Accounting Technology articles from December 2003

Accounting Technology archives from December 2003

Radio Shack, CPAs, and CITPs.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... Many years ago, the company now known as Radio Shack, then known as Tandy Corp., sold business computers, not the low-end models remembered by some as Trash-80s, but a fully IBM compatible desktop, the Tandy 1000. There was a problem....

Off the shelf.
December 1, 2003... Everybody talks about the move from retail accounting software packages to mid-range or mid-market applications. But what signals tell users that it's time to move? Senior editor Richard McCausland gives the diagnosis in "Shifting Gears,"...

Street talk: reader views.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... What is the role, if any, of accountants in installing Customer Relationship Management systems? Can they be effective consultants in re-engineering and workflow? There is definitely a role for accountants in the CRM implementation...

Alpern Rosenthal sells tech group.(Practice Development News)(Alpern Rosenthal has sold its technology group to Red Square Systems)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Alpern Rosenthal has sold its technology group, which markets Accpac's Advantage software, to Red Square Systems. Four consultants from Alpern joined Red Square, which has annual revenue of about $4 million to $5 million, says president Ian...

Reinsel drops Solomon biz.(Practice Development News)(Intellitec, a reseller based in Wilmington, Del., has acquired the Solomon consulting division of Reinsel & Co.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Intellitec, a reseller based in Wilmington, Del., has acquired the Solomon consulting division of Reinsel & Co., a CPA firm based in Reading, Pa. Reinsel had about 50 accounts and had previously worked with Intellitec, which provides...

CG tops best's channel.(Practice Development News)(Clifton Gunderson Technology Solutions)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Clifton Gunderson Technology Solutions has been named the top reseller for Best Software, based on its total sales volume with Best's applications. The award covers the year ended September 30 and applies to all of Best's accounting...

Templeton offers CPA APP.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Templeton & Company, a South Florida consulting and accounting firm, is launching CRM for Professionals, a package designed to provide Customer Relationship Management to CPA firms. The system, which integrates with Microsoft CRM, also...

Intuit adds program.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Intuit has launched a new Intuit Master Builder Authorized Associate Program to involve accountants and business consultants in the company's construction channel. Members pay $295 per company to join and receive a current version of the...

AccTrak21 inks Plante Moran.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Offshore vendor AccTrak21 signed its first U.S. reseller by enlisting Plante Moran, the nation's eleventh largest accounting firm, in its infant channel program. The deal is also a first for the accounting firm, which has not previously...

VCS fund Tectura.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Tectura, a Microsoft reseller based in Tempe, Ariz., has received $12 million in private equity funding from Pequot Ventures, which will be used to accelerate the company's national expansion. In the last 18 months, Tectura, which has...

Epicor revamps team.(Practice Development News)
December 1, 2003... Epicor has replaced two executives involved with its channel program. Bill Borg, vice president and general manager of Epicor's Enterprise Solutions Group, and Jeff Gariepy, director of channel sales for the group, have left the company....

AICPA keeps CITP.(Practice Development News)
December 1, 2003... The Council of the American Institute of CPAs has agreed to keep the Certified Information Technology Professional credential and two other specialty credential programs alive. There are about 500 holders of the CITP credential. Susan...

Sage's earnings boom.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Profits for Sage in the United States, largely the results for Best Software, rose to $51.7 million for the half ended March 31, up 30 percent from $39.7 million in the year-ago half. Those improved earnings came on a 7.5 percent increase...

SBM dead?(Accounting News)(Microsoft's Small Business Manager software)
December 1, 2003... Microsoft appears to have abandoned much of its previously aggressive effort to reach the small business market with its Microsoft Small Business Manager software. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Division president Doug Burgum told attendees at...

Icode gets capital.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Icode, an accounting software vendor based in Chantilly, Va., has received $8 million in Series C venture funding. The money will be used to expand sales and marketing operations. The round of funding was led by Sierra Venture Partners,...

CRM exec joins Blackbaud.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Blackbaud, which makes not-for-profit accounting and fundraising software, has hired Brad Braddock, a veteran of the Customer Relationship Management business, as vice president of marketing. Braddock was previously an executive at two CRM...

