How do you choose software thatâ??s just right for your companyâ??s use? What are the things that you should include in your checklist? Take a closer look at these guidelines:

Key Selection Criteria in Detail:

1) Company History & Experience

How Long Have They Been Around?

Company background is essential because unlike brick and mortar companies, software companies are often small, and even beyond national boundaries. Since often these companies will be handling sensitive data related to your company, one needs to be doubly sure. Law hasnâ??t quite been able to pin down the particularities of the software industry, and in case of misdemeanor, it would be harder to hold such a company accountable.

One can safely assume that past records are a good indicator of future performance. Therefore it is a must that some time be put in researching the company before one even goes on to consider the software itself.

There are a few things that need to be checked. How long have they been around? Are they registered? How long have they been in the field? For example if theyâ??re offering business communication software, have they been in this industry long enough to know it well? How long have they been in their current business? Even if the software is new, do they have experience developing related softwares?

What is Their Niche?

Another very important factor about the companyâ??s history is the niche it has experience in serving. Does the company know your niche well enough to know your needs? If you are a small to mid sized business, it is unlikely a company serving the Fortune 500 will offer you the best solution. If you work from home, it is unlikely a solution serving large offices will meet your needs.

The Ultimate Testament â?? The Customer

The ultimate judge of a software are its users. To get a true picture of a softwareâ??s workings, it is important to look at how customers are using it and what their comments are. It may entail looking at the site to see if they include a clientâ??s list or page. If the list exists, is extensive and includes recognizable names, that is usually a good sign. Customer testimonials on the site are a good indicator of its performance, and one could also take the initiative of getting in touch with the customers oneself and seeking comments.

Dangers

There are certain things with the software industry that a buyer should be wary of. Because of the lower entry and exit costs, software startups are known to have shorter live spans than traditional companies. Lots of these companies are known to ride high on the success wave when the industry is doing well and go â??popâ? when the industry bubble bursts. This was well exemplified by the .com bubble burst of 2000, when many software companies disappeared without a trace.

It is debatable whether the current spate of â??web 2.0â? companies also constitute another expanding buddle which will inevitably burst, but it makes sense that the buyer be wary and bet their money with dependable companies with proven track records.

2) Cost

Thereâ??s no denying the importance of cost in buying decisions across the board. Yet the issue of cost should be seen in a broad perspective, because low entry costs may result in higher costs along the productâ??s life or higher overall costs for the company.

Features vs. Price

A cost benefit analysis makes sense, as opposed to only considering costs. The costs need to be seen in light of the range of features and functionalities the product provides. An online document management system may not be the lowest priced in the market, but it may also allow you the capabilities of setting up a virtual office.

A decision point is whether one wants to keep the budget down and buy a product with most of the main features, or willing to shell out extra money for the entire feature set. As costs go down, one will have to make some compromises on the features, but good research can reveal products which offer a very good cost to feature ratio.

Needs vs. Price

Another question which arises is whether there is an overlap between features and needs at all. Many of the features may not relate to needs which were sought to be addressed at all.

To retain objectivity one can clearly define ones needs, and accordingly classify features as â??needed featuresâ? and â??features not neededâ?. It is possible that all features may not fit nicely into this scheme as certain features may not be absolutely essential, but would be valuable still. Another possible scheme of classifying features could be â??must haveâ?, â??nice to haveâ?, and â??future requirementsâ? (relating to features that do not serve an immediate need but would in the future)

Armed with this objective information, one would be in a better position to assess various software solutions priced differently & offering different feature sets. A word of caution, purchasers often tend to go for products with loads of features, but never get around to using half of them. This represents wasted expenditure, so it is important to analyze all features in light of needs.

3) Ease of Use/Adoption

A learning and adoption curve is involved with every new software purchase as it needs to be integrated with current systems or other softwares and the end users have to be brought up to speed using it. If the software is chunky and too complex, one can be sure of adoption resistance.

Ease of Use

The software should have an intuitive interface, and use of features should be pretty much self evident. The shorter the learning curve training a new user, the better. Solutions which are too complex or have crudely designed interfaces are major turnoffs for users.

The software should have the ability to easily fit into the existing workflow and IT systems. It may often be necessary for the new software to communicate with established systems. Web-based softwares are a good example of softwares which nicely fit into diverse systems with minimum friction, because they need no elaborate implementation at the customers end and can be run from simply a web browser.

