Posts Tagged ‘MYOB EXO’

Ten Years of Service to SME Businesses

March 29, 2013

This year marks Enprise’s ten years in business, since it was formed as a breakaway from New Zealand based ERP vendor Exonet International. Exonet was acquired by Australia’s Solution 6, who subsequently merged with the Australasian SME ERP powerhouse – MYOB. The Exonet product we built our business on, is now known as MYOB EXO and is used by many thousands of SME businesses throughout Australasia.

As a founder of Exonet, I recognised the value in taking on Exonet’s direct sales division (known inside the business as “Enprise”) along with former Exonet managers Elliot Cooper and Leanne Graham.

So as Enprise reaches this ten year milestone, so also do our relationships with some of our loyal customers and staff members. We are taking this opportunity to recognise and celebrate their on-going partnerships & relationships with Enprise. This will be a great year, full of celebration and re-commitment to another successful ten years together.

Julie, Melissa, Corban and Carlie at Carlie's 10 year celebration
Enprise team members (from L to R) Julie, Melissa, Corban and Carlie during the celebration of Carlie’s 10 years with Enprise

This week we celebrated the ten years of service that Carlie Kennedy has given to Enprise and our customers. Earlier this year we celebrated the same ten year milestone for Senior Consultant (and my sister) Sarah Loveys.

After ten years in business, it’s great to look back on how many customers we’ve helped grow with MYOB EXO, both in New Zealand and Australia.

Sarah Loveys
Senior Enprise Consultant, Sarah Loveys marked her ten years with Enprise in January this year

Here’s to another great ten years of serving SME businesses!

MYOB EXO rules the mid-market, down-under

October 15, 2012

I’m often asked why I continue to be so passionate about MYOB EXO, which is a mid-market ERP accounting system that I started developing back in the late 1990’s and then sold to an Australian corporate more than twelve years ago.

My response is as follows;

  • MYOB EXO, formerly known as “Exonet”, is today the top-selling ERP system in Australasia that is aimed at the “M” of “SME”. MYOB EXO accounts for 14% of new purchases of mid market ERP systems in Australia and New Zealand. No other mid-range system can match that in this very fragmented market.
  • MYOB EXO has been built from the ground up by people in Australasia for businesses in Australasia. It contains all the functionality most Australian and New Zealand businesses require and includes no unnecessary complexity that is needed by businesses in other countries.
  • The MYOB EXO suite of software is sold and supported by a base of experienced and knowledgeable re-sellers on both sides of the Tasman. There is no shortage of options when it comes to sales and after-sales support. This is an important consideration and many international packages sold locally cannot say the same.
  • MYOB EXO is built on highly scale-able Microsoft technology which works superbly on all modern computers as well as the latest data centers for Cloud deployment and/or virtualization. Furthermore, it’s easy to extend and integrate with other software solutions, making it the ideal choice for growing and/or geographically distributed businesses.
  • After fourteen years plus of passionate development, the MYOB EXO suite is now packed with modules, features and functions to give businesses competitive advantage and run like clockwork, giving managers the up-to-date visibility they need to guide their businesses forward in these challenging times.

Q: Would I bet my business on MYOB EXO? A: Yes of course, I have done so for the last fourteen years and will continue to do so for at least the next fourteen.

Nobody knows MYOB EXO better than my team at Enprise New Zealand and Enprise Australia. We welcome inquiries.

DSQ – Enprise acquisition, cloud & growth strategy approved

September 24, 2012

Last week, on Friday 21st September at DSQ Holdings Ltd’s Annual General Meeting, shareholders voted to approve the acquisition of Enprise. This is the beginning of a major new chapter in the evolution of both Enprise and DSQ (formerly Datasquirt), which will now become one and the same.

The new combined business will be named Enprise Group Limited, which will be a public New Zealand company, listed in Australia with over 350 shareholders.

This is a very positive development for all stakeholders (customers, partners, staff and shareholders) of both Enprise and DSQ.

The new Enprise Group will retain its focus on all aspects of delivering high-quality business software, solutions and services to small and medium sized enterprises. It will have offices throughout New Zealand and Australia (Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington and Hamilton) in addition to its international channel of around 100 reseller partners throughout the USA, Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Enprise is a stable and profitable platform for growth, with three business units; Enprise Solutions NZ, Enprise Solutions AU, Enprise Software plus the joint venture, 2Cloud.biz.

