Accounting Technology articles from August 2006

Accounting Technology archives from August 2006

A Big Dose of Consolidation.(reseller consolidation )
August 1, 2006... It seems like reseller consolidation has been a subject of discussion forever, and that it's been happening about as long. Yet the latest round of mergers and acquisitions with the accounting software channel is something different. It's...

Low-Cost, High Potential.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... It's no secret that accountants have made a good living providing consulting services built around low-cost accounting applications, particularly Intuit's QuickBooks. In "Consulting Opens the Door," writer Paul Demery examines how this...

Need Insights?
August 1, 2006... Editor Robert Scott also writes "Consulting Insights," a free, twice-monthly electronic newsletter that addresses issues concerning the consulting and reselling market. It's insight with an attitude. If you want to subscribe, put the following...

Street Talk: Reader Views.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... What is the biggest benefit you get from attending trade shows and reseller, user, or industry conferences? The biggest benefit of attending trade shows is knowledge. Seeing up close and personal the new software, gadgets, and/or tools...

Show Calendar.(Calendar)
August 1, 2006... August 10-11 Red Wing Software Annual Partner Conference, Red Wing, Minn. www.redwingsoftware.com/2006conference. August 22-23 Illinois CPA Society Business & Technology Solutions Show, The Donald E. Stephens Convention...

Accounting Technology September's Coming Attractions.
August 1, 2006... CPA FIRMS AND RESELLING As more firms bail out of the business, what is the future of accounting organizations that sell software? IT SECURITY With enough lost and stolen computers making the news in the last few months, it's...

Practice Development News.(Applied Data Solutions and Dynamic Software Systems International, have merged)(Applied Business Services honors Maureen Williams)(Microsoft has started a certification program)
August 1, 2006... DSS AND ADS MERGE Two important Accpac dealers, Applied Data Solutions and Dynamic Software Systems International, have merged to form a unit with about $9 million in annual revenue. The two have become a new company called ADSS...

Consulting Opens The Door: Small business is good business for low-cost accounting software consultants.
August 1, 2006... When John Seale launched a consulting practice for RBSK Partners in the late 1980s, he was helping clients migrate paper-based accounting to One-Write Plus, a small-business accounting software formerly offered by Sage Software. That...

Ringstrom: Building More Lucrative Engagements.(Accounting Advisor)(David Ringstrom)
August 1, 2006... David Ringstrom, a CPA and president of the four-person Atlanta firm Accounting Advisor, specializes in helping clients who run into unusual problems while using low-cost accounting software like QuickBooks and Peachtree. For example,...

Vendors Recruit Accountants by the Thousands.
August 1, 2006... One measure of the importance vendors place on the accountant's role in this market is the effort that manufacturers have made to set up programs for them. Vendor-sponsored networks and programs provide resources and opportunities ranging...

Low-Cost Accounting Software Vendors.
August 1, 2006... Creative Solutions Dexter, Mich. (800) 968-8900 www.thomson.creativesolutions.com Intuit Mountain View, Calif. (888) 729-1996 www.intuit.com Microsoft Redmond, Wash. (800) MICROSOFT www.microsoft.com ...

A List of Accountant Program Benefits.
August 1, 2006... The companies competing in the low-cost accounting software market value accountants as a source of referrals for new customers. They have a number of programs that accountants can join that bring a variety of benefits. Some of these programs...

Plan of Attack: Tax planning software gives preparers a proactive stance with clients.
August 1, 2006... Many small business owner clients of the Walla Walla, Wash.-based accounting firm Thompson & Kreitzberg either live in or work in nearby Oregon, which unlike Washington, imposes a state income tax. With many of its clients commuting across...

Tax Planning: The Easy Way.
August 1, 2006... Tax planning software isn't for everybody. In fact, it's not for small clients, says Bruce Andersen, a sole proprietor based in Woodland Hills, Calif. For many preparers, a dedicated tax planning package is "real fancy and more expensive,...

Ten Tax Planning Opportunities.
August 1, 2006... Child Tax Credit. Filers can take a child tax credit of up to $1,000 per child provided the taxpayer's adjusted gross income is below certain limits. The child must be age 16 or younger at the end of the year, a US citizen, or resident alien,...

