August 30, 2011

Sage Offers Sage MAS Intelligence (SMI) Web Demo’s

Posted by Amy Shaver under What's ahead for Sage and Sage Products? | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Interested in learning more about the new financial reporting tool from Sage, SMISageMASLogo?  Here is a list of free web demo’s coming up over the next few weeks.  All of them include 30 minutes of demonstration and 30 minutes of Q&A.

SMI is Sage’s recommended replacement for FRx (which has been discontinued by Microsoft).  SMI is Excel-based and can be used to generate financial statements and is capable of generating reports for other MAS 90 and MAS 200 modules such as Accounts Receivable, Inventory Management and Sales Order.  In addition, reports can be created using multiple databases (even non-Sage databases).  For example, a report which combines data from MAS 90 and Abra HRMS.

For a more in-depth look at what you need to learn to get started with SMI, check out the list of Customer Resources that Sage has made available.

 

April 1, 2011

Sage Releases MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4 Product Update 5

Posted by Amy Shaver under Technology | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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The fifth Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4 Product Update — 4.40.0.5 — is now available.  The update contains several core features and functionality enhancements in Accounts Payable, Inventory Management and Library Master.  The 2011 941 Form Update is also included in Product Update 5.

Additions include:

  • Multiple Company Aged Invoice Report:  Print your A/P Aged Invoice Report in a multi-company format and combine vendor information.  You’ll get a complete picture of your vendors across all MAS companies, helping you identify opportunities for improving the bottom line, negotiating better volume discounts or consolidating orders to save on shipping.
  • Accounts Payable Check Sorting Options.  Print checks alphabetically by vendor name, not just by vendor number.
  • Expense Distribution Tables.  Streamline the entry of invoices in A/P when you need to regularly allocate across multiple departments.
  • Security in Item Inquiry.  Four new permission settings are available to further restrict users.  These permissions apply to Item Inquiry and are Allow Access to All Item Inquiry Tabs Including Main and Quantity, Allow Access to Costing, Receipts and Vendor Information, Display Standard Cost Information and Display Vendor Information.
  • Inactive Items.  An inventory item can be designated as ‘inactive’in Inventory Management so it can no longer be purchased or sold.  If an item is marked inactive, you can process returns using RMA or a Sales Order Credit Memo, or maintain history for warranty purposes.
  • Company-Specific Background Colors.  Assign an easily identifiable background color for each company in MAS.  This helps ensure entries are made into the correct company.
  • 2011 941 Form Update.

Contact Aries Technology Group at (865) 291-0005 x721 for further information about this Product Update or to arrange a time to install the update.  Thank you!

 

February 28, 2011

Great Free Resource For Support Questions

Posted by Amy Shaver under Business Strategy, Technology | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Have you ever wondered where you can go to get answers to your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) software questions?

The folks at 90Minds (of which we are proud members) teamed together to create Ask90Minds.  A free resource for questions regarding:

  • Epicor90-minds-200
  • Sage Abra HRMS
  • Sage Accpac
  • Sage MAS 90
  • Sage MAS 200
  • Sage MAS 500
  • SageCRM
  • SAP Business One
  • Microsoft Dynamics GP
  • Microsoft Dynamics NAV
  • Open Systems
  • Traverse

Why would you use Ask90Minds instead of the software publishers’ knowledgebases?  Because you want the real answers from real technology consultants who have years of in the field experience with companies just like yours.

90Minds is a network of 27 independent technology consultants who work everyday with a variety of business management software applications.  These consultants provide assistance with advanced technical questions.

In addition to technical support questions, you will find a rich and constantly expanding library of how-to articles, common mistakes and issues encountered with new software versions.

All of these articles are written in clear, easy to understand language that is unbiased by software publishers.

Give it a try and let us know what you think.

 

February 1, 2011

Upcoming Sage MAS 90 and 200 Version Retirements

Posted by Amy Shaver under Technology, What's ahead for Sage and Sage Products? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Sage ERP MAS 90 and MAS 200 Versions 4.0, 4.05 and 4.10 will be retired as of September 30, 2011.  After September 30, product updates — including year end — and telephone support will no longer be provided by Sage.  Customers who are on a current annual maintenance plan with Sage will, however, continue to have access to the knowledgebase which contains articles about the retired versions.

MAS 2o0 SQL Version 3.74 will be supported at least until MAS 200 SQL Version 4.5 is released (scheduled for late 2011).  Sage has not determined an exact retirement date for 3.74 but they may as the release date for version 4.5 gets closer.  My opinion is that Sage will support 3.74 for a “reasonable” amount of time to give 3.74 users enough time to move to 4.5.

For more information, see the Supported Versions document published by Sage as well as the Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 Roadmap – July 2010.  Please contact us to assist with your MAS upgrade.  Helpful documents to review before upgrading are the MAS 90 Supported Platform Matrix and the MAS 200 Supported Platform Matrix.  These guides will assist in preparing your hardware and network for an upgrade.

 

January 26, 2011

Sage MAS 90 and 200 Product Updates

Posted by Amy Shaver under Technology, What's ahead for Sage and Sage Products? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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Sage has released Product Updates 3 and 4 for Version 4.4 of Sage MAS 90 and 200.  Any customers who are on a current plan with their Sage maintenance agreement are eligible to receive the update.

