Software applications built for the Microsoft Windows platforms are what most businesses are using today, and there are thousands in existence built to meet every conceivable need. And yet, rather as with the hundreds of television channels available on cable or satellite, let alone “Internet TV”, how many of them hit the target of giving you what you want?
Asckey Data Services Ltd specialises in providing effective bespoke business solutions that reflect exactly what your business is and how it functions. The Microsoft Windows environments allow us to deliver attractive, user friendly and highly responsive bespoke applications ranging from the simple to highly complex.
We use advanced development systems that, building on our long term experience, allow us to deliver accurate, reliable and maintainable business database applications in the shortest possible time scales.
The Framework
Our development process is based around the idea of a common application framework. This covers all the fundamentals of development, from maintaining consistency of look and feel, through making it easy to ensure that your data is kept consistent and accurate. Allowing us to develop applications for any target database (though if you have no specific preference yourself we will use the Microsoft SQL server database). Regardless of your application data format, we can forge 2-way links to any other database that your applications need to get data from or update.
Our development tools provide us with a basic business applications development framework which is in use and proven around the world, with a global community contributing to support and future development. We ourselves are the primary source of support for this community in the UK, and we are a major contributor of techniques and enhancements, all of which gives us unrivalled experience in putting the framework to use in both our own application development, and in developing applications for our clients.
The Development Process
Our bespoke development process starts with this framework, and customises it to your needs, as the first step in delivering an application that will match how your business operates. With that in place, development concentrates on what you need – your business data, where it comes from (data entry, other systems, the Internet), how it is processed (into orders, production instructions, resource management, etc) and how it is to be made available in ways that will enhance your business management potential.
Deployment
We build systems that will be installed in your business and owned by you. These can range from applications for a single user to applications used by hundreds of users as all our applications are inherently multi-user, and our systems staff have years of experience in installing and maintaining software on large and sometimes hostile networks.
Single or Multi Site
Consolidating business systems into one installation, accessed from any branch (even from around the world) as well as from HQ is something that is happening increasingly, especially with today’s powerful application servers and Internet mediated communications. We can build applications that allow for both local line management and “global” strategic management. and can help you deploy them in any situation ranging from a single location, to secure UK wide or even global access.
Support
No serious, hard worked business application can survive without some routine maintenance. The Internet can make this very easy for us to provide, and we can offer a fully managed system even if installed entirely at your premises.
Application Hosting
The ultimate in ease of deployment and support is to leave it to us! We provide secure Windows application hosting to many highly security conscious establishments in the UK, as a fully managed service. We operate and maintain the application, all you need to do is to use it.
Windows and Web?
While bespoke Windows desktop applications remain the most effective means of delivering complex, feature rich business solutions that exactly match your needs, the opportunities provided by the Internet are not to be ignored. Increasingly there is a need to make information available in a public context, allowing your customers or business partners to directly interact with some aspects of your business applications, perhaps to place orders, track progress, look up information and much more. This is not only popular with them, as it allows them to work with you "at any time, from any place", in many cases it can give you considerable administrative savings.
Our application framework has the further advantage of providing a common code base for both Windows and web applications. This means that your perhaps complex and data intensive "back office" functions can be in Windows, while your catalogue, order process, etc, which are usually relatively much simpler can be provided directly to your clients as web applications. Any web generated transactions are controlled by exactly the same underlying application code. More on this on our Web Development page.
The Long Term
Business does not stand still. Allowing your business to be constrained by a “frozen” system that can only do what you perceive as needing today is not a sensible option. Think back ten years. Has your business changed? – of course it has!
We expect to be with you for the long term and our framework approach means that our applications are easy to maintain and extend.
Without that long term commitment (on both sides of course), bespoke software will not succeed. For the freedom to develop your business, to adopt new ways of working to meet new challenges - bespoke business software guarantees that you will be able to do what you want to do, not what an off the shelf product dictates you should do.