Frequently Asked Questions

We have established relationships with many people in many software companies over the years.  However, we work for you, not them and take a completely unbiased approach to solving your issues. We have no financial ties to any software company.

Our rates vary depending upon the services required.  After our no-cost initial consultation, we will be able to give you a better idea of costs.

We are based in Fort Worth, Texas with access to DFW and Love Field. We can schedule on-site visits as required with proper advance notice. On-site visits are for a minimum of two days at customer site. Please note that all transportation, lodging and meal expenses are the responsibility of the customer.

In days of old, companies bought"accounting" software to handle their back office and perhaps front of store needs. Maybe this included Accounts Receivable, Inventory, Account Payable and Purchasing, and Point of Sale.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is now considered to be the complete set of tools needed to run every aspect of your business.  This includes accounting, human resources, marketing, manufacturing, payment processing, e-commerce, customer management, data analysis and projections, asset management and the like. A key feature is the ability to seamlessly share information between all these components.

You really need to have honest conversations with the ERP vendor and your team  before you commit to new software.  This will not be an inexpensive or simple process, despite what the ERP vendor tells you. Our experience is that you can expect it to take anywhere from 45-180 days depending upon many factors, such as:

• How complex is your business?
• Do you have multiple locations?
• Is your infrastructure up to date, such as internet access?
• Has your existing data been cleaned up?
• Are you moving from a competitor's system or a manual one?
• If moving from a competitor's system, will you have access to your data?  In what form?
• What sort of resources is the vendor willing to provide?
• Will you be provided on-site or on-line training?
• Is your ERP vendor understaffed or over committed?
• Do you have the resources in place that you will need?
• Do you have all the compatible hardware you will require?

There are many reasons that ERP implementations fail.

• Lack of preparation
• Unrealistic expectations
• Improper or insufficient training
• Staff apathy
• "Dirty" data presented for conversion
• Poor communication internally and with software vendors
• Poor ERP product selection
• Lack of project leadership
• Insufficient capital allocation
• Inadequate new system testing

There are many reasons that a project can extend beyond its original estimate.  They can be related to the software company team or even to your team.  We help identify the roadblocks and how to remove them to ensure a proper outcome. 

Computers in the cloud are actually physical computers located on someone else's premises, generally a data center.  There is a physical computer that you can touch that has your data, but it might be in Bangor, Baltimore or Bangladesh.  That is the beauty of the internet,  being able to connect to a computer halfway around the world.  Depending upon your software vendor, your data may reside in one or more data centers to ensure safety and availability.

To differentiate, we often refer to software on a computer that is "on-prem" meaning on your premises or "hosted" meaning in the cloud.  Clear, right?  Maybe not, so let me continue. 

With data centers, your data can be processed in many ways.  There can be one copy of the software running many company's data on a single computer.  In these cases, changes made to the software affect all. Think of your bank.  Your access can be browser or app based. Yet there is only one copy of the software serving everyone.  You may or may not pay for this access. When the bank's systems fail, thousands or hundreds of thousands of customers can be impacted.

In a multi-tenancy model, there is one copy of the software running on one computer (virtual or physical, yet another topic) processing many people's data.  Again, as there is only one copy of the software, changes to one affect all.  Also, a failure to one affects all. This is generally referred to as a Software as a Service (SaaS) model.  You pay for the privilege of using the software (a licensing fee) plus a hosting fee.

In the virtual processing model, a portion of a physical computer is dedicated to you and you alone.  Changes made to the software only impact your business and only your data resides on the virtual computer. This is more of the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model.  It is more costly than SaaS and generally for those who have serious data privacy and security concerns.

You need to understand what you are getting from your hosted solution and what to expect.  We can help decipher the technology terms and acronyms the ERP vendors like to throw around, but take little time explaining.

A brief history of internet connectivity

In the beginning (1980's),  internet access was made over a telephone line with a device called a modem on each end. This was rudimentary and the modem served the purpose of translating analogue data to digital and vice-versa.  It worked, but was painfully slow and prone to interruption.

Next we saw the introduction of DSL (Data Subscriber Line) in the early 2000's.  The telecom geniuses of the world figure out how to move digital data over the same line as your telephone at the same, but just at a different frequency. This used the same twisted-pair copper lines that had been in the ground for decades. Speeds were better, but in most cases do not quality as "Broadband" (see below). Unfortunately, this antiquated service is still all that is available in some rural areas of the United States.

Then the cable companies (mid 2000's) realized they could move internet traffic over their coaxial cable lines. As cable was laid to almost 65 % (90% today) of US households, it had the ability to bring internet to almost everyone. Still the problem was that it required actual copper cable to be laid in the ground and precluded many rural areas.  Speeds improved dramatically, but mainly on the download side.  Upload speeds still remained anemic. Cable has always been subject to data slowdowns during periods of high use in a particular neighborhood.

Next we saw (and still do today) fiber optics being used for the internet.  This is true Broadband.  Fabulously fast and always on.  If you can get it, great.  However, like with cable, it requires a physical cable to be put in the ground, mile after mile after mile.  You can be 20 miles outside a city center and not be able to get fiber. Remember that fiber can cost $30-$80,000 per mile (depending on capacity), so the telecom companies want to put it where they will have the most drops (house/office connections) to recoup the expense.

Satellite was supposed to be the answer for rural areas, but unless you have a 3-meter dish, you will no doubt have service interruptions due to atmospheric conditions.  It may be good for TV, but it is generally not acceptable for internet commerce. This may be changing as companies such as Space X (Elon Musk) continue to rollout Starlink, the chains of low-orbit satellites you may see in the night sky. A "blib" in your TV broadcast such as momentary freezing or signal loss may be aggravating to watch, but it will wreak havoc with data transmission.

5G and fixed wireless are available and generally use cellular signals to move your data.  Better than nothing, but not as robust as fiber. Great as backup, but generally avoided for primary access.  If you cannot get 5G telephone service in your area, you cannot get 5G internet. It is getting better as more and more towers are built. And yes, there are others that I have omitted here, but they were primarily used by large businesses with large budgets. 

So, what is your SaaS software vendor looking for? The first is a thing called latency.  That is how long it takes a signal to go from your computer to a central office internet hub and back.  Shorter is better.  Once latency gets over 100ms, people start to get concerned.  

Upload and download speeds are next.  Broadband is generally considered the ability to download at speeds of 25+ Mbps (megabits per second) and upload at 3+ Mbps.  Your vendor will measure (or ask you to) your speed to assure your ability to communicate properly.  If your speeds are below Broadband or your latency is too high, you may not be able to use a hosted solution and will need to look for an on-premises one.

If you are looking to have a content rich presence (video or lots of picutres, for example) or engage in e-commerce, you will almost certainly needs speeds well above the Broadband minimums.

We can certainly help you sort out all the options in your area and pick the one that is right for you.

You most certainly can take that path.  Just remember that off-the-shelf solutions are usually very limited in their functionality.  If you have special needs such as point-of-sale or manufacturing you will have to find a third-party provider who sells or licenses an add-on package to give you what you need.  You will probably get very little guidance.  This will most likely be a true DIY project.

A PMP is a Project Management Professional.  This designation is bestowed upon an individual by the Project Management Institute, the leader in project management certification after extensive study and successful exam completion.  PMP's must take annual training to retain their certification.