Identifying the need for a product is satisfying. Conceptualization is exciting. But the greatest reward comes when it jumps off the drawing board and onto your monitor. Then you know it’s real.

The initial stages of Simplaris involved a flurry of research, market testing, brand and collateral development, intellectual property protection, project planning, establishing key partner relationships, and initial promotional, community and awareness efforts (including a brand video, this Launch Blog, social media activity and sponsorships). Cramming into one sentence the work done over the past year is a bit like squeezing 40 clowns into a compact car. It’s an impressive feat that shouldn’t be underestimated, but it’s merely background to the main event; the realization of Simplaris.

Actual software development began in July, 2008 with the design and development of the product architecture. This included the web-based interface, account and data synchronization among all the components of the Simplaris offering -

Simplaris Offerings

- in addition to the database, internal CRM, analytics and billing systems. The development environment (code version control, documentation systems and a functional testing framework) was also implemented.

We then began work on the core of Simplaris’ offering and the focal point of development to-date: the Business Acceleration Dashboard (or ‘Dashboard’ for short).

The Dashboard is a ‘business-friendly’ hub from which Simplaris’ customers will be able to centrally access their comprehensive suite of SaaS business solutions. Designed to look and feel like a familiar ‘desktop’, it features intuitive drag-and-drop interaction with the interface, providing inherent flexibility to customize screen real estate according to individual workflow. Additionally, with powerful tools like the Getting Started checklist, Account Status bubble, personalized Business Acceleration Report Card, video tutorials and your PIC just a click away, the Dashboard is far from a technical administration tool. Rather, it’s a dedicated ‘home base’ for small business owners and team members to manage and grow their business.

The following slideshow offers a glimpse at the progress of Simplaris development to-date:

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We are very excited to be able to share our progress over the past several months, and will be sure to provide further updates as each day brings us a step closer to realizing the vision of freedom from technology for small businesses.