Accounting Technology articles from June 2004

Accounting Technology archives from June 2004

The eBay effect.(Editor's Note)
June 1, 2004... At a service auction held by a nonprofit group in North Jersey, one of the organization's members offered to teach participants how to bid on eBay. The session sold out. He offered another, which also promptly sold out. [ILLUSTRATION...

How does your business compare to a year ago? What factors are driving changes for the better?(Street Talk: Reader Views)(Panel Discussion)
June 1, 2004... Actual dollars are up as well as expectations. All through 2002 and the first half of 2003, most of our clients were sticking with older PCs, older operating systems, and older versions of applications. However, since then, we've seen a...

Masterbuilder drops direct sales.(Practice Development News)(construction industry software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Intuit has dropped its direct sales effort with MasterBuilder to concentrate on selling its construction software through regional resellers. The company will use resellers in 25 protected areas of the United States, noted James Gregg,...

Centerprise taps Camden.(Practice Development News)(appointments)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Centerprise Advisors quickly added Matt Camden, who had just left his job as chief technology officer at Clifton Gunderson Technology Solutions, for its newly created position of chief information officer. Camden, who was unemployed for a...

Exact honors CPA firm.(Practice Development News)(certified public accountant)(resellers Mayer Shanzer & Mayer, Algorithm, and Xonitek Software honored)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Mayer, Shanzer & Mayer, a CPA firm based in Conshohocken, Pa., was named Growth Partner of the Year, while Algorithm took the top sales award, as Exact Software handed out awards to its resellers at the company's Epic 2004 VAR conference. ...

MBS execs resign.(Practice Development News)(Microsoft Business Solutions)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Jodi Uecker-Rust has resigned her post, ending a 20-year career in which she was a corporate vice president for Microsoft Business Solutions, and chief operating officer for its predecessor, Great Plains Software. MBS said Uecker-Rust's...

NetSuite raises margins.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... NetSuite, the online application provider, has replaced a margin system that previously featured a flat 30-percent discount with a tiered system in which margins for resellers range from 30 to 50 percent. The San Mateo, Calif.-based company...

ATX plans Cash Command.(Practice Development News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... ATX, the Caribou, Maine-based tax software company, is planning to market a checkbook/accounting package called Cash Command, which was developed by AccTrak21. "The primary purpose is to provide a simplified product for small...

Interface buys Scout.(Practice Development News)(Scout Solutions, which markets the Aptus CRM system)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Interface Software, based in Oak Brook, Ill., has purchased the assets of Scout Solutions, which markets the Aptus CRM system. Interface, which markets the Interaction CRM line for accounting firms, says that Scout's president and founder,...

MBS realigns channel.(Accounting News)(MIcrosoft Business Solutions)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Microsoft has placed its Classic and accounting VARs under a single reseller agreement that the company says will reduce costs and simplify doing business with Microsoft. MBS VARS will see their annual fees of $3,000 to $5,000 annually...

MBS slows down.(Accounting News)(Microsoft Business Solutions)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Microsoft Business Solutions, which had 40 percent revenue growth for its December quarter, dropped to 4 percent growth for the March reporting period, with the company predicting little growth in the current quarter. MBS had revenue of...

Exact sales up.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Sales for Exact Software North America rose to $57 million for 2003, up 9 percent from a year ago, although the weak dollar turned the numbers into a drop in revenue for the company's Dutch parent, which reports in euros. That total...

Datafaction spun out.(Accounting News)(Sage spinoffs Datafaction)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Sage, on the heels of its acquisition of Softline, has spun off Datafaction to Brian Kleinman, who founded the Los Angeles-based specialty accounting software business. Terms of the sale to Kleinman were not disclosed. Softline acquired...

Sage hits double digits.(Accounting News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Sage posted revenue for its first half ended March 31 that was 23 percent higher than a year ago, while Best Software, its American subsidiary, grew sales by 21 percent North American operating margins slipped to 23 percent, down from 24...

Thomson buys ExacTax.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Thomson and Thomson Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Thomson removed another product from the dwindling tax software lineup as it purchased the source customer list of Anaheim, Calif.-based ExacTax, and folded the product line into Creative Solutions' UltraTax offering. It is the second CSI...

ATX works on problems.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... ATX, which markets the Max and SaberPro tax preparation lines, promises that changes it has implemented should help prevent failures, such as the outage of its email server, which disrupted operations during the recent tax season. The...

Paychex buys Stromberg.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Paychex, which bought Stromberg's Time-in-a-Box product in October, has followed up that deal by buying Lake Mary, Fla.-based Stromberg itself, with all of Stromberg's employees joining Paychex. Terms were not disclosed. Paychex said that...

