IRIS Software Group, the largest
privately owned software business in the UK, has announced that it
has acquired Ferguson GP Software, a specialist payroll provider
servicing GP Practices.
This is a significant acquisition for IRIS as
it is the company’s first in the Healthcare Solutions market.
Ferguson GP Software has an excellent reputation for its easy to
use and reliable software and with over 5,000 UK GP practice
clients is the market leader with a 50% share of the market.
The acquisition; the first to be announced
since the IRIS merger with CS Group in June 2007, will provide an
excellent platform for IRIS’ growth plans.
IRIS is recognised as the fastest growing
player in the payroll market (currently holds the number 2
position) and is rapidly gaining market share from its competitors.
Year end figures verified by HMRC show that 199,070 or 23% of all
internet submissions in 2007 were made using IRIS Payroll
solutions.
IRIS Payroll solutions cater for the payroll
needs of businesses in a number of ways.
At micro level, IRIS provides HMRC accredited
payroll software for small businesses with IRIS PAYE-Master and the
company also provides payroll bureau software that services payroll
processing businesses. For medium enterprises, IRIS offers stand
alone and integrated payroll packages with EARNIE and IRIS Payroll
Professional. For larger sites, IRIS has developed a fully
comprehensive payroll package, EARNIE IQ, with sophisticated
reporting capabilities.
Ferguson GP Software was established in 1985
by Dr. David Ferguson, a GP with extensive computer programming
experience. He will remain actively involved in the future
development of the solution which will now draw upon the
significant resources of the IRIS Payroll and HR Solutions Division
in Stockton on Tees.
Martin Leuw, IRIS Group CEO said: “Ferguson GP
Payroll Software is well respected by practice managers and has an
extremely loyal customer base. There is a real synergy in the two
companies’ passionate approach to software development and customer
service, sharing identical customer retention rates of 95+%; a rare
statistic in the industry.”
Dr. David Ferguson commented: “We are
delighted that Ferguson GP Software has become part of the IRIS
Software Group. We have been particularly impressed that in all
previous IRIS acquisitions the Group’s emphasis has always been on
ensuring “business as usual” for existing customers. The IRIS brand
therefore represents a ‘safe home’ for the Ferguson Payroll package
with access to greater resource for its future support and
development.”
About IRIS
IRIS Software Group is the largest privately
owned software business in the UK delivering regulatory, accounting
and full service solutions to well over 60,000 UK businesses and
payroll solutions to over 10% of the UK workforce.
IRIS is:
- The No 1 provider to UK accountancy practices
- The No 1 provider to UK law firms, barristers and coroners’
offices
- The No 1 provider to the UK Not For Profit sector
- The No 2 provider of Payroll & HR software solutions
- An award winning provider of accounting and ERP systems to UK
businesses
- A leading provider of special software for sports clubs, field
services and application modernisation software and services for
blue chip companies.
