Portable Ties To D&B Software

<H1>Portable Ties To D&B Software </H1><H2>Rajeev Singh: Technology is key</H2><H3>By Stefani C. O'Connor</H3>Redmond, Wash. - Technology developer Portable Software Corp. has forged an alliance with Atlanta-based Dun & Bradstreet Software to integrate its soon-to-be-released multimodule expense management program with a suite of client/server applications to further enhance streamlining of T&E expense reporting.

Portable's Xpense Management Solution system, slated for rollout in late June (<I>BTN</I>, March 18), will be tied in to D&B Software's SmartStream Distributed Enterprise program, which allows corporations to distribute data, workflow and processes across organizational lines. Until now, application suites have included financial, procurement, manufacturing, information management. and human resources. and The automated T&E reporting piece will complete a segment solution D&B Software has been looking to bring to its customers.

Reporting data collected and processed by the management solution will be funneled into a program known as SmartStream Payables, which will then automatically generate expense reimbursements for direct deposit into a corporate traveler's personal bank account or as a direct payment to a credit card provider.

"Our SmartStream customers will be able to further reduce overhead costs by eliminating steps and reducing cycle times in the reporting process," said D&B product director John Mansour. "Information from the management solution also will provide greater leverage to negotiate better rates with travel partners."

A Portable Software study shows that any company using its automated T&E technology can save 50 minutes and about $30 per expense report. "When you start to do your return-on-investment calculations," said Rajeev Singh, group product manager, "and you get up to about 100 travelers, it makes compelling economic sense to automate your reporting. When you get up to 1,000 travelers, it's something that cries out for attention."

D&B Software's clients fit into such major-league numbers. The company is contracted with most Fortune 1000 corporations whose revenues spiral upward from $150 million per year and have hundreds, if not thousands, of corporate travelers on their payrolls, according to Randy Renbarger, a D&B spokesman. Client inquiries about D&B's plans for automating T&E management lead the software provider to seek an alliance with an automation developer.

Xpense Management Solution is currently in 15 beta-test sites, several of which also have D&B Software applications in place. For data integration links with the D&B program, clients need to have several applications from Portable's suite of products.