“The next generation of software applications is where a constellation of PCs, servers, smart devices and Internet-based services collaborate seamlessly”

“customers need increasing access to resources, data and services at any time, any place and on any device”

“we'll move toward delivering more and more of our software as an online service”

“We’re betting the company on it”
Bill Gates, Microsoft, Sept ‘03

“So are we!”
Mike Griffiths, Expert Agent, December 03

We have been at the cutting edge of estate agency software for 20 years. We launched DOS then 16-bit Windows then 32-bit Windows ahead of everyone else.

Our previous business success allowed us the luxury and the time to review client needs and requirements. In late 2003, we concluded that a wholly web based solution was the way ahead. Estate Agents had grown tired of the need to support hardware, servers, Microsoft products etc. They needed instant access to their data from wherever they chose to work. Old fashioned desktop or client server solutions could not deliver. Few had in-house IT support, fewer still had any sort of IT strategy. Few customers took diligent backups or understood how to fix damaged database files. Consequently, most were locked into expensive software-only maintenance agreements that only tackled one element of the solution. server failure, theft or fire spelt business disaster

As we prepared to recruit our own team, we were introduced to 4 talented developers who had written a fledgling estate agency application, modelled on GMW’s System4 Sales product. We liked them, we liked the product so we bought them out. This shortened our development cycle, gave us a pool of development talent and allowed us to launch Expert Agent in September 2004.

The resulting product is a full estate agency CRM-type application with all of the functionality found in old-fashioned estate agency software but delivered via the web and accessed by PCs and mobile devices anywhere.

Technical Spec

ASP .NET – Expert Agent is written in Microsoft’s ASP .NET environment. Our developers are partners in the business and very experienced. We have a formal development-test-release process that uses Microsoft Sourcesafe, separate development and separate test servers.

SQL Server Databases – we have shunned the free open-source database products such as
MySql in favour of Microsoft SQL Server. This decision has committed us to considerable expense ongoing but also guaranteed stability, security and a ready availability of talented, qualified professionals to help us.

Hosting – we host Expert Agent in 2 locations. Our primary servers are the very latest high performance Dell units located in a hosting building called Blue Square in Maidenhead. There, we host 4 separate racks of equipment – each comprising separate web servers connected to a very high powered database server with 32-disk RAID array for high-speed primary storage and a separate SAN drive secondary storage. We have carefully calculated the maximum number of users per rack so that we can scale up as we grow without any performance impacts. We run at about 50% of our current capacity. Each rack connects to backup web servers, backup power supplies and a backup device. We have multiple firewalls, routing and routing devices. All of this is designed to ensure that we do not have a single point of failure.

Our second set of servers (6 high specification Dells) are located at JPCI’s “bunker” in Wiltshire. This uses SQL log shipping and is permanently updated, ready for use. We have never had to use them

We have a comprehensive disaster and failure recovery plan that includes 24/7 server monitoring and support via alertsite.com. Robots log into Expert Agent every 5 minutes from multiple locations and look up particular data records. If any fail to see the required data, text messages are sent to all of our engineers who respond like a fire engine or lifeboat crew.

Finally, we have a third backup used as a testing and staging environment at our offices in Bath.

Our equipment is worth in excess of £200,000 and our monthly hosting charges are vast!