Accounting Technology articles from August 2002

Accounting Technology archives from August 2002

Choking off Microsoft? (Editor's Note).(accounting software market share)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... The importance of the battle for the low-end accounting software market was outlined by Best Software at its Visions reseller conference. Best introduced the concept of choking off Microsoft Great Plains business from the bottom. Best...

The art of the cross-sell. (Editor's Note).
August 1, 2002... With the market for accounting software nearing saturation, vendors are training resellers in the subtleties of the cross-sell. Can VARs become jack-of-all-trade suppliers for applications, ranging from accounting to POS to supply chain...

Street talk: Reader views.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2002... Can the AICPA adequately represent the interests of CPA IT consultants? Or should consultants turn to another body, such as the Information Technology Alliance, as offering a better chance of addressing their concerns? It is my opinion...

Epartners hires president. (Practice Development News).(David Dunnigan)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Reseller ePartners has hired David Dunnigan, former CEO of Pervasive Software, as its new president, to replace Stan Strifler, who left the job three months ago. Strifler led the company for four years, during which time it grew to $100...

Brown leaves Aston. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... George Brown, who has served as CEO of Aston North America since its entry into the American market in 2000, has left the company. Aston, a reseller group owned by a Danish company, has named its executive vice president John Matterson to...

CPA series offered. (Practice Development News).(Solutions Strategist offers certified public accountants seminars)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... CPAs in the New Jersey and New York area are being offered a series of educational seminars about technology by Solutions Strategist, a Cranford, N.J.-based consulting firm. Topics offered by the firm, www.solstrat.com, in the ongoing...

CG acquires firm. (Practice Development News).(Effective Systems Consulting and Datahelp)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Clifton Gunderson, the Peoria, Ill.-based accounting and consulting firm, has acquired Effective Systems Consulting and Datahelp, two technology firms based in Arizona. Effective Consulting, based in Tempe, Ariz., was founded in 1995 by...

BEST starts user show. (Practice Development News).
August 1, 2002... Best Software plans to hold Solutions, its first end user conference and exhibition, this fall in Costa Mesa, Calif. Solutions will be held October 21 and 22 at the Westin South Coast. It will feature breakout sessions, an interactive...

Burch consultants honored. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Burch Consultants, a Houston-based reseller, has been named as the top Authorized Training Center of the Year for 2001 by Best Software. The firm, led by Peyton Burch, has been an authorized center since 1996. The award is based on student...

Management Software seeks vars. (Practice Development News).(value added resellers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Management Software, the Cortland, N.Y.-based maker of JobOrder software for project-based service organizations, is seeking to expand its reseller base. The company has nine North American resellers and one Australian for JobOrder, which...

BCS buys MAS 90 biz. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Business Computer Systems, a San Antonio-based Best Software reseller, has acquired the MAS 90 accounting software practice of IPI Grammtech, located in the same city. BCS has been in the accounting software business since 1987. Three IPI...

Biz Underinsured For E-Commerce.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... BIZ UNDERINSURED FOR E-COMMERCE Intellectual Property Infringement 41% Hacker Damage 37% Online Libel/Slander 36% Privacy Issues 32% A survey of 501 information...

Microsoft deals with CSI. (Accounting News).(Creative Solutions Inc. to distribute Microsoft Small Business Manager)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Microsoft and Creative Solutions have reached an agreement to provide the Small Business Manager accounting software in a hosted environment via portals offered by CSI users. CSI users will be able to offer SBM on their NetClient portals....

Thompson joins Accpac. (Accounting News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Steve Thompson, a former top executive with Red Wing Business Systems, has joined Accpac International as its vice president of partner development. Thompson was president of Red Wing before its purchase of Active IQ last year, and was...

Intuit buys MRI and Eclipse. (Accounting News).(Management Reports Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Intuit continued its buying streak in June, picking up Management Reports, a property management software company, for $92 million in cash. Intuit says MRI will operate as a separate business unit under Bob Lasser, its current chief...

Best names Abra manager. (Accounting News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Best Software Specialty Products, which makes Abra and FAS software, has named Mary Doze as general manager for its Abra product line. Doze will oversee a line that includes the Abra Suite, Abra Enterprise, and Abra Online. Before joining...

Active deals on debt. (Accounting News).(Active IQ manages finances)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Active IQ, parent to Champion and Red Wing, has raised $975,000 in private placements and swapped debt for equity, as the company tries to work its way out of a capital crunch. The financiers expect to get some of their investment back...

Best buys JSI. (Accounting News).(Best Software acquired JSI Fundraising Systems)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Best Software has acquired JSI Fundraising Systems, a Williamsburg, Va.-based manufacturer of the Millennium fundraising software line. JSL will operate as a part of MIP, Best's nonprofit and government division, with JSL's president...