Adoption

To get a measure of â??shelfwareâ?, i.e., softwares which are purchased but never used, one just needs to look at the statistics. Some studies peg the number of content management solutions which are shelved at 20-25%. At around a million dollars an implementation, this is really pretty expensive shelfware! According to another study, 22% of purchased ERP licenses are not being used, in U.S.-based companies.

No doubt, â??Shelfwareâ? is a result of ill thought to purchase decisions. These studies merely underline the importance of making an educated purchase lest the money is not spent on software that does little more than cooling its heels on an office shelf. One possible way to protect against shelfware is the new concept of â??pay as you goâ? hosted solutions. The software is hosted with company itself, and buyers merely have to pay a monthly subscription rate, which can be opted out in case the customer realizes that the software is not compatible with his business.

Support

No matter how easy to use or intuitive a software is, there are bound to be times when one canâ??t find out how to work a particular feature or a glitch crops up. Hence quality of support services is very important.

Some software solutions may require you to hire dedicated support staff of your own, while with others company support suffices. The cost of hiring support staff needs to be factored into the buying decision

Provider support may be in the form of human help, i.e., customer care executives who promptly (or not) attend to your problems. Here also the level of quality in terms of helpfulness of solution provided, availability and conduct of support executives matters.

Support can also be in the form of an extensively documented help engine, or extensive help information on the company site, which provides solutions to almost all of the questions you could possibly have. This form of support is often more efficient than the human version.

Training

Training is another form of support which deserves special mention. Some companies offer free training seminars (online and offline) to help customers get up to speed with using a software. This greatly helps in getting started with a new software. In other cases the software might not warrant much specialized training at all. In some cases the company might offer paid training, which might be essential and whose cost needs to be factored into the purchase decision.

Maintenance

Maintenance costs and efforts have a major impact on the performance and adoptability of a software, and hence should form important criteria of the buying decision. In case the software is hosted at the companyâ??s end, it is of utmost importance of the customer that the software be available online at all times, or the â??uptimeâ?. Uptimes are covered under the â??service level agreementâ? when you purchase a software and range from 98% to 99.99%. A minimum uptime of 99% is what one must look for.

It is also important how much upkeep a software requires. Will specialized staff need to be hired to maintain and run the software? Or is it low maintenance or maintenance free?

The companyâ??s upkeep is also important. Efforts to constantly improve upon the software underline a commitment to providing you quality service. Are bugs fixed promptly and on an ongoing basis? Are they just releasing a software and not updating it? One should develop a habit of keeping up with the company newsletter, new release notes or the â??whatâ??s newâ? section on their site. Periodic newsletters and a â??whatâ??s newâ? section (which keeps getting updated) are indicative of a dynamic company constantly looking to improve.

4) Familiarity

The â??feelâ? of the software is another important criterion. Us software users are habituated creatures for whom changing a software is as difficult as changing our favorite coffee or newspaper. The software should keep with the basic layout and navigation schemes we are used to. This makes for quicker transition.

One good way is to compare with the OS in which we would use the software. Does it have the same basic schema as the OS environment? A software with Mac schema on Windows wouldnâ??t sit that well. Another way could be to compare with other softwares which we are used to. If you are switching from an expensive software to a cheaper one, choosing a software with a similar â??feelâ? would make sense. Does it retain most of the main features you are used to? Is it easy to get to those features?

5) Security

Security is a top consideration because in many cases the software company will be handling information critical to us â?? business, financial or personal data. We need to be triply assured that the sanctity of our data will be preserved and there are no risks of it being lost or falling into wrong hands. This factor requires some research on the client data handling systems and practices of the software provider.

What safety features does the provider have?

Data encryption is the practice followed by warring sides during WW2 to protect the secrecy of their messages. It is now used by most companies follow to protect the integrity of their clientsâ?? information. Encryption is the process of coding information so that it is unreadable by anybody but those who have the key. There are different types of encryption, each of which is associated with a different level of security. DAS is one level, which was previously used extensively but is now known to have vulnerabilities. 128 bit encryption is offered by companies offering top notch security.

Password protection is another important facet of security. What is the strength of the software to withstand manual and automated attempts to hack your password and access your information? The ability of the system to accurately detect a hacking attempt and lock up in time is important.

Data Backup

In extreme cases of system breakdown caused by a facility fire, natural disaster or technical glitch etc, it is important that your data is frequently and adequately backed up and not stored at a single facility. Good company data backup practices ensure that even if your local computer crashes, your data is safe and accessible through the software.

Certain factors are to be considered in backup practices. The first is the frequency of backups. If there is a long gap, there is a possibility of data being lost in intermittent periods. Secondly, what are the security arrangements at the facilities where your data resides? Is it manned and guarded by security personnel? What other systems are in place to protect the data? Is there a good firewall? What is the protection against virus attacks? What procedures are in place for disaster management?

