SystemGel is an example of a composite smart client application solution that is composed of a number of discrete, independent, yet functional pieces. These pieces are integrated together within a host environment to form a fully coherent smart client solution. The composite pattern is a popular and recurring theme because it provides a flexible and scalable architecture that provides a number of key benefits:

• It allows a higher degree of separation between application infrastructure and business logic.
• It allows more independent development of the individual business logic components themselves.
• It provides solution agility because business logic components can be flexibly combined to quickly yield a specific solution.
• It promotes code re-use because it allows business logic components and the application infrastructure to be re-used across multiple solutions.
• It provides an excellent architecture for the front-end integration of line-of-business or service-oriented systems into a task-oriented user experience.  

Gel Projects is built on open standards and as such provides a rich web service enabled platform that facilitates integration with the rest of the enterprise.  

Server-Controlled Security

Gel delivers role based  security, authentication and access control to ensure that sensitive data is protected at all times. Only users with permission to view items can even see and only those with editing permissions can change data.  All data updates are logged in an audit trail. Support for industry-standard LDAP services also ensures that Gel can be seamlessly integrated with other directory and security systems to ensure all users are correctly identified and authenticated.

Low Deployment and Maintenance Costs

The ClickOnce deployment technology means that new versions of the application can be deployed easily and in a mandatory or optional state.  If a mandatory upgrade is released the users are forced to upgrade their client software before they can use the system.

Microsoft Technology

The Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database unpins the data storage requirements of the Gel framework.  Hibernate is used as the data access layer to facilitate business logic around the database while not impacting data access performance. The Gel enterprise application framework has been developed using the Microsoft .NET Framework in Visual C#.   Based on the Smart Client Software Factory design pattern which provides a coherent and well designed pattern for the development of the new generation of desktop applications.