Transcript Pitching PHP and Open Source Solutions to the Health Care

Pitching PHP and Open Source
Solutions to the Health Care
Industry
Hans Kaspersetz
Cyber X Designs
&
New York PHP
PHP Quebec 2005 - April 1, 2005
Overview
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Our qualification and perspective
Why should we pursue this market?
Breaking into the space
Challenges after we get in
Considerations in preparing estimates
Carving out a bit of mind share
Making the business case
Challenges in development and solutions
What are we using?
The Case Study
Questions
Where do you stand?
• Who is currently working with Pharma and
Healthcare clients?
• Who is business for themselves or the decision
maker in a small development shop?
• Who is working as part of a larger organization?
• Who plans to pursue Pharma and Healthcare
clients this year?
• Is there anyone here from the Pharma side?
• Who has tried to break in?
• Who has experienced difficulties breaking into the
market space?
Qualification and Perspective
• We are a smaller developer with 5
employees
• We work both independently and with
Advertising Agencies
• Pharma Clients include: Pfizer, ALTANA,
Abbott Labs & Wyeth
• We love what we do
Types of Projects We are
Currently Developing
• Web based collaborative work space
• Interactive Sales Tools
• Airline Reservation & Frequent Flyer Miles
Application
• Port of green screen AS400 DB2
application port for a financial institution
• Piles of small projects for local businesses.
Why should we pursue
Healthcare and Pharma
Companies?
• Not as resource constrained as some market
segments
• Seeking innovative and novel solutions to
traditional communications problems and
marketing problems.
How can my company enter
the market
• Work with advertising agencies and
marketing agencies to augment their in
house capabilities
• Convert the relationships developed into
direct contracts
• Network!
• Avoid the frontal assault
Growing the Business
• Do it virally!
• Brand hop
• Identify early adopters and teams that are
technology agnostic.
• Position the solution and the not programming
language and business people become much more
receptive to the recommendations of the tech
team.
• Some battles we will not win, do not waste your
resources
More on Growing
• Remember you are their partner, openly
make recommendations and deliver value
• Invest in the client and the relationship by
showing up and helping them to solve their
problems.
Some Challenges Once We
Get in the Door
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Java & Oracle
Who will manage the application?
Who will host the application?
Who will be there when he applications
fails or needs and upgrade?
• The number of proposals and tactics that
may never be executed.
• Be prepared for slow pays
Preparing Estimates &
Proposals
• Prepare for Many rounds of review
– Legal & Regulatory
– Technical
– Marketing
• Budget for them, they are slow moving and very
detailed
• Your timelines need to be generous
• Be prepared for a long commitment
Carving Out Our Bit of
Mindshare
• You are an advocate, a partner and an evangelist
• You may be the only representation of PHP and
Open Source your client will ever meet.
• What is PHP?
• What is Open Source?
• How are we going to put this to work to solve
their problems
More on Mindshare
• Do they really care?
• Dispelling the myths
• Develop and communicate answers in context and
in a language the audience can understand. Not
everyone is a developer.
• Be prepared to compare open source and
proprietary software.
• Be prepared to integrate them. Solutions come in
many combinations.
Common Mistakes
• Avoiding the over promise under deliver model of
development
• Bring in the specialist or more resources when you
need them
• Put the client’s needs first and not PHP’s or your
own ego’s needs
• Pharma clients typically are willing to apply the
appropriate level of resources to correctly solve a
problem when it is clearly presented to them.
Making the business case
• Outline the problems and general solutions
independent of technology
• Then look for where we might need a specific
technology for a solution
• If PHP and something else both fit, compare
costs, development time & pros/cons
More on the Business Case
• Share with your clients your personal
experiences with PHP and where it has
solved problems similar to theirs. Or find
projects that have solved these problems
and demonstrate the project’s success.
• Present the appropriate technology and plan
for the problem. One size does not fit all.
More on Business
• Cost the PHP and Open Source solution
versus other solutions.
• Estimate the development time,
maintenance needs of both and present
them.
• Present a clear and honest picture based on
business principles
Challenges CXD has faced
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Data memorialization and mitigation
Backups
Rapidly changing requirements
Need for rapid innovation
Legal and regulatory problems
Licensing, the lawyers can be your friends.
What are we using?
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Linux & BSD
Apache & SpamAssassin
PHP & Perl
MySQL & Postgrese
Mambo
Bits and pieces of the Media Wiki diff engine
which was adopted from a Perl diff engine.
• pMime
• pAuth
• PAXI Framework
Everyone wants a case study!
Everyone wants a winner.
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Global Education Council
1 Year ago our client placed a call for proposals
We competed against 2 other companies.
Both were large agencies pushing Java and .Net.
Our proposal was the most cost effective and
about half or a third of the price.
• They presented big agency solutions and big
agency budgets and not enough ideas.
Slow Progress!
• We developed a detailed specification,
established budgets.
• Then the project stalled for 5-6 months
• A very nervous time for us.
The Client is Ready
• When the client was ready to move, the
original plan changed radically.
• The original plan was for mostly static type
content and some interactivity.
• We worked with the client to educate and
guide them to realizing the many new
possibilities
New objectives
• Web site to a real tool!
• Publish materials for review and comment
by worldwide contractors. Their contractors
are physicians and researchers.
• Develop a tool to protect the intellectual
property yet make it available.
More Objectives
• Create an online library of all materials
including PPT, PDF, DOC, MOV, SWFs,
ect ect.
• Internationalization of interface and content.
• Localization of content
• Distributed management of content and
users on a regional basis
• The wanted us to turn water in to wine.
The stark reality
• The client knew they needed to
communicate more effectively but didn’t
know how to use technology to do it.
• We partnered with them to help develop
those ideas, manage their expectations,
develop reasonable timelines and a
reasonable upgrade path.
The Possible Solutions
• We then investigated ASP and Java based
document management solutions.
• We looked into integrating them with the CMS
• We looked at all in one solutions from other
vendors.
• We presented a range of potential solutions to the
client and helped them come to a decision. We
were prepared to work with any of them.
The Solution
• Mambo CMS with custom modules
• Why?
• It is a frame work we are comfortable with and
can rapidly develop modules and components for.
• Budgets
• It provides the foundation to deliver content and
services localized and internationalized.
• The client agreed it was a good match.
Interesting Details
• We choose PHP because if we choose Java the
client would have had to manage and host the
application adding a layer of complexity.
• We have combined ideas and source from Wiki
Media, Perl, Mambo and other open source
projects
• We have been granted permission to release our
modules back to the community.
• We have had a really good time working on it.
More Details
• The core platform will deliver content in 6
languages
• Be regionalized for 9 countries
• Is in compliance with the regulatory and
legal requirements of 9 countries and their
LOCs.
Where is the project today?
• The project will launch next week at a conference
in NY.
• We have developed 5 custom components and
modules to achieve the client’s objectives.
• We have a 1 year upgrade path planned for the
project which we are executing on.
• The client is very happy
• The legal department is happy
• The IT department is happy
Questions?
Hans Kaspersetz
[email protected]
http://www.cyberxdesigns.com