With thirty-one years of experience as an architect and software developer, Neeley believes that the real estate industry will someday migrate to an industry standard, integrated application. Just as Autodesk grew to become the dominant CAD program, a standard program (he hopes Bricsnet) will become the standard application for the real estate lifecycle.

According to Neeley, the challenge facing Bricsnet (or any software vendor) is how to jump the "chasm" that divides visionaries, who will buy "state-of-the-art" solutions, from pragmatists, who will only buy "industry standard" solutions. As Geoffrey Moore points out in Crossing the Chasm, pragmatists prefer to make "incremental, measurable progress" with "a proven market leader."

So how do you build market share? Initially, Bricsnet's Building Center has targeted larger corporations that will use one or more of its core elements: Properties, Projects, Assets, Maintenance, Lease, and Space. And with major companies like Deutsche Bank, Marriott, and WAMU as customers, Neeley believes that he's making progress. To expand the market, Bricsnet is working on a version of its software for smaller enterprises. The idea is to demonstrate that, no matter what the size of your company, an integrated solution is best.

Spread the Word... And thanks to Dale Vanderlaan and Realogic Analytics for sponsoring the PikeNet Dispatch. If you'd like to sponsor future issues, send e-mail or call 415-485-6700.

--Peter Pike