Platform

This chapter explains the platform considerations that an evaluator will need to consider while selecting an Issue tracking Software.

Machine, processor, or user license

The software marketplace has many complicated pricing schemes. These schemes make it quite difficult for companies to match their needs to various software products they evaluate. Software Vendors usually retain the right to the software as they license them to the customers. A Machine License means the charges will be on the number of machines the software is installed on, however, it may not matter how many people use the software on these machines. A Processor License is based on the number of processors in the server where the software is installed. This type of licensing is usually used in the High-End Software. A user license is based on the number of users using the software; usually it is a fixed amount per user with discounts as the number of users increase.

Operating systems

The dominant operating systems in today's world are UNIX, Windows and Mac OS (a variant of the UNIX). Organizations mostly lean on one operating system or the other for their internal technology needs. The operating systems may be a consideration for the selection of the Bug and Issue Tracking Software as the company’s staff may have expertise in the installation and maintenance of a particular operating system.

Back-end database

Web Issue and Web Bug Tracker system come in many flavors. Some of the data is maintained in flat files, some in file-based databases, some in a relational and object-oriented database. Flat files are sometimes faster and Cost Effective but suffer from the proprietary nature of their design and lack of flexibility to expand. Relational databases have become standard in the software industry but are more expensive than their flat-file counterpart. Also, the company's expertise can determine the choice of the database.

Additional software

Often software vendors add additional software to the incident tracker. This addition does not offer the solution right at the point of making a decision; they may provide some incentive as they reduce the investment of similar software purchases in the future.

Backup

Lost data can spoil countless amounts of time and money. So it is important to consider the Backup strategy and tools provided by the vendor.

Security

Security is another important criterion for the selection of the Web Bug Tracker system. The points to consider are whether the system has a Login Password per user, whether privileges and roles can be created to limit access and if access can be selectively granted to a particular set of users for a particular set of functions.