SOFTWARE REVIEW
based system, we’ve had people migrating to us from other systems, which wasn’t happening before.” Some providers, like Aspasia, can offer
pure cloud services; others, like DezRez, offer hybrid models, which blend the off-site model with software loaded locally on the PC – that can speed up data processing. “For us, cloud computing isn’t a new
“You can use virtual private networks, remote desktop technology, or web
based access. There’s nothing particularly new – it’s the demands being made on it that have changed.”
mArk quigley md c.A.r.l. comms
Access All plAyers But it’s not just agents who want to access the software. Landlords, contractors, vendors and purchasers all now want to access the database directly – rather than having to telephone the agent to get the details. Many systems now enable them to do so, using various methods to control what information the client can see. Vendors can look up the progress of their deal, contractors can automatically be invited to bid for work that needs to be done. The software can then become more like Facebook, bringing the stakeholders together and providing them a platform for communication, rather than like a traditional database application. Peter Grant, MD of VTUK, believes
there are real benefits to be gained by opening up the system. VTUK’s Pisces, for instance, is “a web service that allows all of the stakeholders in the business to communicate,” he says, making interaction with clients quicker and more efficient. VTUK has also become an O2 technology partner, so access can be provided through iPhone applications. Mark Howlett believes that access to the system can be a key differentiator that will
“Web-based services are usually sold on a monthly subscription, they
are proving particularly attractive to start-ups, to virtual agencies and home-based businesses.”
Tim summerley md VeBrA
win business for the agent. “One of the significant points of joined up communication is the transparency,” he says. “If you’re happy to let a landlord see everything that’s on the computer about his property, the contracts, the invoices, and so on, then that transparency can add real value.” When it comes to specifying the
technology, there are a number of ways that remote access can be provided. Mark Quigley of CARL says, “You can achieve a remote working solution through a number of alternative technologies; you can use virtual private networks, remote desktop technology, or web based access.” There’s nothing particularly new in the technology - it’s the demands being made on it that have changed. Increasingly, though, cloud computing
is in the news. Mark Howlett says, “The cloud is a bit of a buzz word in property right now.” Instead of the agent installing software on their own computers, service providers use networked processing power known as the ‘cloud’ to run the system and store agents’ data. Howlett says users prefer web-based access, and they are voting with their wallets. “Since we’ve had the web-
thing,” says Wilf Lewis of DezRez. “We’ve used the off-site model in one form for ten years and been pooh-poohed by competitors with client/server models – we’ve got a wry smile on our faces now.” Vebra also has a hybrid, VebraLive, which offers web-based functionality while keeping the data in the branch - “something that strikes a chord with a lot of agents.” says Vebra MD, Tim Summerley. Because web-based services are usually
sold on a monthly subscription, rather than on an initial licence fee basis, they are proving particularly attractive to start-ups, to virtual agencies and home-based businesses. But Vebra is also seeing a number of medium sized businesses are looking at VebraLive to enable remote management of branches. However, these hybrid systems are not
100 per cent ‘cloud’, says Stewart Anderson of Aspasia. “There is software that is client/ server based and uses the web to synchronise branches,” he says, “and there is the truly web based solution. You need to establish whether there is a true independence from the desktop.”
The ArgumenTs AgAinsT The cloud There are a number of arguments against the cloud. In some areas, both in the geographical sense and the business application, there are issues. Nigel Parsons of Landmark Systems says that where the database size/structure is relatively small (excluding images) and the changes being made to that data are not frequent (as in estate agency packages) cloud/web based may well be the way to go, if the broadband infrastructure is in place. “However,” he says, “where property
management is involved, potentially with client accounting issues involving huge numbers of transactions passing back and forth, a local sever may be far more efficient – and totally within your control.” And, he adds, “Don’t forget that ‘cloud computing’ is a great way for the
PROPERTYdrum JUNE 2010 21
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