LeasePlan: Transforming Spreadsheets into Enterprise Web Applications

OVERVIEW

LeasePlan, the world leader in vehicle fleet management, needed to improve the management of critical spreadsheets.

LeasePlan had experienced an increase in Excel-based end-user developed applications which resulted in significant governance and compliance issues.

Replacing these spreadsheets was not a practical solution so they turned to EASA, whose unique technology enables the retention of the original spreadsheets but also prevents users from directly accessing them. This eliminates security risks and prevents undesirable edits, while providing an automated audit capability or “paper trail” to address the governance and compliance problems.

EASA is the only tool we were able to find that can fully address the Governance, Risk and Compliance issues of spreadsheets.

Grant Donnell
Application Landscape Manager, LeasePlan New Zealand

The Problem

How do you cost-effectively transform “stop-gap” spreadsheets into true enterprise apps – with authentication, version control, and full auditability?

Like many organizations, LeasePlan NZ has a core ICT system supplemented by many desktop solutions such as spreadsheets and MS Access databases. Many of these end-user developed solutions do not measure up in this age of increasing focus on compliance and both regulatory and business control. This is where we saw the opportunity for the EASA platform.

OUR SOLUTION

LeasePlan was able to capitalize on existing knowledge contained in spreadsheets without resorting to expensive, time-consuming or risky software development.

In 2012, LeasePlan conducted a proof of concept with EASA, a platform that enables rapid creation of web apps which can interact with spreadsheets, databases, and legacy tools. For the proof of concept, an application (or “EASAP”) was created based on an existing Excel spreadsheet used for data entry of third-party leasing details. The new application greatly simplified and streamlined the user interface and operation of the tool.

Following this, a more ambitious project was undertaken to create a Profitability Model application combined with a Pricing Approval application and including workflow components. This utilizes a complex user-developed back-end Excel spreadsheet. The application interfaces with the legacy system to update multiple tables and to generate approved contracts for new and existing customers.The initial version of the Profitability Model and Pricing Approval took only 12 weeks of development work effort to prepare – much less than would have been the case using conventional application development. This demonstrated the enormous value of EASA’s ability to reuse a spreadsheet as a “logic engine” for an enterprise web application.The Profitability Model now has multiple users in sales and marketing, commercial, and contracts departments, and enables “what if” analysis of every deal negotiated with LeasePlan.

THE RESULTS

LeasePlan was able to capitalize on existing knowledge contained in spreadsheets without resorting to expensive, time-consuming or risky software development.

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This validates the tremendous benefit of re-using knowledge already in the business in the form of Excel spreadsheets.

An additional unexpected benefit is EASA’s ability to rapidly generate working prototypes for proposed applications. Thus far, LeasePlan has developed apps for, among others:

  • Lease Settlement;
  • Trial Balance reporting
  • Order Review
  • Order Confirmation
  • Registration Confirmation

This Profitability Model and Pricing Approval application took only 12 weeks of development, which demonstrates the enormous value of EASA’s ability to reuse a spreadsheet as a “logic engine” for an enterprise web application. The Profitability Model now has multiple users in sales and marketing, commercial, and contracts departments; it enables “what if” analysis of every deal negotiated by LeasePlan. LeasePlan has used EASA to build and deploy about 20 applications to date.

Benefits of Using EASA for Enterprise Pricing Models

  • No special knowledge of Web technologies is required to produce robust web-enabled applications
  • No need to transfer or rewrite complex formulas and data manipulation
  • All confidential models and data is protected, even if it is embedded in key spreadsheets
  • EASA is intuitive to learn—new users can rapidly become productive
  • End-users can only access the correct “certified” version of a tool, ensuring consistent usage
  • Data can be “melded” across disparate systems and databases to provide a unified view for an application

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Request a free project consultation with EASA so we can discuss your requirements and, if desired, provide you with a demonstration of the software.

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