Off The Shelf Software (COTS)
Off-the-shelf software promises speed and savings—but only if chosen and delivered with discipline. We guide organizations through every stage, from requirements and vendor selection to contracts, migration, and testing so that you can reduce risk, control cost, and receive COTS investments deliver business value.
Expertise
Confident Choices for Off-the-Shelf Software.
Select and implement COTS solutions with confidence. And without costly detours. This requires clarity, discipline, and a firm grasp of what the business truly needs. We help organizations define requirements, evaluate vendors, and guide implementations with a focus on predictable delivery and measurable outcomes. The result is a selection process that moves quickly, contracts that protect the business, and systems that integrate cleanly into existing environments.
COTS Fit–Gap & Requirements Alignment
The right COTS solution aligns with business needs without introducing unnecessary complexity. We help clarify requirements and compare them with vendor capabilities through structured analysis, guided demos, and hands-on prototypes. Nonfunctional considerations such as performance, integration patterns, privacy, and data residency are evaluated early so leaders understand where the product fits and where adjustments are needed. This gives teams a clear foundation for selection and a realistic plan for implementation.
RFP Development & Vendor Selection
A strong RFP creates fairness, transparency, and speed. We translate requirements into a format vendors can respond to with precision. Then we guide the review process, so each option is assessed consistently. Demonstrations, proofs of concept, and cost models are examined with equal discipline, allowing selection committees to compare strengths without losing sight of operational or compliance needs. Organizations reach decisions with more confidence and fewer blind spots.
Contracting & Licensing Advisory
Reduce software costs and risk with contracts aligned to how you operate today. We review licensing models, terms, pricing, and service commitments against real usage, architecture constraints, and security expectations. We apply entitlement baselines, scenario pricing, benchmarking, and clause redlining. This preparation equips teams with clear negotiation strategies, alternate scenarios, and visibility into long-term costs. With this insight, renewals become predictable and agreements better reflect the business’ needs and risk posture.
Implementation Governance & SI/Vendor Management
Once a vendor is selected, disciplined governance becomes essential. We provide oversight that links contractual expectations with delivery performance and accountability. Stage gates, change control, and KPI reviews keep integrators aligned with scope, quality, and timeline requirements. As decisions become clearer and ownership more visible, implementations move forward with fewer defects and more predictable outcomes. Deliver programs on time with vendors who stay accountable.
Data Migration & Integration Planning
Reliable data and clean integrations are central to COTS success. We help profile sources, map transformations, design pipelines, and coordinate cutovers so systems go live with accuracy and stability. Rehearsals allow teams to validate performance and refine sequencing before launch. This reduces downtime and ensures that information flows correctly from day one. Move data safely and connect systems without disrupting the business.
Testing, Release & UAT Strategy
Release with confidence, not surprises. Quality grows when testing is connected to business risk and requirements. We design testing strategies that combine automated and manual validation to ensure that each release cycle is dependable. Test data is handled with care for masking, residency, and security. UAT becomes structured and purposeful, supported by clear calendars and readiness checks. Launches become smoother and approvals move more quickly because teams trust the process.
Our Clients
Hundreds of clients. Thousands of modernization projects.
“Resource Data staff were not only professional, knowledgeable and highly skilled, but also friendly and easy to work with—the latter being a key consideration on long and complex, challenging and sometimes stressful projects”
Patrick Brosnan, Former Head of IT, AK DMV
Mat-Su Borough
Bringing Digital Services to One of Alaska’s Largest Boroughs
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough spans 25,000 square miles, making in-person, paper-based services burdensome for many residents. To improve access, the Borough needed a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) eCommerce solution that could integrate with its existing SharePoint environment and support a wide range of permits, licenses, and registrations.
Resource Data provided project management and business analysis to evaluate commercial options and guide the selection of Kintivo, a configurable COTS product. The team documented requirements, mapped processes, assessed vendors, and designed the system architecture before configuring the platform and launching the first online service for business licenses. Additional offerings—including parking permits, swim lessons, and driveway permits—were then added using the same foundation.
The system now processes tens of thousands of transactions, saving staff 15 minutes to two hours per request and giving residents across the Borough a far more convenient way to access local services.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Giving a State Genetics Lab a Clear Path to Modernization
Alaska’s Gene Conservation Lab safeguards the genetic diversity of the state’s fish and shellfish species and provides high-resolution genetic analysis to support resource management. Its aging hardware and fragmented analysis environment made it difficult to keep pace with expanding datasets and more complex scientific workflows. To plan responsibly for the future, the team needed clarity on what a modern genomics infrastructure should include and which commercial solutions could meet their needs.
Resource Data conducted an on-site review of the lab’s datacenter environment, analytical software, storage demands, and user workflows. Interviews with researchers informed detailed technical requirements and high-level architecture tailored to scientific computing. The team then evaluated multiple commercial solution options, outlining trade-offs and cost considerations for each path.
The lab gained a clear set of requirements, a practical solution design, and well-documented alternatives. This positioned the team to plan investments confidently and move toward infrastructure capable of supporting current and future genetic analysis.
National Agribusiness Company
Replacing a Custom Crop System with a Modern COTS Platform
A national agribusiness company depended on a custom application to manage the grower, farm, and field information used to guide customer recommendations. Over time, the legacy system became difficult to evolve and costly to maintain, leading the company to pursue a commercial off-the-shelf alternative that could modernize workflows and better support long-term technology plans.
Resource Data provided project management to lead the transition. The team defined requirements, coordinated vendor evaluation and selection, and managed implementation of the COTS solution. They oversaw data migration, documented configuration needs, aligned future-state processes, and directed user acceptance testing to ensure the system met the needs of teams who rely on accurate field and crop information.
