November 22, 2009

Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 Extended Solutions – Dead or Alive?

Posted by Amy Shaver under What's ahead for Sage and Sage Products? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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I received communication from Sage recently regarding the library of Extended Solutions for MAS 90/200, and wanted to share it with you.

Sage is continuing to take steps to simplify our product portfolio. We’ll now begin to phase out Sage MAS 90 and 200 Extended Solutions, which were created to address specialized needs of unique businesses. This phase-out process includes incorporating the main features and functionality of many of the top Extended Solution titles into the core product. That additional functionality will be delivered over the next several releases and product updates. This benefits our customers in many ways:

  • Adds more value for Sage MAS 90 and 200 customers — most popular features and functionality will continue to be incorporated into core products over the next few releases and product updates
  • Reduces “nickel and diming” — customers will see reduced maintenance charges on their annual renewal date when their Extended Solutions titles are no longer added in, resulting in a lower cost of ownership

Customers who own titles that will be retired, and not incorporated into the core product, will begin to see those Extended Solution title(s) drop off their renewal notices. As of November 1, 2010, we will no longer support any retired Extended Solutions titles. Please make note that the 2009 year-end updates will be the last year-end updates for those titles.

Customers who own the select group of titles that contain features and functionality that will be phased into Sage MAS 90 and 200 ERP over the next few releases will continue to see their title(s) on their renewal notices. Also, they’ll continue to receive support until such time as the features and functionality are incorporated into the core product. Once their title has been incorporated into the core product, they will see that title drop off their renewals.

To Summarize:

  • Sage will continue to sell a select group of Extended Solutions titles that are compatible with Sage MAS 90 and 200 version 4.3 (contact Amy Shaver for a list of these titles).
  • When the main features and functionality of those titles are incorporated into the product, the customers will no longer be charged M&S.
  • Customer’s who own the retired Extended Solutions titles will see them removed from renewals.
  • For new sales of the retired Extended Solutions titles, customers will purchase them directly from their reseller, working with a Source Code development partner, and not from Sage.

Feel free to contact Amy Shaver with any questions regarding your Sage MAS 90/200 Extended Solutions.  We will continue to keep customers updated as we receive information.

 

August 21, 2009

Sage MAS 500 Version 7.3 coming in November!

Posted by Amy Shaver under Technology, What's ahead for Sage and Sage Products? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Sage Software has announced that Sage MAS 500 Version 7.3 will begin shipping in November.  Many new features are included, in addition to more streamlined usability, scalability and system performance enhancements.  One of the most positive things about this new release is that it utilizes Microsoft Visual Studio 2008.  The retirement of VB 6 is indicative of Sage’s commitment to using the latest Microsoft Development Tools.

Below, I’ve outlined some of the key new features in Sage MAS 500 v7.3.

A new module, Credit Card Processing, is available to enable customers to quickly process payment receipts.  Features include multiple credit card accounts per customer, multiple credit card types and Processor types (Sage Payment Solutions, PayFlow by PayPal) and address verification and card security code.  Credit card transactions can be initiated and managed through Sales Order, Accounts Receivable and Cash Management.  There is no charge for the module if you are using Sage Payment Solutions as your processor, or if you are already licensed for Sage MAS 500 PSG Credit Card Processing.

Global enhancements include:

  • Updated Desktop.   The Tasks Explorer Bar has been updated, allowing you to display menus for one module at a time.  You can also choose from various Explorer styles to set how your menus are displayed.  The ‘My Tasks’ Explorer Bar has been modified and can be more easily personalized. 
  • Extended Platform Support.  Sage MAS 500 is now supported on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008.  Also supported are 64-bit versions of client & server operating systems.
  • PDF Document Transmittal.  Vendor and Customer documents can be generated and e-mailed in PDF format.
  • Applications and Database Auditing:  A database auditing trigger tracks changes made to the database tables by non-Sage MAS 500 applications.  You can also track user deletions, additions and modifications made through Tasks.
  • Full Company Name Displayed During Login.  During login, the full company name is displayed (instead of an abbreviation).

