{"id":19258,"date":"2017-12-18T05:00:10","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=19258"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:31:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:31:06","slug":"pluses-of-plugins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/pluses-of-plugins\/","title":{"rendered":"Pluses of Plugins"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Laurie Swertfager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just what is a plugin anyway? How is it different from a patch? Or a full version update? The somewhat frustrating truth for most of us is that software is one of the few products we use that doesn\u2019t seem ever be \u2018done\u2019. With all of the different types of software we depend on every day, it\u2019s common for users to experience confusion, frustration and fatigue when it comes to software updates.<\/p>\n

Operating systems for smartphones, tablets and computers are constantly updating themselves with security fixes and new features. Every day it seems we get notices on our phones that app updates are ready to be downloaded and installed.<\/p>\n

Software that supports a team of professionals, such as Yardi property management software, is a good example of why updates are extremely valuable for users. Software updates address security risks, solve coding bugs and prevent unplanned downtime. Think of it this way: if your organization has developed an internal workaround to address a problem, and you haven\u2019t updated your plugins lately, then it\u2019s likely that problem (and perhaps others) has an official fix from Yardi ready to download and install.<\/p>\n

Laurie Swertfager from AJB Consulting talked about software updates at the Yardi Affordable Housing and PHA Forum in Atlanta. Laurie is an affordable housing consultant with extensive expertise in compliance, finance and technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy clients sometimes lament that little things they are looking for aren\u2019t available in Voyager. In those cases, my first step is to see if they are up to date on their plugins. Chances are they have not, and often the uninstalled plugins have exactly what they are looking for.\u201d says Swertfager.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome clients work under the guise of \u2018if it isn\u2019t broke, then don\u2019t fix it,\u201d says Dave Kessler, vice president of affordable housing for Yardi. \u201cVoyager may be doing everything they need for an extended period, and so they may not want to update the software out of fear that something major will change and disrupt staff workflows. However, that decision could lead to problems, including being out of compliance since plugins are the most effective way for us to address changing regulations,\u201d says Kessler.<\/p>\n

Kessler explains that his team is constantly working on Yardi Voyager Affordable Housing to add new features, solve issues and incorporate compliance changes. \u201cAffordable housing regulations are subject to constant change. A good example is TRACS, which is HUD\u2019s online interface for tracking financial assistance for affordable housing programs. We\u2019ve spent a lot of time developing Voyager to keep up with HUD\u2019s policy changes. Our goal is to have our clients prepared when the latest TRACS version launches in 2018. Voyager users can reap the benefits of that work, and be ready for TRACS, just by keeping up with Voyager plugins,\u201d says Kessler.<\/p>\n

Want to network with interesting people and get friendly advice about Yardi software? Consider attending a Yardi event. We have annual forums for senior living, marketing and affordable housing\/public housing organizations. Visit yardi.com\/events<\/a> to make your plans today. If you are a Yardi client, make sure to log on to Client Central and review the latest release notes and get your plugins up to date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just what is a plugin anyway? How is it different from a patch? Or a full version update? The somewhat frustrating truth for most of us is that software is one of the few products we use that doesn\u2019t seem ever be \u2018done\u2019. With all of the different types of software we depend on every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":626,"featured_media":19272,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3236,3241,6],"tags":[26,322,1196,2230,40],"class_list":["post-19258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-affordable-housing","category-pha","category-technology","tag-affordable-housing","tag-hud","tag-pha","tag-plugin","tag-yardi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Just what is a plugin anyway? 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