SOFTWARE REVIEW
‘SuitS you’ Software Five years ago, it was generally the case that unless you paid up for a bespoke system, you ended up making your business fit the software, rather than the other way around. Customisation was very limited. Now, most software has built-in customisation, so that agencies can tailor the way the solution works to suit their businesses. For instance, PEX allows the agency to
select process settings; when an offer is accepted, who should get what emails, and when? None of this is hardwired into the system. Vebra allows an agency to decide for
itself what the home page that negotiators see when they open the system should look like. Mark Goddard explains that this isn’t just about look and feel, it’s about business policies and strategy. “You could say for instance, these are the metrics I want our negotiators to focus on this week, and you could show them on the home page.” DezRez, similarly, has announced details
of its new MyDezRez feature which allows users to customise their desktop. It will also make it much easier to create custom reports, such as an analysis of properties reduced in price, average fees for sales since a certain date, and analysis of instructions lost to competitors.
the real cloud What else is new in agency software? Well, the cloud isn’t new, it’s been around a while, as has Software as a Service (SaaS). But Stewart Anderson says real cloud services, rather than just services delivered partly over the web, are only now reaching the market. “What we’re talking about is a
fundamental difference,” he says. “Web delivery just means they host it on their server or over the web, that’s not really cloud at all. What cloud really means is we can access data from anywhere, at any time, on any device, not locked into any single hardware.” True cloud services can integrate phones, iPad or iPhone, desktops, laptops, Blackberries, or netbooks, using Android or Apple or Windows operating systems and any web browser from Google Chrome to Internet Explorer. “You can be doing something on your
browser, click on something and your phone reacts,” he says. Fill in an appointment in Aspasia’s diary system, for instance, and it will automatically be delivered to your phone via Google Apps over the web. He believes that underneath what might
20 JUNE 2011 PROPERTYdrum
look like merely a technology quibble to some, a revolutionary change in our use of technology is happening. “The day is not far off when our phones and tablets will be our main business devices,” he predicts. Currently, most agents are using phones as peripherals and add-ons to the main system, which he characterises as “let someone do a few Noddy things on a phone”. In a few years’ time, the desktop will no longer be central to business, and the phone will be, “plugging into the Google Apps infrastructure and letting absolutely everything happen on your mobile device.” However, Mark Goddard isn’t so sure.
“There is no real difference to the end user between running something on the
internet or in a cloud, you shouldn’t as an end user have a different experience.” He believes that the main benefit of cloud computing is for the software provider, which can reduce its costs. In fact, he worries about the possible
vulnerability of cloud computing. “Since Amazon (a major cloud provider) was down for six hours last week, it took Zoopla offline for a while, there’s a bit of sensitivity about it,” he says. He does believe that agents will slowly move away from the desktop, but it will take time. Al Chetwode at CML cites other benefits
Stewart anderSon
Web delivery means they just host it on their server or over the web; that’s not the cloud really.’
of the latest web based technology; “Radar’s front office is built using the very latest ‘. Net’ web technology, it delivers a sparkling interface that is intuitive and easy to use. Delivering the system via web technology means that the application can be accessed from any internet connected browser. The application operates on an industrial strength SQL Server database to ensure system reliability, platform stability and security of data. “Because the front office application is
web-based, it only needs be installed on central business servers meaning initial implementation, system support and subsequent software upgrades are simplified, thereby lowering the cost of ownership and system management. Agents can access the system from anywhere across the world where internet access is available, with appropriate security features such as mobile phone pin access”.
the bottom line Agents who bought a client/server, first generation software solution may now be looking to upgrade or switch. They’re likely to find the process both easier and cheaper than it used to be. Buying new software used to mean
having to upgrade a firm’s hardware. Now, says Stewart Anderson, “You’ve already got what you need. The cost of all that is peanuts.” If clients think it’s difficult to achieve the changeover without spending
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