These days we are all used to using the Internet from many different locations. We take for granted the flexibility it provides to access what we need, from wherever we are, using whatever PC happens to be available. This might be in our own or someone else's office, at home or even an Internet café.

So if you are thinking about selecting a new system, one of your key considerations is bound to be whether or not you will be able to access the system from a variety of locations, either over the public Internet or some form of private network or Intranet.

Ask the property software suppliers if their products can be accessed over the Internet and their answer will almost certainly be "yes". But how do they achieve this?

Broadly, there are two different ways that a system is likely to be provided to users over the Internet.

The software supplier may have specifically "web-enabled" their product. The property system will be designed to operate as an interactive web site and you will be able to read and input property information through a standard web browser. It may look something like Amazon or any other business web site, or it may have been designed to look something like a normal Windows system. Behind the browser will be a web server and behind that an application server. All you as a user will need is a PC or laptop with something like Internet Explorer, plus an appropriate Internet or Intranet connection and security rights.

Alternatively, "thin-client" software may be employed. You will see the same screens that you are used to in the office and they will not necessarily look like a web site. The standard property system will run as normal on its application server, and thin-client software "translates" the screens you use from your server across the internet and onto your remote computer. The thin client software actually sets up and manages a separate "session" for each user on the server. You will need to load the thin-client software on the PC or laptop you want to use and, once loaded, you can access the "session" over the Internet or Intranet. The concept is similar to that of an old-fashioned dumb terminal to mainframe connection.
The most common thin-client software available is supplied by Citrix, and this sits on top of, and enhances, Microsoft's own Windows Terminal Services thin-client. There are other cheaper products, for instance from Tarantella, but these are less well-established. Thin-client software may even be an integral part of the system environment the property package supplier ships with their product.

Does it matter to you which method the supplier has chosen? In theory it does not but you might wish to consider the following points as a minimum.

The thin-client method normally relies on an extra element of software on the PC you want to use. While this installation is relatively simple to achieve, and may even be possible automatically, you might want to use a PC where it is not available or installation is not permitted, for instance in an Internet café or at a client. This is not an issue you are likely to encounter with web-enabled software requiring only a standard browser.

Thin-client software potentially adds some additional overheads. Citrix licence costs are not cheap but this may soon change because of new competition in the market following Tarantella's acquisition of Citrix rival, New Moon Systems. On the other hand, if the thin-client software is an integral part of the property system it may represent no extra cost. You will also need to consider the costs of a probably complex initial set-up, and any extra ongoing support overhead.

Your organisation may have already implemented a thin-client infrastructure for other systems, and this will certainly be a factor to take into account since you may already have the necessary software licences, infrastructure and expertise available. Thin-client technology often brings additional features such as centralised password management for all your systems and this can represent a cost effective way of implementing this extra security.

You may also be thinking about remote access to specific functions on devices other than normal PCs or laptops, for instance on PDAs or tablet PCs. This is clearly a developing trend, and whichever option you choose there are a similar range of considerations with both solutions.

We have not yet mentioned reporting. Property systems suppliers often make use of 3rd party reporting tools (Business Objects, COGNOS, etc) to create and print reports as part of their offering. Whether web-enabled or thin-client, consider carefully how these fit into the overall solution.

There maybe technical issues; there may be licence issues. Some thin-client solutions in the past have been less than perfect when it comes to properly directing reports from the server to your local printer. And remember that a 200 page report is 200 pages worth of data that has to be transferred over the Internet or network whatever the chosen access method. Make sure your connection bandwidth can cope.

You will also want to ensure that the level of security you require can be provided (and it almost certainly can be whichever method is employed), particularly if you are accessing your system across the public Internet.

Different property system suppliers have taken different approaches.

A minority have fully web-enabled their products; that it is only a few is not surprising since it takes a significant development investment to reengineer to this extent.

Some suppliers have assumed that core system functions, particularly data entry screens, will only be used centrally and not over an Internet or Intranet connection. Consequently, they have developed specific web-enabled functions, but often enquiry only and sometimes to provide only summary and management information.

Other suppliers rely completely on thin-client technology to deliver their standard systems.

There is another interesting option for access to a system over the Internet. GoToMyPc, now a Citrix product following their acquisition of Expertcity Inc. last year, enables you to access your office PC desktop from any location connected to the Internet through a web browser. Once connected, you can use any of your systems as though you are sitting in the office at your PC, even sending reports to a printer if you have one close by. Like all "remote-control" solutions, performance will depend on the speed of Internet connections, but if you are looking for an easy way to get secure remote access up and running from any location over the Internet, this is an option worth investigating. For a small number of licences, the software is available on a subscription basis, and there is no other extra infrastructure required.

In conclusion, you will need to decide what are your specific needs and question in detail what the property systems suppliers tell you. It is impossible to tell which of these technologies is truly "future proof" and which may require replacement in five years time. However, all the approaches outlined above work and suppliers will be able to direct you to reference sites which function well.

As ever, good preparation and planning are the keys to selection. Work out how you use remote access now and make a plan for future use based on your actual needs. Once you have established these needs, it will be easier to validate each approach, and each supplier's proposal against your needs. In this way you can take control of the selection process, implement a solution, and move on to your next business requirement.

 
Mark Jones is a Consultant with Remit Consulting, specialising in helping property organisations use information more effectively.
Before joining Remit, Mark headed the IT team at MEPC, a major UK property company, managing a team of 20 staff to develop and support the company's systems. Contact tel: 020 7969 2738

 
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