What IT things do you consider when looking at software?
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We are looking for a new Radiology viewing solution. Of course the docs have their list of desires, the radiology techs have theirs, but what should IT's be?
I have the following list.
Does not use Flash
Does not use Java (on the PC)
Prefer HTML 5 based
Does not require local admin rights
What is the upgrade/update plan
Mobile device accessible (Android and iPhone)
Supports IE, Firefox and Chrome (and why not - Edge too)Let's assume the server components will be hosted and someone else's responsibility.
Can you think of others? -
@Dashrender you pretty much nailed it.
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How frequently is it updated / patched for security (plays into lifecycle which you covered a bit)
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Local storage only
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Licensing terms / method
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Per user or per computer (licensing)
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How difficult is it to I implement / cut over to the new system.
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Can the existing images be imported into the new system. (Without much trouble)
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Non proprietary databases or other systems that make it difficult to move away from this product, would be another.
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Support should be here as well, single point of support, or can you get support through multiple channels
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@DustinB3403 said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
Non proprietary databases or other systems that make it difficult to move away from this product, would be another.
Sadly, this is costly mostly in time and fees.
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@DustinB3403 said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
Non proprietary databases or other systems that make it difficult to move away from this product, would be another.
This is a good one. How it is stored is important.
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@Dashrender said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
@DustinB3403 said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
Non proprietary databases or other systems that make it difficult to move away from this product, would be another.
Sadly, this is costly mostly in time and fees.
But less costly than being stuck and having no leverage.
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I'd also consider things like:
- Operating System platform. If it requires MS, for example, that cost needs to be factored in to the TCO. Both the cost today and the ongoing maintenance costs. It adds up and can't be overlooked. (Same if you have to Bring Your Own DB.)
- Agents. Do you have to install and maintain agents? Do they only work on Windows? If agentless (HTML based) then great. If not, think about your support time and lockin for using the agents.
- Modernity. Hard to tell. But does the software appear to be using modern tooling and methods? Does it have bizarre archaic requirements and dependencies? This is an indicator of if the vendor is still maintaining the product. New products are more likely, but never guaranteed, to have development staff still employed. Products that have gone a decade without an actual update and barely limp along are more likely to have had their developers depart and the company may easily be selling something that they cannot actually support either.
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@scottalanmiller said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
@DustinB3403 said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
Non proprietary databases or other systems that make it difficult to move away from this product, would be another.
This is a good one. How it is stored is important.
In this case, a closed black box. so I have no control/access to that data.
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@Dashrender said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
@scottalanmiller said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
@DustinB3403 said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
Non proprietary databases or other systems that make it difficult to move away from this product, would be another.
This is a good one. How it is stored is important.
In this case, a closed black box. so I have no control/access to that data.
Right. So that's a huge negative to consider. That's a worst case scenario.
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@scottalanmiller said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
I'd also consider things like:
- Operating System platform. If it requires MS, for example, that cost needs to be factored in to the TCO. Both the cost today and the ongoing maintenance costs. It adds up and can't be overlooked. (Same if you have to Bring Your Own DB.)
- Agents. Do you have to install and maintain agents? Do they only work on Windows? If agentless (HTML based) then great. If not, think about your support time and lockin for using the agents.
- Modernity. Hard to tell. But does the software appear to be using modern tooling and methods? Does it have bizarre archaic requirements and dependencies? This is an indicator of if the vendor is still maintaining the product. New products are more likely, but never guaranteed, to have development staff still employed. Products that have gone a decade without an actual update and barely limp along are more likely to have had their developers depart and the company may easily be selling something that they cannot actually support either.
For the OS, I assume you mean on the client side? I'm buying a SAAS, so it's pretty black box on the other side of things.
Good call on the agents, - but I did kinda cover that with my desire for HTML5.
Modernity - how do I test for this? Ask them what the platform is written? As for requirement, again, the server side is SAAS, so no clue, all I can see is the client side. There is an agent that can be run for more advanced features, but for mobility they are deploying it via Citrix - I don't believe the platform has an actual HMTL front end on it. -
@Dashrender said in What IT things do you consider when looking at software?:
For the OS, I assume you mean on the client side? I'm buying a SAAS, so it's pretty black box on the other side of things.
nd on it.Wait, SaaS? SaaS is buying a service, NOT buying software. It's specifically not buying software. So the whole discussion gets dramatically changed. The question should be what to look for when buying a service since you get no software.
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Damn - you're right - I'll make a new thread.
