bSOLVe recently announced the release of its new set of rapid-deployment productivity solutions based on the SharePoint platform, appropriately named SharePoint To-Go.
Says Martin Hattingh from bSOLVe: "It's a common problem. We constantly have conversations with businesses who understand and appreciate the SharePoint vision and benefits; but either don't quite know where to get started, or don't have large budgets to dedicate to one or more custom system projects. We wanted to lower the barriers to entry, and over time, devised a new approach to catering to these types of requirements. In a nutshell, that's how SharePoint To-Go was conceived."
The bSOLVe team realised early on that custom configuration has a role to play, but that not all needs warrant the time and cost involved with such an approach.
In current times specifically, there is definite demand for an approach that is recession proof. In many instances, most businesses face fairly similar operational challenges, regardless of the industry they're in. "Of course, this thinking is not new. It's why off-the-shelf products exist," adds Hattingh.
"Often, however, off-the-shelf doesn't really cater to requirements. There's an element of customisation required, which is where we stepped in." bSOLVe sums up the formula for To-Go as "Software + Services = Productivity". Using a Software + Services approach dictates that off-the-shelf is only a starting point, with implementation, customisation and training adding the crucial value needed to round off the solution.
"What we've essentially done is identify a set of common problem scenarios and built very specific packaged solutions for them."
So, how does it work in practice? bSOLVe deploys a proven template and set of components, customises it with a few tweaks based on a short analysis session, and then trains business users to maximise their use and benefit of the solution. All of this happens within as little as one day. Several To-Go solutions are currently available:
* Intranet To-Go
* Asset Tracking To-Go
* Project Management To-Go
* Helpdesk To-Go
* Contacts Management To-Go
* Sales Lead Pipeline To-Go
Intranet To-Go, for example, is an end-to-end Intranet solution, which delivers a basic intranet through a process of needs assessment, installation and structure configuration. On top of this, clients are able to choose from dozens of components such as news feeds, birthday reminders, weather forecast, phone extension search and various feedback gathering tools.
The SharePoint To-Go moniker has been used for a couple years within bSOLVe, originally applied to branding what's now known as Intranet To-Go. "We realised recently that SharePoint To-Go is more of an approach than a solution per s'e, so have repurposed the name to denote all our rapid-deployment SharePoint solutions," says Riana van der Westhuizen, Sales Account Manager at bSOLVe. "Our existing clients used to hearing about SharePoint To-Go will be pleased to know that they now have even more options available to them."
SharePoint To-Go is accessible to businesses in all industries, with the initial set of solutions aimed at being a hint of what is planned to be a constantly evolving solution stable.
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