Accounting Technology articles from October 2003

Accounting Technology archives from October 2003

The bucks effect.(Editor's Note)
October 1, 2003... There were two notable exits from software reselling this year, as Moss Adams sold its EnTech Solutions unit and Hein+Associates similarly got rid of its technology reselling operations. Reports are there have been many more such divestitures...

Are regulatory changes forcing CPA firms out of the accounting software consulting and reselling business?(Street Talk: Reader Views.)
October 1, 2003... We exited the software reselling business because it made good business sense, not because of regulation. The mindset of selling software is different than the mindset of being an objective, trusted business advisor. Second, selling and...

Metzler joins AICPA.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... Jim Metzler, known for his expertise on running technology consulting businesses within CPA firms, has taken a position as vice president, small CPA firm interests, with the AICPA. Metzler left his position at Convergence Coaching, which...

Blytheco hires Raber.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... Blytheco, a Best Software reseller based in Laguna Hills, Calif., has hired David Raber, a former Best executive, as GM of its Enterprise Solutions Division. Raber served as vice president and general manager of Best Software, then known...

Microsoft studies CPAS.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... Microsoft has hired Wayne Harding, a veteran of the accounting software industry, to study the influence accountants have on buying recommendations. Harding has begun a three-month assignment. He was most recently the CEO of the American...

Zanett turns profit.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... Zanett, which owns accounting software reseller Brandywine Computer Group, turned a profit of $117,406 for its second quarter ended June 30, compared to a slight loss a year ago. The profit contrasts with a loss of almost $13,000 last year....

Accpac opens to IBM channel.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... Accpac International has reached an agreement that will allow IBM Solution Providers to qualify to sell Accpac's Advantage Series accounting software. Accpac president David Hood says that he does not expect a flood of IBM resellers to...

MYOB offers advice.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... MYOB, a Rockaway, N.J.-based company that markets accounting software, is providing free one-hour, on-site professional consultation for purchasers of the company's applications. The consulting services will be available to purchasers of...

Dss tops Accpac channel.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... Dynamic Systems International has been named as the top Accpac reseller as the company posted the highest total of Advantage Series sales among the Accpac reseller base for fiscal 2003. The Miami, Fla.-based company also was named to the...

EYT buys leadworks.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... EYT, a Chantilly, Va.-based software reseller, has acquired marketing firm Leadworks on the heels of its acquisition of reseller Information Resource Associates. Goodney Zapp, president of Leadworks' said that EYT will use her firm's...

Accountmate gets vertical.(Practice Development News)
October 1, 2003... Softline AccountMate, based in Novato, Calif., has opened a Vertical Solution Partner program, designed to encourage ISVs to provide add-on systems for AccountMate accounting software. Participants get AccountMate Database Design Guides and...

Made2Manage gets new team.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Made2Manage, which makes manufacturing software, has gotten a new management team as Battery Ventures VI, the venture capital firm that recently acquired it, began taking a more active role and privatized the company. Jeff Tognoni of...

Accpac CRM goes online.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Accpac International has made its eCRM package available as an Internet service through the launch of its Accpaccrm.com. The system has two flavors: the Enterprise version, which provides sales forces, marketing, and customer care...

Syspro opens elearning.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Syspro, a manufacturing software vendor, has opened the Syspro Learning Channel, which provides Internet-based communication services including live Web meetings, Webcasting, discussions, and e-Learning. The company, whose American offices...

Softline reorganizes.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Softline North America has reorganized its operations, consolidating its sales and marketing efforts in AccountMate's offices in Novato, Calif. Marketing for both the Business Vision and AccountMate lines have been consolidated under vice...

Best postpones show.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Best Software has postponed its Solutions Customer Conference, held for the first time last year, until the fall of 2004. The company attributes the postponement to its recent reorganization. The conference had been scheduled for October 25...

Best gets Softline bid.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Best Software was expected to win the war for Softline, which owns BusinessVision and AccountMate, after a consortium that included Exact Software withdrew its lower offer. The Softline board recommended shareholders approved the Best bid...

Pervasive buys Data Junction.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Pervasive Software, which makes database engines, has acquired Data Junction of Austin, Texas, in a cash and stock deal valued at about $51.7 million. Pervasive will pay $22.1 million in cash and 5 million shares of its stock in the deal....