Flagship results disclosed. (Accounting News).(Flagship Group)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The Flagship Group, parent of American Fund Ware, earned $1.1 million for the year ended June 30, 2001, a rebound from a loss of just over $5.9 million in fiscal 2000. Those results were disclosed after Intuit acquired the company for $26...

Microsoft names XBRL guru. (Accounting News).(Rob Blake)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Microsoft has tapped Rob Blake, who had worked at the FRx Software operations, to promote Microsoft's use and development of the eXtensible Business Reporting Language. Blake was named group program manager of Finance and Administration...

Intuit has been acquiring companies at a rapid clip in the last nine months, including two vertical market players in June.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Intuit has been acquiring companies at a rapid clip in the last nine months, including two vertical market players in June. Company Aquired Purchase Price Date Management Reports $92M June 2002 Eclipse ...

Advent buys Techfi. (Tax & Financial Planning News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Advent Software, based in San Francisco, has agreed to buy Denver-based Techfi for about $23 million in cash. Advent says that Techfi's employees will join Advent. Techfi's principal products are AdvisorMart and Financial Office. They are...

ATX launches Informant. (Tax & Financial Planning News).(Informant)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... ATX Forms has launched Informant, a collection of Web-based collaboration tools, which will let tax professionals present their views about how their tax preparation software is designed. The site at informants.atxers.com provides a...

UTS hires president. (Tax & Financial Planning News).(Universal Tax Systems )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Universal Tax Systems of Rome, Ga., which makes the TaxWise tax preparation software line, has hired William P. Anderson, formerly an executive with H&R Block, as president. Anderson was previously CEO of Bankrate, CFO of H&R Block, and...

Client relief goes to web. (Tax & Financial Planning News).(Micro Vision Software )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Micro Vision Software plans to takes its lightly promoted, two-year-old Client Relief software to the Internet by the fall. The $100 package includes applications for client use, such as checkwriting, cash receipts, payroll, sales,...

Drake buys TaxPack. (Tax & Financial Planning News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Drake Software of Franklin, N.C., has acquired the customer base of Tax/Pack, the tax preparation software previously offered by Alpine Data, a Montrose, Colo.-based software company. It's the second time this year Drake has acquired a tax...

CSI buys UnLink. (Tax & Financial Planning News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Creative Solutions has acquired UniLink, a Jackson Hole, Wyo.-based company that markets time and billing, write-up, and accounting software. Terms were not disclosed. UniLink was founded in 1983 by its president Roger Amadon. CSI plans to...

CaseWare supports XBRL. (Tax & financial Planning News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... CaseWare International has added support of XBRL, the eXtensible Business Reporting Language, in CaseWare Working Papers and CaseWare Idea. WorkingPapers and Idea will import XBRL-General Ledger compliant files. WorkingPapers will produce...

Nationtax Online folds. (Tax & Financial Planning News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Nationtax Online, a Birmingham, Ala.-based company that delivered sales and use tax services via the internet, has gone out of business. The only remaining service from that company is being delivered by AlaTax, which separated from...

Intuit converts GoSystem data. (Tax & Financial Planning News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Intuit is offering a service to migrate data in files for RIA's GoSystem Tax software to Intuit's own Lacerte Software package. Intuit says it is responding to a growing demand for Lacerte data migration capabilities. Accountants who ship...

The art of the cross sell: The key is knowing when to focus, and when to partner.
August 1, 2002... Like every other reseller coming off the Year 2000 euphoria, Bennett/Porter & Associates in Tigard, Ore., was understandably jittery. "We anticipated there would be a sales drop-off because everyone had spent their money" on Y2K-compliant...

Practice management goes remote: Web-based time tracking grows in popularity. (Software Review).
August 1, 2002... Few categories of CPA applications have changed as dramatically over the last few years as practice management, the group of applications that include time and billing, but go well beyond the jobs of capturing time and preparing invoices. ...

Account aggregation: shaping up portfolios; CPAs are providing clients with a unified view of their investments. (Tax & Financial Planning).
August 1, 2002... Brian Stephens has no doubt about the value of account aggregation services to his clients. "If we did not offer this service, our clients would go elsewhere and it would be I more difficult to maintain the relationship as a provider of primary...

Online payroll offers solutions. (Accountants Media Group Special Report: Strategies for the Accounting Professional).
August 1, 2002... Solutions to payroll problems are becoming highly important in today's climate where there has been a marked increase in the use of electronic federal payroll tax deposits as well as a move toward outsourcing some of the technical aspects of...

Tax forms: CD or not CD? The move from CD to the web looks unstoppable. (Tax).
August 1, 2002... The battle in the electronic forms market has been dominated by claims over which vendor supplies the most forms. Just look at the name of the newly launched product from ATX Forms of Caribou, Maine--Zillion Forms. With 8,000 forms to its...

