November / December

Performance	We recorded detailed click tracks in order to optimize the performance of a large online platform. The click tracks were used to construct a regression test suite, which allows fully automated daily performance audits. The open-source tool of choice is "The Grinder". Some patches developed by us were returned to the community and integrated into the Grinder source tree.
J2ME | Prototyp	We developed a prototype of a multimedia-ready J2ME application. The prototype was used to test special features of the Java Media API on modern mobile phones.
Community	As in the previous year, TNG supported several Open Source projects that were helpful in our own work. The supported organisations include the Free Software Foundation Europe and OpenOffice.org e.V.
Management	We accept important new tasks for a major company in the management of service requests.
Talk | Spring	Together with colleagues from our partner companies, one of our Java experts delivered an comprehensive talk about the Spring Framework at the Java User Group Munich.

September / October

Testing	Using detailed tests, source code reviews and tool-based performance analysis, we managed to speed up a third-party script-based web application by a factor of two while the system stayed in production. Some of the scripts were accelerated by a factor of ten. In addition, certain deadlock situations were identified and avoided.
Perl | mod_perl	We adapted an old perl/CGI web application so that it ran under mod_perl and Apache 2.0. The application is now extraordinarily fast. At the same time, the load on the underlying database is greatly reduced.
Study	We started a new project that concerns the evaluation of complex commercial software platforms. Subtopics included migration efforts, standards compliance, lock-in risks, TCO and an evaluation of the supplier companies.
Talk	One of our experts gave a talk on the topic of "wikis and requirements engineering" in the context of the research group "requirements engineering" of the Gesellschaft für Informatik, Munich chapter.

July / August

XML	"A factor of ten changes everything", is a rule of thumb in systems theory. With this rule in mind, we accepted a difficult and time-critical project. The task was the random-access processing of extremely large XML billing data files. The data come as Gigabyte-sized blocks, which precludes client-side processing, as the network load would be excessive. Therefore, our development team convinced the customer of the necessity of a server-side application. This consists of an Apache Tapestry-based web interface and a Java-engine, which provide the necessary business functionality as an API. Several alternatives to prepare the data on the server-side were investigated; both free and commercial XML databases were considered. Extensive performance tests of reading and parsing XML blocks with subsequent database storage were carried out. However, the measurements demonstrated that this simple approach did not work due to filesystems read/write throughput limitations. The time window specified by the customer was too short. Therefore the team decided to extract only the metadata necessary for further XML processing and search. This can be done in a read-only pass. Results gathered via a search on the metadata were then extracted out of the XML blocks. The open source parser Xerces was slightly extended for this purpose. Internal tests showed that this procedure should scale up to XML data sets of 200 GB. After installation on the customers servers, the software was able to read and index the XML blocks in a third of the time specified by the customer. Random-access search including result aggregation, which the customer wanted to take a maximum of 15 minutes, needed less than one second on average, with the longest searches still taken less than eight seconds.
Java | Web services	We took over the implementation tasks necessary for the continued realisation of the architecture for one of our customers, for whom we previously suggested a new, modern Java/XML/WebServices-based IT architecture. This included the continuation of projects that had previously been performed by third-party firms.
Community	A well-known open source project needed a certain donation so we organised a fast and unbureaucratic solution.

May / June

Spring | Hibernate	A large web application that consolidates three existing applications was successfully taken into the pilot phase. Configuration management was done via the Spring inversion-of-control framework. To satisfy the complex object relations and the very wide spectrum of the customer's reporting requirements, we used almost all the features of the Hibernate object-relational mapper.
Coaching	We accept responsibility for coaching in the area of JSP programming for one of our larger customers. Key issues were the know-how transfer and implementation of JSP Best Practices.
Consulting	We supported one of our customers in contract negotiations for a multi-million outsourcing project. As a part of this work, we created detailled total cost of ownership-estimates for several scenarios. Based upon the TCO estimates, pricing and service level agreements were refined over several rounds of negotiation.