Enprise Software is an SAP Gold Software Solution Partner that develops solutions for SAP Business One which is sold through an international partner channel.

Enprise Solutions is a top MYOB Platinum Partner in both New Zealand and Australia, which sells and supports the market leading MYOB EXO suite of business software.

2Cloud.biz is a joint venture, offering Cloud delivery of popular ERP solutions through established reseller channels. Presently, the business is focused exclusively on Cloud delivery of MYOB EXO and associated solutions to the Australasian market.

The new Enprise Group will exploit a range of growth-driving opportunities for its customers and for itself; including the shift to Cloud Computing, Mobile Solutions, Regional Expansion and new “Big Data” processing technologies.

I will be discussing various aspects of the new Enprise Group and its growth opportunities on this blog, over the coming weeks.

New Era for Enprise and DSQ

September 5, 2012

On September 21st at the Annual General Meeting of ASX-listed DSQ Holdings Limited, shareholders will vote on a proposal to acquire the Enprise Group of businesses. If accepted, this will effectively enable the back-door listing of Enprise where it will transform from being a private company to becoming an Australian-listed public company. DSQ Holdings Ltd will transform from being a publicly listed “cash-box” (with no business operations) to becoming the Enprise Group.

For me, the idea of DSQ and Enprise becoming one and the same is certainly an exciting prospect. I have always wanted to build an innovative, expansive and profitable public company and I have been extensively involved in both of these two businesses over the last decade, being a founder and director of both.

In the past, Enprise & DSQ have been successful in building up international software businesses which were then acquired by major American companies. In 2011, Enprise sold its EMS-Cortex business to Citrix and DSQ sold its Datasquirt business to LiveOps.

The new Enprise will maintain a strategy aimed at sustainable growth, running the business as a cash earner rather than a cash burner. Enprise is the perfect platform for growth with its extensive global channels-to-market for business management software.

2Cloud.biz
Included in the proposed Enprise Group acquisition is a one third share in a great new start-up business called 2cloud.biz which is a specialized Cloud Hosting Service provider aimed at the SME ERP market. At present it offers automated provisioning of hosted MYOB EXO systems and is marketed through the channel of MYOB EXO resellers throughout New Zealand and Australia. This business is experiencing rapid early stage growth and is a perfect example of how the Enprise Group can leverage its existing channels-to-market to launch new opportunities.

Enprise Solutions
Enprise Solutions is a Platinum MYOB EXO reseller in both Australia and New Zealand. It has offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington. The business is experiencing considerable demand from customers in Australia and our two Australian offices which were established earlier this year are driving a significant portion of our growth. Enprise’s goal is to achieve full regional coverage of Australia and New Zealand within the next 24 months.

Enprise Software
Enprise Software is a Gold Certified Solution Partner for the globally-marketed SAP Business One ERP platform. Enprise’s solutions include the popular Enprise Job Costing and Enprise Rent packages, amongst others. Sales and distribution is via a global channel of SAP certified resellers. There is much growth potential in this business unit as new demand grows for Cloud-based and mobility solutions in addition to SAP’s exciting new in-memory HANA platform.

Enprise picks up 270 Australian Customers

September 12, 2011

This week Enprise Australia signed an agreement to take over service and support for 270 customers of MYOB’s Employer Services software from across Australia.

Enprise is very well placed to provide a seamless changeover for these MYOB Employer Services customers. We have an existing customer base of more than 700 businesses across Australasia and a well-established helpdesk operation, backed by a highly experienced consulting and product technical team.

Our plan for Australasia, is to provide superior support for over 1,000 signed up customers within the next 12 months. We have the systems and processes in place to achieve this.

Elliot Cooper, co-founder and CFO of Enprise Group

April 24, 2010

A rare photo of Elliot...

Here is a rare photograph of Elliot Cooper, co-founder and CFO of the Enprise Group.

Elliot and I have worked together in several businesses over the last 15 or so years, firstly at PC Direct, then at Exonet and now at the Enprise Group. He’s a legendary finance man and a great accounting software designer – with a particular interest in Job Costing (or Project Costing). Elliot was very instrumental in the design of both Enprise Job Costing for SAP Business One and prior to that the Exonet ERP system.

With Elliot’s significant input into its design, it’s no wonder that Enprise Job Costing is so strong in the area of General Ledger integration with SAP Business One.

