Intuit has introduced a free service that helps accountants who have excess work on their hands to find other accountants with the time and resources to assist them.

We all want to do more productive, efficient work.

NetSuite introduced a new suite of business management software specifically aimed at manufacturing companies and rival SAP.

Education, collaboration and innovation were the central themes swirling around Insights 2008 — the sixth annual reseller conference of business management software provider Sage Software.More than 3,000 attendees, including 1,800 resellers, flocked to the four-day confab held here last month to learn more about the products, to network, to glean new ideas and strategies, and to meet Sue Swenson, the new president and chief executive of the software conglomerate’s North America unit.

ORRTAX RENAMED INTELLITAXOrrtax Software Solutions has renamed itself IntelliTax to reinforce its current software line. The company said that the new identity would better reflect its future growth and direction, and echoes the company’s IntelliTax line of professional tax preparer software products.

It’s no secret that mergers and acquisitions are an active function of today’s accounting profession. Unfortunately, the M&A process is often conducted in tight secrecy, with only a privileged few aware that an acquisition is being planned. As a result, the transition is much harder and more complicated than it needs to be.It’s not unusual for IT staff to hear, “We’re bringing in 20 new people next week. Get them set up.” A slight exaggeration, perhaps, but closer to the truth than many believe.

The anguish over staffing has been a constant in the last few years. But what happens if the economy gives us a new problem?

The meteoric rise of Software as a Service, or on-demand hosted software, has prompted a paradigm shift that poses challenges not just to a firm's traditional IT infrastructure but also to vendors who must now counter the trend with low-cost, high-performance solutions to retain their user bases.

Microsoft has released Dynamics AX 2009, with upgraded features for compliance and multi-site organizations.

Before write-up became a popular application, trial balance software ruled the market.The popular ATB (Accountant’s Trial Balance) is probably one of the best-known accountant-oriented applications ever created, even years after it ceased to be marketed.

CABINET NG UPGRADES QB SYSTEMCabinet NG has unveiled the latest version of CNG-Books 6.0, its document management system designed for Intuit’s QuickBooks. Incorporating .Net technology and Microsoft SQL database features, CNG-Books 6.0 gives small and midsized businesses the ability to replace piles of paper with automated electronic workflows that streamline QuickBooks-centric accounting tasks.

ENTERPRISE SUITE LAUNCHESThe Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters has introduced an Enterprise Suite containing a set of software for large tax and accounting firms. The Enterprise Suite combines tax prep, engagement, practice management, and document and workflow management software.

Many firms have great intentions coming out of the busy season, but put off technology decisions until later in the year. This causes frustration and reduces time for implementation and training. Go ahead and take some vacation, but also consider the technology planning life cycle and how your firm can best utilize its assets in the coming year.THE FOUR STAGES

If death and taxes are inevitable, then death and sales and use taxes are even more so.

NetSuite introduced a version of its OneWorld software targeted at the accounting needs of software developers.

Xcentric, a company that provides network hosting and online backup services for CPA firms, has earned Microsoft Gold Certified Status.

Out in a cornfield, roughly 50 miles from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, is a company you just may want to keep your eye on.TIW Technology, or Technology for the Industrial Workplace, is aptly named for its roots in manufacturing, and the story of how it forayed into the accounting software space and created Alere Business Applications reflects the company’s mission to create products in response to customer needs.

IASC FOUNDATION PUBLISHES IFRS XBRL TAXONOMYThe International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation’s XBRL Team has released the near-final version of the IFRS Taxonomy 2008, translating International Financial Reporting Standards into Extensible Business Reporting Language.

What happened during the early 1900s within the power industry presents an excellent lesson for firms today about the adoption of emerging technologies. It also reveals how existing IT strategies may be inefficient, expensive and difficult to leverage into the future.As a firm leader, you don’t have to know how to build the watch, but you should at least know how to tell time. Timing is critical when considering any trend, and each always has its early adopters, late adopters and resisters. The Gartner Group refers to this as the “hype cycle,” with five distinct steps:

Host Analytics has released the latest version of its on-demand corporate performance management software, with enhanced budgeting, planning and modeling features.