Emirates Media goes live on Oracle Financials with Hyperlink

Hyperlink was chosen to implement the program which went live on March 6th 2005.
Choosing Hyperlink for the project proved to be a major success. As one of the biggest Oracle system integrators in the Middle East and North Africa, Hyperlink completed the project in an outstanding period of time and the system, which typically takes a year to be implemented, was delivered in a period of 7 months.

EMI's ERP system was designed to promote efficiency and to bring the company's financial systems in line with modern technologies. Suleman Umer, Finance Director & Oracle Project Manager, Emirates Media said "EMI had previously embarked on the Oracle implementation with another partner, but due to unforeseen circumstances the project was halted. Once we were ready to proceed, we designed and conducted a rigorous selection process from which we selected Hyperlink, an Oracle Certified Advantage Partner in the region."

"Hyperlink captured EMI's needs and fulfilled their requirements through the implementation of the Oracle solution" says Housam Dajani, Vice President Middle East & Africa, Oracle Corporation.

Ahmad Al Baloushi, CEO, Emirates Media Inc commented, "Oracle Financials was chosen by EMI to help deploy best practices in the areas of finance and distribution. We had a very strong internal team and together with Hyperlink's technical know how; we successfully implemented all requested modules in a very short period. Additionally, our aim was to help our back office departments support the rapid development and improvement of Emirates Media's core products for our viewers, listeners, readers, and internet audiences; and at the same time establishing a solid basis from which we can launch further such developments."

"This relationship has been a major achievement for both parties. The deadline was tight for the implementation of the application and the client was nervous owing to previous experiences. Nonetheless with great teamwork and technical expertise we actually managed to deliver inside the due date." said Dany Diab, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Hyperlink.

Traditionally EMI had suffered with an old and inadequate system which hindered their ability to meet fiscal deadlines and create documentation in modern formats. The new system, which includes the latest financial and distribution modules from Oracle, has provided a wide range of benefits. Simplified financial processes, better communication and single data entry are just some of the improvements which are expected to create more efficient, cost saving processes for the group.

Umer continued; "This is a major step forward for EMI. Historically, the finance function was stuck with an outdated chart of accounts. Restricted by overly complex processes, the most standard and simple procedure would take twice the time it should. The introduction of Oracle has changed all of this and represents a positive step towards a world class finance function."

Hyperlink not only implemented the solution but also provided consulting, and is now delivering post implementation support for EMI staff. End users were given extensive hands on training during the implementation period to allow them a fast adaptation to the new systems.