Sunday, February 22, 2009

How to choose small business software: the latest offerings

What are the biggest practice software providers up to product-wise, and what will they do to improve the working lives of smaller practices over the next 12 months? We asked Sage, Iris, Digita and CCH to update you with their latest offerings, and plans for the future

SAGE

This year sees Sage Accountants’ Division continue to put much effort and investment into the Sage Practice Suite, focusing on compliance, usability and integration.

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Compliance is a focal point at present for both tax and accounts production. Sage has introduced the new Taxation Suite for 2009 and is actively working on compliance changes in accounts production including requirements for IFRS and XBRL.

Sage continues to work closely with HMRC and Companies House to ensure that their software solutions provide validated and compliant outputs.

Additionally, as more practitioners move to online filing for the first time, Sage has launched Sage Instant Taxation, which aims to enable practices with up to 100 clients to complete and electronically file all SA100 tax returns – dramatically reducing errors and ensuring consistent filing.

Later in the year, Sage will launch an updated practice solution, which will include new features in response to customer demand for improved reporting functionality. Also responding to changes in the market, Sage will be introducing a highly functional and user friendly group consolidation module as part of Sage Accounts Production Advanced. This module will use up to date technologies which will become more prevalent in future iterations of all of Practice Suite modules. Furthermore, Sage will continue to enhance integration between all of the Practice Suite modules and also the Sage 50 Suite, enabling accountants to work closely with their clients and their data.

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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Bookkeeping Software Can Simplify the Bookkeeping Process

The advent of efficient bookkeeping software has revolutionized the way Bookkeeping Services is performed in organizations. With large volumes of accounts receivables, account payables, billing and Payroll Services to handle, organizations found it difficult to manage the different segments of bookkeeping. Competent bookkeeping software has enabled companies to work better and save on time and effort.

There is a wide range of bookkeeping software that bookkeepers can use today. The following is a list of the different bookkeeping software available and the benefits that each offer:

QuickBooks

Quickbooks Bookkeeping Software is one of the easiest to use financial software. It has an easy to use interface, simple navigation toolbars and a user-friendly graphic menu. The Quickbooks software is divided into various sections, such as the help section, customer section and vendor section. There is a help button on every option and users can go through FAQs in the quick help menu. The Quickbooks software gives users flexibility on a variety of tasks related to accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, inventory and banking. Other features include a general ledger and job costing tools.

Quicken

The advanced features of Quicken make it the software favorite software among accountants. In the latest version of Quicken enables users to see more of workspaces and reports at the same time. Financial data can also be viewed more easily. The tabs in Quicken enable users to easily access different functions at the same time. Summarized versions of critical information can be seen on the home page and activity center. With features such as, financial overview, cash flow center, investment centers, Quicken Billminder Gadget and Quicken account bar, Quicken is a good choice.

Peachtree

The latest version of Peachtree is packed with advanced options to enable bookkeepers to maintain accurate records efficiently. It has an easy-to-use interface, an informative business status page, input screens for (billing, payroll & invoicing), advanced reporting tools and high-end options. Bookkeepers can synchronize contact information with ACT and set up this software without any difficulty. All these advantages make the Peachtree accounting software accounting software a favorite among bookkeepers.

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