Pitching PHP and Open Source Solutions to the Health Care

Industry

Hans Kaspersetz

Cyber X Designs

&

New York PHPPHP Quebec 2005 - April 1, 2005

Overview• Our qualification and perspective• Why should we pursue this market?• Breaking into the space• Challenges after we get in• Considerations in preparing estimates• Carving out a bit of mind share• Making the business case• Challenges in development and solutions• What are we using?• The Case Study• Questions

Where do you stand?

• Who is currently working with Pharma and Healthcare clients?

• Who is business for themselves or the decision maker in a small development shop?

• Who is working as part of a larger organization?• Who plans to pursue Pharma and Healthcare clients this

year?• Is there anyone here from the Pharma side?• Who has tried to break in?• Who has experienced difficulties breaking into the market

space?

Qualification and Perspective

• We are a smaller developer with 5 employees

• We work both independently and with Advertising Agencies

• Pharma Clients include: Pfizer, ALTANA, Abbott Labs & Wyeth

• We love what we do

Types of Projects We are Currently Developing

• Web based collaborative work space• Interactive Sales Tools• Airline Reservation & Frequent Flyer Miles

Application• Port of green screen AS400 DB2

application port for a financial institution• Piles of small projects for local businesses.

Why should we pursue Healthcare and Pharma

Companies?• Not as resource constrained as some market

segments

• Seeking innovative and novel solutions to traditional communications problems and marketing problems.

How can my company enter the market

• Work with advertising agencies and marketing agencies to augment their in house capabilities

• Convert the relationships developed into direct contracts

• Network!

• Avoid the frontal assault

Growing the Business

• Do it virally!• Brand hop• Identify early adopters and teams that are

technology agnostic.• Position the solution and the not programming

language and business people become much more receptive to the recommendations of the tech team.

• Some battles we will not win, do not waste your resources

More on Growing

• Remember you are their partner, openly make recommendations and deliver value

• Invest in the client and the relationship by showing up and helping them to solve their problems.

Some Challenges Once We Get in the Door

• Java & Oracle• Who will manage the application?• Who will host the application?• Who will be there when he applications

fails or needs and upgrade?• The number of proposals and tactics that

may never be executed.• Be prepared for slow pays

Preparing Estimates & Proposals

• Prepare for Many rounds of review– Legal & Regulatory– Technical– Marketing

• Budget for them, they are slow moving and very detailed

• Your timelines need to be generous• Be prepared for a long commitment

Carving Out Our Bit of Mindshare

• You are an advocate, a partner and an evangelist• You may be the only representation of PHP

and Open Source your client will ever meet.• What is PHP?• What is Open Source?• How are we going to put this to work to solve

their problems

More on Mindshare

• Do they really care?• Dispelling the myths• Develop and communicate answers in context and

in a language the audience can understand. Not everyone is a developer.

• Be prepared to compare open source and proprietary software.

• Be prepared to integrate them. Solutions come in many combinations.

Common Mistakes

• Avoiding the over promise under deliver model of development

• Bring in the specialist or more resources when you need them

• Put the client’s needs first and not PHP’s or your own ego’s needs

• Pharma clients typically are willing to apply the appropriate level of resources to correctly solve a problem when it is clearly presented to them.

Making the business case

• Outline the problems and general solutions independent of technology

• Then look for where we might need a specific technology for a solution

• If PHP and something else both fit, compare costs, development time & pros/cons

More on the Business Case

• Share with your clients your personal experiences with PHP and where it has solved problems similar to theirs. Or find projects that have solved these problems and demonstrate the project’s success.

• Present the appropriate technology and plan for the problem. One size does not fit all.

More on Business

• Cost the PHP and Open Source solution versus other solutions.

• Estimate the development time, maintenance needs of both and present them.

• Present a clear and honest picture based on business principles

Challenges CXD has faced

• Data memorialization and mitigation

• Backups

• Rapidly changing requirements

• Need for rapid innovation

• Legal and regulatory problems

• Licensing, the lawyers can be your friends.

What are we using?

• Linux & BSD• Apache & SpamAssassin• PHP & Perl• MySQL & Postgrese• Mambo• Bits and pieces of the Media Wiki diff engine which

was adopted from a Perl diff engine.• pMime• pAuth• PAXI Framework

Everyone wants a case study! Everyone wants a winner.

• Global Education Council• 1 Year ago our client placed a call for proposals• We competed against 2 other companies.• Both were large agencies pushing Java and .Net.• Our proposal was the most cost effective and

about half or a third of the price.• They presented big agency solutions and big

agency budgets and not enough ideas.

Slow Progress!

• We developed a detailed specification, established budgets.

• Then the project stalled for 5-6 months

• A very nervous time for us.

The Client is Ready

• When the client was ready to move, the original plan changed radically.

• The original plan was for mostly static type content and some interactivity.

• We worked with the client to educate and guide them to realizing the many new possibilities

New objectives

• Web site to a real tool!

• Publish materials for review and comment by worldwide contractors. Their contractors are physicians and researchers.

• Develop a tool to protect the intellectual property yet make it available.

More Objectives

• Create an online library of all materials including PPT, PDF, DOC, MOV, SWFs, ect ect.

• Internationalization of interface and content.• Localization of content• Distributed management of content and

users on a regional basis• The wanted us to turn water in to wine.

The stark reality

• The client knew they needed to communicate more effectively but didn’t know how to use technology to do it.

• We partnered with them to help develop those ideas, manage their expectations, develop reasonable timelines and a reasonable upgrade path.

The Possible Solutions• We then investigated ASP and Java based

document management solutions.• We looked into integrating them with the CMS• We looked at all in one solutions from other

vendors.• We presented a range of potential solutions to the

client and helped them come to a decision. We were prepared to work with any of them.

The Solution

• Mambo CMS with custom modules• Why?• It is a frame work we are comfortable with and

can rapidly develop modules and components for.• Budgets• It provides the foundation to deliver content and

services localized and internationalized.• The client agreed it was a good match.

Interesting Details

• We choose PHP because if we choose Java the client would have had to manage and host the application adding a layer of complexity.

• We have combined ideas and source from Wiki Media, Perl, Mambo and other open source projects

• We have been granted permission to release our modules back to the community.

• We have had a really good time working on it.

More Details

• The core platform will deliver content in 6 languages

• Be regionalized for 9 countries

• Is in compliance with the regulatory and legal requirements of 9 countries and their LOCs.

Where is the project today?

• The project will launch next week at a conference in NY.

• We have developed 5 custom components and modules to achieve the client’s objectives.

• We have a 1 year upgrade path planned for the project which we are executing on.

• The client is very happy• The legal department is happy• The IT department is happy

Questions?

Hans KaspersetzHans@cyberxdesigns.com

http://www.cyberxdesigns.com