A global property management system (GPMS) that provides a holistic view of the infrastructures that make buildings work as assets has been launched by Microsoft and M-Five Software.
Based on a product developed by Dutch company DSA-Vision and proven on the Windows-based platform Navision, the GPMS is a fully integrated management system that covers property maintenance to rental prices and payments.
According to Keith Mullan, MD of M-Five Software, the product has been developed over many years, so his company can leverage off previous experience, particularly from Europe.
"These guys have already done all the hard work, so there is no sense in us re-inventing the wheel," says Mullan.
"I believe our effective cost of customisation is one of our big advantages, as typically, the cost of the software is less than 33% of the final bill for the installation of a new system, and about 90% of any company`s special requirements can be met by the standard GPMS program."
He says another advantage of the GPMS program is that it is able to operate smoothly on a worldwide basis, having full Microsoft backup in 150 countries.
"At present, we are focusing specifically on SA and the UK, although we will also be looking at attacking the Middle East market, particularly Dubai.
"We have also had interest in the product from a retailer in Zimbabwe, and have had inquiries from housing associations and municipalities in Botswana and Kenya too," says Mullan.
"In the future, there is no reason for us not to provide the product for use by SA municipalities too, although we will only be targeting this sector of the market once we have properly addressed our company`s black empowerment concerns."
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