Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) Risk Assessments and Reuse 6/10

COTS Risk Assessments and Reuse

Risk assessments

• End-users often benefit in cost and time to operation by purchasing commercial off the shelf (COTS) technology. The use of COTS can save money, but not always. Implementing processes that utilize COTS software may require special training for existing developers. COTS often require changes to the business systems, and this can lead to unanticipated costs.

• • How do you evaluate the risks in the use of COTS?
    • Identifying Commercial Off the-Shelf (COTS) Product Risks: The COTS Usage Risk Evaluation[i]
    • Process and Criteria for Evaluating Services-Based Integration Technologies[ii]

Code Reuse

• Code reuse, often referred to as “application programming interfaces” (API), and the libraries are referred to as COM (which is defined as common object model, where software objects are loaded from slow memory like a disc drive to fast memory like RAM on a computer). The careful design of code objects with the perspective for reuse, may lead to cost savings on future changes or additions. This means that tools that enforce collaboration are required to help your global developer team to be able to share tested and proven code.
  • Code reuse requires that the design of the code, both software as well as firmware (software that controls digital hardware below the operating system level) use discipline in the naming of variables and other associated or shared software components that may share memory.
  • Reusing code requires that there be a constant training or discovery process for the developers and architects using the designed system.
    • Aspect-Oriented Programming Enables Better Code Encapsulation and Reuse[iii]
    • Language Interoperability Overview [iv]
    • patterns & practices Speeds .NET Framework Adoption and Time to Market for Custom House[v]

[i] COTS Risk evaluation: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/pub/documents/03.reports/pdf/03tr023.pdf

[ii] Evaluating the use of existing software: https://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa480046.aspx

[iii] Code Reuse: https://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/02/03/AOP/

[iv] Code reuse: https://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/a2c7tshk.aspx

[v] Code reuse: https://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/practices/bb190353.aspx