Bottomline Advances Solution Strategy in SharePoint with October's 5280 Acquisition

On October 25, 2012, Bottomline Technologies acquired the assets of 5280 Dynamic Solutions LLC, including the Colorado-based company's software products and team.  The acquisition gives Bottomline new technology with which to accelerate its plans to focus on SharePoint-based document management solutions for AP automation and other document-centric business needs.

The 5280 acquisition focused on two main products, both SharePoint-based: the AP automation solution Dynamic Payables and Dynamic Filer, a broader imaging solution with integration options for a broad range of enterprise applications.  The products will be folded into Bottomline's Transform product line.

5280's focus on integrating SharePoint with Microsoft Dynamics ERP and other enterprise systems appealed to Bottomline because of the alignment to their own product strategy. "Demand for AP automation is expanding in the Dynamics AX and GP markets," says Bottomline VP Jeff Butts. "5280 had native integrations [between Dynamics ERP and SharePoint], so from there was a natural fit into what we were trying to go forward with." Bottomline had an equal interest in Dynamic Filer, according to Butts, due to its ability to help the company engage new and existing customers create a more flexible range of SharePoint-based solutions related to automating electronic document management for paper-based processes.

Bottomline already offers its Create!form solutions for document management and AP automation with native Dynamics ERP integrations, and this acquisition represents a logical step in Bottomline's existing document management product strategy, not a change of direction, according to Butts.  The company believes that SharePoint has become the strategic platform of choice for its existing clients as well ...