Accounting Technology articles from August 2003

Accounting Technology archives from August 2003

The revenge of the hard drives.(Editor's Note)
August 1, 2003... A few years ago, the company that I worked for provided me with a new computer--rather, shall we say a new old computer. That's not remarkable. What was extremely interesting was that the company's president was among the previous owners. ...

CPAs and IT.(Editor's Note)
August 1, 2003... If CPAs are being left behind by technology, it's not for lack of effort on the part of state CPA societies, which are encouraging members to wrap their arms around computers and their benefits. Senior Editor Richard McCausland lists the...

Street talk: reader views.
August 1, 2003... Does the CITP credential have value to CPAs or their clients? Can ti be made to have value? In my opinion, no. I am a member of the IT Section of the AICPA and also a CPA, obviously. The materials I receive, in my opinion, are irrelevant...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2003... The June issue of Accounting Technology incorrectly listed information about AappTech, the Bingham Farms, Mich.-based firm that was named as Partner of the Year by NetLedger. Headed by Mike Galloway, AappTech is a sister to the accounting...

Ideal hires BI VP.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Ideal Consulting, a Tampa, Fla.-based software reseller, has appointed Greg Parker as vice president of the company's Business Intelligence Group, a newly formed organization. Based in the company's Atlanta office, Parker will oversee the...

Hein sells tech group.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hein+Associates, a CPA firm headquartered in Houston, has sold its technology consulting operations to Ron Rand, who was previously the firm's partner in charge of its national consulting office. The 13-person operation resells Great...

Accenture: companies like outsourcing.(Practice Development News)
August 1, 2003... Accenture: Companies Like Outsourcing Unsuccessful 5% Extremely 2% unsuccessful Successful 57% No significant 28% improvement Extremely 8% successful A study of 236 top executives worldwide...

Altara expands.(new offices and acquires Infinity Technology Partners (Wayne, Pennsylvania))(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Altara, a Cedar Knolls, N.J.-based Microsoft reseller, has continued its national expansion by opening offices in Dallas and St. Louis, and acquiring a reseller in Pennsylvania. The Dallas office will be led by Duanne Connor, now president...

B'Vision offers accountants version.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... BusinessVision is making a low-cost version of its accounting software line available to practitioners. Murray Aston, president of Softline North America, which owns BusinessVision, says the $299 special pricing gives accountants a product...

ITA opens Group M.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Information Technology Alliance, a group of accounting firms and resellers, has opened the membership of its previously dormant Group M. ITA spun out of the AICPA last year after two years under the institute's wing. It began its new...

Nextel wires CPAs.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Nextel has begun a program for accountants that is designed provide them with information about the communications vendor's wireless products. The Nextel Accountants Program offers educational material and resources to encourage mobile tax...

Sars moves MBS show.(Practice Development News)
August 1, 2003... Microsoft Business Solutions has moved its upcoming all-in-one reseller conference in October from Toronto to New Orleans. The conference, called PartnerConnect, was scheduled to replace the former Great Plains Stampede and Microsoft Fusion...

Exact gets marketing exec.(Joseph Burke)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Exact Software has hired Joseph Burke to handle North American marketing efforts for the Netherlands-based accounting software and CRM vendor. Burke, marketing director for Exact North America, reports to Jim Kent, vice president of sales,...

AccTrak 21 changes CEOs.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... AccTrak 21, an accounting software vendor owned by investors in Malaysia and Australia, has parted company with its CEO Wayne Harding and other management members. Also leaving was sales VP Michael Dickson, the former president of SysTrust...

Microsoft to offer reporting services.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Microsoft will enter the reporting services business later this year with the planned release of Microsoft 2000 Reporting Services. The product is expected to put Microsoft in direct competition with Crystal Decisions, which offers Crystal...

Best gets marketing exec.(Dennis Frahmann )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Best Software says that it is continuing to draw together its marketing communications programs with the appointment of Dennis Frahmann to the newly created position of senior vice president, integrated marketing communications. Frahmann...

Pervasive expands Linux support.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Pervasive Software, which markets the Pervasive .SQL database, has extended its support for the Linux operating system to include remote Linux-based devices. The company has launched the Remote Data Requester for Linux, which enables...

Frontrange CEO resigns.(Patrick Bultema)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Patrick Bultema, CEO of FrontRange Solutions, which markets Gold Mine and Heat CRM, has resigned his post FrontRange, based in Colorado Spring, Colo., says that Bultema had played a key role in restoring the company to profitability....