The shift to a commercial platform gave the company a more maintainable, scalable foundation for its agriculture operations. The structured approach ensured a controlled transition and positioned the organization to evolve the system with far less ongoing effort.
Forge Building Company
Delivering Scalable Systems for a Construction Company in Growth Mode
Forge Building Company was growing quickly and had outgrown its manual approach to managing sales and construction projects. To support continued expansion, leadership looked for commercial off-the-shelf systems that could bring structure and scalability to both CRM and project management.
Resource Data established the groundwork by defining the business architecture, documenting current processes, and performing a gap analysis to clarify needs. The team then shaped requirements for both systems, researched vendors, facilitated demonstrations, and guided Forge through selecting a COTS platform that could support both functions.
After selection, Resource Data detailed configuration requirements, worked alongside the implementation vendor, and planned and facilitated user acceptance testing. The team also prepared user documentation and training to ensure successful adoption.
The new COTS platform now provides consistent workflows for customer and project management and gives Forge a scalable foundation for continued growth.
A Major Oil and Gas Company
Building a Clear Path to Reliable Occupational Health Management
Remote field work around heavy industrial equipment, combined with strict regulatory requirements, made accurate, accessible health records essential for a major pipeline operator. As features on their legacy system failed, the Occupational Health Unit increasingly relied on labor-intensive manual processes that slowed reviews and raised compliance risk. The organization needed clear requirements and a structured path to select an effective commercial replacement.
Resource Data worked with stakeholders across the Occupational Health Unit and IT to document detailed business requirements and map workflows. The team researched commercial solutions, developed scoring tools for demonstrations, and prepared comparison analyses showing how each option aligned with the organization’s priorities. The process concluded with the selection of a commercial occupational health management system that met the documented needs.
With a vendor selected and a clear set of requirements in place, the operator gained a clear, validated direction for replacing manual processes and improving the systems that support workforce health and regulatory compliance.
Alaska Department of Revenue
Project Management That Unified 100+ Legacy and Manual Systems
The Alaska Department of Revenue’s Tax Division relied on 17 automated systems and more than 100 manual side systems to administer 22 tax and licensing programs. This fragmented environment created complexity for staff and limited taxpayers’ ability to manage accounts, submit forms, or make payments online. The division needed a single tax revenue management system to modernize operations and improve public access.
Resource Data provided project management through procurement and implementation of the new system, developing the RFP, coordinating vendor evaluation and contract negotiation, and guiding the design and testing effort. The team led steering committees and project working groups, aligned stakeholders across multiple agencies, managed risks, and supported change management as the GenTax commercial tax system was selected and deployed.
The project delivered a unified, online revenue management platform on schedule and under budget. Taxpayers can now check balances, make payments, and file applications online, and the Tax Division has a scalable system that supports consistent processes and future program growth.
Real-World Solutions
Implementing ERP Systems.
Modernizing your ERP environment can improve cycle times and operational performance across the organization. We focus on clean data, secure integrations, and fully rehearsed cutovers to protect daily operations. The result is a connected cloud system that improves visibility and supports faster, better decisions.
Smarter Finance Operations
Financial ERP Modernization
Modernizing your finance operations with a cloud ERP can enable shorter closes and enable stronger controls. You may have modernization goals including fitting to a standard, streamlined the chart of accounts, and simplifying core processes across finance and procurement. However, we also understand that ERP migrations are never easy. It’s critical to migrate clean, reconciled data, define secure integrations, and sequence releases to protect operations. Cutovers should be rehearsed with rollback plans, and established role-base training for higher adoption. The result you can aim for should be more than a system upgrade—target a finance ERP migration that improves transparency, process flow, and decision-making across the enterprise.
Unified Procurement
Supply Chain Modernization
Modernizing your procurement and supply chain ERP can shorten cycle times, control spend, and improve fulfillment. You may have goals such as fitting to a standard, simplifying purchasing and inventory processes, and improving coordination across sourcing, contracts, and order management. Yet ERP transformations are never simple and often involve integrating multiple systems. Clean, reconciled data and planning well-sequenced integrations are essential to protect operations. Cutovers should be rehearsed and training role-based. The result: a modern platform that enhances visibility, control, and performance across your supply chain.
Intelligent Maintenance
Asset Management Modernization
Aging maintenance systems limit visibility, slow repairs, and drive up the cost of keeping critical assets running. Modernizing your asset and maintenance platform in the cloud enables predictive maintenance, integrated financial control, and consistent operations across plants and regions. As with all ERP transformation projects, reconciled data, secure integrations, and tested cutovers with rollback plans are essential to protect operations. With role-based training and clear adoption support, teams gain the confidence to operate efficiently in the new environment—turning maintenance into a proactive, data-driven function that drives reliability and value.
Modernized Financial Operations
Grants, Contracts, & Revenue Management ERP
Modernizing your grants, contracts, and revenue management in the cloud can accelerate cash flow, strengthen compliance, and improve financial visibility. You may aim to automate revenue recognition, standardize contract terms, and integrate projects, billing, and reporting for consistent data and controls. Yet ERP transformations are complex. Clean, reconciled data, secure integrations, and tested cutovers are essential to protect operations. With role-based training, teams adopt confidently—creating a connected ERP that delivers faster cash, stronger compliance, and transparency across the enterprise.
Ariel Gibson
Service Area Lead, IT Business Consulting
Ariel’s impressive resume spans over 20 years in information technology and project management. During her 10 years as a leader within Resource Data, she has risen from a senior project manager to shareholder, to director of sales and marketing, and Juneau Director.
She received her MBA from the University of Alaska and has earned certifications for project management, organizational change management, Scrum Master, and ITIL. She is a proven leader, experienced in managing change while remaining results- and employee-focused.
Our IT Business Consulting Services
Power smarter business with intentional technology.
Talk to Ariel Gibson
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