Open Systems hires marketer.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Open Systems has hired Carla Alarcon, who had worked for the Shakopee, Minn.-based company for five years previously, as marketing manager. Alarcon had worked for Baan and Coda before returning to Open Systems. In her new role, she is...

Epicor buys ROI.(Accounting News)
October 1, 2003... Epicor Software has added to its manufacturing offerings with the acquisition of ROI Systems, which specializes in software for discrete manufacturing companies. Epicor paid $20.75 million in cash for ROI, whose operations have been...

Liberty's net flat.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
October 1, 2003... JHT Inc., the company that owns the Liberty Tax franchising operation, reported that net income rose 1.9 percent on a 48.2 percent increase in revenue for the year ended April 30. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The bottom line rose to $2.57...

WK financials.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
October 1, 2003... Wolters Kluwer, which owns the CCH and Aspen product lines, went into the red for the first half ended June 30 as the company was hit by a weak economy and North American results suffered from a rising euro. North American sales fell to...

Taxware name disappears.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
October 1, 2003... The Taxware name will disappear from the market as the organization merges with its sister operation Velosant, with the combined operations doing business under the Velosant name. Both Velosant and Taxware were operating companies of eOne...

Thomson adds CheckFree.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
October 1, 2003... Thomson Financial has reached an agreement to incorporate separate account data from CheckFree Investment Services into the Thomson One Advisor framework. Separate accounts are individual portfolios of securities managed by institutional...

RIA signs outsourcer.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
October 1, 2003... RIA has reached an agreement with G.K. Management Services (India), which will provide outsourced tax processing for firms that use GoSystem Tax RS. GKM provides outsourcing tax processing, using the services of CPAs and chartered...

Intuit taps execs.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
October 1, 2003... Intuit has added two new faces to its management team as it hired Tom Weigman as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, and Nick Spaeth as senior vice president and general counsel. Both report to president and CEO Steve...

Ultimate hires ibmer.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
October 1, 2003... Ultimate Software, which makes Web-based payroll and HR systems, has hired Bill Grady, who held various marketing management positions at IBM, as Ultimate's director of channel sales. Grady was most recently program director for small and...

Wolters Kluwer print dips.(Tax & Financial Planning News)
October 1, 2003... Six months ended June 30 [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Print products dropped below 50 percent of revenue for the half ended June 2003 at the Legal, Tax & Business North America unit of Wolters Kluwer. The operations include CCH and Aspen...

MBS details losses.(Financial News)
October 1, 2003... Microsoft Business Solutions lost $254 million for Microsoft's year ended June 30, up from $176 million for fiscal 2002 as the company reported that Navision operating losses, increased expenses, and acquisition-related costs contributed to the...

Pervasive results up.(Financial News)
October 1, 2003... Pervasive Software closed out the year with a 6.5 percent increase in net income on a 6.6 percent rise in sales for its fourth quarter ended June 30. The company, which markets database software used with accounting software and other...

Exact trims costs.(Financial News)
October 1, 2003... Exact Software reported net income of $16.1 million for the half ended June 30, up from $15.6 million, as the company counteracted a slight drop in revenue. The Dutch company cut expenses by 4.8 percent, including a 30.4 percent drop in...

Intuit results boom.(Financial News)
October 1, 2003... Intuit saw its bottom line grow to $343 million for the year ended July 31, up 145 percent from $140.2 million for fiscal 2002, as it said sales of its key products were strong. Last year's results included acquisition-related charges of...

Advent loss narrows.(Financial News)
October 1, 2003... Advent Software, which makes financial planning systems, saw both its losses and revenue drop for the second quarter ended June 30. The most recent loss was $9.6 million, compared to $12.1 million in red ink for last year's corresponding...

Made2Manage posts profit.(Financial News)
October 1, 2003... Made2Manage, which makes manufacturing software, posted net income of $222,000 for the half ended June 30, compared to a loss of $199,000 a year ago, shortly before the company was privatized. Acquired in August by Battery Ventures, the...

Foresight written down.(Financial News)
October 1, 2003... Part of an investment in Foresight Solutions, which makes a line of accounting software, has been written off by Maxco, a publicly held company that holds a 50 percent equity stake in Foresight. Maxco took a $2.79 million impairment charge...

