The cloud and faster deploys
Timely is carving out a reputation for constant improvement. We're hearing that our customers love how often we release new features to make their lives easier. That's good because we have no plans of slowing down any time soon!
Software products need a solid foundation. This includes a bunch of nerdy stuff like architecture, house-keeping, processes and infrastructure that we don’t normally bore you with the details of. Although if there’s any insomniacs looking for a cure, just sing out!
One example is a faster process that we’ve put in place for releasing new versions of Timely. Previously when we deployed a new version of Timely (which is almost every night) the system would be out of action for a few minutes while the servers were updated. We did this in the wee hours of the night so only a small number of customers were affected However, with a global customer base that is growing, there was an increasing number of customers briefly interrupted by the deploy.
Thanks to some new features that our buddies at Microsoft released, we were able to put in place a new deploy process. The new process takes advantage of a Windows Azure feature called Stage Publishing. To cut a long story short, it means that deploying a new version of Timely happens instantly with no interruption to you if you are using Timely at the same time.
Neat huh?
This is a good example of “the cloud” working well. The Microsoft crew make an improvement to the the infrastructure layer. We, at Timely, take advantage of said improvement on the software layer. That improvement then bubbles right down to a real benefit to our thousands of small business users. Go the cloud!
Keep an eye out for more bells, whistles, and cloudy goodness coming to a device near you!