Navision boosts MBS.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Revenue from sales of Navision Software contributed the greater part of the increase in revenue for Microsoft Business Solutions for its first quarter ended September 30. Revenue for the division rose to $128 million, up 21 percent from...

Businessvision goes a la carte.(Accounting News)(Softline North America has launched a subscription-based program for its Business Vision 32 software that will let end users pay on a monthly basis)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Softline North America has launched a subscription-based program for its Business Vision 32 software that will let end users pay on a monthly basis. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Murray Aston, president of Softline North America, expects the...

Epicor chooses Linux.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Epicor Software has announced that its Vantage and Vista manufacturing systems will now support the Linux operating system, the first time the Irvine, Calif.-based company has products available for that platform. Linux is available for...

Sage's U.S. earnings rise.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Sage's operating results improved as earnings grew by 30 percent for the first half ended March 31, out-stripping the 7.5% increase in revenue for its Best Software business. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Sage's U.S. Earnings Rise ...

Orrtax signs Choice.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Orrtax Software Solutions; Choice Technologies)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Orrtax Software Solutions will market the People's Choice Premier Accounting System to its customers under an agreement reached with Choice Technologies. It's the second alliance with a tax software vendor by Choice, which is based in...

TCI supports Vertex clients.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Tax Compliance, a San Diego-based company, has reached an agreement with Vertex to provide its Property Tax Management System to Vertex customers.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Tax Compliance, a San Diego-based company, has reached an agreement with Vertex to provide its Property Tax Management System to Vertex customers. The deal follows Vertex's decision to discontinue the Vertex Property Tax software line....

RIA names director.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
December 1, 2003... RIA has appointed Jim Siedel as director of Federal Tax, Specialty, WG&L Journals, and Tax Alerts, replacing Bob Rywick, who has retired after 24 years with the company. Siedel is responsible for all RIA-brand federal and specialty tax...

CSI hosts office.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
December 1, 2003... Creative Solutions is offering Microsoft Office 2003 on a subscription basis through CSI's Virtual Office, the hosted version of its applications. "Our plan is to offer most of the products that accountants use through Virtual Office,"...

Advent narrows loss.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
December 1, 2003... Advent Software lost $5.4 million for the third quarter ended September 30, down from a loss of $8.3 million in last year's corresponding quarter, as revenue fell slightly. Revenue for the recently ended quarter was $34.5 million, down 1.7...

Unger expands.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
December 1, 2003... Unger Software, which makes the Methuselah financial planning line, has expanded its training and development group with the hiring of Owen Holt as manager of training and development. Holt was formerly training and product manager with...

Profiles intros Matrix.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
December 1, 2003... Financial Profiles has introduced Profiles+ Matrix, which provides data consolidation features with a synchronization interface. Matrix lets advisors acquire, consolidate, and synchronize financial data from multiple sources, including...

CPA2Biz narrows loss.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
December 1, 2003... CPA2Biz, the AICPA's product distribution arm, reported that it narrowed its operating loss to $3.2 million for the year ended July 31, down from $33.8 million. The operation expects a break-even cash flow for the current year on revenue...

Taxact adds Lasser.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
December 1, 2003... Second Story Software has added the J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax Guide into the TaxAct 2003 Deluxe Preview tax preparation software. The Lasser guide is provided in a partnership with John Wiley & Sons. The Deluxe version is scheduled for...

Intuit reveals exec pay.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
December 1, 2003... Intuit's proxy for fiscal 2003 shows the pay for its top executives. Bennett's compensation does not include just under $18 million of restricted stock units, which do not begin vesting for three years. Intuit Reveals Exec Pay Steve...

Shifting gears: small firms are pushing the limits. How CPAs can get their SoHos up to speed.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2003... The wall magnets should have been a tip-off. Unwilling to use the inventory functions in QuickBooks because he thought their descriptive capacity (item name, code, and price) was too limited, Dan Hurwitz resorted to shifting magnets across a...

