Press Release
CONTACT:
Ben Tse
Kevin Dawley
(415) 381-1011 x459
(415) 381-6902 Facsimile
kevind@accountmate.com
AccountMate Software, IBM and Cisco Systems Team Up to Provide Friendly
Software Applications , Inc. With a Top-flight Internet Sales Order
Solution for New York-based Aircraft Parts Company.
Visual AccountMate Internet Sales Order + IBM Netfinity 3500 + Cisco’s
Internet Connection Devices = Total Internet Solution for Metropolitan
Aircraft Parts, Inc.
MILL VALLEY, CALIF. (June 16, 1998) – AccountMate Software Corporation, IBM
and Cisco Systems, Inc. have teamed up to provide small and growing
businesses with a convenient, easy-to-use Internet business solution. This
very affordable solution consists of Visual AccountMate/SBS Internet Sales
Order, IBM’s Netfinity 3500 hardware and Cisco System’s Networked Office
stack. Together, they provide companies conducting business over the
Internet with an affordable, productivity-enhancing Internet ordering
system.
AccountMate’s Visual AccountMate (VAM) Internet Sales Order program,
written in Visual Basic 5.0, offers registered customers a convenient way
to place orders over the Internet via a secure connectivity program
separate from a typical Internet browser. With this program, customers can,
in effect, create a sales order (or quote) that passes from the Internet
server into Visual AccountMate/SBS SO. This enables vendors to provide
“virtual” customer service on a 24-hour, 7-day basis since customers can
place orders at any time. Furthermore, the vendor saves significant labor
costs since the customer, not the vendor, is creating the actual order.
Other noteworthy features of VAM Internet SO include, all or selected
inventory or customer data is shared directly with VAM/SBS SO, which
eliminates time-consuming re-keying of data, customers can view different
images (profiles and colors) of the item they are ordering, with
accompanying descriptions, and the option to set multiple pricing or manual
override of pricing in Internet SO’s System Administrator.
AccountMate, IBM & Cisco Based Internet Solution
Security features abound with this program as well. For example, without
the proper customer # and password, the system will not allow the user to
login and place the sales order. Also, unlike other Internet SO packages in
which anyone can place an order, there is a security feature that protects
against unauthorized Internet access by potential customers who do not yet
have their accounts set up in the VAM/SBS SO system. Customers must have
pre-existing customer numbers in the system, as well as a user ID and
password to place an order. This provides additional flexibility in that
vendors can set up all the parameters concerning who has access, what
inventory items can be ordered over the Internet, and what payment types
will be accepted. For example, any customers exceeding their credit limit
can be denied access to the system until their account is current. Or, if a
vendor wants to offer only a portion of their catalogue items for sale over
the Internet, or allow only customers who meet specific criteria to be able
to place orders over the Internet, they have the flexibility to establish
those parameters.
Metropolitan Aircraft Parts, Inc., a New York-based Aircraft Parts company,
is currently enjoying the benefits of real-time order entry and sales
tracking over the web with their new system, installed by AccountMate
Business Partner Les Kule of Friendly Software Applications, Inc. of
Massapequa, New York. Metropolitan Aircraft Part’s complete Internet
solution consists of Visual AccountMate Internet Sales Order application
layer, web-enabled using the Cisco Networked Office stack plus IBM’s
Netfinity 3500 server.
According to Joseph Cutugno, President of Metropolitan Aircraft Parts,
Inc., “Our company has clients located throughout the world, and this
solution allows us to receive and process orders 24 hours a day, 365 days
per year. Our clients are able to send us their orders real-time, without
incurring long distance phone bills or encountering busy fax lines. They
have the control they need and require to place their orders. Now our staff
only has to confirm the orders, instead of re-keying them into our system.
The entire process is streamlined, and data entry is virtually eliminated,
reducing errors. The staff at Metropolitan can devote more time to
increasing sales and productivity, instead of acting as a data entry unit.
This solution will help enable Metropolitan Aircraft to become an industry
leader in client service and support.”
AccountMate, IBM & Cisco Based Internet Solution
Les Kule, President, Friendly Software Applications, Inc., an AccountMate
and IBM reseller, claims, “This solution represents the next logical step
in the maturation of productivity-enhancing solutions (accounting
software). It is easy to implement, requires very little training and will
give our clients a competitive edge in their industries. Some of the finest
tools available are represented with this IBM/Cisco/Visual AccountMate/SBS
Solution. Friendly Software Applications, Inc. is eagerly embracing this
technology and looks forward to continued success with the suppliers. As a
solution provider, we require the support and knowledge these companies
provide. Selling and promoting this solution is made easier with the
participation of these industry leaders.”
Dennis Lo, AccountMate VP of Development was quite impressed with the
combined performance of IBM’s Netfinity 3500 Server. “The Netfinity 3500
Server, coupled with the Cisco Networked Office stack, is a turnkey
networked business solution that offers truly outstanding performance,
quick and easy installation and total ease of use. By adding this
combination to our new Internet Sales Order solution, smaller companies are
sure to become more productive in conducting Internet-based business.”
“Furthering IBM’s commitment to our IBM Netfinity ServerProven program, IBM
and Cisco offer AccountMate customers Internet hardware fine-tuned and
ready for Visual AccountMate’s newest web-enabled module, Internet Sales
Order. This is yet another example of how IBM and AccountMate are working
closely together to provide the small and growing business customer with
leading-edge, productivity-enhancing solutions,” said Kate Connolly,
Program Director, Worldwide IBM Netfinity Small and Medium Business
Solutions. “IBM’s line of Netfinity servers offers the performance and
reliability that Intel-processor based server customers need at prices they
can afford. This combined solution offers power for today and growth for
the future.”
For further information, contact AccountMate Software Corporation, Inc., at
(415) 381-1011 or fax (415) 381-6902. Or visit our web site at
http://www.accountmate.com
Founded in 1984, AccountMate Software Corporation is a leading developer of
leading-edge, integrated accounting solutions. Products include Visual
AccountMate for Windows 95/NT, Visual AccountMate/400 for IBM’s AS/400
platform, and Visual AccountMate/SBS and Visual AccountMate/SQL for
Microsoft’s SQL Server. AccountMate product lines are available in
multilingual versions and are year 2000-ready. AccountMate Software
currently has over 100,000 installations serving 200 industries worldwide,
designed for the small- to mid-sized businesses and divisions of Fortune
1000 corporations. All AccountMate Software products are sold through a
channel of 3,000 Business Partners worldwide.
Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of their respective companies. Microsoft, Windows 95, Windows
NT, Visual FoxPro and BackOffice are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.