Local Palladium SME accounting software guarantees goodbye data corruption

Johannesburg-based AccountMate has acquired a locally written and developed multi-user accounting software for SME businesses. Known as Palladium Software, it sets new standards in stability and takes data corruption out of the equation.

AccountMate managing director Stephen Corrigan, a highly experienced player in South African accounting, payroll and business software solutions for SMEs, says the technology is groundbreaking and Palladium offers a world-first three-year guarantee against data corruption.

“Palladium is offering features that are available in much larger, expensive packages at quadruple the cost,” says Corrigan. “But perhaps the most compelling feature is that it connects dynamically to the database and is totally stable, making data losses and database corruption a curse of the past.”

Corrigan adds that the program has no connectivity issues. “A user can be halfway through entering an invoice and if the network cable is pulled, there will be no effect - the invoice will still be there and no data is lost. All transactions roll back automatically if not posted in full, such as during a power failure or sudden network disconnect.”

The software has strong general ledger functionality with departments and cost centres, and offers enterprise features while maintaining an SME look and feel.

“Palladium means a safeguard or a source of protection,” says Corrigan. ”It is a well proven, highly stable solution based on robust technology solution. It is now in its fourth version and until now was one of the industry's best kept secrets.”

The software is available in three versions, ranging from a single user to mid-range and larger SMEs with hundreds of users.

Corrigan says the technologies for AccountMate and Palladium are the same - making it easier to re-apply and assign resources across the products. “We can also offer complementary AccountMate products to the Palladium user base and have already secured the rights to distribute Clickbase, an industry leading BI tool, to Palladium users at a fraction of the cost.”

Today's SME market understands the importance of stable databases, code and language, and SME businesses want solutions that offer stability and reduced cost of ownership.

“During the time of the widespread power failures through load-shedding during 2008, Palladium sites experienced not a single incidence of data corruption,” says Corrigan.

“Unstable accounting solutions expose businesses to threats, including downtime and maintenance costs. Instability also exposes businesses to fraud and theft, particularly where database corruption cannot be properly restored.

“Modern technology has greatly reduced the total cost of ownership and boosted accessibility. Palladium has integrated remote terminal functionality allowing users to log into it from anywhere in the world, without the need to purchase any remote connection software and still having the exact same interface as any other user on the system. It is targeting the single to 50-users market, and Corrigan says small business in South Africa need to realise that data corruption stems from old technology, and they don't have to accept it.

Corrigan says Palladium is not trying to take the South African market by storm. “Our vision is rather to support the all-important SME sector with a reliable and effective accounting software solution, where security and stability are critical.”

“This is a feature-rich product, which is currently distributed through our reseller base, and it will be distributed by IT retailers and discount stores in the near future.”

Palladium is written in VB.Net and MS SQL 2008 and Corrigan points out that it is a well-engineered product. “We can see further opportunities for it internationally with its powerful tax engine.”

While offering powerful functionality and stability, Palladium doesn't compromise on ease of use even for the larger enterprise, with a common interface to process up to five different functions, including creating, crediting or amending invoices from the same processing screen, each with its own security level and complete audit trail.

Palladium is backed by a national network of support consultants for assistance. Users can optionally purchase a support contract directly and a comprehensive help desk system assures users receive assistance when they need it most.