Posted by NC on 05/07/06 00:40

Michael Vilain wrote:
>
> Basically, the non-profit's Board wants to spread the exposure they have
> where currently their web site is managed by a single person who works
> out of his home. They want someone they can call 7x24 to get changes
> and modifications done on the site in a timely manner.

This kind of commitment will most likely have a serious price tag
associated with it.

> They want the site to look really professional, yet be able to make
> changes to it easily from their Windows systems in the non-profit's
> main office or from the developer's system (PC or Mac).

Unfortunately, this is not very specific. A "change" in a Web site may
mean at least two things, (1) change in content, or (2) change in
layout. The former is very easily done with any content management
system; the latter is best left to the more technically adept, although
a good CMS would definitely have this functionality as well.

> One ASP shop responded to the RFP I wrote up. They've addressed
> most of the requirements except a biggy--integrating the database with
> Quickbooks. This is key to running the non-profit's business.

Again, this is highly ambiguous. What exactly do you mean when you say
"QuckBooks integration"? In which direction do you want the data to
flow: from QuickBooks to the Web site (as in inventory export), from
the Web site into QuickBooks (as in order/sales reports), or both? How
often (periodically, on demand, in real time)? What version of
QuickBooks are you using?

If Quickbooks integration is that important, you might want to start by
finding a solution that takes care of that. Check Intuit Marketplace:

http://marketplace.intuit.com/

There are companies that integrate QuickBooks with online stores, but
they are not cheap. Some sell packaged solutions that combine initial
setup and ongoing hosting of the store.

You could also go for a "semi-automatic" solution that would involve
exchange of IIF or CSV files between QuickBooks and the Web site. This
will cost a lot less, but will require some user training and may
result in a mess-up every now and then...

Cheers,
NC

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