Solomon targets UK accountants

Solomon ranks as the fourth largest supplier in the global mid-range accounting software market according to International Data Corporation, but that position is derived primarily from its strength in the US market.

In the UK, the company has around 200 users and sells via four resellers: Manchester-based Concord Computer Systems, AVisual Computer Services of Stevenage, Ibix Business Services of London and Advanced Helpdesk Solutions, which integrates Solomon IV within its helpdesk systems.

Since opening its North London offices in 1994, Solomon has concentrated on localising its software for UK accountants. ‘Our strategy was not to go in with all guns blazing, but to send out feelers and see if there was a market in the UK,’ said Solomon’s UK sales director David Kirby.

‘Some of our competitors have spent a lot of money, but not made much out of it.’

Solomon further differentiates itself by being the only US-based developer to have attempted to win accreditation from the Business & Accounting Software Developers Association (BASDA).

‘We’ve already had feedback from BASDA and it seems like Solomon IV should meet its requirements. Our goal is to get accreditation by the end of April,’ said Kirby.

The Solomon IV suite consists of 20 or so accounting and cost management modules aimed at #1m-plus turnover companies with 50 to 500 employees.

Versions are now available for Microsoft’s SQL Server client/ server database running under Windows NT, or the scalable SQL 4 database from Pervasive Software designed for Windows NT or Novell’s NetWare.

Competing companies such as Systems Union, Platinum Software and Great Plains Software all use the Btrieve navigational database originally developed by Pervasive. However, Solomon has become the first company out of the blocks with an accounting system based on the newer scalable SQL product.

At the Softworld show which took place last month, Solomon introduced a new module, Project Controller, to manage costs in project-based industries.

The module allows for automatic overhead allocation and can cope with multiple accounting methods. It is capable of calculating bills and generating cost projections based on percentage completion of a project.

Solomon does not sell its software directly to customers, so the thrust of its latest UK marketing push will be to recruit more resellers. Kirby said the company is talking to five candidates, and hopes to add another ten new resellers over the course of 1997.

‘We’re getting a lot of interest because of the work we’ve put in to make Solomon IV a global product,’ said Kirby. ‘A lot of the UK-written packages are getting to be old hat.

‘In IT, the US is usually two years ahead of the UK and that applies to accountancy software too. UK customers are beginning to take much more notice of US packages.’