In December 2022 – C&CA UK’s Communications & Engagement Award Winner – Cloud & Custom Applications – Capgemini UK

October 2018 to June 2019, augmented into MuleSoft (a Salesforce company) as a Delivery Manager

From October 2018 to June 2019, I was augmented into MuleSoft (a Salesforce company) as a Delivery Manager managing a number of accounts across the UK, for the delivery of the Anypoint Platform.

The Anypoint Platform includes various components such as Anypoint Design Center, which allows API developers to design and build APIs; Anypoint Exchange, a library for API providers to share APIs, templates, and assets; and Anypoint Management Center, a centralized web interface to analyze, manage, and monitor APIs and integrations.

mark whitfield delivery_manager_anypoint_platform_mulesoft_mark_whitfield

The Delivery Manager role is much like a Programme Manager role and typically links with the client’s Project /Programme Manager role to ensure that any project plans align to the MuleSoft Outcome Based Delivery (OBD) framework to achieve the agreed business outcomes.

The OBD framework provides a structured set of work streams, tasks and sub-tasks for the client to become fully enabled in an API-led project delivery as part of the business operating model. It also provides best practice guidance on the required business and IT culture modifications and governance to support the correct API ownership approach. The 3 OBD streams are; 1) Business Outcomes, 2) Technology Delivery and 3) Org Enablement.

Attended BIHE 1988 – 1990, Bolton Institute of Higher Education (University of Bolton – 2004)

BIHE, Bolton Institute of Higher Education (University of Bolton – 2004)

(University status attained in April 2004)

Website: http://www.bolton.ac.uk

Year: 1988 – 1990

Course: BTEC Higher National Diploma in Computer Studies

Awarded: DISTINCTION (overall first over the 2 years)

Operating SystemLanguages / Other

VAX / VMS OPERATING SYSTEM

PASCAL, DBASE3, MS-DOS, SQL, COBOL74, ORACLE, FMS

The HND course I attended at BIHE was a 2-year, full-time course made up of the following modules:

Computer Systems Architecture
Programming Methodology Theory / Practice (final year project)
Data Processing
Business Studies
Quantitative Techniques
System Analysis
Business Information Systems Theory / Practice

bihesideaspectview — The old Bolton Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) building

My final year project consisted of an ORACLE SQL-forms designed GUI interface running under an MS-DOS operating system. The GUI interface provided insert, update, delete and transaction rollback facilities for recording information about students attending courses at BIHE, along with their module assignment and exam result details.

The student data was held in an ORACLE SQL database set-up on a PC local to the application. The tables were designed in accordance with Third Normal form (TNF) design methodology in order to cancel out repeating student data. The resulting application catered for both snapshot and historical reports. System analysis work was carried out using SSADM (Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology).

LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/51224

HP NonStop (HPE) fault tolerant servers originally developed by Tandem Computers – Summary

My IT career between the years 1990 and 2014, involved significant programming and large projects for Tandem HP NonStop servers.

HP NonStop refers to the line of fault-tolerant servers and software originally developed by Tandem Computers and now owned by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). These systems are designed for continuous operation and uninterrupted transaction processing by using redundant hardware components and independent processors to automatically failover in the event of a failure, ensuring high availability for critical applications in banking, telecommunications, and healthcare.

Origins and Evolution

Tandem Computers: Founded in 1974, Tandem introduced the NonStop system, a pioneering fault-tolerant computer with no single point of failure, revolutionizing continuous availability for online transaction processing.
Acquisitions: Tandem Computers was acquired by Compaq in 1997, and Compaq was later acquired by Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2001.
Current Ownership: After the split of HP into Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and HP Inc. in 2015, the NonStop product line became part of HPE.

Key Features and Uses

Fault Tolerance: The systems are built with redundant components, including identical processors and storage devices, allowing them to automatically detect and recover from hardware or software failures without interruption.
High Availability: This fault-tolerant architecture is ideal for mission-critical applications that require constant uptime, such as financial transactions, emergency services, and large-scale banking systems.
Scalability: NonStop systems are designed for scalability, able to handle large commercial workloads by adding independent processors.
Dedicated Operating System: Historically, NonStop systems ran on proprietary software like the Guardian operating system and used the TAL programming language.
Specialized Database: The line includes NonStop SQL (currently SQL/MX), a relational database designed for the high availability and scalability needs of these systems.