March / April

Study	We wrote a technology evaluation report for a big conglomerate. The subject in question was whether the company, which runs a particular software product for over 50 000 users worldwide, should upgrade or replace the software with a competitor's product. As well as the common criteria such as cost and functionality we examined additional factors such as information security and suitability for continuous operation. The large candidate pool was narrowed down to a shortlist. The remaining products were subjected to functional and load tests on the most important reference platforms. The result was a clear and actionable recommendation.
Java	After extensive analysis and sizing phases we accepted a large Java development project. Due to the preparatory work it was possible to guarantee delivery adapted to the release process of the customer.
Scripting	We developed a module for mass data import for a new customer in the B2B data services area. Due to the variable data quality, this import had to be particularly robust. Furthermore, the geocoded data were extended with status informations gathered from parsed AutoCAD files.
NetInstall	A big company was planning the migration of several thousand PC clients from NT4 to WindowsXP. For this, structured and efficient distribution of the software packages was of central importance. We supported the customer by writing a style guide for NetInstall. Known Best Practices were consolidated and extended through recommendations for a low-risk migration.
Partner	In cooperation with a network of partner companies, we expanded our development capacity. This means that we will be able to supply even larger turn-key development projects to our customers.

January / February

Huge project	We rolled out a family of seven GIS web applications that were developed by a team of 6 developers. The applications run in parallel on several Tomcat application servers. For visualization purposes, MapXtreme for Java from MapInfo were used. The backend access layer works with a Tuxedo 8 GIS Server and an Oracle 9i Spatial geographical data base. The architecture of these web applications was based on a very strict component approach, which allows a lot of code reuse. The applications themselves need typically less than 10 application-specific classes. New business requirements were only implemented in one component, but can be used by all applications. New applications can be developed very quickly, while the test efforts can be substantially reduced. Due to a neat configuration system, the components and applications conform to three different style guides. The efficiency gains and time savings from the new architecture were so big, that the architecture changeover could be provided for by the regular budgets for on-going development.
Testing	We conducted installation and user acceptance tests on Debian, Red Hat, Suse and Windows for an innovative cryptography startup company. This was an important quality assurance step before the general availability of the crypto software.
Study	We evaluated several content management systems in order to recommend a future platform strategy for the headquarters of a group of companies.
Consulting	We accepted the central tasks of coaching and designing in a major project involving up to 60 developers at several sites. Specifically, we managed to establish a functioning build process based on Ant and Cruise Control. Due to the very large team, purely technical solutions were not sufficient. Therefore we also advised the customer as to how to best optimize his organizational structure.

News 2004

November / December

Management	We assumed short term project management responsibilities for a expansive and critical implementation project in the industrial sector.
Management	As members of the project management and quality assurance teams, we took part in an remarkably large IT outsourcing tender. It's targets were the reduction of the unit costs as well as the improvement of service quality.
Coaching	We provided J2EE architecture consulting for a large technology customer. We accepted the role of coaching up to 50 developers in topics such as Java and test-driven development. One of our experts developed a new SQL-Dialect to integrate a customer's special-purpose database with an object/relational mapper. The alpha version, which was developed over the course of a weekend, achieved 97.5% successful unit-test execution.
Processes	We took stock of a corporate departments's existing business processes and advised them on their modernisation in preparation for an intranet relaunch. The reviewed results were documented on the intranet.
Software engineering	We started on the development of a complex web application, which brings together the functionality of several existing web applications. This involved the migrating incongruent data out of multiple production databases and into new databases.
Administration	We accepted further responsibilities with one of our major customers for the operations, planning and maintenance of a complex software stack and of a intricate management software.
Community	As a "Thank You" to the Open Source-Community and as a celebration of the successful business year, TNG supported several Open Source projects that were helpful in our work. The supported organisations included the Apache Software Foundation, the Free Software Foundation Europe, Mozilla and Source Forge.

