I often get asked, why do I remain a fan of SunSystems and why do I continue to work with it. That is a good question, and one that I ask myself from time to time. There’s no getting away from the fact that SunSystems is a veteran financial management solution (FMS) amongst a plethora of newer solutions, ranging from twenty years old to some only three or four years old. Fact, SunSystems is 40 years old and still going strong, it still has a loyal fan base, an enviable channel partner network and tens of thousands of users around the world.
Like anything that is old and perceived to be a bit long in the tooth, it’s easy to take potshots at. I should know as a few years back I was so disillusioned with SunSystems that I joined a competitive software house with a view to converting lots of SunSystems over to “Product X” (those who know me will know what X stands for). Anyway, long story short whilst we got lots of interest from people who thought they needed to move away from SunSystems and loved what we had to show them, very few converted, why? Because it’s change and change is disruptive and takes time, energy, and investment – people don’t do it just because something new and shiny comes along, a lesson I learnt to my cost. So, guess what? I came back to the world of SunSystems, which thankfully had moved on.
So, it’s with some amusement that I read posts on LinkedIn from would-be SunSystems usurpers that users of it could do better. They make statements about the “lack of investment”, the fact it’s “not born in the cloud”, that it has a “limited shelf life” and “what value are you getting for the maintenance fee?”, all of which are designed to sow doubt in what is still a leading financial management solution. Yes, I agree it’s a bit late to the “Cloud” party but it’s arrived and there is ground to make up, but both Infor and Channel Partners like Touchstone are working hard to convince our customers to stick with SunSystems and attract new ones – which we are.
Back to my question then, why do I remain a fan of SunSystems and why do I continue to work with it? It’s because there is no better enterprise-class, industrial-strength FMS for the mid-market with the power and flexibility which is still lacking in many of these newer solutions. For those of us who grew up with SunSystems and built our careers on it, we can recall our contemporaries of the time that claimed to be better, remember Omicron, Multisoft, Tetra, Unity, Chameleon, Shortlands, Platinum, Axapta and Great Plains, where are they now? SunSystems and Pegasus (another Infor product) are the only two that are still around as the original brands.
It is therefore with confidence that I believed the sun has not set on SunSystems, and it will continue to shine for a good few years yet despite the fake news and predictions of its demise.
To learn more about SunSystems Cloud, visit www.sunsystemscloud.co.uk or book a call with one of our SunSystems Cloud experts by emailing info@touchstonefms.co.uk or calling 0207 121 4702
David Singh is the Infor Business Unit Director at Touchstone FMS and Co-Chairman of the SunSystems Product Advisory Board. Having worked in the ERP/FMS software sector for the last 35+ years, David has a wealth of skills and experience in business systems and is also a qualified accountant. With several senior management and directorial positions under his belt including operations, project delivery, supports, sales, and marketing, he describes himself as a “bit of an all-rounder” and a huge fan of SunSystems.
