NetSuite Inc., an online business applications provider, has unveiled NetFlex, its first "outside" integration product for customers linking NetSuite products with disparate software. The company said that NetFlex, will be available in April. The new software will be hosted online with the rest of NetSuite's products, free of charge and with automatic upgrades. However, the company said that some charges may be applied to the initial integration, depending on the complexity of the process. "The key trend for 2005 is the move by companies to one system to run their entire business," said NetSuite chief executive officer Zach Nelson in a statement. "The icing on the cake is that NetSuite's NetFlex solution is simpler to manage - now and in the future -- with standards-based Web services and customization, as well as seamless upgrades. NetFlex is comprised of three parts: Web services, customization and a toolset. The three parts work together online to help NetSuite's master record communicate with desktop add-on software automatically. Using Web services and an XML-based interface to access data stored on a user's NetSuite record, NetFlex is based on the Simple Object Access Protocol standard. By using SOAP, the new application will support any other platform utilizing the SOAP standard, such as Java and Microsoft .Net. The new product also offers point-and-click personalization and configuration. This customization supports role-based dashboards like those containing search summary analysis; allows business and industry-specific terminology to be applied through the NetSuite, i.e. changing "customer" to "client;" lets users track additional data points; and permits the customer to create tabs to share information. NetFlex AppBuilder, the toolset, allows customers to create their own database tables, navigation tabs, dashboards and other applications that house data, user interfaces, data validation or business processes.

-- Sage Ltd., which lost the right to use the Sage name in the United States four years ago after a court fight, has purchased the rights to the brand in this country and will phase out the name Best Software by March 2006. The company did not disclose the terms of its purchase of the rights from Quick Technologies, a Dallas-based company. Sage lost the ability to use its own name in this country in 2001, and adopted the name Best Software for its U.S. operations. "The good news is that we've gotten good at branding," said Ron Verni, the CEO of Best's U.S. operations. Best had boosted its named recognition into the 20 percent range, "and we're climbing toward the 30s," he added. While the company will have to start its efforts again with the Sage name, "We haven't lost all the equity in that name," Verni said. International business is a major reason the company wanted to be able to use the name Sage in all markets. "Our European partners were as anxious as we were to get the name. We are starting to see more global business," Verni continued. A major challenge for the company is that the names of its products, such as Act, MAS 90 and Peachtree, are generally better known than the company name. Verni says that Best will outline the transition at its Insights reseller conference in May. Setting the deadline at next year will give resellers time to make changes in their materials.

Avalara, a provider of on-demand sales and use tax services for small and midsized businesses, announced its integration with three additional Microsoft products. Users will now find AvaTax and AutoAddress+ available for Microsoft Business Solutions' Navision, Small Business Financials and CRM. Avalara made the announcement at last week's Convergence 2005, Microsoft's annual user conference. "Both of these solutions - AvaTax ST and AutoAddress+ -- are on-demand Web-based solutions," said Avalara's chief executive officer, Jared Vogt, in a statement. "This approach keeps end users' costs low while ensuring that they are always working with up-to-the minute solutions." AvaTax ST, an online sales and use tax calculation product, will now be available for Microsoft's Navision and Small Business Financials. The application was already integrated with a number of other systems, including MAS 90, 200 and 500, and Accpac, but broke into the Microsoft ERP market by announcing integration with MBS's Great Plains last month. AutoAddress+, Avalara's online address validation service, is now integrated with Microsoft CRM. The online address validation application checks with local post offices over the Internet to ensure that the address provided for the customer is an existing address. Recently, Avalara announced a marketing and technology partnership with STF Services Corp., a provider of electronic forms in the tax industry, to license SuperForm from STF. The licensing allows Avalara to create tax returns on top of their tax calculation products. Christina Opalka, director of marketing communications, who attended the 5,000-attendee Convergence confab, said that the company was looking beyond tax calculation and returns. "We are working to be a customer services provider," said Opalka, who estimated that it would take the company about four to five years before their goal was reached.

