Free Software, Anyone?
March 18, 2008
One of the biggest deterrents for some contractors when it comes to technology is cost—cost of the software, cost of the implementation, and cost of the support. One technology vendor is taking cost out of the equation hoping contractors will give technology a try on the vendor’s dime.
Procore Technologies, www.procore.com, Santa Barbara, Calif., recently announced a free version of its online project management software. The free version, which can be downloaded via the company’s Website, allows up to three users to manage a single construction project with up to 250 MB (megabytes) of online file storage.
The free version does not include the broad spectrum of functionality contained within its Enterprise, Contractor, and Basic offerings. Instead, users are limited to a basic feature set that includes a project directory, a scheduling tool with email reminders, a project dashboard, and the ability to track project emails.
The intent is to provide users with a basic set of functionality that allows introduces them to the benefits of automated project management. According to Procore, from there companies can determine if they would like to expand their usage with the other versions.
Steve Zahn, president, Procore, says the intent of the free version is to earn the trust of contractors and hopefully change the way they view technology.
“This is truly raising the bar in terms of the expectations contractors have for construction software,” says Zahn. “We tell customers to try it, see if it helps their business, and if so, let’s talk about becoming partners.”
Time will tell if this announcement will encourage more contractors to try technology, or if other vendors in the market follow suit. For the time being it is one option for companies that want to dabble in using project management technology.