The next release for Sage MAS 90/200 will be Sage MAS Intelligence at the end of August.  Sage MAS Intelligence (SMI) is a financial reporting replacement for FRx (which is being discontinued by Microsoft as of December 31, 2010).  SMI is an Excel-based tool that provides pre-defined financial reports, access to all MAS modules (not just GL), user-level security and consolidation of multiple companies.

In addition, the new roadmap outlines the proposed Product Updates for MAS 90/200.  Product Update 2 was released on July 14.  Future product updates are slated for September 2010, December 2010 and March 2011.  In addition, Version 4.45 is scheduled for release in October 2010.  Version 4.45 will provide Microsoft SQL Server 2008 support (new license customers only) and enhancements will be made to the payroll, sales order, purchase order and accounts receivable modules.

Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Roadmap – July 2010

Almost a year ago we completely eliminated our Exchange and Sharepoint servers.  Those two applications managed our e-mails and documents.

What replaced them?  Google Apps.  We quickly and easily moved all of our e-mail, documents, spreadsheets, images and presentations up to Google’s servers in the cloud.

My favorite part of Google Apps is a component called Google Sites.  Google Sites gives us the ability to setup a site for every project and share that site with our customers and business partners.  Sites make collaborating with the project team more effective by providing a real-time project management tool.

Let’s say that your design team and distribution center is in the Unites States and your manufacturing plant is in Mexico.  A Site could be created each time your company creates a new design.  Everyone on your project team would have the appropriate access to project scope documents, design images and the issues list.  Since these documents are maintained in real-time on the Site, management would have constant access regarding whether or not the project is staying on track.

So, how exactly does Google Apps reduce costs and stress?

Using Google Apps eliminates license fees for software such as Exchange and Sharepoint and it eliminates the need to pay IT costs to support and upgrade these applications.

There are two versions of Google Apps:  Standard and Premier.  The Standard version is free.  We elected to go with the Premier version at $50/user/year.  The Premier version provides us with additional storage space (25GB as opposed to 7.4GB) and includes spam filtering and virus scanning.

Because you are able to leverage Google’s virtual servers, you no longer have to worry about technical issues with servers at your site.  We were able to get rid of all but one server (and our goal is to get rid of it as well).  Not having to deal with servers was a huge reduction in stress for our company.

Are there downsides?  Of course.  We have experienced occasional periods of sluggish performance.  And without internet access it is a little tough to connect to the cloud.

If you are a real Excel power-user you may be disappointed in the functionality of the Google Apps spreadsheet.

However, here is the beauty of these types of Apps:  they are constantly being upgraded (sometimes daily).  The upgrades happen without any effort on your part and they are included in the annual price.

Will they eventually catch up to the functionality level of Microsoft Office?  Yes they will.  And I think they will surpass that functionality in the not too distant future.

Is your company using Google Apps?  If so, what has been your experience?

If not, why not?

In an effort to provide additional features and benefits on a more timely basis than the traditional once-a-year upgrade, Sage is releasing Product Updates on a quarterly schedule.  Each of these Product Updates will include both customer-requested features and select additions from the Extended Solutions catalog.

The modules that are enhanced in this Product Update are Accounts Payable, Bank Reconciliation and Paperless Office.  In addition a new utility is being added that will assist with identifying any data issues prior to the installation of the Product Update.

Accounts Payable:

• ACH Electronic Payments.  Reduce operating costs and lessen the risk of lost or stolen checks by paying your vendors electronically.

Bank Reconciliation:

• Automatically reconcile checks.  Use an electronic file downloaded from your financial institution to automatically mark checks as cleared.
• Positive Pay export.  As a way to combat check fraud, many financial institutions are now requiring and/or offering lower bank charges for customers who implement a Positive Pay system.  The Positive Pay Wizard generates an electronic file containing key information about your checks.  That file is transmitted to the bank for use in comparing with the physical checks that are presented for payment against your account.
• In check, deposit and adjustment entry, the comment field has been expanded to 2,048 characters.
• Tighter controls over Bank Reconciliation adjusting entries.  You can specify which users are allowed to access and make adjust balance entries.
• Enter checks, deposits and adjustments on-the-fly without leaving the Reconcile Bank screen.
• Utility to recalculate the totals of all outstanding check, deposit and adjustment entries that have not been marked as cleared.

Paperless Office:

• If you pay your vendors using the new ACH Electronic Payments for Accounts Payable, the Paperless Office module will create, electronically send and retain PDF copies of checks, extended stubs and remittance advices to your vendors.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

1. The payroll tax exemption.  The first benefit provides employers with an exemption from the employer’s 6.2 percent share of social security tax on wages paid to qualifying employees.  This benefit would be effective for wages paid from March 19, 2010 through December 31, 2010.
2. The new hire retention credit.   Businesses will also be eligible for a general business tax credit of 6.2 percent of wages paid to the qualified employee (employee must be retained for at least a year), up to a maximum credit of $1,000.

Visit the IRS website for more detailed information and check with your tax adviser on whether the new HIRE act applies to your company.

The bottom line could be that this change may radically alter the nature of 1099 filing and require businesses to issue millions of 1099 documents each year.  The two key changes are:

• 1099′s would be used to track payments not only for services but also for tangible goods.
• Businesses would be required to issue 1099′s not only to individuals and partnerships but also to corporations.  This list could include items such as a new computer purchase from Apple, airline tickets for next year’s conference, monthly office rent and phone bills.  Almost every vendor for every business would become a 1099 vendor.

The full impact of this new regulation won’t be known until the IRS issues its regulations.  That will probably happen sometime next year.  We will continue to update this blog as more details are made public.

The Cato Institute was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, and is a highly-respected non-profit public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C.  For more information, visit www.cato.org.

Although this conference is only available to Sage partners, I will be posting a recording of our recent Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) webinar to this blog. Everyone is invited to view that recording.

Becky has 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 ROWE. Our 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:

Learn why works sucks for you and your employees and how to fix it. Just ROWE! Creating a Results-Only Work Environment frees your workforce from traditional corporate shackles to focus on and deliver strong business results. Attend this session to learn how to transform your culture from one that measures contribution by the number of hours worked to one that measures performance by the business results achieved. Do you know ROWE? Attend this session to understand why the ROI for your business cannot be ignored.

Since this session is an interactive one, we are encouraging dialog about why and how ROWE is the future for all knowledge workers. We will also talk about the concept that knowledge workers are volunteers. Meaning that all of us “employ” volunteers.

In order to prepare for this session, we recommend that you read Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson. If you would like to learn more about the concept of the knowledge worker, we recommend that you read The Firm of The Future by Ron Baker. And attend Ed Kless’ Insights sessions on Wednesday, May 19th from 1:30pm to 5:30pm (GEN52)

Please let us know what your thoughts, ideas and opinions about ROWE. And if there are some other topics you would like to talk about, please feel free to let us know in the comments section.

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.

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:

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

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.