Unit 4 Agresso
Encyclopedia
Unit4 N.V. is a Dutch software company that provides enterprise software
applications and related professional services
, in order to support businesses and organizations of all sizes, globally. Headquartered in Sliedrecht
, the Netherlands, it has subsidiaries and offices in 24 countries across Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific region and Africa and it works with local partners to complete its global coverage. The company has been ranked by IDC
as a top-six mid-market ERP software player globally. Unit4 is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and is included in the Amsterdam Midkap Index (AMX
). The company’s best-known products are the Agresso Business World ERP
suite and the Coda Financials accounting software
. It is also the major shareholder of FinancialForce.com, the Cloud Applications company based in San Mateo, California
.
, to offer useful tools and functions that could be used by any employee and that would be based around the business processes of the customer – instead of requiring new or adapted business processes, dictated by the design of the software.
region but following a period of accelerating growth in the 1990s and its public listing on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1998, it embarked on a strategy of expansion. Early acquisitions included companies such as Acoso, Omegon, X-Logic and Digis.
software house Agresso Group ASA and the company name was changed to Unit4Agresso. In 2008, it purchased the UK-listed accounting software
company, CODA
. In 2010 it bought Polish software company Teta.. In August 2011 it expanded its Asia-Pacific operations further with the acquisition of HR Software provider PROSOFT.
) and Unit4 Business Software, Inc (also in North America). Nowadays, Unit4 has subsidiaries and offices in 24 countries across Europe, North-America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, as well as sales activities in several other countries.
, sells and supports
a range of business software titles.
A number of its products are long-established brands and available worldwide, such as the Agresso Business World ERP
suite and the Coda Financials financial management software
. In addition, the company offers other software solutions of various types, which are available from one or more of its subsidiaries, depending on each product’s relevance and suitability for use in a given country.
Enterprise software
Enterprise software, also known as enterprise application software , is software used in organizations, such as in a business or government, contrary to software chosen by individuals...
applications and related professional services
Professional services
Professional services is an industry of infrequent, technical, or unique functions performed by independent contractors or by consultants whose occupation is the rendering of such services....
, in order to support businesses and organizations of all sizes, globally. Headquartered in Sliedrecht
Sliedrecht
Sliedrecht is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of ....
, the Netherlands, it has subsidiaries and offices in 24 countries across Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific region and Africa and it works with local partners to complete its global coverage. The company has been ranked by IDC
International Data Corporation
International Data Corporation is a market research and analysis firm specializing in information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology. IDC is a subsidiary of International Data Group...
as a top-six mid-market ERP software player globally. Unit4 is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and is included in the Amsterdam Midkap Index (AMX
AMX index
The AMX index, derived from Amsterdam Midkap Index, also known as Midkap index or simply Midkap, is a stock market index composed of Dutch companies that trade on Euronext Amsterdam, formerly known as the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. The index was started in 1995. It is composed of the 25 funds that...
). The company’s best-known products are the Agresso Business World ERP
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
suite and the Coda Financials accounting software
Accounting software
Accounting software is application software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and trial balance. It functions as an accounting information system...
. It is also the major shareholder of FinancialForce.com, the Cloud Applications company based in San Mateo, California
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
.
Founding and aims
The company was founded, as Unit Four International, in 1980, with the (then) quite novel aim of developing platform-independent, standard application softwareApplication software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
, to offer useful tools and functions that could be used by any employee and that would be based around the business processes of the customer – instead of requiring new or adapted business processes, dictated by the design of the software.
Growth and flotation
The company’s initial geographic focus was on the BeneluxBenelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
region but following a period of accelerating growth in the 1990s and its public listing on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1998, it embarked on a strategy of expansion. Early acquisitions included companies such as Acoso, Omegon, X-Logic and Digis.
International expansion
In 2000, Unit4 merged with the Norwegian ERPEnterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
software house Agresso Group ASA and the company name was changed to Unit4Agresso. In 2008, it purchased the UK-listed accounting software
Accounting software
Accounting software is application software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and trial balance. It functions as an accounting information system...
company, CODA
Coda (company)
CODA plc is a mid-sized international financial software company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1979, it was purchased in 2008 by Unit4, a supplier of Enterprise Software, based in the Netherlands. CODA creates, markets and implements a range of business software systems designed...
. In 2010 it bought Polish software company Teta.. In August 2011 it expanded its Asia-Pacific operations further with the acquisition of HR Software provider PROSOFT.
Rebranding
In 2010, Unit4Agresso rebranded, changing its main company name to Unit4 and rebranding its subsidiary operations around the world to incorporate the Unit4 name – for example: Unit4 Business Software Limited (in the UK), Unit4 Agresso AS (in Norway), Unit4 Coda, Inc. (in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
) and Unit4 Business Software, Inc (also in North America). Nowadays, Unit4 has subsidiaries and offices in 24 countries across Europe, North-America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, as well as sales activities in several other countries.
Availability
Unit4 developsSoftware developer
A software developer is a person concerned with facets of the software development process. Their work includes researching, designing, developing, and testing software. A software developer may take part in design, computer programming, or software project management...
, sells and supports
Technical support
Technical support or tech support refers to a range of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods...
a range of business software titles.
A number of its products are long-established brands and available worldwide, such as the Agresso Business World ERP
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
suite and the Coda Financials financial management software
Accounting software
Accounting software is application software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and trial balance. It functions as an accounting information system...
