Accounting Technology articles from May 2002

Accounting Technology archives from May 2002

The SBM challenge. (Editor's Note).
May 1, 2002... What's the natural home for the Microsoft Great Plains Small Business Manager? It's an important question because most observers expect SBM to be a major product in the small business market. SBM is a product that Great Plains needs. It is...

Street talk: readers views.
May 1, 2002... How is Microsoft's Windows XP and Office XP being received in the market, either by users within your firm or by your customers? The stability of Windows XP has had a significant effect, both within our company and with our clients. Users...

Insyte spins out. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Insyte Business Partners, an eight-person consulting and reselling firm, has spun off from its parent, the Philadelphia-based CPA firm, Briggs Bunting & Dougherty. Insyte, which sells Solomon accounting software and Best Software's fixed...

ASD names advisory board. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Advanced Software Development has named ten of its resellers to the 2002 advisory board. ASD, which markets the UA Business Software line, picked the VARs to serve a one-year term to provide input about the company's initiatives. ...

DMS and ERG form Altara. (Practice Development News).(DMS Technology Solutions, Enterprise Resource Group)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Two Great Plains resellers, DMS Technology Solutions of Cedar Knolls, N.J., and Enterprise Resource Group of Sacramento, Calif., have form formed Altara, a company that will provide shared services to the two organizations. DMS's Helene...

Lefkowitz to host conference. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Matt Lefkowitz, who hosted a reseller conference last year that essentially urged other vendors to court Accpac VARs, is organizing a second conference for the fall. While last year's conference was called Separation 2001 and emphasized a...

Solomon VARs unite. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Three VARs that market third-party software packages for the Solomon line have formed an as yet-unnamed company to jointly promote their offerings. The three firms are Lighthouse Consulting of Atlanta, Ga., and Pasadena, Calif., SVA...

Collins leaves K2. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Carlton Collins, chief operating officer of K2 Enterprises, an influential professional education and consulting firm, has left the organization. Collins says he will spend more time with his new Web-based business...

Taylor Group cuts staff. (Practice Development News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The Taylor Group and its sister company, ManagedOps.com, both headquartered in Bedford, N.H., have confirmed that they cut staff twice last year. Thirty people were laid off in March 2001, after the company sold its Integration Manager...

Active picks Red Wing name. (Accounting News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Active IQ, a Minnetonka, Minn.-based holding company which acquired three accounting software companies last year, has adopted the name Red Wing Software for its combined accounting operations. Red Wing will be the umbrella name for...

Encore buys Mekorma APPS. (Accounting News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Encore Business Solutions, which makes not-for-profit accounting software, has acquired a number of applications from Los Angeles-based Mekorma Software Solutions. Encore, based in Winnipeg, Canada, acquired Project Profit Tracking,...

Harpst launches company. (Accounting News).(Gary Harpst, Six Disciplines)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Former Solomon president and co-founder Gary Harpst has started a new company, Six Disciplines, aimed at serving the small business market. Six Disciplines, headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, will use software based on Microsoft's .Net...

Solomon dissolved. (Accounting News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Microsoft has dissolved Solomon Software as a subsidiary and merged its operations with its Great Plains Business Solutions unit. Among concurrent personnel changes is the retirement of co-founder Verne Strong, who had remained active in...

Intuit names Hercules. (Accounting News).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... Intuit will move into the middle-market accounting software business with a product called QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, previously known under the code name "Hercules." The software will have a list price of $2,500, and is designed for...

Macola name dropped. (Accounting News).(Macola Software)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The company formerly known as Macola Software has been renamed Exact Software North America, in line with the naming of other divisions of the company's Dutch-based parent. Exact Software, which purchased Marion, Ohio-based Macola last...

Workforce buys Intellisol APPS. (Accounting News).(Intellisol Project Accounting)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Workforce ROI, a third-party developer based in Fargo, N.D., has acquired the Intellisol Project Accounting with Xpede product line, designed to work with the Great Plains line. Earlier this year, Intellisol, also based in Fargo, sold...

Intuit claims mid-market lead. (Accounting News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Intuit Claims Mid-Market Lead Oracle 40,360 Great Plains 70,526 Peachtree 151,204 Intuit 259,975 Intuit claims that it has the largest installed base in the mid-market, based on a study conducted in...

