Most of us have heard about the next big thing in IT: Cloud computing. Azteca Systems–Cityworks uses this technology as part of the platform for Cityworks Online (CWOL), one of our newest, Cloud-based products.
Cityworks has enjoyed steady growth over the years and has overcome many challenges along the way. For example, the IT demands of a growing company are constantly changing, which requires insight and careful planning. Adapting to advances in email, storage, content management, and collaboration is quite different today than it was even a few years ago.
One way we have adapted is to assign the majority of our IT workload to a Cloud service provider. An independent provider manages the majority of our email and document management needs in a private instance on their servers. Other tasks can be delegated to the provider as well, such as managing the exchange email server for a decentralized employee base. The Cloud service provider manages much of the hardware and software, which enables staff to focus on helping Cityworks clients manage their assets. It was immediately clear that we could offer the same advantages of Cloud computing to our clients—thus, CWOL was born.
CWOL requires minimal collaboration for the initial deployment, which consists of installing the software, configuring the industry-standard, out-of-the-box Local Government Templates (LGT), training, and rollout. The remote implementation can be done in weeks, not months, and the initial cost—both in professional services and resource allocation—is very positive. Once the software is running and the client is trained to use it, all of the overhead associated with maintaining the software is managed by Azteca Systems–Cityworks. The client can simply use the software to perform the daily tasks that Cityworks is designed for.
Another benefit of Cloud computing that has contributed to our steady growth over the past few years is that it’s scalable so it grows along with the organization. It is one thing to have a system in place that works well today; however, needs constantly change, and a hosted/managed environment allows systems to evolve quickly. The hardware that runs these systems must react fast to new stresses. The Cloud provides unlimited computing power to handle ever-evolving environments. With the majority of our back-office systems moving to the Cloud, continued and accelerating systems change is easily manageable.
Likewise, as clients evolve, CWOL allows new users to be added quickly and at any time. New employees are quickly productive. System performance is the same during peak times as off-peak times, without the need for large, on-site servers.
CWOL brings the benefits and savings of Cloud computing to Cityworks users everywhere. All software management and maintenance is performed by Azteca Systems–Cityworks employees, saving users time and resources. The solution is deployed quickly, allowing users to get to work faster than ever; and, the solution is easily scalable to accommodate growth. Asset management has never been so easy.
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