Automate Eliminates Custom Visual Basic Code for InfraSource

InfraSource’s Wisconsin-based IT department is responsible for ensuring funds for Accounts Payable and payroll transactions are deposited into Bank of America accounts in a timely, scheduled fashion. Prior to discovering AutoMate Enterprise, they wrote custom code in Visual Basic to extract positive payment data from their Spectrum Forefront accounting application, create a text file with the information, encrypt the text file, and then connect and send the file to the bank’s FTP site. Writing custom code was occurring on an ongoing basis due to the different payment processes each of InfraSource’s suppliers had in place. Writing custom code for each supplier took days and was not centrally managed. Due to these factors Steve Mayor, Senior Network Engineer, and John Latherow, Applications Development Manager, decided they needed to look for a more efficient and time saving solution to replace their current process.

InfraSource was familiar with AutoMate Enterprise as they are a customer of GlobalScape, a top Automate reseller. Steve downloaded a free trial version of Automate Enterprise for testing purposes to see if the product could replace the time-intensive and difficult-to-manage coding process. They found Automate could replicate the entire payment process described above without having to write a single line of code. They purchased in September and were live in production in less than a week.

InfraSource started seeing ROI immediately as days of writing custom code turned into mere hours spent on automate the payment process. Additionally, Infrasource liked Automate Enterprise's feature for embedding existing Visual Basic scripts so they could reuse the code they had already created. The centralized management of all automated processes was also key, as now there is only one place to deploy and make changes to the processes that vary from supplier to supplier. Ease of use was also instrumental in their decision to move forward with Automate, as well as the quick response times of Automate’s support team and the guidance given by other Automate customers on the user forum.

As more projects come up, InfraSource will consider using additional features in Automate Enterprise. Their current project will continue to grow, and Automate is considered crucial to ensure the project’s success. John Latherow said, “I think it is truly a great product and a huge time saver. I would definitely recommend it to other organizations.”