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Evolution in times of pandemic (Summary of the year)

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2020 has without a doubt been marked by the coronavirus pandemic. The new context generated has forced society to reinvent itself to overcome an unprecedented situation. At ASM Web Services we have done our best to make adversity an opportunity. Throughout the year we have worked on the evolution of our operating model, a process that has led to an internal reshuffle, the creation of new production areas and the inauguration of another territorial office.

We open an office in Madrid

In 2018 we began the deployment of an expansion strategy for the domestic market, with the opening of an office in León. In September we took yet another step by opening a new office in Madrid, which manages all the projects in the areas of Madrid and Eastern Spain. It is headed by José Rodríguez, who has a background in telecommunications and IT, having worked for companies like Vodafone, Siemens and GE. He has extensive experience in the development of PIM–Product Information Management projects.

José Rodríguez de ASM Web Services

We open an office in Madrid headed by José Rodriguez

V2MSoftware takeover

In addition to territorial growth, this year we have also grown our team with the incorporation of the production unit of the V2MSoftware firm, which reinforces our mobile division. The process of acquiring V2MSoftware has meant integration into our organization of a specialized, highly qualified team that has worked for large, important customers such as Fira de Barcelona, TMB–Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, AMB–Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona, Deliberry, Manusa, and the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

We reorganize and launch a new website

The new internal organization has led to the creation of three new divisions, in addition to the already operational Product Information Management, E-commerce, Software Engineering and Mobile Apps units. The new divisions are Data Science, dedicated to data lifecycle management; the Pricing Optimization unit, focusing on developing software to monitor, calculate and manage dynamic pricing models; and finally the Systems and Cloud Computing unit, which specializes in creating cloud projects and cloud migrations.

This renewed operating model incorporates another innovative element, the ASM Tech Hubs. They are highly specialized development centres. We have launched three Tech Hubs, one in Barcelona, focusing on Mobile App development; another in Mataró, dedicated to Data Science projects, and a third  in León, dedicated to Software Engineering and Pricing Optimization Tools.

All these transformations have been reflected in the new website launched last July.

Hemos lanzado una nueva página web

We have launched a new website

A more specialized team in cloud migrations

We ended the first part of the summary of the year talking about our team. At ASM Web Services we have staff trained in cloud migration processes with hands-on experience and a thorough knowledge of multiple platforms. And in 2020 they have further expanded their capabilities. Systems technician David Solé has obtained the Azure Administrator Associate certification, while technical consultant Joaquín Jiménez has also extended his knowledge of cloud computing, obtaining five official certifications from Cloudinary.

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We expand our repertoire of technological solutions (Part 2)

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We carried out this process of introspection and evolution, which coincides with our 17th anniversary, alongside the development of technological projects for our clients. One of them was for Werfen.

A worldwide leader in in-vitro diagnostics, the company took the strategic decision to migrate from IBM SmartCloud to Microsoft’s Office 365 cloud. The project required Werfen’s SmartCloud services to coexist for a specific period alongside the new Office 365 cloud. To achieve this, a coexistence strategy was executed using Binary Tree’s CMT software.

In addition to this migration process, we must add the process we managed for General Optica, a company dedicated to the manufacture, design and distribution of optical fashion, who decided to move all their corporate mailboxes to Microsoft Office 365.

Roca takes the leap to Akeneo PIM 4.0

In 2020, Akeneo launched a new version of its PIM–Product Information Management system, Akeneo PIM 4.0. Precisely one of the most outstanding projects we carried out last year was linked to this launch and consisted of a migration from Akeneo 2.3 to Akeneo 4.0, which we carried out for Roca. .

To do that we had to clear the considerable technological leap between the two versions, especially with regard to the graphical interface, which in the current version was developed using React. We also developed the connector with Cloudinary DAM and created relationship attributes between products and entities.

Hemos gestionado la migración de la versión Akeneo 2.3 a la versión 4.0 para Roca. 

We managed migration from Akeneo 2.3 to Akeneo 4.0 for Roca

Optimization of Brico Depôt’s eCommerce infrastructures

Another project linked to the eCommerce sector was one carried out for Brico Depôt, a French chain of DIY, garden and home renovation products. It consisted of optimizing its online stores in Spain and Portugal, developed with Magento using the Azure infrastructure, Microsoft’s public pay-per-use cloud.