I think it matters, and I'll share my rationale shortly. But first, let's explore the difference between these roles.As a consultant, you're typically engaged to solve a specific problem, to manage a project, or both. Each client sees their consultant as a subject matter expert to whom they can look for answers and solutions to the question, "What should we do?" in a particular area. They may also look to their consultant for help in implementing the recommended solution.

BLACKBAUD ANNOUNCES 4Q RESULTS; LAUNCHES STOCK BUYBACK PROGRAM: Nonprofit software vendor Blackbaud Inc. posted a fourth-quarter loss of $4.3 million for the period ended Dec. 31, compared with a loss of $129,000 for the fourth quarter of last year.Meanwhile, systemwide revenue rose 17 percent, to $35.7 million, compared with the fourth quarter of 2003. License revenue increased 15 percent to $6.8 million; services revenue rose 21 percent to $9.9 million; and maintenance and subscriptions revenue increased 17 percent, to $17.6 million, over the comparable period of fiscal 2003.

Ask five practitioners to define the term "practice management," and the chances are you'll get several different answers. Several of these would probably incorporate time and billing. To be precise, however, practice management and time and billing are related, but they aren't quite the same thing.No one knows how and why these two terms started being used interchangeably. Most likely, it's because time and billing is an integral component of practice management, and because many of the early practice management offerings on the PC were essentially time and billing applications.

Perceptions and old habits are hard to break. In the CPA profession, training is associated with continuing professional education. However, in today's environment, training and learning are broader in scope for several reasons.Training reaches well beyond just the accountants and their CPE requirements. Yet firms still devote limited resources to training and learning while expecting employees to "get it on their own."

Beginning in April, end users will see extensions of Great Plains Version 8.0, and by the end of 2005, Version 8.5 will be available, along with Business Portal 3.0, according to Microsoft executives speaking at last week's Convergence 2005 confab. Jeff Young and Dave Coulombe told Convergence attendees that Excel integration with Great Plains will also be enhanced to include another level of functionality, such as deeper access to "slice and dice" data more quickly, and a more inclusive dashboard. A move towards more Web-centric features will also be apparent, as Version 8.5 will provide more Web and integration services to extended portal applications. The duo said that this upcoming release of Great Plains will also include automatic upgrades, a customizable home page in the Business Portal software, along with an Extranet page built-in, and a set-up checklist. A major crowd-pleaser at the meeting was the unveiling of a newer and more customizable Smartlist builder. The upgraded tool allows users to link to as many as 32 different pivotal tables. The next version after that -- 9.0 -- will be a bigger move towards the Web. The 2006 release will be a fully .Net-enabled application, said Coulombe. However, Doug Burgum, senior vice president for MBS, said in a separate question-and-answer meeting later that MBS has no plans as of yet to produce a browser-based software application. Burgum said that there was not enough demand for the products today to warrant the investment, and MBS didn't want to make current users feel that their server-based products were becoming obsolete just yet. "There may come a time in the future," said Burgum, but "we don't want to kill our own progress with visions of our future." By the winter of 2006, Great Plains 9.0 will be released, along with Business Portal 4.0. And two years down the road, Great Plains Version 10.0 and Business Portal 5.0 will be unveiled.

Despite the Securities and Exchange Commission giving the okay for companies to voluntarily file reports using XBRL, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. being poised to require quarterly call reports in the tagged data format, the United States still lags behind Europe, Asia and Australia in the adoption and implementation of the Extensible Business Reporting Language.Now more than five years old, XBRL is the financial reporting derivation of Extensible Mark-up Language, or XML - a framework that establishes individual "tags" for elements in structured documents, allowing specific elements to be immediately accessed and aggregated.

