Borough of Poole Extends tf. facility for Education
The Technology Forge is delighted to announce that the Borough of Poole is extending its tf. facility software for Education Asset Management. Headteachers and Governors will be able to access their AMP data via tf. web, including Suitability surveys. The introduction of our new Accommodation Modelling module will make the whole Suitability process significantly more efficient.
Borough of Poole Property Services have been using the system for Suitability and Building Condition surveys of the Borough’s forty-one schools since 2000. Having examined service delivery within Education in 2005, the authority wisely took the opportunity to re-evaluate the AMP system market. The conclusion? Five years on and tf. facility remains the system of choice for Education Asset Managers.
For further information contact:
Maria Thewlis , Marketing Manager, The Technology Forge, Tel: 01943 855014
The Benefits of Application Hosting
In many businesses IT has traditionally been delivered either by in-house staff who have procured software and servers and provided all the support to end users, or through an outsourcing deal where all IT functions and applications are handed over to an external general IT organisation to support.
In the first model, there is a significant cost to the business in setting up and running an IT Department which ultimately is not the core business activity and has often proven difficult to control. As a result, many businesses have sought to outsource IT to attempt to provide a better service and reduce costs. The total outsourcing model also has significant problems, notably the difficulty of finding a suitable partner, setting up a flexible contract and maintaining a long term relationship.
The ASP (Application Service Provision) or application hosting model is different as it is a particular software application that is outsourced to a specialist organisation, often the provider of the application. The software is made available to customers across a wide area network (internet) from a central data centre. The crucial difference is that the service is provided by an organisation best able to deliver a quality service and gain economies of scale that can be shared with the client. It is the rise of broadband and the increased use of the internet over the past few years that has been the main driver behind the success of ASP, one of the real successes of the internet.
Application hosting enables the client to select the best provider for the purpose without the strategic, security and contractual issues that naturally arise when a complete outsourcing deal is considered. The arrangement is much easier to negotiate by the users that are directly impacted by the decision and can be much more flexible than a large outsourcing contract.
There are many business reasons for outsourcing using the application hosting model:
- Reduced capital expenditure and operating costs as there is no requirement to purchase hardware and software
- No need to recruit, train and retain IT staff
- Applications can be accessed from anywhere via the web, making initiatives such as working from home and hot-desking a reality
- Sharing data and applications between organisations makes for collaborative working
- Infrastructure is immediately available for rapid project start-up
- Single point of support and software deployment
- Clear responsibility for application performance
- Service level agreements are easy to set up and monitor
- A simpler business model.
This approach enables the organisation to focus on their core business activity without worrying about IT infrastructure issues and costs, whilst allowing the software vendor to provide a better standard of service than is available from within a traditional IT or outsourced model.
Although both models are valid there are significant issues to consider. The in-house option means recruiting, training and retaining staff to manage the hardware and software, coupled with significant capital expenditure to procure the necessary hardware and software at the outset. Associated property costs to provide office space for the staff and server rooms for the hardware must also be budgeted for.
With the ASP model, the location of staff and hardware is the responsibility of the vendor and is not on the client site. In addition, the payment is more typically based on a ‘rental’ model so that costs are better managed and often the need for capital expenditure is avoided. This permits the users to accurately budget for the complete costs of operating the system in a totally predictable manner.
The application and all associated software and services are provided by the vendor through a server that can be accessed by any PC with a suitable web browser and access to the internet. The IT requirements for the end user are thus simplified to a PC with broadband internet. The result is a much more flexible solution that will reduce costs and improve service, in all a better business solution than either of the traditional IT delivery mechanisms.
When considering this approach to Property Management systems, there are a number of factors that Property Managers need to build into the decision making process to ensure that these benefits are achieved. It is an obvious point but the capabilities of the vendor are critical. You should ensure that they:
- Have a suitable infrastructure in terms of servers in a secure location
- Have a high capacity internet link with redundancy and resilience built in
- Match this capacity to your business needs eg. don’t pay extra for 24 hour availability if you don’t need it
- Have procedures and processes in place to ensure data is properly secure and maintained
- Have the necessary support staff and skills to provide the solution.
The Technology Forge has been hosting our applications for a number of years and through our pragmatic and open approach, our customers have gained the predicted business benefits. We are able to provide a level of service unachievable using conventional delivery mechanisms. Our customers really notice the difference, compared to a traditional IT support environment. Indeed, if users are having problems we can:
- Shadow their session to see how they are using the software and where they are having problems
- Deliver remote training and advice by taking over their session if necessary
- Provide immediate support as soon as the customer phones the Help Desk.
This combination of hardware and software support can only be delivered through the ASP model as the interaction of the software, people and operating environment are critical. In our experience, this means that where there are problems they are resolved more quickly, with less frustration and therefore at a reduced cost to the user.
Modern business demands an ever-increasing range of complex IT applications to deliver business processes which often require interactions between different organisations in different geographical locations. The ASP model is perfect for this as the partners on a project can use the application when they want from wherever they are with appropriate control and security.
The Technology Forge has enabled a number of collaborative projects to be completed, asbestos surveys for example, where the surveying company can carry out the surveys and update the database from their own office whilst the client can continue to use the software and monitor the project.
In summary, software delivered through the ASP model offers greater availability, more flexibility and better quality than can be achieved through either in-house or fully outsourced delivery. This, when coupled with a fixed and predictable monthly cost and no capital expenditure costs, is a solution that appeals to both the users and the Finance Director.
Mark Wardman
Managing Director, The Technology Forge
For more information contact:
Maria Thewlis, Marketing Manager, The Technology Forge, Tel: 01943 855014
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