We asked the CEO of Rulex, Marco Muselli, to explain why he has decided to launch an entry-level version of Rulex’s data management system: Rulex Lite.
Why has Rulex started selling an entry-level version of its software?
As we speak, Rulex Platform is being used by many large enterprises around the world to optimize and digitalize their business processes, which is great news for us. But it has always been my ambition to make this powerful technology accessible to anyone who handles data, and needs to perform simple everyday operations, but does not have the programming skills to go beyond Excel spreadsheets.
How have you managed to lower costs so significantly?
We basically removed or reduced the software capabilities that are really only essential for large enterprises and focused on maintaining what is important for personal users and small businesses. So this version doesn’t have the features for working in large groups, and also has a data limit of 10 million cells, which is still more than sufficient for small companies and individuals, and way beyond what Excel can handle. These changes meant we could bring costs right down and offer a very affordable version of the software.
Who do you think would be interested?
There are many small companies and business owners who simply cannot afford expensive enterprise solutions, but would really benefit from this useful technology, and a low-cost license gives them a chance to greatly improve how they handle and get value from their data. Another group that comes to mind is students, and generally the world of academia, especially in non-scientific faculties, such as economics and marketing. This group of people may not have the technical knowledge to build custom solutions, but nonetheless need to handle large amounts of data and build data analysis logic.
How can people learn how to use Rulex Platform?
The software itself is a graphical tool, which means you just drag and drop data files and tasks onto a canvas, where you then work on the data in spreadsheets, so it’s very intuitive. But you can also build pretty complex business logic through its available tasks, so you’ll need to learn a little about how to interact with the software to make the most out of its capabilities. We’ve tried to make this as simple as possible, so although you’ll find initial help in walkthroughs and technical documentation, we’ve also built a strong community, where you can download sample workflows, take free courses, ask for ideas in discussion forums, watch explanatory videos etc. We try to guide new users as much as possible, and don’t take any tech skills for granted.
How can people buy this entry-level license?
People can pick it up directly with a credit card through the Rulex Community store, without the hassle of having to speak to sales reps or fill in endless forms. There is a monthly and annual subscription, so if you don’t want to commit, you can try it out for a few months and see how it goes.
Is there still a free trial?
Absolutely, there is a 30-day free trial to try it out. If you get on well with the software, you can subscribe for a month at a time, with the option of switching to an annual subscription, and saving yourself another 20%, when you’re really appreciating the benefits. With a cost of €95 per month, I feel I’ve realized my ambition to make it accessible to everyone.
Claire Thomas Gaggiotti
Head of Communications - Language graduate with over 20 years of experience in instructional design, digital learning and communication strategies.