With a choice of features such as multiple-language settings and a large partner base of about 2,000, Navision is growing in the United States at a clip of roughly 30 percent, according to general manager Mogens Elsberg. Addressing attendees at this week's Microsoft Convergence 2005 confab, Elsberg said that the U.S. is expected to become the fastest growing and largest user nation of Navision applications in the coming months. Navision 4.0 -- rolled out in October-- is available in 30 different languages and has been shipped to over 23 countries. That number will extend to 42 come May 1, 2005, as another 19 countries are added to the list. And a total of 1,000 new users will be added to Navision's customer base. As part of Microsoft Business Solutions' Wave Map, Navision plans on sailing out Navision 5.0 by the end of the third quarter of 2005 during Wave 1. The newest version will utilize Microsoft's SharePoint and Business Portal server to allow non-financial users like sales managers and executive officers to see a selected view of the company online. The enhanced Navision will have shortcuts, allowing users to personalize their product, explained Elsberg, "This is what we mean when we say empower users." Plans for Navision 6.0, to be released in 2007 to 2008 in MBS Wave 2, could not be detailed as of yet, said Kati Hvidtfeldt, group product manager for Navision. Said Hvidtfeldt, "Nothing is set yet. It depends on what the technology trends are at that time."

Microsoft will establish a channel of resellers to serve a broad base of businesses with up to 25 employees. Details of the program will be spelled out later this year, said Orlando Ayala, senior vice president of small and midmarket solutions and partners. The program will be designed for Microsoft's "classic" VARs, who sell Microsoft networking and system products such as Small Business Server 2003. "We want the classic VARs to become more specialized," Ayala said in an interview at Microsoft's Convergence user conference, here. A Web-based small business center will be established to provide information to both VARs and the businesses they serve. Microsoft will segment the market by SIC code.

The Microsoft Convergence 2005 conference kicked off on Monday with keynote speaker and senior vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions Doug Burgum laying out the vendor's schedule for the near future. After a short history lesson on global trading and business, Burgum gave MBS's product road map for the next couple of years. Some of the new releases coming out between now and late 2006 include Great Plains Version 8.5 by early September 2005 and Great Plains Version 9.0 by the end of 2006; and Axpata 4.0, Solomon 7.0 and Navision 7.0 also in 2006. In 2008, Burgum stated, MBS will be releasing products with more modular process configuration, enhanced Visual Studio .Net tools, and a best-of-process library. But Burgum also said that with the inclusion of five years of tech support for new Microsoft ERP packages, upgrades will not be necessary until 2010. "There is no need for upgrades," he said. "Companies can move at their own pace." The central strategy, Burgum stressed, is to help users "build a better company" by providing rich functionality, low costs, and high adaptability with a more secure system. "Software is a backdrop to business," said Burgum, "and Microsoft is the best software company out there. We eat, live and breathe software." He also suggested, without relaying any specifics, that users will see more unstructured material like e-mail data become integrated with structured processes like financial reporting.

Electronic forms provider STF Services Corp. has entered into a marketing pact with online sales and use tax concern Avalara, to license STF's flagship SuperForm product. Terms were not disclosed. Avalara's AvaTaxST --which automatically calculates and reports sales tax -- will now include a forms utility that would create automated returns. Currently, AvaTax ST has four functional components: o Customer address validation; o Tax jurisdiction research; o Sales and use tax calculation; and, o Secure reporting for tax filing and audit purposes. "STF's interactive forms technology and years of experience in dealing with the myriad taxing jurisdictions will streamline the sales tax compliance burden with Avalara's system, and help deliver value to customers," remarked STF's president, Charlie Ter Bush, in a statement.

NetSuite Inc., a provider of hosted ERP and CRM applications, revealed its NetCRM-Services Edition. The CRM package can function as a stand-alone product or be integrated with other NetSuite software. Modified from its original version, NetCRM, NetCRM-Services Edition includes tools for project- or job-centered client management. The product is geared towards those companies that provide financial, consulting or legal services and need to track continuous data within a client's record. The company said that rather than being deal-focused, like its NetCRM, the new version will be client-focused. The software can be customized to fit a company's needs, and offers such features as service sales management, services item catalog, project/job tracking, a client self-service center, and service personnel-specific dashboards. Pricing for the new NetSuite product starts at $79 per user per month.

