Business problems and business infrastructure solutions
Off the shelf systems vs. Bespoke development
Business administrators choosing a CRM, FSM or Financial, Stock or Document management system, have typically and traditionally had a rather stark choice. Business administrators commonly face a stark choice between using "off-the-shelf" data management systems which inevitably have some degree of mismatch with the specific business processes of your business, and bespoke tailor-made systems, the obtaining of which is fraught with hazards for the unwary, as every experienced business administrator knows only too well.
On the one hand ...
you could opt for an "off-the-shelf" system which would hopefully come fairly cheap and cheerful, although when reading the small print of the licensing agreements, it may actually not turn out so cheap. The off-the-shelf system would at least be a known quantity. There would be no work involved in specifying what you wanted it to do. You would simply look around for a system that met as many of your needs as you could find, and then you would buy it, and install it. There might be some period of adjustment while your staff get used to the quirks of this new piece of software, but relatively speaking the system is available immediately. The primary draw-back you might think of this approach is that the off-the-shelf system is "stuck in its ways". Its ready to roll-out, exactly as it says, straight off-the-shelf, but it maybe doesn't allow you to operate in the just exactly the way that your business processes are organised. As a result of this inflexibility, a series of "work-arounds" have to be conceived, that allow you to fit your business processes to the mold of the off-the-shelf product, or meld the off-the-shelf product to your business processes. The fit of the off-the-shelf software system is not tailored, in just the same way that a suit from Burtons is not tailored. You may be able to get it a variety of sizes that come close to the shape of your business, but your business is unique, and the off-the-shelf software was not tailored to match it.
On the other hand ...
We have the bespoke database solution. And until as a business administrator you have had experience of a couple of "bespoke database projects" under your belt, you might wonder why anyone ever takes the "off-the-shelf" route at all. Surely a tailored product, made-to-measure, that matches the business processes of your business did ought to be worth a little bit extra money. Certainly that ought to be true, unless we are talking great big extra "load's-a-money"... and very often we are not. Why then is the mere mention or even thought of a bespoke database project, tailored to your company's business processes, enough to strike dread, terror and fear, into the hearts of so many business administrators? There are a few different ways to explain this to anyone who has not experienced it first hand. Consider that any such project may be liable to any or sometimes even all of the following difficulties. When the project was initially conceived, the client buying the software was not certain exactly what they needed so they left various details up to software development company to make decisions on. When they come to test the project they discover that these details are in fact make-or-brake to the useability of the software, so they ask the development company to change these details. The development company then tells them that these details have been embedded so deeply into the design the product that to alter them would require a major re-write, perhaps even a complete re-write of the entire system. Neither the purchasing client, not the software provider want to be the one who is paying for this re-write. When the specification for the software was made the circumstances were such that the product was beneficial. But by the time the product is delivered perhaps 6 months or more later, the business processes have changed or the business case for the product no longer exists. The software developer is now asking us to pay for a piece of software which we have no use for. Tailoring of predesigned modules ... the best of both worlds In my 20 years of experience designing, developing and deploying database systems, I have developed and incorporated a number of strategies and methodologies which make the process of implementing a tailor-made database system a much more attractive and viable proposition. I commonly use a number of "part-baked" modules, together with frameworks that support them and allow them to mesh seamlessly together. These "part-baked" modules are open to extensive refinement, and if necessary, modification to make them fully appropriate to the precise details of a specific business-case. This approach allows me to provide astonishing turn-around times, and incredible prices, in the delivery of tailor-made database systems - the "best of both" choice.
Cost <-> Benefit Analysis
Leveraging Cheap New Technologies 3G, GPRS and the celular network Web services and the internet Pocket PCs, Phones, PDAs and other smart "devices" Security of electronically stored information To ensure the security of this data, off-site backup is maintained and updated on a daily basis. This is known as disaster recovery. Although initially the feeling might be that paper-based data is more secure, consider the impact of an office fire. Electronic data storage can be kept easily backed up in multiple locations, for example a backup copy at each branch which covers all the other branches of the organisation. It is very unlikely that you will have simultaneous fires at all office branches.
The 10-day prototype challenge at Bournemouth Business Software
Bournemouth Business Software offers our world famous "10-day prototype challenge". We believe that we can deliver a proto-type bespoke database system, tailored to support business processes that may be completely unique to your company, or sector, within 10 business days - yes, that is 10 business days! This prototype lies at about the half-way point to the delivery of your final system. The system will be reasonably robust, although being a prototype it won't necessarily have absolutely every nuance and detail of the final system you are looking for, it will be an operational system which is a significant step up from anything you currently have available, and will provide a platform, and basis of discussion for designing the system which your business needs. For a limited time only (ends 5th April 2009), the price for delivery of this prototype is an incredible £1000 + VAT, with no further obligation to proceed with purchase of any subsequent final release system. Obviously this price does not cover the cost of providing such a system, but we are so confident in how impressed you will be by our prototype, that we are happy to make this offer knowing that when you have seen it, you will want to proceed with placing an order for a final release system.
Case studies of previous projects are available on request
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