Development

Since the mid-90s, our consultant Jakob Bo Larsen has developed and maintained a small program suite for the Danish Homing Pigeon Associations.

The programs were originally developed in Visual Basic 6 with an MS Access database. With the advent of new technologies, however, Internet functionality and SMS service have also been made available via MySQL and PHP.

The Danish Homing Pigeon Association handles the homing pigeon sport in Denmark. The members are spread over more than 120 local associations spread across the country. The associations are divided into 18 geographically distributed sections with their own competitions, articles of association, and board of directors. Besides, a nationwide secretariat handles contact with the authorities, application for a permit for racing flights, clarification of veterinary issues, accounting, control, and calculation of official results. Nationwide competitions are also planned and administered by the secretariat.

The main features in the program-suite support functions in the three organizational levels of association, section, and secretariat:

• The association program is installed in each of the local associations. It makes it possible to arrange local race flights in the local associations, just as registration for section and DDB flights is made in the association program. Results are collected in the association program by direct reading from the electronic systems used in the individual pigeon classes to register returned pigeons. The association program provides the opportunity to define and calculate local competitions, just as collected data is communicated to the sections and the secretariat by emails and file transfers.
• The section program is used in the individual sections primarily to arrange and administer regional competitions.      
• Finally, the secretariat program in the national secretariat is used to administer DDB flights. These include national flights covering all associations in the country. In addition to competition planning, performance calculation, and accounting in connection with games and prizes, the secretariat program also includes functions to support the general administration, such as member registration and quota calculation.      

Internet communication takes place via several PHP programs installed on a Linux server in the secretariat. Data sent from the association program is automatically captured by embedding programs written in PHP. These stores the transferred data in a MySQL database and perform initial performance calculations. Other PHP programs pick up text messages sent from the electronic facilities that register returning pigeons, or they allow for manual registration of return times. Data collected from the various sources in the MySQL database form the basis of websites that present temporary as well as final results.

In addition to the primary programs mentioned above, the program suite includes:

• A membership program integrated with the association program that can be acquired by the individual member for the administration of their own pigeons.      
• An exhibition program.      
• A stock index.      

"IT-Kartellet? The keyword is agility. They are building an airplane - while we are in the air. "

Every year, CBS educates over 21,000 students who follow 7,500 courses and are taught by 600 teachers. The learning management system must match the young people's IT habits, offer digital exams and handle all administration in a huge educational institution. IT-Kartellet has made this happen, in close collaboration with CBS’s own IT department.

Martin Tong is Program Manager for Study and Learning and Project Manager for Digital Exams in the IT department at CBS. He tells:

‟Agility. That's the only right word to use. With IT-Kartellet, we get the resources in immediately, and the results shortly after. For example, we meet with Henrik in front of a whiteboard, discuss some ideas, ask him to do "something in that direction". Soon we will have running mock-ups, get just one user group in so that functionality and processes are tested, evaluate continuously, and adapt what does not work optimally - and then we have a really good product. Quickly. 

For me, IT-Kartellet is a team that I haul in when I need it. There are not many who can Moodle - and not at the level they deliver. Moodle is a huge open-source learning platform - and it requires a lot from the universities to keep up. There, IT-Kartellet helps us. With being at the forefront of the beat and keeping very high quality. 

Our scalable expert resource. Always value for money

I work in a world where in the past people often allocated large sums from the budgets and then eventually had to state that they did not get value for money and the budget was otherwise used up. Instead, we now have scalability and agility: a solid, valuable core that we are constantly building on and coming up with quickly. Tailored in the best sense of the word. If I have some money on the budget and development wishes in Moodle, I see what I can get from IT-Kartellet. They have been a part of the CBS collaboration for so many years that there is a very high degree of trust. I know what I get out of it.

And I'm not even bound. The collaboration is so strongly founded that we at CBS can always go in and say that now we want much more ourselves. Nevertheless, IT-Kartellet is still our regular resource - expertise that can be called in for tasks where they are particularly strong. I can definitely recommend them to others.

