Top Sail Realty is one of the largest time-sharing and rental brokers for vacation cottages along the North Carolina coast. After 10 successful years of matching up owners and renters, Top Sail decided to acquire a computerized reservation and booking system. Top Sail’s owner read an article about software packages, and she asked you, as an IT consultant, for your advice.
1. Should Top Sail implement a Web-based system? Why or why not?
2. What software acquisition options are available to Top Sail?
3. Do you consider the reservations system to be a horizontal or a vertical application? Give reasons for your answer.
4. When you evaluate software packages, what steps will you follow?