ERP Software Blog » Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions

The Economy is Coming Back: Can Your ERP Handle the Recovery?

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:10:47 +0000

As our economy pulls out of its long recession, many businesses are beginning to realize they put off IT purchases for too long. In particular, ERP software has been neglected as companies concerned with cash flow did not install new software as often as they had in the past. That is why an ERP upgrade should be your first priority if you haven’t done so in the past few years. Consider the following:

Your competitors are investing, can you keep up?

For the 2^nd year in a row, CIO Magazine notes that nearly 50% of companies say their IT budgets will increase in the coming year. Half of that was predicted to go to application software. This means that a number of businesses are getting more streamlined and leaner when it comes to their ERP needs. If your competition is increasing their efficiencies, are you going to be able to keep up?

Businesses are still sitting on record amounts of cash

2010 saw an all time record jump in corporate cash on hand, raising the level to a record 1.84 Trillion Dollars. Despite that record, cash on hand still increased in 2011. With interest rates so low, businesses have nowhere to earn interest on that money. As the recovery gains steam, businesses are starting to re-invest that money in themselves in the form of increased purchasing. That is translating to increased demand – are your systems ready to handle that demand?

Deals on software are still out there

2010 saw deals out there for software that may never be seen again – including offers to give away licenses. But even with the economy picking up, there are still aggressive offers out there, as evidenced by Microsoft’s recent promotion. Now is a great time to find bargains.

While it may have made sense during slow times to “get more done with less” and put off ERP upgrades, there are many compelling reasons to act now and upgrade. Contact Intellitec Solutions today to see if Microsoft Dynamics GP may be the right fit for you.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner serving Pennsylvania

The Economy is Coming Back: Can Your ERP Handle the Recovery? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Industry Specific ERP Software Can Leave You in the Lurch

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:42:36 +0000

Recently, a company in the Long Term Care industry reached out to us for an evaluation of Dynamics GP. In and of itself, that was not unique, as that has been an area of growth for us in the last few years. But what was unique about this particular company is that they had just purchased and installed a full Clinical Management package that included an ERP component to it. In other words, they just bought an accounting package, and were now reaching out to us to evaluate alternatives. Our first question to them was why they were not going to use the solution they just bought. There answer: “It does everything we want it to, it just doesn’t do any of those things very well.”

That quote perfectly illustrates the main problem with using industry specific software to manage accounting. The main focus of the software is running your business, not accounting. Typically, industry specific packages devote little R&D effort on the accounting portion of the software. Similarly, support personal at the company are dedicated to “mission critical” components of the software, rather than helping you with suspended batches of year-end updates. Another problem with industry specific ERP is the install base. If an industry specific package has a few hundred clients they support – or even a few thousand – they probably have not seen unique accounting problems very often and as such will have a hard time solving those problems as they arise. Also, with a small install base, local support is not very likely, and it is doubtful that you will find a local support helping you establish best practices.

In the end, you will probably find that utilizing a best of breed accounting solution like Microsoft Dynamics GP combined with a partner that understands your unique industry needs will be the best way to go. This will give you the expertise to handle the challenges you face in your business, backed by software that can easily handle problems as they occur, and give you the updates you need in a timely manner.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner serving Pennsylvania

Industry Specific ERP Software Can Leave You in the Lurch is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Dynamics SL Year End Closing Best Practices

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:04:52 +0000

Year End closing in Microsoft Dynamics SL can seem like a daunting task. There are dozens of Year End Closing steps, and with the holidays, you may be short handed at times. So how do you make sure that Year End isn’t so stressful? It’s important to put good procedures in place from the get-go so that month end and quarter ends go smoothly throughout the year. This will put you in a good place come year end, and ensure that closing is uneventful. It also helps to have the right Dynamics Partner to work with, someone who understands not just the software but your business as well. If you start the year with a consulting team with the depth and breadth to meet your tough business challenges, your yearend procedures should go well.

