    We collect your details simply to respond to your enquiry - and that's all! We will not share your details with anyone else.

    Take a look at our privacy policy for how we protect and manage your data.