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I want to know which software still earns its place

Business Software Stack Audit

A software stack audit shows what the business owns, what it pays for, who has access and what can be simplified.

Ask about this service Call (561) 203-9685

Receive a clear plan for which business apps to keep, use better, connect, replace or stop paying for. The software stack, meaning the collection of apps the business runs on, is measured against the work, cost, ownership and duplication involved.

How this gets fixed

The service is an audit and a written recommendation.

It starts with an interview, because an app list means nothing without knowing what the business is trying to do. The goal is agreed first, then every app gets measured against it.

Then the apps get opened. Access as a user on your own accounts, or shadowing somebody while they work, and preferably both, because what a team uses and what a product page advertises are different lists.

Each one is checked for the same six things: whether it is doing the job, which features you use, which you do not, which of those you did not know existed, whether it is kept up, and how connected it is to everything else. Then the whole set is read together, for work being done twice, information being retyped between apps, and gaps nothing covers.

The interview

  • Your business model, and what the technology is supposed to be doing for it
  • Every app in use, who uses it, and what each one costs you a month
  • The goal, agreed before anything is opened
Scope

What this service includes

Included in your service
  • Seeing it for real, not on the website
  • Access as a user on your own accounts, or shadowing somebody while they work, preferably both
  • The features you actually use, rather than the ones the product page advertises
  • Each app, measured against that goal
  • Whether it is doing the job the business needs doing
  • Which features you use, and which you do not
  • Which unused features you did not know were there
  • Which of those you actually want
  • Whether it is kept up: current plan, current version, still maintained
  • How connected it is to everything else, or whether it sits on its own
  • Across everything you run
  • Where the same work is being done twice
  • Where information is retyped out of one app and into another
  • Where there is a gap nothing covers
  • What you end up holding
  • A written recommendation naming one of four routes: use what you have better, connect what you have, replace one app, or move everything to one platform
  • What the recommended route would cost, so the next decision is a decision and not a guess
Related work quoted separately
  • The migration or the automation build the recommendation points at, quoted separately once you have decided
  • Buying or paying for any software or license
  • Training your team on the apps, which is its own service
  • Anything done inside an app you have not given access to

Options and additions

Standard starting point
  • Business app audit and written recommendation, up to two apps
Available additions or alternatives
  • Subscription audit
  • Comparison deck: features and price, side by side, when you are weighing alternatives
  • Each additional app compared against its alternatives
The process

How it runs, step by step

  • Tell me what is going on The form below. What you have now, and what you want instead.
  • A short call, if it needs one Only where the scope cannot be settled in writing.
  • You get the scope and the price In writing, with what is included and what is not.
  • You approve it Nothing starts before you have agreed the scope and the price.
  • The work happens You are told when something needs a decision from you, and nothing else.
  • Handover What was done, where it lives, and what to do next, written down.

More on how working together works.

FAQ

Questions about this service

What if I only run two or three apps?

That is the base. Up to two apps are measured in the price above, and each additional app compared against its alternatives is priced per app.

Do you need my passwords?

Access as a user on your own accounts is the normal way, and shadowing somebody while they work covers the rest.

What if the answer is that I should keep everything I have?

Then that is the recommendation, written down with the reasons. It is the most common outcome and it is the cheapest one.

Will you compare it against other software?

Only if you want to look at alternatives. That is the comparison deck above, with the features and the prices side by side. It is an add-on because switching is a separate decision from finding out what you already own.

Send me the details

I read it and reply with the scope and the price before any work starts.

Ask about this service or call (561) 203-9685

Get a quote

Tell me the result you want and where I can see the business now. I use that information to identify the most useful service or package and decide whether I can quote it in writing. If one missing detail changes the work or price, I will ask for that detail or suggest a short call.

What would help most?

Pick at least one. More than one is fine.

Answer a few more if you want a more specific first reply

What happens next: I review the links and details, then reply within two business days with the best next step, any one question I still need answered, or a written quote when the scope is already clear.

Prefer regular email? [email protected]

Derek Packer

Your inquiry was received.

I will review what you sent and reply within two business days.

You will receive a copy of your inquiry. Look for an email from Derek Packer with the subject Inquiry Received — Here’s Your Copy. If it is not in your inbox, check spam, promotions or other folders. Still missing? Email [email protected].