Cloud based accounting software at the right price from Intacct -

Many companies today are evaluating cloud based accounting solutions such as Intacct as they look to save money by migrating software services away from traditional IT environments.  Moving to Intacct cloud based accounting can help, but you need to calculate the true cost to your organization.  There are many variables in calculating the difference between Intacct pricing and comparable traditional software packages like Microsoft Dynamics GP. Intacct is on a named user basis, whereas Dynamics GP is concurrent user. There also can be significant differences in what functionality is included in the base price of the software. With Intacct, there are significant savings in implementation, and no server costs. On the other hand, Intacct is subscription based, meaning you will be paying for as long as you use the software, whereas with Dynamics GP you own the licenses and pay a maintenance fee. Make sure you do a full Total Cost of ownership analysis before making a decision.

For more information and to compare Intacct and Dynamics GP, please contact Intellitec Solutions at www.intellitecsolutions.com, or 866-504-4357

10 Features in Microsoft Dynamics® GP 2010 to Increase Productivity

What are the best reasons to upgrade or install a new ERP system? For most companies the answer is to increase productivity and reduce costs.

The newest release of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 helps businesses do just that. Ten new features that help businesses speed planning and reporting, perform advanced analytics, and improve productivity & ROI include:

1. Dashboard Metric Drill Down
2. Drill Down Builder
3. Business Portal Executive Center
4. Email Messaging Options
5. Electronic Signatures Workflow
6. Drill Down Builder Deep Dive
7. Microsoft Office Word Template Configuration and Maintenance
8. Workflow
9. Advanced Business Intelligence (BI)
10.Excel Report Building

Learn more about how you can benefit from these Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 features....

New Accounting Sotware Blog Launches

The Accounting Software Blog has been launched and will replace the Accounting Software Review. The group blog like the former blog will cover ERP Software topics. Its members are Microsoft Dynamics Partners from all over the United States and include:

BCG Systems, Inc. http://www.bcgsystems.com/

Brannon Consulting Group, LLC http://www.brannonconsulting.com

CAL Business Solutions http://www.calszone.com

Concentrix Limited http://www.concentrix.co.uk/

EWS Group http://www.ewsgroup.com/solutions/Green/index.html

Finatech http://en.finatech.com/erp

Gilbert & Associates http://www.gilbertassociates.com/

IntelliPoint Technologies, LLC http://www.intellipoint.net/

InterDyn LANAC Technology http://www.lanactech.com/

InterDyn- CFO Consultants http://www.interdyncfo.com/

Internet eBusiness Solutions http://www.iesgp.com/

Njevity http://www.njevity.com/

PDG Consultants http://www.prettydarngood.com/

Sherwood Systems http://www.sherwood.com/

Silverware http://silverw.com/index.html

SSI Consulting http://www.ssiconsulting.com/

T3 Information Systems http://www.t3infosystems.com/

Vertical Solutions http://www.verticalsol.com/

Zeal Solutions, Inc. http://zealsls.com/default.aspx

Five Critical Strategies for Effective Project Management

The most significant bottlenecks faced by project managers are time, competition and allocation of resources. These restrictions directly impact customer satisfaction, timely delivery and profit potential. Clients can be especially demanding as deadlines and milestones approach. This is especially applicable to the high-technology sectors including: information systems; architecture and construction site management; engineering; and advertising and marketing. When time and available resources begin to drive the project, profitability suffers.

The key to ensuring profitability and timely delivery is producing an accurate estimate of time and resources; not just once, but every time an estimate is generated. It is neither practical nor productive to use stand-alone non-integrated solutions with multiple contributors, each working on their specific piece of the puzzle. Managing the system becomes far more complex and labor-intensive from an administrative perspective. Delays are inevitable in cost analysis, manpower hours expended, direct and indirect charges and similar tasks that must be absorbed as overhead. This is generally an irrevocable cost once a certain threshold is reached. At this point, the cost of waiting for reports and input from a number of various departments is eating into the profit margin and can price the project out of an otherwise competitive position.

Implementing an effective Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system will resolve most integration-oriented issue and improve the likelihood of higher profitability. An ERP specifically tailored for the tasks of project management will be able to handle the entire life-cycle of a project, from inception through execution, covering all the requisite milestones from initial estimates to the deliverable results of the project.

