PROJECT SELECTION
For my project I am creating an OSINT (open source intelligence) dashboard for a company called Forryst that does consulting in threat intelligence and risk assessments. I will be creating a dashboard that displays data gathered from one or more OSINT tools, such as the Shodan or ZoomEye search engines. These tools retrieve information on all Internet-facing devices around the world. The purpose of the dashboard is to provide a convenient GUI for searching and displaying OSINT data gathered from these tools.
It was actually quite difficult to select a project for this course. I have no intention of becoming a software developer, and the applied skills I have gained within this computer science degree and on my own are unrelated to building a small business-to-client piece of software. However, this will still be quite a useful experience, allowing me to apply technical skills and work on soft skills related to client communication and project management. However, I see this project as more of an applied learning opportunity than a capstone given that the broad computer science background we have gained cannot really be applied in the shoebox I feel this project is forcing us into as we build a business-to-client software deliverable. Creating something that could be deliverable and truly fit in with the requirements, analysis and design portion of the course, meant that we really need to be designing a small project or module from start to finish. So, I found it challenging to align this project with my objectives. In the end though, I did manage to find a client and select a project that I think fits well with the requirements of the course that still aligns with my interests and professional goals, and gives me experience that I can still see value in – namely understanding the architecture and functionality of web applications, using Python/Django, and working with OSINT data.
WORKING WITH THE CLIENT
Working with the client has been helpful in the progression of the project as they have provided guidance on the utility of the application. At the same time, they are not giving me strict constraints so I have quite a bit of leeway with the design. I am very motivated to build something that might actually be used and I am working with the client to build something useful and extensible, so that what I create will be useful, but further functionality can be added.
Much of my communication with the client has been asynchronous, mostly out of convenience for the client. I do not want to take up too much of the client’s time, but I want to ensure that they are involved and that we have consistent communication. Time zone differences will add some difficulty in working with the client, but as many teams are now global and remote, this is a good exercise in working on a remote team.