We believe that services are the key to the successful deployment and utilization of technology. For this reason Software Group (SG) is here to provide a variety of services which can either complement our products, or be offered independently.

Software Group provides a special service to support microfinance organizations that may not have access to a full IT team in house. This service involves the full outsourcing of the IT department to SG so that they can reduce, or possibly even eliminate, the in-house IT function and thereby become an ITLess MFI

Over our years of experience in Microfinance we have observed IT solutions become more and more complex and as such the skills to manage these systems have increased considerably. MFIs, SACCOs and Credit Unions often face difficulties recruiting and maintaining IT teams who are up-to-date with the latest technologies, have sufficient operational experience to ensure adequate service when it comes to managing the organization’s existing IT resources and can also assist with selection and implementation of new technologies.

Another wide-spread risk for MFI’s is related to the high staff turnover in IT-related jobs which is typically observed within the sector. Losing a key IT person can pose serious risks to ensure continuity of not only an organization’s IT processes, but also its core operations, which are typically highly dependent on the proper functioning of IT systems.

Software Group has a highly qualified team specialized in different areas of IT that can be shared with the client as and when they are needed. Through this type of partnership the client can leverage a pool of IT people with experience built from a number of projects in different institutions and countries.

Our “ITLess MFI” service package includes (though it is not limited to):

• IT Strategy development – We can help your institution build and maintain an IT strategy that helps guarantee the implementation of only appropriate technologies based on the specific stage of your institutional development and environment conditions. Creating and sustaining a clear and balanced IT strategy will help ensure efficiency of the technologies utilized to support your business and operations.
  
  
• Software selection – Through years of practice and numerous implementations, we have acquired both a broad view of the market and detailed knowledge about different products and technologies available. Our team members are aware of all the practical sides of leading products and technologies used by different MFIs. We firmly believe that sharing this essential knowledge can enable our clients to take decisions based on firsthand experience of different products instead of relying on the marketing materials provided by their vendors.
  
  
• Project management and software implementation – As a team, we have carried out hundreds of successful IT projects over the years. This gives our team members the unique capacity to identify the key success elements of a project and build specific implementation methodologies that will help ensure that the project goals are achieved.
  
  
• IT audit – Many organizations either underestimate the need for constant health checks of their systems or perhaps don’t have the capacity to perform them in the way that they wish to. This often leads to inefficient processes, exposure to unnecessary risk and possibly data inconsistency which reveals itself in the form of unreliable reports. The effect is even stronger on database driven MIS and other systems since these require regular database maintenance to ensure the accuracy of the data used for reporting. SG can help you built a bespoke audit toolkit which can be executed at regular intervals to help ensure your audit risks are minimized.
  
  
• Help desk - Access to a professional and efficient help desk enables our clients to report issues or initiate tasks and then follow their progress through to completion. Based on the nature of the issue raised, it can be assigned to the most appropriate resource or if required, escalated to a different management level. In either case our help desk will help ensure that the issue is resolved in the most efficient manner and by the most appropriate resource.