Oakwell builds first .NET Connected Logo application in SA for Cylon

Oakwell has built a spend management solution for Cylon using Microsoft .NET technology. This is the first South African application to be Microsoft .NET Connected Logo certified having passed the tests verifying its Web service integration capabilities.

By using the .NET framework, Oakwell has been able to duplicate the online system for Cylon to use offline, achieved at low cost with minimal additional development time.

Cylon (www.cylon.biz) is a focused business-to-business (B2B) spend management and e-procurement solutions company responsible for enabling all companies - from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enterprise corporations - to interact and transact electronically.

Cylon`s origin was in the fact that procurement continues to lag other enterprise functions in the utilisation of automation and analysis tools.

Cylon specifically identified the following gaps in enterprise procurement strategies:

* Few enterprises have standardised sourcing and procurement processes.

* Nearly a third of purchases are off-contract (maverick) buys.

* Visibility into total spending remains elusive for most companies.

* Enterprises have applied systematic sourcing principles to less than half of their overall spending (on average).

* In those instances where spot sourcing is the selected strategy, an automated, real-time system is an absolute necessity.

* Spend analysis, sourcing, procurement and supply management activities are labour intensive, time-consuming and run manually at most companies.

Oakwell designed the Cylon Spend Management solution and built it from the ground up to address these gaps in enterprise procurement strategies.

According to Shane Coetser, Director of Technology at Oakwell: "We created an online Web application for Cylon that brings buyers and suppliers together to transact on a one-on-one basis. Essentially buyers can do all their procurement electronically, in real-time online and from all their suppliers using a single system whether doing systematic sourcing (long-term, negotiated contracts with qualified suppliers) or spot sourcing (one-time purchases to fill an immediate need at the lowest possible cost). "Suppliers can facilitate all their buyers procurement needs using this single system," says Coetser. Using Cylon, suppliers only need to maintain one `base` product listing or catalogue to provide each and every buyer or group of buyers with a customised view of their product listing and pricing.

Buyers and suppliers can also make use of the offline module that enables access to the online functionality thereby increasing convenience and ease of use. A key advantage is that the offline module enables integration to their ERP, POS, inventory and financials systems thereby enhancing their e-procurement/spend management automation.

With the architecture and design in place, Oakwell was able to build once, deploy once and use from anywhere.

All the offline modules deployed to either buyers or suppliers make use of a central WebService to manage and upload all the data from the offline module to the online module. "Making use of Web Services Enhancements 1.0, we were able to build tight security, high performance and transactional control into the application, thereby ensuring application integrity," adds Coetser.

The solution was developed using Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and built on the Microsoft .NET framework. The reason for this decision was made when the client identified the offline module as being crucial to the success of the entire project and that it had to be easily deployable with minimal development.

"Designing and building a solution that solves our clients` specific needs is what we do best. Our solutions enable companies like Cylon to focus on what they do best," concludes Coetser.