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
v 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.
v 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.
v 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.
v 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.
v 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.
v 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
information they need. Procedures stored on the network do all the database
work which minimizes the amount of horsepower needed at the client PC.
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:
v 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
v Second Product Required: A
web-enabled product only provides partial functionality.
v 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.
v 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.
v 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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