Solarcom Partner Services (SPS) is a master reseller agency for several global technology and telecommunications companies, such as AT&T, Qwest, IBM, Sun, Cisco and others. On one side SPS is faced with the challenges of managing these multiple vendor relationships, and on the other, managing a multitude of partner resellers, of which there are nearly 200. SPS was in a dire need of a system to mange its complex business model and processes. The principal problems needing immediate attention were Price Request/Order Tracking and Account Management/Commission Tracking. SPS looked at several options, from large-scale enterprise solutions (CRM derivatives such as PRM, back-office ERP, account management), COTS, ASP products (e.g. SalesForce.com) and custom built solutions from multiple vendors.
The major trade-offs in the decision making process for a solution were three-fold:
- The system had to be deployed in a short time frame, namely less than six months.
- The system had to be reasonably priced, due to budgetary constraints.
- The system, at the minimum, had to address the "hot spots": Price Request/Order Tracking and Account Management/Commission Tracking.
SPS soon realized that no single COTS or large-scale enterprise product (e.g. ChannelWave PRM) could satisfy the requirements to the extent necessary for quick deployment. The customization and implementation effort in addition to the cost of these products would far exceed the designated budget and would push the timeline beyond what was acceptable. As a result, SPS decided to build a system specifically designed to meet the needs of their business. They contracted Objectware to analyze, design and implement a system that would immediately help their operations, and yet allow for extensibility in the near future.
Objectware met the challenge head on: it quickly identified the most problematic areas and designed the system such that those areas would be remedied first. By taking advantage of new development techniques involving close customer participation and small, interacting developer teams, Objectware quickly came out with an operational system reflective of what the customer actually needed and wanted.
During design and development, Objectware relied on its extensive experience in enterprise computing when it came to choosing methodologies, platforms, technologies and architectures. It opted for some of today's most widely accepted and supported tools and processes:
- Extreme programming style of development (XP)
- Web-based user interface
- Standard RDBMS engine
- Java2 programming platform
- J2EE components (JSP/Servlet, JavaMail, etc)
- Open Source development tools (Tomcat, Eclipse, Ant, FOP, etc)
- Open Standards (SQL, XML, XSLT, SSL, HTTP)
- Vendor-supported deployment tools (WebSphere, DB2)
The entire effort, from conception to deployment took approximately five months. The resulting system met or exceeded SPS' requirements and was completed within budget. The system has an open, modular architecture and is easily adaptable to SPS' dynamic business. The resulting relationship between Objectware and SPS is also a huge positive. It is based on mutual respect, appreciation and a long lasting cooperation.