Like a child your business is constantly growing and needs to be outfitted with solution software that fits. To make a decision on a new system you first have to analyze your needs. How many users do you plan on having access the system? What are your data needs? Do you have the right amount of space to facilitate a new system? How quickly is my business growing? These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before moving to a new system.

Sage provides a few pointers on how to analyze your business and which systems may suit your needs. It is a very easy decision once you understand exactly what you need and how to implement changes.

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#1 WMS installs take months to a year and the implementation costs are way too high!
Wrong! A WMS can be installed and implemented in 45 days if done correctly. The cost of the WMs varies on the requirements and your businesses needs but the cost isn’t as high as many seem to believe. Just remember you get what you pay for!

#2 In time our WMS will be too small and we will have to start from scratch!
Not always! If a proper WMS is customized for your warehouses needs, the base WMS can be used with minor adjusting or an additional application to meet your needs. By choosing a trusted vendor most times updates are available to minimize even eliminate down-time.

#3 How will we afford a WMS? We are only a small business.
The cost of a WMS is not as much as expected. A simple WMS can be 10 times better than manual warehouse management and can cost little to nothing. It all depends on what you want the WMS to do and the capacity needed. Some vendors even offer payment plans which help your business afford a WMS.

#4 Most decent priced vendors go out of business in a few years!
Many businesses in general go out of business but that is why you have to be very selective in which vendor you choose. Use common sense when choosing a vendor and ask other companies who they chose.

#5 If I pay a low upfront cost then in the long term I will have a lower total cost of ownership.
An unusually low price tag on a WMS should set off a warning signal for prospective buyers. Some WMS vendors may choose to drop their asking price to an attractively low number in order to win your business because they anticipate a much higher cost of implementation services once the project is underway.

#6 My Company Is too small to reap the benefits of a WMS
No company is too small to reap the benefits of a WMS. A WMS will give you a highly accurate picture
of your inventory, and increase overall visibility. A WMS should significantly reduce the amount of time employees will have to spend figuring out what tasks and actions they need to perform next. And your WMS will reduce paper-driven processes, so your employees will spend less time moving paper, and more time shipping orders.

#7 My system already gets the job done, I have no need for a WMS.
That may be true, but how much is the ongoing maintenance and customization of this application really costing your company? Over time, as developers leave (along with their knowledge of the system) custom-developed applications become increasingly difficult to budget for and support. The systems get more costly to maintain as they become less adaptable to changing business requirements, and each adaptation grows more expensive as documentation ages and troubleshooting becomes more challenging. The reality is that the right WMS should be flexible, adaptable to changing business and market conditions, and cost less to support.

#8 Training costs are too high!
The right WMS should be designed to simplify your warehouse operations, not complicate them. An intuitive and well-built application should make receiving, picking, shipping and other basic warehouse operations flow smoothly without requiring extensive training.

Sourced from “Debunking the Top Eight Myths: Surrounding Small-Business Warehouse Management Systems” written by High Jump Software

With a number as large as that, it seems inevitable for business owners to invest in surveillance software. A question that many business owners ask themselves is, “How do I maintain a level of professionalism within my employees?”

Even though some companies use sites such as Facebook and Twitter to advertise they easily forget that these sites are built on individual usage. Employees are not above the urge to spend 10 minutes maybe even hours on these sites communicating with other employees, friends and family.

With the new surveillance technology you no longer have to stand behind your employees. This software allows you to set blocks, limit bandwidth, and even set custom usage of websites such as Facebook and Twitter. You can even build reports that show the web-surfing statistics of individuals or the entire network.

Despite common belief this is not invasion of privacy or illegal.  The workplace is a private domain and as an employee using company computers you are not entitled to the same privacy you are accustomed to with your personal computer. As a precaution to legal action it is best to make current and future employees aware of the use surveillance software.

In my opinion this is a necessary part of a business in this day and age! Especially in response to the widespread usage of social networking sites.

According to the article some business owners believe that by setting these blocks and limits employees are more apt to respond by spending more time working rather than logging into these sites. I completely agree as it will definitely hinder the amount of time employees waste on these sites.

What is your outlook on this social-networking epidemic spilling into the workplace? Would you implement this surveillance software in your company? Is this a good way to monitor your employees and their web use?

We’d love to read your thoughts on this. Comment Below!

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The kids are back in school, reviewing old material and learning new content. It’s the perfect time to assess your own knowledge of Peachtree’s accounting tools. Are you wasting time trying to puzzle out features on your own?

