Portfolio Skills

Delve into our background: Browse through a selection of our projects based on our skills and see some of the innovative software, applications and web services we have created for and with our clients. We develop for many platforms and work with Windows, UNIX, Linux and OS X servers.

ABN AMRO SRS – Signature Registration System

ABN AMRO SRS – Signature Registration System

by | Apr 28, 2019

ABN AMRO

Signature Registration System

ABN AMRO SRS – Signature Registration System

ABN AMRO is a large international bank with branches in more than 60 countries. They provide a wide range of services to individual payment account holders, small businesses and multinationals.

Important decisions within ABN AMRO are often confirmed utilising a Power of Attorney (PoA) assigned to individual employees. A PoA defines the authority of each individual, effectively defining which transactions fall under their management. ABN AMRO asked BSL to design a system that uses signature verification to efficiently and safely improve this process. Working closely with the Power of Attorney team within the bank, our developers came up with a customised solution: Signature Registration System (SRS). Since its introduction, SRS has been a great success.

ABN AMRO Signature Registration System
ABN AMRO Signature Registration System

Powers of Attorney

BSL developed SRS to manage signatures and Powers of Attorney within the bank. ABN AMRO employees use SRS throughout the world to verify transactions. There is a continued need to introduce new technologies and improvements to meet the demands of the bank. So we’ve regularly extended and improved the application since ABN AMRO commissioned the design and development of SRS in 1998. As a result, it still meets the latest requirements and is a still crucial resource within the bank.

The development of SRS was a challenging project back in 1998. Of course, over the years, we have introduced many changes. SRS now carries out many administrative tasks entirely automatically, significantly reducing the amount of data entry. We’ve also ported the application from Windows to Web applications. We had to meet the strict requirements and guidelines applied within ABN AMRO when designing the software. In 2016, we migrated the system to a private cloud. And in 2020, we migrated the system to an entirely new cloud infrastructure, whilst also updating the security, and interfaces to other applications and databases within the bank.

 

Powers of Attorney

BSL developed SRS to manage signatures and Powers of Attorney within the bank. ABN AMRO employees use SRS throughout the world to verify transactions. There is a continued need to introduce new technologies and improvements to meet the demands of the bank. So we’ve regularly extended and improved the application since ABN AMRO commissioned the design and development of SRS in 1998. As a result, it still meets the latest requirements and is a still crucial resource within the bank.

The development of SRS was a challenging project back in 1998. Of course, over the years, we have introduced many changes. SRS now carries out many administrative tasks entirely automatically, significantly reducing the amount of data entry. We’ve also ported the application from Windows to Web applications. We had to meet the strict requirements and guidelines applied within ABN AMRO when designing the software. In 2016, we migrated the system to a private cloud. And in 2020, we migrated the system to an entirely new cloud infrastructure, whilst also updating the security, and interfaces to other applications and databases within the bank.

ABN AMRO Signature Registration System

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

Keeping up with change

We design our software so it can evolve with the changing wishes of our customers and the market. The SRS system is an excellent example of this strategy. ABN AMRO has successfully used SRS for many years, through many technical changes. This long-term success is largely due to the ability of our developers to respond quickly to the changing wishes of the bank. In close cooperation with ABN AMRO, we designed and developed a completely new SRS web application in 2013.

Safe and secure applications

We develop safe and reliable systems. During the SRS project, we introduced comprehensive security measures. So protecting the database contents and ensuring the integrity of data. As a result, the authority and functions available to users can be strictly controlled.

Database expertise

We have many years of experience in delivering multimedia database solutions. The flexibility of our modular approach means that we can integrate our solutions with your current infrastructure. And thanks to the BSL developed software and the applied database technology, SRS is fast, secure, reliable and easy to use.

“It has been an interesting challenge over past years to improve the working process and make it more efficient. We achieved this by looking critically at this process together with the client. As a result, we were able to translate requirements and goals into perfectly-fitting solutions.”

Eric

Software Architect , Bright Side of Life

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WCC Group – Corporate Website

WCC Group – Corporate Website

by | Apr 28, 2019

WCC Group - Corporate Website

Corporate website, marketing and branding

WCC Group – Corporate website

The WCC Group is a leading provider of advanced solutions for Public & Private Employment Services and ID/Security Services. Their Employment solutions enable government agencies (such as the UWV) – and large commercial Employment agencies – to quickly and expertly match jobseekers with suitable and sustainable jobs. Their ID/Security Solutions enable governments to manage large volumes of identity data to protect borders and citizens while proving legal identity for all. They are a global supplier, with sales offices in the Netherlands, Asia and the USA. To support their rapid growth, they wanted to increase their visibility online and introduce a new modern, responsive website with high SEO performance.

