aqilla brochure 2010-1 (1)

8/3/2019 Aqilla Brochure 2010-1 (1)

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Web Based Accounting & Business Software

www.aqilla.com


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Contact Details

Company Name: Aqilla Limited

Aqilla Limited, Capital Tower91 Waterloo RoadLondon, SE1 8RT

Telephone: 020 7098 9881

Web: www.aqilla.com

Registered Office: 37 Warren Street, London, W1T 6AD

Company Number: 5732888

Trademark: Aqilla is a registered trademark under2461228 on 12 July 2007 in respect of Class42 in Great Britain and Northern Irelandunder the 1994 Trademarks Act (valid 10years)

www.aqilla.com Page 2 of 22
http://www.aqilla.com/http://www.aqilla.com/


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Key Benefits Of Web Or Cloud Based Delivery

Simplified contacts, low cost of deployment Web-based accounting removesthe need for capital investment in hardware and software, and dramatically

cuts deployment time; end-user agreements are also far simpler.

Reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Web-based accounting offersbusinesses of all sizes the latest software for a low monthly fee, removing thecost of the traditional maintenance agreement

Increased ease-of-use The user interface of web-based systems are simplerand more intuitive than traditional on-premise software, making it simpler forpeople outside of the finance team to understand and use

Decreased administration With Web-based accounting, end-users dont haveto worry about installation, upgrades, backup, technical support andongoing maintenance as these are taken care of by the service provider

Improved integration Web-based accounting software solutions offer fast andsimple integration with online banking systems and web applications, even ifthey are owned or maintained by third parties, making it easier to reconcileaccounts. Many systems include straightforward integration with commonbusiness tools including Microsoft Excel.

A Modern Approach By removing unnecessary complexity, the user is able tofocus on how the business is performing. Providing built in tools for BusinessIntelligence (e.g. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other decision

support tools) and workflow to automate processes, Web Based Accountingsolutions frees the organisation to concentrate on its core competencies anddisciplines.



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Aqilla Product Summary

Aqilla is a web based (SaaS) accounting solution designed for 21st centurycompanies delivered via a network / the internet - accessible at any time,from anywhere.

Aqilla, like many other On-Demand solutions, adopts a one-to-many businessmodel: One application, as standardised as possible, is used by many users(multi tenancy) providing economies of scale and replacing expensiveconsultancy, licence and maintenance charges by a simple subscription fee.

The scope of the current release includes:

Sales Invoicing through Sales Ledger (Invoice-to-cash) Purchase Orders, Purchase Invoice to Purchase Ledger (Order-to-pay) General Ledger

Cash Matching Budgeting Project Analysis Employee Expense and Time Management

Unlike many of its competitors, Aqilla is a much more complete solution in thatit additionally provides support for:

Extensive analysis Proper periodic management and business calendars Multiple currency and multi company operation Full VAT handling International coding, tax and language flexibility Automatic reconciliation / bank integration Workflow Built in key performance measurement (Smart KPIs) Advanced search, selection and drill-down (Smart Search) Scanned documents and images Bi-directional integrationwith Microsoft Excel (and other 3rd party

solutions)

Affordable access to Aqilla via the internet and regular system updatesmeans little or no interruption to business, allowing organisations to focus on

core business competencies.

The systems are very easy to use, so the need to recruit and retain new staff isdramatically reduced offering further improvements in cost andperformance.

Aqilla is designed by some of the most experienced professionals in theindustry utilising state of the art Web 2.0 open source toolsets based aroundJava and AJAX technologies running on top the MySQL relational database.



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Ease Of Use

Aqilla offers a whole range of features to make using our software as simpleand as straightforward as possible.

Running effortlessly within a web browser, system functions can be selected

from tool bars that feature clear and precise information as to their functionand purpose. The system features a unique multi dimensional calendarsystem that provides real flexibility in managing any sized business.

Simple easy to use functions allow easy selection of dates for all documentsand processes. Furthermore the system is pre-configured to recognisecommon groups of time such as this period, this week, this month, and thisquarter. Making notes and adding detail to documents is verystraightforward. Pops up notepads allow text to be entered directly orcopied from other applications or reference material.



