System Design Guidelines

C.G.S. 1-211 (c) requires the State of Connecticut Department of Administrative Services,
Bureau of Enterprise Systems and Technology to adopt written guidelines to assist municipal
agencies in carrying out the purposes of C.G.S. 1-211 (c):
On and after July 1, 1992, before any public agency acquires any computer system,
equipment or software to store or retrieve nonexempt public records, it shall consider
whether such proposed system, equipment or software adequately provides for the rights of
the public under the Freedom of Information Act at the least cost possible to the agency and
to persons entitled to access to nonexempt public records under the Freedom of Information
Act.
In meeting its obligations under this subsection, each state public agency shall
consult with the Department of Administrative Services, Bureau of Enterprise
Systems and Technology as part of the agency's design analysis prior to acquiring
any such computer system, equipment or software. The Department
of Administrative Services, Bureau of Enterprise Systems and Technology shall adopt
written guidelines to assist municipal agencies in carrying out the purposes of this
subsection.
The following guidelines have been published to provide municipalities with guidance
and some important items for consideration when considering new computer system
development.

Guidelines
Agencies should ensure decisions about new computer system development, whatever the
cost and scope, carefully weigh the public interest in making subject information available to
the general public under FOIA conveniently and at a reasonable cost.
To ensure availability and lowest cost over the life of the application, the agency or
entity should identify in the planning process preceding the acquisition the following
characteristics of the proposed application:

a. Ability to access, manipulate and report data currently available in any

applications which are being replaced with a minimum of translation or
modification of tables, parameters, or other factors;
b. Clear identification of that information in the database which is not exempt
from FOIA;
c. Use of separate tables for exempt and non-exempt data;
d. Use of a database which allows security at a field level;
e. Use of non-proprietary data structures and reporting tools;
f. Data backups which ensure availability, including catastrophic loss of
primary data, disaster or business interruption;
g. Permanent copies of data stored on optical or other non destructible media
where possible;
h. Compliance with any applicable standards-setting body for data creation, data
sharing, management or communication in the field;
i. (State Agencies Only) Compliance with current State of Connecticut
Department of Administrative Services, Bureau of Enterprise Systems and
Technology Enterprise Wide Technology Standards;
j. Source code ownership by the municipality or the State of Connecticut and
source code escrow by the vendor;
These considerations should be incorporated into any Requests for Proposals, Invitations to
Bid or Requests for Information as Evaluation Criteria to ensure that they are known and
understood by responding vendors as they develop their proposals or bids.
Discussion:
In general, application development best practices mandate consideration of the current and
future cost and complexity of retrieving stored data for agency and peer use. They also
ensure that data which is being stored will continue to be available even if the vendor of the
software or the software modifier is no longer available or engaged in business. It is an
additional benefit that these principles also support the mandate that records stored in state
systems must be available to the public unless specifically exempted.

Software Development Trend

Continued wave of everything natively mobile: The responsive Web will continue to not
be enough. Companies will continue to move their products and offerings to native mobile
apps and consumers will demand that their experience move with them through their
devices. I started my purchase on my tablet, but completed the transaction on my phone.
Acceleration of DevOps adoption: As I've written about here before, interest in DevOps
has exploded this year, and with good reason -- it's an effective software development
method that facilitates communication and collaboration between different parts of an
organization. This is a trend that I see not only carrying into 2016, but continuing to grow
exponentially. As companies become more integrated and continue to move large amounts
of data to the cloud, the necessity for DevOps will only increase.
Greater demand for increased privacy: Online privacy got a lot of attention this year,
and not all of it good. It seemed that no one was exempt from damaging data breaches,
from major banks to the now-infamous extramarital dating site Ashley Madison. With the
influx of more sites and even apps that are responsible for safeguarding personal
information (like Venmo mobile banking and ZocDoc) I expect that consumers will be
demanding more efficient safeguard and companies will be charged with making those
adjustments -- and fast.
Cloud computing will be a thing of the past: This isn't because the cloud is going away,
not by a long shot. Rather, "cloud computing" will simply become synonymous with
"computing." There are virtually no businesses that are not using the cloud currently in some
capacity. But those that aren't will need to get on board quickly, as it has become an
essential part of not only working with customers, but also managing internal operations.

