Business Software Guide To Selecting Software For Business The single biggest problem we see when purchasing business software is that it is not mainstream or well supported. In 2009 there is no reason you cannot buy a business software package that does what you are after, off the shelf. When we mean off the shelf, we mean all the way up to and including packages like SAP and MFG Pro. In reality, you cannot go into Target and actually buy this sort of business software "off the shelf" however we are talking about common software for business, that has a world wide following of companies in the thousands, this ensures the business software you choose is not going to shriveled up and cease to exist overnight. Another problem can be buying from growing local software houses. The application may be supported by the creator. Over time they may lose interest or move away. This means support can be very difficult to get. It also means you have created a major weakness in your business by relying on a single person that does not belong to your organisation. This is magnified exponentially if you rely on them for something vital like your accounting software. This also goes for technical support, make sure everything is well documented and ensure and exit strategy is in place so your business can carry on regardless of relationship breakdown or tragedy such as your I.T support person being mauled by a bush turkey. Standardise Hardware And Business Software Unless you want a great deal of aggravation and very high support costs, align all operating systems and business software. Get rid of any computers with Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0 or ME on them. Business Software Is Expensive Ask yourself this, Does the benefit outweigh the cost? You need to get used to the fact software, even though you cannot hold it in your hand, is on the whole expensive and accept this is the way of the world. Yes there are programs such as Open Office that don't cost anything, that is of course as long as you don't take into account ongoing support and training costs, then take into account that as good as it is, on a one to one comparison, in our opinion it just cannot compete with Microsoft's offering. Some others have opposing views which are worth reading if you think saving between $300-$600 per software license is worth the effort. Back to the cost of software, having spent nearly $100,000 on some software recently and not even receiving a box! We have come to the conclusion that if you want a good product, then you must be prepared to pay for it, its that simple. Piracy Of Applications and Business Software 
Business Software vendors such as Microsoft are cracking down heavily on software piracy.
|
