Importance of Customization in EHS Software

PRLog (Press Release) - Apr. 13, 2010 - When considering EHS software, one of the challenges an organization faces is customization; however, organizations may not realize how important it is until they find themselves unable to meet future demands. In this case, they may find themselves saddled with a financially-burdensome return to the software provider.

To avoid this potential pitfall, when your organization considers EHS software, “customization” should be one of the keywords in any discussion. Make sure you are able to:

-   Modify forms or groups of forms. Any tool should have an easy to use point-and-click interface that doesn’t require programming knowledge.
-   Ensure the changes you make may be applied to a specific user, groups of users (defined as “rolls” or “aliases”) or globally throughout the organization.
-   Ensure form changes are meaningful. A simple tool may allow you to change the labels on a given form, but a truly useful tool will allow you to adjust form field positions, label properties (visibility based on user group requirements) and masks for limiting data entry as is done in social security numbers, postal codes, etc.

Make sure when considering EHS software that your prospective solution provider is willing to demonstrate the software’s ability to make these changes. Asking for information such as a free demo or references from current clients could help ensure the system you purchase is right for your organization.

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Knorr Associates Inc. has been providing DataPipe, the complete EH&S information management software solution for over 30 years. DataPipe is a smart and simple, modular software solution for collecting and managing EHS data.