ColdFusion proves its mettle in ACCPAC eTransact

Local Macromedia distributor and Web-enablement specialist, Dax Data, has announced that the recently launched ACCPAC eTransact Web store solution has been developed using Macromedia ColdFusion technology.

Dax Data MD, Jeremy Matthews, says the application leverages a tried-and-tested platform to allow companies of all sizes to transact business on the Internet. "The decision by ACCPAC to develop and deliver the product by means of ColdFusion confirms the platform`s suitability for serious business applications.

"Further evidence of the high regard the Computer Associates subsidiary has for ColdFusion technology is found in its use to make eTransact available as a product in itself, as well as through the application service provider (ASP) model.

"In fact, international take up appears to favour the ASP route because it enables companies to `rent` the solution rather than purchase it outright," he adds.

Jeremy Waterman, MD of ACCPAC Africa, concurs and cites this trend as the logic behind the decision to launch ACCPAC eTransact in SA jointly with M-Web. "The country-wide road show generated a great deal of interest with over 500 people, mostly senior managers, turning up to see what we have to offer," he comments.

ACCPAC eTransact is a Web store solution that integrates tightly with ACCPAC End-to-End E-Business Solutions. The package provides businesses with business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce functionality in a single solution.

"eTransact makes the e-commerce transition simple by providing out-of-the-box integration with the ACCPAC accounting system, adaptability to the way business is conducted today as well as flexible deployment options. It also offers the customisation features expected from a premier Web store solution," says Waterman.

In addition, and as a function of the agreement with M-Web whereby the latter has become the first commerce solution provider in the world licensed to host eTransact, the traditional barriers to entry into B2B and B2C have been lowered by using the ASP model.

"A key feature of the solution as a whole is the forward integration from the accounting or financial distribution to the shop-front, meaning that merchants need only maintain a single database of information through the inventory system," explains Waterman. "This allows them to rapidly publish to the shop-front without having to rely on third-party middleware, as is the case with many other solutions.

"Traditionally, applications designed for stock management are inward-looking and seldom able to present information to the consumer. ACCPAC eTransact enables publication to the shop-front in a bespoke manner allowing merchants to market information to customers in the way they want to, enabling them to compete anytime, anywhere with anyone," he says.

For Matthews, the real beauty of eTransact is that, having been developed on the ColdFusion platform, the application is portable across any of four different operating systems including Windows 2000 (and NT), Linux, HP-UX and Solaris. "The primary advantage of this is that it fits into the security-minded IT strategy of most organisations," he comments.