We also met with representatives of The Siroky Group at Book Expo America. The Siroky Group (of Toronto, Canada) owns Hi Point Software, a complete ERP solution for book publishers and distributors.
Our conversations with them confirmed the continued growth of their client base and we reviewed the satisfaction of their clients with their rapid modification policy. Essentially, The Siroky Group has a reputation for rapid implementation and release of client feature requests. When a client requests a new feature, its often added at no additional cost and rolled into the standard product. Where a competitor might charge $5K to add a single new field, TSG may charge nothing.
We also discussed their EDI functionality - a stand feature of their program - and why they don't advertise this feature. Whereas other solutions may require you to purchase an EDI module (and EDI translator software), these features are built into the Hi Point Software. Wow! With Baker & Taylor (and Amazon, B&N and others) requiring EDI order placement, confirmation and invoicing this feature will become a required feature for publishers and distributors, and Hi Point offers it for free.
Showing posts with label HiPoint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HiPoint. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2009
Friday, August 24, 2007
New Software Vendors - Risks and Benefits
Looking at a new software vendor, a vendor with a small but growing customer base?
At Kensai International, Ltd. we tend to prefer established vendors with a customer base of 100 or more publishers, that said solutions from new vendors usually offer unique advantages over that of more established vendors.
These advantages include;
a. Features not offered by their larger competitors.
Example, iPub ( http://www.ipubtech.com/ ) and HiPoint ( http://www.hisoftwareinc.com/ )solutions offer integrated EDI processing, a feature for which some competitors charge $15 to $25K.
b. Newer Technology
New vendors are more likely to have software built using the latest software development tools.
c. Lower Pricing
With newer solutions that have a small customer base there is a risk that they will be here today and gone tomorrow.
To evaluate this risk we recommend that a publisher consider three factors;
At Kensai International, Ltd. we tend to prefer established vendors with a customer base of 100 or more publishers, that said solutions from new vendors usually offer unique advantages over that of more established vendors.
These advantages include;
a. Features not offered by their larger competitors.
Example, iPub ( http://www.ipubtech.com/ ) and HiPoint ( http://www.hisoftwareinc.com/ )solutions offer integrated EDI processing, a feature for which some competitors charge $15 to $25K.
b. Newer Technology
New vendors are more likely to have software built using the latest software development tools.
c. Lower Pricing
With newer solutions that have a small customer base there is a risk that they will be here today and gone tomorrow.
To evaluate this risk we recommend that a publisher consider three factors;
- Is their customer base growing?
- Can they cover their operating expenses?
- Do they have "glowing" references?
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