34 em december 2005 awma.org

emIT insight by Jill Barson Gilbert

Jill Barson Gilbert, QEP, is president of

Lexicon Systems, LLC. She helps organi-

zations increase business value by design-

ing and implementing EH&S management

solutions that leverage technology. E-mail:

JBGilbert@Lexicon-Systems.com.

At A&WMA’s Annual Conference& Exhibition in Minneapolis this past June, I chaired a paneldiscussion that included the CEOs of four leading environ-ment, health, and safety (EH&S) software vendors—Lawrence Goldenhersh, Enviance Inc. (www.enviance.com);Robert Johnson, Environmental Support Solutions (ESS)Inc. (www.ess-home.com); John E. Niemoller, Perillon Soft-ware Inc. (www.perillon.com); and David S. Risi, SpiramidLLC (www.spiramid.com)—who spoke about the EH&S soft-ware market, its challenges, and future direction. I thoughtI would use this month’s column to share some of the keyinsights from that discussion.

MARKET ADOPTION IS A CHALLENGEAn Environmental Management Information System (EMIS)can enhance an organization’s ability to manage thousandsof data points from disparate sources, whether to meet the

terms of a Title V air permit, pre-pare a SARA Title III Toxic ReleaseInventory, or complete one ofthousands of other environmentalcompliance tasks. The leadingEH&S software vendors tout themany benefits of their systems, suchas EMISs allow businesses to viewcritical environmental informationas an asset, communicate consis-tently and accurately, preserveinstitutional memory, leverageexisting data and systems, andimprove overall business processes.Yet, one of the greatest challengesfor vendors is to get organizationsto adopt them. According toNiemoller, although there are anoverwhelming number of EH&Srequirements, the market has notbeen quick to adopt EH&S softwarebecause there is an absence of regu-latory pressure to implement it.

The panelists agree that, forEMIS software to be widelyadopted, EH&S objectives andgoals—supported by informationtechnology (IT) infrastructure—must get attention at the corporateBoard level. Goldenhersh says thatif software meets needs at the Board

level, then EH&S professionals will not be left to manage30,000 points of compliance in Excel. He says the Boardshould view the software as a strategic asset, not as an ex-pense. Organizations must develop business cases that makeclear the value of EH&S software, linking it directly to busi-ness performance.

NEW TECHNOLOGY OFFERS MORE CHOICESBusinesses today have more choices than the $1-million client/server enterprise software installations of the past. Software-as-service, Web services, mobile technologies, and automatedalerts top the list of recent technical innovations. All fourpanelists point to the software-as-service model that allowsbusinesses to “pay as they go,” purchasing only the featuresthey need, with the option to expand functionality at a laterdate. This model,which evolved from the Application Ser-vice Provider (ASP) or “hosted application” model, offersbroad applications, scalable from small mom-and-pop shopsup to the largest multinational companies, whereby the “ven-dor” becomes the “service provider.”

Online publication NewsFactor.com reports that softwareas service—which typically eliminates hefty upfront licensefees and requires little or no on-site hardware or dedicatedIT personnel to install, configure, or maintain—is growingin popularity among large corporations and small businessesalike (see www.newsfactor.com/news/Software-as-Service-Reincarnation/story.xhtml?story_id=103003D0B2X8).

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awma.org december 2005 em 35

Meanwhile, IT analysis firms IDC and Gartner Inc. both fore-cast the rapid growth of applications delivered as a service inthe near future. Gartner predicts software-as-service is ripefor adoption in the next 2–5 years (see www.gartner.com/resources/130100/130115/gartners_hype_c.pdf).

However, the panelists say that software-as-service is notfor everyone. Niemoller predicts an evolution versus a “bigbang” as a lot of companies are skeptical of housing theirdata on a server outside the company firewall. Johnson sayshe’s not convinced the entire market will adopt the soft-ware-as-service model, so his company will continue to offerdifferent platforms. Risi adds that there will be more soft-ware-as-service adoption as the EH&S market gets comfort-able with security for sending data back and forth across thecompany firewall.

Web-based services, n-tier architecture, and mobile devicesallow the convergence of data sources, transparent to the enduser. Web services, including open-standard-based applications(e.g., XML or light-weight XML-based protocol SOAP) thatinteract with other Web applications to exchange data, can beused to integrate EH&S processes with the rest of the business.Integration with human resources, training, maintenance, pur-chasing, and other corporate functions allows management toview information business-wide and make informed risk-baseddecisions. Dashboards are becoming more and more popularfor the display of performance metrics.

N-tier architecture—typically with database, businessrules, and presentation layers—allows end users to config-ure software without touching the underlying code. Userscan easily design queries and reports without the need forprogramming. Each of the panelists’ companies appliesn-tier architecture.

Mobile devices are a great way to automate shop floorwork as well as EH&S audits. People directly responsible fordata generation can input data where they work. As a result,mobile devices, such as tablet PCs, handheld computers withdrop-down lists, and barcode scanners, are replacing tradi-tional paper log sheets and client/server applications.

Automated alerts “push” information to divergent typesof users, removing EH&S professionals from the position ofhaving to ask for information. This allows them to focus onstrategic, rather than clerical, matters. Many EH&S applica-tions can be configured to notify users when a compliancetask is due or when certain parameters are in danger ofbeing exceeded.

EH&S SOFTWARE MARKET PREDICTIONSThe panelists expect the market to grow, with an upturnover the next five years. Still, the EH&S software market willremain fragmented and further market consolidation ispredicted. The panelists also foresee increased collabo-ration among players in the market, both vendors andservice providers. Finally, they predict that there will be greaterinterest in the EH&S software market by investment ana-lysts, driven in part by computer vendor SAP’s entry intothe market (see www.sap.com/solutions/business-suite/plm/featuresfunctions/ehs.epx). Increased investmentshould follow. em

The businesses that could benefit most from EH&Ssoftware often do not know how to go about deter-mining their needs, selecting and implementing thesoftware, and getting the help they need to sortthrough the process. Typical software implementa-tion approaches include do it yourself, using a soft-ware/solution provider, or hiring a third-partyimplementer. But which approach works the best?The four panelists offer their advice on pursuing EH&Ssoftware implementation.

Risi recommends that companies obtain good advice,since even the best software package will not work wellif it is not implemented correctly. He also advises com-panies to evaluate their in-house resources for datamigration, systems integration, and so on. And, he says,potential EMIS customers should educate themselvesabout EH&S software capabilities by reading papersand talking with consultants.

Goldenhersh recommends that potential EMIS cus-tomers catalog their obligations, either in-house orwith the help of an independent consultant. He sayscompanies that self-implement EH&S systems typicallyfind that they don’t have enough in-house resourcesor expertise to successfully complete the job. Herecommends finding an independent consultant withdomain (EH&S) expertise—this applies not only toimplementers, but also to software vendors. He warnsthat domain expertise is not always apparent in ven-dor presentations. Finally, he says, potential custom-ers should check the references of software vendorsand service providers and inquire about the company’sstability and track record.

Johnson says that 99% of consultants are objec-tive, but software companies are not. If potentialcustomers are looking at only one company, herecommends finding an outside party to get a secondopinion. He also advises selecting a system based onwho will be using it; for example, EH&S managerswill have different needs than people working on theshop floor.

Niemoller proposes a phased approach to achievesuccessful EMIS implementation, by first implement-ing the backbone of the system and then adding func-tionality as needed. He notes that it is important tofind successes and to articulate them in the market-place. He also advises businesses to leverage exist-ing systems. Today’s IT allows companies to extractdata efficiently and facilitates benchmarking acrosscompanies.

Copyright 2005 Air & Waste Management Association