Sage Software, a global ERP, CRM and HRM solutions company, has joined forces with UAE-based Al Taqnyah Business Solutions aiming to leverage key solutions among government and semi-government offices in the UAE.

Sage’s strategic partnership with Al Taqnyah, a subsidiary of the ARMS Group, aims to achieve at least five per cent of the current market share for enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) products in the public sector.

“Our partnership with Sage Software marks the start of a strategic relationship that aims to provide UAE government bodies with effective and reliable solutions,” said Yassir Hassan Al Naeem, CEO, ARMS Group.

“This partnership will also bring us close to our vision of being a leading service provider for the region. Finally, the alliance between Sage and Al Taqnyah offers an exciting future for the customers who will benefit from the combined power and expertise of the two companies.

Sage Software has revealed that it remains upbeat towards seeing main growth drivers in the UAE market for 2011 - which has shown a strong demand for CRM solutions.

The company has further shared that even during tough economic times; the demand for more CRM products will continue to grow. The region is now witnessing an influx of activity across all verticals, which have been brought about by efforts to recover from the impacts of the global financial crisis, it said in a statement.

The renewed vibrancy is being accompanied with the need for strategic and reliable software that can help bolster productivity and ensure smooth integration in the flow of data being handled.

“The main focus of this partnership between Al Taqnyah and Sage Software is to bring highly valued ERP solutions for the public sector and also for small to medium enterprises in the UAE,” said Dr Usman, managing director, Al Taqnyah Business Solutions.

“The growing need for ERP solutions across the public and private sectors gives us the advantage of leveraging key solutions to help them improve on efficiencies and productivity.”

“Sage is offering a wide range of business solutions from financial management, customer relations management and human resources; thereby providing a comprehensive service that can be applied up to enterprise level. We are keen to get started and envision a strong and successful partnership with Sage for the long term,” Dr Usman added.

“The current efforts towards recovering from the global financial crisis have created an accompanied demand for IT solutions that provide the best results for governments and corporations in the UAE,” said Reggie Fernandes, director - Gulf Operations, Sage Software Middle East.

“Our wide range of CRM and ERP solutions offers a host of benefits and advantages that will definitely help our partners - making it easy for the end-users to operate, without reducing the functionality. Sage Software remains steadfast in its commitment to provide all businesses with the essential software to help improve their businesses,” he concluded.

The IT software spending of the public sector of GCC member countries is expected to reach $2.6 billion in 2011 and shows a 14.3 per cent increase from the previous year, according to a recent report from IDC, global provider of market intelligence and advisory services.

According to the IDC report, economies of the GCC states are implementing key strategies that not only ensure an increased output in process and productivity, but also provide integration between interconnected departments; ensuring a smoother flow of information and a better way of maintaining and archiving data.

The expected $2.6 billion in IT spend represents 30 per cent of the IT software spending of public sectors across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. – TradeArabia News Service