Inventory Management enhancements include:

  • Physical Count.  In Inventory Management, the physical count process has been enhanced to include a new grid entry, expanded item selection criteria & sort order control, warning messages for items with missing counts, filtering a list of count items, option to set remaining uncounted items to zero, the ability to delete frozen controls from a batch, new detailed transaction report, exporting items to Excel to be counted.
  • Recalculate Inventory Quantities.  This utility can now be run on demand (executes the SQL Server “QtyOn” job).
  • Business Insights Explorer Views.  New views are available such as Pending Increase Transactions, Pending Decrease Transactions, Pending Physical Counts, Posted Physical Counts, Pending Lots (Preview) and Pending Serial Numbers (Preview).

Sales Order Enhancements include:

  • Shipment Commit Workflow.  Previously, shipments had to be confirmed before an invoice could be printed.  Now, you are able to print a pro-forma invoice before committing the shipment.  Thus, a printed invoice can be included in a shipment.
  • Cascade Sales Order Line Updates.  Updates made in the order header controls will optionally cascade down to all open sales order line items.
  • Credit Card Entry.  Credit card payment info can be entered in Enter Sales Orders and Quotes, Edit Shipments, Process Sales Orders.

Accounts Payable enhancements include:

  • ACH.  The ACH feature allows you to use electronic funds transfer as an alternative to checks.
  • Positive Pay.  You can help prevent check fraud by generating a file that is submitted to your bank to verify check information prior to a payment. 
  • Vendor Merge.  You can now easily merge vendor information from one “source” vendor into another “target” vendor and permanently remove the source vendor from your database.  All history is retained.

Accounts Receivable enhancements include:

  • Customer Merge.  You can now easily merge customer information from one “source” customer into another “target” customer and permanently remove the source customer from your database.  All history is retained.
  • Invoice Merge.  Multiple shipments can be merged into a single invoice.
  • Credit Card Refunds.  Refunds for credit card payments can conveniently be issued in the Process Cash Receipts and Process Invoices tasks.

System Management enhancements include:

  • Enhanced System Status.  View and hide other SQL Server connections outside of Sage MAS 500, set automatic refresh interval and initiate on-demand refresh.
  • New Security Events.  There are new security events in Accounts Receivable, Credit Card, Inventory Management, Accounts Payable, Purchase Order and Sales Order.

In addition, scalability and system-wide performance improvements have been made.  Processing sales orders, creating invoices, creating purchase orders, creating vouchers and creating journal entries are just some of the tasks that have been enhanced to process more transactions faster!  Performance enhancement has also been applied to  Crystal Reports, Manufacturing Production Entry and Labor Entry.

There have been no changes to the versions of Crystal and FRx.  Crystal remains at version 10.0 and Frx at version 6.7 SP 10.

 

Please call or email us if you would like further information.

Sage_MAS_500_7.3_Pre-Release_Guide-07-10-09

 

August 19, 2009

New Software = Open Heart Surgery

Posted by John Shaver under Business Strategy, Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Recently our friends at Microsoft Business Solutions (Great Plains, Navision, Solomon and Axapta) have been attacking Sage and their partners from a truly odd angle.  Apparently the folks at MBS think that businesses purchase accounting, inventory, manufacturing, human resources and customer-relationship management software based on whichever software vendor is currently running a sale on their respective products.

For a business, implementing a new software system is just as invasive, complicated and risky as it is for a human to go through triple bypass open heart surgery.  In both cases, the patient could very well die!  Many businesses have been put out of business by software implementations gone sour.

I posed this question to several of our MAS 90, MAS 200, MAS 500 and Abra customers:  If a Microsoft (or any other software) representative called or came by your office today and offered you their software for free, would you be interested?  The answers are a unanimous NO.  Just like the kids in the Lio cartoon below, they are not interested in open heart surgery for their business even if the doctor gives it away for free.

