When it comes to accounting software, Pastel is undoubtedly the top brand in Zimbabwe for small businesses, while Sage is one of the top brands for larger companies. The local experts on Sage and Pastel are Chips Computing Services.

Chips, which holds the local franchise for both Sage and Pastel, not only markets and sells Pastel and Sage software but takes care of all the installation and training required.

The ready availability of installation and back-up skills locally is perhaps one of the reasons for the popularity of Sage and Pastel software, apart from the fact that they are such good accounting packages.

Local companies can have the benefit of top international software brands coupled with the benefit of local training and back-up. Most small companies in Zimbabwe with accounting software have a Pastel package. More than a hundred, including more than 20 listed companies, have Sage products, mainly Sage Line 500.

Recently Chips launched a new top-of-the-range product on the Zimbabwean market, Sage ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) X3. Sage ERP X3 is a web-based product that meets the most elaborate business processes, while being cost-effective, quick to implement and simple to use.

It is designed for what internationally are termed mid-sized companies. That means companies with up to 1 000 computers, which in Zimbabwe and most of Africa would be a sizeable enterprise.

Chips also launched Sage Retail, a fast software system for retail shops that is ideal for companies with a number of branches, whether or not they have wide area network communications.

Sage ERP X3 has been designed as a web-based system, as internationally business computing is moving from a desktop to a web environment. It does not have to be used with the internet, however. It works equally well with or without use of the internet, although it is a real time system that is fully web-compatible.

It increases business insight, optimises business processes, streamlines operations, controls financial risks, boosts sales, grows a business, enhances collaboration and reduces costs. It  provides a complete range of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer resource management (CRM) solutions.

Chips Computing Services managing director Rob Watson says Sage ERP X3 fills a need within the market in Zimbabwe for this type of high-powered sophisticated system. It is not intended to replace the popular Sage Line 500 and 1000, which remain important Sage products.