Lava Systems Africa, an affinity partner of Canadian-based Open Text, today announced the introduction of a new accounts payable application that helps customers optimise vendor invoice processing, and integration of its collaboration software with its portfolio of data and document management software for SAP solutions.
The Accounts Payable application, called Vendor Invoice Management (VIM), offers a complete, end-to-end solution for optimising vendor invoice processes in SAP solutions, with built-in reporting and analytics that can be used to continuously improve processes. VIM brings industry-leading capabilities that help customers reduce costs, while improving cash management and compliance with corporate governance regulations.
At the front-end, VIM automates the handling of incoming invoices. Once invoices are routed into SAP solutions, VIM can improve the handling of invoice exceptions by applying more than 20 best-practice workflows for invoice exceptions such as missing goods receipts, incorrect pricing and incorrect tax. The invoice approval function in VIM provides Web-based coding and approval by users working either inside or outside an SAP solution, and provides complete tracking and visibility as well as escalations, for timely invoice approvals. A vendor self-service component of VIM allows vendors to submit invoices, or check the status of invoices or purchase orders, online.
Open Text`s integration of its collaboration software with its Livelink ECM for SAP solutions brings team workspaces and other collaboration tools together with more structured, process-oriented solutions that store, manage, retrieve and archive documents from solutions such as mySAP ERP Financials and mySAP ERP Human Capital Management.
For customers, these combined capabilities extend SAP solutions with collaboration functions, adding value to structured processes and improving productivity. Users of SAP solutions gain new ways to collaborate with each other and access information, allowing them, for example, to establish enterprise-wide project workspaces for users that support processes in SAP solutions. The workspaces are accessible from either the SAP user interface or a Web browser.
Those working in Livelink ECM can also easily access SAP solution-based documents and include this content in project workspaces and other online collaboration. For example, a collaborative workspace to manage projects now shows all documents related to a project, including incoming invoice documents from the SAP solution and corresponding invoice approval process steps. This enables the project leader to then compare spending with budget requirements, and to collaborate with colleagues in the SAP accounts payable application.
"Simply put, we`re taking another important step to break down the walls between people and the information they need to be productive," commented Michael Heckner, Senior Director for Enterprise Application Extension Solutions at Open Text. "With our newest offerings for SAP solutions, invoices, orders or other documents are combined with documents in Livelink ECM Solutions, and are instantly accessible as users collaborate online. This allows customers to group logically related information from different applications in one place, and have a cross-system, process-centred view of content. Everything runs on a single document platform for optimal flexibility and reduced total cost of ownership."
Open Text is an SAP Software Partner.
For further information, please contact Ray Dalgarno, Lava Systems Africa: telephone (011) 675 3704, fax (011) 675 1021, e-mail rayd@lavasystems.co.za.
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Open Text is the market leader in providing enterprise content management (ECM) solutions that bring together people, processes and information in global organisations.
Since launching the world`s first Internet search engine and the first Web-based enterprise collaboration and knowledge management software, Open Text continued its leadership in providing global enterprises with innovative and effective solutions.
Throughout its history Open Text has matched its tradition of innovation with a track record of financial strength and growth. Today, the Canadian-based company supports 15 million end-users across deployments in 31 countries and 12 languages worldwide and includes among its client base government departments in Australia, Canada and Japan; the UK Metropolitan Police; British telecommunications, UNHCR and the USA Department of Defence. Open Text`s flagship product, Livelink seamlessly combines collaboration with content management, helping organisations transform information into knowledge in order to provide the foundation for innovation, compliance and accelerated growth.
Open Text acquired Germany`s Ixos Software AG in February this year to become the largest ECM software vendor in Europe and the largest pure-play ECM software vendor in the world, according to Bradley West, an analyst with Southwest Securities Inc.
Lava Systems
The Lava Systems Africa (Pty) Ltd, team originated in the late 1990s with the objective of becoming a premier supplier of enterprise systems based around knowledge management, document management, records management, image management, collaboration and workflow solutions. The emerging demands that were identified included government process re-engineering, supply chain co-ordination, customer relationship management, e-government and B2B processing.
In support of these business aims, the technology platforms chosen had to enjoy a proven global track record and adhere to open Internet architecture standards and developments. Lava Systems Africa is a South African-based BEE company dedicated to the sales, marketing, support and consultancy founded upon the Livelink product suite from Open Text, a product that the staff have been involved with since 1998.
Lava Systems Africa`s user base embraces customers from both the private and public sector and includes organisations such as Bateman Projects Limited, Alexander Forbes, the Gauteng Provincial Government and the National Social Security Fund of Uganda.
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