Lantica powers-that-be,

While I write my new operating platform in Sesame, and with a goal of enabling clients to come into my network and place their own orders on my Sesame Sales Order app, I've been exploring the different ways that this could be accomplished
- (pinholes/ports - the customer using a no-cost  Sesame client (I would be supplying the 'purchased client license on my server)
- using a SSL-VPN appliance to allow a customer via a browser to log onto a dedicated workstation in my office so they could then enter their orders on their Sesame sales order screen
- ???

While investigating, I went to Sonicwall.com last night, and on their website they have a demo link (https://sslvpn.demo.sonicwall.com/cgi-bin/welcome )
set up so you can testdrive the experience of logging onto their SSL solution using a browser and kick the tires for yourself.  I found this to be a compelling selling technique (power of the demonstration!)

My question to the powers that be - would it be worthwhile for you (in your estimation) to set up a demo server, and a demo client download that would install on a prospect's computer, preconfigured (no server option, no SDesigner, just the client portion that would install an icon on their desktop that was pointed at your demo server's IP and ports), and allow the prospect to see the speed and versatility of this approach of accessing their system remotely, and hopefully open their mind to the possibilities in their own operations of employees and customers?

Hammer,

I understand - I like live interaction with prospects too!

Regarding my first option being the best option, I agree.  Question:  Is the 'customizing' of the client software (with no 'SDesigner' installed) something that I would do myself, so that I could just have the client download the pkg to install on their system?  Or is it something I would contract with you to do?

If the client can go 'click' and 'click install' and end up 30 seconds later with a Sesame client installed on their c:\sesame2 directory (with me owning the requisite # of client licenses on my end), and an icon on their desktop that points to my server ip/ports, then many of my clients can (I think!) handle that.  If they must do much more than that on their end, then ..... the odds of success plummet 

"but they rarely turn out to actually be too incompetent or stupid to follow simple instructions" ....

oh, sure, put the pressure on me!