Movaris, a provider of financial control management and compliance software, has secured a $10 million round of financing from VC firms Adobe Venture and Granite Venture. Movaris said that the funding would go towards increasing personnel and the reach of their sales, professional services and development departments that deal with SOX and other financial control management applications. "Many public companies went through Sarbanes-Oxley once and did it manually," said Eric Keller, chief executive for Movaris. Today, "about 7,500 public companies have to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley now or by the end of this year." Keller said that these same companies "are looking to do it more effectively and efficiently this time through."

North 40 Systems, which provides practice management software, introduced a reseller initiative aimed at building partnerships with CPAs and accounting professionals for its Office Tools Pro product. The Office Tools Pro program offers professionals the opportunity to choose from the Authorized Reseller or the Authorized Trainers program. Office Tools Pro is a practice management package that includes contact management, time and billing, scheduling, document management, due-date reporting and project tracking. The software starts at $299 per user. To become an Authorized Trainer, the reseller must participate in an in-depth, online training session with their Office Tool Pro account manager and complete a certification exam. The annual reseller program fee is $200, but is waived for resellers in their first year. North 40 Systems hope to have approximately 100 authorized resellers and trainers by March 2006. Benefits to CPAs and accounting professionals include: o- Up to 40 percent commission on sales of Office Tools Pro software; o - The annual program fee is waived for resellers during their first year; o - Free support and training for resellers and their customers; o - A quarterly educational newsletter that includes corporate updates, technical tips, upcoming events and company news; and, o - An account manager to support each partner's needs.

Epicor Software Corp., a provider of integration software for mid-market businesses, earlier this month released Vantage 8.0 -- an ERP application designed for manufacturers. The company said that the product, can be used for multi-plant management, allowing firms to synchronize their manufacturing operations on a global basis. Built on an N-Tier architecture system, the product combines Microsoft's .Net and Web Services technology. The new application aims at providing end-to-end services from point of sale to delivery for PC users in a make-to-order or mixed-mode enterprise. "One of the benefits we saw in Microsoft .Net technologies was the ability to build applications based on an SOA that have either a smart client, or a browser-based user interface, or both," said Paul Farrell, vice president of worldwide research and development for Epicor. With an Outlook-style menu, right-click functionality and grid entry, the new product must be installed on a Windows 2003, 2000 or XP platform. The application can be used, however, on either a Linux or a Microsoft server. Created using Microsoft's Visual Studio .Net 2003, Vantage 8.0 can access any Microsoft-based smart client device, like a handheld bar code scanner.

Avalara, a sales and use tax software provider for small and midsized businesses, revealed a new enterprise resource planning product fully integrated with Version 8.0 of Microsoft's Great Plains. AvaTax ST is to be used in combination with Great Plains for sales and use tax calculation, mostly for companies that sell in a number of different tax jurisdictions. The new software will instantly validate customer addresses, and perform tax jurisdiction research so that the correct amount is paid and can generate remittance reports for further evaluation, said Rory Rawlings, president and founder of Avalara, in a statement. For companies who sell in multiple tax jurisdictions, the software will create a single specific tax schedule for all customers, rather than one for every jurisdiction. The software will take into account sales tax information, customer exemptions, product taxability, amnesties and sourcing rules. Avalara will be at the Microsoft Convergence Conference in San Diego, March 6 to 9, 2005, to further explain and demonstrate the product.

Tax and financial software provider Intuit Inc. said that a double-digit rise in general and administrative costs, plus higher research and development expenses, trimmed second-quarter profits by roughly 1 percent, to $147.3 million, compared with the prior-year quarter. For the period ended Jan. 31, Intuit said that systemwide revenue rose nearly 5 percent, to $662.6 million, compared with the second quarter of last year. Intuit also said that its latest quarter had a $1.6 million loss stemming from discontinued operations, copmpared to a loss of about $455,000 for its last fiscal second quarter. With regard to the performance of its business units, Intuit said that consumer tax revenue rose 9 percent, to $141.1 million; professional tax revenue hit $150.6 million, a drop of 4 percent, while its flagship QuickBooks product climbed 10 percent, to $222.3 million.

As most everyone knows, e-business is the act of conducting business on the Internet.