September / October

Migration	We redesigned a large, maintenance-intensive Apache/Tomcat production environment. The new environment that we chose utilizes multi-layer, load-distributing and highly available architecture, which makes it possible to cluster Web and Java application servers into pairs. A test environment that mirrors the production system was also built. After installation and configuration of the new setup, several existing J2EE web applications were migrated. Important aspects such as maintainability, updateability, simplicity of deployment and monitoring were all provided for. A Tomcat management tool was adapted for the clustered environment. Regression tests and flawless rollout were seen through.
EAI	We implemented a complaints management system based on an EAI/workflow platform developed in-house.
J2EE	We developed several user-friendly web-clients with modern component-based frameworks. A significant part of the development was the programming of reusable GIS components. Old applications were migrated from Visual Basic to J2EE.
Migration	We assisted in a difficult upgrade of a combined Oracle/Solaris environment. This included planning and coordination of the large test systems, including the related backups, restores and downtimes.
Administration	For a new customer we accepted responsibility for consulting, planning and realization of tasks in the areas of Linux/Windows- and ERP system administration. This included answering queries about Enterprise Resource Planning systems.

July / August

Oracle | PL/SQL	Our GIS developers extend and improve a location based services application based upon PL/SQL. Among other things, they implemented a new algorithm for Oracle 9i Spatial which gives users information about their position and the accuracy of that position estimate. In the subsequent component test of the application, it was certified as having 'zero bugs'.
Management	We enlarged our Unix-team and were entrusted with the additional responsibility of supervising outsourcing companies.
Oracle | Migration	We migrated a text based database of administrative data into an Oracle database and wrote a web administration guide in Perl. Thanks to synchronisation with an LDAP-directory and additional heuristic error correction methods the data quality increased significantly.
Testing	We took on a new assignment dealing with component tests of a very complex stack of business software.
Management	We accepted several management consulting tasks in an international storage consulting project, including the central project offices and responsibility for a subproject.

May / June

Software engineering	Working with our customer, we reimplemented the core of a complex business application, which originally took over 1000 consultant-days of work. Thanks to the capable team, which had a very good overview of the Unix tool landscape, this was done within about 100 man days. Discrepancies between the old and new versions occured during the head-to-head comparison; The following analysis revealed not only that the new prototype still had bugs, but also that there were bugs in the business software that had gone unrecognized for years.
Consulting	One of our experts advised a large multinational corporation on the introduction of several service management processes from the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
Java	One of our Java-teams developed not only a new application framework within 6 weeks, but also a new business application based on this framework. The application was accepted by the client's management to be rolled-out to 800 employees.
J2EE | JBoss	During the Integration of JBoss 3.2.3 and WebLogic 8.1 within a production environment, we discovered that transaction propagation between the two J2EE servers wasn't functioning. After an extensive debugging session, we wrote a new implementation of XAResource. It can take part in a WebLogic distributed transaction, while directing JBoss via a UserTransaction. 2-phase commit was supported.
Prototype	One of our experts wrote a technology demonstrator based on a modern component-oriented web framework.
LaTeX	We developed a set of LaTeX templates which are used for the automatic generation of business documents.

March / April

Migration	During the migration of about 15 terabytes of data between NAS filers, one of our experts devised a method to optimize storage usage by 2 terabytes. However, this method stressed the filers so much that two bugs in the filer operating system were found. After developing workarounds for the bugs, the data migration was completed on time. The unexpected saving of 2 terabytes represented a significant cost advantage for the customer.
Network	We designed a complex network and system topology with multiple DMZs and Linux-based firewalls. The system is based on Debian stable with a 2.6-kernel.
GIS	We accepted a new assignment in the field of Geographical Information Systems. During a warm-up phase, one of our specialist discovered that the existing application was not multithread-safe. A new, thread-safe version was developed and deployed.
Migration	We migrated old, but important legacy systems from Solaris to Red Hat Linux. WebDAV under Apache 2 is used to authenticate the users.
Architecture	We designed a modern Service Orientated Architecture (SOA) for a large corporation with more than 500 business locations in Germany alone. It provides basic business services and workflows spanning multiple systems, even multiple outsourcers.
Architecture	We conducted an architecture review for a high-load EJB application.
Consulting	For a large customer that wanted to procure a custom-developed software system, we proposed a cheap alternative based upon features built-into the software stack that the customer already owns. The demonstrated savings for the customer amount to a quarter million Euros.
TNG	In order to cope with the growing size of the company, we moved our offices to a new, significantly larger facility. Our new address is Betastrasse 13a, also in 85774 Unterföhring.