We were familiar with their existing WCC Group website (built with Drupal) because we maintained it. However, we wanted to make it easier for the WCC marketing team to add and update content on the site while introducing a dynamic new corporate identity. So, we suggested using WordPress and a custom DIVI theme that implements their new “Brand”. After we got the green light for this strategy, we were ready to start.

WCC Group Corporate website
WCC Group - Responsive Corporate website

WordPress, Drupal, Solr integration

The branding for the website was largely complete when we started. It included some challenging ideas such as animated banners and separate colour themes for each of their main products. There was also a need for integration with their in-house CRM system (SalesForce), so that leads are converted and processed as efficiently as possible by their global sales teams. The BSL team provides a wide range of web development services, so could handle all aspects of the project in-house. Our specialised designers and web developers quickly built prototypes, showing that we can meet all of these challenges. We set up an Agile development team to accommodate changes throughout the project. These changes included the integration of a completely new Documentation Portal (also developed by BSL, using Drupal 8 and Solr), and a new Support Centre (also Drupal). Our flexibility has even extended to writing and editing much of the content, based on material provided by WCC. We have native English writers in-house who can deliver content geared to excellent SEO performance for an international website.

WCC Group – WordPress, Drupal, Solr integration

The branding for the WCC Group website was largely complete when we started. It included some challenging ideas such as animated banners and separate colour themes for each of their main products. There was also a need for integration with their in-house CRM system (SalesForce), so that leads are converted and processed as efficiently as possible by their global sales teams.

The BSL team provides a wide range of web development services, so could handle all aspects of the project in-house. Our specialised designers and web developers quickly built prototypes, showing that we can meet all of these challenges. We set up an Agile development team to accommodate changes throughout the project. These changes included the integration of a completely new Documentation Portal (also developed by BSL, using Drupal 8 and Solr), and a new Support Centre (also Drupal). Our flexibility has even extended to writing and editing much of the content, based on material provided by the WCC Group. We have native English writers in-house who can deliver content geared to excellent SEO performance for an international website.

WCC Group - Responsive Corporate website

“We are amazingly proud of the work BSL has done for us. BSL’s team worked with us through professional, well-thought-out website design, development, and content editing processes. Their commitment to quality, technical expertise, and process discipline is inspiring. They delivered a Corporate site that meets our expectations and gets awesome feedback from our customers and investors.”

Cristina Cocco

Marketing Director, WCC Group

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

Experience with Drupal and WordPress

BSL can build a website entirely from scratch, using modern web development technologies ranging from Java and Javascript/CSS/HTML to React.js and other frameworks. However, for many clients, there are advantages in using off-the-shelf open-source solutions, such as WordPress and Drupal. Both are flexible, ideal for small businesses, and multinationals and everything in between. Our Drupal and WordPress experts can not only create your websites quickly using these platforms, but they can also extend them for full integration with any existing services. The best of both worlds, offering transparent integration with your business, and easy-to-use interfaces for your Sales and Marketing teams, so they can add and update their content.

A full range of services

Every customer – including the WCC Group – has deadlines, and it’s usually a given that clients want their new websites as soon as possible. Our specialists can handle almost every aspect of modern website development in-house, starting with modern design, wireframes, prototyping and website development. Uniquely, we can also develop custom website integrations, developing custom plugins, or integrating high-performance search services (such as SOLR or Elastic). We also have authors that can produce content (in native English / Dutch) optimised for SEO/SEA performance. And once your site is up and running, we can support you using Google services such as Adwords, Analytics, Search Console, Tag Manager and Data Studio. All essential for monitoring your web traffic and enhancing your website performance.

Responsive websites

BSL knows better than anyone how important it is to offer a fully responsive website design. After all, more than 50% of potential website visitors use mobile devices. To be fully responsive, all parts of a website need to look good and function correctly on any device type. The WCC Group website is fully responsive, designed for perfect performance on desktop, tablet and mobile web browsers.

“Transforming detailed design ideas from a design bureau (including multiple brands within a single site) into a responsive website with animations and custom graphics made the WCC Group website a challenging project. We took responsibility for almost all elements of the site, including content creation, Salesforce integration, authoring and content optimisation and reporting for Google. This type of project provides plenty of opportunity for further self-development.”

