The Technical Architecture (Oracle/Apex)
Issue - We had to be able to overcome any major previous inadequacies and utilise a platform that would enable us to keep ahead of our competitors.
- Apex offers a significantly improved and consistent "look and feel".
- The use of metadata ensures faster development and enhancements.
- Significant improvements to security considerations.
- Integrated interactive reports engine revolutionises the Aspasia reporting facilities.
- Integrated graphics engine permits the creation of useful charts and graphs.
- Being part of a worldwide developer community ensures that we keep abreast with future developments on the Internet.
- The existing underlying Oracle database structure remains largely unchanged.
The Industry Challenges
Issue - We had to provide a solution that would ensure our customer's long term viability in the face of new innovations and threats. - Traditional aspects of agency practices are beginning to be questioned and alternative solutions based on new digital methodologies are emerging just like elsewhere.
- Many foresee that, just as the marketing of property has largely migrated to the Internet, agency services will appear in a new hybrid form using both new and old ways combined to varying degrees.
- The letting market particularly is becoming rapidly largely comprised of a younger element brought up in a new digital world where easy access to and sharing of information is the norm.
- People expect higher levels of both automated and personal services at a time and place to suit themselves.
- Adapt or die as they say.
The Computing Environment
Issue - We needed to carefully consider where computing is going in order to ensure Aspasia's long term viability. Significant changes are taking place but foremost is the unstoppable migration of computing from the desktop to the Internet.
- After 20+ years of worldwide dominance Microsoft is now close to being overtaken by more visionary rivals such as Google.
- Microsoft is now paying the price for largely ignoring the Internet and defending the desktop for so long and is considered by many to be playing catchup.
- New hardware devices such as netbooks and smart phones are effectively using the Internet as the "operating system" and rendering our dependence on powerful desktop computers increasingly redundant.
- People and businesses are realising that they don't need to play at being IT experts any longer and are leaving it to the experts, focussing instead on their core areas of skill, interest or expertise.
Consumer Expectations Issue - We needed to identify potential changes to current practices and to provide innovative features which would keep our customers ahead of their competitors and in turn meeting the changing needs of their customers. - As consumers our lives are being changed by the online experience. Whether it is banking, insurance, shopping, travel, government and council departments, whatever. We now expect to do everything online. Why should estate and letting agencies be any different?
- As sure as night follows day agencies must adapt or die.
- However, we are not just talking about filling in forms. The modern generation expects to be able to communicate more easily, share information and experiences, take charge of transactional processing and much, much more.
- Every aspect of agency work needs to be questioned to see if there is a better, more modern way of doing things.
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