January / February

Testing	We conducted a full code review of an important J2EE web application for a large client; the application would usually to lock up under load, even on large hardware. A complex runtime environment (LDAP, Oracle, WebSphere) needed to be replicated to test the large amount of code. Detailed profiling of all data base queries proved to be useless. Nevertheless, finally we found the reason for the lockup and propose an effective solution. An advantageous side effect of this step was the acceleration of the execution time for the affected web page by a factor of ten.
	One of our consulting teams flew to the United States-Teams in order to work on-site with the IT department affected by a multinational project.
Talk	In a meeting of the Munich Java User Group, one of our experts gave a sophisticated presentation about the best practices currently employed in the Java sector. We presented everything from programming tips for tools to development models.
Consulting	We developed a catalogue of standard procedures for certain IT processes for a large corporation. These standards will be used in the future by the IT and operating departments.
Perl	It doesn't always have to be Java: For storage management, we developed a nifty web application in Perl.
J2EE	The J2EE-eBroker-application which we helped to design and implement in 2002 continues to be up and running practically fautlessly online. The volume has grown to about 190.000 users per day.

News 2003

December

	One of our consulting teams advised an international company on management concerns. In cooperation with a client team from five different countries, we identified not only strategic options for the improvement of the global business processes, but also devised a sizable catalogue of tangible individual steps. This enabled the customer to take immediate action to realize fast and practical savings.
	We developed a new groupware application, based on a collaboration API. To live up to the expectations of the customer, we made heavy use of the advanced customizing features of the groupware. Additionally, we analyzed the authentication module and the encrypted cookies.
	Against the macro economic tide, TNG continued to grow quickly. All three service divisions - administration, development and IT management - were actively expanded. Consequently, the company had 21 full-time employees at the turn of the year. For this we'd like to cordially thank all our customers and employees.

November

	We prepared a financial institutions's archiving solution for an internal audit. For this purpose, we analyzed and documented all the archiving processes, looking for weak points.
	We participated in the strategic server and systems consolidation of a multinational company. A crucial step was the detailed roadmap for the migration of proprietary solutions onto the new corporate platform. The target platform is based upon multiple IBM WebSphere application servers arranged into a high-availability cluster with a capacity for more than 100 different applications and more than 100.000 named users. The roadmap contained both technical aspects as well as cost and time estimations.
	In order to consolidate the storage of several peripheral European production and administration facilities belonging to one of our clients, we planned and were chiefly responsible for the migration of the old systems onto the new storage fabric.

October

	As part of a code review, one of our Java experts analyzed a third-party application. We were able to show that the application was not multithread-safe when heavily loaded; in case of an exception, not just the one transaction, but all the open transactions would be rolled back. Due to this analysis, the going-live date of the application was delayed for several tens of thousands of end users until the problems were fixed.
	We accepted new Unix Cluster work in a test environment.
	We reviewed a complex archiving system consisting of 6 Solaris servers, on which about 25 applications and projects totalling 7 TB of data were held in DVD robots.
	We extended a MapX-based GIS application to support the required UMTS functionalities.
	The first workshops for a new international process optimization task were held, receiving positive feedback from the concerned countries.
	We optimized a location based services-application, resulting in faster response times and greatly increased scalability for users.
	We improved a script that controls the routing of the backup data traffic of over 400 productive servers. The script, which was initially intended to be a temporary workaround, was sophisticated enough to be used in the day to day operations on 4 different Unix flavours. The whole network environment dedicated to the backup could be reconfigured on-the-fly without any reboots.
	Even though the macroeconomic conditions were tough, TNG hired several new IT specialists. We plan to continue this policy of careful and sustainable growth.

