Fujitsu Releases SaaS Version of its ERP Package for Leasing Companies

Tokyo, April 24, 2012

Fujitsu Limited today announced that it is commencing sales of LEASING-1 Neo for SaaS, the SaaS version of its LEASING-1 Neo leasing ERP software package, to medium-sized leasing companies throughout Japan.

This service covers the entire workflow of leasing companies, from customer interface to back office operations, including lease inquiries, estimates, letters of intent, internal approvals, contract agreements, lease implementations, administration during the lease term, expiration and disposition. By enabling smoother coordination in the operations division, and by enabling rapid response to customer needs and accounting changes, the new service will significantly accelerate management responsiveness.

This highly reliable, high-quality service is offered by Fujitsu's systems center, and because pricing (on a monthly billing cycle) is based on the number of contract datasets and the number of optional features used, installation and operation costs are optimized.

The leasing industry is facing a very difficult operating environment as enterprise-lease billings continue to shrink year by year due to deteriorating economic conditions. While most large-scale leasing companies have deployed ERP systems to accelerate their management processes, many medium-sized leasing companies, in particular, have been reluctant to do so over concerns about the cost and operational burden they entail. At the same time, however, they are facing new challenges, including preparing for disasters in order to ensure business continuity.

To address these needs and concerns, Fujitsu is offering a SaaS version of its Leasing-1 Neo ERP package.

Service Features

1. Covers the entire workflow of leasing companies, accelerating management

• The service is equipped with features covering all aspects of the leasing business, from sales support functions, such as generating lease estimates and approval forms, to administrative management of invoicing, collections and payments, to classifying ledger entries for general accounting. A variety of optional features are also provided, including new lease accounting functions.
• The service is a SaaS version of the LEASING-1 NEO ERP package developed for the leasing industry by Fujitsu Systems East Limited, which has been deployed at 120 companies in the leasing industry.

2. Improves operational efficiency from customer interface to back-office operations

• From credit evaluation and estimates to approvals and implementation, work can be coordinated seamlessly, supporting compliance with transactional procedures and greater efficiency in sales administration. Furthermore, the issuance and disposition of all transactional documentation can be performed and managed reliably, largely preventing procedural errors and omissions.
• Features such as a self-reconciliation function for collections are also included in the standard service, thereby improving administrative efficiency. In addition, the complex tasks of ledger-keeping operations and the switch-over required for new lease accounting procedures is largely automated, facilitating the early preparation of financial report materials.

3. A sophisticated system that can quickly be used at a low cost

• The fee for using the system is fixed (on a monthly billing cycle) based on the standard service plus the number of contract datasets and the number of optional features used, allowing customers to start using the system at a low cost and make flexible adjustments to accommodate business conditions. Customers are not required to prepare hardware in advance, nor do they incur costs associated with hardware upgrades, such as often happens when support contracts expire, making it easy for them to predict their future ICT costs.
• Since it is an SaaS-based service with each function modularized, a highly sophisticated mission-critical system for the leasing industry that would ordinarily require significant time to construct can be built quickly at low cost.

4. Highly reliable, high-quality operating environment with solid business continuity measures

• All lease contracts and other data are managed at Fujitsu's systems center, which has robust facility management policies and state-of-the-art security measures in place. It also offers comprehensive data backup services and solid business continuity measures, including disaster-preparedness measures in the event of a disaster.
  In addition, there is a dedicated support desk to handle inquiries from customers, allowing them to focus on their work with peace of mind.

Sales Target

Deployment at 12 companies by fiscal 2013 (fiscal year ending March 31).