Commercial Integrator December 2022 - 26

Software
platforms like Zapier. Ultimately, from
Loucks' perspective, true end-to-end might
be unattainable. As he puts it, " You won't
find one software that works for everything,
but, with a savvy IT organization, you can
bridge the right tools together in the way
that best meets your needs. "
ASD's Castiglione picks up that thread,
affirming the difficulty of finding a onesize-fits-all
software solution. From his
perspective, integrators' lodestar should
be looking at their business' unique DNA
and assessing what makes sense for them.
Emphasizing that healthy companies are
not static, Castiglione notes, " Depending
on the size of your business, you need more
analytics/dashboards to manage different
groups as you grow and scale. "
Leveraging integration companies' inhouse
expertise might be foundational to
ensuring that those firms' software toolkits
are optimized. Spinitar's Wahid, who earlier
discussed his company's reliance on Q360
solely, reaffirms the company's reliance on
end-to-end software but adds, " I wouldn't
necessarily call it 'turnkey,' as we have
made customizations that align with our
proprietary processes, which are critical to
Spinitar's success. " On a similar note, Quasebarth
explains that, long ago, Mechdyne " ...
undertook development of tools to optimize
business operations, merging well-known,
cloud-based CRM platforms with organically
grown systems tailored to meet the specifics
of [our] unique business requirements. "
Abandoning, Bringing on Software
Next, the conversation turns to why
integrators abandon a piece of software or
bring on a new software tool. Reflecting
the migration away from heavy wares and
toward smaller-footprint, nimbler solutions,
Mechdyne's Quasebarth says, " Gone are
the days of standalone, heavy applications.
Anything that isn't web-services-based is
out of here! " ASD's Castiglione adds, " We
abandoned all our on-premise software for
cloud apps. " Meanwhile, L3AV's Loucks
focuses less on software solutions' footprint
and recenters the conversation on whether
they're extensible. He explains, " The primary
reason we abandon a piece of software
is due to a lack of flexibility/extensibility. "
Loucks notes, however, that L3AV also
26
tends to be an early-adopting integrator.
" So, " he adds, " sometimes, the tool or the
vendor [just] doesn't pan out. "
Meanwhile, among the dozen or so factors
that L3AV considers when evaluating a
new software tool are use-case fit, usability,
extensibility (APIs, SDKs, etc.), cost, security
and peer reviews. " Software requests are
processed by my team via a Change Advisory
Board (CAB), " Loucks says. " We review the
architecture, alternative vendors, user management,
license expenses, etc., and make
a decision. " He emphasizes the speed with
which L3AV moves, saying decision-makers
are loath to " hold the business back. "
Spinitar likewise offers insight into its
software-onboarding process. Wahid says it
involves a leader in a particular area presenting
the need for a new way of doing something
in their own area of expertise. " They
would present why we need a way to do this
and/or why our current method of doing it is
not doing a good enough job, " he explains.
Then, that area leader, in concert with the director
of IT and other stakeholders, works to
evaluate available solutions on the market.
" The director of IT [is] involved to ensure that
the solution that gets recommended/chosen
is capable of integrating with our other
systems, " Wahid explains. " The proposal
for this solution would be presented to the
leadership team for approval. "
Meantime, according to ASD's Castiglione,
his firm makes software-investment
decisions by developing an internal
evaluation team for key stakeholders.
That team creates a list of wants and
desires, and then it compares products to
assess suitability. " The internal evaluation
team presents their findings to the larger
team and a decision is made, " he adds.
Software Solutions for Clients
Now that we've built a foundation of how
integrators utilize software to optimize
their own operations, let's turn to how
Solutions360: Software Gives
You Visibility to Your Business
As a business owner, you need reliable visibility into how your organization is doing.
› What are our margins?
› Is our staff fully utilized?
› What new business is coming in?
› Do we have capacity to take on work?
› Is our backlog growing or shrinking?
› Do we have enough cash to support our growth?
› The list is not a short one....
So, how do you gain better visibility? First, look at your processes: Having
workflow-driven processes that align with how staff work is the first step. Removing
stagnant silos of information is the second. One giant leap forward is to centralize your
business information into a single, unified ERP system.
A purpose-built system will have formal processes built in, allowing you to effectively
measure performance and see how work is affecting margins in real time. You will be
able to plan with a high degree of confidence because the system is driving the information
and building a more complete picture.
Utilizing a solution like Q360, you will squeeze out the lag time of waiting on
critical information coming from across the organization. You will be presented with
real-time, complete and in-context information that you can make sound business
decisions based on.
With Q360, you know where you are and where your business is going. And when
inputs change that affect your business, you will be in the perfect position to pivot and
plan accordingly.
Our goal is to become our customers' most valued business partner, and we look
forward to proving how we can become yours.
Commercial Integrator DECEMBER 2022
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Commercial Integrator December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator December 2022