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INDUSTRY WATCH
IT’S ALL PART OF A
TRANSFORMATION FROM
A PAPER-BASED
ENVIRONMENT.
What sort of businesses are
your customers?
We have a diverse base of clients from the
private sector, including small businesses, mid-
market and enterprise organisations. They
come from a variety of industries, spanning
from agriculture to finance and banking.
Do you have customers across
all verticals?
that they need not only cutting-edge HR,
payroll and accounting solutions, but also
value for money. I think every era brings
different priorities, and affordability is at the
top of the list right now. That’s where our
focus on great return on investment comes in.
How have you been able to help
companies in the Middle East
become VAT-compliant?
Yes. Our customers span the full spectrum
of private sector companies. For instance,
we have several manufacturers and agri-
businesses, a car rental, an airline and a dairy
company that we signed on a month ago. Our solutions are VAT-compliant and certified
as such in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and
that's part of the appeal. We offer affordable
accounting solutions that help businesses
easily manage their VAT returns, reporting,
adjustments, payments and refunds.
When an enterprise signs up with you,
how do they learn to use the software? Have your customers found the
introduction of VAT an upheaval?
We offer training and learning services in
the Middle East. To a large degree, once the
employees have been trained, the solutions
are very intuitive and user-friendly. As part of the UAE Vision 2021, the
introduction of VAT has brought diversity to
the country’s economic revenue streams,
and also encouraged greater transparency
for businesses.
As you can see from the screens around our
GITEX stand, we focus on browser-based
products that offer the level of intuitiveness
that the internet generation – or, if you like,
the Facebook generation – is used to.
How important is the Middle East for
your business?
It's incredibly important, as we have made a
significant investment in the region. We have
been very fortunate, and have seen a great
amount of interest in our solutions from
across the region.
We have many key growth markets in the
region, but the UAE and Saudi Arabia are
for now our focus markets.
What is the next year looking like
for Sage?
We are hoping for a year of continued
growth. We aim to take on board more
colleagues, increase the number of
locations and introduce additional
solutions in the region.
We have a diverse base of clients…
spanning from agriculture to finance
and banking. n
I wouldn’t use the word upheaval, but
obviously, it's a change. Sage offers five
solutions that have been accredited by the
FTA that makes the transition a lot easier
and turns the journey into an opportunity for
transparency and business optimisation.
What about GDPR?
I think it’s due to a renewed focus, in addition
to the fact that our customers have realised GDPR is another area of compliance that
Sage solutions address. Our solutions in this
INTELLIGENTCIO
Is there any particular country
in the Middle East that's your
biggest market?
The new VAT regime has the biggest impact
on business’ accounting and reporting
processes. The stringent reporting and
record-keeping requirements, as set by the
UAE Federal Tax Authority (FTA), suggests
that proper accounting processes are
needed for compliance.
How have you managed to double
the sales?
90
domain are instrumental to businesses
here that do business with EU citizens
or do business with organisations in
countries of the European Union. GDPR
is designed to give more protection
for personal data of individuals in the
European Union. But GDPR also applies
to non-EU companies that offer goods
or services to individuals in the EU. So, it
means that anyone and every company
who do business with EU citizens
must adhere to these new rules and
regulations.
Sam Tayan, Managing Director of
Sage Middle East
www.intelligentcio.com