Abra Enterprise deal.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Best Software has sold its Abra Enterprise customer base to Kronos as Best shys away from using "Enterprise" in its approach to the middle market. Abra Enterprise, originally introduced in 1998 as Best Imperativ, is a Web-based HR system....

Active IQ faces suits.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Active IQ Technologies, which recently sold its accounting software operations, is facing three lawsuits, including one by former president and CEO Jack Johnson. Johnson alleges breach of contract by Active IQ and seeks damages in excess...

Exact/Sage bid for Softline.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Exact Software, the Netherlands-based company that owns the Macola line, and Sage, the British company that owns Best Software, have both made bids to buy Softline, the South African company that is in the middle of a management privatization...

Orrtax changes management.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Orrtax Software has named a new management group, as its parent, TRE Financial Solutions, takes a stronger hand in running the Bellevue, Wash.-based tax preparation company. The company has appointed Jeff Christman as CFO of both Orrtax and...

Simply goes online.(Accpac International's Simply Accounting Online)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Accpac International has launched Simply Accounting Online, an Internet-hosted version of its low-end Simply Accounting software. Simply Accounting Online is available as a subscription service at www.simplyaccountingonline.com. Accpac is...

Mphasis opens doors.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... New York-based Mphasis has joined the outsourcing competition with its Virtual Tax Room. The service currently handles 1040 preparation and is slated to add the 1041, 1065, and 1120/1120S returns. The Virtual Tax Room Professional Plus...

Bennett extends stay.(at Intuit)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Intuit's CEO Steve Bennett has agreed to stay in his position another five years, while his company also changed the way it structures its top job. Bennett, who is negotiating a new contract to implement his decision, is also part of the...

Profiles updates software.(Professional 7.0)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Financial Profiles, which markets the Profiles+ financial planning software line, has launched a new version of its Professional line to provide integration with Forefield's FMA Advisor. Professional 7.0 also provides the ability to track...

Advent lays off 90.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Advent Software, which makes software for investment advisors, has laid off 90 people, or 10 percent of its workforce, and also plans to consolidate some facilities. That move follows the May resignation of president and CEO Peter Caswell....

Advest picks Forefield.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
August 1, 2003... Advest has become the latest financial services firm to pick Forefield's FMA Advisor to provide Web-based content to its representatives. Advest Management Advisory Services will have access to Forefield's line of financial planning...

In with the high-tech crowd: CPA activists are spreading the news: technology needs to be a professional core competency.
August 1, 2003... Chris Fraser has a personal credo: "If I don't like something, I want to get involved with changing it." For the last couple of years, as a member of the Florida Institute of CPAs, he's been putting in a lot of extracurricular hours getting the...

You've got (too much) mail: can technology control the accelerating spam-demic?
August 1, 2003... The figurative pile of email messages that once filled Doris Higgins' mailbox with the usual mound of Viagra ads, mortgage offers, and more, had become more than just a nuisance. It was a problem that drained her time and the company's...

Software for the best practices: top-notch practice management software can make a big difference.(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2003... Gather together a dozen CPAs and ask them what practice management system they are using, and you'll likely get a dozen different answers. Ask them how they like their systems and you may find some ringing endorsements. More likely, you'll find...

Death and taxes estate and gift tax software is helping professionals create comprehensive plans.
August 1, 2003... To plan or not to plan, that is the question. With greater relative wealth in this country, more people are candidates for estate planning than ever before. And unless the estate tax is permanently repealed, even people who never considered...

Forging tax/financial planning links: vendors recognize it's a short hop from tax prep to tax planning to long-range investment and retirement goals.
August 1, 2003... Tax software vendors and financial planning software makers have been talking about their programs getting together for a long time. And with good reason--by one estimate, 90 percent of the data needed for a financial plan is held in tax...

WealthPoint.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Blackbaud's WealthPoint, a prospect research service, identifies and profiles the wealthiest individuals in the databases of fundraisers. The software's Analytics cross-references a customer's data against the WealthPoint database, which...

2003 Tax Act.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... RIA's Complete Analysis of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 includes amended, added, and repealed provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, along with the 2003 Committee Reports, a complete index, and tables. The...

