STL as featured in Oracle Africa Magazine Vol.1

Software Technologies Limited (STL) has evolved from a team of five, to East Africa’s leading (and largest) software development house employing over 100 consultants and software engineers worldwide. Today, STL is a multi-national Application Service Provider with an international software consultancy group of companies spanning three continents.

Over the last ten years, STL has built up a strong reputation in the local business community – in fact, the company’s client list reads much like the Who’s Who of East Africa. STL currently supports over 150 large corporations in East Africa alone making it the most recognized provider of Oracle based solutions and Oracle support. STL provide services such as customized systems development, consultancy and implementation, support and training, both on the Oracle E-Business Suite and their own generic range of products, eHorizon.

From becoming Oracle Sole Distributors in 1992, STL has gone from strength to strength by becoming Oracle Regional Partner and Approved Oracle Education Centre – one of only 95 worldwide. STL is also an Authorized Prometric Testing Centre, this enables students to take online examinations recognized internationally on Cisco, IBM, Lotus, Microsoft, Novell & Oracle to name a few.

In early 1993, STL began developing it’s own Oracle-based solutions under the brand-name Horizon (renamed eHorizon when the suite was web-enabled). Developed using state of the art technology, the eHorizon suite is a mid-range ERP consisting of over 25 industry-specific products that are designed to encompass all facets of a client’s business. These enterprise-wide solutions include management systems for human resources (payroll and personnel), finance, insurance, client tracking, hotels, hospitals and fleet management. The most cutting edge solution within the suite is the eHorizon Time and Attendance, which uses a biometric Fingerscan system to uniquely identify and record time and attendance data; furthermore, the system seamlessly integrates with the eHorizon Human Resource Management System.

What makes eHorizon so special? Here are a few reasons:

Modular Architecture - Not only does this allow STL clients to select and add applications depending on their requirements, but modules can also be seamlessly integrated with any existing eHorizon products. Furthermore, the modular approach reduces initial capital investment, thus providing management with the flexibility they need.

Customizable - STL understands that each organization has a unique set of procedures and business requirements, and thus deliver a system that adapts to those exact business practices and not vice versa. Customization not only reduces implementation time, but there is also less internal resistance to the new system. STL also undertakes bespoke development where additional modules are developed to meet individual demands.

Locally Developed to International Standards - Developed using international design and documentation standards, STL’s high quality systems that meet local statutory requirements and business practices. For example, eHorizon reports are authorized by bodies such as Kenya Revenue Authority, Uganda Revenue Authority and Tanzania Revenue Authority. Since features such as reports do not need to be re-built to meet the clients (local) requirements, they are saved valuable time and money,

eHorizon has been successfully implemented in several establishments. It currently supports organizations with 150 employees using a stand alone PC at one extreme and corporations with over 10,000 employees at the other.

Since 1997, various STL branches have sprung up worldwide: Uganda, India and, perhaps most prestigious of all, the branch office in the heart of Silicon Valley, USA. In fact, the eHorizon suite is the only locally developed software solution to have been exported to the West.

In 2000, owing to the increasing demand on “total” information solutions, STL decided to form a sister company named eMachines to take care of its clients’ entire hardware and networking requirements. eMachines, which is also an IBM Partner, has so far successfully executed several major supply and installation projects.

So what has made STL so successful? We asked the founder and Managing Director, Jyoti Mukherjee: “Determination, drive, and motivation is what wins in this business. But I believe STL’s continued success is due to much more than this. It is the result of exceptional teamwork of a dynamic, innovative and focused group of people, without whom STL would not be where it is today.”

And for the future? “Of course we intend to continue expanding, and drawing on the support and expertise of Oracle Systems. But beyond that, I think you’ll all just have to wait and see.”