Connectivity, an article by Ken Barltrop, Head of IT - ComplyWise
It is extraordinary how client expectations have evolved and how the product has become increasingly sophisticated over the years to meet those expectations.

One example is how trainee details are captured: in the early days client requirements did not extend to 3rd party connectivity and the focus was to provide the system with an easily customised logon via free-form data entry and drop-down menus.

The first data feed request was from a London bank that wanted us to connect to their LDAP directory at a time when very few organisations had adequately populated LDAP directories to make this practical. Then clients required connectivity to their HR databases. The next demand was for single signon, so we added an Active Directory connection, and then a variation where single sign-on was delivered through connection to a non-LDAP data source. Later came the need for encrypted data flows via secured sites with logon details passed from client single sign-on arrangements. On the way we also developed the capability of accepting logons from Learning Management Systems, which are not usually associated with the specialised handling of risk assessment issues. All these options were incorporated into the product as standard, while still catering for clients preferring to upload a staff list periodically, rather than support a live connection.

The outcome is that clients are often agreeably surprised by the sophistication that lies behind the crafted simplicity of the training content. We now include within the standard product a very wide range of switchable options to cater for the plethora of organisational arrangements encountered. In fact we will often provide clients with a sandpit site to encourage experimentation and enable them to make informed setup choices, and it is now unusual for us to encounter requirements not already met by the standard product.

February 2008