It’s about the money

Let’s start thinking about the ways you spend your annual IT budget. How much is wasted on simply maintaining the user licenses for software that supports your business practices? And while we’re on the subject, how well does that software align with your specific needs? At KTC we’re skilled and experienced in modifying existing Open Source applications to match your goals. Open Source software is every bit as powerful and many times more flexible than the pre-configured, off-the-shelf products many businesses feel compelled to use. Open Source solutions are available for everything, including applications on individual workstations and back-office operating systems. The real question when it comes to resolving IT in any business is, “How much do you need to spend?”

Maximizing the fit

When you buy a product from a traditional VAR, you are saddled with a couple of pretty steep budgetary issues. First, you have an annual maintenance contract which covers upgrades for the latest versions (which may or may not improve the features that you use), bug fixes, and so forth. Second, you will pay an annual licensing fee, presumably to help the developer recoup the initial production costs. When you employ KTC and Open Source software you buy only features that are in perfect alignment with your existing business practices. The only out-of-pocket costs you incur happen up front at the development stage. All future costs are variable based on your future strategic decisions. This empowers decision making by letting you quantify costs on a project-by-project basis. KTC even offers skill transfer, so your in-house people can provide the support.

Was your business made with a cookie cutter?

A lot has been written in recent years about best practices. Learning from the success of others in the market is a good thing, but much of the business software industry has twisted this concept in a self-serving way. When you encounter an application that forces you to dramatically modify your business practices, don’t accept that the software company knows the best way to make and sell your widgets. Do yourself a favor and have faith in your own unique value proposition. No two businesses are identical, so why should they use identical software? KTC Open Source business solutions will listen to your needs and craft applications that match them, not the other way around.