At the PNEC Data and Information Management conference in Houston this month (full report in next month’s Journal), Houston-based Petris Technology introduced a new E&P ‘knowledge portal.’ Petris Winds OneTouch is a Microsoft SharePoint/Esri ArcGIS-based front end to Petris’ Winds Enterprise data access framework.
OneTouch builds on the SharePoint services-oriented architecture (SOA) paradigm with a hosted E&P web part gallery where users can access user interface or business intelligence components developed by Petris and other clients. Petris will provide technical guidelines to developers to assure compatibility and ease connection to in-house and remote data services. The idea is to offer a rich set of displays and analytics for better data access and collaboration.
While the gallery is hosted, OneTouch/Winds is deployed behind the corporate firewall, the configuration of choice for most clients. OneTouch is not exactly a ‘shrink-wrapped’ solution. Client sites and requirements vary such that deployment requires customization. To achieve this, and also to provide 24x7, world-wide support, Petris has enlisted Indian outsourcing behemoth Wipro. A strategic partnership with Wipro Technologies, Wipro’s IT services unit will add global manpower, expertise and services to Petris’ E&P data management offering. Wipro has previously helped BP, Shell and Saudi Aramco with SharePoint projects. According to Wipro, BP has a staggering 78 SharePoint projects underway!
Petris CEO Jim Pritchett said, ‘We have tried several outsourcing models. We found Wipro’s to be the best. Wipro embeds some developers in our Houston location and outsources the rest to its Indian location. This helps reduce costs and lets us work around the clock with a large resource base and an ‘agile’ development approach. A lot can be achieved overnight by Wipro’s teams in India.’
Pritchett also noted that many SharePoint deployments failed to use all of the advanced features available. This is not the case for OneTouch. At PNEC, the iPod-like interface to SharePoint document stores proved an eye catcher. This displays E&P documents the same way as the iPod displays CD playlists and dust jackets. The ArcGIS front end, while more conventional, adds functionality that was previously lacking to Winds. More from www.petris.com and www.wipro.com.
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