Technology stars 2003.
October 1, 2003... Laimon Godel The use of technology at the Godel Group might seem to be overkill. The firm has two full-time staff members, five desktop computers, and two servers. But CPA Laimon Godel believes that use of the latest technology at the...

Accountants are finding a fast track to profitable technology consulting with BusinessVision 32.(Softline BusinessVision)
October 1, 2003... BusinessVision 32 can make accountants "Technology Stars" to their small and midsized business clients. Accounting technology consultants and market observers say this is the finest accounting/management software available for SMBs,...

CPA clients are expecting more value-added services from you, their 'trusted advisor'. Are you prepared to deliver? Softline BusinessVision can help.(Softline BusinessVision)
October 1, 2003... While many say that SMBs already have all the software they need, Softline BusinessVision chief executive Murray Aston looks beyond conventional thought and sees opportunity. "Almost everyone has software, but many have the wrong software...

Digital document security and accounting: everything you need to know.
October 1, 2003... Q: What are the most significant digital copier security issues? A: Various copier print controllers are actually servers that queue and permanently store multiple document files, providing administrator access to the documents. At a...

Show calendar.(Calendar)
October 1, 2003... NOVEMBER 2-5 Blackbaud Conference on Philanthropy. Charleston Convention Center, Charleston, S.C. www.blackbaud.com/events/bbconf.asp NOVEMBER 2-5 MIP User Conference. Hyatt Regency Austin, Austin, Texas. www.mip.com/uc2003.htm...

Tax software special focus: is the sun setting on desktop-based tax preparation?(Cover Story)
October 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 ExacTax, Orrtax, and Petz still market DOS versions of their tax packages. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

ATX: Total Integrated Office makes it easier to manage tax, accounting, and engagement services.
October 1, 2003... Last year, ATX combined its Max tax prep package with a product from a sister company, the Kleinrock TaxExpert research service, to offer the Total Tax Office. This year, the company has moved on to bigger and better things, with the...

CCH: the company is planning a major push for its hosted Global fx initiative.
October 1, 2003... CCH is tightening the integration within its ProSystem fx Office via a major initiative, linking ProSystem fx Tax and GL Direct to give users the ability to pull trial balance data from virtually any accounting system or third-party trial...

CPASoftware: the vendor is strengthening the links between its tax and practice management software.
October 1, 2003... Under the Best Software umbrella, CPASoftware is working to integrate the elements of its Visual Suite to attract more users to its Visual Tax tax preparation system this season. "We're finding more professionals are looking for one...

Creative Solutions: users can now open a document stored in FileCabinet Solution directly from UltraTax.
October 1, 2003... With the July purchase of Tax Relief from AccountantsWorld, Creative Solutions is anticipating a sizable expansion of its customer rolls. CSI has already diselosed it will retire Tax Relief, and transition the installed base for that package to...

Drake software: taxpayers who visit www.1040.com can locate the address of a Drake practitioner.
October 1, 2003... Drake prides itself on a different approach to e-filing, according to marketing director Mike Wooten. For one thing, that means, "we direct all of our online filings to a Drake preparer," he says. Taxpayers who visit www.1040.com, a Drake...

ExacTax: the vendor's new 32-bit Windows package will feature automatic W-2 calculation.
October 1, 2003... This past season, ExacTax launched a 32-bit Windows versions of Package EX. Clients were "very happy" with its performance, according to general manager Camilo Perez. Still, the company is going full-tilt with further enhancements. These...

Intuit ProSeries: users can set up their Tax Year 2003 products using their customized settings from the previous year.
October 1, 2003... Intuit is looking to provide its ProSeries installed base with more help this tax season--literally. Topping the list of new features for the ProSeries line is an enhanced Help tool that in response to a keyed-in question, will search all the...

Lacerte software: a new 1040 Tax Analyzer will help preparers identify any returns that are impacted by changing regulations.
October 1, 2003... Eager to shepherd its customers towards a paperless office environment, Lacerte is launching a Document Management System this season. Priced at $300, it will integrate with the vendor's Tax programs and Tax Planner. "This tool will help...

Laser Systems: the company is moving ahead with its Paperless Office initiative by facilitating the use of PDF files.
October 1, 2003... Laser Systems is on a mission. "We want to give clients the ultimate support experience," says sales and marketing vice president Lyle Petersen. To reach that goal, the vendor has set up a new Customer Relations Management division under...

