Winnovation and Axini

What was your role in the project?

Samantha: A combination of multiple things. I was one of the main programmers. I also worked on checking all the documents that we wrote for the project.

Devino: My role in the project was first to lead the task and divide them but we decided that Aino was a better fit. After that I basically started assisting and helping with tasks, programming or research which had prioritization.

Aino: I was acting as the scrum master for the team. I was also involved in research, writing documents and programming.

Chrisjon: Team manager, main contact to the school.

What does Axini mean to you?

Samantha: For me Axini is a place where a group of good and knowledgeable people work towards a common goal. It is also a place where students get great guidance on both their professional and programming skills.

Devino: Axini is a bright company with a lot of knowledgeable and nice people working there on several projects. We as students were seen as part of the company which made the overall ambiance there great and whenever we needed help or had questions they do their best to guide us.

Aino: It has been really nice to be a part of a company that really seems to care about the learning and development of their interns. The working atmosphere at Axini seems really great. It looks like everyone is extremely friendly and willing to help whoever needs help.

Chrisjon: An interesting casual company that spends time helping interns.

What did you learn during the project?

Samantha: I learned to code in Ruby and how to debug better while coding. I also learned about Fuzzers and the different uses they can have in the realm of security testing.

Devino: I learned a lot in this project. About the way I should present myself for a company and team working on a security project in full English, which I haven’t done before. Learning about Axini’s platform, MBT, Linux, Ruby and fuzzers, what they potentially could do.

Aino: Technical, I learned model-based testing, fuzzing, Radamsa, Linux, virtual machines and Ruby. On management: task priorities, Scrum, presentations, Jira and teamwork in a self-organized team. Personal I learned more about what kind of tasks I enjoy and do not enjoy doing in a project. Discovered some points of improvement for the next project.

Chrisjon: During the project I’ve learned how to work with linux and got a basic understanding how to work with Ruby.

What was the nicest thing about this project according to you?

Samantha: For me the nicest thing during the project was the guidance that we got from Axini. When we had a question, we usually got an answer within a couple hours.

Devino: The help that we got when needed from the company, that was very nice and should be kept that way in the near future.

Aino: The amount of help we got from Axini whenever we needed it. The interesting topic of model-based testing and also fuzzing. Axini was very nice and flexible to work with.

Chrisjon: The amount of support being given by the company itself, allowed me to develop and learn new things.

What can be done better in the future?

Samantha: For the future I want to do a couple things differently. I want to ask questions sooner, because this time I was too focused on solving issues by myself, which slowed the progress down.I also want to start experimenting sooner, instead of trying to understand everything first.It would have been nice to have had a bit more information on the codebase when we started.

Devino: Making the scope of the project smaller so we or the people doing the project know in which direction they could go. If possible, also make the materials more fitting to HBO student level, some material is based on mathematical which is quite hard to understand sometimes. We should have dove into the backend earlier to avoid getting stuck at a late part of the project. Prioritize a part that means more later.As for myself, learn to prioritize correctly and not try to figure out everything myself, communicate clearly and efficiently.

Aino: For Axini, narrowing the scope for such a short project. Eliminating non-necessary things like the adapter course. For ourselves, starting to program earlier and asking even more questions.

Chrisjon: Setting up our systems was a painful experience. Maybe it would be better to provide some remote desktops that are pre-configured for new students/employees.

What are your ambitions for your future?

Samantha: For my future I want to first figure out in which sector/ specialty I fit best. ICT is such a broad field, that I think it’s beneficial to find out where I am most comfortable and also where I can grow the most. After getting my degree, I want to dive into working. I want to build up skills in the working environment and grow as a professional. Beyond that, I don’t yet know what my future will be.

Devino: To play a larger role in the project with becoming better in professional and coding skills. With that I will see a direction in IT that fits me.

Aino: To figure out where I fit into in the IT world; having the kind of job/role I really enjoy doing.

Chrisjon: My ambition is to create a tool or system that I can be proud of.

Is there something you want to add?

Devino: Overall a nice experience with the people so definitely would recommend Axini as a place for students to learn more about security testing and other subjects.

Aino: Nothing special; just big thanks to all of Axini for making this project very nice to work on!

Chrisjon: The invitation to the social event was a nice touch. I enjoyed the experience. And I found it nice to get to know some more of the company.