PROplus Technology
OpenLayer Specialists

Vijai Garg, the founder and executive chairman of PROplus Technology, has been in the forefront of the software industry for four decades now. In his versatile career, he has been involved in the development of ChESS in a RAD environment. ChESS is an ERP solution from Xerox Computer Services later known as GLOVIA from Fujitsu. While switching gears from High Tech Space software development to business applications, Mr. Garg conceptualized and architected an abstract layer development language, SuperLayer, which is still used heavily by Fujitsu.

Later Mr. Garg conceptualized OpenLayer. In 2016 he launched PROplus Technology to promote the OpenLayer framework. Garg brings a unique combination of technical experience along with understanding the pragmatic business values and the power of OpenLayer and SuperLayer technologies in elevating business processes through technology. In an interview with CIO Applications, he talks about the predicaments and opportunities existing in the IBM landscape and how PROplus Technology is leveraging those.

How would you define the current state of technology ecosystems?

Organizations continue to face the challenges of valuable, albeit aging application portfolios, a difficult economy, and the impending retirement of baby boomers, thus requiring them to execute modernization decisions for legacy applications and computing platforms. Many application modernization initiatives are driven by a company’s desire to make applications more efficient and cost-effective. Budget and time overruns of modernization projects are frequent, and many efforts stall due to the organization’s requirements to retain legacy data and the perceived difficulty of the process. The roots of this challenge are often found in the nature of these applications: They are complex, loosely coupled, often homegrown, and date back decades. That is where we come in. Through our partnership with IBM and our OpenLayer framework, we encapsulate the user-centric interface into API for seamless real-time integration between legacy and cloud and enterprise service bus (ESB). Through our process, we provide clients with a competent security umbrella and keep them compliant as we do not change anything in the legacy system.

PROplus Technology’s OpenLayer framework prepares organizations for cultural disruptions by exploiting the existing systems and bridging them to modern technologies. OpenLayer champions a modern technology ecosystem and provides agility, optimized user experience (UX), API economy, and extra-enterprise technologies.

It is versatile, robust, maintainable, and scalable. OpenLayer breaks the monolithic approach of traditional legacy applications and enables organizations to deliver fit-for-purpose client applications. OpenLayer provides a web-scale backend and tightly couples with traditional monolithic applications. OpenLayer can be deployed in private, hybrid, and public cloud.

Please elaborate on how OpenLayer framework acts as the bridge to innovation through ‘access, integrate, and orchestrate.’

Through the OpenLayer framework, organizations can instantly access legacy systems anywhere, anytime and from any web-enabled device for personalized user experience. Further, it provides organizations system-side access through API’s to help create native apps, cloud interfaces, and integrate with modern applications.

The framework works on connectors which allow it to connect with multiple mainframe systems in the backend. So, the OpenLayer framework provides a single user experience (UX) with a single data stream for all the diversified applications that a client may have. OpenLayer keeps all the applications in sync. This is how we solve three different predicaments of an organization through one solution. If a company has adopted the OpenLayer technology, all they have to do during the advent of new technology is to create a connector. Technically, this makes their investment in the technology future-proof.

OpenLayer takes the approach of citizen integration through which it focuses on business process and information-driven integration. Now, businesses can migrate seamlessly from one system to another or even work on both simultaneously as, with OpenLayer, the integration can be achieved in less than a week in most cases.

How does OpenLayer allow clients to retain full control of any integration and modernization projects?

OpenLayer is architected to facilitate the integration of diversified systems and fulfills the need for bridging legacy systems with modern cloud-based systems. OpenLayer keeps the System of Record (Mode 1 of bimodal IT) and the System of Agility (Mode 2) in harmony without requiring any changes to the legacy (Mode 1) environment.

OpenLayer is a disruptive yet non-destructive framework that provides business efficiency, effectiveness and innovation through automation. Asserting OpenLayer in the early planning stage, enterprises can reap the benefits of “low-hanging fruit” without taking the “burning-platform” approach. The innovative automation approach of OpenLayer enables existing systems (Mode-1—System of Records) and Innovative Systems (Mode-2— System of Agility) to go “hand-in-hand.”

What does the future look like for PROplus Technology?

Currently, we are focused on being a product-centric company as the objective of OpenLayer is to minimize the services. Our basic revenue comes from licensing and support, but we will eventually work with the service providers and partners.

We are in the process of creating a services layer and solution provider network. With the government sector being our focus, we have also signed with a partner who provides web portals and self-service terminals to 13 state governments. Soon, we will also deliver our solution globally through our partner network.