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Document Entry

Document Entry provides the main facility for entering data into the system.The flexibility of Aqilla means the system can be configured to satisfy a widevariety of bespoke requirements.

Thus rather than just entering journal information about a sales invoice, thesystem can be configured to capture information from the original sourcedocument, passing it through an approval process and print a hard copy if

required before releasing it to the ledger.

Data is captured within a document that reflects the way mostorganisations operate. For example one cash receipt document cansummarise many cash receipts from multiple customers in a single step; oneweekly time-sheet can address multiple projects and activities; invoices canbe free form or relate to catalogue items, and a payroll summary could linkto the detail captured in the payroll system. At all stages the behaviour andimpact of debits and credits are automatically governed by the systemreducing errors and speeding up processing time.

Using a comprehensive mapping definition, complex rules can be used to

determine how information is treated between the original document andthe final accounting entries; e.g. the user may wish to specify whatinformation is mapped to the credit and debit lines (e.g. debiting thecustomer account with the gross amount, and crediting the sales and taxaccounts).

Document status management is straightforward and easy to use enablinga flexible approach to processing and authorising any item.

The workflow of each document can be used to manage series of approvalprocesses and for different users to view or change information before it isfinally committed to the ledger. Hard copy documents can be generated

through the systems document printing function.



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Memorised And Scheduled Documents

These can be used to define transactions that are to be generated on aregular basis. The frequency would typically be of a time frame betweenweekly to yearly, examples being monthly payroll, quarterly service bills, andannual contracts. Such scheduled documents simplify data entry andsupport the production of meaningful cash flow analyses and reduce dataentry errors.

Class Leading, Multi Currency General Ledger

Using a proven and trusted integrated or combined ledger model, Aqillaoperates in real time across multiple periods and multiple user definablecalendars to support fiscal and management reporting timelines. Aninherently flexible coding structure combined with account categorisationallows for the grouping of financial information for statutory (GAAP, FASB,IASB, IFRS and Sarbanes-Oxley) or management reporting purposes.Information can be linked and grouped for almost unrivalled hierarchical

analysis.

Users can opt to start quickly with a ready-made template based chart ofaccounts or construct their own to reflect the needs of their business ororganisation. By combing the integrated ledger model with multiplecalendars which securely control posting across open periods, complexmonth end procedures and data clear-down processes, are consigned to

history.



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Financial and non-financial analysis (including text and statistical valuedata) can be linked to reference information, document headers and / orat line level for budgeting and reporting purposes supporting full spendmanagement, revenue control and unlimited customised breakoutreporting.

Invoice To Cash And Debtor Management

A consistent approach to document tracking from invoice through topayment, credit checking, clear and flexible aged debtor reporting, supportfor direct debiting and auto matching of invoices to cash received, shouldresult in a reduction in debtor days and less bad debts for any organisation.With Aqilla, it is possible to drill from cash payment all the way through to theoriginal invoice document with one click of the mouse.

Purchase To Pay Cycle / Purchase Ledger

Full budget and commitment checking, managed workflow, discreteauthority management enhance overall control of the complete accountspayable process (including accruals). As is the case with debtors, manysupplier or vendor records can link to a single creditor account whendealing with multiple locations or branches.

Aqilla allows you to analyse what is due in seconds, present a summary byaccount and offer drill facilities to add or remove specific payments basedon need before confirming payment, generating remittances and / or BACSoutput.



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Expense Management

Easy to use, fast capture of expense information enables comprehensiveanalysis of overheads and project costs. Definable expense types keep itsimple in terms of dealing with VAT and tax. Scanned images of receipts canbe attached at a line level that not only reduces the burden of paper butcan speed up the whole process and makes dealing with a mobileworkforce even more efficient.

Time-sheets And Project Reporting

Simple web based time-sheets, backed by a flexible approval workflowprocess, the ability to copy details from templates and an ability to searchon projects and task types makes control of people related costs astraightforward exercise.



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Enquiries

Aqilla provides a flexible tool for the querying data held within the system.Document views may be created at both a summary and detail level ofeach of the source document types and ledger transactions. Queries canbe constructed to view Sales Invoices, Purchase Invoices, Expense Sheets,etc. showing a summary view based on one or more fields that have beenselected to summarise by and more often than not making the requirementto print hard copy reports unnecessary.

