The Bright Side Blog: Project News and Events

WCC Group – Recruitment Website

by bsl | Apr 25, 2019

WCC Group - Recruitment Website

Drupal development, integrated with AFAS

WCC Group – Recruitment website

WCC Group is a large software company that focuses on identity management and personnel matching. To help meet fast-growing international demand for their services, WCC needs more personnel. But recruiting good technical personnel is a challenge right now. Which is why WCC was looking for new ways to make potential employees aware of their company. And they came up with the innovative idea of developing a dedicated recruitment website. First they hired in a design company to create the design, then they approached BSL to develop the website. WCC wanted the recruitment website up and running as soon as possible – they needed new talent fast!

Drupal website with AFAS integration

Within just a few short weeks, our software engineers developed and launched a complex recruitment website for WCC. By using a Drupal CMS, they were able to recreate the chosen design down to the smallest detail. WCC had one key requirement: make the application process as easy as possible. Both for their own HR team and for the candidates. So our engineers developed a new Drupal module to communicate with the HR system from AFAS. This means any job applications that are received are processed by the website, and sent immediately to the HR team. What’s more, the WCC team can easily add content and new vacancies themselves – anytime, anywhere!

The WCC recruitment website includes animations too. We adapted these animations to work on any screen size, to ensure all visitors to the site have the same user experience, no matter what type of device they use. Fortunately our developers know all the tricks…..

Drupal website with AFAS integration

“For WCC, a fast growing company, attracting new staff is very important. That’s why we wanted a modern, fresh looking career site that can be used on all platforms. And created with Drupal. BSL has done that perfectly. Throughout the project BSL kept us informed, and they were flexible when we needed a little time. And all that within budget. Fantastic!”.

WCC HRM Team

Human Resource Management, WCC Group

At BSL, you have come to the right place for…

Drupal, a flexible CMS

Drupal is a flexible CMS, used by small companies, multinationals and all sizes in-between! It allows customers to easily maintain their own website contents. What’s more, a Drupal website can be hosted anywhere so is easy to manage. Our developers can use Drupal to create complex websites in just a few weeks.

Fast delivery, short communication lines

One of the most important aims of the project was to launch the recruitment website as quickly as possible. Fortunately, BSL has a great reputation for delivering reliable websites and software – fast! Our short lines not only help speed up communications internally, but mean we can quickly and efficiently handle customer feedback and updates as well.

Responsive websites

BSL fully understands the importance of a responsive design. Because more than 50% of potential website visitors use mobiles, and tablets. Each part of the website must therefore look good and work properly on every type of device. BSL guarantees optimal user experience on any platform.

“A challenging project! Transforming detailed design ideas from a design bureau into a responsive website with animations and links. And all in a short space of time. This type of project is challenging, and provides plenty of opportunity for further self-development.”

Roderick

Front-end Developer, Bright Side of Life

ING – Digital Asset Management

by bsl | Apr 24, 2019

ING Group

FRS Image Bank

ING Group – FRS Image Bank

The ING Group is a global financial institution of Dutch origin with 115,000 employees. They have 60 million customers in almost 60 countries. These include individuals and families as well as small and large companies, institutions and even governments. As a result, the ING Group offers a wide range of banking products and services. While banking is their core business, they excel in the field of insurance and asset management. Consequently the ING Group includes a number of leading brands, including Postbank and RVS Verzekering.

In 2002, we introduced a customized FRS MediaBank web-application within the Postbank for the management and distribution of brand images (logos, photos, PDFs). Because of the good experiences and the excellent hosting facilities offered by BSL, ING asked BSL to introduce the Image Bank within several other divisions.

Access anywhere, anytime

We delivered the ING Image Bank as a web-service, using Oracle. Since our FRS asset management software is designed for easy customisation, the Image Bank is a fully customised system. First of all, ING has a strong corporate identity, so we designed a user-friendly interface based on the ING house style. And by introducing the Image Bank, ING could immediately start managing all of their marketing material. This includes all campaign texts, PDF’s and images. As a result, ING employees and their creative partners can quickly create and distribute new material.

The entire Image Bank can be accessed using any web browser. So authorized users can access the ING Image Bank anytime and anywhere via their favorite browser. Designers, creative consultants and photographers can easily add images, page layouts and illustrations. Furthermore, the ING content managers can check and enrich the content by adding descriptions and keywords using a custom designed asset management application. And with the integrated search technology from Autonomy K2 (now HPE IDOL), all information in the database can be automatically categorized and indexed. Due to this feature, users can find content at lightning speed.

