JSE-listed Ixchange has appointed IDION Business Solutions Group, a subsidiary of JSE-listed IDION Technology Holdings, as a value-added reseller for its Ability suite of business management solutions which are aimed at businesses operating in the distribution, services and retail arenas.
Hennie Laubscher, director of IDION BSG, says IDION chose the Ability suite because of its success in the local market and its large installed base in the financial services sector, a sector in which IDION is very active.
"We found the architecture of the Ability applications to be well designed and in line with our stated intention and direction with regard to technology. The Ability suite was designed for Windows NT and SQL Server from the beginning, unlike some systems that have been adapted for the Microsoft platform," adds Laubscher.
IDION BSG is also a Microsoft Support point focussed on application development and therefore works closely with Microsoft`s development team. The premier development skills contained in IDION BSG makes them potentially a very strategic development partner for Ixchange.
Resulting from this strategic alliance, IDION BSG has been given the exclusive rights to develop workflow and document applications using Keyfile Corporation`s products, which will be integrated with the Ability back-end.
IDION BSG`s main contribution to the agreement with Ixchange will be its document management and workflow integration efforts with Ability, an area of importance to the company`s customers, but one not natively incorporated into the suite.
"The open design of the product means it is simple to integrate other applications with the Ability applications," says Johan Buys, director of the Ability division.
Laubscher points out that the e-commerce features in the suite were also a draw card, since IDION BSG will be focusing on that market in the future, as well as the Windows CE applications market. He believes that Windows CE will become more important in the distribution market as companies adopt handheld devices as stock control tools to monitor stock levels in real time. IDION BSG is investigating developing CE add-ons to the Ability back-end.
"IDION and Ixchange also think along similar lines, both from an operational and growth perspective," Laubscher concludes. The company is currently an Ability partner in Gauteng and the Western Cape, and this presence is soon to be expanded nationwide.
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ABILITY
Ixchange`s Ability suite of software is the leading suite of business management solutions for medium sized companies in the areas of retail, distribution and services. This software suite is made up of the AccountAbility back-office financial control system, SaleAbility retail management system, VizAbility strategic inventory management system and ProfitAbility customer order fulfilment system. These applications are all integrated into the Ability suite and run on Microsoft platforms.
Ixchange
Ixchange is a South African listed company focused on leading the international mid-range customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain optimisation software markets. The company has entrenched its leadership position in the front office with its HEAT and GoldMine products, while its ABILITY suite of applications has emerged in South Africa as the market-leading back-office suite for medium sized implementations in the services, distribution and retail sectors. Ixchange is focused on the international market with offices in Swindon (UK), Colorado Springs (US), Los Angeles (US), Sydney (Australia), Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.