Expense Mgmt. Takes To The Web

<B> Expense Mgmt. Takes To The Web</B>

By Mary Ann McNulty

<I>Minneapolis</I> - In the already crowded field of expense management, two new contenders--Clarus and Solix Internet--weighed in at the National Business Travel Association's tradeshow here last month, while more than a dozen others--Captura, Concur, Extensity, Gelco, IBM, InterPro, Necho, On The Go, Oracle, Remedy, Unisys and VIN.net debuted new Web offerings, service bureau options and pricing.

Although the expense module for its Clarus E-Procurement suite of products won't be released until year-end, Clarus of Suwanee, Ga., showed a prototype of the expense application and detailed how major corporations including Hyatt Regency Chicago and MasterCard International are deploying the existing e-procurement products to slash costs and improve processes for purchasing non-production goods and services. A booking module is slated for late 2000.

Solix Internet, Santa Clara, Calif., announced that Sensormatic Electronics signed on as the first customer for the expense application of its developing operations management suite called iOperations. "Solix offered a turnkey solution," said Larry Hatfield, vice president of information services for Sensormatic. "They took responsibility for the entire project, from setup through implementation, including the design and development of and post-implementation support for the Baan integration. And the technology is a cutting edge, Web-based architecture, using a common framework approach, enabling ease of integration with other business processes."

Like many of its new and existing competitors that are expanding into other e-procurement applications, Captura Software in Bothell, Wash., announced plans to extend its reach with a new brand name of e-Finance that includes its expenses application, formerly Employee Payables, and will include time and billing, card management and other options.

Necho Systems, Mississauga, Ontario, however, is taking a different tact, sticking to expense management and seeking partners for other applications, said Jean-Michel Polit, vice president of new business development. "We're looking for strong partnerships, but we don't want to be all things to all people. A portion of the market will look for one-stop shopping, but we don't think the majority will look for that over the next few years." Necho also showed its latest version that has now been deployed to 14 clients and can be used on- or offline.

In two of its largest travel services outsourcing contracts, Unisys Corp. announced that Ingersoll-Rand and Morrison Knudsen will use its travel expense reporting that relies on Necho's NavigatER application. Ingersoll-Rand Co., Woodcliff, N.J., will rely on Unisys to manage its travel and expense reimbursement process previously handled in more than 40 Ingersoll-Rand accounting departments. Unisys will collect and retain receipts, as well as audit expense reports.

For Morrison Knudsen, Boise, Idaho, Unisys will not only manage the T&E expense reimbursement process, but also provide its online booking system called UniRes, a private label of Oracle eTravel. Unisys Travel Alliance also provides reporting and back-office accounting.

IBM introduced its new Java-based version of its expense reporting solution that has been deployed to more than 20 corporations since its announcement last summer. Besides Web access, other new product features include a high-level management reporting system that includes 25 standard reports, offline access for intranet and Internet end-users and enhanced scaleability. In IBM's 20 enterprisewide deployments thus far, both its largest and smallest implementations are using the same equipment--one server and four workstations. By the third quarter, IBM expects to have the expense application running on an OS/3 90, which will allow the company to offer a service bureau option.

Concur Technologies also announced two new Web service bureau options. The company has two different subscription models, said Stephen Seavecki, director of product management. One is targeting companies with 20 to 500 employees and allows managers to visit the Web site and configure policies online. Using the one username and password, travelers then can visit the site to process their own expense reports at a cost of $2 to $3 per employee, per month. Concur will provide a standard data feed that imports to QuickBooks or other off-the-shelf accounting packages typically used by small businesses. In the option for larger companies, Concur will manage the expense process, offering receipt imaging and auditing, as well as Web-hosting for a higher subscription fee. To ease deployment for all companies, Concur now includes configuration checkboxes and will come configured with the most common policies applied.

Gelco Information Network also debuted several products, including a Web-based reporting offering called Expense Link Analysis, the Web-based expense reporting system ExpenseLink/Web and outlined several future options aimed at easing data entry, perhaps through Palm Pilot devices, and integrating commonly used functions into an expense portal.