When selecting a partner to implement Dynamics SL, make sure they have a proven plan for success that provides best practices around good monthly closings. That way come year end, you will be prepared for a successful and uneventful close.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics SL Partner serving Pennsylvania

Dynamics SL Year End Closing Best Practices is a post from: ERP Software Blog

5 things Long-Term Care Facilities Should Look For in a New ERP System

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:37:47 +0000

The decision to buy or upgrade an ERP system –such as Microsoft Dynamics GP – is never an easy one for any company. It can be especially true in the Long-Term Care industry, where the existing accounting system may be old, and as such, deciding what is needed in a new solution may be difficult. Here are 5 things a Long-Term Care Facility should look for when purchasing new software:

Flexible chart of accounts structure to meet reporting requirements

Make sure the system you implement allows for flexibility as your organization grows. How you structure your chart of accounts will ultimately decide how you report data, so it is crucial that you are not locked into a system that does not account for growth. This will also allow you to more easily respond to changes in Medicare and Medicaid reporting.

Integration to 3^rd party Healthcare Billing

Make sure the package you select allows for easy integration to your billing and/or EMR software. Make sure your new ERP solution allows for large volumes of data and can be automated

Fixed Asset Management capabilities

Long Term Care organizations face a significant challenge to track the quantity, condition, location, maintenance and status of their fixed assets. Therefore it is crucial you pick a package that has fixed asset management capabilities fully integrated with your financial package.

Contains Robust Budgeting tools

As your facility grows, you will need sophisticated tools to budget revenue, capital, and payroll, and to compare budget to historical averages. Make sure the solution you select has flexible budgeting tools that can be easily and securely accessed, and can be exported into the reporting formats you need.

Handle Requisitions and Encumbrances

Your facility likely will need to create and track requisitions in your new system. Make sure your new solution has an approval hierarchy structure, the ability to create management reports to help with commitments and tracking, and integration with Purchasing.

The solution you select must be able to support projected long-term growth as well. Dynamics GP will facilitate faster growth, and is powerful enough to grow with you.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner serving Pennsylvania

5 things Long-Term Care Facilities Should Look For in a New ERP System is a post from: ERP Software Blog

The Challenges of Implementing ERP in Government Organizations

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:32:28 +0000

ERP implementations are always difficult, and completing it can be likened to finishing a marathon. Some never make it, and many of those who do finish are miles behind the winners. For Government Agencies, all of this difficulty is compounded by the unique attributes of organizations in the public sector. Successfully implementing an ERP system such as Microsoft Dynamics GP in a government organization requires a great deal of planning.

There are three key areas of government organizations that cause significant problems with ERP implementation:

Resistance to Change – In these times of budget and salary cuts, it can be difficult to convince employees to learn a new system when their old system “worked just fine”. Oftentimes, government employees have been forced to construct unique and exceedingly complex workarounds that they have become comfortable with. Asking them to abandon their routines for something that would supposedly make their lives easier is an arduous task.

Communication Barriers – Government agencies often operate independently of one another. In order to implement a system to cover multiple departments within an organization, you must keep the lines of communication open. Implementing an ERP system in any organization requires people to stay on the same page. Given the size of some agencies, it is especially important to set clear objectives and a thorough plan from the beginning.

Complexity – In the public sector, organizational charts oftentimes are top-heavy with multiple high-level administrators all calling the shots. Furthermore, you may have to also address the concerns of external stakeholders, such as lobby groups, private taxpayers, standards boards, private donors, and higher-level government agencies. To implement an ERP system in such a complex environment with many voices often speaking to different issues and with varying concerns, you must have a strong platform to warrant the change and investment. You may have to convince many different groups that your plan is worthwhile and will succeed.

None of this is meant to suggest that implementing a new ERP system for a public sector organization is impossible, quite the contrary. When ERP systems that are aging and in need of replacement continue to be used, critical business intelligence is lost. Implementing a new solution is not easy, but with the proper planning and support, your chances of success are greatly increased.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner serving Pennsylvania

The Challenges of Implementing ERP in Government Organizations is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Long Term Care Accounting – Integrating Admissions with AR and Billing

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:48:34 +0000

Long Term Care facilities often face a dilemma: what is the best way to integrate critical information captured in census and clinical systems with their billing and accounts receivable applications. Though the task of doing this may seem large, having a system-wide integration like this allows LTC facilities to reduce administrative overhead and increase the timeliness and availability of financial information to department managers and executives throughout the organization. Among the benefits that can be achieved are:

Streamline billing information
Automatically apply room charges to resident bills
Audit all adjustments to accounting entries
Manage unlimited payer plans and instructions
Manage trust accounts effortlessly
Easily track collection notes and tasks
Utilize any third party accounting system through integration
Drive billing from provided census information
Automatically bill resident accounts with electronic payment
Provide a single bill for resident couples
Manage leaves and holds to avoid complicated billing procedures
Bill residents upon demand

Yet despite these benefits, many organizations maintain separate clinical and accounting software. The net result, unfortunately, is that many large organizations have systems in place that were intended to be monolithic centralized systems but instead operate in a decentralized fashion, reducing the level of integration and increasing costs, precisely what ERP systems were designed to control.

