FirstCarbon Solutions delivers applications three times faster

FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS), a pioneer in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) business solutions, is rapidly delivering new software modules for its Sustainability Workbench platform by using OutSystems to develop web and mobile applications. Part of the ADEC Group, a multinational organisation focusing on healthcare, sustainability and education, FCS is using OutSystems Platform to deliver innovative business applications within its portfolio that will provide new levels of flexibility, scalability, service, and support to its customers.

FCS President Robert Francisco comments, “FCS is focused on providing the solutions our clients and partners need to improve their business and operations. As software is part of our overall solution that also includes professional services and data management and business process outsourcing, we aim to deliver the best possible technology experience for our customers quickly and efficiently. We want to go beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and provide our customers with more customised, fit-for-purpose applications that are closely matched to their requirements.”

During the selection process, FCS evaluated 25 providers, including open-source options. OutSystems and two other vendors were shortlisted for a proof of concept, where the FCS development team was tasked with building an application on each platform in five hours. FCS selected OutSystems Platform because it was easy to use and highly intuitive. The development team was able to build an application with OutSystems Platform much faster than the other platforms.

Scott Darrow, ADEC Group CTO, comments, “We needed a platform that would scale and enable us to develop multiple modules and applications serving thousands of users across diverse product sets. OutSystems Platform met this requirement and more. OutSystems has given us the ability to produce complex applications in a much shorter period of time. As a result, we are now able to respond more quickly to market trends and develop applications faster than our competitors. Compared to traditional development techniques, I can confidently say that speed to market using OutSystems Platform is at least three times faster.”

As part of its decision, FCS required its Sustainability Workbench platform be made available as a public, private or on-premises offering, which OutSystems supports. In addition, OutSystems is an open platform that integrates easily with Eclipse and Visual Studio for weaving in new or existing code. The ability to seamlessly integrate with many of its in-house systems, such as Oracle Financials, BMS, Smart Meters, and a number of custom-built management systems, was another key reason OutSystems was selected.

Darrow added, “We appreciate the OutSystems commercial philosophy combined with its open, agnostic and non-proprietary approach. With OutSystems, it feels like we are working in partnership rather than being locked in to one particular development environment. Because the Platform provides flexibility, versatility, performance, and usability and can be delivered as a platform as a service (PaaS), choosing OutSystems was the right decision for FCS.”