What was the development process like in bringing the first SaaS tool to the market?
Following years of facilitating development of tools for internal use, I was very excited to bring our software to a wider audience. Having focussed on code deployment and hosting for our own use I was initially surprised by all the other layers involved in releasing applications to the market. Thankfully through collaboration with many other departments we were able to cover all bases and get to launch day successfully. Legal considerations, marketing, access control, and pricing were all tackled as a group effort, and this would not have been possible without a strong and varied team.
What future tools are you most excited about?
Our Document Tool (working title) is very exciting. Kshiti and Bjorn have been developing app is set to surpass existing documentation creation software. It is built in a flexible and future-proof way, allowing for easy customization and adaptation to changing needs. With just a few clicks, we can potentially output full project documents from exports. Skellig templates will be provided as an output destination, ready to go. Additionally, custom templates can be uploaded for use by SaaS customers.
What is it like to work with automation engineers?
Skellig engineers are very tech-savvy and forward-thinking. I am always impressed with how large groups work together, communicate, and share knowledge. There are many areas of automation I don’t understand but I try to join informative sessions such as lunch & learn whenever possible. Learning about areas that are outside of my wheelhouse from the engineers has been very beneficial.
How did you find Skellig? What is the career path that led you here? What are you most excited about developing in the future?
I worked with Paul at our previous employer, and when he left for America, we stayed in touch. We mostly chatted about music, sending tunes back and forth. We rarely talked shop. Thankfully he came to me with a job offer just as I was looking to move. Since then, I have been involved in a variety of projects from building automation VM systems for clients to developing Virtual Reality training. My role at Skellig has evolved every year and I feel fortunate to be investigating new technologies and methods with a variety of interesting teams.
What else are you working on right now for Skellig?
I have been researching and testing the use of Containers on our 4.0 initiatives and for our suite of software tools. It is a very exciting advancement and reminds me of my first encounters with Virtual Machines. The basic idea is that the container packages up only the code and dependencies needed to run the application. We can deploy full environments of apps each running a modular micro-service leaving behind the bloat of a traditional OS. Of course, new technology comes with teething problems and we have encountered a few when opting for an image that is not “off the shelf”. Happy to report we are very close to taking the training wheels off and looking forward to what this innovation can bring in 2024.
Check out our software suite here: www.skellig.com/services/skellig-sheets
