IntegraSoft - Custom Software That Works

Real life examples of recent projects:

Problem: This large software development firm creates a business management system that runs on an IBM AS/400 (midrange computer). Many users of this system needed to extract data from the system into a variety of formats onto their personal computers for transmitting this data to individual suppliers. The company had a lot of expertise in AS/400 programming, but needed help in creating the "bridges" to the personal computer (Windows) world.

Solution: Integra Software was called in to craft a set of tools to communicate with the AS/400 and format data. We built a generic "interface engine" that could easily be expanded on as needed to accommodate whatever new suppliers needed to be added.

Benefit: There are now over 15 individual suppliers connected to the business system data via this interface engine. Adding new supplier interfaces is very simple, as most of the required programming is already part of the engine. The result is a very flexible, reliable system that works so transparently that users forget it is there.

Problem: A small, long-time "brick and mortar" business was moving to selling product via a website and was overwhelmed with their own success. Orders were coming in so fast they couldn't keep up with all of the data entry. Many times, the same data would have to be entered multiple times to facilitate invoicing, shipping and credit card processing.

Solution: We built several tools to cut hours from the daily data entry task. These tools interfaced with their existing QuickBooks accounting system, their online shopping cart, and a variety of shipping and point-of-sale applications they were already using.

Benefit: Business continues to grow, but the data entry task remains manageable. This "one guy plus two part-timers" can handle 2 to 3 times their old volume of business without adding new people. Costs remain low, profits are soaring!

Problem: A group of construction equipment retailers signed up together to sell parts and supplies via an e-commerce "portal" site, where buyers could go to locate a dealer in their area, order parts online from this site, and then pick up the parts at the local dealer. This required that each retailer have a way for the portal site to inquire on their pricing and availability in real time, as well as place orders using internet technologies.

Solution: We created a specialized web server application which processed the inquiries and orders by interfacing with their existing business system applications. This simple system was able to handle a large volume of transactions on ordinary PC hardware. It was built using "modules" which would allow future interfacing with other portal site, or with other business system applications, without a lot of work.

Benefit: The retailers were showcased on a professionally built and well-marketed internet portal site to sell parts world-wide. The logistics of handling inquiries and processing orders was reduced to a minimum through the automated processes we put into place.

Problem: A large manufacturing firm used an aging DOS character-based application for communicating orders through a proprietary network. This application was already deployed across North and South America, Europe and much of Asia and Africa, all places where the proprietary network existed. However, they now wished to deploy to parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands where this network did NOT exist, although the global internet DID exist. Until they were able to rewrite the application, they needed to still be able to use this old, DOS application for most of the data processing, but needed to communicate via more modern methods.

Solution: We created a temporary solution that allowed the DOS application to generate data files that could be securely e-mailed. We then incorporated automated procedures for sending, receiving and processing this data via a Windows e-mail client.

Benefit: The firm was able to expand their market into these new, remote areas where the old technology did not exist but where the internet did. This has worked so well that they have even delayed rewriting the original DOS application, thereby saving money.

Problem: A manufacturing firm utilized an older Windows database application that ran at 8 to 10 factories around the world. This application, created before the spread of the world wide web and the internet, used an elaborate, error prone method for merging and re-distributing these databases over their Wide Area Network (WAN). They wanted a web-based application that could run over the internet against a centralized Oracle database located at company headquarters.

Solution: We created a browser based application that replicated all of the functionality, including elaborate data validation and reporting routines. It was extremely lightweight, such that it runs efficiently even over slow, dial-up lines from around the world. Significant new functionality was added as well.

Benefit: All of the cumbersome replication procedures were eliminated, everyone world-wide works with current data, the centralized database is easy to manage. The cost of re-writing the application will be saved in less than a year with savings from ease of administration and with more current reporting.

Problem: A manufacturer of refrigeration equipment needed to generate accurate estimates for the cost of operating their equipment, so that dealers would be able to accurately provide sales quotes to end users on long term maintenance contracts. These estimates needed to take into account many different models of equipment, different labor rates, part pricing, inflation, currency exchange rates, and various taxes particular to certain countries. In addition, part pricing and job estimates had to be easily updated at many different locations. Proposals, once created, needed to be shared between users to ensure uniformity.

Solution: We created a standalone PC application that would run efficiently on a desktop computer yet be able to share data with other users of the application via the internet. The user interface had to be clean and easy to use for these non-technical service managers and salesmen, yet be powerful enough to allow for a wide variety of data entry and manipulation tasks.

Benefit: The application has received wide praise for both its power and ease of use. The price quotes are now easily generated, and give the dealers confidence when quoting long-range maintenance costs to large customers.