Mobile financial management – Tikon Oy

Modernising systems in heavy use

Nothing lasts forever – especially when it comes to technological solutions. The team at Tikon acknowledged this when they realised that their financial management software was rapidly approaching the end of its lifespan. This challenge had to be solved within a couple of years, so work began on updating a system that had been in place for the past 30 years. Tikon wanted to introduce the latest technologies at an accelerated pace in order to further develop its electronic tools for financial and payroll management professionals. The target group was especially accounting firms to enable them to include their own end customers in electronic financial management processes. One of the key challenges with this modernisation project was that the work had to be carried out at the same time that the systems were in use.

New architecture created by flexible team

When creating the new architecture, working together with the team at Tikon and understanding their needs were paramount. The project would demand a lot of focus and perseverance from all the team members. Sysart was duly selected as the cooperation partner for the project. Together with Sysart, Tikon set up a development team that got off to a fast start. Sysart’s flexible operating model made life easy for the client and facilitated project management. Sysart does not demand precise specifications; instead, the contents are defined together with the client by continuously prioritising existing needs and development ideas.

Reutilising functional components and eliminating problems

Sysart designed a new architecture comprising small components in which the best parts of the old system were reutilised. The flexible operating model enabled old functionalities to be replaced by new ones according to the agreed order of importance.

The process began by evaluating Tikon’s products and highlighting problem areas. The main obstacle that was identified was the ageing technology used for the NetTikon product family (Silverlight), for which browser support was being discontinued. A lack of mobile optimisation was also identified (scalable user interfaces), which is essential in this day and age. Based on these evaluations, a modernisation operation was implemented to replace Silverlight-based solutions with HTML5-based scalable user interfaces.

Further development opportunities also enabled

The operating model that was utilised for this project enabled the desired transition to new technologies to be carried out according to the agreed schedule and budget. In addition, the usability of the system’s products was further developed and iteratively improved throughout the entire project, enabling the services to be enhanced. The latest user interface solutions can be used long into the future, and thanks to their flexibility, changes can be made rapidly and inexpensively. Tikon’s position in the market has subsequently further strengthened, as the existing and new features of its product families (such as its travel invoice application) respond to user needs.

Effective development team adapts to changing needs

“Our collaboration with Sysart throughout this development project has been extremely effective. Interaction has been very easy, and Sysart has been able to adapt to changing needs even on short notice. Our geographic proximity has also helped create an effective development team on the practical level. We are extremely satisfied with Sysart as a cooperation partner and with the expertise that they have been able to offer us. The feedback we have received from our customers has also been excellent,” says Johnny Branders, Director of Product Development at Tikon Oy.