PaaSing the Ball to Our Customers: Brixxs

“PaaSing the Ball to our Customers” is a new blog series by you and for you.

What is this new blog series about? It is about your experience with the Progress Pacific platform. Instead of us telling you why we think there is no better time to adopt PaaS and why Progress® Pacific™ is special, we’re letting our customers and partners tell you why they chose Progress Pacific, how they’re using it and the benefits it provides. I hope you enjoy the first in the series with Freddy Jaarsma, Director, Brixxs.

Q&A with Freddy Jaarsma, Director, Brixxs

Hans van Dommelen of Cloudselling, left, with Freddy Jaarsma, Director of Brixxs.

What is your background?

Q: Can you give us a brief background on you/your company?

A: We started Brixxs two years ago because traditional packaged software simply did not provide the advanced levels of adaptability and flexibility inherently necessary in highly dynamic collaboration activities. We are using Progress Rollbase and Javascript expertise to build state of the art apps quickly and easily.

Q: Are you business or technical user?

A: We are ISV who uses Progress Pacific, so we are a technical user.

Q: Why did you select the photo pictured above?

A: I selected this particular photo because Hans van Dommelen of Cloudselling and I felt proud, passionate and energetic when we signed our formal partnership contract together. This is what Brixxs does every day: we work with pride, passion and a lot of energy.

How are you using Progress Pacific?

Q: What problem/issue drove your need for Progress Pacific?

A: Primarily we chose to use Progress Pacific with the desire to try to solve business problems and develop business applications. We also wanted to create these business applications rapidly with easy-to-use tools, which the Pacific allowed us to do.

Q: Can you explain how you or your business uses Progress Pacific, and identify which Pacific technology you use, Rollbase, DataDirect Cloud, Easyl, or all?

A: We use Progress Rollbase as an ISV in a private cloud. We have built an extensive set of Rollbase application templates and are also able to build complete ERP systems in Rollbase. Customers can choose Brixxs if they need a custom ERP solution in the cloud. Specifically, we were able to help registered taxi companies in the Netherlands quickly comply with new regulations really quickly and improve the quality of their services in large cities.

We also have plans to use DataDirect Cloud in future projects.

Q: How has Progress Pacific helped you to implement a successful solution and one that your customers benefit from?

A: It provides standard building blocks, re-usability, a successful deployment model, private cloud options, customer workshops to improve skills with the technology, etc.

Why Platform as a Service (PaaS)?

Q: Why did you decide to use PaaS? And why did you choose Progress Pacific over other PaaS platforms?

A: We decided to use PaaS because we did not want to program in .NET. We believe in building software with just a bit of configuration and some Javascript. Progress Pacific perfectly matched with the skills of our IT team which consists of an IT architect and analysts with some technical expertise in Javascript. With PaaS our consultants are able to carry out a project from start to end. This saves time and money.

Q: What benefits does PaaS provide for you and your business?

A: Fast time to market, adaptability, low costs and a lot of customer satisfaction!

Q: What advice/tips/ideas/recommendations would you give to others regarding PaaS?

A: First, try not to look at PaaS as solely a developer tool, with PaaS you can have more involvement from business users (i.e. process analysts and functional designers) and build innovative solutions together in the cloud.

Second, focus on new business models and IT strategies; think outside the box, because Progress Pacific can make a difference in many ways.

Also, start building small (departmental) apps now and increase your Progress Pacific knowledge and experience on the fly. Don't wait, because the IT market is not waiting for you and it will cost a lot of time and money if you need to catch up!

Finally, working with Progress Rollbase is fun :-)

So there you have it, some great advice from Freddy Jaarsma of Brixxs. For a detailed look at how Brixxs is using Progress Pacific, read the case study here, or try Progress Pacific for yourself – free, here!

Stay tuned for the next in our series, coming soon.