Roderick

Front-end Developer, Bright Side of Life

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Literatuurplein, a Literary Treasure Trove

Literatuurplein, a Literary Treasure Trove

by | Apr 27, 2019

Koninklijke Bibliotheek

Literatuurplein – a Literary Treasure Trove

Literatuurplein – a Literary treasure trove

Literatuurplein.nl is a unique concept created by Jef van Gool. Most of all it’s an extensive website which stimulates interest in Dutch Literature and promotes an interest in reading. Together with the software company “the Dutch Republic“, they launched a first version of Literatuurplein back in 2004. Unfortunately, the site didn’t meet their expectations, so they turned to BSL for advice. We were asked to investigate how the software was written and to suggest how it could be improved. Our advice was:

  • design a new data model and use a more advanced database
  • introduce a virtual book concept (representing multiple editions)
  • add high-performance, flexible free text search technology
  • adopt a modern Java platform

The client took this advice to heart. As a result they decided to rebuild the product, and they asked BSL to carry out the work. We designed and developed a completely new Literatuurplein over a period of 4-5 months. The new site was an immediate success. Furthermore, due to the good partnership, we’ve continued to work on many follow-up projects. First of all adding many new features, but also modifying the site as the library infrastructure and standards changed.

Literatuurplein – een literaire schatkist
Literatuurplein – een literaire schatkist

Move with the times

During the development of a new Literatuurplein.nl we switched to an Oracle database and Oracle Text. The use of Oracle Text enabled us to introduce an intelligent search engine, making content in the site easier to maintain and to find. In the years that followed, our developers have continuously improved the technology and infrastructure of the website.

In 2012, the new product owner, Stichting Bibliotheek.nl (or BNL), asked BSL to adapt Literatuurplein to their own house style. At the same time, we added a major new feature – the users were given the opportunity to personalize their home pages. In addition, we introduced a wide range of widgets so that public libraries throughout the Netherlands can use Literatuurplein contents on their own websites. We currently provide more than 20 library services (such as literary news, and a literary agenda) using Literatuurplein web-services. As result, hundreds of libraries make use of Literatuurplein content in the Netherlands.

In 2015 Literatuurplein was taken over by the Royal Library (KB). Their first priority was to integrate the BNL infrastructure within their organization. At the end of 2016, KB asked us to update the site so that it meets current standards. Most noteworthy, the site became fully responsive – easy to use on both mobiles and desktop browsers.

Move with the times

During the development of a new Literatuurplein.nl we switched to an Oracle database and Oracle Text. The use of Oracle Text enabled us to introduce an intelligent search engine, making content in the site easier to maintain and to find. In the years that followed, our developers have continuously improved the technology and infrastructure of the website.

In 2012, the new product owner, Stichting Bibliotheek.nl (or BNL), asked BSL to adapt Literatuurplein to their own house style. At the same time, we added a major new feature – the users were given the opportunity to personalize their home pages. In addition, we introduced a wide range of widgets so that public libraries throughout the Netherlands can use Literatuurplein contents on their own websites. We currently provide more than 20 library services (such as literary news, and a literary agenda) using Literatuurplein web-services. As result, hundreds of libraries make use of Literatuurplein content in the Netherlands.

In 2015 Literatuurplein was taken over by the Royal Library (KB). Their first priority was to integrate the BNL infrastructure within their organization. At the end of 2016, KB asked us to update the site so that it meets current standards. Most noteworthy, the site became fully responsive – easy to use on both mobiles and desktop browsers.

Literatuurplein – een literaire schatkist

“BSL believes it is important to keep up with current trends and developments. With more than four million visitors a year, Literatuurplein is an intensively used website. Therefore it’s important that the site is accessible by all users. Since the use of  site on mobile devices is increasing, creating a fully responsive website was our number one priority.”

Roderick

Front-end Developer , Bright Side of Life

A great success

Literatuurplein has been a well-known and established name in the world of Dutch literature for years. The website attracts no fewer than 4,000,000 visitors annually. Literatuurplein now contains information describing more than 700,000 books, and more than 320,000 authors. There are more than 3,500 news items to be found.

New articles are added each day, and new titles are imported and updated using sources such as NBD Biblion and Centraal Boekhuis automatically. In addition, a team of editors adds new content such as reviews, columns, podcasts and videos. Because of the extensive literary agenda, Literatuurplein visitors are always aware of literary events and radio and TV programs with literature as their theme.

 

“With regard to technical development and infrastructure management, The Bright Side of Life in Breukelen has been a particularly constructive and creative partner for all these years.”