50,000 digital exam submissions… and an end plagiarism

An example is the digital exam submission, which was actually "only" a pilot project back in 2012. We wanted to offer it, and we took on the task together to see how we could solve it. It exceeded all expectations, even though it was tailor-made from scratch. We can now easily handle students located all over the world, and the students do not have to team up with 3 copies and upload them. CBS Learn connects administration, assessors, and students. It makes it possible to upload materials, keep track of dates and deadlines, provide a receipt for submission, and show the status of the exam from submission to final assessment. In addition, the submissions are nicely sorted for the assessors, who typically do not miss the boxes of papers. It is an option, and not something mandatory - so it is almost scary how many people have chosen to use it. Over 50,000 submissions I actually think have gone quite well from a pilot project. As a side benefit, plagiarism has virtually disappeared. The students know that it is extremely easy to check for plagiarism with digital submission ...” 

IT-Kartellet has done this for CBS

- CBS Learn, the flagship project, developed and implemented in close collaboration with CBS, based on Moodle, PHP, HTML, CSS, Javascript, Apache, Linux Redhat, PostGresSQL, Oracle Web Services, and Shell Scripts. Facilitates the exchange of all teaching materials and is used by +36,000

- Project room module for optional group work or self-study. Supports all learning, not just file-sharing portal.

- Examples of functionality:

• Automatic nightly emails that keep everyone updated about course-relevant new material, messages, etc.
• Blocks that provide course overview and archive
• Immediate notification to support the sending of emergency messages
• Etherpad solution - real-time online editor, with the ability for multiple users to simultaneously edit documents

- calendar.cbs.dk: an easily accessible and automatically updated personal form for students and teachers - with a high update frequency and data quality. Works via iPhone, Android, Windows Phone as well as Outlook and Google calendar, etc. For example, you can see which teams you are registered for, when and where there is teaching, changes, and cancellations in the forms.

- Operation and maintenance

- Workshops and training

- Course admin, which handles teachers' affiliation with courses and subjects

- CBS API - a specially developed PHP-based application that integrates four main systems: the study administration system, the HR system, Courseadmin, and the e-learning system

- IT-Kartellet is today part of CBS ITK project, which is responsible for the further development of the learning platform and the spread of technical tools in the organization. As support and advisory unit for the Portfolio Management at CBS, the IT-Kartellet has helped to prepare 30 project proposals and project prioritization.

About CBS

Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen Business School, was established in 1917 and became an integral part of the Danish education system in 1965. Today, CBS is one of Denmark's 8 universities and has 20,000 students and approx. 1500 employees - researchers, Ph.D. students, and administrative staff.

About IT-Kartellet

We are fearless digital craftspeople, who believe in informal, simple, and positive co-creation that impacts our clients. 

"They are fearless, they get things done – and they help realize our visions."

At Saxo Bank, Moodle e-learning is used for courses for employees and customers. More than 1,700 employees completed courses in trading and Saxo Bank’s system, for the internal training alone. IT-Kartellet has helped develop the platform to meet Saxo Bank’s vision of a captivating, modern, and effective learning environment.

Nicholas James Whiting, Creative Director and Global Vice President of Saxo Bank, says:

“When I arrived, the partners at the time had not really gotten anywhere. The whole learning project was dry and boring – and it required a very big step to reach from the starting point to the fulfillment of our vision. IT-Kartellet has been able to help us to take that big step and reach our goal. 

Our learning must be interesting and engaging. Technological avant-garde. And it certainly does not have to be the same for everyone. For example, we have worked a lot with integrated educational videos that give the student a genuine experience. They behave differently - depending on where the student is and from what medium is learned from."

The collaboration with IT-Kartellet suits us. It is informal, simple, and positive.

“The collaboration with IT-Kartellet suits us. It was not easy from the start. In the beginning, for example, we had to push to get as fast a reaction time as we wanted. We make no secret of the fact that we are a demanding customer with high expectations, and we don't want a normal customer/supplier relationship. We want a real and close relationship with the partners. Therefore, we made an effort in the collaboration and talked about what we wanted from a partnership. IT-Kartellet has captured it, and now it works informally, simply, and positively. There is no bureaucracy, we can talk to the man at the top, and things will be done.”

We are not easy nor patient, and we change our minds. IT-Kartellet is keeping up.

"IT-Kartellet has succeeded in making several adjustments to Moodle's appearance, functionality, and usability. We built a road map for my vision, and the result has been good - including how they have managed to convert all notes and ideas into a living, great system. And it has happened in a process where we have not been patient to work with. As a customer we are in a rush, we get ongoing inspiration and new ideas, change meaning when opportunities open up - and they have followed our needs, met our requirements, and solved countless problems for us. What we imagine, they make into reality.”