Intuit readies bank package.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Intuit is developing a tax preparation package that is designed for professionals who handle more than 50 returns involving bank products. The package, yet to be named, is designed to help independent preparers compete with retail store...

Tamarac taps execs.(TAX & Financial Planning News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Tamarac, a Seattle-based company that provides portfolio management systems, has hired industry veteran Richard Thomas as its vice president in charge of business development. Thomas spent a decade with Fremont Investment Advisors, and more...

Best kills visual tax.(Tax & Financial Planning News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Best Software has decided to kill Visual Tax, the tax software line it got with the purchase of CPASoftware, and will offer its customers the chance to use ProSystem fx from rival CCH. "We have developed an alliance with one of our...

Show calendar.(Calendar)
June 1, 2004... JUNE 8-9 California Accounting & Business Show, Los Angeles Airport Hilton, Los Angeles, Calif. www.flaggmgmt.com/ca/ JUNE 10-13 Best Software Insights reseller conference. Gaylord Palms, Orlando, Fla. ...

Software that makes you smarter: users increasingly want tools that make their data easier to understand.(The Business Intelligence Factor)(Comprehensive Financial Organizer )(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... Sometimes, CPAs just can't get past the numbers. "They know financial statements, but they are scared to go deeper," says John Nix, a partner with Bates, Carter & Co., based in Gainesville, Ga. So a CPA may look at a set of financial...

Time to send the bills: billing more quickly builds profits.
June 1, 2004... While attending Convergence, the annual Microsoft Business Solutions users' conference, I took a break from the keynote and concurrent sessions to visit the exercise spa for a quick workout. During my session on the treadmill, the LED message...

Online CPE: making the grade; As accounting scandals heat up, CPAs are taking more and more Web-based courses.(certified public accountant)
June 1, 2004... For MicroMash user Randy Hultz, online CPE allows individual learning, where employees can set their own pace and are assessed at the end of the session. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hultz, a CPA and director of career development at BKD, a...

VARs--is bigger better? Consolidations in the VAR market are heating up again.(value added resellers)
June 1, 2004... If Terry Petrzelka can accomplish half of what he is hoping, the landscape of the accounting software reseller market will be significantly changed. The owner of the Tempe, Ariz.-based Tectura has already accomplished a great deal, growing his...

SOX and the IT risk factor: Sarbanes-Oxley may require every CPA to learn about technology controls.(certified public accountants)
June 1, 2004... Ron Klein, vice president in charge of claims for Camico Mutual Insurance, tersely explains why CPAs require professional liability protection: "Bad stuff happens, people get blamed." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] However, it's not nearly so...

Online Tax Advisor.(New Products)(Ernst & Young Online Tax Advisor 's Commonlt asked questions )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Subscribers to CCH's Tax Research NetWork have access to Ernst & Young's Commonly Asked Questions, part of the Ernst & Young Online Tax Advisor. Commonly Asked Questions consists of 500 memorandums answering state income and franchise tax...

Accounting live series.(New Products)(Accounting auditing for trusts provides a digital video disk for accounting)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Accounting and Auditing for Trusts and Estates DVD contains an entire one-day seminar from David Ostrove. Viewers can navigate from the table of contents down to chapters and subchapters. The program teaches accountants how to prepare...

Idea 2004.(Software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CaseWare Idea 2004, data analysis software for auditors, accountants, and financial managers, has the ability to search across multiple fields, while the Action Fields allow users to drill down across multiple files. The Idea Equation...

FRx integration.(New Products)(Microsoft Business Solutions integrates Axapta)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Microsoft Business Solutions for Analytics FRx, a financial reporting application, now integrates with MBS Axapta. Offered as an add-on module, FRx uses a dimension wizard to enable Axapta customers to take advantage of the dimensional...

InSource Express Audit Analyzer.(New Products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BNA Software and RIA are offering BNA's Corporate Tax Audit Analyzer software with RIA's InSource Express corporate tax compliance software. The Analyzer calculates federal and state corporate taxes, AMT, NOL, contributions, general...

AnyDoc Invoice.(New Products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... AnyDocInvoice allows users to scan, capture, and store all the images and data from all incoming invoices. Invoices can be scanned locally or from anywhere via the Internet, and the images are then sent into OCR for AnyDoc. Utilizing a...

AutoMate 5.(Software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... AutoMate 5 from Unisyn Software helps complete Windows automation projects by using visual tasks that users string together on their computer screens via a drag-and-drop interface. The software performs more than 100 visual actions...