September

	Based on SAN/NAS concepts, we developed an IT strategy for certain tasks within a multinational company. The amount of data to be considered was extraordinarily large.
	In the context of a migration from Windows-file servers on to NAS-systems, a new external service provider had to be phased in into the existing operations. To assist this, we defined new processes, tools and organisational units.
	One of our experts gave a public talk on object-relational mapping with Open Source-tools.
	We aided a client with a concern for the budget planning of certain IT tasks. The budget was to the tune of more than 10 million Euros.
	We developed innovative Java-GUI-components based on modern component technology.

August

	We assisted an important customer in the choice of a hardware technology vendor.
	We gave a training on OpenLDAP for a corporate group.
	We successfully completed a consultancy project for the redesign of a directory structure.
	A portal based on a SAP PortalServer that we helped to develop went online and stayed online.
	For a large customer with several branch offices, we analysed the quality of the sales force software, which was supplied by a third-party company. Thanks to the analysis and the given feedback, the quality of the software was significantly increased.

July

	We integrated an existing B2B portal into a new portal based on SAP PortalServer 5. In order to deal with the technical peculiarities of PortalServer 5, we developed synchronisation routines that allow partial remote control of the LDAP directories used by the SAP software.
	One of our experts gave a course on the IBM WebSphere application server including its clustering features.
	We evaluated the proposals for the EAI architecture for the 130 outlets of a manufacturing company. Among others, this included the comparison of IBM WebSphere MQ as a central message broker with a light-weight open source-based XML-RPC solution.
	One of our Unix experts managed the migration of all HP-UX-Servers between two data centers.

June

	A WLAN billing component we programmed was finished on time and passed the component test.
	We migrated a source code control system and test environment from old Solaris servers onto a new consolidated new Linux server.
	To determine the future architecture of a family of new web applications, we presented a typology of modern web application frameworks.
	One of our experts gave a talk about server configuration and operation at the Java User Group Munich.
	We reengineered an existing application based on Visual Basic and Access.
	We finished a new software version for location based services. We also finished a new GIS software allowing internet access for customer service employees.
	We developed a prototype of a Java-GIS-library, which was built on two C-libraries using JNI.

May

	With our new, enlarged team we were able to accept two difficult management consultancy projects.
	We reviewed the source code of a problematic application developed by a 3rd party. We gave detailed recommendations to the management of the customer who bought the application.
	One of our experts published an article comparing classical Unix servers with mass-produced PC-based Linux servers in the German periodical Computerwoche.

April

	We led the integration of the .NET Common Language Runtime into the existing NT4.0-network of the traderoom of a bank. Special attention was given to package management and accordance with the security requirements. The CLR was integrated into the base installation of about 2000 clients.
	We planned the migration of the backup infrastructure of a major car manufacturing company. The task involved migrating over 1500 backup clients from Veritas Netbackup 3.x to 4.5.
	We conducted load tests and functional tests on SAP PortalServer.
	We assisted in the implementation of project-based reporting about SAN-related costs. This facilitates easier internal cost control for the customer.
	We assisted a corporate customer with a feasibility study into an LDAP directory.
	We wrote the portal companents for a B2B e-business website that controls purchasing applications that went on to generate over 3 million Euros of turnover per month for our customer.

March

	We conducted a workshop on LDAP and Linux for a pan-European customer.
	We migrated and operated four big application servers with BEA Weblogic & IBM Websphere on an Oracle 8-backend.
	We wrote and tested a Java-prototype of an innovative WebService-architecture.
	We evaluated JSP-based newsletter tools.
	The I18N-frontend that we wrote for an international website was rolled out for additional countries and now reaches 15 countries with country- and language-specific content.
	We accepted the task to build and maintain an EnvironmentDB for a server landscape. The database stores assets, configurations, passwords and software versions.
	For the execution of large integration tests we conducted the test environment planning.
	One of our experts gave regular lectures on "International Consulting" for the MBA program at the IH Lindau.