The summary views can be expanded into details to show what transactionsmake up that summary (Drill Down). Similar views can be constructed for theledger transactions enabling queries by journal, transaction, account, etc.

These views also provide intelligent drill-down capabilities so that informationmay be examined in different dimensions. For example from an accountenquiry, the user could select the journal number to display a journal enquiryfor the selected transaction or a transaction enquiry by selecting thetransaction reference.

As is the case throughout the rest of Aqilla, column data can be sorted onthe fly in ascending, descending and entry sequences.



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Smart Search

To assist in efficient and fast processing of documents, Aqilla has Smart-Search capabilities implemented throughout. When typing data into anySmart-Search field, the system will automatically generate a drop down listof records that includes matching information. Continuing to type will focusthe results until the correct item is ultimately selected from the drop down.Smart-Search enables you find information quickly and efficiently, reducing

errors in the preparation of documents.

Reporting

Reports may be viewed directly in a web browser (or output to Excel) andcan contain both summary and detail views. If a hard copy report isrequired, the system can generate its output as a PDF file, which can beprinted, emailed as an attachment, or exported to a formatted MicrosoftExcel spreadsheet or CSV file.

Each report can access a set of report profiles that stores the users individualcolumn selection; e.g. whether the un-posted journals are to be included,and details of the columns etc. These profiles can be specific to the user,

and be added to, deleted or modified as required. Profiles may also bemade available globally but these may not be modified.



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Integration

Aqilla uses web services technology to expose and exchange often usedbusiness functionality for direct application-to-application interaction, in theform of processes, messages, or documents. All web services are highlyinteroperable and re-usable and there is an increasing number of suchservices in the public domain designed to provide information from up todate currency rates through identification authentication to consignmentshipment status and the systems makes good use of these where relevant.

In addition to all the financial reports in the system being viewed directly viathe web browser; any of the data in the system may be published using aweb service in summary and detail forms and from here shared, processed(with full validation still being managed by Aqilla), printed, output to Excel orPDF and emailed as an attachment. Furthermore all data entered into thesystem may also be imported using a web service. This approach supportsthe entry and amendment of source documents; the updating of statusinformation as well as the entry and amendment of reference data.

Business Intelligence Built In

The Aqilla Home Page features as standard a selection of Smart-KPIs (totrack financial and non-financial metrics).

These define and aid the measurement of progress against operational andstrategic goals. Crucially they also provide an immediate assessment asregards the present state of an organisation and in doing so help prescribelikely courses of action to address areas requiring attention.



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Workflow

Tracking documents and ensuring nothing gets overlooked; Smart-Tasksprovide users with a visible reminder of outstanding tasks such as invoicespending or time-sheets awaiting approval.

Smart Events

Smart-Events are date and time related activities linked to calendars anddisplayed on the users home page. Once again colour is used to highlightsensitivity relative to any given date. An example would be the payment ofIncome Tax and National Insurance contributions to the government, whichis due on the 19th of each month.

This could be defined as PAYE Submission and as the date approaches, aseries of coloured messages get displayed on the home page to warn ofthe event and/or email warnings sent to nominated recipients and/orworkflow events triggered as required. For ease of use, each event can bedefined for a group, such as: Finance, Billings, Accounts, and managed by

means of a straightforward monthly calendar view.



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Each group event is displayed in the colour of the group in the calendarcontrol to increase visibility. Smart-Events are defined as a series ofdescriptions with coloured flags indicating the urgency (i.e. green leadingup to the event, through amber, to red once the date has passed).

The number of possible stages depends upon the complexity - for instance aYear End process might consist of many different tasks and stages. A Smart-Event alert can be cleared by checking the message on the users homepage. Depending on the setup this will clear either the stage or the wholeevent. If the auto-complete feature is selected, the message can becleared after a certain number of days.

Simple Month / Period End Processes

No arduous end of period routines need be run, in this way Aqilla fits aroundthe business, not the other way around.