An offshore thing: firms are looking to outsource other functions beyond tax.
December 1, 2003... Imagine this scenario: It's late in the tax season and returns are piling up. However, in just three weeks, 120 individual returns can be completed. How? By outsourcing. This is exactly what the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based firm of NSBM...

Holding NFPs accountable: rules heighten the need for specialized software.(Nonprofit Software)
December 1, 2003... As the stream of funds available to nonprofit organizations starts to slow, the importance of accounting for expenditures has never been greater, and restrictions on expenditures and stricter accountability for surpluses or deficits are more...

Getting into the act: software developers lighten the load for practitioners grappling with the latest tax code changes.
December 1, 2003... Whether they know it or not, "CPAs are always tax planning," contends Henry (Chip) Lafler, senior partner with Lafler, Moore & Webb in Roseville, Calif. Whether they formally identify tax planning as a discrete practice area or informally...

Give me a Wi-Fi: freedom from cables gives firms flexibility.
December 1, 2003... Becoming chairman of the American Institute of CPAs brought great honor and responsibility to Scott Voynich. It also brought a great commitment to travel--75 percent of his time is on the road, while trying to maintain his duties as the...

BNA Fixed Assets.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... BNA Fixed Assets Desktop Small Business Edition simplifies tasks such as asset entry, depreciation, management, and reporting, and keeps current with tax law changes. It includes automatic calculations of GAAP, federal tax, AMT, ACE, E&P,...

NetSuite 9.0.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... The built-in, customizable dashboards in NetSuite 9.0 allow information portlets to be dragged and dropped anywhere on the dashboard. Also, a Key Performance Indicators portlet brings business activity monitoring front and center by...

Capture Lite Version 6.2.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... PDF.Capture Lite Version 6.2, a document scanning, indexing Tiff/PDF file import/export and conversion software package, has added color recognition, zonal OCR capability, and two-dimensional barcode creation. Version 6.2 includes a twain...

MAS 500 Version 6.3.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... MAS 500 Version 6.3 covers all areas of business management, including accounting, budgeting, distribution, manufacturing, project accounting, HR/payroll, and enterprise reporting. Business Intelligence tools, such as Business Insights...

InterAction 5.1.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... InterAction 5.1 incorporates data change management functionality directly into the synchronization process of personal information managers and Personal Digital Assistants. PIM/PDA synchronization helps in populating the CRM database....

Profiles+ Professional 7.0.(New Products)(Financial Profiles )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The enhanced Tax Sensitive option in Profiles+ Professional 7.0 helps project future cash flows, and adds functionality for entering and analyzing stock option data, updated college savings plans, and optional Monte Carlo Simulation and updated...

Business Plan Pro.(New Products)(Palo Alto Software)
December 1, 2003... Business Plan Pro and Premier 2004 lets users create a plan in Business Plan Pro, export it to MS Word (2000 or newer) for additional editing, and, at any point, import it back into Business Plan Pro. It provides users with a toolbar shortcut...

EDI Maestro.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... EDI Maestro generates sales orders with two-digit customer-specific prefixes, uses the imported price or the customer's price code, creates an import log with detailed error messages, and has an import program that can do automatic imports by...

Red Wing Payroll 8.0.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... Red Wing Payroll 8.0's Enter Support, Call option launches a Web page that allows a user to enter a subject or question. The process logs a support call for response via e-mail or telephone during business hours. The Vacation/Sick Leave...

Sales Access Module.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... The Sales Access Module (SAM) extends the capability of QuickBooks by allowing users Web access to their existing QuickBooks data, without requiring a server external to their business. The Remote Journal Entry allows CPAs, accountants and...

SmartRelate.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... SmartRelate links together documents in every topic area in every state of the State Tax Reporters on the CCH Internet Tax Research NetWork. Each state tax document contains linking buttons to execute detailed research with a state and between...

Checkpoint 6.0.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... Create-a-Chart, one of the new productivity tools in Checkpoint 6.0, allows users to build state tax scenario comparisons with links to primary source material and RIA editorial analysis. It provides customized tax information, based on the...

Millennium Practice Green 2003.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... Millennium Practice Green combines QuickBooks general accounting with Commercial Logic's practice management with all clients, project, staff, and items managed by QuickBooks and brought into MPGreen for use in CLI's TrakTime. Time...