Distribution software: ROI is king; integration provides efficiencies--and cost savings. (Accounting).
August 1, 2002... Middle-market accounting software vendors are taking to the open road. Not literally, of course, but by way of souped-up distribution suites that can track product as it wends its way from warehouse floor to customer site. These same...

Business Professional Edition 5.0. (New Products).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Business Professional Edition, based on the Yes I Can Run My Business accounting software, gives businesses using Microsoft Office new functions that include advanced style/color matrix, bill of materials, recurring invoices/payables, sales and...

Carpe Diem 4.1. (New Products).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The Site Synchronizer in Carpe Diem 4.1 lets network administrators set up workgroups or small branch offices so they can synchronize their time with the home office without the need for an off-site administrator. Also, SmarTimes for...

MySpy 2.0. (New Products).(BQE Software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... MySpy 2.0 monitors computer use at home or on the job through activity tracking that notes which programs are open and which files in each program are active. The software can track Web-browsing activity, email usage, and idle time....

Solomon IV Release 5.0. (New Products).(Microsoft Great Plains)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Release 5.0 of Solomon IV adds advanced distribution capabilities to the line with the launch of the Inventory Replenishment, Order to Purchase, and Landed Cost modules. The Inventory Replenishment module helps organizations reduce...

Checkpoint 5.0. (New Products).(RIA )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Checkpoint 5.0 remembers the resources a user has previously searched, and also groups commonly used databases into logical categories. Once inside a body of research, users can invoke Link Preview to review related materials without...

VARbase. (New Products).(Solution Strategists database)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... VARbase captures and consolidates client and service data for value-added resellers. The software also features a shared knowledge base and reports for analyzing both client data and consultant's time. Consultants can search the knowledge...

Accpac eCRM 5.0. (New Products).(customer relationship management software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Accpac eCRM 5.0 increases the integration between the Web-based system and back office and mobile devices through its object-based, open architecture. Enhancements in the reporting module support reports written from an ASP page or from...

e-BusinessVision. (New Products).(BusinessVision 32 business management software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... e-BusinessVision customers can establish and integrate an e-commerce presence with BusinessVision 32 business management software. e-BusinessVision communicates with the BusinessVision 32 system on a periodic basis, keeping customers' Web...

ZIPsales Returns. (New Products).(CCH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... ZIPsales Returns, a Web-based filing system, automatically populates sales and use returns, schedules, and worksheets from a company's own financial data. Users submit monthly sales tax data to the ZIPsales Returns Web site, where CCH will...

Finesse. (New Products).(Three D Graphics financial management software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Finesse, a "what-if" tool, shows the immediate effect of any change to the financials records, including a company's Operating Statement, Balance Sheet, Ratios, and Cash Flow statements. If a user changes a product price or adds sales...

BusinessWorks Gold 3.0. (New Products).(Best Software integrated accounting software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... BusinessWorks Gold 3.0 completes the 32-bit version of this software line with the release of a Job Cost module. Other modules available include Payroll, Order Entry, Inventory Control, Accounts Receivable, and General Ledger. The...

Sigma Sales & Use. (New Products).(ATX Forms tax preparation software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Sigma Sales & Use, a derivative of Tax-Solver, is available in segments that allow tax professionals to purchase a program that covers one state, five states, or all 50. Each state program includes all local, county, and state forms, and...

Retail POS 6.0. (New Products).(Compass Technologies point-of-sale system)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Retail Point of Sales, an advanced point of sale system, integrates with the Great Plains inventory and accounting systems. Version 6.0 includes Quick Pick Menus, Streamlined Payment Entry, Gift Certificates and Gift Cards,...

DacEasy Version 12. (New Products).(Best Software accounts payable software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Users of DacEasy Version 12 can now pay vendors via a one-step, point-and-click process through the new Auto-Pay/Payables Reminder. AutoComplete also helps businesses when filling out forms by completing the information automatically based...

Its Deductible. (New Products).(Income Dynamics accounting software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Its Deductible software catalogs thousands of fair market values for the most commonly donated items such as clothing, toys, household items, and other goods. The workbook enables a CPA's clients to deduct fair market value of their...

Web directory.(Directory)
August 1, 2002... Basic listings consist of company name, Web address (URL) a 25-word description of the Web site and screen shot. Screen Shot: 1x-$155 * 3x-$150 * 6x-$145 * 12x-$140 AccountantsWorld.com www.accountantsworld.com Join the...

Software Technology: looking for quality accountants. (Channels).
August 1, 2002... Software Technology is taking 23 years of experience running a reseller channel in the legal practice management software market, and applying it to the accounting market. It's not like Lincoln, Neb.-based STI is unknown in the)accounting...

CherylAnn Silberer: all about process. (Accounting Technologist).
August 1, 2002... For CherylAnn Silberer, a client's business success hinges on getting a handle on everyday workflow processes. She says, "Everything we do centers on the formula: Process + People = Profit." Silberer's Tempe, Ariz.-based company, CompLete,...