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Back Office Systems - 'Cloud Computing'

Whether you need a system for one office, multiple offices, home workers or simply need to keep your important data centrally. A custom built web-based 'back office' system can be built to your exact requirements.

The traditional routes for back-office systems can have their draw backs

MS Excel spreadsheets are often a good starting point but can quickly get out grown, especially if you have several years worth of data. Excel doesn't like multiple users and it can also be difficult to locate a specific entry or series of related entries.

MS Access is a better alternative to Excel but has its own limitations, not least is the need to have the program installed on every computer that needs to use the database - an expensive waste of resources if only used occasionally. Plus each time you buy a new computer and/or upgrade MS Office you have to consider compatibility issues with older versions.

On to the 'big boys', MSSQL & Oracle are used worldwide by large Corporations and Governments. Without exception these are very capable databases but unless you have an IT budget to match they can be prohibitive on both up-front cost & ongoing licensing. And if you want anything customising its going to be expensive!

MySQL - The Open Source alternative

Using MySQL means that you have no expensive up-front or ongoing licensing costs. Adding on a web-based interface means all you need is a computer with an Internet browser to access your systems. All the calculations, data storage, document creation, etc. is completed by the server - this can be anything from a PC in the corner of the office to a fully hosted Internet server.

The interface and database are separate (the interface requests information only when it needs it) thereby making it easy to change the layout to suit your own personal requirements and add additional features later - no worries if you have forgotten something!

"MySQL is the world's most popular open source database. With over 65,000 downloads per day, MySQL continues to be the choice for a broad range of database developers, DBAs and IT managers who want a high performance database that is reliable, affordable, and easy to use."
- Source: MySQL.com (31 July 2010)

Incidentally, MySQL is now owned by Oracle (as part of its acquisition of Sun Microsystems, January 2010).

Already have a back-office system?

If you have an existing spreadsheet or database this can (usually) be imported into the MySQL database minimising down-time and saving hours of data re-entry. An existing data set is also a very good starting point when looking at designing the new MySQL database.

Demos:

  • Commitment Accountancy System.
    Multiple projects, multiple income & expenditure fields, order creation and management information.
    See Demo

  • Holiday leave chart.
    Multiple departments handled centrally, including flexitime.
    See Demo

  • Bill of Quantities - Invoice/Ordering system.
    Pick from a list of items, collate costs, issue order & print paperwork and track progress including revised costs and final cost to original order comparison.
    See Demo

Login details for all demos:
User email: admin@edenmultimedia.co.uk Password: admin

Notes:

  1. The systems above have been deployed on closed networks (LANs) and have been tested on Internet Explorer 6 & 7 & FireFox 2. There are some known compatibility issues with Internet Explorer 8 that are currently being resolved, no known problems exist with versions of FireFox, Opera, Safari, Netscape or Chrome.
  2. These are demo versions (of actual live systems) to illustrate what is possible. All confidential information and identifying information has been removed. Although there may be some common features between systems, each system is built to meet the clients own requirements and not provided 'off-the-shelf'.