Best of Breed Technology

Technology - Selecting the Best

For most people the software that you see is made by Microsoft, Windows running your PC, Office for word processing, spreadsheets and email, and Internet Explorer for browsing the internet. So it is easy to assume that all software should be Microsoft. But actually there is a whole world of software out there in which Microsoft has limited or no involvement. In fact the largest IT company in the world is IBM, not Microsoft. Many people are under the impression that IBM is a hardware manufacturer, but in fact it has been selling off its hardware divisions and is now focused on software and services. IBM concentrates on software for businesses, the software that runs organisations and not the software that is seen by the consumer.

So selecting software should be about selecting the best of breed. In some areas that is easy: the parts that you see should be Microsoft, buying a system that requires you to write letters in something other than Word or one that requires you to abandon Outlook for your email would be wrong. In those areas Microsoft produces the best-of breed software. But when it comes to the software operating in the background the story is different.

For most not-for-profit organisations the internet is a primary route for the delivery of services and information, yet the internet is not built on Microsoft technology. Yes, you can run your website on Windows and a minority of websites does, but the primary technologies of the Internet are Unix, Linux and Apache. Why is this? The main reasons are security and scaleability. Nobody wants to become the next organisation to 'lose' the personal details of all of their members, donors or contacts. But at the same time offering online registration, amendment of personal details, payment and so on are both expected and desirable. They improve the service given whilst also cutting costs - getting the person to do the work themselves is in everyone's interests. Yet how can you reconcile these two? Giving access to data whilst ensuring that it is secure is the dilemma that needs to be solved. At APT we have worked with IBM to develop a web interface to our member relationship management software that is both scaleable and secure. A significant factor is to not allow the web server to access the database directly; all communication goes through a third server which controls the access rights from the web. The web server can only send specific requests; it is not possible for the web server to form its own requests to extract data. This means that even if the web server becomes compromised the hacker has no real access; there are no user names or passwords stored on the web server, no way of getting to the data.

On data security matters, with a customer base that includes The Scout Association, Age Concern and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers; we have followed a best-of-breed approach. Microsoft provides the front end software - the software you see and the operating systems and email servers - whilst IBM provides the database and internet connectivity. Microsoft is the leader in the provision of shrink-wrapped office software; IBM is the expert in secure internet communication. Together this makes an unbeatable combination. APT provides the member relationship management system Stratum Engage, utilising the power of Microsoft for the front-end and the security and power of IBM for the underlying database and integrated web elements.

George Land
Chairman, APT Solutions Ltd

Published in Civil Society IT Magazine - www.civilsocietyit.co.uk 

Date: 01/03/09

For further information please contact:

Helen Pomlett
Sales and Marketing Manager
APT Solutions Ltd
Tel: +44 (0) 1952 214000
Fax: +44 (0) 1952 214001
Email: helen.pomlett@aptsolutions.co.uk