What Are Architecture Design Records (ADR), and How Can You Get Started as a .NET Developer?

Decision

This document provides a comprehensive overview of Architecture Design Records (ADRs), a crucial tool for documenting key decisions in software development. Initially coined by Michael Nygard, ADRs encapsulate the reasons and context behind these decisions, helping future developers understand the system’s evolution. Each ADR typically includes a title, context, decision, status, and consequences, and is stored in the project’s version control repository. For .NET developers, this guide recommends the dotnet-adr tool, and provides step-by-step instructions to implement ADRs in your project. By incorporating ADRs, teams can enhance communication and preserve a clear rationale for significant decisions.

When To Use Serverless vs Containers

Everyone is talking about containers and serverless, but when should you use each in your projects? Anyone who has worked with containers and orchestration much will tell you how much more complex they can make your application’s infrastructure. But the cloud keeps abstracting details away from us so we can focus on creating our solutions […]

Buy vs Build: A Nuanced Approach to the Great Software Debate

One of the oldest debates for businesses that use software is the question of “buy versus build.”  On the one hand, you have off-the-shelf or software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings which are tried and true and spread the cost for their development across hundreds or even thousands of customers. The other option is to create custom software […]

Improving Stability and Security in JavaScript Apps Using Data Mapping

Being able to exchange data between the front-end and back-end of web applications is a primary component of their architectural design. For enterprise projects, neither part of the application should trust they data they receive. For example, hopefully it’s obvious that the back-end must validate every value that comes to its endpoints from the front-end. […]

Software Security For Humans

How secure is your software? Pondering this question can provoke uncertainty (or even fear) depending on the experience level of your software team and the maturity of your control processes. However, this does not need to be the case for most software teams. Software security is not easy, but neither is it exclusively the domain […]

The First Rule of Building Microservices: Don’t Build Microservices

A lot is being said these days about microservices. It’s enough of a popular trend online, at conferences, and in software architect chit-chat, that one could easily get the idea that microservices are always the superior architecture to the alternatives. In fact, even the commonly-accepted name for the alternative architecture sounds bad: monoliths. Yuck. Do […]

Clean Code: Bucket Pattern, Lazy Dependency Creation in .NET

Introduction What are Design Patterns in Software Programming? There are many definitions of the design pattern. For example, from Wikipedia: “In software engineering, a software design pattern is a general, reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem within a given context in software design. It is not a finished design that can be transformed directly […]

Tooling for the C4 Model: Structurizr Lite

In a previous blog post, I did a brief introduction to Architecture Software Visualization using the C4 Model. On this one, I want to show you some of the available tooling and give you a quick walkthrough on how to create our architecture models. Structurizr Simon Brown created Structurizr to build software architecture models as […]

The C4 Model for Visualizing Software Architecture

Introduction In this blog post, I will try to briefly condense my understanding of the work of Simon Brown, the creator of the C4 Model, a set of hierarchical diagrams that you can use to describe your software architecture. I will talk about the current state of architectural visualization, the issues presented by them, and […]

Montage Portal

Montage Furniture Services provides furniture protection plans and claims processing services to a wide selection of furniture retailers and consumers.

Project Background

Montage was looking to build a new web portal for both Retailers and Consumers, which would integrate with Dynamics CRM and other legacy systems. The portal needed to be multi tenant and support branding and configuration for different Retailers. Trailhead architected the new Montage Platform, including the Portal and all of it’s back end integrations, did the UI/UX and then delivered the new system, along with enhancements to DevOps and processes.

Logistics

We’ve logged countless miles exploring the tech world. In doing so, we gained the experience that enables us to deliver your unique software and systems architecture needs. Our team of seasoned tech vets can provide you with:

Custom App and Software Development

We collaborate with you throughout the entire process because your customized tech should fit your needs, not just those of other clients.

Cloud and Mobile Applications

The modern world demands versatile technology, and this is exactly what your mobile and cloud-based apps will give you.

User Experience and Interface (UX/UI) Design

We want your end users to have optimal experiences with tech that is highly intuitive and responsive.

DevOps

This combination of Agile software development and IT operations provides you with high-quality software at reduced cost, time, and risk.

Trailhead stepped into a challenging project – building our new web architecture and redeveloping our portals at the same time the business was migrating from a legacy system to our new CRM solution. They were able to not only significantly improve our web development architecture but our development and deployment processes as well as the functionality and performance of our portals. The feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. Trailhead has proven themselves to be a valuable partner.

– BOB DOERKSEN, Vice President of Technology Services
at Montage Furniture Services

Technologies Used

When you hit the trails, it is essential to bring appropriate gear. The same holds true for your digital technology needs. That’s why Trailhead builds custom solutions on trusted platforms like .NET, Angular, React, and Xamarin.

Expertise

We partner with businesses who need intuitive custom software, responsive mobile applications, and advanced cloud technologies. And our extensive experience in the tech field allows us to help you map out the right path for all your digital technology needs.

  • Project Management
  • Architecture
  • Web App Development
  • Cloud Development
  • DevOps
  • Process Improvements
  • Legacy System Integration
  • UI Design
  • Manual QA
  • Back end/API/Database development

We partner with businesses who need intuitive custom software, responsive mobile applications, and advanced cloud technologies. And our extensive experience in the tech field allows us to help you map out the right path for all your digital technology needs.

Our Gear Is Packed and We're Excited to Explore with You

Ready to come with us? 

Together, we can map your company’s tech journey and start down the trails. If you’re set to take the first step, simply fill out the contact form. We’ll be in touch – and you’ll have a partner who cares about you and your company. 

We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Thank you for reaching out.

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