Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/528936
38 WINES&VINES July 2015 TECHNOLOGY Time investment Winery software takes a consider- able time investment to set up right. If the winery already is using data software, some of the companies (such as IVIS, Breck- inridge and Vintners Advantage) are able to directly import your data into their operating system. This is not as easy as it might first seem. A lot of time will be spent mapping your data fields to simi- lar locations on the new system, so the information you try to re- trieve will be found in the correct location after the import of your data. An important consideration when choosing winery software is how much change you will need to make converting your current data to the new system. Can you maintain your current tank-naming system, or must it change to keep track of them? With respect to wine lot numbers, how will that change and will you need to maintain a historic mapping of changes so that archival data will not be lost? Most of the time the new software will increase your access to information. Structural modules vs. purchase modules Many segments make up the overall process of making wine. Each of these software companies has a different ap- proach to what is essential and/or within their economic model of price vs. feature. In some sense, each business software mod- ule can be freestanding or inte- grated into an overall design of the product. Therefore, some modules are part of the core of a company's offering, and you must buy this core product and then add on as needed. The more a company uses the modular design, it can reduce your program cost by allowing you to purchase only what you need when you need it. If, for example, your winery doesn't have a work order system, Orion offers a work order module. You might not need to purchase that module now, but Orion al- lows that module to be pur- chased later. In general, be sure that any module you might like to add can be added on at a later date. At the other end of the module spectrum is IVIS. They indi- cate that they have two modules, Vineyard and Winery, where each stands alone. Amphora has seven structural modules that are all linked into one program package. These two compa- nies look at their internal "modules" as structural ele- ments of the program itself and not individual purchase elements. Meanwhile, Orion, Breckenridge, Vintners Advantage, Vintegrate and Winemaker's Database allow you to select the modules you want to use. Breckenridge and Vintegrate have the most modular selections in pricing. WHAT LEADING VENDORS OFFER Amphora Modules included: Batch Management, Bottle Inventory Management, Container Man- agement, Gen- eral Inventory Management, Task Manage- ment, Vineyard Management and Winery Reports. The minimum setup includes all modules. Modules are linked so that, for example, vineyard events can be linked to finished wine. Cost: One-time fee including all modules, free updates for one year with option to purchase updates after that period. Breckenridge Modules included: Inventory Management, Production Management, Lot Tracking, Statistics Analy- sis, Lot Blend- ing for Product, Container Man- agement, QA Lab, Govern- ment Reporting, Sales Order Management and Accounts Receivable. Cost: One-time purchase fee plus main- tenance and preferred billing rates. Month- to-month pay- ment includes updates when released. Yearly payment offers 10% discount over month to month. IVIS Modules included: Vine- yard Module and Winemak- ing Module. Cost: Instal- lation cost plus annual maintenance fee (includes updates). Orion Modules included: The Blend core offering is a collection of modules includ- ing Production, Vineyard and Packaging. Additional mod- ules are offered, including: Work Order, Barrel Scanning and Tirage. Cost: Installa- tion fee includes training. Annual subscription fee includes unlim- ited telephone support and upgrades. Vintners Advantage Modules included: Winery Operations includes: Vine- yard Information, Grape Receipts, Cellar Work Orders, Barrel Tracking, Laboratory, Trial Blending, Compli- ance Reporting, Composition, Cost- ing and Bulk Shipping. Casegood Sales and Distribution includes: Order Entry, Inventory Management, Pricing, Invoicing, Ac- counts Receivable, Sales Analysis, Purchasing, Allocations, Compli- ance and Reporting. Bottling includes: Bills of Mate- rial, Bottling, Purchasing, Inventory Control, Product Specifications, Physical Inventory, Compliance and Costing. Offers unlimited inven- tory locations and warehouses. Integrates to Winery Operations and Sales & Distribution. Cost: Per module SaaS (software as a service) monthly fee. Training free. Installation fee. Vintegrate Modules included: Can have mini- mum system with Chart of Accounts, Data- base and Inven- tory modules. Wine Production would require more modules. Cost: One-time fee for Server Edition plus annual licenses and monthly maintenance fee. Winemaker's Database Modules included: Twenty different modules cur- rently available in the core program. The basic version of The Winemak- er's Database includes all of the tools neces- sary for most wineries to get started without adding any modules. The only module that can cur- rently operate independently is the Vineyard Management module. Cost: No setup cost—monthly service fee only. Winemaker's Database offers 20 different modules based on winemaking operations.