News
Introducing Aqilla Limited ~ Accounting software for the 21st Century
LONDON 2nd May 2007: Aqilla is developing a completely new web based accounting solution utilising state of the art open source toolsets based around Java and AJAX and Web 2.0 technologies.
The skills and experience of the company are principally in providing solutions for customers in the SME and Mid markets and there are a number of key elements to the design of Aqilla that make it particularly attractive to such markets including a simple architecture that is easy to install and support and a scalable and flexible “On Demand” or “Software As A Service” (SAAS) product that supports the changing demands of organisations.
Aqilla is the latest project from two highly experienced business software figureheads. Colin Christianson, who after an established career with Smiths Industries and Hoskyns became a co-founder of Systems Union, leading the development of the hugely and internationally successful SunSystems mid-market accounting solution. In 1999 Colin formed ncSoft to produced a suite of web-based solutions covering time recording, expense management, and procurement which were duly acquired by Systems Union (Infor) in 2004. Working with Colin is Hugh Scantlebury who has over twenty-one years of commercial success with Kewill Systems, Systems Union (Infor), Sage and Foundation Systems. Both are committed to creating the best web-based, customer centric accounting software fit for the 21st Century.
Aqilla’s Web 2.0 products will provide organisations with a proper zero deployment and highly scalable offering that is accessible anywhere, anytime through a rich web browser interface. By the extensive use of Web Services techniques, functionality and information may be exposed to, or retrieved from, external systems in a simple and open manner providing true interoperability and a significant reduction in the burden of implementation and the management of business change. Furthermore the opportunity will exist to provide an externally hosted solution and to be able to switch to an internally hosted system or vice versa with no disruption to the end users.
Michael Duggan, an experienced and heavy end-user of a number of solutions over many years, commented: “I agree 100% on the need to have accounting and logistics based systems which are different from what exist today. All the main ERP offerings fail to achieve what the customers is looking for, which is ease of use, reliability of results and ability configure as the business changes.” He went on to comment: “The main failings tend to be associated with the need for extensive in house support, at various levels, plus vendor support just to keep the things alive and running at their most basic levels. Furthermore the failure to be remotely user friendly means customers have to spend quite large amounts of money getting them up and running. Adapting to new business requirements is a significant challenge to many organisations as a result of adding new functionality on the back of bad or outdated models. I look forward to Aqilla making a real difference.”
Hugh Scantlebury, Director at Aqilla concluded: “The world is just far too full of 3rd generation applications that have been bent and twisted to work post 2000. Worse though, the world is too full of cash-cow orientated application vendors and people are beginning to be more savvy to such propositions. Customers need and want something different and we will give them something different - real value. Watch this space.”
Note to editors:
Aqilla was created in 2006 by two highly respected industry figures who together have over 50 years of experience of the accounting and business software industry. Aqilla is some way along the road in developing a completely new web based accounting solution utilising state of the art open source toolsets based around Java and AJAX technology (techniques seen in other Web 2.0 sites such as Google Mail or Digg.com).
Aqilla believe that the age of legacy client server business applications is passing like the mainframes and minis did before. Bandwidth, wireless, on-demand and other technologies are key in a Web 2.0 world and are fully exploited. The business is creating products that customers will want to acquire, not have to be sold to.
