Tablets are back – and this time, they’re not made of stone. Every so often I see an article listing devices that future generations will never know about, such as VCRs and record players. With the invention of the tablet computer, some tech experts are predicting the inevitable end of the personal computer. Whether or not you plan to do away with your PC and adopt a tablet-only way of life, one thing is certain: software must adapt to the new environment.

A Lesson from the Music Industry

It may not seem obvious as to why business software needs to change with the adoption of new hardware, but if we look at the music industry, the answer is clear. Not all that long ago, people used CD players to listen to their music. A selling point for cars was the number of discs the CD player in the car could hold. Then the iPod and other MP3 players came long, and with them, a whole new way to access music. No longer do you have to purchase a CD in order to listen to music; you can now purchase it and access it from multiple devices wherever you can connect to the Internet.

Simplifying the Complex

The software industry is currently going through a fundamental change like this, as developers try to adapt their software to the new hardware trends and the growing acceptance of web-based applications. Their success depends on whether their applications can be adapted for use via web-browser and how well their applications can be translated to non-PC devices.

I’ve mentioned in previous blogs that cloud computing isn’t really cloud computing if the software is just being accessed from a remote computer. This virtualization model just gives you the PC environment on a tablet computer, rather than optimizing the software for the tablet environment. In order to create tablet-ready software, developers must more than likely redesign their user interfaces to be simplistic without losing functionality, which is no easy feat!

No Waiting Around

Discussions about tablet computing often come up in the construction industry groups and forums that I belong to. Usually people are wondering if and how others are using tablet computers in the field, as well as the benefits of using tablets. I’ve even read of contractors creating their own applications to fit their business. While not every contractor has the resources to create their own “app,” the need for construction applications is present, and demand is growing. Current software providers can jump on the bandwagon, or risk losing out to new developers, or perhaps even these specialty apps created by contractors.

Do you use tablets in your office or on the jobsite? What are the pros/cons?

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Hello from Las Vegas! It’s been an exciting week here at World of Concrete, and I’m proud to announce that the latest version of our construction management software, Spectrum Construction Software v14, was launched this week. I don’t usually talk about Dexter + Chaney’s products, but given that this new version drastically changes the way users operate and interact with the software, I couldn’t help myself.

What’s New in Spectrum version 14?

In the last year or so, there’s been a lot of talk about “The Cloud,” and how it is going to change software. We’ve also seen increased use in mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablet computers, with easy to use interfaces and applications. With all of this in mind, we’ve designed Spectrum version 14 to be easy to use and access.

Accessibility

Our customers told us they wanted to be able to access Spectrum anywhere – whether they were in the field, the office, or snowed in at home. Because version 14 is web-based, there is no software to install, upgrade, or maintain. The user simply needs to login on an Internet connected device.

Information a Click Away

Spectrum’s user interface has been completely redesigned to give it the look, feel, and usability of other web applications. Simply put, all the information you need is one click away. In Spectrum v14, you start with a dashboard that you can customize with the apps you need to do your work. Once you pull up a job screen, you’ll instantly see all of the links related to that particular screen, such as vendors, subcontracts, and cost projections. Just as you can open web links in tabs, Spectrum v14 allows you to open multiple tabs or screens so all the information you need is in front of you.

Affordability

Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of Spectrum v14 is that it’s more affordable than ever. Because Spectrum v14 is web-based, users don’t need to purchase, maintain, and constantly update hardware, operating systems, and databases just to use our product. With v14, users don’t need to install software and maintain the software on every user’s computer, because it’s all accessed from the web.

I hope you find this dramatic change in construction software as exciting as I do. We also happened to launch a new product for construction operations at the World of Concrete, but I’ll let my colleague Mark Reich explain this new addition.

Anyway, enough about me – what do you think about the changes we’ve made?

It seems like every time I turn on the television, I see a commercial for something “in the cloud.” There used to be commercials from a well-known company that proclaimed in a super-hero-like fashion, “To the cloud!” And most recently, we’ve been hearing quite a bit about the iCloud.

