Adelaide-based software developer Align Systems has developed Aeonscope, an accounting and project management system for professional services organisations, on an Oracle8i database and the Linux operating platform, after finding proprietary alternatives unable to scale and too costly for its customers.

"We used Linux as the server platform behind aeonscope because of its flexibility," said Vic Ratnieks, managing director of Align Systems. "It is stable, scalable and draws upon the vast resources of open-source software to give benefits to our customers. It's also cost-effective for our clients and can run on commodity-based hardware."

Originally, the product was built to run on a Novell system, but Ratnieks said Align Systems didn't find Novell as scalable as Linux. "The aeonscope software used by our customers runs under Windows, so we used the best features from both Windows and Linux." he said.

Ratnieks is confident the majority of his target market - professional services companies like engineering or legal firms which charge their clients for their time - are all taking Linux seriously for a variety of uses. He believes it is no longer a gamble to base applications on Linux.

"Linux has always had a cult following but now I believe it has a commercial following," he said. "IT managers are actually looking seriously at using Linux in organisations, given that it runs on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis and never causes you any problems at all."

Aeonscope offers features found in project management packages like Microsoft Project but so much more...it is an integrated project management and accounting system all in one.

by Brett Winterford

April 4, 2001 Australian Reseller News