If your organisation runs on iMIS, you’ve made a significant technology investment. But for many associations, progress stalls after go-live, and teams find themselves working around gaps in functionality rather than through them. Add-on tools can bridge that gap, but only if you approach them strategically.
Jyoti Hull-Jurkovic, Co-Founder and CTO at Zentso, recently presented on exactly this topic at the iMIS innovations Roashow. Jyoti shared a practical methodology to help iMIS users evaluate, select and implement add-ons with confidence.
What is an add-on tool and why does it matter?
iMIS is a powerful platform, but no system does everything. Add-on tools are designed to fill the 80-20 gap, covering the functionality that sits outside the core platform, whether that’s industry-specific, function-specific, or focused on data and integrations.
The key thing to understand is that a good add-on should underpin your core system, not undermine it. The strategic purpose is to improve adoption of iMIS, enable other systems to work within the iMIS platform, and ultimately increase the return on your technology investment.
Cloud compliance: what are the constraints?
If you’re on iMIS Cloud (EMS), there are important constraints to factor in before adopting any add-on. These include security requirements, automatic update schedules, limitations around SQL server access, payment gateway options, and the fact that some add-ons simply won’t work in a cloud environment.
Understanding these boundaries upfront saves a lot of time and avoids costly mistakes further down the line.
How to evaluate whether you actually need an add-on
Not every gap in your workflow requires an add-on. Before investing in a tool, it’s worth working through a few key questions:
- Can this need be met within iMIS EMS functionality?
- Will the add-on save time or increase efficiency?
- Does it help you avoid workarounds?
- Does it satisfy any legislative or compliance requirements?
- Will it still meet your needs in three years, or does it only solve a short-term problem?
If an add-on genuinely resolves a defined business challenge and increases the value of your iMIS investment, it’s worth pursuing. If not, it may be worth reconsidering.
How to choose the right add-on
Once you’ve confirmed the need, selecting the right tool comes down to a clear evaluation process. Key criteria include:
- Cloud compliance and compatibility with iMIS EMS
- The manufacturer’s support model and release plan for keeping the tool current
- Ease of use and implementation
- Data sovereignty, including where data will reside and what the disaster recovery plan is
- Cost relative to the organisational benefit
- Feedback from other users in the sector
The partner behind the tool matters just as much as the tool itself. Look for responsiveness, a strong support process, and a track record of keeping products aligned with iMIS updates.
Want to talk it through?
At Zentso, we’ve spent years helping associations get real value from iMIS, including building a catalogue of cloud-compliant add-ons designed specifically for the sector. If you’re trying to work out whether an add-on is the right move for your organisation, we’d love to help – get in touch!
Additional resources for you
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