We’re proud to announce the latest release of CAST Highlight. This new version supports Python-based applications, new code patterns for cloud readiness assessment, and a brand new way to look at your application health factors. See the new features below.

Looking at your software health…
in a more positive way

When we talked to clients and prospects, we found that they use Highlight insights to innovate and improve the applications that run their business.  Highlight is much more than just risk, so we’ve created new analysis pillars to measure and trend more about each application and the portfolio.

Due to this change, we’ve inverted the metrics to align with these new pillars.  The higher your score, the better you are – across all metrics and dashboards. 

Here’s a quick view of the new pillars (and their old names).

Software Resiliency
Programming best practices that make your software bullet-proof, more robust and secure (formerly Production Risk)

Software Agility
Easiness of a development team to understand and maintain software (formerly Adaptability Risk)

Software Elegance
Ability to deliver software value with less code complexity (formerly Complexity Risk)

Support of Python

Highlight can now scan Python applications, running +50 programming patterns. In addition, Highlight automatically detects 20 Python-based frameworks (incl. Django, Flask, pyjs, Pyramid, CubicWeb, Web2Py, TurboGears, Pylons, etc.).

Cloud Maturity
+10 new PaaS Code Patterns

New code patterns have been added to the cloud readiness assessment Highlight provides, detecting usages of PaaS services such as AWS Cloud Table, SimpleDB, Redshift, AWS Elasticache, AWS SQS (Simple Queue Service), AWS Key Management Service, etc.

More details on Code Insights
Formerly Code Alerts

A more detailed view on code insights is now available in this version and can be exported to Excel in one click. The main improvement opportunities from a software quality standpoint for the riskiest files, and the main improvement candidates (i.e. file names) for the most frequently triggered programming bad practice pattern. This full list can be export in Excel to smoothen the transition from decision makes to development teams.

Configurable PowerPoint Export

The PowerPoint reporting feature has been considerably improved by now allowing users to configure the different sections they want to report. Can’t wait for the report to be ready? No problem, it is automatically sent to your e-mail address.

Portfolio Quick Insights

What are the top business-critical applications? What are the one for which you spend the most in term of maintenance effort? Which one are the best candidates to move in the Cloud? In this new version, we added portfolio quick insights to the homepage to let you see your main KPIs at a glance.