• Sharing of Information - Reports and papers previously masked away in depths of inaccessible libraries and store rooms can be easily retrieved by using 'on-line' libraries.
• Avoiding duplication - Converting the information into electronic form enables the data to be readily manipulated while avoiding re-keying and re-checking each time.
• Easy comparison of services and offerings - Finance Directors and Project Managers can readily access product and service information which in turn enables them to manage their cost more effectively.
• Increased communication - E-mail and Web Technologies have opened an avenue of global communication which is fast and efficient.

What does it mean within our sector?

At present, a large majority of HA's have already implemented a rent management system coupled together with a general ledger for the financial accounting of the projects. Together with property and staff databases these are able to create and manage the investment programs. 

During the funding and budget management processes, large amounts of financial information is extracted and made available. This is then put together by using many standard forms, which are subsequently submitted and reviewed for viability and acceptance. Much of this is manual and time consuming requiring various levels of checking and re-checking. E-Commerce is a means of making this information readily available online to each level of information extraction and input, eliminating the need of manual intervention.

So that reliable information is available, a consistent information strategy is required for the capture, processing and delivery of electronic information. This will decide the viability of many schemes in the future as it will have a direct impact on the processing costs.

Over the last few years, the Housing Corporation has implemented an electronic means of managing its key information, in particular the whole process of funding projects. This has already taken great strides towards reducing the actual need for manual intervention and increasing the turnaround of prospective funding. 

The Housing associations themselves have to ensure that they are not only able to service the information electronically but more importantly are able to induce a culture of openness and even greater accountability. This is only part of a wider strategy of the Best Value initiatives.

Example 1 : Funding online

This has been well publicised and documented within the Housing Corporation's literature. However, it is still at its early stages whereby the previous application forms are being managed electronically. The full power of this technology will be realised as the system and procedures mature. For instance, with the availability of the core data, independent and monitored guidelines will be offered as a means of standardising the anticipated funding requirements.   

Example 2 : Client Relationship Management

Increasingly, more and more information is being requested either internally by the partners or by the clients which are being served. This clearly takes time and effort but is a key part of the business.

With the wider availability of WEB Technologies, information can be readily made available electronically. This is through the specific use of the intranet, extranet and the HA's main website. Access to varying degrees of data will depend upon the structure of the whole technology. In either case this should be managed as part of the wider information strategy to support this media.

Example 3 : Communication with suppliers online

Increasingly organisations are processing orders automatically. For commodity items, it seems to offer an ideal medium where all the invoices and statements are made available and offered electronically. Many of the general ledger suppliers are now offering the ability to post the payments and debits electronically. With the greater integration of the technology processes, this will become a standard.

However, integration does need to be carefully considered as it implies changes in the way we work, as manual processes will be replaced by automated ones.

Example 4: Website

With the advances in technology, Websites are increasingly replacing brochures and company/organisation literature. It is being seen as the primary means of contact with the wider public, and as a result requires it to be precise and display the correct image. 

Any organisations' Website plays a larger role than just representing what the company stands for. It is a means of being in touch with the clients and building a relationship with them by providing the ability to register comments and complaints, request further information and keeping them up-to-date with any new initiatives taken. It is a cheaper and more effective means of communication and the possibilities are vast.

Example 5: Intranet

An intranet is a private network that is contained within the organisation. Its main purpose is to share information about the company and also to share the computing resources. It enables the staff to access any required information at a national/global level, thus cutting down any inefficiencies that may otherwise occur.   

Our offering within E-Commerce

Every association continues to develop its businesses as quickly and as efficiently as possible. With the ever increasing demand for information and cost reduction, automation can often be the only viable solution. 

However, incorporation of new technology is not simply about installing a piece of software or new hardware. It is time consuming and does require tight project management and qualified resources to ensure that the benefits are quickly realised.

At ILLY we regard our business clients as our partners and to whom we offer a guaranteed service which is based on our three founding principles:

Customers are the reason we exist

Quality is not for compromise

Focus and Delivery are our Strength

As a professional software house, we believe in delivering a production quality solution to our clients using a tried and tested methodology. This includes:

	Clearly understanding the business and technical requirements.
	Recommending business solutions which will meet the requirements and enable future expansion using the most up-to-date technologies.
	Guaranteeing a fixed price and delivery to meet our client's expectations.
	Tailored training and service levels to ensure independent usage of the system

There are a range of Web technologies available that enable E-Commerce. Each of these brings different benefits and a varying range of functionalities. An example of this is:CIM (Client Interface Module)