All this requires research, and the extensiveness of the research depends on the sensitivity of the data we will be entrusting the software provider with. A personal mail program does not require the same kind of security as softwares handling banking or business information.

Track Record

As with company background, a little research on the security track record makes sense. Has the company ever been vulnerable to attacks before? What were the losses? How did the company react? How many years has the company had a good record. New companies will most likely have a clean record, but that isnâ??t necessarily indicative of good security practices.

The Server System

The server system where the sensitive data actually lies is very important. This information will mostly be available in the terms of agreement. Is it state-of-the-art? Is it in step with the latest in the market?

The server infrastructure could be owned by the software provider themselves or outsourced to a dedicated national network providing hosting solutions. Outsourced hosting is a good thing because dedicated hosting companies have extensive expertise and infrastructure in protecting data, often handling critical data of Fortune 500 companies. This frees up the software provider to concentrate on the software itself.

The company might not have an elaborate setup at all, running the software and processing data through computers set up in the garage somewhere acting as servers. This should get your alarm bells ringing! The safety of your data could well depend on a baseball flying through the door.

Thousands of users all over the world contribute to the communication and improves ideas of the co-partners they meet. Distance does not matter any more. Nationality does not matter either. You can be anyone and be anywhere. The only thing you need to make you part in the world idea development is your laptop and internet connection.

Comapping company designed a special application called comapping for such creative online surfers especially. This software allows users to extend and share ideas within a group, using the Internet and a browser-based interface that calls to mind the neural pathways of the brain. It is completely web-based with nothing to download. It gets you on the map, from any Internet-connected Mac or PC, anywhere. Application is specially designed for uniting people online i.e. giving them a chance to give a birth to something new while developing creative ideas.

Comapping software designed to combine mind mapping with real-time remote collaboration, as well as project development and management tools. The software is functioning online in the real time meaning users are free to make collaborate and get the respond at once.

Comapping prevents delays disallowing idea capturing and gives uses a chance to organize and retrieve their thoughts visually and graphically. This application was especially designed for on-site or geographically dispersed creative teams — in business process planning, academia, government and healthcare — that need to propel and capture their brainstorms.

Comapping application contains such important features as: the map automatically zooms in and out as you move around it, making it easy to add “branches” to the Comapping tree without scrolling. It allows real-time collaboration. 20 users can simultaneously brainstorming through the application to share, publish and chat features. Users can also share maps via e-mail, and publish them to the Web as well as export Comapping content to .rtf files, to facilitate creating presentations and sharing with remote users.

Developers made the application useful for all kinds of users – computer experienced and newcomers. Online application has its search tools for the comapping maps to be searched on word strings. Presentation is made up an easy one for the user friendly look. A user can lead an on-site or remote audience through a sequence of topics and branches in a slide-type presentation. Easy to remember, collaborate online and understandable commands allow to navigate maps quickly and efficiently.

There is a possibility to assign tasks, establish deadlines and measure progress through a Comapping map. For the security purpose maps are stored securely and user privacy is assured. Anyone trying the software can find one-to-one or one-to-all chat. Just simply click on the name of a person rooting around in the map and send him a chat message, within the program.

In the present competitive market where every business has hundreds of competitors, different workforce management tools are required to take an organization to the peak of success through improved productivity. Over the years it has been noticed that the human resources are one of the most important resources of an organization and efficient tools are needed to manage these resources so that optimum production takes place. The time and attendance and schedule optimization systems are few of the most efficient workforce management tools which help businesses to increase their productivity considerably.

Keeping a track of the time and attendance of all the employees have been practiced by organizations for quite sometime now. Earlier it was done manually and now it is done by automated tracking systems. With the introduction of the automated tracking systems, the record maintenance job has become easier and more accurate.

Moreover, with the time and attendance software, a close check can be kept on the performance of all the employees. The actual number of hours which an employee has spent working in a particular assignment, can also be calculated. Therefore, with these systems organizations can calculate the overtime and other performance based incentives accurately.

Another tool which organizations have started to use and benefit from is the schedule optimization system. Proper scheduling of employees is essential and critical component of business planning. Automated schedule optimization systems have emerged as efficient tools which help organizations to schedule all the employees efficiently and strategically.

The latest and advanced schedule optimization systems facilitate managements to assign tasks and jobs to employees according to their qualifications and capabilities. Moreover, some systems facilitate to create master schedules that can be used in the different departments of one office and even in different office branches.

