Do I Need a Portal: Part 2

In Part 1 of our blog about portals and what makes them great (or not so great), we talked about the importance of ease of use. This is obviously a large component of deploying a successful end user technology interface, but there is still more to the story. Today we will visit the second component that must exist in wireless management software.

Part 2: Customization

One of the main reasons that we hear prospects object to considering our portal is because they assume it has the same functionalities as every other portal they’ve seen. And, oh, how they could not be more mistaken. Sure, many software solutions in our space may help to accomplish the same over purpose: helping an enterprise manage its mobile environment and allowing the end user to manage their own specific device.

But every portal can’t be the same, because that assumes we (the vendor) believe that every enterprise is the same – and we know this is not true. So knowing that, why would we deploy the exact same software to a multitude of companies that operate very differently? That’s a very valid question and I’m glad you asked. The answer? We don’t.

mindWireless built out its entire software solution component around the idea that every single customer is different, meaning they each require a unique software. In other words, the ability to customize is absolutely crucial to a successful partnership between enterprise and vendor.

So how do you determine whether or not a vendor can customize according to your needs? Ask for it! Make sure they know, first and foremost, that you are not their standard customer and you’re going to need a custom solution. And don’t let them off the hook when they maintain that their way of configuring things is based on best-practices throughout the industry and your company should change to fit their mold. That’s code for saying, “We can’t actually accommodate what you need, but I can try to push our canned solution set on you and do my best to make it fit awkwardly.”

It’s nearly impossible to fit a square peg into a round hole, so don’t let a vendor try to force you to make this happen. Tell them you need a round peg that will fit much better with what your enterprise strategy is aiming for in the future. And if they can’t make this happen, the relationship was never worth the time anyway.

Ask us how we can customize a portal to fit your needs – I guarantee we can make it happen. Call us now at 512-615-7600 or email sales@mindwireless.com to learn more.