Intelligent Solutions for Ultralarge Software

Ultralarge-scale (ULS) services like Gmail, Interac, and BlackBerry need to manage millions of users performing billions of transactions daily, with no downtime. These software-intensive services must cope with unprecedented problems of scale that dwarf the issues facing traditional software systems.

Current approaches to cope with the characteristics of ULS services are usually ad hoc, costly, and last-minute. These haphazard decision processes lead to wasted resources and increased costs. The software industry is in vital need of fact-based decision-support systems.

Dr. Ahmed E. Hassan, Canada Research Chair in Software Analytics, develops techniques and tools to support the cost-effective development and operation of ULS services. Hassan is using software analytics to leverage the rich, yet rarely explored, repositories of information associated with these services.

Owners, operators, and developers of ULS services benefit from Hassan’s research through access to up-to-date and pertinent information to guide their long- and short-term strategic planning.

Hassan has made significant contributions to overcoming the challenges inherent in ULS software. His solutions have been adopted in practice in industry sectors in Canada and internationally. Through software analytics, he will continue to provide the intelligent solutions needed to ensure the sustainability of ULS software.