February

	We started a new project involving complex reengineering and code maintenance of a code-base of stack-based scripting languages.
	We found and documented a serious security bug in a customer's big commercial database application. We recommended the necessary fixes.
	After a good business year in 2002, we continued to grow and hire senior IT professionals - if you're serious about IT, contact us!

January

	We assisted in the administration of a large farm of servers with several dozen Unix servers and DB instances.
	Building on a modern persistence framework, we developed a prototype of a database-orientied web application very quickly.
	We migrated 10 000 interlinked documents out of a proprietary database and into a standardized document management system.
	We worked on the pilot project "follow the sun IT-support" for a German automotive company.
	Substantial cost savings together with increased availability and quality of service were attained for the intranet servers of a multinational company. This was achieved by fine-tuning and active interoperability testing before the installation of new applications.
	One of our specialists gave a lecture about testing at the computer science institut of the LMU. Additionally, we gave training courses in the system administration of HP-UX and Solaris.

News 2002

December

	We developed two mobile telephony-applications in the field of location based services. The applications use Oracle8i Spatial.
	A database- and backend-intensive J2EE application that we helped to design went live. The Unix cluster serves over 125.000 clients per day. The average response time is less than 200 milliseconds, the longest response time is 2 seconds.
	We evaluated software for block level-incremental backup-on-disk. We created a management decision proposal for a world-wide SAN technology/process rollout. The proposal was accepted.
	We accomplished a critical software audit.
	We developed a CMS prototype based on NPS Infopark.
	We implemented a fast, web-based, full text search that supports complex file formats.
	We held three lectures on Enterprise Java topics in the Munich Java user group.

October / November

	We supported a multinational company in the project management of their rollout of an SAN/NAS-disk operating concept world-wide. The concept scales up to multiple Terabytes. We evaluated rapid access methods for data warehouses, including the queue problems resulting from parallel access. A J2EE application that we helped to develop went into pilot production test.
	We hired new technical people.

August / September

	We wrote a migration suite that can be used to transfer 400.000 documents (or 20 GB) between two content management systems. The documents were correctly attributed and indexed by a newly installed altavista search engine.
	We finished and deployed a J2EE-based geographic information system. The system makes heavy use of the JSTL and XML technologies.
	We wrote an automated, fully configurable "update push" mechanism for a large product database. The system was completely user-administrated.
	We recovered data that was lost when one of our customers's sensitive server crashed.
	We assisted with the performance tuning of a large J2EE-application for a financial services company.

June / July

	We devised an automated, online re-routing scheme for a network of over a thousand productive servers. The scheme was implemented and managed to reconfigure the huge network on the fly. Individual intervention was only required on less than 3% of the systems.
	We assisted in the sizing of a Terabyte-capable SAN backup system. We finished the migration of four webservers including their content. We developed a new web server managed by a Teamsite CMS.
	The e-business portal that we had been developing over the last months passed the load, user acceptance and security tests and went live. The ambitious project was completed on time and on budget.
	Despite the worldwide recession, TNG continued to hire staff. We offer challenging positions for senior technical people.

May

An e-business portal that we developed under significant time pressure went into international pilot test. The Java-based portal supports multiple languages, high security requirements and a large number of parallel users. We achieved the migration an Interwoven Teamsite production system within 48 hours using specially developed scripts based on the Teamsite API. Last but not least we migrated a suite of applications onto WebSphere.

April

We formed a partnership with the financial data company Onvista AG (now migrated to IS Teledata AG). We are now able to offer design and technical implementation of large financial websites and tools. We wrote a research report on Storage Area Networks. We accepted the development contract for an Enterprise Portal in Java. We also gave advice on the efficient redesign of a very large website. One of our big customers required additional project management assistance for a worldwide synchronised technology rollout, in which we supported them.

March

We migrated and operated four large web servers including the CMS (Intervowen TeamSite), the application servers (Weblogic & Websphere) and the Oracle 8 database. We also helped to evaluate a JSP-based news letter tool for installation. Again we supported a customer in the selection of a SAP server system and the corresponding necessary database. We suggested an unconventional, very cost-effective redesign for a large enterprise application. One of us gave a talk on Solaris tuning at the EMC user group meeting for finance, banking & insurance.

