Many sales automation applications are mission-critical; they need to be secure, and they require some form of version control. Client/server applications with high-powered hardware and bandwidth requirements can be expensive to implement and often provide a less than optimal solution, especially if data is replicated all over the world. Many companies still use legacy mainframe applications. A thin-client/server solution using WinFrame provides the requisite security and reliability for sales automation applications. Client/server or mainframe applications that use a thin-client/server solution for interfacing with the user solve a number of deployment problems. In addition to taking care of the problem of replicated data, the thin-client/server solution makes the best use of existing user hardware as well as system administration and support resources.
The next case study shows how a thin-client/server solution can be used in sales automation. The Standard Forms company built a thin-client/server solution using WinFrame that leveraged its legacy mainframe applications and allowed the company to make its product catalog available on line.