There are five basic concepts which must be addressed. They are:

1. Identification and selection of the ERP platform.

There are a number of options to consider when selecting an ERP platform. Is it able to support various hardware and project accounting software technologies? Is it portable as new technologies emerge with minimal intervention and costs? As an example, the Microsoft Enterprise Application Suite provides the project manager and staff with the tools required to integrate data while maintaining accuracy, real-time processing speeds, while not sacrificing the flexible familiarity of the MS Office environment. This leads to shorter learning curves and can eliminate manpower-intensive downtime for extensive retraining.

2. Reduction of administrative overhead

Overhead costs can be significantly reduced by a fully-integrated ERP solution like Microsoft dynamics GP. Data sharing, auditing and security considerations, interfacing with the accounting department, analysis of project status, budget analysis and resource allocation all lead to faster response while reducing the need for staff intervention. Concise and accurate reports, generated in a timely manner prevent surprises. The need for project troubleshooters and contingency handling staff is reduced or wholly unnecessary.

3. Generate real-time results to eliminate redundancy

Wide area network – Internet – and local area network – in-house Ethernet – integration are essential to effective project management. With centralized data entry, changes are promulgated and propagated through the entire system, enhancing real-time responses, resource reallocation and updating project status as near-instantaneous events, the results immediately accessible via the network. With web-based applications, access to the ERP is possible whether in the office, out in the field, on the road, at the project sites. Wherever the Internet is available, the ERP can be accessed by authorized users allowing dynamic integration of emerging data. The “overtaken by events” situation is virtually eliminated.

4. Design of a collaborative network

Centralization of information and data distribution enabled by a collaborative network are essential to timely and accurate results. Definition and identification of the decision makers and their levels of responsibility and authority are critical to realizing optimal performance from project field staff and in-house operations and financial departments. Multiple level filtering and selection criteria allow only the data required by specific individuals or necessary for supporting staff to perform a function reduces complexity and improves efficiency.

5. Realization of potential

It is not enough to simply have ready access to data. Raw statistics are meaningless without a solid contextual framework. By implementing a functional and practical ERP, potential problem areas can be more readily ascertained and a solution can be effected, often before the problem manifests. A project manager can analyze information in context instead of attempting to manipulate multiple sources of asynchronous input data. Real-time analysis based on instantaneous integration of project transactions can yield serendipitous results, with the potential of unanticipated cost-savings, staffing requirements, enhanced productivity and can lead to increased profits. In conjunction with ad hoc inquiry, certain Key Performance Indicators (KPI) point to specific areas of opportunity for enhanced operations without sacrificing vital security and confidentiality constraints.

The implementation of a tailored project management ERP/EAS will lead to increased profit potential by:

- Reduction of costs associated with longer than necessary lead times
- Maintenance and adherence to milestones and budget constraints.
- Improved allocation of manpower and materiel resources
- Supporting tools ensuring timely and accurate response from the accounting department
- Accurate identification and recognition of revenue streams
- Lower overhead expenses from project operations and administration
- Enhanced communication within the project between members and supervisory staff
- Portable applications for integration of related corporate and joint venture networking
- Immediate real-time access from by authorized users via the collaborative network

RSM McGladrey’s Technology Business Solutions Practice Specializing in Microsoft Dynamics Launches Website

RSM McGladrey’s Technology Business Solutions Practice launched a new website (www.dynamicssoftwaresolutions.com) in the northeast region for mid-sized and growing organizations researching business software solutions.

RSM McGladrey’s Technology Business Solutions practice provides implementations utilizing Microsoft Dynamics™ business management solutions, including Financial and Human Resources Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), SharePoint, and Business Intelligence serving healthcare, not-for-profit, distribution, financial services and public sector industries. Recently ranked third in Accounting Technology’s Top 100 VARs, RSM McGladrey has served more than 2,000 clients for over 20 years.

“We are excited to showcase our products and services in this arena. Our site features product information, success stories, white papers, and news. We hope companies looking for business management solutions find this site to be a valuable resource center,” says Michele Juliana, Business Developer Director of RSM McGladrey. “We’ve worked hard to lay a good foundation so we can easily add tools which benefit our clients and prospective clients.”

