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Welcome to the home page of Thom Falls BEng (Hons) MSc MIET. I am a professional solution architect with extensive experience in leading the development of complex software solutions across a diverse range of industries.

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I work as a Solution Architect for Spyrosoft, an international software consultancy that provides solutions and resources for customers in the automotive, manufacturing and medical equipment sectors, in addition to cloud, e-commerce and managed IT services.

This site provides an overview of my skills and experience. I also recommend following the blog for useful insights into software architecture, high integrity systems and Agile development practices.

Bournemouth, DORSET, UK ยท thom@softwhirr.com

Experience

Web and Cloud

Throughout my career I have contributed to the growth of the internet and its applications.

My fundamental understanding of communications systems means that I understand the details of the internet under the hood (see Telecommunications), but also the applications and services on top.

As a solution architect and certified Google Cloud Digital Leader, my role involves supporting businesses with their adoption of cloud technologies. I have also developed web sites and web interfaces (e.g. switch controls, database migration).

Telesoft Technologies | Spyrosoft

Automotive

I have developed infotainment, telematics and EV battery management solutions for high performance and prestige vehicle manufacturers.

This work has involved the development of common platform architectures (LINUX/RTOS), smart phone integration, voice recognition, GPS, OBD, emergency call and concierge services. It has also involved developing safety-critical solutions for battery monitoring and control.

I provide consultancy for high-integrity software development processes (A-SPICE, ISO 26262) and architectural design.

Motorola | Continental | Spyrosoft

Telecommunications

I have developed applications for core telecommunications infrastructure in both mobile and fixed networks.

This has involved exploiting powerful line card technology to provide server-side solutions, ranging from call routing, through media streaming to network data analysis and packet inspection.

The domain requires a deep understanding of the lower layers of the protocol stacks used in LTE and SS7 networks.

I have also designed and developed digital radio networks for military communications. This involves protocol design, embedded drivers and real-time operating systems (RTOS) as well as digital signal processing (DSP), cryptography and network management.

Telesoft Technologies | Thales

Oil and Gas Exploration

I have provided solutions to support oilfield services that require the control of tools within the well and the acquisition of data critical to production optimisation and well integrity.

I led the design of a modular platform that provided surface, subsea and subterranean communication links, to transfer data from sensors (pressure, temperature) and control various tools (valves, fluid sampling and analysis).

The solutions involved exploiting wireless signal processing in various media, protocol/network design and high temperature, low power performance.

Expro

Education

University of Glasgow

Master of Science, MSc
Software, systems, hardware interfacing, user interfacing and pattern recognition.
October 1998

University of Glasgow

Bachelor of Engineering, BEng (Hons)
Electronic Engineering with Music: Analogue and digital circuit design, acoustics, sound engineering, synthesis, musical repertory.
July 1997

Skills

Core Competencies
  • Software and System Architecture
  • Design Patterns, 4+1, ARC42, AUTOSAR
  • Embedded Systems (ARM, PowerPC), IoT, Server, Microservices
  • Communication Systems, Protocol Design, DSP
  • Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Lean

Programming Languages & Tools
  • C, C++
  • Java, J2EE, Swing
  • PERL, PHP, Python
  • XML
  • Atlassian (Confluence, Jira, Bitbucket, Trello, Bamboo), Git, GitHub
  • UML, SDL, Enterprise Architect
  • Docker

Protocols and Technologies
  • Bluetooth
  • SDH/PDH, SS7
  • CAN, MOST
  • GPS
  • GSM/3GPP
  • TCP, RTP, UDP, SNMP, IP, Ethernet
  • RTOS, Linux, Unix, Posix
  • Google Cloud Platform

Standards
  • ISO 9001
  • IEC 61508
  • ISO 26262
  • A-SPICE/TS-16949

Interests

Play Drums

Make Music and Blog

Trek and Trail Run

Awards & Certifications

  • Motorola Bravo - delivering telematics solution to premier automotive OEM.
  • Expro Excel - leading subterranean wireless communication systems for O&G exploration.
  • Member, Institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET)
  • Google Cloud Digital Leader

Google Cloud Digital Leader Certified