Restrictions on physical stores imposed because of the Covid-19 pandemic sharply increased traffic to the Brico Depôt online store. In order to maintain optimum performance and to improve scalability, it was necessary to redefine its architecture in record time. To do that, we created elastic infrastructures in Kubernetes, a market-leading platform ideal for hosting cloud-native applications that require rapid expansion.

First development of a PWA for Bodegas Torres

The year that has just ended saw our debut in the field oBodegas Torres The year that has just ended saw our debut in the field of PWA–Progressive Web App development. Bodegas Torres decided to entrust us with the migration of its e-commerce platform to Magento 2 within their omnichannel strategy for the entire group. After analysing the characteristics of the project, we proposed development of a new Front End in ReactJS, and creation of an integrated PWA with a Magento 2 Back End, which will speed up browsing and improve online channel conversion.”> decided to entrust us with the migration of its eCommerce platform to Magento 2 within their omnichannel strategy for the entire group. After analysing the characteristics of the project, we proposed development of a new Front End in ReactJS, and creation of an integrated PWA with a Magento 2 Back End, which will speed up browsing and improve online channel conversion.

The project is still in execution and we estimate that it will be ready for delivery in April 2021.

Creamos una PWA integrada con un Back End de Magento 2 para Bodegas Torres

We create an integrated PWA with a Magento 2 Back End for Bodegas Torres

Implementation of a BOM system for CoverCar

An entirely different undertaking was the project for CoverCar, a company dedicated to stamping, cutting and sewing of textile covers and interiors for cars. As part of the project to implement the MRP system developed at the time by ASMWS and integrated with the SAP B1 ERP system, we designed and implemented a new tool to manage the BOM–Bill Of Materials system for them. We did this alongside customer order processing via EDI. The main objective of the BOM system is to feed the MRP—Material Requirements Planning system when determining how many components are needed, as well as when the Master Production Plan is to be executed. This is translated into a series of purchase orders and the manufacture of the materials necessary to satisfy the demand for the end products.

Concerning BOM system management and maintenance, we have managed to streamline and automate the Commercial and Engineering processes transversally and integrated them with the Purchasing, Logistics and Quality areas.

Covid-19 has forced us to rethink a lot of things, but at least one or two have remained the same for us: perseverance and teamwork, which are two good ways to overcome adversity.

 

Click here if you want to read the first part of the Summary of the year

A team specialized in migrations to the cloud

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The team managing the migration must be trained and experienced in these processes

The team managing the migration must be trained and experienced in these processes

The ASM Web Services cloud migration process team is fully trained, with hands-on experience and a thorough knowledge of multiple platforms, such as Azure, Microsoft’s public pay-per-use cloud.

Azure is one of the leading players in the market thanks to the benefits it offers. Banco Santander announced in April 2019 their choice of Microsoft as their preferred strategic cloud service provider to drive the institution’s digital transformation. ASM Web Services systems technician David Solé is a certified Azure Administrator Associate. This certification has provided him with technical know-how in managing subscriptions, creating and scaling different types of virtual machines, implementing storage solutions and configuring virtual networks,different solutions regarding backups and sharing of data. He has also acquired new skills in areas such as connections between on-premise servers and cloud resources, network traffic management, implementation of Azure Active Directory, as well as the monitoring of all the elements that form part of these solutions, in either technical or administrative aspects.

One of the ASMWS team’s technical consultants, Joaquín Jiménez has also extended his know-how in cloud computing, obtaining five official Cloudinary certifications. Cloudinary is a US based SaaS technology provider for multinationals such as Sony, Trivago or Virgin. They offer cloud-based video and image management services, enabling users to upload, store, manage, manipulate and deliver images and videos for websites and applications.

Intelligent migration to the cloud, and in good company

The crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic has hastened digital transformation processes in many businesses. The context today has boosted generalized consumption of the IT as a Service model, particularly for the cloud.

The factors driving businesses to stake on cloud computing are manifold: it offers great flexibility, greater agility and new opportunities for innovation, along with flexible computing power. However, implementing a data migration process to the cloud may cause some trepidation for most companies, which is absolutely normal. An overly quick migration without a strategy, without the right provider and without the advice of a specialized partner can cause serious difficulties for their businesses.