When Mike Lynch, co-founder of Sussex-based start-up The Computer Shop, took over the premises from which the company would offer PC systems, repairs, training, networks and Web development, one of the last things he wanted to do was worry about software to run the business. “We were just looking for anything to make our business easier,” he explained. Then, by chance, he discovered C21NetWorks and their BizData system. However, chance has played no part in subsequent events.

The Computer Shop liked what they saw, and commissioned C21NetWorks to provide it with the BizData Retail suite of web application modules, customised to its own requirements. “We were looking for a simple solution that was quick and easy to implement. But we didn’t want to be stuck with an IT vendor’s standard idea of what a small retailer needed,” said Mr Lynch, “So we looked for a customised solution and found it from C21NetWorks. They understood exactly what we wanted and delivered it.”

At the heart of the system is BizData, a general-purpose business database designed by C21NetWorks and implemented at The Computer Shop using MySQL, a fast and reliable Open Source database management system.

The user interface for all back office functions is a series of customised web pages run in the browser of the user’s choosing. This delivery method suited Mr Lynch: “We were much happier using HTML-based pages than old fashioned ‘flat’ systems,” C21NetWorks designed a simple till, using Visual Basic™, to run on an Epson IR-310 touch-screen EPOS terminal.

But it wasn’t just the technology that has made The Computer Shop a satisfied customer – C21Networks’ approach to understanding their needs was paramount. “Throughout the process, C21NetWorks has looked after us. They’ve been very flexible and easy to talk to. This means that they’ve been able to make changes very quickly, and, I’d like to think that through listening to us they have learnt too,” Mr Lynch enthused.

BizData Retail has also proved cost effective, being able to run on the low-cost hardware that was already in place.

And in conclusion? “The software is fine because C21NetWorks understands that the way we run our business is unique to us, and so they’ve been able to customise the system to our way of doing things. With the many things we had to focus on in our start-up, we needed a system that could be learnt quickly and that gave us reliable, no-frills functionality. This is what we’ve got.”