What is our primary use case?
I have a role as a technical and functional administrator. My duties began in 2016 with the implementation of the MEGA platform, including installing the software and managing the administration of the platform. I also have a second role, which focuses on establishing the NITA model.
This model involves injecting various concepts across different layers of the enterprise, such as the business layer, cloud, application layer, technology layer, and fax server layer. I have designed and executed these concepts within the MEGA platform.
In my technical role, I am responsible for customizing the metamodel to align with the current and future needs of different business lines.
Additionally, I support various users in their use of the platform.
How has it helped my organization?
We follow a traditional work pattern for risk management, mapping risks in a manner we refer to as "occupy" in our terminology. It involves detailing the types of risks, technology, and so on.
What is most valuable?
The strength of MEGA HOPEX lies in its ability to customize the metamodel. This flexibility allows us to accommodate and update the platform in response to changes in the business, ensuring that the output meets the business's requirements.
So, the customization of the metamodel is the real advantage of this product.
What needs improvement?
The application diagram still doesn't update smoothly. We often have to spend considerable time manually updating them. Ideally, I would like to see a feature where information text, so it could be automatically updated in the data without needing manual intervention.
I think the digital transformation process needs to be reworked. It should allow users to see and account for this movement from the beginning and start with best practices.
Another thing is that I believe this digital transformation should be reworked. This would allow users to see and consider this movement from the very beginning and implement it and start as a best practice. And, with use cases to help customers see the value of the digital transformation movement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have more than seven years of experience with this product.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's generally stable, though we've encountered some minor annoying issues. However, these didn't cause significant incidents in the production environment. When we did have issues, we contacted MEGA support, and they sent us a mini-patch software. Once we applied the patch, the environment was back in line.
Overall, I believe the solution is well-designed. For example, the database is on different servers, and with virtualization machine technology, we have a good environment. We haven’t seen any critical issues.
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have the metamodel from the proof of concept, but it’s not too far off from the final version of HOPEX. Afterward, we made some changes.
For example, when we worked with the depth of various applications, we had user requirements to make the process more detailed and precise. So, we customized the metamodel to allow more detailed processes and work with the full suite of solutions for different applications. This customization helped us gather more metadata during the process.
I should point out that we don't have many users challenging the platform. We have two architects responsible for updating the repository, myself as the administrator, and users generally don’t access the system directly.
It's a small modular platform, and if external personnel need to work on it, we only have five licenses available.
How are customer service and support?
I found it responsive and very adaptable, especially from a technical perspective. The community is there, but I've found valuable information there as well. Overall, it’s been very satisfactory for our case.
I find it good. We actually aspire to work closely with the support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with SAP PowerDesigner, particularly dealing with the data layer. This might be the weakest point for MEGA HOPEX because when it comes to project design, we need the data formation. So we use SAP PowerDesigner to generate models like conceptual data models or logical data models. It allows us to perform virtual data engineering by directly accessing physical databases. However, for fast use cases, this is not possible with MEGA HOPEX.
MEGA HOPEX is advantageous in areas other than fine-grained data design. If we are focused solely on the processes, MEGA HOPEX is also good. However, our organization has many years of experience with PowerDesigner, especially in data hubs and reporting. We find ourselves needing to maintain the same quality of service, but we didn’t find the same level of service in MEGA HOPEX as we had with PowerDesigner.
How was the initial setup?
There were some technical challenges. The person who handles the installation should have database administration skills, which I have. Otherwise, the process could be more difficult, and the customer might need to call in MEGA experts for assistance.
We still use the on-premises solution. We haven't yet moved to the cloud. We use version 4.2.
- For deployment, we started by setting up two different environments: one for development and testing, and another for operations.
- After achieving the proof of concept with the support of MEGA experts, we began our first project with a core business line.
- Once that was successful, we moved the project to the operations environment. We then followed up with other projects as needed, starting in the test and development environment before moving them to operations.
- We continue to handle different projects this way, progressing from testing to the operational environment.
The first project, which was the proof of concept, the deployment took about six months. However, there was a phase before the setup involving the design of the metamodel and different concepts for the employee system. We needed to design a map for the projects, which took about two months. Then, the entire product took six months, including the first phase of defining and designing the metamodel.
What was our ROI?
A concrete benefit, especially for new products, is the real value when documentation is needed. The users don't have to search for all the information since much of it is already within HOPEX.
I'm referring to different application processes. For instance, when solving a particular issue, everything is often already documented. This is especially beneficial when dealing with external stakeholders or when there are changes in external applications. So, it's helpful in dealing with the entire information system.
What other advice do I have?
As a proprietary solution for a mid-sized to large company, I would recommend MEGA HOPEX to other users. I think it’s still the leader in the field. Despite the data layer needing some rework to satisfy user needs, particularly when it comes to reporting and data accuracy, I would recommend it.
Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises