Guildsoft leads Visma offensive
Norwegian ERP software vendor Visma has joined the growing band of foreign vendors targeting the UK SME market, after it appointed distributor Guildsoft to spearhead its sales and marketing operations.
Norwegian enterprise resource planning (ERP) software vendor Visma has joined the growing band of foreign vendors targeting the UK SME market, after it appointed distributor Guildsoft to spearhead its sales and marketing operations.
Guildsoft will recruit 25 VARs by the end of the year for Visma's business division, which specialises in logistics, financial and contact-management software.
Visma already has a UK presence which concentrates on developing products for its bespoke marine applications division and sells direct. But Ron Christiansen, managing director of Visma Business, said it was committed to establishing its business division as an indirect operation.
Christiansen said Visma will concentrate on building a presence in the UK market before tackling the "very fragmented" European market. "The UK is a primary market, although the competition we have there is not from UK vendors," he said, citing Navision, Great Plains and Daamsgaard as Visma's main rivals.
Visma's entry into the UK market follows moves by Computer Associates' financial software subsidiary ACCPAC and customer relationship management vendor Kana Communications.
A Guildsoft representative said the company had already signed five specialist resellers, and was expanding its marketing to recruit VARs and OEM partners that are experienced in accountancy and financial systems.
Guildsoft will manage Visma's business partner programme. Christiansen said accredited partners would receive competitive discounts as well as sales and technical training. Service revenue will be up to twice the price of the licence, and Visma's consultants will be available to support VARs through their first few implementations.
Business partners will concentrate on selling Visma core modules incorporating financial, contact management, logistics and e-business software. A scaled-down product targeting SMEs, which will be half the price of the full module, is being developed for the UK market.