I’d be understating the obvious if I said that cloud computing is the latest buzzword. However, I think there are a number of misconceptions about what the cloud really is, so over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to help clarify the basics of cloud computing.

Power Stations & The Grid

To begin a discussion of cloud computing, let’s draw some analogies from the world of public utilities. Take for example electric power distribution. When electric utilities were developed, power stations were first built in high population areas. Buildings and then entire neighborhoods were connected to the stations, and then the stations themselves were interconnected, beginning the creation of what we know today as “the grid.” This robust network of power allows us to turn on the lights and never have to wonder where the power is coming from. This is the essence of cloud computing – A network that serves up what you need without you having to worry about where it came from.

More Pipe Than Power

Now consider the Internet. Instead of centralized stations, the first years of the Internet consisted of network growth. From the first network connections of the 1960s until recently, the Internet has been “more pipe than power,” serving more as a network of connections than a distribution grid. To draw an analogy, imagine a situation in which individuals connected their own personal power generators to create a shared power grid. This is not a viable way to distribute power resources, but for sharing bits and bytes, it works fine. However, something was missing from this picture – namely, the equivalent of the “power station.”

A New Utility Is Born

Roughly ten years ago, the large and growing network of “data pipes” that was the Internet began to transform. Advances in technology enabled this transformation, but what really drove it was the fact that the Internet was finally becoming a true utility, taking over much of the role of traditional telecommunications. The Internet is now supporting the operation of central “power plants” – plants with names such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and others. Internet traffic is projected to continue doubling every two years, and the driver will be the larger and larger role it will play as the information utility.

A New Breed of Applications Emerges

In addition to the “Internet power stations” that deliver communications and consumer applications, we are seeing the emergence of browser-based applications designed for business. Software applications for business have traditionally been delivered as discs or downloads installed on company servers and workstations. With the Internet becoming an application utility, this model is changing. More and more software can be accessed online with nothing more than a subscription login and a device that has one of the common web browsers. And these are not light-weight “apps” – these are powerful enterprise systems for accounting, financial management, project management, HR, and more.

Accessing and processing all your business information may never be quite as easy as flipping a switch, but browser-based software (a.k.a. cloud computing) is going to bring us closer to that idea. Has your company adopted any browser-based business software or do you plan to?

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When you’re in the market to purchase construction software, it can be easy to get caught up in the bright lights of features and functionality. After all, you decided to look for software after realizing you needed those features. However behind the lights is the technology on which the software runs.

Look Under the Hood

When you’re looking for a new car, more than likely, you take a look under the hood, or at the very least, the mechanical specifications. You should do the same with software. While most of your interaction with a vendor tends to be with the sales and marketing departments, you should research the development team as well. Are they using Waterfall or Agile development? These methods make a difference when updates and new versions are rolled out. Consider the accessibility of the software and how it operates. Can you open any browser and use the software, or does it require third-party software such as Citrix to make it accessible via the Internet?

Only Buy Your Software Once

Although cloud computing looks to be the way of the future, many construction software vendors currently distribute their software on CDs or DVDs. Here’s some cautionary advice: Be sure you know the process and costs for upgrades from version to version. After your initial purchase, you can expect to pay fees for software maintenance (to keep it running) and support (because you’ll inevitably need it). However, there are vendors out there who will require you to re-purchase the software if they make significant changes and release a new version.

Good Old Fashion Support

Features and technology aside, when you chose construction management software, you chose the company that comes with it. And no matter how easy-to-use or bug-free the software may be, there will come a time when you need some help. Make sure any vendor you’re considering offers the one thing that is sadly becoming rarer these days: a real person, one who works for the company, who will pick the phone up when you call and stick with you until your problem or needs are resolved. This may seem like obvious advice, but I’ve talked to too many folks who have been burned by poor service to not mention it in this blog.

I know I threw out some technical terms initially, but I felt these were important to mention. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me by either leaving a comment or emailing me directly at jchaney@dexterchaney.com. I promise a real person will respond and there won’t be any annoying elevator music.