The *business* of software
Infrastructure for starting an ISV
All,
Please excuse if this has been discussed before - grateful for links if that is the case.
For my first startup, pieces of business support infrastructure were added when there was a critical need (i.e., once the horse had bolted). For example, (to my shame) we didn't start using source code (VSS in those days) until two years after we started building software, when the need for it became self-evident. Our website was one dumb page for a long time until we needed to use it to generate business. Accounting was done in hard-backed books and CRM was done on post-it notes; bug tracking (when it was done at all) was in Excel for quite a while.
Looking to do things a little better the second time around, I would be interested in people's recommendations for the tools/infrastucture they have found helpful in their businesses. Most likely, we will primarily be a .NET shop, so we're more interested in Microsoft-based tools, but the question is an open one as other readers may have different preferences. Similarly, we're open-minded to Open Source solutions, although for the more day-to-day mission critical elements, I want to be able to pay someone for decent support. Feel free to comment across the full range of support tools and software, from business operation to software development.
Thanks in advance for everyone's feedback.
Please excuse if this has been discussed before - grateful for links if that is the case.
For my first startup, pieces of business support infrastructure were added when there was a critical need (i.e., once the horse had bolted). For example, (to my shame) we didn't start using source code (VSS in those days) until two years after we started building software, when the need for it became self-evident. Our website was one dumb page for a long time until we needed to use it to generate business. Accounting was done in hard-backed books and CRM was done on post-it notes; bug tracking (when it was done at all) was in Excel for quite a while.
Looking to do things a little better the second time around, I would be interested in people's recommendations for the tools/infrastucture they have found helpful in their businesses. Most likely, we will primarily be a .NET shop, so we're more interested in Microsoft-based tools, but the question is an open one as other readers may have different preferences. Similarly, we're open-minded to Open Source solutions, although for the more day-to-day mission critical elements, I want to be able to pay someone for decent support. Feel free to comment across the full range of support tools and software, from business operation to software development.
Thanks in advance for everyone's feedback.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Widman on -
There's some great info on a few useful tools for product management here:
http://entrepreneur.venturebeat.com/2009/07/29/product-management-o...
(I'd never seen the real-time analytics package before)
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Permalink Reply by Justin James on -
We use the Microsoft stack (TFS, Windows Server, SQL Server, Microsoft CRM, Exchange, ISA Server, Office Communications Server, etc.). I can tell you that it is not for the faint of heart. I have spend nearly TWO YEARS moving our company from "a few files servers" to the stack, and developing on it. I think it would go much quicker if we were set up from the get-go.
I can tell you that the #1 issue with the Microsoft stack is SQL Server Reporting Services. It is extremely "brittle", and many times I will spend a week trying to do something that should take only a few hours, because of SSRS. Installing TFS is a great example. Whatever you do, do not install it on a machine seperate from the SQL Server, unless you want to spend a week sorting out problems!
J.Ja
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