Take Charge.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... Take Charge, an interactive CD-ROM-based program from Open Systems through a partnership with Marlatt Crash CourseWare, teaches accounting principles and concepts. TakeChare includes an introduction to financial statements, as well as...

Tabs3 Version 11.(New Products)
December 1, 2003... Tabs3 Version 11 has easier-to-use entry forms than previous versions and stores more detailed information. Several forms, including fees, costs, invoices, and journal entries, have been streamlined. Users can choose to hide fields, such as...

Accpac's VAR program: a work in progress.(Channels)
December 1, 2003... With the ongoing addition of products in areas as diverse as CRM, HR, and warehouse management, Accpac International continues to simultaneously evolve its Solution Provider Program to accommodate this broadening portfolio. "Our goal is to...

Jeff Rudolph: a team player.(Accounting Technologist)
December 1, 2003... Jeff Rudolph has the best of two worlds. An alumnus of AT&T Bell Labs, he opted to strike out on his own, and founded ICS Advantage in 1990. Eight years later, ICS was purchased by Sikich Group, which--lucky for Rudolph--makes a habit of...

Editor's note.
December 1, 2003... Welcome to Year in Review, a publication from Accountants Media Group. A compilation that draws from the best reviews published by Accounting Today and Accounting Technology. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These reviews examine software tools...

Year in review product index.
December 1, 2003... Tax Software Recap ATX (Saber, Max) CCH (ProSystem fx Tax) CPASoftware (Visual 1040) Creative Solutions (Ultra Tax) Drake Software (Drake Tax Software) Exactax (Package EX) Intuit (Pro Series) Lacerte...

Tax software special focus: is the sun setting on desktop-based tax preparation?(Tax Preparation)
December 1, 2003... When will the sun set on CDs as the preferred method of distribution for tax preparation software? Perhaps no time soon in a market in which Exac Tax, Orrtax, and Petz still market DOS versions of their tax packages. But it's not hard to...

The T&B reality show: these products turn hours into dollars.(Time and Billing)
December 1, 2003... The seemingly never-ending quantity of televised reality shows depict how "everyday" people react when confronted by bizarre, non-everyday situations. Some of these shows even capture (for our viewing pleasure) the daily antics of the...

Bread-and-butter write-up software: write-up software remains a key tool in producing revenue.(Write-up)
December 1, 2003... Spending time this summer evaluating and choosing the appropriate write-up software product for your firm may not be as exciting as reading the latest Harry Potter book or viewing a summer blockbuster action movie, but the impact of this...

Value on the disk and the Web: these low-cost packages offer good value for the price.(Low-end Accounting)
December 1, 2003... The more accounting software changes, the more it stays the same. Disk-based products still have the most features, but Web-based products, moving up fast in comparable features, can be used on any computer with Internet access. What...

Pay it on the Web; Internet-based payroll processing makes a chore a breeze.(Payroll)
December 1, 2003... Online payroll services are designed to overcome the major obstacles that prevent accountants from offering simple, profitable, and manageable payroll services to their clients. Unlike PC-based solutions, online payroll systems require no...

Profiting from NFP software: Nonprofit software yields another bumper crop.(Non-profit)
December 1, 2003... Each year, the nonprofit software market gets better. This year is no exception, based on this study of six of the sector's leading packages. This weathered bunch has been field-tested by hundreds of satisfied users. Each of the products...

Software for the best practices: top-notch practice management software can make a big difference.(Practice Management)
December 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...

Stick to the middle way; mid-range software offers high-end features.(Mid-range)
December 1, 2003... Despite slowdowns for most other business applications, the market for so-called mid-range accounting software is one place where sales are still running strong. There are two major reasons. The first is simply growth. Many businesses...

Trial balance software: the road to paperless leads through these packages.(Trial Balance)
December 1, 2003... The only thing more certain than death and taxes is the continuous evolution of the CPA software marketplace. The CPA software market has evolved rapidly into a survival of the fittest (and biggest). As the market has consolidated, the decision...