ABOUT COMSTAR

In 2000, the Czech Chamber of Auditors certified your product ComSTAR®2000. What guarantees pertain to the respective certification?
We would like to be sure that the solution we have designed adheres to all the requirements it should comply with for the customer. The auditor’s certificate states that the software solution complies with the conditions required by Czech regulations, so that processed data is complete, correct and conclusive in accordance with regulations in force. Therefore none of our customers should be afraid that our solution and method of data processing would be contrary to the respective provisions.

What is the course of implementation of the ComSTAR®2000 system and what is the impact thereof on the routine operation of the company? Is it necessary to switch over to some kind of "exceptional status" or is the company able to work as normal during the implementation period?
Put simply, ERP system implementation is always a very demanding task for the customer. We always try to ensure proper preparation and close cooperation between the customer and ourselves to iron out the possible pitfalls of implementation before it is commenced. It is up to our customers to say to what extent we are successful. Regarding the second part of the question, I will answer it briefly: So far, all of our customers were able to maintain normal operation of their companies during implementation and thanks to the professional attitude of the implementation teams, no implementation has caused an "exceptional status".

Do you approach your customers directly or do you cooperate with implementation partners? Generally, what are the advantages and disadvantages of these two business models?
ComSTAR acts as a general supplier to the customer, we accept the liability for any and all supplies of products, service, the overall functionality of the system and implementation thereof. Based on the Contract of system integration ComSTAR is also responsible for the coordination of the subcontractors’ supplies. Project management is a significant activity carried out by ComSTAR as a part of this service. Here, the company uses its long-term experience, modern methods and tools for successful project planning, management and performance.

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about outsourcing, i.e. the external provision of service in IT. What is your opinion on IT outsourcing and its benefits? Do you have any experience with outsourcing? Do you offer it to your customers?
Outsourcing is certainly the right way to go, both for the suppliers and customers. I am convinced that as long as you are able to provide your customers with effective and high-quality service, you can convince them that outsourcing is the right thing to do. Outsourcing should also be the drive for IT suppliers, because quality of what you "outsource" should keep increasing, so that you are able to retain your customers.
We are able to provide outsourcing to our customers; however, we are still waiting for the project, within which we would fully outsource a customer’s ERP system, i.e. 100 %. Obstacles are represented mainly by the customers’ technical conditions and a certain amount of distrust still prevailing with respect to this relatively new service. However, we look at outsourcing as a great opportunity for the future.

Recently, strategic partners or investors joined a number of the Czech IT companies. However, your company has not made this step so far. Is it actually possible to keep developing software without foreign capital? Are not you considering capital investment through a foreign investor in your company?
ComSTAR is not against any cooperation of any kind. We have already been contacted by some possible partners that we could classify as technological, strategic or solely financial. Also in the case of our company, the need for capital can play an important role in meeting strategic goals. On the other hand, we are certainly not supporters of finding a strategic partner at any price. The most important issue is to harmonise the goals of our company and the goals of the potential investor, the issue of timing and so on. Yet we believe that what we are doing does make sense and that we have interesting software solutions. We believe that these solutions will find their customers in the future and therefore, we certainly do not want a capital entry that would mean the end of our company’s identity.

What are the long term plans of your company?
The environment, in which we run, is very dynamic. New technologies and new competitors keep entering the market every day. A number of companies that in the past supplied e.g. only databases or operating systems changed their strategies and started to operate in the field of ERP systems. In such environment it is very hard to define a company’s fixed strategy in the long-term future.
However, it is clear that our company tends to act as a service provider. In other words: our goal is not to sell as many licences as possible for our software, but to create close, long-term relationships with our customers. We see the main added value of our products in the diversity and quality of the service we offer to the users of our products.

Are you preparing a new version of your information system?
Of course, we are. Since 1995, when we bought the Maximise ERP system and started to operate the ERP system business, we have been constantly developing new ERP system and we will never stop as this would be the beginning of our end. A good example is that in 2002 we introduced a new technological solution built on the "opensource" Linux and PostgreSQL products that save the customers’ money on licences and technical support.
But if you mean a new system version in the sense of a new version, for which the customer will be forced to pay a sum equal to the purchase of a new ERP system, then no, we are not going to make such a step. For one thing this would not actually be possible in the current circumstances, for another we have built long-term relationships with our customers and we are not going to destroy these relationships just because of a one-time profit.