Sales tax test completed. (Tax & Financial News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A pilot project for electronic filing of sales tax payments has been completed by Taxware for the state treasurers' offices in North Carolina, Michigan, and Kansas. Under the test, the Taxware system (www.taxware.com) was used to calculate...

TF adds Financial Planning. (Tax & Financial News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Thomson Financial has added Thomson Advisor Financial Planning as a new component of the Thomson Advisor platform, incorporating technology from Financeware. The Rockville, Md.-based operations of TF has incorporated the Financeware...

Drake buys Xpress. (Tax & Financial News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Tax software vendor Drake Software, based in Charleston, S.C., has acquired a competing company, Xpress Software, based in Columbia, S.C. Terms were not disclosed. Drake will discontinue the Xpress Software tax preparation line. It will...

RIA puts supports on Web. (Tax & Financial News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... RIA has put support for its Checkpoint research service and its e-Form electronic forms application on line at http://www.support.riahome.com/research. The new Product Assistance Web site also offers support for other RIA research...

Orrtax acquired. (Tax & Financial News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Orrtax, a Bellevue, Wash-based tax software vendor, has been acquired by TRE Financial Services, a Houston based company that provides electronic filing services, and also markets the Tax View tax prep line. TRE plans to continue marketing...

CCH gets Compliance apps. (Tax & Financial News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Wolters Kluwer North America, the parent of CCH, has acquired Compliance Tools, a New York City-based software company that provides regulatory compliance surveillance software to the financial services industry CTI, which will become part...

K2 hosts discussion. (Tax & Financial News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Accountants World, based in Hauppauge, N.Y., has hired two K2 Enterprises executives to host discussion groups on the accounting and tax portal. Val Steed, the CEO of K2, will host a new tax software discussion group. An accounting...

Morningstar unbundles tools. (Tax & Financial News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Morningstar has unbundled four modules that provide functionality previously available in the Morningstar Workstation, which had been launched in August. The company is offering the a la carte plan for advisors and institutions that might...

AICPA to update seal. (E-Business News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The American Institute of CPAs, the sponsor of the WebTrust Web assurance program, was scheduled to get a new WebTrust audit, after displaying a WebTrust seal that was out of date for more than a year. Anthony Pugliese, the AICPA's vice...

Solutions 6 narrows loss. (E-Business News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Solutions 6 Holdings, a Sydney, Australia-based company that markets the CMS Open practice management line in the United States, narrowed its losses in the last half of 2001 as revenue rose by 20 percent. The loss dropped to $7.6 million...

Nelco drops tax services. (E-Business News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Nelco is dropping the income-tax filing services the company has long been known for, along with dropping support for electronic images of income tax forms. The company, owned by Greatland Corn., say it will continue to develop W-2 and...

Insynq seeks capital. (E-Business News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Insynq, a Tacoma, Wash.-based application service provider whose services include the e-Accounting Center, is trying to stave off creditors while its shareholders attempt to raise $1.8 million in a stock offering. The company received a...

States Nix CPA2Biz deal. (E-Business News).(Shared Services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... An organization representing the state CPA societies has concluded it cannot reach an agreement with CPA2Biz that will meet the states' needs. The contract with Shared Services, the corporation owned by the state societies, would have led...

Oracle seeks vars. (E-Business News).(for its' Oracle Small Business Suite)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Oracle is seeking value-added resellers to sell and implement its Oracle Small Business Suite powered by NetLedger, an online accounting suite. VARs pay a $1,500 enrollment fee and receive margins that start at 30 percent. Although the...

AICPA adds CPE features. (E-Business News).(American Institute of CPAs)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The American Institute of CPAs has adopted a learning management system for its online CPE products, a move that will provide a single point of access for all CPE products purchased through www.cpa2biz.com. The system is available for CPE...

The decision maker's view: financial executives share their experiences in acquiring accounting software. (Accounting).
May 1, 2002... When Rodger Stout moved into his job as a financial decision maker at FabTech Industries in December 2000, he found his work cut out for him in terms of trying to bring some order to the company's financial systems. FabTech, based in...

