A CMS allows people to maintain and edit the content and functionality of their websites easily and efficiently. Many companies do not have an in-house web team and a Content Management System gives them the ability to maintain the site without any previous HTML knowledge. Galvin is releasing a new Content Management System that gives clients a point of access to update news, projects and basic information so that their site will always be evolving and up-to-date. This evolution of content can stem from a basic one-page CMS to a very elaborate module based admin where specific functionality is essential. No-matter what the scale of CMS we can taylor each one to specific needs and goals of the client.

We decided to develop our own Content Management System because of the lack of features of many of the pre-built systems. We can also offer more specific functionality, no-matter how detailed, if a client so requires. These “business rules” create a customized system for each client. If there were any issues with the system, clients are able to get faster customer service with our support team because we built the system from the ground-up.

Our content management system also integrates well with third-party proprietary databases like NetSuite or Salesforce. This allows us to create a complete custom business solution. Our CMS was created with a high quality user-centered interface and a rigorously pre-tested back-end that together make it a very intuitive and solid system. When a client decides that a CMS is what they need it is their’s to keep. Our clients own the CMS, and no matter what changes take place at Galvin they will always be able to update the site.

There are many Content Management Systems on the market but we are able to give our clients a cost effective, intuitive and solid system that we can taylor to any project’s requirements and goals.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

Galvin is Releasing a New Content Management System

For more information on what Google Buzz offers and when it will be available from your g-mail account go here.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

Google Buzz

Post from: The Galvin Blog

Wall Street Journal’s Web Watch

Tight rolled pants was a fad we all followed.

Define Your Requirements
When making a technology decision you must first determine your business requirements. When we engage into an application development project our first group of deliverables consists of a functional requirements document. This document outlines the functional requirements necessary to the business processes. When this is done first then it makes decisions and budgets much more accurate and profitable. But typically we see companies following “fads and bandwagons” of new and popular technology. They use these technology fads because their competition is or they were sold incorrectly. As a result poor decisions result in lost profits. But when you instead become a pioneer in the application you are accelerating your momentum for for success. You are defining the requirements and the direction for your business.

Don’t Overreact to New Technology
Collins states that “leaders of good-to-great companies respond with thoughtfulness and creativity, driven by a compulsion to turn unrealized potential into results. They do not take reactionary measures, defining strategy in response to what others are doing. They act in terms of what they want to create, and how to improve their companies, relative to an absolute standard of excellence“. Don’t let the technology fads overwhelm you. Instead, know the direction of your business and the technology can be created to enhance that. A client of ours shopped for ERP software packages to run their business. Because of the complexity of their business and because they were first to market with a product they determined to custom build the application based on their specific business requirements. As a result, not only are they a leader in the market because of their product but their competitive advantage has become their application and how their business runs on it. Now, their competition is coming to them requesting their software to be implemented into their business. They have become the pioneer and leader because they did not follow a fad or jump on certain bandwagons. They are growing because they know the direction their business needs to take and they have defined the application to support it.

Why Are You Joining the Social Media Fad?
In another document supplied to me called “How Clients Buy” published by RainToday.com it indicates that social media/online communities are near the bottom of the list of what influences companies to buy professional services. I agree and disagree with this statement. I disagree with it because social media/online communities help create popularity which generates brand awareness and familiarity, which happens to be the most popular way clients buy professional services. So social media/online communities can help get your foot in the door but it can’t close the deal which why I agree with the statement. Don’t hide behind social media/online communities. Not all of your buyers on there or even worse the wrong buyers are there.
Have a specific strategy with measurables. We use SalesForce to measure all of our activity, including that on social media sites. So I know exactly how profitable our business is from online activity as well as how much time we should be spending in those communities or what online social activity I need to improve.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

Technology is an Accelerator: Be a Pioneer and Not a Follower

Paul Boag writes about the benefits of hand-drawn wireframes in The 7 Wonders of Wireframes and that many can be done in a small amount of time. More importantly, I think, he identifies the key reasons of why this stage is so successful:

1. Improves Team Work
Wire-framing brings together all members of the team. These discussions help manage roles, responsibilities and scope.

2. Better Communication
This stage not only improves team work but it also makes the subsequent steps in the project run much smoother by bringing developers and designers together early on in the project.

3. Engages Our Clients
By including our clients in the wire-framing step we can educate them on all aspects of web development; from key terms to technologies utilized. This also increases the chance of meeting client expectations and goals early on in the project.

4. More Choices
Because wireframes are easy and fast to produce we can show more options at this phase and inevitably have the best result at the design phase.

5. A Testing Stage
A wireframe is the visual representation of our textual “use cases”. A “use case” documents the flow and functionality of key elements on a page. We can use wireframes and “use cases” to internally test how these key components should function.

6. Easier to Rework
Through the use of wireframes our clients can start to see how the site will be laid out. Since they are much faster to produce than design compositions, many more changes and tweaks can be done at this stage without a significant amount of rework.

7. Keeps Projects Within Budget
Wireframes bring together our teams, improve communication with clients and are easily changed and reworked. With all of these important factors projects can run smoothly and more efficiently to save time and costs.

Finally, it is our job to educate clients on how and why we have these processes. That even though this stage can be a bit slow and visually unexciting, it is advantageous to the end result. It is crucial in the beginning to step back from any design aesthetics and plan the best flow, hierarchy and functionality for each project.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

The Importance of Wireframes

Ergo Audrey

But Audrey was short lived.  Shortly after launch the dot-com bust began.  We began to see our content providers go out of business one by one.  People began losing trust in the internet and were not buying Audrey.  But we felt the biggest issue was that we were ahead of the times.  Consumers were still buying buying their first computers and were getting online for the first time.  So buying a fancy internet appliance was not something conceivable and so 3Com cut Audrey and the Internet Appliance division.

Verizon Hub

Just recently I began seeing TV commercials about Verizon Wireless’ new phone – the Verizon Hub.  I nearly jumped out of my chair when I saw the first commercial.  It was almost like seeing Audrey all over again.  I have to admit that although envious I am excited to see the Hub launch.  The Hub is meant to serve as the family hub – similar to Audrey’s approach.  Yes, Audrey was ahead of the times but I am convinced that it paved the way for products like The Hub and hopefully more to come in the future.  I also believe that everything happens for a reason so because of Audrey’s failure I have been able to start up my own business.  I learned a lot during my days at 3Com and I thank the guys at 3Com and especially Jen, Daniel and Chris for showing me the ropes, giving a rookie a chance and being a pretty darn good team.

Post from: The Galvin Blog

The Home Hub Reinvented, I Miss Audrey