SOFTWARE REVIEW
Using ‘the cloud’ basically refers to using
anything other than your own servers to store your data and programmes”, says Charlie Wright of
thebu2iness.com, which has hosted all it’s software in the Amazon Web Services cloud since early 2009. “What this means for our clients is
a faster and more reliable product. They also don’t have to worry about our own servers running out of space or power or bandwidth. Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer and we now have their hosting might behind our product. It also allows us to offer a great unique feature – Unlimited File Storage, taking the strain off our clients’ computers. This means we can focus on developing functionality rather than managing hardware.”
Remote upgRades and a Relaxed client Maintenance and updates are also much easier with web-based products. Glyn Trott says “The moment you choose to buy and install computer software on your own system, you are becoming a computer specialist – whether or not that’s what you want.” With a web-based system, all the upgrades are handled by the software provider on its servers and customers get the upgrade automatically. Wilf Lewis agrees. “That is the beauty
of the cloud model,” he says. “There isn’t much for the client to do. When they log in, the installation happens automatically.” At the same time, he says, clients are making significant cost savings. They don’t need so much IT support on site, and they don’t need to buy extra high-end servers. He believes using the cloud also helps
link new partners into an agent’s network. For instance, DezRez is now building conveyancing into the package of services it can offer – “services with your software” he quips, “rather than just software as a service.” All the conveyancing data can be integrated into the workflow, cutting out the need to chase over the phone and allowing agents to see instantly how far the paperwork has progressed. Similarly, LetMC has built Equifax credit reports into the system, so agents don’t have to go outside the software to find whether their tenants are creditworthy. Both cloud and hybrid models – and
even some traditional, locally-installed products – are now being sold as monthly subscriptions. Philip Evans of Pex Software says, “The market is moving to software
“That is the beauty of the cloud model. There isn’t much for the client to do.
When they log in, the installation happens automatically. Clients make significant cost savings.
wilf lewis dezRez
rental models, agreements that include support and maintenance and hosting and licence fee.” Obviously, that helps remove barriers
to entry for start-ups and smaller agents. Even for larger agents, it can cost in against buying a package, where agents will still have to pay between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of the licence fee per year as a maintenance fee (or run the risk of operating the software without support, and without upgrades). From software as a service, it’s not a
huge leap to outsourcing and LetMC is already offering outsourced services for landlords, such as rent collection. Glyn Trott says the recession, and the need to save cost, has changed the industry’s traditional unwillingness to outsource. “Clients can outsource their accounts, or they can outsource their rent chasing,” he says. By doing so, they can concentrate on marketing their business, and they only pay when the money comes in, not up front. Although it’s still early days for cloud
computing and collaborative software, the future is likely to see software moving away from the desktop model and becoming something rather different. Mark Howlett
“The moment you choose to buy and install computer software on your
own system, you are becoming a computer specialist – whether or not that’s what you want.”
glYn tRott md letmc
believes that software development will be driven by the demands of a new generation of users. “People who use online banking, who use Facebook, who use online software to organise their lives.”
a facebook futuRe? In fact software could end up looking much more like Facebook than like a traditional office system. Glyn Trott says, “We’re seeing incredible convergence between software systems; we’re seeing a lot of social media and marketing merging, and we’ll see quite soon the portals merging with software – portals behaving like software houses, and software behaving like a portal.” It’s an intriguing vision and one that
needs web technologies to make it work. While traditional software might still be working for some, Stewart Anderson believes that longterm it won’t cut the mustard. “Although they’re making money now,” he says of ‘unwired’ agents, “if I were them I’d be worried about the next five years. The world is definitely changing.”
Add your own experiences and opinions at:
www.propertydrum.com/articles/software3
24 JUNE 2010 PROPERTYdrum
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