Nine Points to consider before Developing your own Online Registration System

1. Development time: Designing, programming, and testing an online registration system will take several months and likely a lot more. We can get your custom online form ready to accept registrations in days. REGIS software represents years of development and hundreds of thousands of investment.

2. Programmers and consultants will cost between 80.00 and 150.00 per hour: Initial programming for a basic registration system can easily be in the hundreds of hours at a minimum and add many more for testing and troubleshooting. More labour is required to figure out exactly how you want the system to work, come up with a project plan and to find, interview and hire programmers, graphic designers and other professionals to help you.

3. Database design: The structure of the database is critical to the success of your project. It must be well thought out and properly designed so it is reliable and scaleable. A poorly designed database can cause your data to become corrupt and not allow you to make additions

4. User interface: Your online forms and backend reports need to have an easy to use, intuitive layout or people won't use your system. To avoid problems with the interface, it is best to consult with a professional. What works on paper doesn't always work on screen especially since people are using many different screen sizes, browsers and operating systems. Also REGIS does much more than just show you the data, it allows you to manage and manipulate it as if it was on your own computer.

5. Security: How will you protect the data, process credit card transactions and limit access to the collected data? People must feel safe using your system and you will need to purchase proper security certificates and be on top of the latest patches and alert to new viruses

6. Computer hardware and software: Hardware and software for your registration system can easily be several thousand dollars for the minimum requirements. Plus there will be monthly charges to keep the equipment in a proper climate controlled server room with back up generator, power and a reliable connection to the internet. Once you have a system in place, remember to prepare for the following costs:

7. Changes, upgrades and maintenance: As long as you have your own system, you need to allocate funds for system updates, modifications, and changes. Since no two events are the same, there will always be something you need to add, change or improve with your system. Each of these changes will require more programming and testing time. Regular maintenance will also be required to keep your system running without problems.

8. Back ups: You need to constantly back up data and the software you have designed in case there is ever a problem. You should plan to have hourly, daily and monthly back ups and maintain secure copies of the information in multiple locations.

9. 24/7 Availability: Any online registration system needs to be online all the time. This means you need someone who can respond quickly in case any problems arise. This person(s) needs to know how to deal with a wide range of problems: software, hardware, networking, and security. If this person is sick, on holiday or leaves your company you may be put in a situation that jeopardises your business. Even if the system is well programmed and documented it can take days for a new programmer to get it all sorted out, which will be costly in terms of labour and your reputation. Any system you develop must be well thought out, properly programmed and carefully managed.

A poor system will not get used by your event participants or your staff making the time and money you invested a waste. Even worse, a poor system can cause a lot of frustration, loose data and ultimately result in more work or even cause your event to fail.
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