Solomon 5.5.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... With Version 5.5, Solomon links to Microsoft Project 2002 and the Microsoft Business Solutions Retail Management System, along with adding a variety of features and enhancements to the Foundation, Financial, Project, and Service Series. ...

Accpac CRM 5.5.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Accpac CRM 5.5 integrates with multiple email systems, while the software's Advanced Mail Management Server automates inbound email handling. The Advanced Mail Management Server lets users customize rules to automatically monitor and...

Complete Payroll.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Complete Payroll's HR Assistant assists business owners in managing employee information and staying in compliance with federal and state employment laws and regulations. HR Assistant integrates with Complete Payroll's PC Entry software,...

DecisionTools suite.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... DecisionTools 4.5 Industrial simulates possible outcomes of a certain course of action to enable decision makers to arrive at the best outcomes. The system incorporates five add-in programs available in the Standard and Professional...

Firm of the Future.(New Products)(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... The Firm of the Future: A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and other Professional Services explains the how-to, the methodology, and the structure for creating a lasting and growing business and how to broaden services and redefine the role of...

AccountMate gets with the program.(Channels)
August 1, 2003... AccountMate has had resellers for years. What it really hasn't had is a structured reseller program, including elements such as its new "boutique" channel marketing program heavily subsidized by co-op development funding. Currently, the...

Internet directory.
August 1, 2003... Practical and Innovative Resources from AccountantsWorld www.AccountantsWorld.com Join the 60,000 strong community of independent accountants. Receive the widest array of free tools, services, training, education and other innovative...

Greg Boyd: wading up-market.(Accounting Technologist)
August 1, 2003... Taking a page from George Steinbrenner's book, Greg Boyd isn't shy about buying the right talent in order to better serve his clients--and, not incidentally, help grow his business. By hiring specialists, the Dallas-based Enterprise...

No easy task.(editors' note)(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... Any accountant who thinks that auditing a charity or consulting with an organization's management will be a nice, quiet, parttime engagement will get a cold smack of reality on that engagement's first day. The charity world is getting more...

The right role of accounting.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle is known for its swollen 824 billion endowment. Few may know that seven, full-time equivalent employees comprise the foundation's in-house accounting department. Gwen Sherman, controller of the...

There's gold in servicing nonprofits.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... Many CPAs around the country say that the bulk of their revenue now comes from installing and reselling not-for-profit accounting software. For one, Char Davies, founding partner of Seattle-based Jacobson Jarvis & Co., points out that his firm...

Alternative revenue streams.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... Alternative revenue streams are an attractive source of cash flow when a nonprofit's traditional funding well goes dry. But without careful planning, trying to get into such arrangements can sink an organization's bottom line. Developing...

PPC has something for everyone.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... We're living in a time period where it's common to pick up the newspaper and read about some corporate accounting scandal or embezzlement at a nonprofit organization almost every day," says Steve Eason, executive editor, PPC Nonprofit Products...

Blackbaud helps nonprofits leverage technology.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... "Donors are getting more and more involved with the organizations they support and are looking to nonprofits to better steward their gifts," says Robert J. Sywolski, chief executive officer of Blackbaud, based in Charleston, S.C. "With the...

RIA provides integrated solutions.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... "The legislative, regulatory and fiscal landscape for the nonprofit arena is undergoing dramatic change," says Tali -Bar-Ilan, product manager of the Financial Reporting and Management product line at RIA (based in New York City). "Not only...

AccountStreet[R] is compliance service.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... "As your clients' needs expand, AceountStreet[R] can assist you in keeping your non-profit entities in compliance nationwide," says Margaret Truluck, product manager for the company's charitable registration filing and compliance services and...

Serenic raises the bar.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... Serenic Software of Lakewood, Colo. has unveiled Fundamentals, an accounting solution for municipal governments. The program includes a fully integrated and complete solution covering everything from general ledger to retirement, flexible...

A dozen reasons to choose Serenic Navigator: enterprise financials for not-for-profits and governments.
August 1, 2003... Are you tired of compromising between technology and functionality? Convinced that no package in the market can improve your operations? Then join a growing number of Serenic Navigator (formerly Fund Accounting for Navision) users and see that...

Custom solutions at hand.(Special Report--Making Nonprofits Successful)
August 1, 2003... S Hellman Company, an accounting firm based in New York City, takes pride in providing its nonprofit clients with consulting expertise. "We can be depended upon to deliver fund accounting software systems and associated services on time, within...