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Preparing for the Cloud Aspasia Cloud Informational Series – No.8


CLOUD COMPUTING is expected to have the same kind of impact on Information Technology in the future as the migration from mainframe to personal computing did in the past. This is radical change with the potential for significant operational improvements and for huge savings in terms of IT complexity and cost. In our first article in this series we clarified our interpretation of cloud computing and how this differs from conventional web based software. Currently there are no software products in the residential property market place (including our own traditional web based version of Aspasia) that meet this criteria. The key differentiators are total hardware and browser independence, total mobility on any Internet connected device, everything required (including email) being available within the software itself and integration with other comprehensive cloud based general business services like Google Apps. Such a dramatic technological change leads to the need to rethink business practices. Agents require time to digest the implications and plan for change and our Informational Series is written to support this process well in advance of the planned release of Aspasia Cloud in the second half of next year. Aspasia Cloud is not just another “new software release” and whilst you will be able to use it to run your business exactly as you do today it also contains functionality that will support new innovative additions to your current business model. Many believe this will not ultimately be a matter of choice but a necessity.


Why is this taking so long? Current Aspasia was launched in 2001 and


some companies are still playing catch up. Indeed, it had web based functionality nearly 10 years ago that one competitor is now heralding as a major initiative in a recently announced “new” product. But when it comes to paradigm shifts in technology, the process is further complicated. Aspasia Cloud is totally new and designed from the ground up to accommodate cloud computing, not just an updated version of our existing Aspasia product – which continues to attract new customers and will remain in the stable alongside Aspasia Cloud in the future.


Creating a new product on a new


technological platform is vastly different to a revised version of an existing product on the same platform – it is a huge undertaking not least because of the tight integration with Google Apps, a major key element of Aspasia Cloud. Moreover the change of emphasis from paper based to electronic means of communication has opened up tremendous opportunities for new ways of doing things and permits much higher levels of automation and productivity which we are looking to exploit to the optimum. Each innovation we create in turn opens up the potential for many more and so it goes on, especially in the field of lettings and property management where there is such a high administrative content. All this takes time but in the interest of our current and potential customers we need to give them time and scope for preparation. On a much smaller scale it could be likened to the process of perhaps announcing a new aircraft type or other means of transport where infrastructure adjustments need to be made in advance of deployment. For our customers the infrastructure adjustments take the form of migrating elements like word processing and email from a desktop to a cloud based architecture in advance of Aspasia Cloud. Indeed, some existing Aspasia customers have already started the process which in itself has well documented significant advantages which are now being enjoyed by over 3 million businesses worldwide. Probably the first thing to do in advance of thinking about adopting Aspasia Cloud is to consider the implications of moving your email system over to Google which has the advantage


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


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


PROPERTYdrum DECEMBER 2010 17


that you will automatically have available to you all the associated Google Apps whether you wish to adopt them yet or not. This is not the free public Google email system (as good as that is) but the highly regarded Google Apps (Postini) version which costs £33 per user per annum which comes with appropriate service level agreements and support and does not contain advertising. In Aspasia Cloud, email is the core communications medium and as such needs two way audit control and logging which is provided through the integration with Google Apps and which also permits total mobility on any Internet connected platform. You can continue to use a desktop client (like Outlook) if you so desire but this should realistically be seen as a transitional arrangement due to possible potential issues related to the need for synchronisation between a desktop and cloud based application.


unparalleled opportunities However, perhaps the most significant thing you


can do in preparation for Aspasia Cloud is to consider the potential for new business practices and how you might employ them. You will have unparalleled opportunities ranging from unique automated processes which your customers can invoke themselves to a new business model involving variable levels of service and fees which you can define yourself. With lettings particularly these will open up new business opportunities for you to either replace or more probably supplement what you do now with a lower staff overhead or significantly increase turnover within current staffing levels. Of particular interest should be the potential for additional business currently beyond your reach due to present inflexible levels of fixed costs resulting in relatively high charges and limitations on the size of the pool of new customers you can attract. Alternatively, you can trade exactly as you do


now – the choice is entirely yours. This demonstrates the wide ability of Aspasia Cloud to adapt to any agency regardless of size, location, market sector or business type and will provide the ability to prosper in whatever circumstances the surrounding environmental pressures dictate.


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