Fellowship One

In the previous post I tried to differentiate between the various church management software (ChMS) products that market themselves as being “cloud-based” software solutions. In this post, I have listed some questions you can use as you evaluate the various offerings.

To access the ChMS, does it require that software be installed on your local computer? 
A pure browser-based solution allows you true anytime, anywhere access regardless of whether it's your computer at work, your spouse's laptop, a public computer at a local library or coffee shop, or even an iPad. All you should need is a web browser to get up and running.

Does the ChMS run equally well on PC and Macintosh computers? 
Macs are becoming increasing popular, especially in churches. A pure browser-based solution built on web standards should run well on both.

Is the ChMS easy to use? 
The application should be written with simplicity in mind, it should be as easy to learn and use as Amazon.com.

Does the ChMS leverage web-based tools and interfaces or is it simply a client application accessible over the Internet? 
A native web-based solution will take advantage of web-based concepts like tagging and linking and will leverage standards-based web technologies like CSS and HTML5 to deliver a rich user experience without degrading performance.

Was the ChMS designed and developed from the ground up specifically for the Internet? 
A firm foundation is essential in order to provide the right security, scalability, reliability, performance and efficiencies that are the key elements to a successful cloud-based offering. The proper database architecture (multi-tenant), application architecture (web-based from top to bottom), and systems infrastructure (data center, monitoring tools, etc.) are essential.

Does the vendor provide true "no-touch, no cost" upgrades at regular intervals? 
A key factor is a cloud-based solution's ability to deliver regular upgrades to features and rapid fixes to any issues that arise, without requiring the client to manually download or install the updates.

Does the vendor provide an API to extend the core functionality of their product offering?
Another success factor is the ability of the vendor to provide an Application Programming Interface (API) so that clients and business partners can write custom add-ons and applications to extend the product's core feature set.

Do you believe the vendor is on the right technology path to succeed in the Internet economy? 
A new economy has formed whereby vendors seamlessly connect to one another to form a mash-up of applications that ultimately increases the value to the end user far beyond what one vendor can do alone. Examples are Google, Facebook and SalesForce. It is imperative that the vendor is building on a technology platform that can allow them to compete and thrive in this new economy.

Is cloud-based solutions the vendor’s core competency or is it simply one delivery option among others? 
A wise saying is "focus on doing one thing and do that one thing very well." A pure cloud-based company focuses 100% of their time and talents from Development to Sales to Consulting to Support on delivering and improving their native web solution.

Does the company offer support options that complement their ChMS? 
A cloud-based application should be accessible anywhere, any time, and that availability is the responsibility of the vendor. The vendor should then provide extended support hours to meet the expectation of availability 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

Hopefully you will find these questions helpful to see clearly through the cloud of church management software solutions. In subsequent posts we’ll explore why a cloud-based solution might be right for you and the myths surrounding cloud-computing.

Curtis Simmons
F1 Staff
42 posts