CSS specializes in developing and implementing Custom Software Solutions and Support Services which deliver high value to our customers. Our skilled professionals help our clients/partners integrate technology that fits their business needs. We link the most cost effective, innovative and sensible solutions to our clients business requirements – this could even mean, in some cases, a recommendation to not automate if it doesn’t make business sense or is not cost effective to do so.
Project and Program Management
CSS has a proven track record of delivering the desired and expected results on time and within budget. We realize that it takes a team effort to bring a project to successful completion. Our Project Managers (PM’s) work closely with our clients to define the business needs, requirements, and risks for their programs. Our PM’s also know how to motivate our project teams – we realize that a motivated technically capable team is the fastest most efficient path to success.
CSS managers employ proven work structures and methodologies that give our customers their desired results, such as:
- Identifying and managing risks from the start of the project
- Including all stakeholders early in the project – this includes the user community as well as other organizations which will be part of the project, directly or indirectly, such as Security, Infrastructure Database, and others
- Striving to achieve upper management buy-in and engagement
- Defining and managing project scope/requirements
- Managing and tracking project progress and status utilizing appropriate tools
- Assigning responsible parties to specific tasks
- Delivering project results on time and within budget
- Ensuring deliverables meet or exceed users’ needs and expectations through frequent user validation and verification and thorough testing
- Delivering products of high quality
- Delivering the benefits that justified your investment
Middleware Support
Our Middleware experts provide 24×7 on-call support, incident and service request support, patching, upgrades, middleware architecture support, application development support, automated script support, performance reporting and tuning, and operational efficiency recommendations.
Our middleware experts perform the following activities:
- Design and document middleware architecture
- Develop utilities and automated reporting
- Create WebLogic scripts (WLST) for middleware task automation
- Analyze and sustain capacity and performance requirements
- Analyze, consolidate and tune middleware environments for optimal efficiency
- Monitor systems and platforms for availability
- Implement backups, clustering, mirroring, replication and failover
- Install and test upgrades and patches
- Implement security and encryption (i.e. SAML Tokens, Active Directory Federated Services (ADFS), Oracle Access Manager)
- Provide 24/7 on call support as required
- Evaluate and recommend new technologies
Data Architecture and Management
CSS provides Oracle, DB2 and SQL Server Database Management Support to its customers. We have experienced and certified DBA’s. Our DBA’s oversee all aspects of large-scale business databases including initial database architecture design through implementation, administration, monitoring, tuning, backup, migration, and support. In addition, we have data architects who provide expertise in data modeling, Data Governance and Master Data Management (MDM).
We perform the following functions for our clients:
- Design and document database architecture and data modeling
- Design Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence platforms
- Build database schemas, tables, procedures and permissions
- Set up data sharing and disk partitioning
- Develop database utilities and automated reporting
- Create shell scripts for task automation
- Create, test and execute data management languages
- Analyze and sustain capacity and performance requirements
- Analyze, consolidate and tune databases for optimal efficiency
- Monitor systems and platforms for availability
- Oversee backup, clustering, mirroring, replication and failover
- Restore and recover corrupted databases
- Install and test upgrades and patches
- Implement security and encryption
- Provide 24/7 support for critical situations
- Evaluate and recommend new database technologies
Business Intelligence
CSS has designed implemented and maintained Business Intelligence (BI) solutions with tools including SAP Business Objects (BO), IBI WebFOCUS (WF) and Oracle Application Express (APEX).
CSS experts have performed the following work:
- Work with users to gather requirements for BI dashboards and reports
- Design and implement BI solutions including Dashboards and other reporting tools
- Design and implement data architectures to allow for more efficient reporting (this includes Star and Snowflake Schemas in Datamart design)
- Design Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence platforms
- Design and create BI reports, Dashboards and associated dials and gauges
- Create web-based Oracle APEX applications with complex field and page-level validations graphic and textural displays and LDAP authentication schemes
- Develop and automate complex Extract Transform and Load (ETL) processes using tools such as IBM Datastage, SAP Data Services, database procedures or scripts
- Work closely with users to understand their business process and business requirements to help them define BI solutions which can ultimately help them perform their day-to-day activities more efficiently
- Perform installations, upgrades and patching for multiple BI Tools including Business Objects, WebFocus, Tableau, SAS and APEX
DevOps and Application Lifecycle Management
CSS designs, implements and supports Application Lifecycle Management tools and processes such as Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS).