Tax Planning Software Vendors.(Directory)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... ATX/Kleinrock Rockville ,Md. (800) 285-5076 www.atxinc.com BNA Software Washington, D.C. (800) 372-1033 www.bnasoftware.com CCH Torrance, Calif. (800) 739-9998 www.prosystemfx.com Creative Solutions ...

Write-Up Heats Up: The category gets hot with more offerings and more features.
August 1, 2006... Record breaking temperatures have topped the headlines this summer-unprecedented heat waves continue to occur throughout the country, shattering century-old historical records. One surefire way to "beat the heat" is to head indoors and catch up...

The Public Sector: A Slow, Profitable Market: What are the skills necessary for serving the technology needs of governmental organizations?
August 1, 2006... For resellers, serving the public sector is a challenge that requires patience, routine follow-up, patience, flexibility, patience, dedication, and, in case, it wasn't mentioned earlier, patience, in order to succeed. There is no doubt...

Public Sector Mirrors the Private.
August 1, 2006... In some ways, public sector companies aren't all that different from their private sector counterparts. They have limited budgets and need to get results from what they do spend. And like private companies, governmental units aren't just in...

Public Sector Tips for Serving the Public Sector.
August 1, 2006... Serving the public sector undoubtedly presents challenges that greatly differ from the commercial sector. To help those resellers and consultants better serve this market, observers have provided a few quick tips. Be patient. The sales...

Public Sector Vendors.
August 1, 2006... Cougar Mountain Software Boise, Idaho (800) 390-7053 www.cougarmtn.com Diamond Municipal Solutions Edmonton, Alberta (877) 311-6522 www.diamondmunicipal.com Microsoft Dynamics Fargo, N.D. (888) 477-7877...

The Price of Everything Software: Figuring out how much to charge is a big part of the selling business.
August 1, 2006... Sage Software's Ed Kless says his company is actively encouraging resellers to implement value billing. A lot of people think that it's time to toss out billing by the hour-the time and materials approach-in software reselling and go to...

Burgum: Customers Like Different Approaches.(Doug Burgum)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Does a fixed-fee, hourly rate, or value-bill approach works best for resellers? That's not the right issue, says Doug Burgum, the senior vice president who heads Microsoft Business Solutions. There is not one approach that fits all...

Iteration2: Competing on the Upper End.
August 1, 2006... When a reseller is playing with large amounts of real money, say in engagements with hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, being able to quote an estimate takes a lot more work. "The sales process has a lot of discovery, documentation,...

New Products.(AccuFund Accounting Suite Version 3.04)(Dynamics AX 4.0)(QuickBooks Easy Estimate)
August 1, 2006... ACCUFUND VERSION 3.04 AccuFund Accounting Suite Version 3.04 has expanded reporting capabilities through the addition of a columnar report writer that enables users to get results without having to link tables together. Users select...

Epicor: Making Resellers Comfortable.(Company overview)
August 1, 2006... Epicor was once the poster child for channel conflict. It was a difficult environment for resellers thrown into competition with its direct sales force. In fact, that latter group still racks up by far the biggest part of its revenue. ...

Advertisers' Index 8/2006.
August 1, 2006... Ad Appears Advertiser on page ADP Small Business Services 5 Blackbaud 45 CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business C4 EFTPS 3...

Hamilton: Understanding the Prospect.(Genesis Resource Management Systems)(Company overview)
August 1, 2006... The systems his firm markets may be great. But that's not what sets Genesis Resource Management Systems apart, says Gregory L. Hamilton. The HR and payroll business requires "a cast-iron stomach and basic skills like selling," says...

Editor's Note.(Editorial)
August 1, 2006... This is a new topic for Special Reports. When we decided to publish a supplement dealing with integrated solutions, we went to a number of leading companies that provided the various tools or research that have been incorporated to fill the...

Help Driving Success.
August 1, 2006... Most firms today face the ongoing struggle of staff working at maximum capacity, while fighting to keep up with workload resulting from new client opportunities and the growing volume of regulations and reporting requirements. To overcome these...

Unifying Accounting Practices.
August 1, 2006... Global business consulting company Bain & Co has used the latest technology to integrate its business systems and automate processes. It means the company's decentralized financial operation is now working as one single unit saving time and...

One Click Export to Software.
August 1, 2006... The days of software programs are numbered. With the advent of online technology and electronic initiatives, accounting professionals are realizing the benefits of switching to online tools to simplify client work. However, until accounting...

