I recently met with Interprise UK, which sells a new type of business application suite that takes the ‘smart client’ route of addressing UI concerns for those who believe the desktop provides a better interface to users for certain functions than the browser, which is typically used for SaaS applications.
Developed in the Philippines, Interprise makes use of Microsoft SQL Express Microsoft’s no cost database. Interprise uses the technology to take advantage of ‘disconnected data.’ This means it doesn’t hog network bandwidth to keep things ticking along. It doesn’t maintain an open connection to the central database but simply opens and shuts the connection gate as and when required.
The really drop dead cool feature is its plug-in architecture. This allows developers to write custom code so that application extensions just work, rather than have to be engineered for integration and upgrades. That provides a much faster track to market than is usually possible with traditional application extensions. This last point is important.
When applications are upgraded, there is a usually a collective breath holding to see if customisations developed for earlier versions of the core application still work. A plug-in architecture overcomes this by shielding the developer from deep plumbing. This is fine for the SME market where process control and bespoke processes are less of an issue than in the larger business. However, I’d want to see this in action before going all dewy eyed.
The technical story around this can be found here. As an aside, I wish they wouldn’t use the word ‘amendability.’ It’s hard to say and no-one really knows what it means.
Interprise is aiming at the 1-50 person business ready to move on from Sage 50. This is a tough market for anyone though new faces can succeed. Sage has a weak spot in this segment and I estimate that translates into at least 5,000 low hanging fruit opportunities each year.
Given Interprise UK is owned and run by former Sage VARs, I’d expect them to do well provided they can attract an ecosystem of developers willing to develop plug-ins. It should mean that plug-ins developed independent of one another will work together inside the Interprise system. It should also provide a route for UK Top 50 firms to consider offering deeper consulting engagements with SMBs than are usually available. That’s because the opportunity to provide innovative solutions becomes more attractive. Prices will be lower and as a consequence, I’d expect to see much wider use of customisations than is usual in today’s SMB market.
My one real ding is that it is Microsoft platform only. It means that when I test the latest version (hopefully within the next 2 weeks), I’ll need to reboot my PC. Something I’ve not had to do for nearly a year.
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