The last rewrite: Minox builds multi-tenancy cloud accountancy application in record time

Minox needed a rapid application development (RAD) platform that would match its ambitions. The new environment had to be reliable, scalable and affordable. It also needed to be agile to accommodate all specific requirements. Finally, the company behind the software had to be financially stable. Several in-depth presentations of Servoy’s 4GL development environment convinced Minox that it had found its answer. Positive feedback from existing Servoy users reinforced that conviction. Minox started to develop its new application before Servoy 8 was released with its instantaneous response times. Accountants are heavy users and require a highly performant cloud application, so Minox asked to move to Servoy 8 ahead of general availability to leverage its faster speed. 

“With its visual framework of building blocks, Servoy allows us to focus on developing our accounting software instead of its technical foundation,” says Hessel Kuik, CEO of Minox. “With other products, developers must build everything from scratch. That’s what some of our competitors do. But with Servoy, the database and email access, security, navigation, document management, etc. are already there and maintained. In fact, we can build 80% of what we need through drag and drop, without having to code it. It allowed us to develop a brand-new cloud application in record time.” 

Minox enjoyed extensive access to the Servoy team through the Appsurance program of training, code review, technical support, and consultancy. For instance, Minox conducted comprehensive customer journey studies and worked with Servoy to design and optimize the user experience. Together, they worked hard to ensure users accomplish their tasks in the smallest number of clicks.

When Minox decided to migrate to the cloud in 2013, the company estimated it had five years to complete the transition before the accounting software market shifted to the cloud. At the time, the cloud wasn’t mature and customers initially worried about data security beyond email and storage use. A year later, everyone banked over the Internet. Minox realized that its estimated five years to migrate were in fact only two. Luckily, the new cloud application— developed in just two man-years and launched in 2014—was ready in time. 

Without Servoy, this would have been impossible. Kuik explains: “If we’d had to develop such a framework ourselves, it would have taken us much longer and left us less time to focus on developing the functional side of the software, which is what we’re good at. Some of our competitors chose the strategy of developing everything in-house. They thought they’d started ahead of the game, only to find themselves far behind and struggling.” 

Asked which Servoy framework components Minox uses the most, Kuik says: “Everything. It’s the foundation of our cloud product.” He adds: “Users love the new cloud application and are very enthusiastic about its real-time collaborative features.” 

Already, 99% of new customers choose the SaaS solution over the on-premises version, and Kuik reports that sales are soaring. In 2014, Minox was acquired by an investor that purchased the majority of the company in a management buyout. In 2015, a new management was appointed. With its attractive new cloud application and an infusion of cash, Minox now has the confidence to target new business. The company is positioned to double its user base over the next two years despite operating in a highly competitive market.