The majestic Drakensberg was recently taken by storm as 275 delegates gathered here for Insights Africa 2009, hosted by Softline Accpac.
Business partners and developers came from as far afield as Nigeria, Mauritius, China and New Zealand to attend the three-day experience. Among the keynote speakers were three international Sage executives.
The conference was again run under the theme of the Accpac 360-degree experience, because this is at the heart of what Softline Accpac delivers - and very successfully at that, explains Jeremy Waterman, MD of Softline Accpac.
“Having a 360-degree view of your customers enables you to understand their evolving needs and provide the most appropriate enhancements and support. Our full-circle product range assists us to provide that experience, which is why we saw it fitting to reiterate the importance of it at this year's conference.”
Waterman says the company delivered good performance in 2008, with Accpac ERP 500 and Sage ERP X3 the top contributors to growth. While some believed Softline Accpac was “complicating its life” by introducing Sage ERP X3, Waterman says it made sense as the solution fills critical gaps in the high-end manufacturing and distribution market in Africa. Sage ERP X3 was launched in Africa early last year and has already had considerable success, with over 130 sites on the continent.
Undoubtedly, the global economic crisis came under the spotlight in Waterman's address, but he quickly dispelled the negativity around this by putting forward the advantages Softline Accpac enjoys over its competitors, and how these have grown and will continue to grow its success. These advantages include the scalability of its offerings, the fact that Softline Accpac is part of the Softline Group, with over 1 100 staff in South Africa, and the fact that it can offer complete business solutions to any industry. Waterman also expects growth from tier one companies seeking affordable, highly functional solutions that are quick to implement.
Keith Fenner, Vice-President: Strategic Sales, Softline Accpac, reviewed a strong performance against the local competition, and strongly urged channel partners to take the fight to where the competition has no foothold - vertical markets. “Remember, we're not marketing products. We're marketing solutions for business in Africa.”
Scott Zandbergen, Vice-President: Product Management, Sage Accpac, summarised the road forward, highlighting the fact that it is Sage Accpac's mission to become a truly market-driven organisation. “This can only become a reality if product management is able to translate the voice of the market to our development teams. To this end, we invest an enormous amount of time in observing and listening to our clients' pain points, the things that are 'broken' and need fixing. We need people to evangelise our brand and we'll only achieve this if we're giving them what they really need to do their jobs effectively and run their businesses efficiently.”
Larry Ritter, Senior Vice-President: Global Product Management and Marketing, Sage CRM Solutions, said global CRM and ERP markets will remain strong and continue to grow. Key initiatives include integrated applications and focusing on CRM-powered back office solutions. The Sage CRM Solutions strategy is compelling, Ritter said, mapped to market trends and dependent on solid execution through the highest leveraging of existing partnerships.
Emmanuel Obadia, Executive Vice-President: Enterprise Products, Sage ERP X3 Division, said the maturity of e-commerce and the impact of IT on business productivity are demanding that IT shift from business compliant to business savvy. Social networking has taken centre stage and user-generated content is definitely a force to be reckoned with. “We are moving towards user-centric domination very rapidly. To really capture users into the future we need to modernise ERP or it will simply be pushed aside as a legacy system.”
He says the top three selection criteria for ERP remain usability, acquisition and total cost of ownership. Vendors have to, therefore, ensure they offer a unique value proposition and that they lower the technological barriers to entry. South Africa has proven to be the fastest growing market for Sage ERP X3, but Obadia warned that “the seats may become expensive here”, so the time to act is now.
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Softline Accpac
Softline Accpac is a global provider of business management solutions, including financial, distribution, service management, retail, warehouse management, manufacturing and CRM to the mid-range market. Its solutions are delivered to 130 countries exclusively through its global network of solution providers, including over 150 throughout Africa. Softline Accpac's product line includes: Accpac ERP, Accpac CRM, Accpac RMS, Accpac Warehouse Management System and Accpac Insight.
Softline
Softline is a leading provider of accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software solutions to small, medium and large sized companies. Founded in 1988 by Ivan Epstein, Alan Osrin and Steven Cohen, Softline was established during the formative years of the software industry and listed on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa in February 1997. Softline expanded to establish a strong position within its area of focus in South Africa and Australia. Focused on the development of accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software solutions, Softline has a 20-year track record as a market leader. The group has a broad range of products offering users a variety of software solutions to run their businesses efficiently. Softline's leading brands include Softline Accpac, Softline Enterprise, Softline Pastel (Accounting and Payroll) and Softline VIP. The combination of the group's product offerings provide Softline customers with comprehensive, well-branded accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software solutions. In November 2003, Softline was acquired by the Sage Group, a FTSE 100 company. The software group includes market-leading businesses throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia, supplying business software to the small, medium and large sized business community. Softline has a solid track record of profitability and cash generation. The group delivers quality accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software solutions that improve the efficiencies of businesses around the world.
The Sage Group
The Sage Group is a leading global supplier of business management software solutions and related products and services, principally for small to medium-sized enterprises. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989. Sage has 5.8 million customers and more than 14 500 employees worldwide. We operate in over 26 countries covering the UK, Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, India and China. For further information, please visit www.sage.com.
Sage ERP X3
Sage ERP X3 is a solution designed specifically for midsize and large businesses. With over 2 300 customers worldwide, Sage ERP X3 is a mature solution specifically targeted at companies with 50 to 2 000 employees working in the fields of manufacturing, services and distribution. Sage ERP X3, which is based on the SAFE X3 (Sage Application Framework for the Enterprise) development and integration platform, common to the other Sage solutions (CRM, FRP, WMS, HR), enables automation of business processes and skills specificities, in compliance with legal and normative aspects. This modular and pre-configured powerful solution allows for advanced customisations and embeds several interactive Sage visual processes. Sage ERP X3 is a solution, which is easy to use, fast to implement and cost-effective.
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