Thinking Technology at ASAE

Walking the technology portion of the exhibit hall at the ASAE annual meeting is always an experience and 2011 was no exception. Each year new applications appear, taking advantage of technologies that were not even on the radar screen just a few years ago. This year it seemed everyone was using QR codes. Last year saw an explosion of iPads. In Toronto it was mobile apps. It is hard to remember that the iPhone, the device that changed the mobile landscape and introduced the concept of mobile apps, has only been on the market since 2007.

The rapid pace of technology change is a challenge for IT directors working to maximize the current value of technology investments while maintaining the flexibility to take advantage of yet unknown future tools. While this is a challenge for a wide spectrum of technology applications, the category of association management software (AMS) stands out. It is the core operations and information application with which new tools must integrate, it is the largest single technology expense for most associations, and because of its central role and cost it is upgraded or replaced infrequently. Our industry research shows that for most associations, a new AMS purchase is an 8-10 year commitment, with a 4-5 year cycle of upgrade. In the context of mobile, it means that many associations are working now to take advantage of new opportunities using an AMS that predates them.

 

ROI for technology investment may ultimately reside as much in their capability to support future requirements as current features.

Much of the AMS purchase process appears to revolve around a match of current features and requirements. That's important, of course.  But as the explosion of mobile clearly illustrates, the ROI of those purchases may ultimately reside as much in the capability of the AMS to support future requirements.  

 

Associations would be well advised to place at least as much weight on those characteristics as on the array of current features - the technology platform, upgradeability, flexibility to work with new third-party applications, development direction of the product -- and the capability and commitment of the AMS provider company to continue that development.