Many LTC facilities have concluded that a comprehensive financial management upgrade makes the most sense. Upgrading to an improved ERP solution such as Microsoft Dynamics GP can give your organization the tools to fully integrate with your clinical and census packages. It can sharply reduce the time and effort for key accounting tasks, provide easy access and analysis of integrated, updated information, and connect smoothly with operations across your entire organization.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner serving Pennsylvania

Long Term Care Accounting – Integrating Admissions with AR and Billing is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Microsoft Dynamics SL Helps Government Contractors Stay Compliant

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:21:35 +0000

Government contractors are faced with accounting rules and regulations that those in the commercial sector rarely (if ever) have to worry about. Doing business with the government means that you must adhere to complex governance and compliance rules. Government contractors must collect and retain detailed information to comply with audits by agencies such as the DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency). Government contractors have to deal with the reality that they are subject to rigorous audits with little or no notice.

Microsoft Dynamics SL is designed to specifically meet those needs. With Dynamics SL, a business can comply with government contracting requirements and grow their company, while keeping policies and procedures in place to support compliance with changing requirements.

Dynamics SL provides the Job Summary target and actual reports that are required for DCAA purposes. These reports are easily generated by Project Managers in a secure environment, utilizing familiar tools such as SharePoint and Project Server. These reports support the Labor, ODC’s, and Revenue numbers appearing in the Job Summary reports, and include:

Labor Hours Details: Displays hours incurred for the project. Columns include: Current Period, Year to Date and Project to Date (Incurred). Excludes cost information

Labor Hours and Costs Details: Displays hours and dollars incurred for the project. Columns include Current Period, Year to Date and Project to Date (Incurred). Supports the labor cost totals on the Job Summary report

Other Direct Cost Details: Report supports the Total ODC amounts shown on the Job Summary reports. The report is run by period

Revenue Detail: Report supports the Revenue totals on job summary reports

With today’s focus on cost savings and accountability to agencies, government contractors need to evaluate their internal operations and consider new software tools to stay competitive and facilitate growth. Dynamics SL gives you powerful, flexible and easy to use tools that allow you to do just that. To learn more and see a demo, please contact Intellitec Solutions at 866-504-4357.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics SL Partner serving Pennsylvania

Microsoft Dynamics SL Helps Government Contractors Stay Compliant is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Create Custom Financial Reports With Actionable Information – Microsoft Dynamics SL

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Fri, 27 May 2011 21:49:59 +0000

Most ERP packages have some report writing package that allows users to create and distribute financial statements for analysis purposes. The problem is that many of these packages create reports that are too limited. Oftentimes, end users are looking for a very specific report and wind up getting something different from what they asked for.

Microsoft Dynamics SL can help. With Dynamics SL, you get powerful report generation tools that support all major accounting standards and can handle multi-jurisdiction requirements no matter how complex. Dynamics SL gives you the control to know that your financial reports will comply with the continual evolution of GAAP and IFRS. With Dynamics SL, you have the ability to create custom and ad hoc reports that provide real time, actionable information to upper management and other staff. Data can be presented differently to specific people in your organization based upon what they need to see. With Dynamics SL, anything recorded in the General Ledger can be used to create reports and present information however it is needed.

Dynamics SL gives you real-time insights into organizational results as well and supports enterprise and departmental reporting. All reports are distributed through a secure, centralized report library. Users can drill down from high level reports, through company hierarchies, all the way to the account and underlying transaction details providing the information necessary to make business decisions. Dynamics SL makes it easy to create, maintain and distribute presentation quality financial reports and gives you the ability to measure and analyze your results.

