SOCITM Selects CATS to deliver real-time access to remote users

Professional society implement accounting and business management systems to improve financial management - Saving three days a month

The Society of Information Technology Management has awarded software reseller, Computerised Accounting The Solution (CATS), a £47,000 contract to implement and support its mid-range business management solution. Founded in 1986, the Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM) is the professional association for ICT managers working in and for the public sector. The society, which provides advice and guidance on ICT and e-government to local authorities, now has over 1800 members and an annual turnover of £5 million.

The SOCITM system will run on a hosted web server in order to provide employees throughout the UK with remote access to the system enabling them to retrieve and update information in real-time.

Mike Roach, Financial Director of SOCITM, says, "As we have outgrown our Sage system, it was the ideal opportunity to consider our options to move to a more powerful system that is better suited to our remote workforce set-up. This implementation will enable us to extend the responsibility for financial management beyond the finance department, embracing external data input by non-finance staff in order to improve the overall efficiency of the finance function."

SOCITM is using paperless technology and authorisation proceedures inherent in the solution. Paperles technology will enable documents and reports, such as time sheets, orders and invoices, to be sent or received in a secure format, by fax or email, saving a considerable amount of time and money on stationery, postage and administration. In addition, the integrated authorisation proceedures work in tandem with the paperless functionality to allow managers to approve and authorise remotely transactions via email.

In addition to the flexibility of the financials and the CRM module, SOCITM was impressed with the versatility of the XL Report Writer. This provides a seamless link between Microsoft Excel and the financial management data held within the system, enabling business managers to import and export data effortlessly in order to review and analyse management reports within a familiar environment.

Roach comments, "Rules can be set-up to generate reports automatically and even update information in existing spreadsheets when details change in the general ledger. Managers can also access up-to-date reports on a daily basis rather than having to rely on monthly reports, enabling them to make business decisions based on accurate, real-time information. The functionality of the XL Report Writer alone will save the finance department about three days a month."

Working with 95% of all UK local authorities, SOCITM provides a widely respected forum for the promotion, use and development of ICT best practice, offering a range of services including publications, conferences, events, training, research and consultancy.