Tokyo, April 16, 2012
Fujitsu today announced the immediate release of the latest version of the INTARFRM Rapid Edition application framework(1), which incorporates a wide range of design, development, execution, maintenance and other features. The new product has been significantly enhanced in order to support the long-term growth and development of customer ICT systems.
The new product employs an external file-based system for managing and editing information needed in application operations for which on-screen elements and other information is likely to change. In addition, the new package includes features that allow for flexible application modification, such as self-customization capabilities that enable application screen layouts to be easily edited. As a result, incremental enhancements and changes to applications can be handled with greater speed.
The new version is optimized for Microsoft's Visual Studio® integrated development environment, thereby making development more efficient, while at the same time providing support for Fujitsu's new cloud runtime environment, FGCP/A5 Powered by Windows Azure™(2).
In recent years, given the rapid rate of change in customers' business environments, many customers are facing the need to build low-cost, highly optimized systems that possess the flexibility to respond to such changes. At the same time, customers have a wide range of delivery options to choose from, including through the cloud or as a package. Meanwhile, cutting the cost of operating and maintaining existing systems, which accounts for roughly 80% of total ICT spending, has also become a challenge.
In response, Fujitsu is releasing a significantly updated version of INTARFRM Rapid Edition, which has been positioned as a mobility-oriented application framework within the INTARFRM application framework that brings together the Fujitsu Group's wealth of experience and know-how in system development. The new feature enhancements will make it possible to rapidly respond to changes in customers' business environments, while also accelerating the growth of customers' businesses.
Product Features
1. Revision-friendly application platform allows for faster incremental enhancements and changes
- During application development, environment-dependent information(3) and information that is likely to change depending on different specifications(4) is managed using external files. As a result, it is possible to change how an application runs without editing the source code.
- The product includes new self-customization capabilities that make it easy for any user to edit an application's screen layout using a special editing interface. This eliminates the conventional process, which required specialized skills such as editing source code, compiling and then distributing executable modules.
- By organizing an application's structure—consisting of interfaces, task logic and database access—according to a layered hierarchy for each data processing task, it is possible to update applications by editing only the fewest possible number of locations. This, in turn, minimizes the impact of editing. Furthermore, the communication interface between the front and servers are publicly available, enabling companies to quickly develop applications that support front-end technologies, such as smartphones and tablet PCs.
2. Enhanced development productivity and quality for cloud-based environments
The new product supports Fujitsu's cloud runtime environment, FGCP/A5 Powered by Windows Azure™, making it easy for customers to develop secure Windows applications with the cloud support they've been looking for. Typically, local files cannot be written when an application is running in a cloud environment, so the log information that usually accompanies local files is instead managed in a cloud-based database.
3. Improved usability for faster development
INTARFRM Rapid Edition V4 is optimized for Visual Studio® 2010, the latest version of Microsoft's integrated development environment with support for .NET Framework 4(5). Since developers can take advantage of INTARFRM features—such as external file calling and automatic source-code template generation—while using a familiar Visual Studio environment, they can develop and revise applications with greater efficiency.
Going forward, Fujitsu plans to offer training services for the product to its customers and partners.
In addition, as part of Fujitsu's comprehensive lineup of offerings, the lifecycle-oriented INTARFRM Professional Edition is also slated for a series of feature updates.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing and Availability
| Product name |
Price (excl tax) |
Availability |
| INTARFRM Development Facility Rapid Edition V4 |
JPY120,000 |
End of April |
| INTARFRM Runtime Rapid Edition V4 |
JPY300,000 ~ |
| INTARFRM Runtime on Cloud Rapid Edition V4 |
JPY300,000 ~ |
Sales Targets
25,000 licenses by the end of FY2013 for the INTARFRM series overall (Fujitsu's fiscal year ends March 31).
Operating Environment
Server: A server running Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Client: A PC or AT-compatible device running Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 7
Comment from Microsoft Japan
Akihiro Oba, General Manager, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Japan Co.,Ltd
Microsoft Japan welcomes the release of INTARFRM Rapid Edition V4. The rapid rate of change in the business environment makes it crucial to be able to respond even more quickly and flexibly during system development.
INTARFRM Rapid Edition V4, which supports the latest version of Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4, adds automatic source-code generation and simplified screen-layout functionality, in addition to enabling developers to enjoy the advantages of both a cloud running on the Windows Azure Platform or on-premise. As a result, we anticipate that it will be able to address a number of challenges involved in system development. Going forward, Microsoft Japan looks forward to continuing to work with Fujitsu in supporting the IT system development of customers in Japan.
