Enterprise DNA

Instead of Vernon CMS

Replace Vernon CMS. Own your system.

We build your version around the way your museum catalogues, lends and cares for objects. We map your Vernon records, agree the cutover and run your system through Omni by Enterprise DNA.

Compare your Vernon licences, modules and annual support costs with the cost of owning and operating your version. Bring your current quote or invoice.

Get your version built See it working
  • check_circleYour data in a database you own
  • check_circleOpen source, no lock-in
  • check_circleBuilt and run by Enterprise DNA

What sits on the invoice

Compare the whole Vernon system

Vernon combines cataloguing, user licences and optional modules. Check your own contract before comparing ongoing costs. We have not verified a current public price, so this comparison quotes no dollar figure.

inventory_2

The cataloguing foundation

The Cataloguing module holds object records and related collection information. The free base starts with the registrar’s object catalogue.

group

User licences

Vernon offers a choice of user licence counts. Our free code has no per-user licence charge. Shared access still needs a managed deployment.

event_note

Activities around the objects

The Activities module adds detailed collection processes. Compare the loan and care workflows your museum actually uses.

public

Public access

Vernon Browser is a separate public-access module. Decide which collection information is suitable for public display before commissioning your own catalogue.

sensors

Tracking and connections

External Tracking System supports RFID location control; Web Messenger supports live integration. Scope those connections separately in your version.

support_agent

Support and upgrades

Vernon documents an annual Support and Upgrade Agreement, required for the first year and optional after it. Include that agreement in your comparison.

What your own version does

The registrar’s week, connected to the evidence

Catalogue

Keep the object and its history together

Find an object by its number or name, then inspect the evidence behind it.

  • check Link an object to its acquisition decision and title reference
  • check Keep provenance, maker and rights notes alongside its description
  • check Preserve the original imported object fields
  • check Combine missing provenance with pending acquisition decisions

Locations

Record each move once

A recorded move changes the current location and adds the mover, authoriser and reason to the history together.

  • check Look up the current and normal location
  • check Record a physical inventory observation
  • check Show which storage areas hold objects needing care
  • check Keep past movements intact and add correction notes

Loans

See what needs to come back

Read the return list beside recorded condition and loan evidence.

  • check Show overdue loans and the borrower
  • check Check agreement and insurance references before recording dispatch
  • check Record an export assessment and permission reference for each overseas loan object
  • check Bring returned objects back to their normal locations in one recorded action

Care

Prepare the exhibition with the loan list in view

Condition records and planned exhibitions draw on the same object history.

  • check Find exhibition objects needing a condition review
  • check Flag recorded loans that overlap exhibition dates
  • check Group condition concerns by maker or storage location
  • check Produce private condition records, loan schedules and acquisition receipts

Make it yours

Design your own Vernon CMS replacement

Everything starts from the open-source base. Then it gets your name, the parts you run, your rules and your data from Vernon CMS. Try it here, and we build the real one.

2. What it runs

3. Make it fit

4. Your colour

Your business · your Vernon CMS replacement Your version
YB Your business

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Answered from your own database

Build my version

We build it from the open-source base, bring your Vernon CMS data across and run it for you.

What it looks like

Ask it like you would ask a colleague

Real answers from the demo data that ships with Collections for Claude Code. It runs in Claude Code inside the Claude app, so it feels like any chat you already use.

forum

Collections for Claude Code

Connected to your own database

Which loans are due back?

L01

Me bo
Navigation loan
Rrower du
South Coast Museum
E on da
2026-10-03
Ys overdue
3

Ask it anything

Questions your own collection records can answer

These questions run against the working demo. Vernon also offers configurable reporting; ownership lets you change the rules and the questions together.

chat_bubble Which loans are due back within a month, including overdue objects?
chat_bubble Which objects need care before an exhibition opens?
chat_bubble Which planned loans need a condition review before their return date?
chat_bubble Which locations hold objects with poor or urgent condition?
chat_bubble Which objects lack provenance or an accepted acquisition?
chat_bubble Which objects have no recorded current location?
chat_bubble Which objects have not had an inventory check in a year?
chat_bubble Which objects have no recorded rights note?
chat_bubble Which overseas loans still need an export assessment?
chat_bubble Which makers have the most objects needing a condition review?

Switching

How to switch from Vernon CMS

In practice, the move involves exporting your object catalogue, mapping the fields and history you want to keep, then checking the new database before you retire Vernon CMS.

  1. 1

    Export your object catalogue

    Use Vernon CMS’s reporting export path to create a selected-field object report. The documented route converts the report through Excel into a UTF-8 CSV file. Decide which object fields to include before exporting. Other Vernon modules need deliberate mapping, so if the reporting path is unavailable for your account, ask Vernon Systems what it allows you to export, usually CSV or Excel.

