July 31, 2000

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Small Companies Get Back-Office Option

Great plains delivers enterprise-level capabilities, designed for Windows 2000 interface

By Steve Konicki

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reat Plains Software Inc. is shipping release 6.0 of its back-office application suite, Great Plains eEnterprise and Dynamics, in an effort to deliver high-end, enterprise-level capabilities for small and midsize companies. All applications, including its core accounting and enterprise resource planning tools, have been redesigned to run in a Windows 2000-style interface.

New features include a Web-enabled application that lets field personnel file time sheets via the Internet; updated E-business applications, such as an order-entry module that accepts orders in a variety of currencies; multiple payment methods for one order; and E-commerce applications that integrate with other systems using the Extensible Markup Language.

Gartner Group analyst Tim Tow says the release offers better functionality and is more tightly integrated with Great Plains' E-commerce products. In addition, Tow says, the integration of Siebel Systems Inc.'s customer-relationship management software and the early-2001 integration of Logility Inc.'s supply-chain applications makes the release the strongest offering on the market for companies with $50 million to $250 million in revenue.

"Great Plains is offering a comprehensive suite of products that enables small companies to do the kinds of things that only large companies could previously afford to do," says Tow. The suite includes an enhanced report-writing function and an enhanced Explorer, which is used to browse the information an employee uses most often and has the look of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser.

Dave Kramer, VP and CFO at H.M. Stauffer & Sons Inc. in Leola, Pa., says his company will upgrade to release 6.0 soon because of the improved E-business capabilities. Stauffer produces pressure-treated lumber and builds roof and floor trusses, mainly for Amish customers. Kramer is exploring kiosks in meeting places or lumberyards for customers to place orders via the Internet.

EEnterprise and Dynamics release 6.0 is available now, starting at $30,000.

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