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 main enhancements in these two updates are to the Bank Reconciliation module.  Below are highlights of these new features:

  • Adjustments, such as bank fees and interest earned, can be entered directly into the Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry screen and posted to General Ledger.
  • Easily select Bank Reconciliation transactions to flow to General Ledger from the Check, Deposit and Adjustment Entry Screen using a column titled ‘Select for General Ledger Posting.’
  • Information added to the Comment Field in Bank Reconciliation will also flow through to General Ledger when transactions are posted.
  • A new task added to the Bank Reconciliation Main menu — Transaction Register — provides the ability to post selected transactions from Bank Reconciliation to General Ledger.
  • New security has been added to the Role Maintenance in Library Master to provide more detailed security for users in the Bank Reconciliation module.
  • New Paperless Office features have been added to Bank Reconciliation, such as the ability to email and fax registers.

In addition, Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.4 is now compatible with Microsoft Office 2010.

For a complete list of enhancements in Sage MAS 90 and 200 Product Updates 3 and 4, please see What’s New in Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 4.4 Product Updates 3 and 4.   Please feel free to give us a call if you have any questions!


 

January 25, 2011

Customer Spotlight: AccuForce Staffing Services LLC

Posted by John Shaver under Business Strategy, Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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AccuForce Staffing Services, LLC, a staffing company in Kingsport, TN has been a Sage MAS 200 user for the past few years.  Although technically a customer of Aries, the management team at AccuForce had not used our services for quite some time, preferring to perform all of the accounting setup in MAS 200 themselves.  However, in December of 2010, their new CFO, Sarah Fleenor, contacted us inquiring how they might accomplish several goals with their MAS 200 system.  Though Sarah initially contacted us simply because she was told by Sage that Aries was their “MAS reseller”, it quickly became a closer, more positive and strategic relationship as it became evident that the Aries business model would be a good fit for their company.  They understood the value of Aries’ fixed, upfront, money-back guarantee pricing approach to projects.  “I like the fixed price model and am all about planning and testing before going live,” commented Sarah about the Aries model.

AccuForce and Aries team members worked collaboratively to scope the projects, breaking them into smaller projects to fit their budget and timeline.  Our first project was to redesign the General Ledger chart of accounts.  Due to many of the accounts being set up incorrectly from the start,  financial statements were not accurate.  We provided AccuForce with a fixed, budgetable price for the project and agreed on a timeline for completion of the project to coincide with their producing year-end financial statements.

Future projects include providing ongoing technical support, a MAS 200 upgrade which will allow them to take advantage of new features such as PositivePay for Bank Reconciliation, and eliminating manual entry of payroll transactions by using MAS 200′s Visual Integrator module to automatically import those transactions.  These projects will allow AccuForce to run their business more effectively and efficiently.

“AccuForce Staffing Services, LLC is a world-class, technology-forward staffing company committed to helping individuals find the careers they desire and assisting companies find the kind of employees to make their business a success by concentrating on talent and fit.”

 

January 12, 2011

Sage Adds the Power of Microsoft SQL Server to its MAS 200 ERP Product

Posted by John Shaver under Technology, What's ahead for Sage and Sage Products? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Sage began shipping the brand new MAS 200 SQL version 4.45 this past month.  By combining the flexibility and powerful customization capabilities of the MAS 200 Business Framework with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, Sage makes it even easier for a small- to medium-sized business to operate more effectively and efficiently.

Version 4.45 is optimized for SQL Server to offer scalability, easy integration with other applications and enhanced reporting services.  It takes advantage of SQL Server capabilities such as job scheduling, database maintenance plans and faster searches.  Integrations with other applications take place at the application level using Business Objects to ensure successful upgrades to new versions.

The Business Framework provides the ability, using standard scripting, to automatically change the available choices that are presented in MAS 200 or to automatically enter data.  For example, a script could automatically change the expiration date of a sales quote depending on the type of quote that is chosen for a particular customer.

For additional details, please click here for Sage’s Pre-Release Announcement for version 4.45.

 

May 13, 2010

Incentives to Hire The Unemployed

Posted by Amy Shaver under Business Strategy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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The HIRE Act (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment), enacted March 18, 2010, is a plan to create jobs by providing a temporary tax break to companies that hire workers who were previously unemployed or worked part time.  Two new tax benefits are available to employers:

  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.

 

May 11, 2010

Potentially Costly New 1099 Regulation Slipped into Healthcare Bill

Posted by Amy Shaver under Business Strategy, Technology | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Section 9006 of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) mandates that after December 31, 2011 all companies will have to issue 1099 tax forms not just to contract workers but to any individual or corporation from which they buy more than $600 in goods or services in a tax year.  Chris Edwards of The Cato Institute published an insightful article entitled Costly IRS Mandate Slipped Into Health Bill about the new regulations.

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.

 

April 22, 2010

Sage Announces A Blog

Posted by John Shaver under Business Strategy, Technology, What's ahead for Sage and Sage Products? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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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:

 

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