There was a lot of debate about the level of attendance at Convergence, the Microsoft Dynamics user conference being held this week in New Orleans.

Attendance at Convergence, the annual Microsoft Dynamics user conference, fell well short of original expectations as the economy took a toll on attendance by users, but resellers came to the show in numbers.

CCH has closely integrated its CorpSystem Sales Tax Office software with Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Online invoicing provider Bill.com has released the Winter 2009 upgrade to its accounts payable service, including new cash flow features.

How do you deal with the old guys? A Rutgers college journalism student posed that question to me when I visited my alma matter this semester to talk to a class about newsroom management.

“Stay useful and cheap!” a friend advised when it comes to keeping this job during the current tailspin.

Online invoicing provider FastDue has closed a $5 million initial round of funding that will be shared with two other yet-to-be-announced Web-based applications.

Economic recessions are no time to be plowing into software development unless the company either needs the cash flow from a new version to keep going, or the product is so outdated that an update is mandatory. Otherwise, the money is better spent in beefing up product support and planning for marketing when the economy recovers.That's a pretty basic rule, and one that holds true in particular for business-planning software. We have not seen many substantial changes in the software, and don't expect to see much other than patches and a change in version name for 2009.

SAGE UPGRADES CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT SOFTWARESage North America has released an upgraded version of its customer relationship management software for small and midsized businesses with new branding and e-mail campaign features.

Training budgets are tempting targets during tight times, but should firms really cut expenses in this area? According to Gartner Research, every hour of information technology training provides 5.75 hours of increased capacity.How did they reach this conclusion? According to Gartner's research, the savings are tabulated by adding:

Microsoft has added a feature to its Dynamics AX software to help environmentally conscious businesses turn green by managing their carbon footprint.

Sage North America has introduced the latest version of its PFW enterprise resource planning software, adding extra features in areas such as inventory and receivables management.

It is hard to miss the TrustWave seal on a number of Web sites. They display the following statement: “Based upon information provided by [company name] regarding its policies, procedures, and technical systems that store, process and/or transmit cardholder data, [company name] has performed the required procedures to validate compliance with the PCI DSS.”

Drake Software said that it has sold more tax software than ever before in its 32-year history.

Intuit has launched a program offering $10,000 cash grants and up to $10,000 in products and services to 10 accounting firms.

Online sales tax management software developer SpeedTax has introduced business partner programs for technology consultants who resell products from Sage, Microsoft and Intuit.

SMITH EXITS SAGENina Smith, who headed Sage North America's largest division for the last year, has left the company as major changes continue to roll through the organization following the hiring of new CEO Sue Swenson in March.

While IT professionals are being asked to do more with less in the current economy, lower costs and a higher return on investment are the results of behavioral changes, rather than a reduction in the IT budget. At a recent Boomer Technology Circle meeting, we asked IT professionals how they could immediately improve efficiency. The solutions they offered are simple and easy, but involve behavioral changes on the part of end users, including partners.Let me stress the involvement of partners. As you rise to the top of any organization, most problems are behavioral, rather than technical - and CPA firms are no exception. The IT professionals also stressed the need for the managing partner's support, which requires discipline and commitment. Many partners do not realize that they are a major cause of problems and inefficiencies.

Intacct is expanding its Web-based accounting software and changing the pricing in an effort to draw away more customers from QuickBooks and NetSuite.

CCH spent nearly a century selling direct only. But two years ago, the vendor turned things around with a 100 percent indirect model for its sales tax application suite - CorpSystem Sales Tax Solutions.The vendor wanted to form relationships with top-tier Microsoft and Sage channel members who traditionally focus primarily on accounting systems.