Why Modular?

The following article describes some of the advantages of buying a modular system. It was first published in Leasing Life, the leading industry journal for news and analysis on leasing and asset finance for the UK and Europe.

GROWING WITH MODULARITY

The small business computer world is littered with enticements to buy complete packages consisting of multiple components a business may or may not require rather than buying the necessary individual components. When it comes to instalment credit administration systems, is buying a complete package the right way to buy software?

In the leasing industry, the choice between a complete package and a modular system comes down to a question of value for money. A complete package provides all the initial requirements and covers every anticipated future need, involving one large initial purchase with no future financial outlay. Modular systems also cover the initial requirements and offer a means of acquiring future functionality at a lower purchase with small intermittent future financial outlays as requirements grow.

A modular system grows in financial commitment as a company grows while a complete package will burden a company with an initial large outlay but in the long run will probably prove to be cheaper.

The complete package allows instant access to any previously redundant features and only necessitates learning the operation of the feature from the manual or by additional training. With modular systems, relevant training will be provided as each new module is installed. The staggered approach to training provided with modular systems means that training is available on relevant subjects as and when it is needed and can be put straight into practice without the need to commit it to memory for use at a later date.

A further key consideration is how each system can cope with the changing winds of the leasing climate. Complete packages handle the industry changes by developing and enhancing the overall system to provide an upgraded version to meet the new needs. Alternatively, bespoke modifications can be made to the complete package for specific installations.

Modular systems develop new functionality which, due to the design hierarchy, is easily programmed and simple to install on existing systems without the need to install a new version. Both styles of system manage to meet and keep in step with industry changes but vary in the speed at which these changes can be achieved.

Meeting the need

The final decision on buying a complete package or a modular systems comes down to whether a system is required today which meets every eventuality - at an initially high price - or whether a system that can grow with a company's development, meeting not only initial requirements but all future needs as they arise, is more appropriate.

By Graham Douglass, Director of Tritech Computer Services Limited