IBM Announces New Force in Small and Medium Business
Axapta Business Management Solution Introduced in North America
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 16, 1998) – IBM, in conjunction with Danish software developer Damgaard International
A/S (DIAS), today introduced Axapta Business Management Solution* for the North American market. More than the logical next
generation in business management software, the Axapta solution redefines the standard in accounting and business
management solutions.
The Axapta solution tightly integrates general accounting and business functions with specific application module series for
finance, trade, logistics and production. The software is an important tool for businesses with 50 to 500 employees and annual
revenues of $5 million to $100 million. It is also ideal for departments and divisions within multinational corporations. “With
solutions such as Axapta, IBM and our business partners are helping growing businesses become more productive,” says
Steven Ladwig, general manager, network computing and software, IBM Global Small and Medium Business, “IBM is pleased
to have helped another partner bring to market an application for this burgeoning customer set.”
Designed for the global marketplace, Axapta Business Management Solution supports multinational currency, multi-lingual,
and multi-tax formats. The software is packaged in four basic configurations featuring selected business and financial modules:
Financial Series: General Ledger, Cash Flow Management, Bank Manager, Currency, Accounts Receivable, Accounts
Payable and Free-Text Invoicing.
Trade Series: Sales Order, including Invoicing, Purchase Order Handling and Inventory.
Logistics Series: Trade Agreements, Trade Budgeting, Discounts, Bill of Materials and Material and Capacity Requirements
Planning.
Production Series: Material Requirements Planning, Work Orders and Production Routes, Capacity Planning and Shop
Floor Control and Job Planning.
“Because the package shows us the repercussions of our decisions and actions, I think it’s making all of us here a little bit
smarter about what’s really happening inside our business,” notes Mark V. Melfi III, vice president, Southfield Packaging Inc.,
whose company began running the beta software in December 1997. ‘I can honestly say,” he adds, “that we have changed for the better.”
In developing a business management solution, the goal is business productivity. In other words, technology is only as good as its ability to enable your business. Axapta Business Management Solution–with its exclusive IntelliMorph* technology, a system to automatically format and layout forms and reports–helps everyone work better, faster, smarter and easier, including:
The solution provider who develops applications and installs the Axapta solution, In-house IT people who customize
applications for each department,
The shipping clerk who is keeping your business running on schedule.
The Axapta software provides the features and benefits customers want:
Tight integration across software features, functions and modules;
Year 2000 compliance;
The transaction and user capacity to grow with a business;
Efficient client/server network architecture;
Support for industry standards, including Microsoft BackOffice** server technology, Microsoft SQL Server** and with a
planned availability for IBM DB2*** by mid-year.
To further accommodate customization, Axapta Business Management Solution includes the built-in MorphX Development
Suite*. The object-oriented, X++ programming language– modeled after the Java language with embedded SQL statements–
allows solution providers and end users to develop their own applications and create customizations. All changes and
additions are organized in such a way that users cannot corrupt the original code. Plus, upgrades with future product releases
can be installed without destroying customizations and additional applications.
Axapta Business Management Solution is sold exclusively through Authorized Axapta Business Partners. IBM is recruiting
qualified resellers who are experienced in consulting about and installing business management solutions for the PC
Pentium**** platform. Resellers must have expertise in Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2.
Founded in 1982 by two brothers, Preben and Erik Damgaard, Damgaard Data has grown to more than 300 employees today.
Headquartered in Birkerod, Denmark, the company exclusively develops accounting and business management software
solutions. With products that are now distributed in 14 countries, the company has reorganized and formed Damgaard
International A/S to build and support products for international markets. IBM and Damgaard Data each own a 50 percent
equity interest in Damgaard International A/S. IBM distributes Damgaard International’s flagship product, Concorde XAL*,
in select countries in Europe, and Axapta Business Management Solution in North America.
IBM is a world leader in providing end-to-end business solutions for small and medium businesses. Through its Global Small
and Medium Business organization, IBM offers a host of cross-industry and industry specific solutions designed to meet the
real-world needs of growing businesses. IBM is also the leading provider of electronic business solutions and is dedicated to
helping customers, IBM Business Partners and developers exploit the potential of network computing across a wide range of
business and industries.
Source: IBM