Would you go to a doctor who discounts or offers a buy one/get one free surgical procedure?  I don’t think many of us would be interested.  So, why would any business purchase a software implementation based on price?  Especially when that software becomes such an integral and vital part of that business that it cannot live for long without the software functioning properly.

I seek out the doctors who have new patient waiting lists of several months.  They’re the best ones and they are almost always the most expensive and the most successful.  The same goes for technology consultants.  Do you really want to work with software from a consultant who isn’t busy and can only compete based on price?  Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

And notice how many customers Dr. Lio brought in with his free offer.Lio

 

August 17, 2009

Honor System for Time Sheets? Only At Church!

Posted by John Shaver under Business Strategy, Travels and Adventures, Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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 While visiting Charleston, SC this past weekend, my family and I stopped by the Cathedral of St John the Baptist.  It’s a beautiful Gothic cathedral which began construction in 1890 and is still a work in process.  Currently, its Connecticut brownstone exterior is being renovated and a spire is being added.

What also caught my attention are the markings on each and every one of the brownstone bricks.  Since there obviously were no electronic time keeping systems in the 19th century, the stone masons kept track of their time on an honor system.  For each day of work they completed, they would imprint one star into a brick.  The church elders were confident that none of the workers would cheat on their time because they were working on a church.  Who would dare to pull a scam on God, right?

Unfortuntely technology projects are not churches.  Time sheets and billing by the hour are fertile territory for cheating.  Rarely are time sheets accurate which means that you rarely receive an accurate bill from a consultant who bills by the hour.  In almost every situation, a consultant is compensated based on the number of billable hours she or he generates.  Where does that put you if you are their customer?  In a very unholy position!

How do you avoid being in this predicament?  Insist on an up-front, fixed price for every project before you move forward.  The consultant should be focused on your desired results and should not care how long it takes to accomplish those goals.

 

May 27, 2009

Standup Philosopher: Otherwise known as a technology consultant

Posted by John Shaver under Comic Relief, Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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From time to time, it’s very healthy to take a look at ourselves and our business from a humorous perspective.  The day that we stop making fun of ourselves is the day when we stop enjoying life.

So, here is a video that pokes a little fun at consultants.  Please let us know if we coalesce too many vapors!

I will warn you that the video contains some colorful language from the Mel Brooks film History of the World, Part 1.  If you are offended by 4 letter words, you should probably skip it (although it’s really funny).

 

May 15, 2009

What if the airlines billed for their time?

Posted by John Shaver under Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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An example of how the billable time model doesn’t work in the real world.  Imagine if the airlines priced based on billable time:

The Knoxville businessperson stepped up to the airline ticket counter and asked to buy a ticket for a flight to Atlanta.

“No problem,” said the clerk, “but before I issue the ticket, I should remind you of the new way we charge for tickets.  This year we have adopted a ‘basic rate’ of three dollars a minute for our flights.  The clock starts when you check in at the gate and stops when you pick up your luggage.  We mail you a bill about two months after the flight.”

“Well, I guess that’s okay,” commented the businessperson.

The clerk continued, “Remember, we call it a ‘basic rate’ because we sometimes adjust that rate up or down if the flight is very empty or very full.  Too, we may multiply that rate if our expert pilot finds a tailwind.  We also adjust the rate according to what you will be doing in Atlanta.  You look like a businessperson, so I’ll assume it’s very important that you get there by plane, so we quadruple the basic rate.  Another thing, how much is your annual income?  You see, if you earn a great deal and it turns out the plane crashes, we will have to pay more on your spouse’s damage claim, and we have, of course, to consider that increased risk of the airline.”

The astounded businessperson choked, “But how much will this trip cost me?  How do I know you don’t slow down on purpose?  How do I know your bill will be correct?”

The clerk stared down over the end of his nose.  “I can see you’re not familiar with the complexities of airline work.  There are so many things we just can’t know in advance – the winds, traffic delays, the weather, the routing.  Airlines are a business, and we have to make a profit to stay in business.  Now don’t worry, we’re very honest and sensitive about all this billing business and I am sure you’ll be pleased with our fully itemized bill when you get it.  If there’s any question just call.”  Then the clerk whispered, “But just so we understand each other, if you don’t pay the bill in full and promptly, you’ll never fly on this airline again.”

