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How can I reduce my IT burden? Aspasia Cloud Informational Series – No.7


LIKE WITH OTHER web-based applications there are two aspects to the subject of hardware and software and how they relate to Aspasia Cloud. The first is concerned with how the web pages are created in the first place and the second has to do with what equipment the user needs to interact with the software locally. On the surface Aspasia Cloud may seem like any other competitor web based product but there are subtle and important differences.


Do I neeD a server? For all customers the answer is no, although if


you want to own your own server you can do so. Aspasia Cloud is available on the Internet 24 hours a day, 365 days a year without the agency customer needing to do anything at all. There are no backups to worry about, no server management issues, no networks, and best of all, little or no IT support requirements. Everything is handled remotely by experts in their field and generally to a much higher and safer standard than any individual customer could afford to manage on their own. Where, as sometimes happens with large customers, there is a desire on behalf of the customer to own the server(s) on which the data resides, this can be arranged too but even here everything is handled remotely leaving the customer with little or nothing to do themselves. In all cases the servers are housed in professional data centres from where they are remotely managed in a totally secure environment. Where Aspasia Cloud differs from most, if not all, competitor web-based solutions is that every customer has their own Oracle database which is completely separate in all respects from any other customer. Most competitor web-based products amalgamate all customer data into the same database with data differentiated by user login credentials alone. Although this latter shared database option is a more cost effective solution for the supplier it suffers from the possibility that a single database malfunction could affect everyone and there can also be an impact in terms of speed. The shared database approach is also less likely to be found with products as large and comprehensive as Aspasia


due to the complexity and level of resource utilisation involved. Most competitor products do not integrate sales, lettings, accounts and property management into one solution. The other difference with Aspasia Cloud is


that it is integrated with Google Apps, some benefits of which were discussed in our last edition. This provides true hardware independence and collaborative working giving agents the ability to expand their business model and to utilise true mobile accessibility irrespective of their chosen technical platform. Again, Google Apps are provided over the Internet in a true cloud computing architecture leaving nothing for the agent to do or worry about. So, to summarise, there is no requirement for agents to have their own server (unless, perhaps, it’s company policy) and not needing servers means, of course, zero cost.


wHat about HarDware anD


software In tHe offIce? All an agent needs to use Aspasia Cloud in the office (or anywhere else for that matter) is a computer of their choice. PC, Mac, Linux, tablet computers like the iPad, or whatever other device they would like provided it is connected to the Internet and can run a browser – any browser they like. There is no requirement for any local storage whatsoever so the machine can be as lean and cheap to purchase as is desired – a £200 netbook computer is perfectly adequate. An initial budget of, say, £500 per workstation would perhaps be a more realistic option with negligible ongoing costs. As long as an agent wishes to create paper based detail sheets it is obviously necessary for


Aspasia Cloud is the first fully integrated cloud technology software solution for agents involved with residential sales, lettings and property management. Tis informational series has been designed to explain how the software differs from other solutions and what that means for agents who use it.


each office to also have a wireless (or other) printer. Apart from that there is no need for a network, server or costs such as IT support because everything including email, word processing etc, is self-contained. You no longer require separate products like Word, Excel, Outlook, Exchange etc; everything an agent needs is contained within Aspasia Cloud itself. The IT demands on an agency office are, in reality, no different from those most people experience at home – a computer, broadband and an optional printer. It’s as simple as that.


How can I Increase proDuctIvIty? Aspasia Cloud has been designed to allow for


complete mobility and, as stated above, will work on any Internet connected device that has a browser. In situations where the device does not permit the use of a browser (for example a basic mobile phone) the integration with Google Apps comes into play by synchronising email, diaries and appropriate contacts automatically with Aspasia Cloud. As such an agent is never realistically out of touch with crucial information related to customers either geographically or confined to office working hours – both aspects meaning that staff can work anywhere at anytime. This can have a dramatic effect on the levels of customer service and can significantly influence the agency’s ability to adopt fresh working practices whilst reducing the dependence on expensive high street offices.


tHe bottom lIne All this means a very significant reduction on


behalf of an agent in terms of IT hardware, software and support costs, enough perhaps to make a meaningful additional contribution to profitability. Add to this the geographical freedom and mobility provided by a true cloud computing environment supplemented by the integration with Google Apps and new, more efficient and flexible ways of doing things become a real possibility. There is much discussion these days about alternative agency business models and for many Aspasia Cloud could be the enabling technology to help explore these new opportunities.


For further information go to www.aspasia.net. Previous articles in the series can be found at www.propertydrum.com/articles/aspasiacloud


PROPERTYdrum NOVEMBER 2010 13


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