New Job (kinda)

This past Monday I started work at a new client for Sark. Basically, it means I started a new job since I will be working with these people and doing this work day to day for at least the next 7-8 months. I have to admit, its kinda strange starting a new job. When I initially went out to GE it corresponded with starting with Sark and I could lump all together all of the new things. This time most things in my life are staying the same (still married, still live in my apt, still work for Sark) but my day to day routine has been changed completely.

My new client is GreatAmerican Insurance Company? or GAIC. If you have ever gone to a Reds game, you know they are the current name owners of the Reds' ballpark (GreatAmerican Ballpark ... which I have to admit, is one of the best named parks in the country ... right behind Busch Stadium GO CARDS!) GAIC handles larger insurance policies for the most part (I think, I am still learning about my new empoyer) more than indidvidual policies (eg my car, renter's insurance, etc).
I am working on a project for GAIC to develop a new billing system for their insurance group. We will be implementing a product called/by GuideWire. Its a kind of web toolkit/billing framework/application. Basically I don't know how to classify it. It boils down to: GAIC bought the billing center version of this GuideWire product which is by iteself 90% of a enterprise scale billing application. The 10% that isn't done is the configuration of the product for GAIC's business rules and needs (half of our team will be doing this), and integration of the product with GAIC's existing systems (the other half will be working on this ... along with me). Overall the product is very impressive. Out of the box it has tons of functionality, a fully functional administrative and end user web portal, all of the background code for the daily runing and analysis of the billing center, and some impressive abilities allowing the business to customize the system in a million different ways to suite their needs.

The integrations I will be working on entail getting the system to work with some of the following (list taken from my notes, which were copied during a presentation my first day, I haven't found out what half of these will entail yet):

• main "Billing Instruction" system
• EFT (from bank?)
• custom web portal
• over an ESB from various legacy systems and data sources
• "Filenet"?
• a PRM (Producter Relationship Managment) system
• Legal collections system (some COTS tool)
• an outgoing check writer service
• SSO (via SiteMinder ... I guess some work at GE will be helpful ;) )
• Policy termination system
• IRS system
• General Ledger system
• ...

I am still not 100% sure about what integrating all of those systems will entail (just my third day so far) but things are looking up. Even if the work isn't the flashiest out there, its real work on a real project with real deliverables and a decent PMM (Scum) ... all things I didn't have out at GE. I will post further updates on work as I learn more about what I will be doing and what technologies we will be working with (I will be in training over this GuideWire product for the frst 2 weeks). Right now I know I need to lear/relearn Java webservices, advanced XML, and JDBC stuff. Wish me luck.

Some other things of note so far from this week:

• Having to get up before the sun is a big change of pace (and not for the better)
• Traffic hasn't been too bad yet (and shouldn't be once training is over and I can come into work early and leave early)
• Training is taking place in a building on 4th st (first block off the river front downtown) and normal work will be only 2 blocks N.
• First two days I parked in a lot in the same block and had to pay $10 a day. Today I got a monthly pass to park at the ball park (the walk should be some good exercise) for $70 a month. Thank god I can expense it to Sark.
• The training building is an old train station, pretty cool architecture inside. Working downtown is pretty different and more interesting than GE.
• My work machine is a 3.x GHz P4 w/ 2GB ram ... which means nothing if you have to use XP's zip utility, large ANT scripts, and it has a corporate anti-virus scanner installed which scans ALL new files. Thank god I found out how to turn it off.
• The training room has the desks with the monitor set into the desk (seen through a glass window ... presumably so that you can see the teacher without a monitor in your way and so that you have all of your desk space ....... AND so that you have neck pain at the end of the day b/c you have been staring down all day and leaning forward to see).