To Better Serve Your Clients.
August 1, 2006... To provide the best service to their clients, accounting professionals need smart, integrated solutions. Thousands of accounting professionals nationwide count on Paychex to provide these solutions as a cost-effective extension of their...

Better Decision Making Through Integration.
August 1, 2006... Is your accounting software package truly integrated or is it merely interfacing? It is important to make this distinction. Some software packages "interface" with other software programs or modules, but users must make entries in more than...

An Integrated Solution for Small Businesses.
August 1, 2006... Microsoft has worked for the past several years to develop a new entry level accounting software product, Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 (SBA 2006), targeted at businesses with fewer than 25 employees The product is available...

It's More Than a Buzzword.(AccountantsWorld)
August 1, 2006... If you looked for a synonym for integration, you will find yourself faced with words such as addition, mixing, incorporation, combination, amalgamation, and assimilation, to name a few. You get the idea. Today, the solutions to many...

Integrated Small Business Accounting 101.
August 1, 2006... Given their varied and complex needs, it is no surprise that small businesses are turning to integrated systems to manage their overall operations. But many small businesses don't know where to begin, what features to look for or even where to...

Necessity, Not Luxury.(corporate finance management)
August 1, 2006... The role of corporate finance has evolved far beyond its bean-counting origins. Today's CFO is expected to act as strategic advisor who can validate and enable the CEO's vision. Beyond assessing strategy, finance has become pivotal for...

Leveraging Integration and Workflow.
August 1, 2006... It's common for many of today's firms to operate under a task-centric approach, which involves looking at tasks as individual units and assessing the level of effort required to complete each. Task-centric firms also lean toward...

Integrated Solution to Increase Your Firm's Productivity.
August 1, 2006... With new and more complex tax laws and stricter auditing standards and guidelines, the needs and expectations of tax and accounting professionals and firms have become more critical, both in terms of technology and productivity. As recent as a...

Providing a Necessary Bridge.(electronic data interchange)
August 1, 2006... The integration of the back-end accounting application with other business systems originated from a necessity to streamline the electronic data interchange (EDI) process. Although the majority of vendors were forced to implement EDI by...

Note From The Editor.(tax preparation )(Editorial)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A perfect tax office? Perhaps we should say perfect tax offices, because best practices in a small firm aren't necessarily the same as best practices in a large one. And best practices for one kind of return may not hold for another. There...

The Perfect Tax Office: There's more than one way to skin a tax return...
August 1, 2006... Is there any one rule that applies to tax practices of all sizes? If there is one, it may be this: Firms must be aware of what their practices are-how they do things, who does them, and in what order. "I think you have to have a single...

Technology: Past, Present, Future.
August 1, 2006... The subject of "best practices" is generally directed to quality representation of clients and ethical conduct in the preparation of tax returns- as embodied in Section 10.33 of the AICPA guidance on best practices for tax advisors. But...

Small Changes Add Up.(Bert Doerhoff's firm)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Although Bert Doerhoff's firm keeps up with technology-it has a scanner and invested in dual monitors-simple changes can make a big difference. That's because his practice is like most offices. It's not completely paperless. "The biggest...

Document Management The Easy Way?(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A document management system doesn't have to be a high priced system with all the frills. For smaller firms, it can be as simple as a scanner and a typical desktop computer, says Bruce Andersen, a sole practitioner based in Woodland Hills,...

Checkpoint(r): Innovative Technology to Enhance Your Firm's Productivity.
August 1, 2006... As recently as a decade ago, technology for tax practices was all about automating manual processes. Productivity was measured in returns per day or computations per second. The industry even hosted coast-to-coast "shootouts" to test one tax...

Seeing Double with Document Management.
August 1, 2006... The easiest way to study the impact of document management on accounting and tax firms is to count the monitors that have proliferated on their desks. From large firms to small ones, the use of dual monitors on preparers' and reviewers'...

Price Is Part of the Formula.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A smart approach to pricing is one element that leads to better results in a tax practice, says Jennifer Wilson, a partner at ConvergenceCoaching, a Bellevue, Neb.-based consulting firm that advises CPA and technology reselling and consulting...

Wilson: Getting More Out of Data Gathering.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... All firms need to gather data in order to prepare tax returns. But that process can be fine-tuned to make sure that the process itself improves overall results, says Jennifer Wilson, a partner at ConvergenceCoaching, a Bellevue, Neb.-based...