Multinational corporations in the Middle East Moving toward fully-integrated approach to systems management

"Nearly every globally recognized company has a presence in the Middle East, and the main focus on the mind of decision-makers heading up these regional offices is to focus on their core businesses," said Nizar Badwan, general manager, Exact Software Middle East.

"What we are seeing is that Middle East offices want to replicate the same systems and processes that are run at their global headquarters - and this extends to the type of software they choose to implement."

By leaning towards adopting the same software solutions used at the main base, subsidiary offices have peace of mind that what they are deploying is tried and tested, as well as fully globally integrated.

"Having the same software running at various sites all around the world means that the many offices can relay information quickly and easily based on seamless integration. In addition, this integration assists in saving time when it comes to sending weekly or monthly reports on sales targets or payroll issues," added Badwan.

Companies around the world choose to implement Exact Software because of the company's revolutionary One-X concept that allows an organization to manage its entire business enterprise systems from a single integrated database.

Looking Up
While the "top-down" approach of selling software based on company loyalty is popular in the Middle East, Exact is also experiencing a boost in sales based on implementing solutions to subsidiary offices in the region that have not used its software before.

"What we are discovering in the Middle East is that companies that are implementing an ERP solution for the first time feel most confident when they have the highest levels of support offered to them. At Exact, we handle the whole process from meetings to implementation to training internally - so our customers are dealing solely with us," said Badwan.

"By building up a strong relationship with firms using our products for the first time, we are noticing that they pass on the recommendation to use our solutions at their other offices around the world. With our solutions available in 26 languages and offices in more than 30 countries, we are able to provide our service to organizations based almost anywhere."

Global customers of Exact Software solutions include Siemens, L'Oreal, Eli Lilly, DAF Trucks and Caterpillar.