Language considerations need to be taken into account.

When searching or sorting data, it is necessary to follow the local language conventions. In German, 'ä' is sorted with 'a' but in Swedish it would appear at the end of the alphabet after 'z'. Things become more complex in Chinese as there are two sort orders- one based on pronunciation and the other on the number of strokes that a character contains. Typesetting can also differ, particularly for languages such as Arabic and Hebrew, which run from right to left.

IT really is a small world, and getting smaller all the time - especially when it comes to solving international IT problems. Managers need to recognise that they have changing business requirements as they expand into new markets.

Businesses often refer to the challenge of working in a global market place, and with industries expanding in locations like Azerbaijan, the Far East and South America, it is vital that managers are able to respond to the demands of operating in multiple countries. Mark Griffiths, managing director of Codify, notes "Software is a vital component of today's hectic business world and is generally used by companies on a daily basis to deal with their operational needs. If businesses are working in locations around the globe, it is often necessary for the staff, no matter where they are based, to have access to the same software. By using modern programming tools it is entirely possible to develop an application that can automatically present information in the native languages of the end-user, whatever that may be.

"Setting up such a localised system is not without challenges. Not only should the software be able to display all labels, text and messages in the native language of the end user, but it should also format dates and numbers in line with local conventions. For example, in France, it is customary to use a comma in place of a decimal point.

Software programming has progressed considerably over the last decade and the advent of the Microsoft .NET platform has been instrumental in aiding advancement in the area of software localisation. Mark comments, "The .NET platform was designed with internationalisation and localisation software issues in mind. By using this technology, along with Unicode, it has been possible to programme a software application, which can adapt to the language and local conventions of the end user.

"The software, which will ultimately be used in 80 countries, detects the language for each PC on which it is installed and is configured to use, and will then display the appropriate language on screen. It also detects the local formatting conventions for dates, time and numbers and these too will be automatically followed."

"The availability of such technology is becoming increasingly widespread and consequently this has an impact on price. This means that what would once have been possible, but prohibitively expensive, is now well within the reach of the companies who are likely to benefit most from having access to localised software applications. Such packages will facilitate working in a global marketplace."

Codify provides companies with custom software solutions. The organisation also supports and maintains software solutions on behalf of a wide range of clients.