Awards 2006: HansaWorld Enterprise – mid-range software of the year

Sponsored by IAAITC

HansaWorld Enterprise pushes the boundaries in terms of features available in a single, integrated accounting and business management package. A single application covers customer relationship management, web content management, email and other communication methods alongside the accounting functionality.

For groups with international offices, consolidation is achieved with real-time reporting and without complex conversions of data from subsidiaries working with different currencies and year-ends. It has integrated customer relationship management and can, for example, generate date-linked to-do lists for credit controllers or email-shots for customers.

Sheena Owens, financial controller at St John’s Hospital, says that she chose HansaWorld Enterprise because it offered ease of use and could be tailored to the hospital’s specific requirements.

Installation at the beginning of 2005 was straightforward, and Owens was impressed by the reporting function and in-built security. ‘Having completed a year-end on the system, I must say that it was painless and quick and our auditors are equally impressed. The accounts package is also compliant with the Charity Commission SORP 2005.’

St John’s has also installed HansaWorld’s property management module, which merges information from accounts and surveying teams. ‘Again, this was customised and proves very cost-effective, reducing duplication of work. We can add documents and notes to the related property records and we are continually developing the module,’ says Owens.

Set up in Sweden in 1988, HansaWorld employs 300 people across Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Products are available in 27 languages and, in each country, product managers adapt the software to local laws and conventions. Many of the 67,000 HansaWorld users are SMEs.

Profits from HansaWorld Enterprise account for 7% of the company turnover ­ up from the company’s break-even position for most of its 18 years ­ and the product has seen 5% to 15% sales growth every year since 1995.

The judges said that HansaWorld’s entry demonstrated technical innovation, included some impressive features and offered value for money. Implementations were under budget and on time, and the product demonstrated wide functionality, they added.

HANSAWORLD FIRSTS

Hansa World Enterprise brings the design quality of the Apple interface to all other operating systems and uses a consistent interface throughout. The product is fully customisable. The company makes source code available to trained customers and distributors to allow real customisation.