Matching Lease Applications With Needs

What's the Best Choice for My Company? ... My June 11 Dispatch, EXTRA!  Two Fortune 500 Companies Need Help, generated dozens of comments (naturally) from service providers and software companies touting their wares.  Below I've excerpted two insightful responses. 

First, Georgia Perkey, who's with CB Richard Ellis' Strategic Technology Solutions group in San Francisco: "In my years of experience working with clients in the evaluation and selection of software, every company has about 10 to 15 key ... requirements.  The trick is to define these 'differentiators' ... involving all levels of users within the organization in the process. ... It is also important to understand the value proposition of a technology solution.  An integrated approach provides many advantages in terms of reaching across the enterprise -- reduction in duplication of activities, access to critical operating knowledge, and timely reporting.   However, for some companies, a point-solution will provide an equally attractive return on investment. ... At the end of the day the ability to establish an environment that supports and manages change -- whether it's the people, process or technology component of that change -- is what defines our success rate."

Second, Lyn Millner, CPA, who conducted independent software evaluations for a regional commercial real estate developer and now provides this service on a freelance basis in Ft. Lauderdale:  "I've analyzed ARGUS, Dyna, CTI, NewStar, Timberline, Skyline, Yardi, Great Plains and others.   My evaluations cover the basic (calling tech support and counting the rings) to the complex (building data models and testing the software to be sure it'll handle my client's needs).  So, which software is best for real estate portfolio management, lease administration, reporting, etc.?  I should know, right? ...

"Subscribers aren't going to like this answer.  It depends on so many things. ...  Like what you already use for budgeting, accounting and forecasting; whether your business includes a development component in addition to property management and asset management; your plans for growth and diversification; the sophistication of your users; how you'll convert your existing data; and what hardware and/or networking changes will be necessary?" ... OK, I better get to work!

--Peter Pike / ppike@pikenet.com