With the automated schedule optimization systems the entire workforce of an organization can be managed in an efficient and flexible manner. Thus, the productivity of an organization can be increased without incurring extra and unnecessary expenses.

Some of the key features of schedule optimization, for which these systems are gaining a fast popularity, include:

Assigning time and task to employees for working on a project according to the capability and workload

Better handling of shifts

Master scheduling can be done for all the departments and branch offices]

Facilitate in flexible scheduling

Besides the time and attendance and schedule optimization systems, nowadays organizations are also considering job activity labor based costing management as it is a cost effective way of improving productivity.

In various large organizations, the rate of departments that support the services of the primary functional areas is huge. For each employee who goes into the field, large companies have a total sum of staff who work behind the scenes to support, guide and follow-up. But when you are running a small business, you cannot afford the luxury of a good number of functional areas. Most likely, the staff you have all relate to the main line of your business process and if you do have a miscellaneous assistant she/he doubles up as a HR Manager, a House Keeping and Maintenance Manager and your personal secretary. With small organizations, multi tasking is the way to excellence. And small business utility should have similar attributes.

It is very much essential to have small business tool that productively handles accounting for your business. While larger businesses would primarily have an army of accountants to take care of their book keeping, as a small business owner, you need to insure that your accounting is in order. And luckily for you, there is selected small business tool that will be suitable for your needs. This class of small business tool will not just tabs your inflow and outflow, but will also evolve formats for you to draw up your profit and loss accounts, your petty cash flow etc.

Relatively similar to the above is small business program that tracks time. Next to money, time is the most critical aspect of your functions and you need small business program to help you keep tabs of it. Such utility more often than not integrates with your existing tools like the Microsoft Outlook Express, Calendar and appointments to organize the way you conduct your business. Apart from this, it will also calculate the amount of time you spend on meetings, the time you spend on traveling, the time you spend on the telephone and the time you spend doing other miscellaneous duties. When all the above have been tabulated and figured into the total time you spend on the business, you can get a discernable picture of what you should be charging in order to make each hour profitable.

Human resources is another area where small business tool can help you reach efficiencies. If your business has a limited amount of workers, (regularly under 20) you can use individualized small business utility to administer the human resource functions. The activities that would be covered under such program include recruitment, sourcing, hiring, pay and negotiation, attendance, conflict resolution, payroll etc. When you use small business program built specifically for such purposes, you obviate the need to invest in a tangible human resource department and can work and streamline your human resource activities virtually and much more efficiently.

Other regular small business application include a paper organization software to streamline paper info stored with regard to your business, marketing efficiency software to track the efficacy of your communication activities, web management tool to own and operate your small business website and even small business application that are specifically individualized to help you secure loans from financial agencies.

Presence of Computers

Computers are everywhere. Be it a home, school, hospital, banks, offices, post offices, grocery shops, medicine shops or theaters, we can see the presence of computers evenly. The use of computers has become mandatory to make the works easier and effective. People face several technical problems related to computers, its uses and application in their work and at homes. Along with the wide use of computers, occurrence of problems has also increased.

Presence of Computers at Home

Computers and Internet is a part of every home in current modern world. It has taken place as an important and integral electronic Item. The necessities of computers are well known for every member of the family, kids want them for playing different games, and youngsters need a computer and internet for surfing or download music and gadgets of their interest, mature members of home need computer to check official mails or for simply being in touch with relatives, friends and other people. Even housewives use computers for learning new recipes, home decoration tips, and various other skills.

Presence of Computers at Offices

Computers are essential need of every office to perform the work in effective, timely and organized manner. At some places we cannot imagine an office without a computer like Banks, Railway Station, Airports, and Departmental Stores. The work volume and need for storage of data for future use is very important in these cases. The only option is to rely on computers to solve all the required purposes. In brief, we can say Computers are a part of almost every business installations.

Problems Scenario

Computers are electronic machines and like all other machines, they are prone to creating problems. The cause f problem can be anything, may be excess utilization of resource, mishandling, power problems, virus attacks or any physical issues. To solve these problems, larger installations like software companies, BPO organizations, banks, and government offices usually have an IT troubleshooting cell, taking care of all the problems.

But, it’s not possible for small businesses or home users to hire a full time IT troubleshooter for these problems. To solve their day-by-day problems, small businesses and home users contact nearest IT troubleshooting services providers. These troubleshooters do excellent job of helping out home users, and small offices to help them work in easier and effective way without being worried of future problems in their computers and internet connection.