RSM McGladrey is recognized as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, a member of Microsoft’s Inner Circle and President’s Club, and by Accounting Technology as a 2009 Technology Pacesetter.

Don’t be Afraid of Converting Data from Quickbooks to Microsoft Dynamics GP

One of the scariest things about upgrading to a new accounting software package is wondering how you will get all the important data from your old system into the new system. What if the data gets lost or mixed up? And how much will it cost? Consultants can spend dozens of hours mapping every single field to the right place. And that can double the cost of your accounting software project.

This is especially worrisome to small business owners. And it can even stop them from upgrading from a system like Quickbooks even after they have obviously outgrown the basic functionality. One solution is the Microsoft Rapid Implementation Tool. Microsoft designed this tool to help companies smoothly upgrade from Intuit Quickbooks to Microsoft Dynamics GP. This tool has been available for over a year, and Microsoft just released an upgrade to make it even easier. This new release allows us, as a Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner, to easily make changes to your Chart of Accounts from QuickBooks prior to migrating data to Dynamics GP.

So if you are outgrowing Quickbooks, don’t let data conversion scare you. The experts at CAL Business Solutions can help you upgrade smoothly.

How Does Quickbooks Compare to Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains)?

I read an excellent research report done by J. Carlton Collins, the famous CPA, called “Practical Advice for Companies Outgrowing Quickbooks”. It is rare to actually see exact comparison statistics but J. Carlton Collins is well known in the industry and a power user of both system so I trust his opinion. He reports:

· As a general rule, most companies using QuickBooks start to notice a decline in QuickBooks performance once the file size reaches 30MB or the total number of transactions exceeds 32,000. In QuickBooks, the number of customers, vendors, employees and other lists most dramatically affect performance. QuickBooks support acknowledges that significant performance problems generally occur when any list exceeds 10,000 – however, as a practical matter most companies see performance issues far earlier.

· Microsoft Dynamics GP offers 1,531 more features than QuickBooks Enterprise (2,550 compared to 1,019 according to the 2007 edition of the Accounting Library).

· The whole point of an accounting system is financial reporting and Microsoft Dynamics GP offers far more reports (700+ standard reports) than QuickBooks (112 standard reports).

If you read the full report you can actually get a list of 35 features that Microsoft Dynamcis GP (Great Plains) has that Quickbooks doesn’t. I would be happy to send it to you. Email me at anyac@calszone.com or click here.

CAL Business Solutions is a Connecticut based Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner. We have extensive experience upgrading companies from Quickbooks to Dynamics GP. So if you are looking for the best Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains) partner for your project call CAL. www.calszone.com

Forget the PDFs – Try new Audio and Video Testimonials

What I hear at all marketing conferences today is that technology has changed the way we process information and people today like to listen or watch – not read! So CAL has taken our first step into this new world by posting an audio testimonial clip on our website. If you go to www.calszone.com/staffing and click on the audio button you can hear Christine Huebert at Pridestaff talk about her experience with StaffLinx GP - integrating Microsoft Dynamics GP back office to the Bullhorn front office. And her thoughts on a California company using a Connecticut based company for remote Great Plains support. My next goal is to do a video case study – if I can get Christine to agree to be on camera!

I would love to hear your thoughts – are you using audio or video in your marketing? Are you more likely to listen to an audio clip or watch a video case study instead of reading a written document?

Microsoft Dynamics GP Video Testimonial

Orange County Choppers Rides on Microsoft Dynamics GP

This New York-based builder of custom motorcycles—known for its Discovery Channel show "American Choppers"—operates a retail store and an e-commerce Web site. See how a move from QuickBooks to Microsoft Dynamics GP helped improve their data-management processes.



Orange County Choppers Rides on Microsoft Dynamics GP

Michigan Dynamics GP Partner, Maner Costerisan, Exceeds Customer's Expectations

In March 2008, Jordan Reses Supply Company was approaching their profitable summer sales season. They needed to get their new Dynamics GP system up and running, and couldn’t afford downtime.