Nelco/Greatland: practitioners will now be able to save tax returns as PDF files.
October 1, 2003... Following its debut last season, Great Tax is revving up for another busy year. Responding to user requests, Nelco is introducing an add-on Tax Planner module for $195. Incorporating the latest tax law revisions, the planner allows a user to...

Orrtax Software: this year, the company will be providing a DOS package in a Windows frame.
October 1, 2003... IntelliTax for DOS has been rebranded as IntelliTax Classic, but product management director Stuart Lisk emphasizes that Orrtax remains firmly committed to serving its DOS installed base. "IntelliTax Classic is the same character-based...

Petz Enterprises: hosted tax prep can give large EROs a better handle on their far-flung operations.
October 1, 2003... Following a beta test this past tax season, Petz is preparing a major rollout for its Web-based VTax, a hosted 1040 service. "This is a subset of our professional [CrossLink] product, but we're going after guys who have a lot of offices,"...

RIA: more than 1.2 million returns will be processed in GoSystem Tax Remote Server this year.
October 1, 2003... RIA is promoting tax prep outsourcing in a big way. Through alliances with Outsource Partners International and SurePrep, RIA is giving its GoSystems users the option of routing their tax prep work to processing centers in India. Benefits to...

TaxSimple: the company will be cutting its e-filing prices in order to promote wider customer usage.
October 1, 2003... To lure customers into exploring the benefits of online tax preparation, TaxSimple this season will be providing such a service at a hefty price break. Browser-based access to all federal and state individual forms, along with 17 e-filing...

TaxWise: users are welcoming the availability of write-up/tax prep integration through an alliance with PC Software.
October 1, 2003... Partnering, both with other vendors and its installed base, is the growth vehicle of choice for TaxWise. The company (Universal Tax Systems) has teamed up with Sarasota, Fla.-based PC Software Accounting to provide tight integration between...

Trial balance software: the road to paperless leads through these packages.(Trial Balance Review)
October 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...

Gainskeeper Pro.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... CCH's Gainskeeper Pro combines the portfolio tracking features of GainsKeeper with the ProSystem fx Office suite to provide integration with ProSystem fx Tax, Planning, Site Builder, and Tax Notebook. Professionals can create and maintain...

OpenAir Pocket PC.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... OpenAir for the Pocket PC enables users to log time, expense, and project data on their Pocket PCs and upload it immediately into their Web-based OpenAir accounts. Expense envelopes, receipts, and timesheets can be created, while users can...

NetERP.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... With NetERP, companies can configure personalized Web site portals to service business customers, providing customer-specific price levels and terms-based purchasing. Catalog item availability is based on inventory status at the moment of...

Navision 3.70.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... Navision 3.70 separates the Warehouse Management System into four modules: warehouse receipt, warehouse shipment, pick, and put-away. Customers can pay for only the elements they choose, and scale up as needed. In addition, two...

DocuLex WebSearch.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... DocuLex WebSearch, an electronic document search, retrieval viewing, printing and emailing component, is part of the document scanning, content indexing, and PDF format conversion program DocuLex PDF. Capture. WebSearch can retrieve...

Financial Edge.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... The Financial Edge Accounts Receivable module handles multiparty billing to secure full payment for services, with the ability to bill a third party for a portion or all of a client's charges and services rendered. The system can automatically...

SuperForm Sales Tax.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... SuperForm Sales Tax Rates/Forms helps users compute the correct tax liability for thousands of taxing jurisdictions via tools that provide rate lookup by state, county, city, or Zip code, and for combined rates as well as state and local rates....

UA 7.0.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... Users of UA Business Software Version 7.0 can review, edit, or delete information in A/P or A/R batches before invoices or vouchers are posted, and real batching can be viewed by G/L segmentation. The system also provides new aging methods,...

iKE Office.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... iKE Office Starter Edition imports client lists from other programs, such as an address book in Outlook, to provide a Client Digital File where all information related to that client is securely stored. The Client Digital Folder is designed to...

Deltek Vision 2.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... Deltek Vision 2, Web-based accounting for professional services firms, strengthens security settings while adding reporting options and more flexible revenue forecasting tools. A new payroll module includes features to help professional...

Builder Information Systems.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... The Builder Information System (BIS), construction accounting and job costing software, automatically updates an entire set of books and reports when new information is entered. When transactions are edited, changed, or deleted, BIS...