Jef van Gool

Product Owner

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

Expert in search technologies

BSL has a broad experience in developing complex online database solutions. This expertise came in handy during the management of the contents of Literatuurplein. Literary databases are often very complex…

  • authors’ names are often written in different ways – and sometimes misspelt by users when searching
  • authors may use pseudonyms –  and publishers use varied notations
  • books exist in multiple editions – with some attributes shared (eg: titles), but some separate (ISBN / EAN)
  • users often search for partial titles – requiring special matching rules
Trends & developments

It is important that websites go along with current trends and developments. Even the most beautiful and technical websites are not up-to-date after a few years. That is why it is important to update the technical aspects of the website after a number of years. This is the perfect time to take a critical look at the design and content of the website. Are there functions that are missing or functions that are used too little?

Long-term support

When a software product has gone into production, users often need support and maintenance for the longer term. That is why we offer our customers a range of flexible support services. In the case of Literatuurplein this means 7 days a week support to the KB and its Literatuurplein users.

You’re welcome to get in touch with me if you have a project in mind, or want to discuss how best to approach your next development project.

Caroline

Relations Manager, Bright Side of Life

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TMG – Vrouw.nl

TMG – Vrouw.nl

by | Apr 26, 2019

Telegraaf Media Group

Vrouw.nl Online Magazine

TMG – Vrouw.nl

TMG wanted to establish a digital platform designed for modern Dutch women, aged 30 -55. This resulted in the creation of the highly successful ‘vrouw.nl.‘ website. A platform about real women and real stories. Firmly linked to live events, using real women alongside experts who speak on their behalf. During the development of the website, TMG discovered that they did not have enough experience and knowledge of Drupal in house. So they started looking for Drupal CMS specialists to help them. BSL was the ideal partner, thanks to our years of knowledge and Drupal experience.

Digital platform vrouw.nl development - TMG

“The flexibility of Drupal is an important reason for clients to consider this CMS. Drupal is very suitable for extensive corporate websites, such as websites with a customer portal or an online magazine in which forms or downloads can be added.”

Roderick

Front-end Developer, Bright Side of Life

Digital platform vrouw.nl development - TMG

Drupal CMS specialists

Two of our experienced Drupal CMS specialists have helped to create this modern, high-quality TMG website. As part of a SCRUM team, they designed and developed many Drupal modules. In addition, they integrated the Drupal website with content produced within the TMG editorial systems. The site was developed over a series of two-weekly SCRUM iterations, with each ‘Sprint’ based on the requirements defined in the product backlog. In a time frame of less than 3 months we delivered a responsive, high-traffic website that is compatible with almost every browser. The website attracted more than half a million visitors during the first month after the launch.

” During the first month after the site was launched, VROUW.nl reached more then 1 million unique users. That was just the beginning. 2,213,135 users visited the site in April 2016, 42% via mobile, 20% via tablet and 38% via desktop. With these results, VROUW.nl is in the top 3 of most popular websites for women in the Netherlands within three months.”

TMG

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

Drupal expertise

Our developers are happy to work with Drupal. It offers a lot of flexibility compared to (for example) WordPress. They can perfectly reproduce any visual design using Drupal. In addition, Drupal makes it easy to give different users access to separate parts of the website. This is useful, for example, in the development of corporate websites. Different users can independently and safely edit their own sections.

Agile software development

By adopting Scrum – part of an Agile approach – you will reach the finish line sooner! Frequently applied to software development projects, Scrum offers short clear project phases/goals and a step-by-step introduction. The most important tasks are carried out first and there is flexibility throughout the development cycle. As a result, changes can be made during the development, and team performance is enhanced.

Responsive websites

The number of mobile website visitors is increasing every year. Therefore, it was a requirement that we created a responsive website. This means that users enjoy the same optimal web experience on every type of screen and device. As a result, the new ‘vrouw.nl‘ is fully responsive. A website where 57% of users visit the site via their mobile, 20% via a tablet and 23% via their desktop.

You’re welcome to get in touch with me if you have a project in mind, or want to discuss how best to approach your next development project.

Caroline

Relations Manager, Bright Side of Life

Get in touch for more information
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WCC Group – Recruitment Website

WCC Group – Recruitment Website

by | 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!

WCC Recruitment
WCC Recruitment Website

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

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…..

WCC Recruitment Website

“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

Get in touch for more information
Call BSL
Contact BSL
Contact BSL
Contact BSL