. In addition, the company offers other software solutions of various types, which are available from one or more of its subsidiaries, depending on each product’s relevance and suitability for use in a given country.
International products
- Agresso Business World is an Enterprise Resource PlanningEnterprise resource planningEnterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
(ERP) solution – i.e. a single software solution that offers dedicated modules within it, each of which assists with specific business processBusiness processA business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product for a particular customer or customers...
es and/or departmentDepartmentalizationDepartmentalization refers to the process of grouping activities into departments.Division of labour creates specialists who need coordination. This coordination is facilitated by grouping specialists together in departments....
-related or roleRoleA role or a social role is a set of connected behaviours, rights and obligations as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and may have a given individual social status or social position...
-related tasks across different functional areas of an organization.
- The software offers a choice of deployment methods: a smart-client (i.e. Windows-based clientClient (computing)A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....
) and a platform-independent “Self Service”Self service softwareSelf service software is a subset within the knowledge management software category and which contains a range of software that specializes in the way information, process rules and logic are collected, framed within an organized taxonomy, and accessed through decision support interviews...
client that runs via a web browserWeb browserA web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
. It comprises a number of core modules, which include: FinancialsAccounting softwareAccounting software is application software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and trial balance. It functions as an accounting information system...
, Planning & BudgetingStrategic planning softwareStrategic planning software is a computer application that aids in the strategic planning process. The user is guided through the steps of the planning process, perhaps with the help of a wizard....
, Human Resources & Payroll, Project Costing & BillingProject cost managementProject cost management is a method which uses technology to measure cost and productivity through the full life cycle of enterprise level projects....
, ProcurementProcurement softwareProcurement software is business software that helps to automate the purchasing function of organizations. Activities including raising and approving purchase orders, selecting and ordering the product or service, receiving and matching the invoice and order, and paying the bill is handled...
, Business Process AutomationBusiness process automationBusiness process automation, or BPA, is the strategy a business uses to automate processes in order to contain costs. It consists of integrating applications, restructuring labor resources and using software applications throughout the organization....
, Field Service Team ManagementField Service ManagementField service management is an attempt to optimize processes and information needed by companies who send technicians or staff "into the field" . Optimization is difficult, since it involves intelligent scheduling and dispatching of multiple technicians to different locations daily, while...
, etc. and supports a range of technologies that allow integrationSystem integrationIn engineering, system integration is the bringing together of the component subsystems into one system and ensuring that the subsystems function together as a system...
with third-party/legacy systems through various formats, including XMLXMLExtensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
. It also allows for data warehousing and data retrievalData retrievalData retrieval, in database management, involves extracting the wanted data from a database. The two primary forms of the retrieved data are reports and queries....
through an integrated suite of desktop reporting tools, including "Excelerator", which provides users the ability to run queries though Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
and returns the data set within the Excel application.- Coda Financials is a software package that delivers functional support for the business processBusiness processA business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product for a particular customer or customers...
es and/or departmentDepartmentalizationDepartmentalization refers to the process of grouping activities into departments.Division of labour creates specialists who need coordination. This coordination is facilitated by grouping specialists together in departments....
-related or roleRoleA role or a social role is a set of connected behaviours, rights and obligations as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and may have a given individual social status or social position...
-related tasks of one particular functional area of an organization: the accounting or finance team.
- Coda Financials is a software package that delivers functional support for the business process
- The software offers a choice of deployment methods: an open client/server edition, supported on a matrix of operating systemOperating systemAn operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
and database serverDatabase serverA database server is a computer program that provides database services to other computer programs or computers, as defined by the client–server model. The term may also refer to a computer dedicated to running such a program...
combinations; a platform-independent browser-basedWeb applicationA web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.Web applications are...
clientClient (computing)A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....
; and as a web serviceWeb serviceA Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
to embedEmbedded systemAn embedded system is a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system. often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal...
the software as the finance engine within any other application suite. It comprises a number of core financial management modules, which include: AccountingAccounting softwareAccounting software is application software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and trial balance. It functions as an accounting information system...
, Spend ManagementSpend managementSpend management is the way in which companies control and optimize the money they spend. It involves cutting operating and other costs associated with doing business...
, BudgetingFinancial planning (business)Financial planning is the task of determining how a business will afford to achieve its strategic goals and objectives. Usually, a company creates a Financial Plan immediately after the vision and objectives have been set...
, Consolidation & Treasury managementTreasury managementTreasury management includes management of an enterprise's holdings, with the ultimate goal of maximizing the firm's liquidity and mitigating its operational, financial and reputational risk. Treasury Management includes a firm's collections, disbursements, concentration, investment and funding...
, Process & Control AutomationBusiness process automationBusiness process automation, or BPA, is the strategy a business uses to automate processes in order to contain costs. It consists of integrating applications, restructuring labor resources and using software applications throughout the organization....
, and ReportingFinancial statementA financial statement is a formal record of the financial activities of a business, person, or other entity. In British English—including United Kingdom company law—a financial statement is often referred to as an account, although the term financial statement is also used, particularly by...
& AnalysisFinancial analysisFinancial analysis refers to an assessment of the viability, stability and profitability of a business, sub-business or project....
. So as to co-exist and integrateSystem integrationIn engineering, system integration is the bringing together of the component subsystems into one system and ensuring that the subsystems function together as a system...
with other business systems, the product’s Link system architecture has been designed to support a range of technologies that enable integration with third-party/legacy systems, through various formats, including XMLXMLExtensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
and web services.