Low-cost software: disks rule! Despite the Web, disk-based software continues to dominate the low-end market. (Software Review).(Evaluation)
May 1, 2002... Even though there's been a lot of development in Web-based accounting software in the last couple years, disk-based accounting software still holds its own quite nicely. And despite all the changes in technology, it's still just accounting....

E-filing and tax bargains blossom: professional preparers, online tax prep drive the growth in electronic filing. (Tax).(and related article)
May 1, 2002... With a strong push from the IRS and clients asking to electronically file, professional accountants and tax preparers are getting on the e-file bandwagon in increasing numbers. According to the Internal Revenue Service, as of February 22,...

Editor's note.
May 1, 2002... "Everything that can be invented, has been invented." Know who said that? None other than Charles H. Duell, the Commissioner of the United States Patent Office in 1899. Did he have his finger on the pulse, or what? Look at accountants...

Information abounds. (Accountants Media Group Special Report: Accountant's Guide to the Internet).(Directory)
May 1, 2002... It is an understatement to say that accountants today are employing the use of the Internet for a wide range of matters, from research to accessing application service providers. It is extraordinarily far reaching. Most practitioners know...

CPAs and the safety net: insurors are crafting policies to protect accountants against surging cyber risks. (Practice Management).
May 1, 2002... It's the virtual office gone haywire. In a court filing in February, embattled Arthur Andersen reported it was still scrambling to identify and recover electronic documents, including e-mail, related to the months-earlier Enron collapse. ...

Act Web Access. (New Products).(from Interact Commerce)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... Act Web Access enables users to access, update, and share critical contact information via their Web browsers in real-time without the need for synchronization. Users can enter and delete contacts, add notes and histories, schedule...

Techfi Financial Office. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... An upgrade to the corporate action feature in the TechFi Financial Office automates creation of stock splits, spin-offs, acquisitions, and distributors. There is also improved fixed-income security processing and reporting with the added option...

BillQuick CE. (New Products).(from BQE Software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... BillQuick CE allows users to take advantage of BillQuick's time-entry features from PDAs that run the Windows CE operating system. The application establishes a connection with the BillQuick data file to automatically exchange time entry,...

Aries One. (New Products).(VPN/Security appliance from Celestix Networks)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... The Aries One VPN/Security appliance integrates with Check Point VPN-1/Fire-Wall-1 Small Office Next Generation software and is aimed at delivering enterprise-class Internet security to small offices. Four navigation keys provide...

TPS Version 1.5. (New Products).(from TPS Software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... TPS Version 1.5 adds remote-entry functionality and due-date tracking to the software's time and billing features. Using Multi Office, remote offices can run TPS and merge reports with those from the main office. Users can also record time...

Pension Tracker. (New Products).(from CCH)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... With Pension Tracker, subscribers can choose from a wide variety of pension news topics from plan type to plan administration. Pension Tracker delivers customized news to users via the Web or e-mail and keeps subscribers up-to-date on...

Best Enterprise Suite 6.1. (New Products).(from Best Software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... The National Accounts module, new with version 6.1 of the Best Enterprise Suite, is designed to help customers manage clients with multiple locations and facilities. The module tracks credit limits and reconciles invoicing and payments by...

Vast accounting professional. (New Products).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... The Version 2.0 upgrade of Vast includes new features for the accounts payable, inventory control, accounts receivable, order entry, and contact manager modules. Integration with the Electronic Transaction Network enables businesses to pay...

Miller GAAP Guide. (New Products).(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The Miller GAAP Guide examines everything in Level A of the GAAP hierarchy, while offering practical examples, timesaving illustrations, a disclosures index, Observation Paragraphs, Practice Pointers, and cross-referencing. The guide also...

MyBooks Professional. (New Products).(from Appgen)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... Appgen's MyBooks Professional Management, designed for small and mid-sized businesses, offers auditing capability, cross-platform support, and Web commerce functionality. MyBooks runs on the Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems. It...

PayCycle integrates. (New Products).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... PayCycle, newly available in all 50 states, now integrates with Intuit's Quicken and Microsoft Money to help small businesses and accountants maintain real-time control of their payroll data. With PayCycle's synchronization feature, Quicken...