Would you recommend IT-Kartellet to other companies?

"It's a really good question. Yes, I actually do, because they know what they're dealing with. It has been a challenge to get to where we are now. We demand enormous agility and flexibility. We want to experiment all the time. We push our partners hard and demand a lot from them. And IT-Kartellet has gradually understood that - and is delivering. We want to see how far this development can take us, and we expect that IT-Kartellet can bring us there,” concludes Nicholas James Whiting.

This is what IT-Kartellet has done for Saxo Bank

• Developed the technological solution for Moodle's technical infrastructure for Saxo Banks Trading Academy, 
  http://academy.tradingfloor.com/.
• In the configuration of the two Moodle sites, IT-Kartellet has integrated the e-learning platforms with Saxo Bank's existing Single Sign-On solution based on ADFS(1). PHP Simple SAML has been used on the Moodle page for integration with ADFS.
• The solutions are operated from Amazon Webservice, which in terms of quality are some of the leaders in a cloud-based infrastructure.
• IT-Kartellet handles hosting and application support of the two Moodle sites. 24/7 support is provided with a response time of 1 hour and the solution is monitored by IT-Kartellet.

About Saxo Bank

Since Saxo Bank received its status as a European bank in June 2001, the bank has quickly become a significant player in online investing. This is primarily due to the sharp focus on customer service, competitive prices, and constant focus on the development of an industry-leading trading platform.

Saxo Bank A / S is an authorized and publicly regulated Danish bank, specializing in online trading and investments across global financial markets. Saxo Bank allows private investors and institutional clients to trade Currencies, CFDs, ETFs, Equities, Futures, Options, and other derivatives through our award-winning trading platform. In addition, Saxo Bank also offers professional portfolio and asset management.

About IT-Kartellet

We are fearless digital craftspeople, who believe in informal, simple, and positive co-creation that impacts our clients.

"It was important for us to find a partner who had a strong sense of professionalism. And even stronger values."

Wintra helps the Nordic region's largest companies to optimize the returns of the company's internal systems. The business has grown rapidly in a short time - so fast that Wintra was faced with having to say no to tasks - or ask customers to wait. The collaboration with IT-Kartellet gives Wintra the opportunity to develop the success of its customers.

Dalia Siwan, Head of Delivery and Partner at Wintra, says:

“We were in a situation where we needed extra resources to be able to carry out the tasks that our customers need to solve. We had to say no to tasks or could only start a new task when ongoing tasks were solved, so we needed a partner. It was important for us to find a partner who had strong professionalism and even stronger values. We thought we could do that with IT-Kartellet, as we already had good knowledge of the management through our network.” 

Wintra's solutions ensure that companies' employees have the necessary business knowledge. Today, intranets and knowledge sharing are growing exponentially, and information is drowning easily - with the risk that employees will completely stop using the systems. With Wintra's analysis tool, companies gain insight and overview, so that systems provide optimal value. 

We are more flexible concerning our customers - and the projects meet deadlines.

Dalia Siwan continues:

"IT-Kartellet is our partner in all major development tasks that we solve for our customers.
We make sure that specifications match customers' needs, as well as the architecture of the solutions – and IT-Kartellet solves the task. We have 2 full-time resources that are part of our daily work and the ability to scale up when needed. IT-Kartellet focuses on creating results and we have an effective collaboration - our projects meet deadlines, and we have much greater flexibility towards customers.
I would definitely recommend IT-Kartellet to others. It is a company with good people behind it, where professionalism is a high priority."

This is what  IT-Kartellet has done for Wintra

In collaboration with Wintra, IT-Kartellet handles all aspects of Wintra's technological development from database design to system functions. Wintra's platform is based on: C #, ASP.NET MVC, MySQL and MSSQL, HTML5, JQUERY, ANGULAR JS.

About Wintra

Wintra is a specialized consulting and software company that works with measuring and managing intranets for some of the country's largest companies. Wintra's product: WPI (Web Performance Indicator) collects and processes large amounts of traffic and metadata(1) on a daily basis, which provides analysis and reporting to managers and users of the intranet.

About IT-Kartellet

We are fearless digital craftspeople, who believe in informal, simple, and positive co-creation that impacts our clients.