Since we announced the news in October of our current development of a new web-based accounting software, we have heard one question repeatedly: “What about PROMAS?”

 

In 2001, we rocked the industry with an idea that, at the time, most thought would never catch on. We were the first company to create portals for owners and tenants to view their statements and documents online. We knew our web-based Management system would work with any stand-alone accounting software, but would even better as a software-integrated tool for property managers. PROMAS had pioneered accounting software in our industry and was built on over two decades of property management accounting experience. Because PROMAS was (and still is) far and away the most reputable, rock solid accounting solution in the industry, it made sense to partner with them and bring you a complete solution that tied the benefits of Internet technology to the security and reliability of rock solid accounting.

Over the last couple of years we have seen a shift in the industry. Property managers have found the ease of accessing their data in the cloud convenient, and have been drawn to the idea of all-in-one web-based software. We have always stood by, and still stand by, the importance and value of owning your own data. At the point that your cloud-based provider has an outage, or changes their offering, you are stuck. There is a risk involved with keeping your core data in the cloud. But, this risk seems to be one that property managers are less hesitant to take as they see the benefits that web-based solutions bring to the table. It will be years before there is a web-based solution as solid as PROMAS, but that hasn’t seemed to dissuade property managers from taking a big risk and moving to the cloud.

As HERO PM has heard your feedback and watched the approaching release of HTML 5, we have looked at the risks and the current offerings in the industry. We still hear from current users of web-based property management software that there is no solid, trustworthy, web-based solution that meets their needs. We know that it is very frustrating when you take the risk and find yourself holding the bag with a solution that falls short. And, even more frustrating is making a move that you cannot un-make, because your provider now owns your data and makes it nearly impossible to switch away. We have had member after member come back to us from their new web-based solutions because they refused to sacrifice their marketing and website needs to an inferior solution. Over and over again we have heard how the switch away has been detrimental to their business, but they do like the flexibility of being able to access their accounting data at any time, from a web interface. Property managers have begged for someone to build a web-based accounting solution that works, but allows them to back up their data when they see fit so they can minimize the risk. We heard this, and we are answering.

As for the PROMAS and HERO relationship, we continue to build on this strong relationship to serve those who are not ready to make the risky, still inferior move to the cloud. We firmly believe that the most secure solution for this industry can be found when partnering your robust, audit proof, accounting solution from PROMAS with the experience in Internet technology tools for property managers that HERO has offered for over 17 years. The recent announcement of HERO PM’s web-based accounting will nicely complement the offering we currently have with PROMAS to make sure that you can select the right fit for your business. Whether you are looking for a robust, non web-based solution with the online connection for portals and payments, or you are looking for an all-in-one, web-based solution, we’re here to help you make that choice!