If you’re just starting with Peachtree, it’s a good idea to consult with us as you go through the initial setup and data population procedures. Even businesses that have been using Peachtree for awhile can benefit from some expert help in using Peachtree to its fullest.

Peachtree’s simple, intuitive design lets you dive in and start generating forms and reports quickly. But you’ll save time and probably even learn things you didn’t know about the program’s broad capabilities if you explore the in-depth guidance offered.

Read the complete article with in-depth analysis and complete listing of features by clicking here!

With the changing technology and increase in electronic payment transactions businesses have been able to expand to markets around the world. Millions of people in the U.S. make purchases online and via credit/debit cards. How do you protect yourself and your business from financial fraud?

As technology advances so must the security measures. To act as a guard, merchants should update their PCI(Payment Card Industry) and DSS(Data Security Standard) Compliance. Since 2005 over 234 Million records with sensitive financial information has been breached. By updating your PCI-DSS you will maintain your professional integrity and protect you and your from loosing thousands of dollars to hackers and thieves.

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Take a Vacation From Long-Term Financial Concerns: Use Peachtree’s Budgeting Tools

As summer winds down and vacation time for your kids dwindles, you’re probably making plans for next year’s adventures. You may be relaxed from your time off and full of ideas about what—and what not—to do next summer, based on how this year’s time off went.

Peachtree’s budgeting tools can provide the same combination of relaxation and anticipation in your professional life. Rather than wondering whether you’re making enough money every month to meet expenses (and how that will play out long-term), you’ll be able to track cash flow, spot problems ahead of time, and tweak your financial blueprint. And the knowledge that budgeting affords you will help you plan for future years.

Numerous options

Budgets are not available in Peachtree First Accounting. Peachtree Complete and Pro offer limitations (a single budget) that Peachtree Premium doesn’t have.

To get started (with Premium and sample data as our example), click Maintain | Budgets. A large grid-like screen opens, looking something like this:

Peachtree Premium’s budget grid works similarly to a typical spreadsheet.

First, enter a name for your budget in the Budget Name field. Write a description if you’d like. Tab to the first Type drop-down list. You’ll have several options here, including Income Statement Accounts, Balance Sheet Accounts, and Accounts Receivable. Select Income Statement Accounts to make your budget as comprehensive as possible.

You can further filter the content for your budget in the Segment fields. You can pare down your budget by selecting Departments, GL Accounts, or Wildcards (All is, of course, another option). If you’ve opted to pull out a subset, pull down the list next to Equal to:, and choose an entry there (the Equal To: list will change to reflect your choice).

To Show Inactive, check that box, and then select a fiscal year for your budget. Click Save on the toolbar.

And Now he Hard Part…

If you’ve never created a budget before, you may have some work ahead of you. You’ll need to enter numbers in all applicable cells in the grid. Consult your accounting professional if you’re taking this on. You’ll be able to edit the budget as the year goes along, but it’s important to be realistic about your prospects from the start.

If you’ve been using Peachtree faithfully for more than a year, you’ll have a much easier time of it. You can pull in actual data from your Peachtree file to fill in the cells.

Click on Autofill in the toolbar, and you’ll see this dialog box:

If you have an existing budget from a prior year, or have been using Peachtree for more than a year, you can automate much of the budget process.

Click the first button to select it, and click Next. To move fiscal year 2010’s data into FY2011, select This Year in the first drop-down list. The dates in the next two fields should change to match it. If your fiscal years start on January 1, select that date in the drop-down list below; otherwise, select the appropriate date. It should look like this:

It’s easy to set up a transfer of Peachtree data from the current year into next year’s budget.

Click Finish. Your prior year’s data now displays as budget totals for next year. Of course, you’ll be missing the last few months of 2010 when you run this example. You can either extrapolate or wait until closer to year’s end to run a complete budget.

You can also copy one budget to another. Open the desired budget, click Autofill, and select Copy amounts from the open budget.

More Useful Tools

The toolbar gives you access to other tools that further extend the usefulness of your budgets. You can use these tools to help you:

• export your budget to Excel for additional massaging
• attach related documents to your budget
• take notes
• or run reports.

The latter is critical. Peachtree Accounting helps you keep an eagle eye on how you’re adhering to your budget. You should run these reports often to evaluate your current situation and plan for future budgets.

Peachtree provides numerous tools to help you work with your budgets.

Be Budget Smart

You can’t successfully run a business without a carefully crafted budget any more than you can erect a building without a blueprint. Before getting started with the budgeting process, give us a call and we’ll help you make the right moves.