Bank Reconciliation

With Aqilla it is easy to reconcile bank statement against invoices, receipts,payments and charges recorded within the accounting system. Simplyupload an OFX file (the common format used by most major banks) of yourstatement and Aqilla will automatically identify proposed matches in a clearand concise manner.



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Integration With Microsoft Excel

One way that the system exploits these web services is through the use ofthe Microsoft Excel Add-in. With this add-in installed, the user may verysimply analyse live data, update reference data or import transactionaldata from an Excel worksheet.

Enquiry Functions

Unlike using exported data, which is a snapshot of the information when theexport is run, the enquiry functions allow you to define reports in Excel andthe data is kept up to date by using the Refresh option. It is also possible toreplicate the internal functionality of the Account Enquiry offering accountsand period ranges using simple drop-down lists as shown in the examplebelow.

Maintain Your Data

There are a number of occasions when it is more convenient to collectreference information externally such as setting up suppliers from theprevious purchasing system or feeding project information from the projectmanagement software.



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In these situations, the external data can be imported into Excel andmapped to the layout required by Aqilla. This data is then added into Aqillausing the functions provided with the same validation as if the data hadbeen entered manually through a browser.

Alternatively, you may wish to review data that is currently held in Aqilla,such as reviewing your debtors credit limits or updating you item prices.You make the changes in Excel to individual records and the changes areapplied back to Aqilla.

Document Upload

Information may be collected from a whole range of external systems. Forinstance, payroll costs supplied from the payroll system, purchase invoicesfrom the document management system, sales invoices from the sales order

processing system, or even account balances from the previous accountingsolution. In all cases this data can be imported into Excel, restructured ifnecessary to meet the requirement of the Aqilla document formats andsubmitted to Aqilla for validation and posting.

Depending on the workflow defined within Aqilla, the documents may besaved for final checking and approval or automatically posted into theledger. Using the Excel Add-In is very straightforward. It is accessed via amenu option or via the tool bar in common with other extensions. Once asecure connection to the database is achieved by logging in with a user-name and password, a user can select from a range of functions coveringthe ledger, customers, suppliers, item lists as well as analysis categories such

as department, project etc.

When modifying information, the Add-In automatically identifies whichrecords have been updated and saved into Aqilla. Parameters set up inAqilla can also be included in a spreadsheet as functions. This means forexample that the selection of date ranges can be made to reflect thatwhich is set up in the main database - making it straightforward to selectdata from This Period, This Quarter or the current financial year forexample. The ability to reference a unique piece of data within a cellprovides support for in-line editing. This is especially useful when updatinglists of information such pricing on the items file or updating contact detailson customer records.

Of course once the data resides in Excel it can be referenced for theproduction of graphs, tables, reports and further analysis combined withdata derived from other sources. Furthermore, Excel can act as an excellenttool to consolidate financial data from more than one company or act as agateway for Microsofts SQL-Server Analysis Services enabling you to enablesyou to query your most current business data using the latest cube functionsto build a custom report from an OLAP database.



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Getting Started Is Easy

Aqilla recognise that most people will not be choosing an accountingsystem for the first time. In order to make the transition from a legacy systemto a more contemporary solution more straightforward, Aqilla provide arange of additional migration service options:

Reference Move your reference data across from your old system(customers, suppliers etc.)

Balance In addition to reference data, Aqilla will arrange for thetransfer of account balance data to provide reconcilableopening values across your finance system.

Database The most advanced data migration - transactional history isanalysed, transformed, verified and uploaded into a freshAqilla environment.

Setting Everything Up

Reference data is managed by means of a common easy to usemaintenance function. Each type of reference data consists of a set ofpredefined fields and a number of user defined fields that have beenconfigured for the specific implementation.

The system is extremely adaptable and secure. Complex configuration andsystems set-up is hidden from day to day users allowing you to retain controlbut without compromising usability.

Where additional systems configuration is required - no programming orcomplex coding skills are required. All systems administration is done via aconsistent web browser interface, so you can customise and tailor Aqilla tomeet the growing and changing needs of your business.



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Open For Business

Aqilla is designed using state of the art Web 2.0 open source tool-sets basedaround Java and AJAX technologies. The system works as happily on aWindows 7 PC or the latest Apple MacBook Pro as it does on the range ofnew Netbook computers.

