What are true
web-based tracking systems
This document
describes some of the primary characteristics of web-based systems and compares
with those applications that are simply “web-enabled”
The following views and
recommendations are those of the author WINN SOLUTIONS, Inc. They may not entirely reflect the opinions
and views of Datamation Systems, Inc or its employees.
Web-based Applications
Microsoft’s new .Net technology has
created a paradigm shift in the software business. The basis of computing has
become web-centric as a result of the benefits received when utilizing web
technology. This change is as significant as the move from DOS to Windows, and
the introduction of PC's into a mainframe environment.
Thriving Versus Surviving
Web-based products are thriving.
Their proven Return-on-Investment (ROI) and lower Total Cost of Ownership (TOC)
than traditional client/server based counterparts cannot be disputed.
The formula to assess ROI and TOC
has also changed because web-based products allow for the investment and
ownership costs to be distributed across multiple departments. Business
improvements and savings are also recognized across the entire organization’s
bottom line. These improvements and savings are ongoing as your business grows
and expands adoption of
web-based applications since the deployment
is not IS resource intensive and there is no large initial investment.
The 3 Defining
Rules of Web-based Products
1)
Web-based
applications require only a web browser, security, and access to the web site,
(intranet or Internet) for a user to connect and use the product.
2)
Web-based
products do not require any additional client/server companion products to set
up, maintain, or use the product.
3)
The
product resides on a web server.
Common Signs of a Web-enabled Application
A limited set of functions or
capabilities are available in the web browser product.
Terms to describe web-enabled
products are web viewer, web component, or web front end.
The product requires an additional
product or 'component', which is the traditional client/server application such
as the SCLogic “Speed Console”. The product cannot
'stand on its own' and 'cannot exist' without its counterpart.
Web-enabled products are typically
first generation initiatives by companies to provide some form of limited
access to their original client/server programs.
Benefits of Web
Technology
Ø Easy to Install: Web-based
applications are installed centrally on a single server. In an enterprise
environment, this means saving tens of thousands of dollars because there is no
need to visit each user PC to install the software.
Ø No Driver Conflict: Maintaining a client/server network is difficult
because you must install software on each PC. This often means hours of labor
during the installation process and after the fact to ensure that there are no
driver conflicts among the applications installed on the PC.
Ø Lower Database
Licensing Cost: A web-based product changes the
database licensing cost from a per-seat model to a concurrent user model. This
results in decreased deployment costs ranging from 25 to 75 percent. This will
result in a savings of several thousands of dollars in an enterprise
environment.
Ø Easier On-going
Maintenance: New releases of the software are installed at a central server, eliminating the need to
update each workstation. This significantly reduces the on-going maintenance
costs.
Ø Reduced Training
Costs: End users are already familiar with their
browser and its functionality. This provides a familiar starting point for the
end user making it easier for them to adapt to a web-based system.
Ø Minimizes Network
Traffic: A true web-based product operates more efficiently in a
network environment by minimizing the volume of transactions processed in it’s network. Users of the system receive only the
Web-Enabled
A review of tracking system
solutions on the market today will show that almost all companies, with the
exception of WINN Solutions WITS Tracking System, claim to have web-based
software when, in fact, they only have web-enabled software. The browser-based
modules they deploy generally have very limited capabilities. All of the core
functionality is still in their
traditional client/server products.
Web-Enablement
The world is moving very rapidly
towards web-based products and ones that are
web-enabled will not survive and are rapidly
being pushed out of the market by newer, more-powerful products. Web-enabled
products suffer some major deficiencies that will create significant problems
for the groups that deploy them. These problems include:
Ø Out-dated Approach: A web-enabled product merely continues the
traditional
approach to tracking. Items are entered
using a centralized approach with a traditional software product. This
Ø Second Product Required: A web-enabled product only provides partial
functionality.
Ø Training: Deployment of a web-enabled product has a major
impact on training. You
will need to train on two very different platforms: a traditional
client/server product for managing the content and a browser based product for
viewing, searching, and requesting. One objective of an enterprise system is to
‘keep it simple’. This means providing all the necessary functionality to the
end user in a single package.
Ø Greater Cost of
Deployment: In an enterprise application,
web-enabled products
are far more expensive to deploy because they will also require the
installation of the
at-client component. The more users you have, the greater the
deployment cost will be. Cost of deployment will also increase due to more
database licenses required and the costs incurred from installing the product
on every client PC.
Ø Replacement: Web-enabled applications have limited life in the
market and will eventually be replaced by more robust
web-based products. Product replacement is always an issue with end users
because the new version will have a different look and feel along with a new
set of functions. When you upgrade you will have to obtain more training and
deal with the disruption of a new system all over again. This problem can be completely avoided by going to a web-based product
immediately.
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