To offer companies a structured way of migrating their businesses online and then managing the systems and interacting with customers, Sage Enterprise Solutions is to drive its Web-enabled business management solutions (BMSs) hard into the local market.
This is according to Lee Mounter, the business advisory manager at Sage Enterprise Solutions South Africa, who says the company has seen increased trust in the Web from existing Sage customers - and increased demand for Web-based solutions from new customers.
"The challenges of moving business on the Web have been well documented in the past couple of years, but it's still critical for companies to understand exactly which processes can go online and what the benefits will be," she explains.
"For the most part, companies we've talked to are looking to create a forum where customers can interact with them - placing and checking the status of orders, accessing pricing information and managing the delivery or supply chain. That's just the start of the Web-based process, the potential scope is clearly much greater."
Sage Enterprise Solutions will focus initially on existing users of the companies' Enterprise and CS/3 BMSs (the former being for Windows-based enterprises and the latter for Unix systems). The Sage Web Enterprise solution set is the main vehicle that Mounter says will be used to help these customers move online.
"Sage Web Enterprise is a family of products that integrates with Microsoft and IBM e-business technologies and is designed to take a company online in weeks [rather than months] at a reasonable price," she explains.
"Once installed, it enables real-time access and updates between the Web site and our Enterprise or CS/3 business management systems. It also enables remote online access to all system users, providing full access to business information at any time through a browser."
Two modules of the product family are set to be heavily pushed through Sage Enterprise Solutions' network of local channel partners: Web Client and Web Sales.
Web Client falls into the 'access' side of the solution family - that is, it helps to enable use of Sage Enterprise Solutions software via the Internet. The module offers low cost remote access to business information and supports the ubiquitous SSL encryption standard, making it a solid choice for accessing core systems over the Internet.
Web Sales falls into the 'process' side of the solution family - it extends business processes to the Internet as the means of collaborating and sharing information with customers and business partners.
The module allows companies to connect buyers with suppliers quickly and efficiently by providing an online, integrated Web store that allows customers to order goods and services at any time. It also provides tight integration between the BMSs and an e-commerce Web site.
"This means that customers can use the Internet to dynamically browse product information, gain access to customer and product inventory information and create and track orders," explains Mounter.
At present Web Sales provides integration with Microsoft Site Server Commerce Edition 3.0; a subsequent release will provide integration with IBM WebSphere Commerce Suite.
"We expect many local companies to derive significant benefit from the Web Enterprise solutions, especially the client and sales modules," adds Mounter. "They streamline the process of migrating a business to the Internet and they provide for simple expansion in the future [because they are standards-based]."
The new modules - and, indeed, the broader Sage CS/3 and Sage Enterprise solutions - are available through Sage Enterprise Solutions' network of value-added resellers in SA. More information can be found at http://www.itweb.co.za/office/sage/ or www.sageenterprisesolutions.com.
Fact file
The Sage Web Enterprise family of products allows companies to:
. Trade with their customers around-the-clock from anywhere;
. Provide their customers with high levels of service and the latest product pricing, descriptions and stock information the moment the systems are updated;
. Offer direct and easy remote access to business information from any location; and
. Provide employees with a tailored desktop solution for easy access to business information, applications and resources.
Share
Editorial contacts