“Modifying FRS and adapting it to the exact requirements of the ING represented a challenge. Furthermore, as other members of the ING Group adopted the image bank, they asked to introduce their individual house styles. As a result we had to create multiple interfaces using a single database. Due to our experience, we could offer a unique product to each organisation in a cost-efficient manner. Also our tried and trusted FRS multimedia modules meant that each update was delivered quickly.”

Eric

Software architect, Bright Side of Life

At BSL, you have come to the right place for…

Flexibel management

Innovative BSL technology ensures that data and user management is possible from almost anywhere in the world. So ING’s business units can each individually manage their assets. And system administrators can change group and user rights, wherever they have access to the internet. As a result, the ING Image Bank offers a user-friendly way to manage a complex system, while at the same time offering enormous flexibility. Flexibility that makes it possible to share ING designs, images and campaign material with third parties, such as design bureaus, photographers and printers.

Fast search technology

By using Autonomy search technology, all information in the database can be automatically categorized and indexed. So users can find content at lightning speed. Autonomy offers many possibilities for smart search queries. As a result, users can search with so-called ‘wildcards’, or combine search terms with AND / OR / NOT. Therefore by using advanced search technologies and a user-friendly interfaces, users can quickly and easily find the desired results.

User-friendly software

At BSL, we strive to develop user-friendly applications. During the design and development of the ING Image Bank, much attention was paid to ease-of-use. And this included making it easy to customise search results for each user. For example, they can choose how many images are shown on each page. We also keep the screen displays simple, and use icons to access more information about each image.

We’ve got a great track record developing image databases, and online multimedia archives. The ING is just one example of us delivering a solution that can be easily integrated within the existing production workflow. Let us help you to manage your digital assets. Get in touch – no strings attached!

Martyn Simpson

Director, Bright Side of Life

NBD Biblion – Rotunda Digital Showcase

by bsl | Apr 23, 2019

NBD Biblion

Rotunda Digital Showcase

NBD Biblion – Rotunda Digital Showcase

In 2009 H2 Interactive asked BSL to help design and develop a ‘Digital Showcase’. The original concept was created by H2 Interactive. The reason? They were looking for an innovative and attractive way to present and promote books, CDs and other multimedia titles to the public.

So our software developers converted their concept into a product: the Rotunda Digital Showcase. As a result, libraries and bookstores throughout the Netherlands use Rotunda. They can create their own digital shop window – a virtual bookcase with books, DVDs, CDs and even games. Displayed on a large touchscreen, visitors can browse through virtual bookcases divided into different categories and themes. They can then find more information about each title by touching the digital cover. In addition, they can order or reserve these titles directly. Hence this unique form of presentation stimulates book sales and lending in libraries. Rotunda is sold, distributed and supported by NBD Biblion.

“Rotunda is very easy to manage. You can quickly set up and add your own bookshelves. And embedding movies is easy as well. A really nice addition.”

Product Manager, NBD Biblion

NBD Biblion promotional video…

Create your own bookcase promotions

The Rotunda digital showcase runs on Windows computers connected to touchscreens. The software consists of custom web services, an Oracle database and a Content Management System (CMS). This CMS is linked to an extensive NBD Biblion media database, with a description of all the available (media) titles. So Rotunda editors can quickly and easily create their own ‘bookcases’ by selecting from the NBD database. In addition, they can add YouTube videos and other online media. The editors can send this selection via the internet to other Rotunda screens. As a result, the public can view the selections on Rotunda screens located anywhere in Holland. So an ideal way centralise the production and promotion of new / themed titles. What’s more, editors can update the selection at any time. An easy way to present up-to-date content linked to current events and campaigns.

Create your own bookcase promotions

At BSL, you have come to the right place for…

Software updates

Technology and internet standards have evolved since NBD Bblion released the first Rotunda digital showcase. Public libraries naturally need to follow these changes. So software applications linked to their websites must also be updated. NBD Biblion therefore asked BSL to work on a number of updates. Their aim? To fully integrate Rotunda with the websites and catalogs used by libraries. As a result, we recently launched a completely new version. Our engineers first updated the software so that it can be used on new versions of Windows. Secondly we improved the performance, designing the software for a new generation of processors. And finally we made the communications with library services more secure.

Development of touchscreen applications

BSL has lots of experience developing touchscreen applications. This is because (multi-touch) touchscreens can be used to present products to the public in an innovative and attractive way. Most noteworthy, editors can quickly and easily update virtual bookshelves. Consequently they can be shared and reused on multiple screens. Also at multiple locations. As a result, sharing bookshelves with other users mean that a top 10 only needs to be maintained once. So other editors can simply subscribe to the shared bookshelf or bookshelves and immediately show them on their own Rotunda.

