Using analogies.

I recently met with a group of my wife’s friends and their husbands.?We all came from different walks of life, and countries, and had different interests and backgrounds.?In these situations, I’m always careful about "geeking out" in my conversation and choice of language.

One of the guys asked me what I do.?After briefly explaining I'm an Esri-focused consultant and architect, I quickly reached into my kit bag of analogies and pulled out the electrician story.?I asked him to consider a brand-new house and an electrician walking in and seeing all the stud work.?How does the electrician know what to install and where??

?The electrician needs requirements:

• How many power sockets??
• Where will the appliances be located that will use them?
• Where will the lights be and what about the switches?
• Where will the oven and the hot water cylinder be?
• The list goes on…

Some things are obvious, but some clients have exacting standards and want control.?geoworx is no different to the electrician.?ArcGIS Enterprise is a collection of separate software components, like the Enterprise Portal, ArcGIS Server, ArcGIS Data Stores, GeoEvent Server, Imagery Server, Web Adaptors.?Each is a separate software component, and installed individually.

As the electrician starts work, they will place the boxes for the sockets/switches in the relevant locations, just as geoworx installs software on the appropriate server.?This is the start of the process, but also where things get interesting.

If you put a switch on the box nothing would work, as there are no wires, and while you may get a response from the raw software, it’s not an ArcGIS Enterprise at this point.

An electrician can choose to run wires up the wall or across the wall.?They will be cognisant of obstacles, like plumbing for water or gas.?Using the wrong cable can spell disaster, if the cable is too light for the load, then it could spell danger.?If it’s too heavy a cable, then it’s wasteful expenditure.

There are also different options available to geoworx in how the various components are connected.?The use of DNS and SSL certificates feature large but are dependent upon the internal IT environment of the given client.?geoworx works with the other builders (the IT dept) to understand what is and is not available from their kitbag.?geoworx then chooses the most appropriate build methodologies.

When the electrician is complete and the owner walks into their nice new home, they see the switches, sockets, and lights.?All the ‘wiring’ is hidden behind the walls.?It’s nice and clean.?geoworx delivers to the same point.?We give you a new ArcGIS Enterprise environment that is future-ready and good to go.?

The owner will plug in appliances and gadgets.?This is where the data, services, and apps get ‘plugged in’ to the ArcGIS Enterprise.?geoworx doesn’t typically offer those services. It knows that its real value is behind the socket.?There are many great operators and Esri partners out there who provide those services.?geoworx concentrates on making sure that those organisations and your users get the best possible ArcGIS Enterprise environment to work their magic.

Obviously, electricians offer more than just initial fit-outs.?They will be asked to install additional fittings over time, like outside security lights and things.?geoworx designs for the future and simplifies the process of upgrading and adding more capabilities.?

Electricians will also safety check appliances before they get plugged in, and geoworx can provide consultancy around the choices of spatial resources and their ‘system ready’ status.?As an example, there is a tendency to default to using SQL Server for Map Services etc, and this isn’t the best approach.?The consultancy, technical leadership, and mentoring approach that geoworx brings can help to make sure you don’t overload your circuits.

Feel free to reach out if I’ve sparked your interest?