Blue-sky thinking
Are you with the new trends in agency software? It’s not just about the ‘cloud’, says Andrea Kirkby.
T
he whole software world is going through major changes at the moment, with mobile, social media and cloud computing all now picking up momentum. Estate agency software hasn’t been immune, and things are changing
very rapidly. According to Stewart Anderson at Aspasia, the cloud message is
getting through. “Eighteen months ago,” he says, “we were practically the only people who dared to mention the word ‘cloud’, now everybody is using it.” Aspasia Cloud has now gone live with clients, albeit in beta, and the cloud will make huge changes to the software environment over the next five years. “Some larger outfits are definitely of
the view that this is the way everyone is going,” he says, though the concept has got a bit watered down with a number of web-based systems as well as true cloud products. Anderson is certain that new cloud products will continue to come to the market, this, he says, is the way of the future. Even so, cloud software companies have a fight on their hands.
what they know. Stewart Anderson says, “Bigger companies which have quite a powerful IT department which has spent a lot of money on a Microsoft infrastructure can be quite slow to open their minds to new ideas.” Estates IT also provides a cloud version and Nick Hubbard
Eighteen months ago we were practically the only people who dared mention the word ‘cloud’.” STEWART ANDERSON ASPASIA
confirms that the cloud is taking off. “Most new clients are going on to our cloud version,” he says, “and a lot of our desktop clients are swapping over.” He says that the decision is
often motivated by clients realising how much they would need to spend on their hardware and on other software systems to meet the specifications for a new client-server software. By moving on to the cloud, they
Over the years, agents have invested huge sums in hardware and software to support their businesses, and some will want to stick to
26 MAY 2012 PROPERTYdrum
save the investment. PC Homes Plus includes Microsoft Office as standard within the package, and also reduces costly network support. It can also support a mix of devices including Macs, iPads and smartphone access, as well as PCs, which is good for agents who want to support mobile or home working. The savings can be considerable. One five-branch agency
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