Tech Briefs: Oct. 20 - Nov. 2, 2003

SAP ATTRACTS BEST VARS IN SMB PUSH: High-end enterprise software developer SAP has, since June, signed up at least two of Best Software’s value-added resellers to handle its Business One suite of applications for small and midsized businesses.

The most recent addition to SAP’s channel is Philadelphia-based CompuData, which handles Best’s MAS accounting and SalesLogix customer relationship management software. In early summer, SAP announced that it had signed up Enterprise Resource Group, a MAS and SalesLogix reseller in Dallas.

CompuData president Steve Ciarciello did not indicate any dissatisfaction with Best’s products, but he noted that the SAP product has better integration between its CRM and other modules, and that it may be especially attractive to SMB prospects that are subsidiaries of, or suppliers to, larger corporations that run SAP’s enterprise products.

SAP is also recruiting resellers for its SMB products through an alliance with New York-based American Express Tax & Business Services, one of the accounting profession’s 10 largest firms. AmEx consulting operations managing director Harvey Goss said that “numerous” partners have already joined the AmEx recruitment effort, but the company is not ready to announce them.

CRM VENDOR STEPS FORWARD IN DATA CLEANING: Customer relationship management software developer Interface Software has stepped forward as a CRM data cleaner.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based developer of Interaction, a CRM tool marketed heavily to accounting firms, launched its Data Quality Services program and a data quality assurance module in conjunction with releasing a new version of Interaction. That 5.1 version includes the ability to identify anomalies in individual CRM postings, such as company or customer names, and to standardize how the data is reported within the system.

The Data Quality Services program and the Interaction Contact Verifier module are both designed to weed out anomalies and ensure that all postings are made in uniform formats.

“Poor data quality is frequently cited as one of the primary reasons for CRM implementation failures,” according to Interface. Product management director David Cutler said that the 5.1 version and the additional data services “extend our lead in CRM data quality by reducing the time and expense associated with maintaining a high-quality database initially, and on an ongoing basis.”

For more information, visit Interface Software’s Web site, www.interfacesoftware.com .

INTERNET-BASED ACCTRAK 21 RE-EMERGES: AccTrak 21, the developer of an Internet-hosted software suite that integrates accounting, business management and business intelligence applications, has begun a new United States marketing push under Steve Yulga, who succeeded Wayne Harding as U.S. operations chief executive in early summer.

“We are just beginning to re-emerge in the United States,” Yulga said in late September. “We are moving on to a more assertive communications strategy with resellers.”

AccTrak, originally established in Australia and Malaysia, began its first push to recruit resellers and customers in the U.S. late last year upon hiring Harding, who had been a channel developer for the CPA2Biz portal. Harding left after AccTrak struck a U.S. distribution deal with tax prep software developer ATX Forms, which is making AccTrak products available to its accounting professional customers to use and to resell or recommend to their business clients.

Yulga said that he is seeking similar relationships with other third-party software companies. He is also seeking accountants and high-quality non-accountant technology professionals as resellers. Ideally, accounting professionals would resell AccTrak accounting software to their clients and use the vendor’s business analysis tool to analyze the clients’ financial numbers. For more information, visit www.acctrak21.com.

-- Compiled by John M. Covaleski

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