Joseph A. Schumpeter coined the term "creative destruction" in his book Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, published in 1942.

Mid-market accounting software provider Open Systems Inc. has named former MIP executive Linda Shillingburg as director of business development for not-for-profits, effective immediately.

Online application software provider NetSuite Inc., whose offerings include NetSuite Small Business, NetCRM and NetERP, has expanded into Canada, opening a 40,000-square-foot facility in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga.

A group of former Intuit employees have launched Taxnet.com, which provides Internet-based filing of income taxes, along with electronic filing.

Practice evolution, integration and the Web, client and accountant relationships, and how to use technology as a competitive advantage topped the agenda at Creative Solutions' 24th Annual Conference here.

While many companies are looking to outsourcing to control costs and free up resources, most aren't sending their jobs offshore, according to a report by Enterprise Systems.

In a push to gain small business clients, Microsoft has released a beta version of its new Office product, code-named Magellan.

Does the Certified Information Technology Professional credential appeal to a finite universe, or can it ride the wave of rising client demand in information technology consulting and systems upgrades?

The Department of Justice has charged eight former executives of software maker Peregrine Systems Inc., the company's former outside auditor and two of its outside business partners with conspiracy to commit a multi-billion dollar securities fraud.

FUNDWARE UNVEILS VERSION 7.30: Nonprofit and governmental accounting software maker FundWare has rolled out the latest version of its software - a new general ledger with a three-dimensional account structure.

Accounting software is selling like hotcakes nowadays. With all these sales - each of which represents a company maintaining its own books and records - you might suppose that client write-up is a dying application. While some practices have been hit harder than others by clients pulling write-up work to do in-house, write-up continues to remain a core revenue-producing application in many accounting and bookkeeping practices.

Accountant's Relief Plus

As the season approaches for firm summits (or retreats, if you focus on the past), the following list of topics will or may appear on your agenda. Many firms use these meetings to focus on the results of the current year and plan for the coming year. While this sounds logical, it doesn't always produce strategic results. The tendency generally is to gravitate toward tactical rather than strategic thinking.

Vision HRM Software Inc. completed its purchase of Lakewood-based Serenic Software, a provider of not-for-profit and government software.

In its push to penetrate deeper into vertical niches, Microsoft Corp. announced a soon-to-be-available Microsoft Business Solutions - Axapta 3.0 for Life Sciences.

CPAmerica International, a network of more than 70 independent CPA firms, has formed a strategic alliance with financial management and technology firm iLumen Inc., under which iLumen will provide its private company financial data management, monitoring and benchmarking capabilities to CPAmerica's member practices.

Best Software has released the new line of its proprietary Simply Accounting products, a suite that includes Simply Accounting 2005 Basic, Simply Accounting 2005 Pro, Simply Payroll 2005, and Simply Accounting 2005 Premium -- a new offering.

Simplicity and consistency are two keys to a successful Web site for professional services firms, according to Tiffany Shlain, founder and creative director of The Webby Awards, which this year offers an award for professional services sites.

Accountants are working hard to stay on top of software piracy in their firms, according to a survey by the Business Software Alliance, but there is a "strong disconnect" between what accountants are saying they know is wrong and what they are actually doing.

CORPORATE IT SPENDING TO SLOW IN Q4: Corporate information technology spending is still growing, but the rate of growth will slow in the fourth quarter, led by a decline in laptop and desktop spending, according to a recently released study.