Millennium 7.3.(New Products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... MIP Fundraising Millennium 7.3 incorporates CorrectGM, a gift matching service, and My Millennium, a personalized home page. CorrectGM lets users access Higher Education Publishing's database of matching gift companies from directly within...

Trade Management Tool.(New Products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... H.D. Vest and Wells Fargo Investments' Trade Management Tool, a portfolio management system, lets advisors view account, position, and transaction information for brokerage accounts held at WFI. Advisors can create portfolio models from...

ShipRush.(New Products)(Database Creations business accounting software ShipRush)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Database Creations' Business Accounting software now includes a shipping interface, used in conjunction with ShipRush from zFirm, which can be used with Business Professional Edition and Business Standard to ship domestic packages using UPS and...

InterAction CRM.(New Products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... InterAction Matters, one of three optional modules in the CRM line, consolidates information and combines it with relationship intelligence already captured about people, companies, and relationships. It also supports distribution list...

iPlan 1.1.(New Products)(a asset allocation investment planning web-based software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... iPlan 1.1, a Web-based software used for asset-allocation-based investment planning and proposal generation, builds a strategic asset allocation recommendation and implements a mix using variable annuities, mutual funds, and managed accounts....

CheckMark.(New Products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CheckMark Payroll Software has MICR encoding, which allows CheckMark users to add the ability to print MICR bank routing and account numbers, bank branch information, and company information on blank check stock using a laser printer. ...

Skills assessment tool.(New Products)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... The American Payroll Association's Knowledge Assessment Calculator, an online assessment tool, surveys and assesses the skills and knowledge of payroll professionals. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Each assessment, lasting about an hour,...

Immediatech: pushing paperless.(Channels)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... Immediatech sees reselling document management systems as a natural fit for CPA firms, and has begun tapping into the market with its GoFileRoom Business Partner Program. "Firms can easily start a new line of business and generate a...

Terry Ammons: banking on change.(Accounting Technologist)
June 1, 2004... Entrepreneurship is a Porter Keadle Moore core value, and that's well demonstrated by the cutting-edge activities of its Information Technology Assurance Services Group. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "If CPAs don't become involved in...

Staying on target.(Killer VARs)(accounting software resellers management)
June 1, 2004... Sales volume alone isn't enough to warrant the Accounting Technology Killer VAR designation. After all, this year's honor roll spans a sizable revenue chasm, from a yearly run rate of $350,000 all the way up to $7.5 million. No, a more...

Partnering for the future.(Business Computer Technologies)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... "When you understand the needs of a customer as a result of 'walking a mile in their shoes,' that comes across in your presentations," says Pat Reiser, president of Business Computer Technologies. "Customers see that they have a partner not...

Computer Control Corporation: riding high on CRM.(Killer VARs)(Customer Relationship Management)
June 1, 2004... Headquartered in a Hartford suburb, Computer Control Corporation was recently named Accpac's Partner of the Quarter in New England for the final months of 2003. What's surprising is that the two companies had linked up only last summer, and...

Emerald Consulting Partners: profiting from experience.(Killer VARs)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... Buoyed by the "Y2K madness," Emerald Consulting Group rapidly grew from two to 22 employees between its founding in 1996 and 2000. Better yet, the reseller was on an annual run rate that was approaching $5 million. Then came the dot-com bust,...

ICS Advantage: succeeding as a vendor loyalist.(Killer VARs)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... Through mergers and acquisitions, ICS Advantage has established itself as a Microsoft Business Solutions specialty house. "Obviously, Microsoft is a pretty strong horse to hitch your wagon to," comments Chris Korsgard, principal in charge of...

InfoGerencia Consulting Group: staying flexible--and busy.(Killer VARs)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... Guillermo Gurrero and his partner, Felix Reyez, have been together for 30 years. That's included a stint in the management consulting group of Ernst & Whinney, a forerunner of Ernst & Young, where they became familiar with financial control...

MKT Software Designs: thinking forward.(Killer VARs)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... Guy Hodgdon isn't one to dwell on missed opportunities or what-ifs. He even has a kind word for the protracted market softness that has flustered even the strongest resellers. "I think an economic downturn is actually good for a company,...

Productivity Management Inc.: learning to work smarter.(Killer VARs)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... Although boasting more than 400 clients nationwide, Productivity Management isn't prepared to rest on its laurels. As founder and president Brian Sittley points out, "We believe that the market is improving, but that buyers are far more...

SGS Technology Group: taking a broader view.(Killer VARs)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... Amid all the buzz about niche marketing and vertical focus, Stuart Tholen would like to make it clear that "We've done very well being a generalist." Tholen is an officer and shareholder of the Ogden, Utah-based accounting firm Schmitt,...