Central web management

Managing content using a central CMS has major advantages. The data is centrally available to all authorized users. They can also manage this date from any workstation with an internet connection. So Rotunda editors centrally manage the content used by Rotunda digital showcase screens. Hence the Rotunda software connects to the central database to retrieve and display the data. When editors modify the data in the CMS, Rotundas throughout the country automatically update their contents to display the latest data.

This is a unique solution, combining new touch-screen technology with content that was already available within NBD. Combining existing resources with new technology is one of the quickest ways to develop new products, and adding value. If you’ve got ideas for making your content available, within mobile apps or online, please get in touch! We’ll show you how.

Martyn Simpson

Director, Bright Side of Life

NBD Biblion – MIPS Media Production System

by bsl | Apr 22, 2019

NBD Biblion

Media Information and Production System (MIPS)

NBD Biblion – Media Information and Production System

NBD Biblion offers products, services and expertise in the field of media and content. They are the largest supplier of information and purchase advice for Public Libraries and (school) media centers in the Netherlands. They also supply many of the books available in libraries. For this reason, hundreds of new titles of books and other media arrive at NBD Biblion every week. Each title is then classified and reviewed by NBD editors and reviewers. As a result they can provide up-to-date information about every newly published title.

We created the Media Information and Production System (MIPS) specifically for this purpose. A custom title registration and production system for managing many NBD production processes. NBD Biblion now uses MIPS to describe and catalog hundreds of new titles every month. In particular the software regulates and monitors the planning and workflow. It can therefore monitor the progress of each title through the system. In addition, the software manages payouts to reviewers, exporting the details for processing by Equens.

NBD Biblion - Media Information and Production System (MIPS)

Oracle Text search technology

We firstly produced a complete functional and technical design. This was based on use of a central Oracle database and advanced search technology. Our engineers then went on to develop the Media Information and Production System. MIPS consists of a number of customized Windows applications, web applications and web services. We initially made use of Autonomy for indexing and classifying the database contents. However, we later introduced Oracle Text search technology. This is a standard part of Oracle, and is ideal for indexing unstructured text/XML information. We could therefore combine both structured (SQL) and unstructured searches, making data more easily accessible.

Oracle Text search technology

MIPS Connectivity

PICA (OCLC) – part of the title data is maintained using the Common Automated Cataloging System (GGC). In MIPS this data is imported and integrated with content that is maintained within MIPS. When exchanging data with other systems, title data is merged and exported as if from a single source.
MoM (More over Media) – MoM is closely connected to MIPS. It serves as a publication platform for the delivery of reviews, text abstracts and author profiles.
Website reviewers – MIPS includes a web application for use by third parties who enter and update reviews.
FRS asset management system – a link has been developed with the BSL asset management system FRS. FRS manages multimedia documents, such as book covers, tables of content, flap texts. The integration means covers can be retrieved and displayed using the title, author, ISBN and other search attributes.

At BSL, you have come to the right place for…

Expert in search technologies

BSL has expertise in using a range of search technologies. These include Autonomy, Exalead, Oracle Text, Elastic Search and Sybase FTS. These technologies can index documents, spreadsheets, webpages and multimedia so that the entire content can be searched. The search engines use language intelligence to recognize words, sentences and synonyms. As a result, our software can find contents almost instantly. Even within archives containing millions of documents. We can also use automatic classification and semantic technologies to select the most relevant information. And to extract meaning from the content.

Continuous improvement

We have made many improvements since we first delivered the Media Information and Production system. In particular, we have also added many new features. These changes usually arise from feedback from the NBD Media production team. Not only from the content managers, but frequently from content editors/reviewers too. NBD Biblion consequently uses MIPS within more and more production processes. As a result, the content is re-purposed. Furthermore, we have also integrated the system with external processes and systems.Third parties have access to MIPS information using web-service API’s designed and developed by BSL.

Simplification of complex processes

The Media Information and Production system transforms the complex workflow procedures and media management activities carried out by NBD Biblion into a series of easy-to-use software modules. Using this unique system, another key point is that NBD Biblion can now manage the entire production workflow in-house.

“It was a wonderful and challenging project. We created the functional / technical design, the Oracle data model and user interfaces. We’ve integrated MIPS with many systems, including links to national web platforms using XML and web-services. It’s included many facets of modern ICT projects, and used successfully by our customer for many years. We’ve continuously enhanced MIPS to meet their changing needs, and changing standards. It’s a system about which all of us are very proud.”

Eric

Software Architect, Bright Side of Life