How ERP will be Sold, Deployed and Supported in the New Decade

April 22, 2010

Speaking as someone who is involved in the global SME ERP Industry through Enprise NZ and Enprise Software, involved in the Cloud Control Panel & Hosting industry through EMS-Cortex and involved in the Business Messaging and Social Media Industry through Datasquirt; here is my prediction of how ERP Software will be sold in the new decade that we are now entering;

Sales Process

  • Firstly, the prospective customer will search the Internet for an ERP Solution and ERP Reseller that look suitable for their type of business. This will involve the use of a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo and would include searches of web sites and various Social Media including Twitter, Linked-In, YouTube, Facebook and others.
  • The prospective customer will then contact the ERP Reseller via Email, Instant Message, Voice Call or Social Media Tweet, asking for more information and a demonstration of the ERP solution.
  • An initial consultation/discussion will follow via Email, Voice Call, Social Media etc to determine whether the fit between the ERP Solution and the customer requirements is such that a product demo is warranted.
  • The ERP Reseller will then set up a temporary demonstration ERP solution in the Cloud using their own portal in the Cortex Cloud Control Panel. The demonstration system would be a clean installation of the ERP demo, complete with its own clean virtual database server and (optional) desktop environment. The exact solution, including add-on industry vertical components and temporary user accounts can be selected and configured in the Cortex portal. This demo system would be provisioned, up and running within minutes of being requested on the portal and would be set to last for a predetermined duration for the purposes of the demonstration.
  • The ERP Reseller would then either visit the prospective customer and demonstrate the ERP solution on-site (geography permitting) using a computer connected to the Internet or will demonstrate via a web meeting tool such as GoToMeeting or WebEx.
  • The prospective customer might then want to spend further time trying out various aspects of the demonstration system after the ERP Reseller has finished demonstrating it. If the ERP Reseller agrees to this then they can arrange for the demonstration system to be kept alive in the Cloud for a longer duration to enable the prospective customer to continue with their own trial use of the system.
  • If/when the prospective customer decides to purchase the ERP system, the ERP Reseller would go back into their portal on the Cortex Control Panel, delete the demonstration system and configure a new live ERP system. The company and user names would be entered into the Cortex portal and also any additional up-sell items would also be included, such as Exchange Email accounts, SharePoint, Blackberry, VOIP accounts, Backups, Firewalls, Hosted Desktops (eg XenApp, XenDesktop), Payroll Access etc.
  • Application licensing information would be sent via Web Services to the respective vendors (eg Microsoft, Citrix, SAP, MYOB etc) and licences would be generated and applied back to the new hosted system via web services.
  • The Cloud-delivered ERP solution is now live, up and running. The ERP Reseller’s consultants can now access the system to configure the ERP Solution to the requirements of the customer.
  • The ERP Solution is now live in the Cloud and can be accessed from anywhere via the Internet. This includes all the branch and home locations of the customer as well as the ERP Reseller and the ERP and other software vendors.

Applying Upgrades and Patches to the ERP System

Prior to a new upgrade or patch being applied to a live ERP system, it must be tested against the individual customer’s data and processes to ensure that the software changes work correctly and cause no disruption to the business.

To enable this testing process, the ERP Reseller will go into their portal of the Cortex Control Panel and request a temporary test copy of the live ERP Environment. This enables the ERP Reseller’s consultants, in conjunction with the customer’s staff, to test the new software version and identify any possibly reconfiguration issues on the test system.

Once the testing process is completed and signed off, the ERP Reseller can go back into their portal of the Cortex Control Panel and apply the upgrade to the live system. They can also delete the test system when they are finished with it.

Support

Support of the ERP System by the ERP Reseller and the ERP Vendor is a lot easier, more efficient and less costly under this new model for the following reasons;

  • Because the ERP System and its virtual operating environment was provisioned by Cortex, it would be done the same every time, using best practices, using the correct program versions and configuration. These things are therefore known to the support personnel and not subject to variation.
  • The support personnel have quick and easy remote access to the hosted ERP solution (subject to permission from the customer to access their system and data).

The model works better for everyone involved in the ERP system sale. The customer, the ERP Reseller and the ERP and other software vendors.

