The RMSS Suite is a commercially available off-the-shelf product, it has the capability to operate and deliver a return on investment from day one via its preconfigured implementation processes based on compliance with major relevant Australian and International standards. For example, the RMSS Risk Management product; riskmanager, is based on ISO 30,001.This means that where clients are less mature in their Risk Management framework, they can adopt a technology platform such as the RMSS Suite as an existing product that will deliver compliant workflows, terminology and processes from day one.
The advantage extends to both Compliance and Enterprise Event Management processes where compliance obligations and audits can be managed from existing libraries and Enterprise Events; or risk occurrences, can be recorded and managed based off existing off-the-shelf forms and processes. Of course, when most clients purchase a commercially available off-the-shelf product; such as the RMSS Suite, they generally prefer to go through an implementation process whereby they take their internal business requirements and existing systems/processes and configure them through a vendor provided implementation project management service delivery. This process makes changes to the existing off-the-shelf workflow and configuration to meet the individual client requirements such as terminology, escalation, notification, forms, that already exist within the client organisation. The advantage of this is that the existing knowledge bank already built and invested in within the client organisation and its personnel does not need to be changed as the RMSS Suite can map the exact required forms, assessment models, audits, workflows for risk, compliance and event and more. Powerfully and paramount to this process is that the RMSS Suite, unlike most other venders in the GRC market, we allow this to happen through user interfaces and none of the configuration or implementation processes require software engineering which is not only expensive and time-consuming but can result in further software engineering requirements and costs down the road at times such as future upgrades or changes in process.
RMSS as a business has achieved this capability in its product, the RMSS Suite, by investing significantly in research and development far beyond industry standards and norms to deliver highly configurable user based wizards that allow changes to be made; not just within the major areas of GRC such as risk, compliance and event but within each of the individual categories within each of the three main modules (for example; environment, reputation, finance, project management, Occupational Health & Safety, operations, strategic et cetera).
The reason this article is titled the advantages and disadvantages of a highly configurable commercially available off-the-shelf product is because when clients remain with the same vendor for a long period of time; for example RMSS has many clients that have been with us for over 15 years; the configurations and implementation processes requested at the commencement of the business relationship may have significantly changed with the maturity and development of the business processes of the client. Add to that the inevitable personnel changes that occur over such a period and the capability and configurability of the product such as the RMSS Suite may be unknown or forgotten with long-term clients. Put simply, the instructions provided to the vendor on the way to implement the product 10 or 15 years ago may be completely different today.
Obviously, the responsibility to communicate this capability exists within the product licensed to the client is clearly the responsibility of the software vendor, in this case RMSS. However, it is a challenge to find the most appropriate way to communicate these capabilities and increased functional possibilities that exist within the software product.
This conundrum or syndrome does not simply exist with products like RMSS it exists with multiple global leaders like Microsoft where most users may only be benefiting from 5 or 10% of the functionality and capability of the software. Users can quite simply be unaware of the capabilities and functionality that exists in the software that they have purchased or leased.
Our advice is talk to your software vendor, if you’re experiencing times where your product isn’t delivering to your expectations or it requires further additional or changed functionality; your software vendor will, in most cases, be able to support you in delivering the required outcomes. More importantly, in the case of RMSS, this can be achieved without further investment or cost to the client as our licensing model includes the addition of all enhancements that are made under the various releases year upon year and can be changed immediately in a training or transition version of the product by a user with the associated permissions and of course fully supported by RMSS as part of our standard support agreement.
If you have any questions on our product or would like to contact RMSS, you can so by emailing sales@rmss.com.au or calling our Brisbane office on 1300 850 625 or +64 4462 4032 ( our New Zealand Office).
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