Aries Technology Group Blog

Sage is holding their annual partner conference, Insights, in Denver, CO in May.  I am presenting a session at the conference entitled Using Google Apps for Project Management and Customer Collaboration (GEN43) on Monday, May 17th at 2:30pm.

Although this conference is only available to Sage partners, I will be conducting a webinar on this subject later in May.  Everyone is invited to attend that webinar.  We will be sending out the details (date, time and GoToWebinar invitation) via our newsletter, blog and Facebook fan page.  The webinar will include an introduction to Google Apps, how it can dramatically reduce your IT costs, how it has changed our company and why cloud-based apps are the wave of the future.

I have invited the Sage partners who have registered for this session to comment on this article to encourage the sharing of ideas, opinions and questions about Google Apps (and cloud computing in general).  My goal is to make the session a collaborative one and to make sure we cover the topics of the most interest to the group.  Here is the abstract from the Insights website:

Google Apps are a low-cost, easy-to-use and effective tool for managing projects of all sizes.  With Google Apps you can manage e-mail, documents, spreadsheets, presentations and collaborate with customers and colleagues.

So far, my proposed agenda is to cover these topics:

• What exactly are Google Apps and why should I care?
• A brief look at what’s involved in implementing Google Apps.
• How have Google Apps impacted our company?
• How have Google Apps impacted our interactions with our customers?
• How we are using Google Sites (a component of Google Apps) for project management.
• What is the future of cloud-based applications?
• How will the cloud affect our businesses and our customers’ businesses?

My intention is to make this session as interactive as possible.  The apps themselves are not complex and I am pretty sure none of us wants to go through a long demo of exactly how to create a document or a spreadsheet.  So, I am emphasizing how Google Apps in particular are changing our world.

Dialog about the project management aspects of Google Apps is also a main component of the session.  I believe that every project (no matter the size or complexity) can be managed through Google Sites using the tools from the Sage Consulting Academy.  And I will be going through real-world examples of how we are using those tools.

To date, there are 31 people signed up!  I am really looking forward to hearing from many different perspectives within the Sage community.  Partners who work with pretty much every Sage product (I think the only exceptions may be Timeberline and MasterBuilder) are attending this session.

Please let me know what you think about the proposed agenda and if there are some other topics you would like to talk about.

This past Thursday,  Sage unveiled their brand new corporate blog.   The folks at Sage chose me to become one of a select few guest writers for the blog.

My first post entitled “Why Does Work Suck?” explores an idea that has become a fundamental part of our business and personal philosophy.  That idea is a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE).  The basic concept is for businesses to eliminate fixed work schedules, required meetings and rigid vacation/sick/personal policies and to focus on achieving results.

I expect to be a regular contributor to the Sage blog with as many as one post per month aimed at educating  some two million global Sage customers and prospects about a host of business and technology topics.  Some of my upcoming topics include:

• How to reduce IT costs and stresses
• How to initiate a project within your company
• What is project management and why is it important?
• Pricing strategies
• How to choose a web designer

If there are any topics you are interested in learning more about, please feel free to make suggestions via a comment.  The topics can be specifically related to Sage and Sage products (such as MAS 90 or MAS 500) or anything related to business and technology.

The Sage blog is part of Sage’s overall social media strategy.  You can follow them on the Sage fan page on Facebook and on SageERP for Twitter.

And if you have not already checked them out, here are links to our blog feed, Facebook fan page and my Twitter page:

On February 18 I published an article (February 18 article) about Sage’s roadmap for upcoming versions and product updates in MAS 90/200.  By accessing the link below you’ll find a new roadmap published by Sage in March.  The new roadmap contains updated information specifically pertaining to the Extended Solutions that are expected to be incorporated into upcoming versions of MAS 90/200.

Extended Solutions are customizations for the MAS modules.  Previously, Sage announced they were getting out of the Extended Solutions business and would turn over support and future enhancement of the bulk of the solutions to authorized developers.  However, they are retaining 56 of what are considered the ‘most used’ solutions.  These 56 solutions will be gradually incorporated into future MAS 90/200 product updates over the next several years.

The new roadmap provides a timeline for incorporation of the Extended Solutions into the core product.  Click the link below to view the updated roadmap.

Sage MAS 90 and 200 Roadmap – March 2010

Sage MAS 90/MAS 200 Roadmap - Updated March 2010

Recent new requirements established by the five major credit card networks will most likely affect your company’s ability to accept credit cards.  These new standards are referred to as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) and were developed by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa International.  Merchants will be required to follow these new standards by July 1, 2010.

Basically, PCI-DSS is a set of requirements for enhancing payment account data security.  The requirements include security management, policies, procedures, network architecture, software design and other measures created to protect customer account data.

There are 12 requirements that fall into six categories.

1. Build and Maintain a Secure Network: Install and maintain a firewall and use unique, high-security passwords with special care to replace default passwords.
2. Protect Cardholder Data: Whenever possible, cardholder data must not be stored. You must also encrypt any data passed across public networks, including your shopping cart and web-hosting providers.
3. Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program: Use anti-virus and keep it up date. Develop and maintain secure operating systems and payment applications.
4. Implement Strong Access Control Measures: Access to cardholder data – both electronic and physical – should be on a “need-to-know” basis. Ensure those people with access have a unique ID and password. Do not share logon information.
5. Regularly Monitor and Test Networks: Track and monitor all access to networks and cardholder data. Ensure you have a regular testing schedule for security systems and processes including firewalls, patches and anti-virus.
6. Maintain an Information Security Policy: It’s critical that your organization has a resource for governing your company’s data security. Ensure you have a policy and that it’s disseminated and updated regularly.

For Sage MAS 90 and 200 customers, versions 4.30.0.18 and 4.40.0.1 are in the process of being certified.   For Sage MAS 500 customers, version 7.3 will be compliant.  In addition, Sage Payment Solutions is a Level 1 credit card service provider and currently is in full compliance.

Please click here for additional information regarding PCI-DSS compliance in MAS 90 and MAS 200.  Click here for additional information regarding PCI-DSS compliance in MAS 500.