Software for Home Builders and Condo Builders

H.O.M.E.S. F.A.Q.: HOMES vs Web-based ASP

 

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Frequently Asked Questions about H.O.M.E.S. vs Web-based ASP Software

   
Q: Why should we use HOMES as compared to a web-based application service provider who will host our data for us?
A: There are many reasons that are not commonly known or referred to by web-based service providers:
  • Licensing: With HOMES you get permanent licensing for an unlimited number of projects, so you don't have to pay by the lot or unit for each project. (HOMES can easily pay for itself on your first project, and the fees for an ASP web-based application for a single project can easily exceed the one-time fee for HOMES.)
  • With HOMES you can host your own system, so you don't have to expose your data to 3rd parties and you are not dependant upon their systems in addition to your own.
  • With HOMES, when Internet access goes down, you are not left helpless at head office because you are not completely reliant upon it. With web-based/ASP providers you are completely dependant on Internet access for everything, and that means if your Internet, your ASP provider (or anywhere in-between) goes down your operation grinds to a halt until service is restored. (Most Internet Service Providers claim about 99% uptime which seems good, but at 99% that means you may be without service 3 or 4 days per year, and that may be multiplied by the number of providers/servers between you and your ASP.)
  • If your Internet connection is broken at the sales or site office, since HOMES is actually running at your head office there's no risk of data corruption or lost transactions because the program continues to run at head office and is waiting for you right where you left off when you reconnect. With remote desktop, you also have the option of sharing screens/sessions with other users regardless of geographic location at no extra cost, which is helpful for collaboration and assistance.
  • Much Better Performance (Less waiting): When accessing HOMES especially at head office, but also via remote desktop, you get faster performance (less waiting) as you are not sharing bandwidth with other builders, and you do not have to send large amounts of data via the Internet (encrypted or not) because with remote desktop you mainly just receive screen updates and you only send encrypted keystrokes. (Having to encrypt all your data (not only to remote offices but also to head office) increases bandwidth usage and slows performance, and with web-based systems more actual encrypted data has to be sent to you via the Internet from a shared server.)
  • Similar to web-based systems, HOMES does not have to be installed at remote sales or site offices, so you only need basic hardware: a computer with Internet access and a printer. HOMES need only be installed at your head office and we are happy to install and maintain it for you. (Typically updates only need be installed on your server since local head office workstations load the most up-to-date version from the server.) Remote users can access head office data using Remote Desktop technology which is already included with Windows, and is a free download for other operating systems like Mac®. (It is also available for iPad®.)
  • With HOMES you are not limited to viewing one task screen at a time as you are with web-based systems that must work with one web page at a time. HOMES can load multiple projects simultaneously, and within each project you can load multiple lots/units, lists and reports on the screen simultaneously which greatly improves productivity and gets the job done faster.
  • With HOMES there are less liability concerns regarding your customers' sensitive information since you can enforce your own privacy policy without concern for whether a 3rd party provider's policies and procedures measure up.
  • With HOMES Customer Service you can perform Pre-Delivery Inspections without the need for Internet access at the construction site. You still have full access to all the customization specifications for each lot or unit, and once the day’s inspections are completed, you can just connect from anywhere with Internet access and automatically synchronize with head office and generate the necessary work orders. No need for unreliable and/or expensive full-time Internet connections at the construction site.
  • Hardware requirements are very minimal and usually HOMES is implemented without any additional hardware purchases necessary. While hosting your own system does mean you should perform your own data backups, with the advent of the new USB flash drives etc, it is now a very inexpensive consideration and can be easily fully automated without the need to purchase any additional software. We are happy to help you set it up.
   
   

If you have a question not answered here or on the other FAQ pages, please contact us  at (705) 652-1999, or e-mail to: Sales/General Information.

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