The challenge was taking the backend system that was used by Apple to run their Training Program and provide an interface with the frontend web-site training.apple.com using open source technologies so Apple could incur lower costs for regular maintenance and shorter turnaround times.

The Approach

The backend system that Apple uses to communicate with their Authorized Training Centers around the world required a number of enhancements since the first build that gave Apple a more firm grasp around the program as a whole. These mainly centered around user interface improvements as well as communication protocols. By utilizing an Open Source Rapid Application Development framework we were able deliver outstanding results in a fast and effective manner. Some of the features that were added were:

• Classroom Photo Uploads
• A Mini Email Client where the client can deliver HTML emails
• Better Reporting
• Tighter Integration with Ancillary Systems
• Ability for Authorized Training Centers to Upload Photos of their facility as part of their application
• As a further benefit for this application we ensured the application had proper code coverage with unit tests to ensure future additions to the codebase did not cause unexpected errors.

Integration

The challenge with integrating the backend system with the front-end web application was the Apple firewall. Due to security restrictions Apple limits the ports that are open on their firewall so we could not push data from the backend system to the front end system. The solution to this challenge was creating custom web services and pulling the information from the backend system to the apple.com domain.

Results

Through the use of Open Source Technologies we were able to achieve outstanding results on time and on budget. The client has been empowered to manage both the backend and front-end aspects of their digital strategy.

The back-end system is private to Apple only.