Sage Construction Anywhere - 2.3 Release Now Available

Sage Construction Anywhere just became even more robust with the newest capabilities added to the recent 2.3 release.  In addition to performance and usability enhancements, supervisors now have a more efficient way to collect and track time through a brand-new Cost Code view within the Time service.  Project Files have also been added to the Sage Construction mobile app giving field personnel greater flexibility in accessing vital project documents on iOS, and soon Android, mobile devices.  The efficiency of employees communicating from the field increases with these new features:

Cost Code View—An Efficient New Way to Record and Track Time

The new Cost Code view within the Time service provides supervisors and time approvers several new capabilities. They can enter, review, approve, and modify submitted time for a group of employees on a single screen, without the need to switch between multiple windows. The Cost Code view expedites the time collection and approval process, freeing staff from administrative tasks and allowing them to focus on other high-priority items. Furthermore, time worked can now be filtered for viewing by specific cost codes to alert supervisors to the potential for labor overages on the job.

Sage Construction Mobile App Now Includes Project Files

The addition of Project Files to the Sage Construction mobile app makes it quick and easy for field personnel to upload and access vital project documents directly from their iOS, and soon Android, devices while at the job site. For example, a field employee can take a picture of the job site with their iPhone and immediately upload it using the intuitive Sage Construction app, giving the team at the office instant access to the latest project updates. Conversely, this on-the-spot access at the job site provides foremen and superintendents the details they need from the office to ensure the work is done correctly, the first time. To further streamline field-to-office communication, the Sage Construction app has also been enhanced with additional functionality to make dialing, emailing, or texting project contacts easy—right from the app.”

• The Payroll Time Review page includes usability enhancements that improve the review and approval process
• Time Entry Review widgets on the Home Page are improved
• Status names for time entries now better describe the current entry status
• Licensing terminology is simplified to "Basic" and "Advanced"
• The site has additional user interface improvements

 If this is a solution that would benefit your business, CPA Technology can help. Contact Fred Gaasche at (610) 862-0039.

Like It Or Not, Cloud Computing Is Here To Stay

Can you believe the Iphone was introduced in 2007 a mere 5 years ago and now it is so ingrained in our culture that our children appear as though they were born with advanced degrees in "I" skills.  Technology changes rapidly and the producers name the tune while we, as the consumers, must dance to their song.  We are the recipients of an overload of electronics and choices.  Frequently accompanying those is sheer confusion deciding over which platform or device is best.  But this is true; the Internet provides a platform for us all to communicate, regardless of what we use to access the Information Highway. 

Three points were being made above.  First, we are the consumers; how we compute is driven by what innovations and options are offered to us by the producers.  Second, businesses hoping to prosper cannot ignore change, but must embrace it.  Mobile device sales are surpassing traditional computer sales.  Last, the Internet is indeed the infrastructure by which we are all connected.  It only makes sense in this mobile society that we find the quickest, most efficient way to access our daily digital needs.  Pursuant to that, the producer’s philosophy has done a complete 180 in how they see infrastructure.  Here we go again.  It's like the mainframe revolution all over again, where things are centrally located and shared. 

The thinking is that centralized storage and applications are most cost-effectively accessed by folks all going to the Internet (a central point), as opposed to using the Internet to get to their private domains in their office.  When you take that in conjunction with the speed in which most people can connect to the Internet along with the universal tools available for accessing the internet, there is a natural convergence towards placing our computing resources there - at one central access point.  It makes some sense and there is a strong argument that there is a high ROI for companies that abandon the idea that they need everything in-house.  We can all understand it is cheaper to have one big server than lots of little ones.  I am not here to make the ROI argument.  I have one of those CPA degrees so my answer is "What do you want the number to be?"  The truth is that the producers are developing more and more applications built on this cloud concept and an increasing number of consumers need get access to corporate and personal information on-the-go. Seems like a win-win to me, but many folks out there  are uncertain if the time is right to make a leap into cyberspace with what was traditionally locked up in the computer room.

Clearly the answer is not the same for everyone and each company should evaluate their workflow, their workforce, and the costs of the various components.  There is a lot of due diligence to be done in regard to providers and the language of their contracts, not to mention the security of your data.  I and others have offered volumes of information and experience on the critical questions in considering such a leap...but the point today is that if you think change is bad, obsolescence is deadly.  Software as a service, and cloud/mobile computing are here to stay and it behooves an organization to start including discussions of how to adapt and transition from the pervasive server/client "wintel" world.  Act now because applications from backup to proprietary products are being run from external computer centers across the globe, and the Internet has become the destination, not the highway.

Go Where The Work Takes You With Sage Construction Anywhere

Purchase the Sage Construction Anywhere cloud service between now and June 28, 2012, receive your first 3 months free, and the next 6 months at half price. Call Fred at CPA Technology at (610) 862-0039.

New from Sage Construction and Real Estate, Sage Construction Anywhere will make it easy for you to execute tasks and access critical project information no matter where you are. These web-based, construction/real estate management-specific services will extend the reach of your data in Sage Timberline Office*.

