Technology prescription for a small biz fit

When Dr. Peter Vonu was looking to add features to the technology platform supporting his plastic-surgery practice in Hampton Roads, Va., he spoke with engineers from Ascendant Technology, who in turn called on partner IBM to implement a customized version of Big Blue's Express line of products for small and midsize businesses.

"We thought we would try to develop an automatic service so patients in the lobby could sign in without having to wait too long," says Vonu, director of the Plastic Surgery Center. In addition Vonu sought to develop his office network beyond the few desktop PCs in use. "There was no interoffice collaboration at [that time]," he says.

For its Express line, says Blair Hankins, CTO of Austin, Texas-based Ascendant, "IBM has taken the code base [of enterprise products] and adjusted it for ease of installation and for simpler administration with [fewer] options or with tools to walk users through steps for implementation and administration. For enterprise versions of these products, you get server-based prices, which can run into tens of thousands of dollars."

With Express pricing, Vonu says he paid just $12,000 for the total package. IBM provided WebSphere Application Server Express, WebSphere Portal Express, and Lotus Sametime for automatic sign-in, workflow, and collaboration functionality, using Microsoft Windows XP on a Compaq Tablet PC so that doctors, nurses, and administrative staff at the clinic could communicate and process patient data in real time.

The new system can flash alerts when patients wait more than 15 minutes at any point in the visit. Vonu also says the system allows doctors to see 15 more patients per week, bringing in an additional $250,000 in revenue annually.

Express relies heavily on some 90,000 partners to address the details of customer needs, says Elaine Lennox, IBM's director of marketing for global small and medium business, based in San Jose. "We provide certification to companies like Ascendant and then they customize the solution on the ground for that user. We believe you can build building blocks like Sametime and QuickPlace and Lotus collaboration."

Express is ultimately more than dumbed-down enterprise products, says one analyst. "IBM has developed a whole methodology that brings out products for this market that are easy to install, often with just five clicks or less, and easy to integrate with other products," says Laurie McCabe, vice president and practice director for small- and medium-sized business at Summit Strategies in Boston.