The Record - Issue 18: Autumn 2020

130 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om P ROF I L ED : WE I GHT WATCHE R S OF MA I NE Modern accounting in the cloud Gravity Software has enabled an independent franchise to manage its accounting, reduce server costs and remotely access its financial records W eight Watchers of Maine (WW of Maine) is an independent franchise of Weight Watchers International serv- ing the greater Portland area by helping mem- bers achieve their health and fitness goals. WW of Maine had been using Microsoft Dynamics GP as its primary business accounting software, however as the business grew, it realised that the on-premises solution was holding them back. It evaluated its options and determined that sev- eral needs were not being met by Dynamics GP. Employees at WW of Maine found themselves manually compiling reports, piecing together information in a process that could take an entire day. Operating on a unique weekly accounting period meant that WW of Maine needed some- thing that it could personalise to fit its business calendar. However, the company struggled to find a solution that could accommodate this functionality. Besides the lack of functionality, the ageing server also needed to be replaced. The leadership team needed to decide whether to pay a software developer to install Dynamics GP on a new server and migrate the data, or simply find a more cost-effective solution that also provided the desired flexibility. WW of Maine chose to move to Gravity Software, a cloud accounting software writ- ten exclusively on the Microsoft Power Platform. Gravity is an ideal solution for busi- nesses that have outgrown their entry-level accounting solution, but don’t need a costly, full-scale enterprise resource planning solution. Gravity’s strong financial accounting capabil- ities, combined with the modern Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications, create a complete business powerhouse, all on the Microsoft Power Platform. After making the switch, WW of Maine saw an instant improvement in reporting function- ality. Gravity Software streamlined the process so that it now takes only hours rather than days. WW of Maine also now has the ability to per- sonalise the application to manage its preferred accounting periods. The familiar Microsoft technology made it easy to use and integrate to all its existing Microsoft applications. Switching to the cloud meant the company was able to save on server costs while also providing the means to access financial records remotely, from anywhere, at any time. As a growing mid-market franchise business, the decision to switch from Dynamics GP to a scalable cloud-based accounting solution like Gravity Software was simple for WW of Maine. It now has a better understanding of where its business is financially and is positioned to meet financial challenges as it grows.