Flying Pig goes with exo-net for accounting

By ADAM GIFFORD

New Zealand retail web site Flying Pig, which goes live this week, is the first customer for exo-net's new, high-end accounting system, en-prise.

Flying Pig chief executive Adam Keller said the company was about to go with a solution from Great Plains, but switched after a meeting with exo-net a fortnight ago.

The Auckland location of exo-net was a big factor.

En-prise is web enabled, which is very convenient for us, and we have access to the source code so we can bolt it on to our current site and our developers can work directly with their developers," Mr Keller said.

"When you are talking about software this complex, no true off-the-shelf solution will work for everyone. Every organisation wants to do something different."

While Great Plains was a "good, safe midmarket solution," software was only as good as the installation and support that came with it.

"We felt comfortable, but to be able to go to the source code is a huge advantage."

Orion Ventures, the creator of flyingpig.co.nz, is a joint venture between e-commerce specialist Advantage Group and Pacific Retail Group, owner of Noel Leeming, Bond and Bond, Computer City and PRG Finance.

Flying Pig has also taken over responsibility for Whitcoulls' online presence. The site will initially sell books, videotapes, software and stationery. It intends to add music, computers, computer peripherals, electronics, appliances and other goods and services such as consumer finance, sharebroking and insurance.

Flying Pig chief financial officer Mark Battles said en-prise would initially be used for the company's financial records, with Advantage Group custom software running transactions on the web site.

"Our immediate need was for financials because of the high volumes we expect in the buildup to Christmas."Installation speed was a big factor.

"We signed the contract last Wednesday and we're implementing today," he said yesterday. The site should be live this week.

Exo-net managing director David McKee Wright said en-prise was a fully integrated, SQL-based business accounting system with e-commerce built in.

It is aimed at medium-to-large companies, with installations starting at $100,000.

"We will sell it direct because we think we have 10 years' hardware experience and more e-commerce experience than most people in New Zealand and more development time than most.

"At the higher end, where en-prise is, there are so many segments to implementation. You need accounting specialists, you need an implementer for your NT network or whatever you're using, you need an ISP or WAN (wide area network) specialist. We looked for all those skills in one partner and couldn't find them."

En-prise can be run on thin clients or Windows 2000 clients across the internet, meaning it can be deployed by large organisations wanting to cross national barriers.

It is also ideally suited to ASP (application service provider) hosting, according to Mr McKee Wright.

"There is huge demand for ASP applications yet there are simply very few applications to host. The global market is crying out for thin applications."

He said development would continue on the exo-net 3000 system, which is sold through partners and resellers.

Reports that the company was moving across the Tasman were wrong.

"We're not relocating to Australia, we are expanding into Australia."

Mr McKee Wright said exo-net's earning were tracking at 35 per cent over budget for the first two quarters.