Quoin defined a strategy for software configuration management for MTV Networks, including source control, change management, and release management policies. The resulting approach supports a range of operational requirements - diverse development platforms, legacy content management systems, non-technical users, and on-demand and weekly release cycles. We were able to rapidly understand a range of organizational and technical requirements and to determine a comprehensive approach.
MTV Networks (a subsidiary of Viacom) has grown rapidly by the acquisition of new brands, and it currently supports more than 25 websites, including MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, and others. To support these popular consumer-oriented websites, the organization must implement a number of operational requirements – high traffic, 24 x 7 availability, security, range of development tools, frequent releases, and site updates. MTV Networks has a legacy environment that includes both manual and semi-automated processes for deployment. Quoin was engaged to define a strategy and technical approach for an improved software configuration management process. The specific objectives included the following:
- Software Configuration Management (SCM) process with policies to support Software development, pages and associated assets, Flash source, Database DDL, and audit requirements;
- Process model for both developers and non-technical users;
- Build and deployment process with support for both full-scale and maintenance releases;
- Redefining integration, QA, and production environments;
- Cogent strategy and technical approach for migration process for the existing source;
- Mapping of current constructs to the future state;
- Options for access control and integration with LDAP;
- Subversion partitioning methodology;
- Build and deployment tool recommendations; and,
- Integration between Subversion and existing systems.