Today most business owners realize that they must embrace technology in the work place to remain competitive.  So the question is no longer whether to automate the business, but rather, what is the correct balance of manual and automated processes.

Like investments of other types,  the concept of diminishing returns applies here as well.  There is an optimal point at which additional investment yields additional complexity, maintenance, cost, etc, without a corresponding positive impact to the business's operations.
 One rule of thumb to employ is to think of a technology investment as a lever.  Like a well placed lever, the appropriate technology investment will enable a company to lift a disproportionately heavy load without increasing human capital.  As in the tale of David and Goliath, David was able to slay the giant with innovation.

So how does this philosophy translate into action?

Sage began researching an optimum solution for customers as soon as Microsoft® announced a retirement date for FRx®. Sage ERP MAS Intelligence was identified as the ideal FRx alternative product for Sage ERP MAS customers. In addition to offering an alternative solution for FRx customers, F9 customers will also receive MAS Intelligence as part of Sage’s ongoing effort to provide superior products and services.

To help migrate current customers over to MAS Intelligence, Sage offers all customers  with a current maintenance subscription a comparable “trade-in”.  Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 customers will receive one free Intelligence Report Manager license as a “trade in.” Sage ERP MAS 500 customers will receive four free Report Manager licenses as a “trade in.”  Additional modules and licenses may be  purchased separately.  The entire MAS Intelligence Suite is comprised of the following modules:

1. Report Viewer  - Allows users the ability to view reports and drill-down to existing reports and templates.  Basic edit capabilities such as parameter changes and filtering tools are included.  
2. Report Manager – Allows users to create and edit new reports as well as filter and aggregate data.  Includes ten basic report templates, including a dashboard and several format choices for basic income statements and balance sheets.  This makes getting started with MAS Intelligence a breeze.
3. Report Designer – Expands the functionality of the Report Manager with easy-to-use ‘drag-and-drop’ report creation tools.
4. Connector – This module is used to access data from modules other than the General Ledger, multiple company databases for consolidated reports, and multicurrency translation.

In the short term, customers will have the ability to use both FRx and/or F9 as well as MAS Intelligence. While they have some of the same basic reporting features, there are many advantages of using Intelligence.
So what are the benefits of using Sage MAS Intelligence over other options?

• Basic reporting tools (Report Manager) are included in the product offering from Sage (i.e. no additional cost)
• Cost savings through a quick-to-deploy financial reporting and business intelligence solution. 
• Sage-supported
• Excel –based, leveraging familiarity with this fundamental accountant’s tool.
• Scalability and flexibility in architecture, licensing and pricing.
• Financial reports can be automatically delivered on demand and on time in a presentable format.

To help you further understand the benefits of this great replacement for FRx, Accounting Micro Systems has provided a free white paper for you to download.

Cloud computing is one of the largest growing areas in the IT industry. The concept of “Cloud Computing” refers to the hosting of a server or an application by a third party in an offsite location accessed via the Internet. The premise is that the vendor will not only provide the client with a reliable experience, but one that will be resistant to downtime and data loss.

Personally, I know that the Insurance industry has been enjoying the benefits of cloud computing for many years. But what are the caveats and recent concerns garnered by those enrolled in these online services?

The time to implement a social media policy is now.

Your social media policy outlines for employees your companies guidelines or principles for communicating in the online world.  Your company should have a communications policy in place that spell out your expectations for phone and email, it’s important that you add social media and online site usage to this policy.

Despite the increasingly vast trust we put into the Internet to keep our personal and business information safe and secure, many users take their passwords very lightly. In an analysis studying over 32 million passwords from RockYou, a company that develops software for social networks, it's been discovered just how little effort is put in to keep things secure. The results are shocking.