What does AIA do?

AIA writes, implements, and supports commercial computer applications on behalf of its customers.

What skills does AIA have?

AIA has the skills you would expect of a team that has lived and breathed commercial application programming since 1971. Arguably we have more skills than you might expect. AIA has consciously and regularly updated its skills as I.T. has changed during this time.

In the 1970's AIA provided data oriented customer applications in both IBM's hierarchal IMS DBMS and then in Cincom's not-quite-Codasyl TOTAL package (internal and external data structures, remember them?)

In 2016 AIA provides data oriented customer applications in Microsoft's MS/SQL and Oracle, Windows Forms, and ASP.Net MVC. AIA's programmers started with assembler languages, graduated to COBOL and PL/1, jumped with delight at Microsoft's version 5.1 of their C compiler (was that the best software Microsoft ever produced?), read with care Microsoft's June 2000 release blurb for .Net, VB.Net, and C# and realised Microsoft's response to Java was going to change programmers' working lives forever. C++, XML, VB, C#, Silverlight, ASP.Net, MVC, DirectX, TCP/IP - been there, done that, delivered working code to the customer.

There is more. AIA has been around, and like Dylan told us, AIA has been used. AIA has learnt a lot from its time. In polite society this is called experience, whatever it is called AIA has a lot of it.

What sort of programming?

AIA's world is commercial I.T. custom application programming, that is, custom programming of debits and credits, GoodsIn and PutAway, weighbridge management and integration, stock balances, stock availability, call-off orders, top-up orders, Order Processing, Delivery Schedules, Invoicing, Cash Posting, Overdue Analysis, EDI for both Supply and Sales, all the pieces of modern I.T. that support corporate success in today's uncertain times.

Why bother with custom application programming in 2016?

Surely off the shelf packages exist for the business areas discussed above? Very true, application packages exist and some of them are very good. All packages can calculate INVOICE_LINE_AMOUNT = PRODUCT_PRICE * QUANTITY_ORDERED; the problem comes when PRODUCT_PRICE is not a simple permanently fixed price but is itself a variable number based on customer-specific negotiated pricing agreements, whether it's the first order this month or is a top-up order, does the price vary with the quantity ordered, is the price part of a forward dated pricing mechanism, and many other variations. Then there is the QUANTITY; is the quantity the quantity ordered or is it the quantity available for sale, did the customer order in 5 kilogram units but you have no 5 kg stock available and intend to ship 1 kilogram units, is the product the actual product ordered or is it a substitute product? Real commercial life is never simple, and packages can only carry you so far.

Is AIA relevant to you?

If you want old-fashioned virtues like competence, commitment, and reliability then AIA can assist.