Out Sourcing

Outsourcing involves the contracting out of a business process ( payroll processing, claims
processing) and operational, and non-core functions (manufacturing, facility management,
call center support) to another party (see also business process outsourcing). The concept
"outsourcing" came from the American Glossary 'outside resourcing' and it dates back to at
least 1981. Outsourcing sometimes involves transferring employees and assets from
one firm to another, but not always. Outsourcing is also the practice of handing over control
of public services to for-profit corporations.
Outsourcing includes both foreign and domestic contracting, and sometimes
includes offshoring (relocating a business function to a distant
country) or nearshoring(transferring a business process to a nearby country). Many people
confuse outsourcing and offshoring however they are different. A company can outsource
(work with a service provider) and not offshore to a distant country. For example, in 2003
Procter and Gamble outsourced their facilities management support, but it did not involve
offshoring. Financial savings from lower international labor rates can provide a major
motivation for outsourcing or offshoring. There can be tremendous savings from lower
international labor rates when offshoring.
The opposite of outsourcing, insourcing, entails bringing processes handled by third-party
firms in-house, and is sometimes accomplished via vertical integration. However, a business
can provide a contract service to another organization without necessarily insourcing that
business process.
Company That Outsource
True, we are one of the few manufacturers to offer both. And we have become
known as experts in both categories. Perhaps this is due to our legendary high-
quality standards. Or our 120+ years of experience. Or our comprehensive program that
keeps our customers stores stocked and ready to do business. Maybe its the fact
that our facilities are wholly owned and dedicated to manufacturing apparel for
Aalfs' customers only.
There is also our unique ability to execute anywhere along the spectrum, from product
development and design to extensive manufacturing capabilities and award-
winning replenishment servicesallowing us to provide our customers with exactly
what they need, when they need it. Yes, that might have something to do with it.
But in the end, it all comes back to denim and twill. Thats what we make, and we do
it really well.

MANUFACTURING

PROCESS
DEDICATED TO EXCEEDING YOUR EXPECTATIONS

The manufacturing process can be complex, so we try to simplify it in meaningful

ways. Thats why we choose to own our manufacturing facilities rather than contract
out. Providing our clients with dedicated manufacturing services allows us to
maintain the highest quality while ensuring industry-leading turn times. This also
gives Aalfs the flexibility to jump in at any point along the manufacturing spectrum,
from make this exactly to what should we make?
MILLIONS OF YARDS OF DENIM & TWILL FLOWING CONTINUOUSLY

Besides core replenishment garments in jeans and casual pants, Aalfs also makes premium
and super premium denim, performance khakis, unlimited five-pocket variations (in bulk,
twill, canvas, stretch, garment dye, and more), carpenter, performance denim, raw
selvedge, highly constructed dress pants and uniforms (pants, aprons, chef coats, shorts).
 Manufacturing

Our manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Nicaragua are not only close to home,
theyre also impressively large in scale. That equals savings for Aalfs customers in
both time and costs. One thing that never varies, though, is our commitment
to quality. All of our denim and twill apparel is expertly crafted to deliver the right
style in the right fabric, at the right price point.

Replenishment

This is one area that can only be offered by someone of our sizeyet our
extensive replenishment services can be personalized down to the smallest detail.
With warehouses strategically located in the U.S., Mexico, and Nicaragua, Aalfs
provides constant product and supply-chain flow along with fill rates that exceed
industry standards. Achieve the cost and time savings you want along with thespeed
to market you need.

Design

As you know, one sizeor styledoes not fit all. Our global development team travels the
U.S., Asia, and Europe, tracking the emergence of innovative fabrics; cutting-edge washes,
rinses, tints, and treatments; and the latest in fit, style, and detail. Back in our dedicated
product development facilities, we collaborate with each customer to create on-trend
products that uniquely reflect their brand.
 Since 1892

As a third-generation family business, we understand the value of long-lasting partnerships.

For120+ years, weve been respected as makers of denim and twill due to a solid reputation
for high-quality standards, reliability, and trusted collaboration. Along the way, weve
developed relationshipswith our customers, vendors, employees, and the communities in
which we workthat have stood the test of time.

Impact Of The Internet

The Internet is the decisive technology of the Information Age, and with the explosion of
wireless communication in the early twenty-first century, we can say that humankind is now
almost entirely connected, albeit with great levels of inequality in bandwidth, efficiency, and
price.

People, companies, and institutions feel the depth of this technological change, but the
speed and scope of the transformation has triggered all manner of utopian and dystopian
perceptions that, when examined closely through methodologically rigorous empirical
research, turn out not to be accurate. For instance, media often report that intense use of
the Internet increases the risk of isolation, alienation, and withdrawal from society, but
available evidence shows that the Internet neither isolates people nor reduces their
sociability; it actually increases sociability, civic engagement, and the intensity of family and
friendship relationships, in all cultures.

Our current network society is a product of the digital revolution and some major
sociocultural changes. One of these is the rise of the Me-centered society, marked by an
increased focus on individual growth and a decline in community understood in terms of
space, work, family, and ascription in general.
But individuation does not mean isolation, or the end of community. Instead, social
relationships are being reconstructed on the basis of individual interests, values, and
projects. Community is formed through individuals quests for like-minded people in a
process that combines online interaction with offline interaction, cyberspace, and the local
space.

Because people are increasingly at ease in the Webs multidimensionality, marketers,

government, and civil society are migrating massively to the networks people construct by
themselves and for themselves. At root, social-networking entrepreneurs are really selling
spaces in which people can freely and autonomously construct their lives. Sites that attempt
to impede free communication are soon abandoned by many users in favor of friendlier and
less restricted spaces.

Perhaps the most telling expression of this new freedom is the Internets transformation of
sociopolitical practices. Messages no longer flow solely from the few to the many, with little
interactivity. Now, messages also flow from the many to the many, multimodally and
interactively. By disintermediating government and corporate control of communication,
horizontal communication networks have created a new landscape of social and political
change.

Networked social movements have been particularly active since 2010, notably in the Arab
revolutions against dictatorships and the protests against the management of the financial
crisis.