Templeton & Company: being a VAR--and more.(Killer VARs)(Value-Added Reseller)
June 1, 2004... It's not that Templeton & Company isn't a Value-Added Reseller. Of course it is. But it's also more--namely, a solution provider. As founder and president Steven Templeton explains, "Often the best solution only requires business process...

ACCPAC drives new business for partners; Killer (ki'-lar), adjective, 1: strikingly impressive or effective [Webster].(value-added reseller)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... It's a new world for small and midsized businesses. The global marketplace is driving millions of these businesses worldwide to spend billions of dollars on IT, all in an effort to achieve the financial transparency, global focus, and agility...

Is the future ever far away?(Editors' Note)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Take another look at the striking cover on this Special Report. It is the work of our superb art director, Justin Torrento. To me, it says it all. A father and son gazing skyward, clearly looking toward the future. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... This will be the motto of the future firm. Much has been learned during these last several years, since Enron, Global Crossing, and the demise of Arthur Andersen. The quickest thing learned is that there are huge opportunities for the CPA...

A time of change.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... If you sense something is missing from your firm, but you can't put your finger on what it is, maybe you are looking in the wrong places. If you are thinking of practical elements, like software, or an expanded client base, you may not find the...

Technology in accounting.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... New and more complex tax laws and auditing standards, changing technologies, and a slowly recovering economy have all shaped the accounting firm environment today. As a result, the needs and expectations for the professional firms are evolving...

Embracing industry and technology trends.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... The successful tax, audit, and accounting firm of the future will be made up of competitive, knowledgeable business people who run the firm like an established corporation, with an extremely strong CEO at the center providing strategic vision...

Outsourcing keeps firms competitive.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... As new technologies emerge, so do opportunities to improve client service, increase profitability, and provide a superior work environment for professionals. For instance, the software applications born of the PC revolution changed the way we...

Technology advances will drive the firm.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... The firm of the future will be best known for its interaction with its client base--an interaction that is evolving and will continue to evolve due to the pervasiveness of consumer technology, such as PDAs, web phones, and other innovations...

The tide is turning. Are you ready?(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)(certified public accountant)
June 1, 2004... Where is a major change, albeit subtle, taking place in the accounting industry? This change is separating the haves from the have-nots. It is so profound a change that if one does not adapt, you may be relegated to minimum wage status,...

Future takes shape for marketing accounting services.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... When I first entered the accounting world in 1970, marketing by CPAs was prohibited. It would take nine years until the walls started to come down and accountants began to market in earnest. My how things have changed. Having been at the...

Finally, accountants will be back in the driver's seat.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... Accountants may not realize it, but for the past few decades, they have lost control over client engagements. Payroll service bureaus have taken away the payroll business, off-the-shelf tax software has chipped away at tax prep revenues, and...

Turning point for the tax professional.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)
June 1, 2004... It is a very exciting time to be in this industry as accountants become recognized as high quality financial planners. I have seen the accountant's practice evolve in the last two decades beyond tax planning to a much deeper and broader client...

Adding payroll services.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... As consultants and software providers to payroll service bureaus, we have watched dramatic changes in the industry during the last 20 years. Of particular significance is the emergence of thousands of accountants becoming payroll service...

Professionalism to the forefront.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Client relationship management will be the cornerstone of the accounting firm of the future. With information and technology becoming more prevalent, clients will seek advice from a professional who can help interpret the massive amounts of...

Deliver what clients need.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)(client services)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The firm of the future will be creative and innovative. The most important practice management trends will be primarily fee-compensated, will offer advice on subjects that increasingly are detached from investments and products, and expand into...

Converged networks.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Today's market conditions require that accounting firms be flexible, responsive, and completely accessible to their clients, and future conditions are likely to require even more accessibility. The accounting firm of tomorrow may need fully...

Industry back to profession.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... When was the last time you heard the term "accounting profession"? Media sources, state societies, and even the AICPA refer to accounting as an industry. In the next decade, we will see the accounting "industry" become a profession once again....

CPAs outsource HR paperwork.(Special Report -- Firm of the Future)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Professional employer organizations handle payroll and much more, selling a full range of personnel administration services to small and medium-size companies. Unlike vendors specializing in one type of personnel administration, such as issuing...

CPAs and foreign outsourcing.(Certified public accountants)
June 1, 2004... One of the hottest topics in CPA circles these days is the foreign outsourcing of tax preparation services. Many CPAs were caught off guard by the emergence and rapid adoption of foreign outsourcing over the past few years. Factor in a natural...