SAGE UNVEILS WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION MODULEBusiness software developer Sage Software unveiled a new Warehouse Automation module for its Sage MAS 500 enterprise resource planning software.

Would your company survive a devastating disaster or business interruption? This is a question that has been at the forefront of most business' concerns for a few years now, and one that needs to be continually asked in the future.The foundation for developing a continuity and disaster recovery program lies in developing a method for the protection and preservation of vital records. All businesses, especially small and midsized organizations, should facilitate a proactive, rather than a reactive, approach to disaster preparation - especially with regard to vital records. This article focuses on developing a vital records protection strategy in the greater context of continuity and disaster recovery.

Customer relationship management provider LexisNexis Interface Software has released InterAction 5.5 - an upgrade of its flagship CRM product for professional services organizations such as accounting and law firms.Built on Microsoft's .Net platform, the enhanced InterAction 5.5 offers new features and functions ranging from activity configuration enhancements to the ability to apply additional information fields to matters, deals, opportunities and engagements.

It's funny how quickly we adapt to new technology. Just a bit over two decades ago, Ken Olsen, the president of then-giant minicomputer vendor Digital Equipment Company, wondered, "Why would anyone want a computer on their desk?"Today, pretty much everyone has a computer on their desks, and DEC is long gone, having been bought by Compaq, which in turn was acquired by Hewlett Packard.

You have just completed your annual firm partner meeting, and the decision was made to move forward with the selection and implementation of a content management system. You want to ensure success. What are the critical factors? Why do some firm's succeed while others fail? Can anything be done up front in order to ensure success?Accounting firms are not unique when it comes to the success or failure of information technology projects. Firms tend to make the same mistakes as large companies, and particularly the federal government.

Financial and nonprofit software publisher Serenic Corp., has entered into an agreement with Microsoft Corp. in which Serenic would be the Industry Solutions Vendor for payroll software and related services for customers who use Microsoft Dynamics NAV in North America.Terms for the pact, which became effective July 1, were not disclosed.

Sparked by a double-digit hikes in payroll service and human resources revenues, payroll and benefits outsourcing provider Paychex Inc. said year-end profits rose 26 percent, to $464.9 million, versus fiscal 2005 for the period ended May 31.

"What do you have against Orlando Ayala?" a reseller wrote.

After a string of embarrassing security lapses, the White House Office of Management and Budget laid out a number of new measures aimed at protecting personal information that agencies hold on millions of employees and citizens.

Accounting and payroll software provider Universal Business Computing Co. has rolled out new features for its Real-Time Accounting & Payroll applications.

There's no secret that the software reseller channel is consolidating. But the move towards bigger and bigger players is gaining steam.

The principal of Information Technology Group Inc., David Cieslak will serve as the chairman of the Sage Accpac Business Partner Advisory Council.

Taxware, a provider of global transaction tax calculation and compliance solutions, announced that its flagship products -- Taxware Enterprise and TaxSolver -- have achieved certification from the states that are members of the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board.

INTUIT'S 3Q REVENUE GROWS; UNVEILS 2-FOR-1 STOCK SPLIT: Spurred by a double-digit increase in its Consumer Tax unit, accounting software provider Intuit Inc. posted a 14 percent gain in third-quarter revenue, to $956 million, versus the year-ago period. Intuit said that its revenues from its Consumer Tax arm jumped 19 percent versus the 2005 third quarter, to $499 million. Meanwhile, revenue from its QuickBooks arm rose 8 percent, to $212 million.In addition, Intuit's board approved a two-for-one stock split payable July 6, 2006, to stockholders of record on June 21, as well as a stock repurchase plan for up to $500 million over the next three years.

More than two years ago, Diane Yetter, CPA and president of Chicago-based Yetter Consulting Services Inc., had disparate software systems for keeping track of her clients' needs, projects, history, contact information and billing.Then she hired an IT consultant to custom-build her practice an online customer relationship management system so she could find all the information she needed in one location.

Market research firm the Yankee Group announced that Intuit, Sage and Microsoft have reconfirmed their dominance in the small and midsized accounting and enterprise resource planning software markets.The Boston-based firm said that during 2005, several significant events occurred in the accounting and ERP business application segments that changed some of the market dynamics, including Microsoft's entrance into the low-end accounting applications arena, and significant product launches from both Intuit and Sage. Integrated business application suites from NetSuite and SAP also gained increased presence and penetration.

During Sage Software's annual Insights partner conference, resellers such as Kevin Stanton, manager of marketing communications at Winn Technology Group, were especially interested in all the new offerings that the company is poised to launch this year."Lots of things have piqued our interest," said Stanton during the three-day confab, held here. "The most interesting was the broader range of services to partners through all the acquisitions and releases. It's always good to have more options [for customers]."

How do you evaluate your professional information technology staff?Who is responsible for those evaluations and how often do they occur? While these are basic human resources questions, we find that many firms do not have fair and equitable systems in place to ensure the anticipated results, as well as to provide a professional career path for the internal IT professionals. Simply using the tools currently available to evaluate accountants may not be enough. Additionally, we recommend multiple tools and frequent communication with IT personnel.

Creative Solutions Inc., a unit of Thomson Tax & Accounting, has acquired the assets of Dunphy Systems, a Columbus, Ohio-based publisher of tax software. Terms were not disclosed.Creative Solutions said that it will be making a special offer to Dunphy customers to transition to UltraTax CS, part of its CS Professional Suite. Renewal incentives for transitioning users include price protection at Dunphy renewal rates and special training options.

The personal information of up to 2,200 Oregon taxpayers may be in the wrong hands after a former part-time employee downloaded pornography and a hidden spyware program.