  2. 2

    Load a small sample first

    Start with a small object export and load it into Collections for Claude Code before importing the full catalogue. The import is for object records, not a complete migration of every Vernon module. Check that the selected fields appear as expected, then proceed with the agreed object export. Keep exported data secure, since it can include restricted information.

  3. 3

    Review import flags

    Check the import results for conflicts and records that need attention. The import preserves original rows and handles repeat imports without duplicating them, but changed source rows need deliberate reconciliation. Compare flagged records with Vernon and decide how to resolve them before relying on the new database. Do not treat a successful import as confirmation that every field or history has transferred.

  4. 4

    Run both systems briefly

    Keep Vernon CMS available while you check the new database against current records and day-to-day work. Compare key object details and confirm that the information your team needs is present. Review any mapped fields, histories or records that were flagged. Use this short overlap to resolve gaps and agree that the new records are ready, rather than assuming the import alone proves completeness.

  5. 5

    Switch off Vernon CMS

    Once your team has checked the new records and agreed that the required information is there, make Collections for Claude Code the system you use for collection work. Keep Vernon CMS available until that decision is made. Before ending access, confirm that you have retained the Vernon records and histories you chose to keep, including any information that required separate mapping.

construction

Where the real effort goes

The main work is usually mapping your own fields and rules, then deciding which history to bring. The base import covers a selected object catalogue, while loan and condition histories, acquisition decisions, relationships and image files need separate mapping. When Enterprise DNA runs the system for you, it scopes and handles the agreed setup and mapping, including sample review and reconciliation with your team.

Not ready for a call?

Get your Vernon CMS switch plan by email

We will send you the step-by-step plan for moving your business off Vernon CMS, what the move really involves, and how we would do it for you.

One email with your plan. No spam, and you can unsubscribe any time.

Three ways to own it

Choose who builds and runs your version

Open source

Do it yourself

Free code. Your operating costs

  1. 1 Clone the repo and run npm install, then npm run demo
  2. 2 Open it in Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Cursor and ask for the loans due
  3. 3 Export selected Vernon object fields through Excel, save CSV and run import vernon with --dry-run
  4. 4 Reconcile the trial, import the prepared file and plan the remaining history migration
Get it on GitHub

Built around your business

We customise it

A scoped setup fee

  • check Your collection fields, accession rules and review intervals
  • check Your Vernon records mapped and reconciled before cutover
  • check A web front end or a different technology stack where your team needs it
  • check Your museum’s documents, permissions and agreed connections
Discuss your collection

Omni by Enterprise DNA

We run it for you

One setup fee, then a retainer

  • check Your system installed and operated through Omni by Enterprise DNA
  • check Your existing files and services connected to the agreed workflow
  • check Access, backups and ongoing changes managed for your museum
  • check Your team gets reports and working documents built around its own collection
Book a call with Sam

Questions

Instead of Vernon CMS, answered

How does this compare with our Vernon bill? expand_more

Bring the current licence, module and support quote. Vernon documents a modular system and an annual support agreement. We have not verified a current public price for your configuration. The free code carries no licence charge. Hosting, access, maintenance and the person running it still have costs. Enterprise DNA scopes the setup and ongoing retainer around your museum.

Can we bring the entire collection history across? expand_more

The free base imports a selected object export after you save it as a spreadsheet file in the supported format. It retains the original fields and flags conflicting repeat imports. Loan and condition histories, acquisition decisions, relationships and image files need separate mapping. We inspect a sample, reconcile it with your team and agree that work before you retire Vernon.

Does a clear evidence report mean an object is safe to lend or export? expand_more

No. The report highlights selected missing records and overdue reviews. It does not certify Spectrum compliance, authenticate an agreement or grant export permission. Your registrar checks the original documents, care requirements and relevant authorities. Export assessment is recorded per object. Uncertainty stays visible.

What about sensitive records, images and volunteer access? expand_more

Objects start as restricted records and the free base publishes nothing. It is designed for a trusted registrar. We scope collection-specific permissions, volunteer screens, media handling and public access in your version. Cultural permissions and decisions about what can be shared stay with your museum and the relevant communities.

What does Enterprise DNA do after the switch? expand_more

We run the agreed version through Omni by Enterprise DNA, maintain its connections and backups, and change the reports or workflows as your museum needs them. The arrangement is one setup fee, then a retainer. Your team keeps its collection decisions and a database it owns.

Bring your Vernon invoice and one awkward collection question

Spend 30 minutes with Sam. Show the work your registrar repeats, the history you need to keep and the records you can export. We will scope your version and the migration around those facts.

Book 30 minutes with Sam Get the free version

Collections for Claude Code is free and open source, published by Enterprise DNA.

Done paying for Vernon CMS?

Get your version built