Collaborative softwares as PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and PIM (Product Information Management) have been deployed globally. Our clients often design products in Europe and work with suppliers all around the world to produce them.
Software usability is sometimes a problem in some locations because of slow performances. We see that for some reasons, these softwares use heavy files (HD photos, Adobe Illustrator or huge pdf specification) which are difficult to work with in Asia if the servers are located in Europe. Another reason is linked to the network itself which can be very different in China or Bengladesh than in Europe.
Answering performances problems is tough and we have looked at different aspects (business, software functions, software configuration, IT infrastructure). Each topic can enhance : download and/or usability performances.
1 – Business
Sometimes, High Definition files are used to do things which does not require HD files. ie. HD is necessary for garment printing, but not for techpack files. On the other hand, it is always very hard for designers to change the way they work. It is really necessary to know the different software capabilities and understand constraints linked with creativity to work on this kind of process optimization in order to provide the smoother solution to designers.
2 – Software functions
Are you aware of what your software is really able (or will soon be able) to do regarding replication, cache configuration or thumbnail generation ? Maybe another software can be useful as well to store HD files and generate thumbnails ? We know that today the PLM softwares often store images, but can we take example on PIM systems which use DAM (Digital Asset Management) to manage files ?
3 – Software configuration
Software users are always different after few years. New kind of people are involved, especially distant users. This evolution can make the configuration obsolete. A review of the configuration of softwares and application servers can provide some efficient changes to do.
4 – IT infrastructure
Regarding IT infrastructure, some optimization can be proposed based on replication or flow optimization. Some solutions can be expensive, but this option should be analyzed as well.
Fit Retail and Néo-Soft Solutions have mixed their Business, integration and IT knowledge and capabilities to make a study on how to audit, make preconizations and help our clients to enhance software capabilities.
Special thanks to Geoffrey Blaecke, Julien Bodin and Marielle Henon for their help in this project and writing this short abstract.
Feel free to contact me for a short discussion / question or to work together on your performance optimization.
