[26] in Tooltime
vendor hell
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Barbara Goguen)
Tue Feb 20 16:03:27 1996
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 16:02:59 -0500
To: tooltime@MIT.EDU, cec@MIT.EDU
From: goguen@MIT.EDU (Barbara Goguen)
Scopus
-------
Since we last met with the Scopus last Wednesday, we left them with the
following list of action items:
1. Get us technical contact for conference call regarding
authentication/encryption/security discussion.
2. Get us in touch with Mac technical contact for discussion about install
issues, Open Transport, etc.
3. Get us references, preferably of Mac and/or education sites.
4. Get us set up to explore Web interface
5. Get us another much more aggressive price quote.
So far, I have gotten 1 reference from Dick, and an updated quote that
still comes in at 250K plus 37.5K annual maintenance. Granted, this quote
is supposed to be for a site license for client software, and includes the
TeleTeam piece that will give us zephyr messaging capability, but is a far
cry from the $100K-150K range Paul and I gave him as a target.
And, we should have heard something back from him on the other pieces that
would allow us to continue our technical investigation simultaneously.
Vantive
--------
In the meantime, I (and Kim) have begun exploring other possibilities. I
browsed the Vantive Web page, read some interesting news articles about how
Vantive has a partnership with Oracle for providing help desk software for
their Oracle Financials and other such products. I filled out their Web
form for requesting additional product information, sent email to Bob Tate,
one of their reps, and just now left voicemail for Bob Tate. Kim spoke
with Steve Bruno, another rep there and found out the following:
o the server runs on the common platforms: HP,
IBM, Sun, Windows NT
o uses the common databases: Oracle, Informix, Sybase
o runs on Unix, Windows, and Mac clients. I asked
if it ran native on all clients, esp. the mac, and
Steve said yes.
o they have a web interface providing access to both
open and closed calls. They also have an email feed.
o the application uses a proprietary workflow package
o purchase price is ~$100K for an average customer w/
50-100 people on the help desk
Sounds good, but what about their non-responsiveness? My web form and
email were sent early last week, and I have heard nothing. I know Bob Tate
to whom I addressed the email is still with the company because I have
called and left him vmail now too.
Do I dare say Remedy?
---------------------
I had another chat with Melva Holt, the FTP Software woman who called me a
while back because they were halting their investigation into Scopus and
going with Remedy and wanted to hear about our experiences. Though they
are going with Remedy, they had a bad experience with the Remedy VAR we had
been using (RISC), fired them, and are now going with a VAR out of
California called Baystone. She claims that Baystone is made up of
ex-Remedy folks, that they're a small aggressive company willing and eager
to do what it takes to meet your needs. She thinks that maybe Baystone
would be better able to work with Remedy to get our security needs met (if
we want to re-open this issue...). She also must have given my name and
number to Kenny Lopez at Baystone who has called me and left voicemail
interested in talking with us.
This vendor game seems to be such a crap shoot. Anyone have any
recommendations/preferences as to how we proceed here?
-barbara
goguen@mit.edu
617-253-6135