We work with our clients to implement the necessary tools and processes to:
- Plan and track projects with the Work Item tracking system
- Enact processes and monitor their quality to help teams turn requirements into working software
- Write, unit test, debug, analyze, and profile applications by using tools that are integrated with the rest of the application lifecycle so different teams can understand how their progress contributes to the overall project
- Use version control to manage source code and other files
- Build applications by using an integrated build system so development teams can ensure that quality gates have been met and verify that requirements have been fulfilled in each build
- Test applications by running manual or automated tests, including performance and stress tests
- Manage testing systematically so that teams know the quality of the project on any given day
- Continuous Integration: providing an environment, facilitating a frequent integration of code/features into the organizations infrastructure
- Continuous Deployment: integrate with approved organizational tools for delivering products in a streamlined and efficient manner
Software Development
Based on our experience working with multiple methodologies we know the short comings as well as the strengths of each – there is no one perfect methodology. CSS is recognized for our technical expertise and the ability to help organizations build better software with both the technologies available to that organizations or new, modern technologies if that’s the path they choose. We value knowing how to use the customers chosen methodology (whether it be Agile, RUP, Waterfall or a hybrid) in the most cost effective, efficient and informative way possible.
CSS has experience developing systems in languages such as:
- Java, .Net, C (C#, C++), Python, Ruby, JavaScript, SQL, HTML, ASP
- Legacy languages including COBOL, Assembler, Visual Basic, JCL
We have developed large scale applications including:
- Examination, Compliance and Enforcement Action Tracking Systems for a large Federal Financial Institution Regulator
- Law Enforcement System for a large City
- Inventory Control and Monitoring Systems
- Check Tracking and Fraud Detection Systems for a large Federal Agency
Operations and Maintenance
The CSS Team supports all phases of the software development lifecycle including Operations and Maintenance. Our expertise with legacy mainframe systems and Unix/Linux/Oracle or Microsoft/MS SQL or combinations, as many organizations have, allows us to provide support across the entire Enterprise. Because of our understanding goes from the database layer, through the middleware up through the application and presentation layers we have a thorough understanding of the inter-relationships of today’s complex systems.
Following ITIL best practices we provide the following support services:
- User guidance, standard issue fixing, systems monitoring
- 24×7 on-call support for mission critical systems
- Utilizing the organizations in-house service management tool to track and monitor incidents and service request
- Tracking and monitoring requests are performed within defined SLA’s
- Performing emergency source code issue resolution, application code optimization, new functionality realization and documentation
- Pre-release environment setup, tuning the system monitoring, scalability automation, etc.
- Security audit, server management, backup storage setup, OS versions update, application licenses check, resources availability and performance control
- Incident Management: fast reaction to issues and system restoration
- Request Processing: migration to new hosting, upgrade delivery, IT systems optimization
Cybersecurity
Custom Software Systems is dedicated to protecting data for its clients and safeguarding Cybersecurity risks businesses face today. CSS utilizes a Risk-based approach and concentrates on security in Security Strategy Management, Security Architecture, Identity and Access Management, Governance, Regulatory and Compliance, Application Integrity, Data Privacy and Infrastructure Security.
Following best practices we provide the following support services:
- Security Architecture
- Identity and Access Management
- Design and implementation of I.T. Controls
- Support for Security Assessment and Authorization (SAA) activities
- Mitigating and addressing security issues, vulnerabilities and creating Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M)
- HSPD-12 Initiatives and PIV implementation
