Pragmatix Delivers SaaS Access to VAI ERP Apps

March 18, 2008 Alex Woodie

Pragmatix, a New York IT consultancy and managed services provider, is now providing access to VAI‘s S2K suite of i5/OS ERP software via the software as a service (SaaS) delivery model, the companies announced yesterday.

VAI’s S2K suite is used by nearly 800 mid size manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to manage their businesses. The RPG-based application is traditionally deployed on a System i server running i5/OS, and users access it via graphical Web or Windows screens, or through green-screen interfaces.

Now that Pragmatix has signed on as a SaaS partner, that model will change slightly. For starters, customers no longer must deploy S2K on their own System i servers. Instead, the software runs on Pragmatix’s System i servers running at the company’s data center. Most SaaS customers are also likely to choose the Web-based interface, which provides the easiest alternative for accessing S2K.

Pragmatix president Bill Abram predicts good things for customers who choose the hosted S2K option. “Adding the S2K software suite to the Pragmatix product line allows our customers to work with a truly integrated solution, delivering valuable business benefits while fulfilling the need for easy startup, streamlined operation, and the simplicity of a hosted environment. This is a truly cost-effective alternative to traditional ERP packages,” he says.

Pragmatix also uses its data center to host Microsoft Exchange and Blackberry e-mail servers for its clients as part of its Pragmatix Gold offering. S2K is also available as a hosted SaaS app from Invision.