Today's construction companies need to be more collaborative, using technology to connect all project team members—from subs to general contractors to owners—in one central location. With web-based, secure and timely exchange of project information, you and the Sage network of more than 40,000 customers will be able to better manage your projects, communicate between team members and vendors, and deliver information whenever and wherever it's needed—in the office, on the jobsite, or at a client's office. Call CPA Technology at (610) 862-1998 for more information.

Product Features	Benefits
Project reporting—request and delivery	Save time, improve decisions, and enhance client service with mobile access to project reporting that provides project team members with real-time access to job cost and project management information.
Connector for Sage Timberline Office (*becoming Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate)	Ensure that key financial and project information is secure both behind your firewall and in the cloud.
Powerful user management	Use role-based security access to easily control who can view project information, ensuring the right information gets to the right people.
Security and scalability	Built on Microsoft's industry-leading cloud services platform, Microsoft© Windows Azure™, Sage Construction Anywhere leverages state-of-the-art data center technology.
Project maps	Gain efficiencies with map functionality that allows access to job site addresses, directions, and related project reports.
Simple to set up, simple to use	An easy-to-use interface allows the field to be productive right away and without training. Make a seamless transition to a solution that protects your current investment and infrastructure.

Sage MAS 90 Reaches the Cloud

Keep your eye in the sky because Sage ERP MAS 90 Online is currently scheduled to be released the fourth week of November. This release will provide small businesses the ability to get up and running quickly while still getting many of the known strengths of the on-premise Sage MAS 90/200 product line. Can you use your existing customized reports or create new reports within Sage ERP MAS 90 Online? Certainly. Your customized reports are supported within the Sage ERP MAS 90 Online environment.

Included is a powerful suite of modules ranging from financial and accounting, business intelligence, reporting, and operations, to distribution and light assembly. With the benefits of the cloud, this solution is ideal for an organization with a workforce spread across multiple locations, enabling mobile flexibility, and the ability to centralize key functions like accounting and operations on a standardized back-office solution. Your Sage MAS 90 Online system and corporate data are kept secure with hosting and management in an extremely secure data center with high levels of redundancy, backup, and monitoring.

Sage MAS 90 Online enables you to get your system up and running quickly with affordable monthly payments for the system which includes backup services, access to the Knowledgebase, and basic support. Call CPA Technology at (610) 862-1998 for more details.

Sage ERP MAS 90 Online FAQ's

Is the Cloud Ready Yet? Let's Ask the Accountants

This is a guest post from Hunter Richards of Software Advice. His original post comes with a survey about accountants' impressions of the cloud. Vote here: Is the Cloud Ready Yet? Let's Ask the Accountants.

Recent interviews with accounting professionals have revealed some lingering hestitations about cloud computing. Accountants aren’t yet fully convinced, but their doubts can be answered with improved products.

“I’m a firm believer in [the cloud] - I really am,” says Carolyn Duffy, who directs business advisory services for Hein & Associates. “But if I had some special legacy system, I would have to look at the integration issue.”
Similar concerns from accounting firms should get the attention of software makers, given these firms’ history of influencing the software-purchasing decisions of their clients. The list of may initially seem troubling for the cloud, but vendors are releasing new services and products that suggest future improvements.

Customization

“If you have a secret sauce in how you want to handle some orders or how you handle your pricing, then often times the cloud might not be the best way to do that,” says Doug Wiescinski, a partner at accounting firm Plante & Moran. 
Accountants often cite customization problems as a reason to avoid the cloud, but software vendors such as NetSuite and Intacct have already gotten the message and have built customization tools. As more of these hit the market, the process could be easier in the cloud than it’s ever been for on-premises systems.

Data Integration

“Every additional outsourced app brings another set of steps to go through to create and delete accounts and a new ID and password for the employee to have to remember,” says John Neall, chief information officer of accounting firm UHY. “That may not seem like a lot. But when you multiply that by the number of apps that employees are required to run, it becomes very time consuming just to maintain operations.”

Cloud applications have typically offered limited application programming interfaces (APIs), middleware and other integration tools that are widely available for on-premises systems. But a number of new middleware offerings, such as Informatica, SnapLogic and Dell’s Boomi, are beginning to fill the void with mature APIs and other products - so integration is also becoming more convenient.

Cost

“The pricing models [of the cloud] have been inconsistent,” says David McDonald, a senior managing consultant at BKD, another accounting firm. “Usually, once you get to the five-year range, your TCO is higher for the cloud versus on-premise. And you own nothing.”
Some accounting professionals warn that cloud systems can incur a higher total cost of ownership (TCO) than on-premises alternatives, despite its ability to save money with lower up-front costs. But the on-premises approach is often not an option for smaller firms without the up-front cash for professional IT resources. The nature of smaller, recurring payments actually empowers these businesses to use software when it’s otherwise impossible.

IT Staffing

“The added benefit of a team of [in-house] IT professionals that care about the business” can be much more valuable than services from “a vendor hosting thousands of other clients,” says UHY’s Neall. 
Accountants also recommend comparing outsourced IT services with the value of a dedicated in-house team. Businesses have a love-hate relationship with IT, so they may prefer to shift that function to the software vendor; this concern is unlikely to have a major deterrence effect.
Software selection is never easy, but moving to the cloud is looking better and better. If accounting firms’ current hesitations are any indication, then the doubts about cloud computing are more vulnerable than ever.