Financial reporting regulations are constantly changing, and as such, reporting requirements are constantly changing. With Microsoft Dynamics SL, you can be confidant that your reports will stay in compliance. To learn more and to see how Dynamics SL can help you, contact us at 866-504-4357 to schedule a needs analysis and demo.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics SL Partner serving Pennsylvania

Create Custom Financial Reports With Actionable Information – Microsoft Dynamics SL is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 is Here – Why You Should Be Excited

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:09:26 +0000

The latest version of Microsoft Dynamics SL is creating a lot of buzz. Sure, Microsoft has thrown out the standard terms you would expect to see around a new software launch, such as “raise the bar” and “fuel results”. But other observers are using words like “very reliable solution”, “best enhancements I have ever seen”, and “this is way cool” When is the last time you ever heard an ERP Software called “way cool”?

So what is creating this excitement? Well, for one thing, this release has been three years in the making, and based on the results, that time was clearly well spent. Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 features many enhancements designed to deliver a look and feel akin to Microsoft Office. As we have seen with other products such as Dynamics GP and Dynamics CRM, the more the look and feel of Office is incorporated, the better the user acceptance is. That means lower training costs and faster adaptation. For businesses on SL now, your upgrade path just got a lot smoother. For businesses evaluating SL, you now have an easier, more intuitive package to consider. Either way, it’s easy to see why there is such excitement. Let’s take a closer look at some of the new features:

User Interface – There are some big changes in the User Interface in Dynamics SL 2011, all for the better. Right away you will find many features you are already familiar with from Windows and Office. For instance, the menu bar in Dynamics SL features a search box that returns results based on a partial query search. So if you type “distribution”, a full list of reports, screens and files that include the word “distribution” will appear, similar to what you see in other Microsoft products. Click the choice you want, and that screen or report will launch. You will also see functionality around saved favorites and recent searches similar to that is Office.

Role Tailored User Experience – This feature has been successfully utilized in other Microsoft ERP products and now it will be incorporated into Dynamics SL. The Role Tailored User Experience gives information that a particular user needs based on the role of that user. This means users will see the information they need right when they open Dynamics SL. All of this is delivered in an easy to use dashboard with graphic icons, with important tasks highlighted. So someone who works in payables will see right away critical tasks that need to be addressed, such as overdue receivables or past due payments.

Integration with other Microsoft Products – Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 includes efficient integrations to other Microsoft applications. Users will be able to utilize Microsoft SharePoint 2010 to give access to documents across their organization. Project Server 2010 can be used to create two-way data integration when managing projects. Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be accessed though Web Services to provide a 360 degree view of interactions with your customers.

Dynamics SL 2011 has really accomplished the best of both worlds – it has added strong functionality while becoming easier to use. It really is no surprise that it has generated such positive reviews. To see this latest release in more detail, please attend the Dynamics SL 2011 Launch Event in Malvern, PA on May 10^th.

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics SL Partner serving Pennsylvania

Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 is Here – Why You Should Be Excited is a post from: ERP Software Blog

Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 Launch Event – See What is New

Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:28:57 +0000

Microsoft has announced April 1 as the release date for Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011, perhaps the most anticipated release of Dynamics SL in over a decade. This latest release represents a 3 year effort to make it easier to find data, create reports, and analyze information inside of Dynamics SL. To get a sneak peek at this latest version, please attend the Philadelphia Dynamics SL 2011 Launch.

Microsoft has made a number of investments in Dynamics SL 2011 to help people be more productive, simplify the way they access information, and connect and integrate data:

The latest release contains a new user interface with enhanced capabilities around favorites and recent searches, and a new collaboration feature to make it easier for employees to share and analyze information. The new interface also includes many graphical reminders for important information, such as past due accounts and project alerts.

This latest release also allows for quick and easy sharing of information through SharePoint. For instance, common reports can be updated automatically and shared throughout your organization, rather than having to manually create and distribute new reports each time information is updated.

Dynamics SL 2011 also provides greater flexibility for organizations managing multiple companies. Users will be able to sign into multiple companies simultaneously, and perform tasks side by side to compare and analyze information.

Dynamics SL 2011 gives organizations the ability to raise the bar for productivity, performance, and growth. To learn more about how Dynamics SL can help you, please attend the Dynamics SL 2011 Philadelphia Launch event

By Intellitec Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics SL Partner serving Pennsylvania

Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 Launch Event – See What is New is a post from: ERP Software Blog

ERP Software Blog » Tom Rogers, Intellitec Solutions

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