According to Coady Torio, a project manager at Jordan Reses, “It would’ve cost us dearly if we weren't able to get the new system up on time, but Maner completed the Microsoft Dynamics GP implementation and training of our personnel in less than four months -- on time, on budget. Two months later, we were able to transfer all of our detailed sales history from QuickBooks into the new business intelligence data warehouse so that we could monitor sales trends. Maner Costerisan did a great job of identifying what would be important for us as a company which was an unexpected bonus and now we can do many things we could not do before.”

Maner Costerisan is the leading Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains) partner in mid-Michigan. Serving over 145 clients throughout Michigan, Northern Indiana and Northern Ohio, Maner Costerisan is well known for its ability to meet and exceed client expectations. For a copy of the Jordan Reses case study, please e-mail jmeyer@manercpa.com.

What are you looking for?

By Kyle Kienzle, Account Executive, BroadPoint Technologies, Raleigh NC

Here are some reporting guidelines, capabilities and tools often inquired by Microsoft Dynamics GP clients:

1. SmartlistBuilder: This tool allows you to extend the query capability in Smartlist in Dynamics GP to span different modules and even datasources. This tool has been well-received by our clients and ‘used hourly and the starting ground’ for many users workday. It is best for quick views and inquiries.

2. SRS (SQL Reporting Services) – This is a packet of reports and reporting tool, all free, provided by Microsoft and deployed by BroadPoint. There are some template reports to begin and can always be tailored – these reports are technical though and will require some ramp up time.

3. Microsoft FRx is a well-versed mid-market financial reporting tool. It is used by most of our clients for financial reporting due to it’s capabilities. FRx reports allows information from the summary financial level to the single transaction in GP. From Convergence 2009, FRx is probably going to be replaced soon.

4. The inherent report writer comes with about 150 reports per module, over 2000 all together, to be the main reporting engine. This should be the primary source of your reporting at this time, of which adjustments can easily be done and shared.

5. There are free Excel reports already created as well and are embedded in the Dynamics.dic. You have to go to the Reporting Tools Setup window and deploy them.

6. For advanced reporting – there are a number of ISV’s available, each of which have different pros, cons and price point. Here are just a few: Prophix, Solver, Targit, ProClarity, Zap Technology, etc.

Connecticut Great Plains Partner - CAL Business Solutions

Founded in 1982, CAL Business Solutions, Inc. is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner located in Harwinton, Connecticut (CT). Since 1997, CAL has helped more than 200 organizations in Connecticut, New England and across the United States, improve business productivity using Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains) Business Essentials and Advanced Management versions. As Microsoft Dynamics GP Expert Consultants we offer accounting software implementation, financial data conversion, customization, plus support and training. We work with clients in a variety of industries, with specialized focus on the distribution, insurance, staffing (back office integration to Bullhorn), professional services, education and non profit industries. A dedicated in-house development team, a strong focus on providing seamless system integration and a commitment to outstanding customer service has helped CAL achieve membership in the prestigious Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club six times. CAL currently employs 18 team members focused exclusively on Microsoft Dynamics GP, making CAL the largest Great Plains partner in Connecticut. For a free White Paper outlining the cost of Microsoft Dynamics GP send an email to anyac@calszone.com

Why I love using Google Alerts for sales and marketing!

If you are not taking advantage of the free Google Alerts service, you are missing out! I could spend all day trolling the web OR I can let Google Alerts give me the information I want right in my inbox in a neat little package. (you can sign up for immediate, daily or weekly alerts but I recommend weekly so you don’t get overloaded with emails)
I have alerts set up for:
· My product name (Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0)
· My company name (CAL Business Solutions)
· My personal name (Anya Ciecierski)
· My main competitor (that’s a secret)
· My best client’s name (whoever I want to keep track of)
· Bullhorn Staffing & Recruiting (just so I can keep up with all their news)
This way, if my company name (or my own name) is mentioned online – I know about it! I can find out what my competitors are up to, what kind of press releases they send out or what type of online directory’s they are in (so I can join them too). And if I hear news about my best client, I can proactively send them a congrats email and show that I care.
Google alerts are free and extremely useful – try it! Go to http://www.google.com/alerts to sign up.

Microsoft Dynamics GP Consultants In Altoona PA

For expert deployments in the Blair County PA area.

We have a passion. It's in our name -- Empower. We empower organizations to make better business decisions by revealing the strength of their own data.

Empower Business Solutions

Altoona Blair County ERP Software