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Mirus Software AG

Mirus Software AG modernizes FoxPro Hospitality software with Servoy

Company
Mirus Software AG 

Mirus is the Swiss market leader in back-office solutions for the hotel, catering and tourism industries. Their solutions meet the specific requirements of the hospitality sector for over 2,000 customers.

The company was acquired by P&I Personal & Informatik AG (www.pi-ag.com), an HR software specialist located in Zurich. 

In short // TLDR

Challenge

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Inflexible

Their old FoxPro couldn’t support the functionality and database types demanded by customers

Costly

The development costs using their old solution were prohibitive and constrained innovation

Dead-end

Needed a future-proof solution to get out of the ‘dead-end’ of FoxPro development

Solution

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Platform agnostic

Capable software that runs on any operating system; Windows, Linux, Mac or Web-based

Tailored to fit

Servoy worked closely with Mirus and listened to their needs to create the ideal solution for them

Cutting-edge

Their customers enjoy an extensible future-proof application with a cutting-edge user interface

Full version
Challenge
Mirus Software AG’s back-office software is a market leader in the hospitality industry. Hotel management schools in Switzerland use Mirus’s general ledger, payroll accounting, budget management, time tracking and personnel planning modules to train future hoteliers. More than 2,000 customers appreciate Mirus’s ability to meet the specific requirements of the hospitality sector. 

The company’s software is known for its flexibility, ranging from functionality to implementation. It can be installed on-site or licensed as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), depending on customer needs. Customers had high expectations following the company’s announcement that it would update its software development platform after its recent acquisition by P&I Personal & Informatik AG. 

Mirus had been using FoxPro for over 20 years when the development environment was deprecated by Microsoft. Mirus looked for a replacement platform that would be more flexible, open and future-proof. Mirus also wanted to free itself from the limitations imposed by the FoxPro environment, such as high development costs, separate installation for every customer, and choice of database limited to the FoxPro internal DBF database and Microsoft SQL Server. 

The lack of database choice was a particular problem for companies that were already using other databases such as Oracle. 
“Thanks to the components and the project support delivered by the Appsurance Program, we were able to meet our project goals within the time and budget we had set, and without requiring additional resources.”

Oliver Hunziker // Chief Technology Officer at Mirus Software AG

Solution
Mirus shortlisted Microsoft .NET with C# and Servoy as possible solutions. Ultimately, Mirus chose Servoy because of its platform-independent development, allowing it to run on Windows, Linux or Mac, or in browsers. Other decisive factors were the database independence and the three-tier architecture. Mirus also felt that Servoy would treat it as an important partner despite its small size, a level of attention that the company wouldn’t get from Microsoft. 
A visit to the ServoyWorld conference reassured Mirus of its choice. Oliver Hunziker, Chief Technology Officer at Mirus Software AG, explains: “We loved hearing about Servoy’s knowledge and expertise, as well as the experience of other users. Servoy truly takes its customers and partners seriously.” 

“With Servoy, we have a modern, efficient, and sustainable development platform to reliably support our planned growth.

Implementation
In January 2011, Mirus started to develop the latest version of its software on the Servoy platform. 

As part of the Appsurance program, the Servoy team provided extensive support in the form of training, on-site technical assistance and customer support. Servoy’s experts helped with the architecture design, database structure, module configuration and code review aimed at optimizing the software. As a result, the first modules (budgeting and reporting) were finalized in less than a year. The new payroll module has successfully passed the mandatory SwissTec certification. 

A key success factor for Mirus was the framework included in the Appsurance Program. It provides a set of ready-built components—such as navigation, Office integration and report generation—that enable Servoy customers to create their applications faster and more easily.

Oliver Hunziker adds: “Thanks to the components and the project support delivered by the Appsurance Program, we were able to meet our project goals within the time and budget we had set, and without requiring additional resources. The German-speaking Servoy User Group was also very helpful. Community members support each other effectively, which is a nice complement to the outstanding service and support delivered by Servoy.”
Benefits
The migration to the Servoy platform benefited everyone— Mirus, its customers and developers. Mirus customers now enjoy extended functionalities and a cutting-edge user interface. The new Mirus application is based on a future-proof, flexible platform that supports virtually any database, including Oracle and IBM. Customers can now choose whether to install their Mirus application in the cloud or on their own in-house servers. 

The SaaS option is offered as a multi-tenancy application, which reduces costs and maintenance. Customer privacy and a secure cloud environment are provided by Servoy. Mirus was able to complete the development of its new application in a fourth of the time it would have taken before. Servoy’s flexible development tools allow Mirus to react to new market requirements faster than ever before. 

Mirus’s developers enjoy Servoy because it feels familiar compared with other 4GL environments, such as FoxPro. The vast choice of databases supported by Servoy is also a bonus. The Servoy platform facilitates teamwork during development, improves testing and makes it easier to restructure code, thereby improving productivity and reducing cost. Mirus CTO Oliver Hunziker concludes: “With Servoy, we have a modern, efficient and sustainable development platform to reliably support our planned growth.”
The end

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