Software Reviews 2005

Delta Loan Tracking System

Delta Informatics ABOUT SOFTWARE REVIEWS Reviews are sponsored by CGAP and managed by Horus Development Finance in coordination with the vendor and at least 3 customers. Customer opinions and product specifications are a part of this review, and are available at www.cgap.org/technology.
Neither CGAP nor the participating vendor assume responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of any information contained in this report, or will be liable for any damages, or losses suffered due to decisions based on the information provided in this report.

Participants Gabriel Metz (Review Writer) Delta Informatics (Vendor) Customers:

Jordan Micro Credit Company *** Anonymous *** Anonymous **

INSTITUTIONAL FIT Size: Suited for Arabic-speaking, small and medium microfinance institutions (up to 25,000 customers). Budget: Suited for regional MFIs willing to co-invest in further adaptations IT Expertise Required: Knowledgeable Oracle database administrator needed. A possible alternative would be to seek an ASP (application server provider) agreement with the vendor to manage the system remotely. Vendor provides onsite implementation. Functionality: Loans only: individuals, groups (but not at members level), companies. The product cannot accommodate MFIs with interest bearing savings products. The Loan Tracker System can be integrated with the vendors Accounting module and other modules (Assets, Treasury).

SUMMARY Country of Product Development: Jordan Number of MFIs where the software has been implemented: 8 Pros: Cons: Limited functionality: Without integration with the Delta Accounting module, the Loan Tracker system is restricted to customer management and loan portfolio tracking. Limited customer base (8) Relatively new product (first release in 2002) with a limited number of reports. Heavy vendor support necessary for implementation. Works only with an Oracle database. Not suited for institutions with rural branches lacking reliable telecommunications links. Software and support available in Arabic and English Vendor is close to its regional customer base (Middle East), with the capacity to adapt the software to customer specific requirements Robust and reliable technology

Software Reviews 2005

RATINGS (from = poor to = best) Functionality: (* *)  Covers the core loan portfolio tracking needs of small to medium MFIs with multi-branch, multi-cost-center features. Client management is comprehensive and has many fields for collecting information about micro-enterprises. However, the MFI cannot add new, user-defined indicators. There are no real savings and cash management features. The Loan Tracker System can be fully integrated with other Delta Informatics modules: Accounting, Budget, Share management, Assets.  Screens are clear, but navigation and online help are basic, and could Ease of Use: (* *) be more user-friendly. Users can choose between Arabic and English. Other languages could be added by the system administrator after translation. Management Reporting: ( ) Loan Tracking System provides only a limited set of standard reports, including indicators, ratios per branch and consolidated reports. Additional reports require extra development and Oracle Discoverer knowledge. Services: ( ) Customers say that Delta Informatics provides a good level of support, and that its team has a good knowledge of microfinance. Support is available only in Arabic and English. Delta Informatics has the capacity to dedicate more technical resources if required, but there are no installation and training partners yet; and Delta Informatics has no experience outside the Middle East. Technical Capabilities: ( ) The software can only be used with an Oracle database and Oracle tools. This limits its audience to institutions ready to work on such a high-level platform or willing to outsource the system. The most recent version is Web-enabled, allowing users to connect from anywhere, provided they benefit from good Internet connectivity. INSTALLATIONS (BY REGION) Middle East and North Africa (8) See Product Specifications at www.cgap.org/technology for installations by country COST SUMMARY 5 user licenses minimum: USD 15,000; additional users: USD 1,000USD 1,200 (excluding Oracle server cost) Accounting module: 5 user licenses minimum: USD 10,000, additional user: 750 Maintenance: 15% per year User training: USD 200 per trainee (24 hours training); technical training: USD 300 per trainee (12 hours training) Customizations by Delta developers: USD 50 per hour

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