Inroads looks to help small businesses use tech like larger firms

A Frederick firm is looking to help small and medium sized–businesses easily access technology that’s designed to make it easier to run a business.
After seven years in development, Inroads is launching a platform that’s designed to integrate the software to help run a business. Founder and CEO Joseph Alberici and CTO Randall Severy met at the local entrpreneurs’ council, and saw that small business owners were at a disadvantage when it came to the technology being used by larger retailers and other kinds of companies.

“We saw a huge need in the market where small businesses simply didn’t have the proper technology,” said Alberici. “We deliver the right technology when they need it at a price they can afford, tailored to their needs.”

According to Alberici, AxiumPro brings together about 50 modules, mixing open source and proprietary technology, and there’s options to customize for what a business needs. It brings together systems that manage areas such as e-commerce, marketing and accounting, along with tracking data. Platforms are available to bring automation to many of these functions.

“The problem was that in order to manage a business you need more than one piece of software…When the accounting system is not talking to the ecommerce system, and the accounting system is not talking to CRM who are you going to call?” Alberici said.

The platform centralizes access through a single login. Another primary function of Axium Pro is to get the different platforms that are being used by businesses working together. It’s designed to allow for upgrades, as well as integration of new technologies as they develop business use cases such as adding voice search or chat bots, Alberici said.
The company has deployed more than 300 systems even as it has been developing the platform, Alberici said. According to documents filed with the SEC, Inroads is seeking to raise outside funding. With the launch, the company is looking to focus more on sales and marketing.