Oracast Blog

Archive for the ‘Web Applications’ Category

Getting out of Spreadsheet Hell

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

The value of using spreadsheets like Excel to keep track and run a portion of your business operation is amazing.  In the beginning it’s an excellent way to keep track of hours, or inventory, budgets and so much more.  But there comes a time when the demands on your spreadsheet become so big that your spreadsheet becomes a trap that consumes your time and energy, and now you’re stuck in spreadsheet hell.

As an example, lets consider Jim, a property manager who now manages 50 summer rental properties, using Excel to manage availability and pricing.  When a customer calls Jim looking to rent a place, he needs to quickly look through his spreadsheet, clicking on little tabs looking for an available unit.  The excel spreadsheet works fine for him, but he knows he is near his limits.  Keeping track of inventory for 2000 or 5000 properties with his current system is unrealistic, and there are so many vendors that have a large inventory that want to work with him, but he can’t grow his business.

What do you do now?  What are the spreadsheet alternatives?

Having a custom web application made is a solution that will save time and effort.  In the case of Jim, the application let him enter his properties with pictures, details and availability, and makes them easy to search.  He can also choose to have this data show right on his website, letting potential customers see the pictures of each unit with calendars of when that unit is available.

There are many benefits to putting your data into a web application with a database, where your data is in the cloud.

  • Many people can access your data
  • Have different levels of users with appropriate access
  • Data is in the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about back ups
  • Your data is searchable
  • Solution is scalable – Got LOTS of DATA? No problem

Everyone has custom needs, and converting spreadsheets into web apps is something we do on a regular basis here at Oracast.  Whether you need a cloud solution, or you want a mobile app, help is just a phone call away.

Take your business to the cloud

Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

Why jump on someone else’s cloud when you could have your own? Did you know that it’s possible to centralize and manage almost any aspect of your business in the cloud? If you’re looking for a better way to manage your projects, time tickets, invoices, employees, customers, inventory, resumes, and anything else that’s important to the operations of your business, we can help. For over 10 years we have helped businesses go from spreadsheets and/or manual systems to their very own web-based cloud.

Once you have your very own web-based cloud, customized to your unique business, it is very easy to manage your information in one central location. Furthermore your web-based cloud can easily scale with the increased growth of your business. This is something that most people who have used spreadsheets over a long period of time really appreciate because the amount of spreadsheets typically grow out of control. Many of our customers who quickly embraced their web-based cloud began adding new components to their system such as mobile devices, new features, and additional security policies.

We have also seen a trend with customers who are looking to provide a better experience for their customers; not to mention a competitive advantage. Let’s say you have a customer in downtown Calgary who has hired you to provide staffing for a big job in northern Alberta. With your web-based cloud, your workers up north can enter their time tickets into the system and perhaps upload some pictures showing their progress. You or anyone in your office, depending on their security permissions, can log-in to the system at any time and generate invoices, track invoices, manage projects, communicate with team members, and generate instant analytical reports; just to name a few. Now in the spirit of engaging your customer and maximizing their experience with your company, we can enhance your cloud to allow your client(s) to log-in and see the real-time progress of the project, see pictures of their progress, and communicate with the workers in the field. Try doing that with a spreadsheet.

Taking your business to the cloud will help you become more organized and more efficient; while saving time and money in the process. Is your business ready for a change? Let us help by taking it to the cloud. We’ve been doing it for over 10 years.

The best spreadsheet alternative

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

Looking for the best alternative to spreadsheets? Consider a custom-built web application. A custom web application can take your existing processes and turn them into an online productivity tool that can be accessed from anywhere and by multiple people at the same time.

Transferring your spreadsheets to an online solutions is quick and easy. We can take your existing spreadsheets, that may or may not contain business rules and/or formulas, and translate them into an online solution that is easy to use. Furthermore we can create secure user roles so that certain people only have access to the information that they are allowed to see.
The best part about investing an a custom built web application is that it is designed specifically for your business. Need to add more features? Not a problem. Looking to integrate mobile devices with your web application|? No problem. We have been developing world-class web applications since 2003. We have the experience and technical skills to elevate your operations from good to great.

As one example, we helped Shell Canada save over a million dollars per year in operational training costs. Shell has told us that the system we built (in partnership with ICOM Productions) has paid for itself hundreds of times over. How is that for an ROI? Imagine what we can do for your business.

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