Why use a home inventory desktop database?
There are competing home inventory solutions available on
the internet. One of the main competing solutions uses an
"on-line" internet system. This system uses Google and Amazon
to store your data whereby you sign up and then painfully add
your items into. Unfortunately this can be a very slow process
especially if you wish to input pictures and scanned receipts
and documents. Even on a high speed internet connection it can
take about 5-10 minutes per item. If you don't believe me, try
it out. Sign up for a free account and insert a single item
with a picture. See how long it takes.
Also your personal data is stored on a 3rd party machine on
their database system. Do you actually trust that your data is
safe and secure? How about hacking? Is your home
inventory data safe and secure from hackers? I'm sure
there are many criminal elements who would love to know exactly
what you own, where it's located and its value.
| Benefit/Drawback |
Home
Inventory Software system |
Online software
competitor |
| Can
hackers see your private data? |
Absolutely NOT - Our system is totally
hack-proof because the data is NOT on the internet.
The data is stored on your machine where you have
full and complete control. |
Yes - since your data is on the internet and
stored on 3rd party computers managed by strangers
you are vulnerable to data compromise by hackers
and rogue employees. No system on the internet is
fool proof. Unfortunately, banks, the government
and even the US Military get regularly hacked |
| How
about backups? |
Your backup can be emailed to a relative. We do
recommend that you use a USB jump drive or external
device away from your home to store a copy of your
backup files. Backup files can be named uniquely so
you can go back in time to multiple dates if you
wish. |
Hopefully your data is getting backed up. You
have no control over this and the service is not
guaranteed. Forget about going to a prior data
backup if you make a mistake and accidentally
delete data. |
| Access speed |
Our system is lightening fast and can store up
to 132 Gigabytes of data including pictures and
documents. |
Try uploading a picture - it takes
forever! |
| What
if the internet goes down? |
Who cares? You can still get to your data since
it doesn't rely on the internet. |
Sorry but no internet - no data. |
| What
if the company goes out of business? |
Who cares? The program will continue to work
even if the company goes out of business. However,
Contact Plus Corporation has been in business since
1987 and is very healthy. |
Sorry but you're out of luck - no company - no
data. |
| It's
nice to access my data from any computer in the
world. |
Your license allows you to install onto
multiple computers you own - so go ahead and
install on your laptop and take the data with you.
However, who really needs to access their inventory
data from any computer in the world? |
Yes this is a nice feature - but how often do
you actually need to do this for home inventory?
Also, if you're running from an public Wifi access
point such as a Starbucks, your password and
information can be easily compromised by someone
else on the Wifi network. |
| Can I
have custom fields? |
Yes - most field names can be changed. |
No |
| Can I
have custom reports? |
Yes, you can have an unlimited number of custom
reports if you purchase the $20 add-on. The
built-in reports are very good |
No - reporting is very limited |
| Can I
store repair and maintenance records? |
Yes - each item in your inventory can have
optional repair and maintenance records. |
No. |
| Can I
create PDF reports |
Yes |
No |
| Can I
export my data? |
Yes of course - it's your data. |
No |
| How much does it
cost? |
It's $39.99 and is a one-time cost - you own
the software license to this excellent software
product. |
Free (for now) - but you have to put up with
advertising and a crippled product. |
| 
