Flashline Introduces RFID for Software to Optimize Reuse
Breakthrough technology overcomes cultural barriers to reuse
CLEVELAND - June 20, 2005 - Flashline(R), Inc., a leading provider of software asset portfolio management solutions, today announced Flashline 5 featuring FlashTrax(TM), RFID for software that automatically detects the use of software assets anywhere in the enterprise in real-time. Flashline 5 makes reuse an automated, transparent part of the development experience, thereby overcoming common barriers to reuse adoption. Additional highlights of the new release include automated asset harvesting, enhanced compliance monitoring, an enhanced Eclipse integration adapter, and an integration adapter for Computer Associates AllFusion Harvest Change Manager. Combined with Flashline's existing compliance tracking features, managers now have a non-invasive way to ensure compliance to standards and continuously monitor how software value accrues to the enterprise.
FlashTrax is made possible by Flashline's patent-pending fingerprinting technology, Software File Identification (SFID), which is the software equivalent of RFID. With SFID as the foundation of the unique detection process, FlashTrax automatically detects software assets used in a development project. Developers are not required to leave their work environments to download assets for projects or declare asset use. Instead, they continue working the way they are accustomed and, without interruption, asset usage is captured and measured during the natural course of development.
Flashline then tracks and reports on compliance by matching usage activity against project requirements. For the first time, organizations capture and measure savings from asset reuse that were previously undocumented and unmeasured. As a result, they will experience an increase in the benefits of their asset reuse program, including greater traceability of software assets, more measurable savings, enhanced visibility into compliance with standards, and broader participation.
While FlashTrax detects the use of assets that otherwise goes undocumented, Flashline's new asset harvesting automatically captures applications and other software assets as they are being built. Project teams do not have to submit work products directly to Flashline for enterprise-wide visibility. The asset portfolio automatically accumulates in the Flashline Registry(R), instead of having team members manually maintain the inventory. This results in an application portfolio and a dynamic network of project and asset relationships that show how value is being built into software systems. These powerful capabilities complete the fully automated cycle of populating Flashline with reusable assets and then detecting their use.
In addition, Flashline has enhanced its Eclipse adapter to support compliance tracking and prescriptive reuse. Flashline's model of prescriptive reuse gives managers the ability to prescribe, or specify, required assets and standards and automatically deliver them to project teams so they are implemented in development. Prescribed assets automatically appear in any Eclipse-based tools, including IBM Rational Software Architect and IBM Rational Application Developer, and their reuse is automatically detected. Delivering required assets directly into the developer's work environment reduces time spent searching for and evaluating assets. The combination of automation with prescriptive reuse gives organizations a complete way to govern reuse and make it work, without the cultural pain or manual effort typically involved in other approaches.
Flashline now integrates with Computer Associates AllFusion Harvest Change Manager. The new adapter allows users to seamlessly access assets stored in the Harvest code repository via the Flashline Registry. The Harvest adapter complements Flashline's existing integrations with software development lifecycle tools, ranging from portfolio management to integrated development environments and source code repositories. Extensive integrations enable Flashline to fit easily within enterprise environments, while connecting and enhancing existing solutions. For more information on Flashline 5 visit http://www.flashline.com or contact info@flashline.com .
About Flashline, Inc.
Flashline delivers Software Asset Portfolio Management solutions to improve the governance of enterprise-wide IT programs. Using Flashline analytics, senior managers can monitor the cost reduction and consolidation benefits of key IT initiatives such as reuse, enterprise architecture, outsourcing, and legacy modernization. For more information visit http://www.flashline.com.
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Flashline, Flashline Registry, FlashPacks, FlashTrax and Return on Software are registered or pending trademarks of Flashline, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.