Software Design

Custom Software Design

Some days, computers seem to cause more
problems than they solve.  There is always the financial system that doesn’t integrate with the operational system, so data is entered into more than one place. Then there is the software that someone long gone made a decision to buy, but it is hard to use and training people on it is time consuming, and people hate it. There are new systems that are really nice, but the historical data is in an older system and hasn’t been migrated to the new application. And then there is always the systems that are so bad that no one uses them, but they hang around sucking down IT resources to maintain. Are you a middle manager at a company under pressure to solve an IT problem someone else created, but you don’t want to start from scratch and spend big bucks? Relax, help is on the way….

The evolutionary nature of the computer industry since the 1980′s and the first PC’s has left behind some smelly remains. Allowing everyone to build databases at the PC or client/server was a necessary step, but now we have all kinds of systems that contain redundant data. Just imagine how many databases are out there with your name and address in them, and how many

show something different? The real power from a software application comes when data is integrated, and multiple systems work together…that is how we accelerate your business to light speed!

NeoNexus offers out of the box services for some problems, but many customers need a custom solution. Whether its customizing a third party application, helping you figure out a legacy application for which the original programmers and documentation are long gone, or building software from scratch, we can help you with those nasty problems and get you back to doing more productive work.

The whole world is dependent on computers for their needs, and it would be almost impossible to identify a business sector that does not rely on computers and software applications for its effective functioning. Software companies are capitalizing on this situation and releasing applications that can be utilized for business planning, management and development. Unfortunately, all these software applications are generic and built by taking the common business structures into consideration. It follows that if your business hierarchy deviates from the standard or if your business spreads its wings off the beaten path, there is no guarantee that the software applications available in the market would suit your needs.

Having established a business, its norms and the company structure, the next obvious thing to do would be to get a business management software solution; this has to cater to your needs and function well in the business environment that you have set up. Every business is faced with a choice here – getting an available off-the-shelf software application or tailor-making a software solution to better suit your business needs.

The primary consideration in deciding between the two would be to analyze the flexibility of your business – in simple terms, you’ll have to decide if your business policies and processes can be altered according to what the software offers. More often than not, the answer would be negative, which impels you to custom design your software to meet your business needs.

Nobody ever goes in for a custom design word processor because of the simple reason that the available word processors provide everything that you ever ask for. By general definition, a business goes for a fully customized software solution if its business needs cannot be met by the available off-the-shelf solutions. Custom designing your software could be a tad expensive than the cost of purchasing an OTS software applications which comes with support and maintenance by the best-of-the-breed companies. Nevertheless, custom design software has its own merits:

• Meets your business needs and allows flexibility wherever required; satisfies all the business needs.
• Improves efficiency, productivity, and reduces downtime.
• Sets you apart from your competitors in the market.
• Provides better quality of service and better customer satisfaction.
• Facilitates employee interaction and better decision making.

Imagine this simple situation where your business needs the accounting department to have access to the quality-control wing and the production wing. Or maybe your work flow process is radically different than your competition.  It is not surprising that you cannot find what you need with a software application available off the shelf.

No business has a monopoly in the market, and it is the aim of every business establish itself as the best.  While your competitors struggle to change business policies to adapt to the software, custom applications could give you the edge to improve your market position.  A business’s efficiency and productivity are dependent on the software system that it uses to keep track of things. Not only does the quality of your service get better, but you start to kick your competition’s butt!

Customizing your software application can place you in a better position than the competition AND it can also improve the way you serve your customers. With the right tools, the quality of service can be enhanced. REMEMBER, an OTS software application offers the most conventional program which may NOT appeal to your customers. It is often better to redefine your way of customer handling and retention so that you can better serve your customers.

Apart from market share and customer satisfaction, there are other intra-business advantages. Your business software solution is not only an identity to people outside your business, but also a pride and a source of morale to your employees. This custom design software has been built around your business and incorporates features of several of your policies and processes,  It us easier for an employee to understand what they need to do, and the simple fact that it can be made to suit your business policies can be manipulated:

• achieve better transparency
• allow inter-departmental communication
• identify the most beneficial business processes
• better interaction between staff and the management.

It is also essential to integrate this application with all the different software applications used in your corporation to facilitate easy exchange of data and an overall efficient system.Custom software does NOT mean build everything from scratch.  We usually start with an OTS application as the base, and make changes from there.  Sometimes, hybrid systems are better than custom design software because of the complexity that is part and parcel of most accounting software development.  Don’t build your own accounting system…just make it play nice with other software!

While customers of OTS solutions would have to wait in line for resolution of a simple problem, support and maintenance will reach your doorstep within minutes of a system failure with a customized solution. This ensures almost zero downtime, leading to year-round efficient productivity.

Your custom software application can aid the management in important decisions too; with the right information processors integrated in the system, it would be easier for Senior Management to view reports, graphs and analyze how your business is performing. It could also aid you in easier and more tactical decision-making. Custom dashboard software enables the upper-tier management to get an eagle’s eye view of the company, carry out the appraisal processes with better efficiency, and find the problems fast.  Further, it can assist the business to expand in areas which were previously not visible. Typically, a custom design software application is flexible enough to adapt to your various business needs, and can be altered to meet your growing business needs.

Database Integration and Data Mining

Lots of databases out there….LOTS. How do we integrate them? First we use our “secret decoder rings” to crack the data model. It is amusing in a Stephen King sort of way how many applications are around that people know how to use, but have no idea how the data is stored. We figure that out. That step can be easy, or it can take awhile, but all databases eventually give up their secrets.. Once we understand the data model(s), then we can compare it to the systems that you want to integrate it with and do an analysis. Data may …will have to be cleaned as part of an integration, and that requires working closely with the business users. Then we establish a set of rules to migrate the data, move it, verify it, and you are up and running. Of course, that can take some time, but we can help you put together a business case to make sure the effort is worth it before diving in to the cold water.

Data mining is similar, but it often doesn’t involve integration…its just a matter of sorting through large datasets to find out what little gems of information can be extracted from the database. We crack the data model, slice and dice the data, and help you figure out some things about your business that you probably never even considered….based on data you have been collecting.

Located in Charleston, WV and Wilmington, NC, We offer custom software development services.