“Oh,” grunted the Knoxville businessperson, “is there anything else I should know?”

The clerk smiled thoughtfully and murmured, “On your flight there is a new copilot in training, and we charge an additional 50 cents a mile.  Copilots are really very important, you know, to carry the pilot’s charts, to fly on clear calm days, even to land the plane if the pilot is busy with other matters.  Too, if you fly with us again, your copilot may have become your pilot.  Wouldn’t that be great?  One other thing, if the copilot uses computerized flight routing there will be an additional $75 charge.  But of course computerized flight routing is almost standard charge with technologically advanced airlines.”

“But I just wanted to get to my meeting in Atlanta and come home.  Now I don’t even know if I should fly at all,” groaned the businessperson.

The clerk smiled again.  “Mature passengers come to understand that flying is just a cost of doing business.  They never know how much it costs ‘til we bill them.  But then, there’s really no choice, is there, since that’s just the way it’s always been done?”

“No,” conceded the businessperson, “I guess not.”

And then the businessperson tried again.  “Why can’t you just give me a fixed price and I’ll decide if I’ll go or not?”

The clerk frowned.  “But we can’t do that.  That wouldn’t be fair to you.  We might overcharge you and then you’d be unhappy.  Or we might underestimate and then the airline would lose money and couldn’t maintain the planes, and we certainly don’t want that.”

And so the Knoxville businessperson came to hate airlines and took his revenge by regaling acquaintances at cocktail parties about the new pitfalls of airline travel.

Adapted from Richard C. Reed Billing Innovations: New Win-Win Ways to End Hourly Billing. Chicago: American Bar Association, 1996.                                                                                                                        

The idea of airlines charging for their time seems ridiculous, right?  However, that is exactly how most technology and software companies want to treat you.  You are expected to accept uncertainties regarding the price and timeline of a project as if it is a normal part of running your business.

These companies want you to believe that you are paying them to spend time working on a technology project.  However, what you really want is knowledge and experience that will be put to work solving your business issues and making your company more competitive and more profitable.

There’s no reason to come to hate technology and software companies.  Rather it’s a matter of working with a company who is more interested in your company than simply covering their rear ends by hiding behind billable time.

 

May 13, 2009

What does your prospective software reseller actually sell?

Posted by John Shaver under Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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You really need to look hard at what your prospective software vendor actually is selling. Most of the time – it is not what you are looking to buy.

You require results. You value those results so much you are willing to invest your time and your company’s capital to achieve the results. You want to maximize profits, capture information, increase productivity, reduce costs, decrease turnover and improve communication. This is what you want to buy. 

You begin to look at software systems and the companies that install and support them. We’ll call those companies software resellers. You analyze the features and functions of the packages. You compare the solutions to the results you require. You narrow the choices to a few software resellers and ask them to quote you a price. 

What comes back really defines what the software reseller is selling. And you need to be very careful or else you will open your company up to risks that you do not need to take. What is listed on that quote is what is being offered by the software reseller, nothing more. And if what is offered is not what you want to buy, then you will purchase a result you do not want.

Most software resellers and consultants are in the business of selling time. That is why they quote hourly rates. That is why they quote time estimates. That is why they invoice hours & expenses. The longer they spend on your project, the more they invoice. They try to convince you that the longer they spend on your project the more valuable it must be to you. The basic assumption is time plus physical presence equals value. 

Is that what you truly value? No. You value the original desired results. That is what you wanted to purchase. But if that is not what was quoted or invoiced, then that is not what you purchased. If you purchased the software from a reseller who bills for their time then you bought time plus physical presence. Don’t take on the risk of purchasing something that adds no direct value. 

