Commerce Solutions, a division of AST Secure Transaction Solutions, and CommerceEdge have signed a strategic agreement whereby the organisations will provide a holistic solution to the SA marketplace for business-to-business (B2B) trading and payment solutions.
The B2B solution will allow organisations and their merchants/suppliers to implement and benefit from the use of card technology as an operational and integrated business payment solution, and will encompass strategy development, process re-engineering, technology implementation and change management.
The software to be used in the B2B solution is Visa`s Infospan, of which Commerce Solutions is the exclusive distributor and support organisation in the sub-Saharan Africa. Infospan is the Visa Management Information System (MIS) that is used internationally by participating organisations to receive and manage their daily B2B trade information.
With Infospan, Commerce Solutions will provide sophisticated information management and reporting tools to ensure that corporate buyers obtain a complete view of their daily trade, and the daily status of budgets and spending patterns. Infospan is the most critical component of the Visa Procurement solution. It generates VAT reports that are accepted by the internal revenue services of many countries; SA`s Revenue Service is soon to follow suit.
An additional product that is used in the solution is Commerce Solution`s C-Solve product, a locally developed B2B Point-of-Sale software product that supports B2B trading merchants.
"With C-Solve, merchants can enter B2B orders, including third level detail, obtain authorisation for the intended transaction, manage B2B orders placed on the merchant, settle B2B transactions for payment and obtain daily settlement reports," explains Anthony Roux, Business Development Manager for AST Secure Transaction Solutions.
Commerce Solutions will leverage Commerce Edge`s technology independent advisory service, committed to assisting clients in building world-class sourcing and supplier management practices. "We have extensive experience in process design and re-engineering, and the skills and tools needed to install efficient and effective processes to enable an organisation`s B2B strategy," says Julian Curtiss, MD of CommerceEdge.
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The AST Group is one of SA`s largest information and communication technology (ICT) services companies independent of any vendor. It is the fourth largest company overall, by market capitalisation, listed in the technology sector of the JSE Securities Exchange.
The AST Group, operating from more than 60 sites, services large corporate and government clients throughout SA and has expanded to other Southern African states, Australia and the UK. Employing more than 3 500 ICT professionals, exploiting best-of-breed technology and applying international best practices, the AST Group provides services across the entire plan-build-run-leverage value creating cycle.
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