The Customer gets:

  • Extended Access to a Demo System
  • Reduced Capital Outlay
  • Faster Implementation
  • Reduced management overhead of looking after local server & infrastructure

The ERP Reseller gets:

  • Up-sell opportunities
  • Faster Implementation – freeing up time to sell more!
  • Repeatable Cookie Cutter implementations
  • Easier to Support

The Vertical Solution Vendor gets:

  • Opportunity to list solutions on the Cortex Portal
  • Easier Support on a Known Environment

The ERP Vendor gets:

  • Faster Implementations = More Sales
  • Easier & Less Expensive Support
  • Better Product Performance in a Correct Known Environment

SME’s Prefer Local Presence for ERP Sales & Service

April 11, 2010

Having clocked up more than 20 years of working in the ERP industry targeting small to medium enterprises (SMEs), I can now state confidently that there are some truths to this business that will probably never change.

Some of those truths are as follows…

  • Small and medium-sized businesses prefer to buy from and deal with local people, when it comes to ERP and accounting software. They want to eyeball and have face to face access with the people they are dealing with.
  • However, those businesses have no problem with using a centralized help desk function which is accessed by toll-free phone or the Internet – if it is offered in conjunction with localized representation.
  • SME focused resellers and service agents with only one geographic location therefore tend to be very generalist and opportunist about what type of solutions they sell and the customers they sell to. In other words they resist specialization because they only have a limited market of customers in their locality. This is obviously not the case for resellers that have wide regional coverage – as they have a larger accessible market and can afford to build up expertise in particular vertical markets.

For the above reasons, from the perspective of Enprise Software we are now seeing a consolidation of our SAP Business One ERP resellers that sell Enprise Job Costing, evident everywhere, but particularly in North America. The result is fewer reseller organisations, but with a much more spread-out branch structure and centralized customer support functions.

One of our best Enprise Job Costing partners that has been particularly successful in its geographic expansion with centralized support, is Vision-33 which now has regional offices in Irvine CA, Los Angeles CA, San Francisco CA, Salt Lake City UT, Seattle WA, Portland OR, Houston TX, Austin TX, Dallas TX, Fort Lauderdale FL and St Johns NL Canada.

Locally in New Zealand, Enprise New Zealand has been following the same strategy of building up a network of regional sales & implementation offices, with centralized support to claim the mantle of a “Nationwide” presence. Enprise NZ has offices & representation in Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch (further regional expansion is planned for this year) . Centralized support is offered through toll-free 0800 numbers and Internet support web site.

I believe this is the best model for SME ERP sales and service. This is evidenced by the stellar sales success currently being enjoyed by both Vision-33 and Enprise New Zealand as they expand their presence in their respective markets. They can specialize in the types of solutions they offer to the market, building up specialized expertise, rather than needing to be all things to all people. It should also be said that specialized expertise and the quantities of scale achieved by these larger organizations leads to more successful outcomes for customers and greater profitability for the reseller…and that must be a good thing.

Introducing Enprise New Zealand

March 22, 2010

Enprise New Zealand was originally the direct-sales division of Exonet International Ltd, which was the developer of the Exonet SME ERP Package, now owned by MYOB and renamed as “MYOB EXO”. Exonet was founded by myself, along with Maurice Bryham and David McKee Wright. For a more complete story of Exonet/MYOB EXO, refer to the Exonet Story web site.

Enprise separated from Exonet (who at the time were owned by Solution6) in late 2002, following a management buy-out of the division by Elliot Cooper, Leanne Graham and myself. Included in the Enprise buy-out transaction were all the largest and most complex Exonet customer relationships, which gave us an excellent foundation to build our new business on.

Since establishing Enprise New Zealand as a stand-alone business in 2002, we have built up a customer base of over 420 SME business customers, hired over 50 staff, developed many add-on solutions for Exonet and opened branches in Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch.

In addition to this Enprise New Zealand has been the foundation business for the “Enprise Group”, which has in turn started up and acquired Enprise Software and EMS-Cortex respectively.

Enprise New Zealand is today the largest MYOB EXO reseller in New Zealand (and possibly Australia) and is in the process of building up a complete nationwide network, with localized sales & on-site services backed up by a centralized phone & web support service. This concept of a local presence connected to nationwide infrastructure, combined with the deep product knowledge inherent in Enprise’s role in the development of MYOB EXO, gives our customers a level of service that is second to none.

Watch out for my future posts on Enprise New Zealand as this business continues to expand…