Of course not every application is written from the ground up from scratch for every client. All applications have a basic platform to work from with ‘bolt-ons’ aka modules added on in order to tailor the solution exactly to your requirements. Today’s software platforms are exceptionally well written applications that are easily amended. A good analogy of bespoke software is a box of Lego, the software app is the backbone of the model with the bricks acting as the additional functionality required to make it the finished article.

So what sort of business would need a bespoke software app? Well the answer lies in the business requirement. There are many typical requirements such as ‘online collaboration software’ ‘databases’ ‘EPOS for retailers’ and other standard issue software apps, but there is often the need for something a little more niche such that is industry specific.

The fashion industry is a good example. Importers of the latest fashion designs import dresses, gowns and other garments by tens of thousands. The whole process of design, production, shopping and retail stock allocation together with accounts needs to be monitored on a daily basis, you would be surprised how easy it is for a container of dresses to go astray!!! A software application created specifically for the apparel industry has the ability to monitor all aspects of this process. A web based application can be used by anyone in the world, meaning all activity is updated from the same centralised location and the software can also incorporate tracking information provided by a courier so shipping information can be tracked.  A centralised software application can also be tied into EPOS terminals which monitor daily sales, this information can then be collaborated in order to determine profit/loss margins, what items are popular/unpopular and also help to determine stock levels.

This all sounds complicated, but to be honest it isn’t half as complicated as it used to be. The above is a good example of how a bespoke software development company can implement a companywide software solution that can be of benefit to every aspect of the business, from sales to accounts.

Conclusions. Bespoke Software Development is now affordable for any type of business, and it can only help enhance your business as long as it is implemented correctly.

But is this really the case? Are we do completely do away with our local IT company and outsource to a cheaper alternative or will the local company around the corner always be required in order to avoid business critical downtime? The need for both remote and local support is up for debate; let’s take a look at the pros and cons;

Remote IT support is fine and it is true to say that most problems can be solved remotely, but there is one thing remote support relies on and that is network connectivity. If you internet goes down or your switch blows up then your remote is completely useless and you are left stranded. If you are based in London and your IT Company is in Birmingham then you could be facing many hours of business critical downtime, downtime that will render most business environments completely useless.

Another alternative is to outsource your day to day support to an overseas company and use a local business on and Ad-hoc ‘pay as you go’ basis so you are covering all bases. With this approach there are two things to consider, 1) Will the level of support you receive overseas be to the standard you require? And 2) what or of SLA will your AD-hoc IT support contract entail?

Let’s be honest, computer support companies don’t have engineers sitting around all day waiting for ad-hoc clients to call in with problems, they are all dealing with other issues. What guarantee do you have that they are going to be out onsite immediately if your network goes down? If your network goes down then can you really afford to wait until your IT company has a slot available for an engineer to visit, because unless you are paying through the nose for a priority service then you will be treated like any other client.

The solution is to find a local reputable IT Support company that can offer both solutions at a price you can afford. Dog around and they are out there I promise you, especially in cities and major towns. All professional IT Support companies will offer a mixture of remote and onsite services and using a local company will solve the problem of onsite support. The only thing you will have to consider is the price, you may have to pay a bit more than outsourcing overseas but the cost will be more than justified if you need emergency onsite support. Alternatively depending on the size of your business, you may want to employ a full time IT Manager, but be prepared to pay through the nose for that luxury….

Conclusions. Onsite IT Support will always be a requirement, no matter how much of your infrastructure you move to the cloud. Remote IT Support will always be the quick fix we all need, but it will never fully replace the good old foot soldier J

I have recently taken some serious stick from my colleagues about the way I dress; in fact it was getting so bad that I was considering putting in an official complaint to my seniors. However I decided against this after I spoke with my girlfriend. ‘You do look a little scruffy’ she said. Then the realisation hit me….

If my girlfriend is telling me that I dress like a tramp then I need to sit up and take notice, it was time to take some action and so I called up some of my friends to arrange for a shopping trip to take place. To my surprise everyone was very reluctant to go with me. Apparently I don’t take criticism very well at all and if anyone gives me an honest opinion then I don’t take any notice of it. If all of my friends didn’t want to go shopping with me then I must be doing something very wrong, we all get along very well and for them to refuse to go shopping with me anymore there must be a real problem and I must be a big pain in the backside to go out with…

One of the best friends told me to contact a personal shopper. Now I don’t have the loosest of purse strings in the world so I the idea of PAYING someone to help me shop does not appeal at all to me in the slightest. My friend ended up shouting down the phone at me, ‘call a personal shopper or I will call one for you!!’ was the message. So I googled Personal Shopper London and found a huge list of professional shoppers to choose from. I decided on which image consultant to hire and headed off for my consultancy.

Now I would be a challenge for anyone, even a professional shopper, but within four hours I had been told more home truths then I would wish to remember and I had visited more shops then I would usually visit in a month. By the end of the day I was knackered. Did I spend a fortune? No. Did I have a new wardrobe? Yes. I ended up with a collection of clothes that I would normally never even consider wearing, but when I actually tried them on I was surprised at how good I actually looked, in fact without blowing my own trumpet too much, I cannot believe how good I look now. Looking back, I really did look like a tramp and I am very embarrassed at the way I dressed, especially for work. Everyone has commented on how different I look now and no one can believe how much I have changed not just in my appearance, but also in my personality.

So if you feel that your wardrobe needs a makeover, I would consider the services of a personal shopper, I did and I haven’t looked back……