Risk Management Toolkit. (New Products).
May 1, 2002... Risk Management: A CPA's Toolkit for a Changing Environment offers a comprehensive internal control program that can be developed through self-assessment. Firms prepare the program by completing the quality-control questionnaires and...

TrakDate 5. (New Products).(Commercial Logic's project management software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... TrakDate 5 tracks due-dates for projects, and monitors progress towards completion by means of task steps. On-screen, drill-down displays allow practitioners to review incomplete tasks and mark them when completed. TrakDate helps...

EInvoice and ePay module 2.0. (New Products).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... Fidesic has added support for Solomon IV release 4.5 with its eInvoice and ePay 2.0 modules. The modules let Great Plains partners and customers send, receive, and reconcile electronic invoices and payments, leveraging companies' investments in...

AccountantsWorld.com. (Web Directory).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... www.accountantsworld.com Join the world's largest online community of Accountants! Get tax & accounting information in seconds, read breaking industry news, generate referrals via our on the directory, create your own customized online...

ACCPAC. (Web Directory).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... www.accpaconline.com Hosting ACCPAC's industry-leading solutions-accounting, e-commerce, CRM and more, this innovative site brings enterprise level software solutions to small and medium business at an affordable price.

CaseWare International, Inc. (Web Directory).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... www.caseware.com CaseWare Working Papers.........www.caseware.com Completely automate the entire compilation, review and audit engagement. Includes a centralized document manager, drag and drop mapping, imports from major accounting...

Drake Software. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.drake-software.com Complete 1040, 1041, 1065, 1120, 1120S tax preparation software for the tax professional. Check out package options, sales and demo information.

Cougar accounting[R]. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.cougarmtn.com For 20 years Cougar Mountain has been a leading developer of award-winning accounting software that offers depth, power, and the flexibility to meet a company's growing needs. Nobody matches our price or power,...

Execusite. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.execusite.com "Enhance your firm's image with a high-quality, content-rich Website by Execusite. Provider superior service to your clients via 24/7 access to timely financial information and interactive tools, including CCH Premium...

Financial MicroSystems. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.clientledgersystem.com Financial MicroSystems, Inc, offers innovative client write-up software designed to meet the needs of CPA's and accounting professionals. Client Ledger System(TM) software easily accommodates a growing practice...

Genovation, Inc. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.genovation.com Universal keypads for notebook computers. Genovation offers a dynamic variety of numeric keypads for notebook and desktop computers. For more information call (800) 822-4333.

HJP Associates. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.hjpassociates.com Featuring professional and user friendly payroll, financial statement, 1099, and W-2 preparation software. For more information, visit our web site or call 908-354-3441.

Online Resources from Practitioners Publishing Company. (Wed Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.ppcnet.com PPCnet, home of the PPC network, allows practitioners to access 30 of PPC's most popular titles, practical guidance, and web-enabled software, delivered via the Internet. www.ppcadviser.com/demo Personal Financial...

IntelliTax by Orrtax Software. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.intellitax.com IntelliTax is the only professional tax software powered exclusively by Microsoft TaxSaverTM technology. Combined with Orrtax's proven experience in developing tax preparation and e-filing software, the IntelliTax Suite...

MicroMash. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.MicroMash.com MicroMash offers over 100 CPE courses with the ultimate flexibility and portability. Download your selection; take a course over the Internet; have a disk delivered to your door! Visit our website and preview Capital...

Micro Vision Software, Inc. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.microvisioninc.com Micro Vision offers innovative, fully integrated software solutions for the accounting professional, as well as services designed to grow your practice. Call 1-888-Relief 4 (888-735-4334) for information

Creative Solutions. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.creativesolutions.com Creative Solutions offers and inclusive line of seamlessly integrated write-up payroll, and trial balance/audit, client accounting, depreciation, tax, tax planning, and practice management software. (800)...

CrossLink Tax Software. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.petzent.com CrossLink Professional Tax Software offers user-friendly products that fully integrate Tax Preparation, Electronic Filing & Financial Services. For a FREE copy of CmssLink software, visit our web site or call (800)...

Phoenix Phive, Software Corporation. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.phoenixphive.com Everything you need for your payroll and 1099 processing: software, checks, MICR supplies and W-2 and 1099 forms. Download a free demo or call 1-877-601-1555.