Accountants Desk Reference.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... The 2004 edition of the Accountant's Desk Reference & Calendar from Warren, Gorham & Lamont helps firms keep track of appointments through weekly and monthly calendars that are pre-printed with Federal tax deadlines. There is also concise...

MIP Fund Accounting.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... The Executive View, a reports-only license option for Version 5 of the MIP Fund Accounting product line, gives select employees direct viewing access to financial reporting, graphs, and real-time data, but preserves transaction-access security....

Unpaid consulting.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... Sales personnel are told how to avoid serving as an unpaid consultant in Jeff Thull's book "Mastering the Complex Sale: How to Compete and Win When the Stakes are High!" The book advocates a system called Diagnostic Business Development...

DacEasy V. 13.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... PurchaseRs of Version 13 of DacEasy can maintain their check registers online via accessing bank balance information, including activity from the Order Entry and Point of Sale modules so that accounts can be reconciled without waiting for the...

MasterBuilder 2004.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... Master Builder 2004 can schedule reports to run automatically and be delivered regularly via email or fax to vendors, subcontractors, clients, and coworkers. The new Project Work Center let users see high-level job information and track...

Pro Series 7.2.(New Products)
October 1, 2003... The Accpac Pro Series 7.2 now supports multiple value-added taxes by allowing uses to assign multiple tax codes to a single line item. This enables version 7.2 to be customized for countries that have specialized line item tax requirements. ...

Icode: entering the mid-market.(Channels)
October 1, 2003... This is the Year of the Partner at Icode. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Chantilly, Va.-based software company realized its direct model wasn't working--it needed local partners to represent its ERP solution for the SMB market. ...

David Kupferman: making payroll easy.(Accounting Technologist)
October 1, 2003... David Kupferman feels payroll is a "nitpicky" area, but finds he has to address it with almost every client. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "We, as CPAs, already have enough deadlines, and for us to supervise our staffs, it almost always ends...

Natural progressions.(From the Editor)
October 1, 2003... Tax preparers have a greater opportunity than ever to leverage their skills in that discipline and go into financial planning. That's the topic of this edition of Accounting Today Marketplace. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Financial planning...

Opportunities in chaos: starting an advisory practice in a bear market.(Starting a Practice)
October 1, 2003... The huge initial rush into financial planning may be over, but it still remains an attractive niche for tax and accounting practitioners. Despite turmoil in the public markets, tax and accounting practitioners continue to enter the...

Outside neutrals at the IRS: service to use independent arbitrators in disputes.(Tax Shelters)
October 1, 2003... To help with the thorny issue of tax shelter disputes, the IRS is getting independent outside help for the first time. In opting to use arbitrators to resolve contingent liability tax shelter disputes, the Internal Revenue Service is for...

Battle over S corps: the AICPA and the Treasury spar over S corp limits.(Tax Code Reform)
October 1, 2003... Can Congress offer help to S corporations without ruining the simplicity that made the form attractive in the first place? WASHINGTON -- Representatives of the American Institute of CPAs crossed swords with Bush administration officials...

24/7/365: preparers continue evolving to year-round planning.(Year-Round Planning)
October 1, 2003... Looking for something to do in the three quarters of the year that aren't tax season? Financial planning might be just right. Today's tax preparers are continuing to expand their role as year-round financial planners and advisors despite...

"How an amazingly simple, accidental secret allows you to instantly triple your tax business in 30 days, take a vacation during the middle of tax season and drive your competition absolutely crazy by living your 'no-stress-making-big-money' lifestyle!".(Advertisement)
October 1, 2003... When I started out, we literally had to turn people away, telling them to come back tomorrow cause our office was so packed with wall to wall people--you couldn't breathe!... today we are able to handle the growth, expanding into 20 locations,...

Creative Solutions Practice[TM] (CSP).(Practice Management)
October 1, 2003... Creative Solutions Practice[TM] (CSP)--a fully integrated suite of practice management products to help you manage your firm with optimum efficiency. Flexible and powerful data analysis capabilities enable you to capture and invoice all...

1040 Review.(Tax Planning and Review)
October 1, 2003... 1040 Review works alongside your tax prep software to identify numerous tax planning ideas and compliance issues based on the return. Compare your client's deductions to national averages for their business code and income. Automatically...