Sun Accounts (now SunSystems) has been around for a long time, and both the product and its management have evolved significantly over time.
For those not familiar with Sun Accounts, it is a leading Financial Management System (FMS) used by finance teams to manage all aspects of financial accounting, eliminate manual tasks, and quickly access data to make informed decisions.
Here’s a look at how this powerful accounting software has changed over the years and what that means for you.
1980: Sun Accounts is developed in the UK by Systems Union. This was a time when Sun was smaller and not yet a financial powerhouse but was gaining momentum rapidly.
1990: High uptake by FTSE100 companies with offices around the world ensures Sun Accounts software is established as an internationally favoured solution and recognised as “perhaps the best financial system in the world”. Sun Accounts becomes the choice of companies seeking a fast implementation with a good total cost of ownership.
The 1990s: Sun Accounts, with its emphasis on complex financial requirements, finds a great fit in sectors where the core business is catered for by a dedicated solution.
An example is in the Hospitality sector, where a property management solution looks after the operational side of the business. Another one is a company where operations are managed within the appropriate system, whether it be an insurance, banking or trading system. For the same reason, Sun Accounts also finds a natural home across several key sectors including Not-For-Profit, Oil & Gas, Professional Services and Property Development & Management companies such as housing associations.
1992: A major turning point in the history of Sun is the launch of Version 4, introducing support for relational database management systems (RDBMS).
1995: Version 4.2 incorporates the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface (GUI).
1999: Sun Accounts reaches Version 4.2.6, which is adopted by the vast majority of customers.
2000: Sun Accounts Version 5.1 is released, bringing with it a modern user interface and the introduction of many long-wished-for features.
2004: Systems Union brings out Version 5.2.1, which begins to outsell the long-favoured Version 4 for new customers.
2006: Infor announces it is acquiring Systems Union Group, providing a strong commitment to existing users. Both Version 4 and the latest release are guaranteed to be supported indefinitely, providing companies on support were still paying maintenance. Infor also announces its vision for Sun Accounts Version 6 to incorporate a web interface.
2007-2009: Versions 5.3 and 5.4.1 continue the development of Sun Accounts software, adding functionality, refreshing the user interface and ensuring the underlying architecture is kept updated in line with Microsoft releases.
2011: Version 6 (6.1.1) is released in 2011, featuring the long-awaited web user interface whilst retaining support for the traditional desktop client.
2014: Version 6.2.1 enhances the much-loved analysis structure, allowing 35 pieces of analysis to be tagged on each transaction’s analysis dimension. For example, on a cost centre, users can now attribute a manager, location, budget, relevant dates or another category, enabling further reporting granularity.
2019: Version 6.4 of Sun Accounts is released, bringing with it support for automatic intercompany postings and a web-first development strategy. This enables true cloud deployment with full access available over the web, including support for reporting through Q&A11.3.
2022: The first-ever multi-tenant cloud, true SaaS version of Sun Accounts is launched called SunSystems Cloud. This version comes with exciting changes such as automated monthly updates and a subscription-based pricing model that gives users access to all of Sun Accounts modules for one price.
As of today: Sun Accounts is used by over 9,000 organisations globally across 190+ countries. Infor remains strongly committed to the development of the product with plans to take the software to the next level.
To find out more about Sun Accounts and how we can help assist your organisation to make better business decisions, get in touch with FinanSys today.