The system runs effortlessly in almost any browser including Firefox(preferred), Internet Explorer, Google's Chrome, Opera, Apples Safari orCamino on almost any platform including Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7;Mac OS X and popular variants of Linux (e.g. Ubuntu and similardistributions) . Mobile options are also well served with the application beingable to run in browser environments on iPad, iPhone, Blackberry andAndriod platforms.

Document Management

Aqilla supports the linking of attachments, images and documents totransactions (e.g. a scanned copy of the original purchase order, contract,work authorisation or a travel receipt).



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On Demand / SaaS Based Accounting

The key reasons for choosing an application that runs via the internet or inThe Cloud are security, speed, efficiency and an opportunity to savemoney by cutting costs.

Security

Many commentators testify that operating your critical business systems in asecure, reliable and well-managed data centre providing automaticbackup and disaster recovery protection proves more reliable thantraditional in house client-server based configurations.

It is worth noting the bigger risk to many is the possibility of unhappy orunprofessional employees exposing or losing critical data - this is somethingthat could happen with or without a cloud solution. Effective security andmanaged workflow as implemented in Aqilla can significantly mitigate sucha risk.

Speed & Efficiency

Buying, installing, implementing, testing and upgrading software is a timeconsuming and expensive process. With web based applications,organisations arent as bogged down with such bureaucracy, allowingthem to make quick decisions and easily implement new features. Whilstlarger businesses will invariably take longer to deploy new technology, theopportunity afforded in reducing costs is becoming more and moreapparent.



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Corporate And Social Responsibility

Aqilla aims to continuously work towards demonstrating good practicesacross all employee, customer, supplier, community, environment andshareholder criteria as laid out in the Good Corporation standard (http://

www.goodcorporation.com/). Specifically, Aqilla endeavours to protect andpreserve the environment where it operates by:

1. Assessing its environmental impacts in terms of use of resources(such as materials, energy and water) and production of wasteand pollution.

2. Prioritising its environmental impacts and has a monitoredprogramme for continuous reduction of impacts.

3. Monitoring compliance with environmental regulations and industryspecific codes of practice.

Furthermore, Aqilla has ambitions to actively make the communities in whichit works better places to live and do business by:

1. Understanding what impact the business has on the communities inwhich it operates and where possible, minimising any negativeimpacts.

2. Being aware of and open to dialogue with relevant communitygroups where there are concerns about the products, services oroperations of the organisation.



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"The reporting functions are impressive and extremely flexible. Aqilla has one of the most

impressive on-screen reporting functionality I have seen in any online application."

Nigel Harris, Burton Sweet Chartered Accountants

"...best in class pure play offering for the lower end of the mid market."

Dennis Howlett, Acc Man Pro

Aqilla has proved much more flexible and cost-effective than our previous system, which was

more industry specific, and charged us based on turnover and a minimum number of users.

Having decided we wanted a hosted online system, we looked for one that was not too

complex - Aqilla proved just that, being very easy to understand and as a result we have

barely used the support offered. The buying experience was very simple, Aqilla were not at all

pushy, and were very responsive.

Douglas Adamson, Dataactive

We were using Sage 100 and needed to upgrade to a cloud-based system, and Aqilla has

proved an ideal replacement we find it much more user friendly, and we have received

great support. Aqilla were very good at communicating with us, and the transition itself went

very smoothly, with any issues resolved quickly and efficiently.

John Winfield, World Bet Exchange

While we are in the early days of using Aqilla, it is already delivering greater flexibility and has

improved our overseas communication substantially. We looked at four possible cloud-based

systems and chose Aqilla as it was the only on-line system to do precisely what we wanted it to

it just does what it should.

Robin Brownsell, Cut-Loose Consultants

An on-demand system is critical for our business, and Aqilla has proved to be a highly

productive solution that has clearly saved us time. The software is excellent and easy to use,

and the people at Aqilla have been fast to respond, easy to deal with, open and efficient

just like their system.

Simon Angel, Apps on Tap

"Looks great and does everything we need it to do"

CEO Property Management Company

www.aqilla.com

(c) 2010