Customizing Museum Management System for Global Cultural Institutions

The Client

The Zetcom group is a global leader in developing software solutions and services for cultural institutions, organizational management, and environmental data administration. Their offerings include museum and archive management systems, organizational tools for foundations and associations, and environmental data management for administrative bodies and companies.

With a diverse client base of over 1,000 customers spanning more than 30 countries, Zetcom's flexible software solutions are instrumental in preserving and developing cultural heritage, streamlining daily business operations, and administering environmentally relevant institutions.

Headquartered in Switzerland, Zetcom maintains a strong global presence through subsidiaries in Germany, the United States, Spain, and France, complemented by a network of worldwide partners. This extensive reach ensures that clients receive localized support and expertise, regardless of their geographic location.

Binary Studio's integration into our team has been smooth and efficient.

While maintaining high professional standards, Binary Studio has shown a refreshing blend of precision and creativity that aligns well with our goals at Zetcom.

Nicolas Guillaumin

Head of Group Services

Customizing Museum Management System for Global Cultural Institutions-2 SWITZERLAND

Objectives

zetcom's flagship product, MuseumPlus, is a highly customizable web-based CRM system serving over 900 prestigious museums worldwide. While the system offers comprehensive features for museum management, its true strength lies in its adaptability to each institution's unique workflows and requirements.

The key to MuseumPlus's success is its custom configuration capability, managed by a dedicated customization team. This team is responsible for tailoring the system to each museum's specific needs, integrating MuseumPlus with existing museum systems, and providing ongoing support and modifications.

As Zetcom's client base grew and museum needs became increasingly complex, they necessitated a quick scaling of the customization team.

To address these challenges, Zetcom decided to seek a reliable software development partner. They were looking for a collaborator who could seamlessly integrate with their existing customization team and quickly grasp the specifics of MuseumPlus's architecture.

After careful consideration, Zetcom selected Binary Studio as their development partner. This choice was driven by Binary Studio's proven track record in working with Swiss companies, our technical expertise in Java and related technologies, and our demonstrated capability to quickly integrate into client teams. Additionally, Binary Studio's experience with CRM systems aligned well with the specific requirements of the MuseumPlus platform.

Solution and Outcome

MuseumPlus, built on Java technologies including Spring and Groovy, employs their proprietary framework for configuration. This architecture allows for extensive customization but requires specialized expertise. To help Zetcom scale their customization capabilities, Binary Studio seamlessly integrated with their existing processes, working within the custom framework and utilizing the MuseumPlus API to deliver tailored solutions.

Java

Spring framework

Groovy

GitLab

Stage 1
The customization process for new MuseumPlus clients follows a structured workflow:
- Clients acquire the core MuseumPlus system.
- Zetcom's configuration team handles basic adjustments.
- For complex customizations, the specialized customization team steps in.
- Binary Studio's engineer works closely with Zetcom's product team, who manage client requirements and oversee task allocation through Jira.
In the initial stage of our collaboration, our engineer immersed themselves in the intricacies of collection management software and the various customization options offered by MuseumPlus. They gained a deep understanding of the system's flexibility in defining data fields, modules, forms, and reporting capabilities, as well as its sophisticated API for robust data exchange with other applications.

Key areas of customization include:
- Collection Management: Comprehensive cataloging, registration, and management of all collection objects.
- Customer Service: Central register for contacts and creation of serial letters and labels.
- Digital Assets: Linking images and other media to objects, artists, addresses, and other entries.
- Contracts: Management of agreements related to exhibitions, loans, and collection objects.
- Exhibition Management: Coordination of participants, venues, and lenders, including input and output protocols.
- Additional Modules: Seamless integration of event management, archiving, and other specialized functions.
Our team's primary focus was on writing custom configuration scripts to align MuseumPlus with the unique workflows of Zetcom's diverse client base.
Stage 2
As our collaboration with Zetcom matured, we progressed to more complex configurations, including integrations with clients' existing software systems. Leveraging MuseumPlus's sophisticated Application Programming Interface (API), our team has been implementing complex software integrations, ensuring seamless interoperability between MuseumPlus and various third-party applications.

Quality assurance became an integral part of our development process, which includes:
- Writing comprehensive unit tests to validate individual components
- Performing primary manual testing to ensure functionality and user experience
- Deploying changes in a controlled environment
- Collaborating with Zetcom's product team for final testing and approval
As our engineer gained deeper insights into MuseumPlus's architecture and functionalities, their role expanded to include support engineering. This involves:
- Handling customer requests efficiently
- Investigating complex issues within customized MuseumPlus ecosystems
- Developing and implementing solutions to resolve identified problems

Driving Digital Transformation with the Global Collections Management Software System

MuseumPlus stands as a testament to Zetcom's two decades of expertise in collections management software. Its fully configurable nature, custom workflow integration, and modular structure make it adaptable to collections, galleries, and museums of all types and sizes. Compliance with international documentation standards ensures its versatility across diverse cultural institutions.
Zetcom's impressive client base of over 1,000 institutions across 36 countries, including renowned establishments like The Louvre in Paris and The State Museums of Berlin, underscores MuseumPlus's reliability and global impact. As part of the team contributing to this software, Binary Studio takes pride in our role in the digital transformation of museums and collections.
We are pleased to be part of a project that not only advances collection management technology but also plays a significant role in safeguarding and sharing cultural treasures worldwide.

About Binary Studio

Binary Studio is a boutique software development company, regularly praised for its unique blend of engineering excellence and product ownership that enables its clients to build robust and scalable software products.
With our development team made up of top 0.5% international tech talent, we build web and mobile platforms using Node.js, .NET, React Native, Flutter, and integrating AI and ML. We also offer full-cycle QA and project management services to ensure the efficient delivery.
Our clients see us as a trusted partner dedicated to turning visions into great products. This is proven by 200+ delivered projects, more than two decades of business excellence, and stellar customer reviews.

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