Last but not least we started offering a new service: Together with our partner companies we are now able to implement realtime push solutions for stock exchange quotes. The quotes can be transmitted to arbitrary devices, including mobile phones.

February

We accepted a long term software testing assignment in a Java/C++/Corba environment for a major customer. As well as this we took over sections of the management of a complex web server environment. As part of a customer's cost reduction efforts, we conducted a study on SAP R/3 clusters and SAP service providers.

January

First, we'll wish you a happy New Year! Secondly, we'll demonstrate we haven't just been relaxing: We migrated a proprietary ASP-based CMS to Interwoven, we created a VPN over Cisco routers; we tuned an AIX system for a bank; we integrated the open source web-mail-interface Horde/IMP into the LDAP-based single-sign-on system (SSO) of a major customer. Additionally we helped in the planning of a new SAP installation. One of our experts published an article on the new JDK1.4 Preferences-API in the Java Magazine.

News 2001

December

We developed a generic, fully configurable web services-architecture for a financial service company. At the same time we refactored a medium-sized Java-API. As well as this, we conducted in-depth performance tests of large internet servers. One of our team published an article about the JDK 1.4 Logging-API in the Java Magazine. We also moved to a larger office. Finally, we finished a pilot project for a CMS installation.

November

An internationalised J2EE finance application that we helped to develop went online. The server platform is an Oracle server and a BEA WebLogic 6.1 cluster consisting of four large SUN multi-processor nodes. We configured firewalls, mail servers, and routers for a finance consulting company. We did emergency troubleshooting on an AIX system. A firm implemented a software change we suggested. As a result they can reduce the number of Solaris servers necessary to run their application from 20 to 5.

October

We accepted the technical project management position in a international team of programmers and designers. We also developed a complex Unix-based test system for internet services. We conducted a detailed IT study into the merger of an insurance company and a bank. A CrossWorlds-based e-commerce website that we co-developed went online. In the Systems issue of the InformationWeek we illustrated our view of the processor market. In the magazine Computerwoche we published an article about performance- and high availability-clustering.

September

A large three-tier Java/WebLogic application that we helped to design and implement in critical functions, went online. We implemented a flexible Java security service. At this time we also worked on a complex strategy consulting project.

August

It's summer and we should be on holiday... but we are all working. New projects: Complex enterprise application integration with Java and a three-tier Java web-to-database system. We installed a pan-European virtual private network to connect the sites of a financial services company. We created a online survey with ColdFusion. We migrated multiple web sites into a content management system for a large corporation.

July

The TNG team helped a large german car maker with a study into system integration. For another german car maker, we conducted a workshop about data warehouses. In addition to this we assisted a large bank in their E10000-adminstration tasks. One of us wrote an article about XML and JDOM for the Java-Magazine 7/2001.

June

A internet startup gave us its web programming project. We started work on a project management and on integration work in the field of content management for one of our customers. Our experts tuned several Unix servers for a large publishing house and a bank in Paris. On the 19th of June we reported our findings in Heidelberg about state of the art SAP R3 clusters.

May

A new customer asked us to mangage their critical Unix servers. We gave a lecture about Java and XML for Sun Microsystems in the town of Ratingen.

April

At this point TNG has a complete and powerful team of 12 experienced consultants. We found new customers in the fields of telecommunications, publishing and IT services. We got our first consulting contract in North America. On the 26th of April we gave a talk about SAP servers in Berlin.

March

At this point the team consists of 8 consultants. The firm was asked to write a comment in the CeBIT issue of the InformationWeek. Our new customers are a media firm and a large corporation. One of our experts gave a talk on Java 2 for the Java User Group of the GI München.

February

The third partner joined. Another server manufacturer became a customer. The technical infrastructure for future growth was set up.

January

TNG was founded in Unterföhring near Munich. The firm started with two consultants. The first contract was for a Java/WebLogic/Oracle system architecture for a bank. The second customer was a large Unix server manufacturer.