Multi-dimensional
Intacct Winter 2010
www.intacct.com
This winter, movie blockbuster Avatar may have broken box office records by being in three dimensions, but the real champion of multi-dimensionality was Intacct, the Winter release of which lets users add up to 12 hierarchical dimensions to their general ledger, allowing more granular reporting and analysis. It also includes advanced revenue management, with capabilities for multi- element arrangements, and a new employee purchasing application for faster, more efficient expense reporting and purchase requisitions. And you don't have to wear those funny glasses.
Upgrading upgrades
PCmover
www.laplink.com/pcmover
Just as we buy a new Bentley when the ashtrays in the old one are full, we here at New Products buy a new computer whenever a new operating system like Windows 7 is introduced - the implementation process is simply too much of a pain. Laplink Software's PCmover may change all that, though: Sold for only $20, the software makes it easy to upgrade from any version of Windows, from Windows 95 to the new Windows 7, or to move to a new PC, automatically moving all settings, files, folders and, uniquely, applications to the new system or computer. We're still not emptying ashtrays, though.
Invoicing everywhere
Simplybill
www.simplybill.com
Simplybill, an invoicing system for small businesses and the self-employed, has released a new version, and an iPhone app. The Web-based software lets users create customized invoices that can be saved as PDFs to be mailed or e-mailed, and also lets users create quotes that can be converted to invoices. It also has payment-tracking functions and can send reminders. And because you never know where or when you'll need to send an invoice, the company's iPhone app lets you do just that, as well as viewing all invoices and their history, and adding new clients.
The Arthur Murray School of Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment Toolkit
www.cpelink.com
While there are few parallels between auditing and learning to dance, it's safe to say that it helps to be led, step by step, through each. CPELink's Risk Assessment Toolkit, a new version of which was recently released, goes well beyond putting footprints on the floor, with a set of PDF templates and an Audit Strategy Worksheet that leads auditors through the process of complying with the American Institute of CPAs' standards for assessing risk in an audit, including compiling the necessary documentation.
Beyond Outlook
Credenza Practice Management Software
www.credenzasoft.com
Many smaller firms and sole practitioners use Microsoft Outlook as both their practice management and CRM system. The new Credenza Practice Management Software builds on this familiarity, working within Outlook to offer better organization of e-mail, appointments, tasks, documents, notes and phone calls around client engagements and projects, and to track time spent on each activity. It also has a Time Entry Assistant, to ensure that no billable time is lost, and lets users export time information to their accounting system. At $9.95 a month, it's an affordable step beyond Outlook.
So that's where it went
Smart Time 2.6
www.smart-webparts.com
The latest release of Smart Webparts, Version 2.6, adds "classic" time entry functionality to the on-demand time capture engine, which polls across servers and phone switches to give users a detailed log of their daily activities for billing purposes. It also includes new Smart Timers, a desktop stopwatch utility, ActiveX Control to capture Web surfing, and more. Never again will you wonder, "Where did the time go?" You may still wonder, however, whether you can get it back.
Step 3,587
Xpress S/I
http://admiral-usa.com
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - which is then followed by several hundred thousand others, as well as many blisters and some lost luggage. Similarly, while many companies have made great strides in automating their financial and accounting process, there are still plenty of elements that can be improved on. One of many steps forward is Admiral Consulting Group's Xpress S/I, which makes it easy to import, code and approve credit card statements into an accounting system, eliminating a great many tedious, time-consuming tasks. It lets users import statements, assign charges to multiple cost centers, create user-defined fields, attached scanned documents, and ensure accuracy with a multi-level approval process.
New and improved!
CCH has introduced a number of enhancements to its IntelliConnect research platform, including the ability to use multiple search filters simultaneously, and a "Nearby Results" function that lets users view the next and previous documents in a publication without leaving the search results. ... AccuFund Inc. has enhanced its Loan Tracker module, and integrated it into Version 3.09 of its nonprofit AccuFund Accounting Suite. ... Financial close automation vendor Blackline Systems has received SAS 70 Type II certification.
