Up to now, most small and midsize companies haven't had the means to automate and integrate payables and receivables. But Wells Fargo Adapter, a solution targeted at companies with $25 million to $500 million in sales, offers an affordable enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that matches the capabilities large companies can build or buy, according to the product's developers.

The Adapter manages data file creation and translation between Wells Fargo automated treasury management services and the Oracle E-Business Suite or the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne A/P, A/R and cash management modules. The pre-packaged solution cuts the time, cost and difficulty of getting this type of system up and running, says Rebecca Wettermann, a vice president at consulting firm Nucleus Research.

The results, she says, are reduced transaction costs, better terms, increased productivity, better cash flow management, improved relationships with partners and customers and greater regulatory visibility and control. "The savings and efficiencies are across the board," says Wettermann. "It's the next step in reducing the risk and the cost and making this type of automation available to all firms, not just large ones."