The Sleeter Group. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.sleeter.com The Sleeter Group is the country's leading QuickBooks and Accounting Technology expert advisory group, focused on advising and training accounting professionals to better serve small business clients. Call 1-888-484-5484,...

Software Technology Inc. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.STIAccounting.com/act Software Technology Inc. has been at the forefront of professional services markets since 1979 with user-friendly and technologically advanced time billing (TABS III), practice management (PracticeMaster) and...

STFB Inc. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.stfb.com Web-Based and Client/Server Accounting Systems with Source Code Included for Visual Basic, Access, SQL Server, JavaScript & Morel Visit STFB Inc. at http://www.stfb.com

ProSystem fx. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.prosystemfx.com The ProSystem fx Office is an award-winning suite of integrated tax and accounting software from CCH. Visit our web site for product information, demos, free downloads, and more, or call us at 1-800-PFX-9998.

TADOnline. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.TADOnline.com TADOnline's proven Web Based Communications Management System is now available to all accountants. Start servicing online outsourced bookkeeping/accounting clients today with a FREE 30 day trial.

Be your clients' "virtual CFO" with intacct, the leader in online professional accounting. (Web Directory).
May 1, 2002... www.intacct.com Intacct, the leading online professional accounting solution, puts you at the heart of your clients' business as never before--with anytime/anywhere access, real-time financial data, live drill-down reports, and affordable,...

Great Plains SBM: filling the gap. (Channels).(Small Business Manager)
May 1, 2002... Microsoft Great Plains' Small Business Manager is the subject of more attention than most accounting products that have hit the middle market in the last two years. SBM, a lower-end version of the company s Dynamics line, is viewed as a way to...

Carol Aikins: going live. (Accounting Technologist).
May 1, 2002... Carol Aikins started her tax practice in 1987 working out of her home. Now she's one of the most popular accounting professionals on Intuit's Live Tax Advice Center. Before the tax center, Aikins, based in Anaheim, Calif., had built her 16...

Discover the better tax contact resource -- for free!
May 1, 2002... Tax Analysts has redesigned and improved The Tax Directory to better provide our subscribers with the information and resources they have requested and consider most valuable to their practices. And to prove it, we're offering you a free trial!...

CCH ZIPsales[R] Returns: CCH gives you the complete solution for sales and use tax compliance.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... CCH ZIPsales Returns is a web-based sales and use tax filing solution that automatically populates tax returns, schedules, and worksheets from your own financial data, without installing and maintaining expensive software. You can review, edit,...

From the editor.(Editorial)
May 1, 2002... In today's information economy, specialized knowledge is getting more important every day. That's provided much of the fuel to accounting firms' en masse movement into delivering niche services. This edition of Accounting Today Marketplace...

Finding success in niche services. (Carving out your Niche).
May 1, 2002... To niche or not to niche -- is that even a question? The concept of specialized or niche practices has been around for a long time. It seems, though, that CPA firms are more focused on niche services and niche marketing than ever before....

Web site guide: the tax and accounting community's internet directory. (The Accounting Today Marketplace -- Spring 2002).(Directory)
May 1, 2002... AccountantsWorld.com www.accountantsworld.com Join the world's largest online community of Accountants! Get tax & accounting information in seconds, read breaking industry news, generate referrals via our online directory, create your...

CPA firm helps add Internet capability to NASA exchange. (Carving out your Niche).
May 1, 2002... COCOA, FLA. - When one of the top vendors to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Kennedy Space Center in central Florida needed help in using the Internet to conduct business, it didn't ask NASA, one of the world's leading...

Terrorism makes nonprofits tech savvy. (Carving out your Niche).
May 1, 2002... CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Terrorist activity combined with a still-recovering economy are forcing nonprofit organizations to reconsider their business processes in ways that may create consulting opportunity for accountants specializing in this...

ProSystem fx Audit CCH incorporated. (Audit & Trial Balance).
May 1, 2002... Reader Service No. 120 Our powerful trial balance system can play an essential role in helping you provide better client service while controlling your engagement costs. ProSystem fx Audit will streamline your reviews, compilations,...