How old is your business management software ?.........................

Companies can have strong reasons for keeping a business management system that is based on older, "legacy", software. But they should be aware.

It works, why change?

• The costs of redesigning or replacing the legacy system may appear to be high
• Retraining staff on a new system will have associated costs in lost time and revenue.
• The existing system is needed for normal business activity, so it has to remain available to avoid any disruption.
• The company may not fully understand how their present system works. This happens when the original designers of the system have left the company, and the system has either not been fully documented or documentation has been lost.
• The user expects that the system can easily be replaced when this becomes necessary.

Legacy systems will cause businesses operating issues going forward.

• If legacy software runs on out-dated hardware, the cost of maintaining the system may eventually cost more than the cost of replacing both the software and hardware
• These systems can be harder to maintain, improve, and expand because there is a general lack of understanding of the system
• The staff who were experts on it have retired or forgotten what they knew about it
• The staff who entered the field after it became "legacy" never learned about it in the first place.
• Documentation on the system may lost or lacking
• Integration with new software systems will be difficult because new software may be based upon completely different software language and technologies.

Security

• Legacy systems may susceptible to security breaches because updates to prevent hacking cannot be applied or were not applied as they should have been.
• If the business system comprised several individual software products delivering different functions such as Asset management, Personnel, QHSE and CRM for instance, all brought together in a “front-end” allowing staff to log-in each day, then security breaches may occur via any of these unsupported products.
• These issues can put an out-dated system at risk of being compromised by attackers or knowledgeable insiders. The company may fall foul of the GDPR rules, for instance, should personal data be released as the result of a successful hack.

Cost of not changing

Budgetary constraints often mean that companies do not address the need of replacement or migration of an Excel based or a legacy system.

They should consider:

• The increasing system support costs (people, software and hardware, all mentioned above)
• Take into consideration the enormous loss of capability, business continuity, and reputation if the legacy system were to fail.
• Security issues
• Staff issues related to having to work with an out-dated system
• Client audit issues

Decide to change and consider “Caiman IQ”

"Caiman IQ" is a proven, fully integrated digital Business Management s/w system which replaces "legacy software" systems or Excel, paper based systems

Caiman Software Developments Ltd product, Caiman IQ, offers following business management software modules:

You select and only pay for the modules you require.

No extra “add-ons” to get the real functionality you require and add more to the cost

1.        Document Management                          8. Purchase Order Register

2.        IQ Forms                                                 9. Timesheet Management

3.        Personnel Register                                   10. Supplier Management

4.        Process Mapping                                      11. Asset Management

5.        Actions and Audits - QHSE                     12. Performance Measurement

6.        Project Database                                       13. Query/Report Builder

7.        Customer Relationship Management       14 IQ Core

What you will get:-

• Avoid data entry duplication & paper-based system time delay
• Much improved document management, full revision tracked history, prevent costly errors
• Audits completed satisfactorily and faster saving costs and time
• Work tasks completed faster with greater accountability
• Improved staff job satisfaction
• Reduced personnel costs
• Improved operational efficiency & better productivity all round
• Track, link & report, assets & their utilisation, personnel record information, projects & processes, & QHSE compliance
• Effective data search & analysis across all modules, providing collated information & reports to support your Sales effort
• Support business growth, enables knowledge & experience sharing
• Raises your degree of client satisfaction, improving repeat business levels and working relationships
• Management of a comprehensive implementation plan, assisted data migration, testing, staff training, more testing & ongoing system support removing the stress and minimising any disruption to your business activities. It will work on the day!

The new alternative

There are many alternatives available. Companies should consider the actual functionality that they require from their replacement business software system, the real cost of the system, including any “add-on” features and the implementation cost.

We would love to discuss your requirements. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Iain Fullerton                  [email protected]              +44 (0)7479 393639