RIS was founded in 1994 by database developer Carl Lorentson. Carl had been a software developer in the financial and healthcare industries since 1979 and had been the chief architect and developer for National Cancer Institute’s Physicians’ Data Query system. He knew the power of rigorous relational database design and saw that businesses could be more successful if they could automate their existing paper systems and spreadsheets using well-designed database systems. Newly available desktop database tools made this power accessible to nearly all organizations.
In their early years, most of RIS’s work was creating new database systems for businesses that had never had one before. Carl and his developers used RIS’s unique data first approach, capturing business requirements and creating systems that modeled a business’s operations, instead of just performing a single task. By doing so, RIS was able to create systems that continued to meet clients’ needs as their business evolved.
The technology landscape has evolved and information system needs are more complex than ever. However, businesses’ needs are still the same—information systems that enable their success. Today, they continue to work with their clients, designing new systems, supporting existing systems, and integrating across systems. RIS keeps pace with the ever changing business and technology landscape, meeting their clients’ needs today to support their success tomorrow.
HOW THEY DO IT
You are as unique as your business and have your own work style. They will work with you in the way that works best for you. Do you want to be closely involved in the design and testing of your system? They’ll work that way. Do you prefer a more hands-off approach? They can work that way too. They will learn how to work most effectively with you, resulting in a long-lasting and successful partnership and providing the greatest return on your information system investment.
To build the right solution, they work with you through these three phases:
An RIS development team will be assigned to your company to work closely with you and your staff. The RIS team will build a relationship with your team by learning about your business, how your systems support it, and how you prefer to work. Each time you need a change made, you will work with the same people who understand you, your business, and your systems allowing them to build better and better solutions for your changing needs.
They take a data-first approach to designing systems, ensuring you are able to capture and use critical data about your business for years to come. They start by designing your database as a model of your business so that it can capture anything you can do in your business. This comprehensive data model serves as the foundation of a flexible system that will serve your needs for years to come. It allows you to implement your current processes and provides the flexibility for them to evolve over time.