What is IS Tools?

IS Tools is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) product that includes a set of proven building blocks that allows a business person to assemble enterprise grade IT applications by pointing and clicking in a web browser. IS Tools AB is also the name of the company developing the IS Tools product.

What is PaaS?

PaaS is an acronym for “Platform as a Service”. IS Tools is a PaaS supplier along the lines of e.g. how Wikipedia defines PaaS: “the delivery of a computing platform and solution stack as a service”.

What is cloud computing?

A large number of different but similar definitions of “Cloud computing” are available. Wikipedia for example states that: “Cloud computing is Internet- (“cloud-“) based development and use of computer technology (“computing”).

How much will IS Tools cost me?

IS Tools is available on a subscription basis, with minimal initial investment and no long-term commitment. For details and packaged offers, please visit our pricing plan page. IS Tools can also be licensed for deployment in your “private cloud,” for further details kindly contact us and see below question “Can we run IS Tools in our own server environment/intranet?”

What is included in the price?

Except for a web-browser, everything required to build, operate and run business applications in the cloud is included in the offer – even enterprise grade support. Additionally, complementary services to get you started are included in some of our packaged offers, please visit our website for more information (link to different offers).

How is IS Tools hosted and operated?

IS Tools is normally hosted and operated by us in collaboration with partners. Every component in the delivery stack is selected to qualify for enterprise use, and IS Tools AB is your single point of contact for the overall solution.

Can we run IS Tools in our own server environment/intranet?

Yes you can. If you wish to keep your data inside your firewalls and maintain control of operations, we are happy to provide a solution to your needs. You also have the freedom to move from our cloud to any other operational environment, at any time.

What types of applications can I build?

The short answer is that you can build almost any business IT application – we call it Adaptive IS™. In practice, certain types of applications are better suited than others, please visit our homepage for examples, and feel free to contact us regarding your specific needs!

Who can build applications?

Anyone willing to learn and having IT skills slightly above the average level of a business user can build applications! E.g. anyone who has built medium to large MS Excel spreadsheet should be well qualified.

What customers do you have?

We have a broad spectrum of customers in industry sectors like telecom, pulp and paper, oil and gas, and steel.

What types of applications are your current customers using on IS Tools?

Frequently, our platform is used for applications requiring rapid implementation and evolvement, and applications providing IT support for complex services oriented business (an area where traditional ERP is often weak). Examples include: Project management (execution, collaboration, progress monitoring and tracking), services workflow, contract, sales lead, life cycle and quality management applications. Reflecting the PaaS advantage of “short time to productive system”, most applications are tailor-made to suit the needs of each specific customer.

Why should I choose IS Tools over some other PaaS vendor?

IS Tools has best in class functionality for controlling user permissions, and does not require you to write code to address your needs. Further, IS Tools is pure PaaS and not bundled with, for example, a CRM – if you already own a CRM you might not want to pay for another one. IS Tools also gives you the freedom to run the software in your own computing environment (or move it between our cloud and your private environment). Also, IS Tools can handle an almost unmatched amount of data and an unlimited number of users in each application.

Why should I choose IS Tools over Azure/Sharepoint/Lotus notes? Our company already owns an enterprise license and the infrastructure is up and running.

You should select IS Tools if lower life cycle costs and the ability to rapidly implement and evolve applications matters. If studied from an end-to-end perspective, IS Tools is very hard to beat in these two areas.

Is it possible to integrate an IS Tools solution with our other IT applications?

Yes. The IS Tools product includes a standard SOAP interface that can communicate e.g. over HTTPS.

Can I use single sign-on?

Yes. We currently have tens of thousands single sign-on users. The solution will need to be set up to match your specific SSO infrastructure.

What about lock-in? Describe the process of migrating from IS Tools to a different software?

All data entered in your application is owned by you, and can easily be migrated to a number of standard formats (e.g.: Excel, HTML, XML). Files uploaded to the application can be downloaded at any time. For the application configuration there is undoubtedly a lock-in effect – the application itself and the business logic is stored in a proprietary format that do not make much sense to export. However, there is no hosting or datacenter lock-in.

What functional building blocks are available in the IS Tools platform?

Too many to list, but for example: Data modeling, forms builder, server- and client side custom logic, access rights and permissions, generic data API’s, data imports/exports, reporting, and scheduled jobs. Basically, most things you will need to build a complete business application are available through your web-browser!

Can I extend IS Tools with functionality that I have coded in e.g. Java or PHP? Can I write my own code in the IS Tools development environment?

No. The IS Tools platform is designed to allow you to achieve almost anything that you might possibly need without coding in a traditional sense. However, using our API’s you can create software that operate on the data in the IS Tools application.

Is it possible to build public applications/web pages with IS Tools?

IS Tools is not designed or intended for public web use. However, the data in an application can be published and edited in a public manner using the generic API.

Tell me about the process to set up an application?

As soon as you have a basic idea of your needs, you start by designing a data model and forms to display or edit that data, and these are the basics. If you want more, it is readily at hand. An application of medium size and complexity (including also access permissions, reports and business logic) can typically be ready for production within days to weeks.

How large/complex applications can I build?

Whether an application is feasible for the IS Tools platform or not depends more on usage patterns than actual size. Currently there are 24/7 mission critical applications running on our platform with tens of thousands of users, hundreds of data views, very large and complex data models, and millions of data rows.

Do you have partners that can provide the application configuration for us?

Yes we have (and we are looking to enlarge our partner network further). We also have our own Professional Services unit with global reach and a proven track record delivering enterprise applications.

How secure is your product?

We are operating in an Internet environment, and therefore continuously invest in ensuring that our offer is secure. If our customers' data would be compromised, it would hurt us tremendously. Security breaches originating “inside the walls” are often cited in research as one of the biggest security threats: This is why we offer two-way authentication – ensuring similar login security as most banks. Of course, IS Tools is hosted in highly secure data centers and all communication is encrypted.

What happens to our application if IS Tools end up in financial trouble or even cease to exist?

IS Tools hold an AAA credit rating and have experienced self-financed growth since inception 2003. We also include escrow clauses in our standard agreements to ward off further potential risks and minimize impact should an unlikely catastrophic event occur.

What about backup and disaster recovery?

Our environments are continuously backed up. On a regular basis, backup data is also copied to a different physical location.

How many IS Tools users are there?

Currently there are approximately 50.000 paying IS Tools users, distributed in 40 countries.

Can you please give examples of other enterprise software that IS Tools have been integrated with?

IS Tools have been successfully integrated with e.g.: SAP R3 PS and HR modules, Primavera, Click Software’s mobile workforce management, and different single sign-on solutions.

What about privacy in the cloud?

As a customer, you own your data, and it can only be retrieved or edited using user accounts that you create. If your consent is given, data might also be visible by our support organization under certain circumstances. Depending on your location, different jurisdiction(s) governing privacy will be effective, and this might require analysis on a case-by-case basis.

Do you have service partners with expertise in the XX industry/region?

We might have partners in your region and/or specialized in the domain that you are interested in exploring. Please contact us for more information. We also have product experts and general business/IT consultants that are willing to help you anywhere in the world.

Do you have hosting in the XX region?

IS Tools is deployed on a global infrastructure. Most certainly, we are able to provide capacity in your region.

Can you describe the support provided?

Our support organization has a long track record delivering 24/7 enterprise grade support – if you choose, we offer formal service level agreements (SLA’s) that guarantee high availability and rapid resolution of high severity issues.