Advice to Ufanisi SoftTech Co. Ltd on Use of Database S/W

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Advice to Ufanisi SoftTech Co. Ltd on Use of Database S/W

The contemporary society is very dynamic due to the constantly changing trends in the field of information and communication technologies. Organizations and individuals who want to remain relevant have to adopt the technologies and change with the changing times. Ufanisi has the opportunity to get back the lost glory by adopting the available, unique software solutions. There are some few things that the company must do in order to optimize in the use of its corporate information resources.

The most fundamental starting point is ensuring that there is e-readiness on the part of the company management and staff. The company must do this by ensuring a creation of an electronic friendly environment that favors the use of the new software technologies. The database will be used by the company staff and they must get the necessary training to equip them with the relevant skills to make effective use of the technologies. Accordingly, the company has to consider training the staff to make them ready to use the technologies. This will also eliminate the possibility of resistance to change that rocks many organizations and prevent them from using the available technologies.

The management must fully invest in the software resources and think seriously about their future maintenance. They have to set aside adequate funds to procure both software and hardware resources. It is important to note that the software will run on a hardware platform. When the company thinks about the software, it must also focus on the accompanying hardware. The two must necessarily be compatible to avoid foreseeable failures that may deal the processes and functions of the company serious blows.

Having ensured that there is adequate hardware infrastructure, the company will embark on the acquisition of unique software that will address the current problems. Software selection is a challenging task. Installation may not be difficult as it is just a day’s or few days’ affair. However, the maintenance of the software may even be more challenging than the acquisition. The company, therefore, needs to have professionals to guide the process of selection and installation. Again, a decision must be made on whether to use an in-house system or buy one from the vendors. In making such a decision, the pros and cons of both must be carefully considered to avoid making avoidable mistakes that will render the system unusable. Building in-house database software may be time consuming and quite cumbersome and equally expensive, but it may respond quite well to the company needs. On the other hand, acquiring the software from the vendor is easy and does not consume much time or effort. However, it may not be in tune with the prevailing company problems. Therefore, the company must be careful to establish a good software database that is both affordable and responds to the needs of the users.

The selection of the software should be guided by the needs of the users. It needs to have a user friendly interface. To avoid the future problems that may render it unusable, it ought to be well tested. Testing should be done as soon as a decision is made on the system to use. Testing will reveal the possible challenges that users will meet once the system is installed. The identified challenges should then be addressed amicably or a decision made on whether to go for another system. It would be a waste of time, money, effort and other resources selecting a system that will fail almost immediately after its installation.

There are many other considerations that must be made about the database software. The software needs to be compatible with the available hardware platforms. Moreover, the ease of use of the software must be considered. It should not be so complex. It needs to be simple enough and solve the intended problems in its simplicity. The software robustness should also be a fundamental consideration in ascertaining its usability. The selection team must carefully analyze the features and functionality of the system. It should support various functions at the same time. The ease of integration with other systems should never be forgotten as the software may be used with others in the same platform. If these considerations are not made, there is a possibility that the company may install a system that is prone to failure, rarely responds to user needs and offers low user integrity.

It should not be lost in the mind of the management of the company that the database software will require superior maintenance to guarantee its long time use. It will be economical for the company to employ a qualified database software administrator to help with the maintenance. He should be assisted by a team of qualified hardware maintenance personnel to ensure that both the company hardware and software work effectively and efficiently. The maintenance of the database software is a critical stage that cannot be taken for granted. If it is not maintained properly, the resources that were invested in it will go to waste. Of great importance is the security of the system. It should be well secured from unauthorized access, viruses and warms that may interfere with its functionality.

The company can be assured of regaining its competitiveness, productivity and reputation at the face of the changing times and circumstances by adopting the workable database software. The lost opportunities will make no sense in the future that will be bright for the company. Challenges abound in the use of the software, but the company must tackle them effectively by creating an environment that favors the adoption.