So ask to see example invoices before you ask for a quote. Like your company’s quotes and invoices, listed out is what the software reseller is selling. Is it a software package plus time & expenses? If so, ask yourself, is that what you really want to buy? A software package is simply a box with disks and a manual. Time & expenses? How does that add value to your company? 

Require the software reseller to sell you the products and results that add value to your company. If they don’t sell results and they don’t stand behind what they sell with a volunteered 100% money-back guarantee then break off the engagement in the sales cycle. After all, they are not selling what you want to buy.

 

May 11, 2009

Frequently NOT Asked Questions about software projects

Posted by John Shaver under Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Many websites post FAQs or Frequently Asked Questions.  While helpful, the answers to those questions don’t really help you determine what system or partner adds the greatest value to your company.

What follows is a list of five questions we believe are more critical for you to ask of your potential service or system provider.  The answers will greatly assist you when choosing how to leverage a partnership to achieve your goals and unlock your results.  Listed after each question is a brief description of why you need the answers.

What value do you, the software reseller, bring to this engagement beyond the software features and functions?

This is one of the most important questions you need to bring up with any vendor or partner.  You are going to be charged a premium above the costs of the actual product.  What does the company bring to the table and, far more importantly, do you value what they bring?

What do you, the software reseller, actually sell? 

What the company sells is what is detailed on their invoices.  If the invoices state travel expenses, per diem expenses, software cost and hours worked then that is what they sell.  A look at what the company internally measures and how it holds their employees accountable will give you a much better understanding as to what they actually sell.

What support options do you, the software reseller, offer?

Many companies look at the current project and don’t address the long-term support that project will require.  Make certain that what can be offered for future needs matches what you require before you engage the partner.  Will you require support hours beyond normal business hours?  Will you require weekend support?  Will you require multiple training sessions or customized training?  Explore what you will need with your partner and determine if they can support you.

How do you, the software reseller, stand behind your work?

This is a confidence question.  Companies that provide good value are everywhere.  Companies that provide great value stand behind their promises with guarantees.  If the company is not confident enough in their own work to explicitly volunteer a guarantee, why should you be confident in them to deliver the promised results?

Should I look for a short-term, transactional relationship or a long term, strategic partnership?

This is a fascinating question that is often completely ignored in the process of finding a new system.  Really, only you can answer this question, as you know what type of relationship works best for you and your company.  Asking the question, however, will determine whether the partner you are interviewing aligns with your vision of the relationship.

 

May 8, 2009

What type of relationship do you want with your software provider?

Posted by John Shaver under Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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When performing your diligent research, be sure to articulate what type of relationship you want with your system provide.

You’ve come to a decision.  You need a new system.  You are not getting timely or accurate information.  The current processes are too manual and require too much hand-holding.  You are losing opportunities.  You are growing.  You need a new system.

One of the first decisions you need to make is often never addressed:  “What type of relationship do we want with the new system provider?  Do we want a strategic partnership or a transactional vendor relationship?”

A transactional vendor relationship is non-intrusive.  Your goals and required results are unknown to the system provider.  You research the features and functions of the new system.  You purchase the system.  You learn it, implement it, customize it and get it running.  You find issues and determine workaround procedures.  Any issues that you cannot solve are sent to the system provider’s tech support number on the box.  You alone are accountable as your company grows to keep the system evolving to maximize your investment.

A strategic partnership is altogether different.  You share your goals with a strategic partner and leverage that partner’s knowledge to achieve the required results.  It is more intrusive than a transactional vendor relationship and there delves much more deeply into your processes and information.  It is a collaborative effort; a shared responsibility.  As issues arise, you work personally with the partner to find the best solution.  As you grow, your partner keeps pace with your new goals and feeds you information on how to best maximize your system.

There is nothing wrong with either kind of relationship. Your choice, however, needs to be deliberate. You need to understand the consequences of your choice. You need to articulate the value you expect from your choice to your team. Ignoring, or avoiding, the discussion will lead to confusion, frustration and very often failure.

 

May 7, 2009

Aries Testimonial from Sage’s Ed Kless

Posted by John Shaver under Why Hire Aries? | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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