The Attivo Blog

In the words of the great Sir Winston Churchill, "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often."

Changing your ERP system is not an easy commitment to make, although often a necessary one.  A colleague of mine compares the process of ERP software replacement to open heart surgery.  Nobody wants open heart surgery; however it is, sometimes necessary to survive.  You wouldn't perform open heart surgery on yourself, so it is important to select a qualified surgeon to perform the task.  Comparatively, ERP software implementation is no small task, so it is important to not only focus on the ERP software package that fits your requirements, but selecting an experienced and qualified implementation team to insure the success of the project.  It is equally, or even more imperative, to consider the stability and future of the ERP software developer.

If your company has outgrown an entry level system like QuickBooks or Peachtree, congratulations! Now you need something more comprehensive to address more complex requirements as you grow. If Exact Macola Distribution or Manufacturing Pro is a product you are considering, and you probably should you will want to read on.

Macola has it's origin in the 1970's as a Cobol program running on mini computers, Macola was developed as a stand-out product in the early 80's for the emerging PC network market offering the only comprehensive manufactuing solution in its price range.  The word on the street was if Macola Progression didn't meet your needs, you better get out your checkbook because the next best products costs ten times more than Macola.  Today, Exact, Macola Distribution and Manufacturing Pro continues to offer high functionality for very affordable prices.

There are four main Macola brands: Macola ES, Macola Distribution Pro, Macola Manufacturing Pro and Macola Progression.  Depending on your requirements you may want to explore whether or not one of the many add-on software applications to support bar code data collection, advance scheduling, or custom programming  using Macola's built-in customization tools make sense.makes sense.

Exact Software acquired Macola in 2001 adding 7,000 customers worldwide.  Macola is a well-established product with over 35 years of development.  Exact Software, the developer of Macola, was founded in 1984, has offices in 15 countries, and is headquartered in Delft, the Netherlands.  Exact America is headquartered inn Middleton, MA.  Exact is listed on NYSE Euronext Amsterdam since 1999 and employs over 1,800 people as of 2011.  Exact has over 100,000 customers in more than 125 countries.

If you are interested in learning more information about how Macola may fit your requirements please contact us today to learn about our business process assessment!







 

Are you currently in management for a university or college? Frustrated by your current management software? What is the best university management system? After years of research and experience, we have found that higher education organizations such as colleges and universities find that an ERP Software solution was the best option. Universities that have implemented an ERP system have found that it’s highly customizable and flexible for their management needs.

When most people think of management of a university or college, they think of the educational department, but we know there’s a lot more to managing a school. For example,

• Food service and cafeteria
• Transportation
• Building maintenance
• Janitorial services
• Finances, such as financial aid
• Library management systems
• School technology
  

That’s a lot to organize! Here are some reason your organization may choose an ERP system:

Systematic Approach: One reason universities go for ERP software for management solutions is the fact that it’s a systematic approach. As you can see above, universities and colleges function at various levels, which include an abundance of different things to track, such as documents, inventory, service jobs, schedules, and finances. ERP software can bring all this information under one umbrella, allowing a central view of the university as a whole, as well as on the department level.

Control: Another reason ERP software is often used for university management is the control and authority. The solution offers the ability to customize an admin ‘dashboard’ that allows them to review each department quickly, on one screen. It also allows them to give and manage controls to different employees. This allows the different departments to run efficiently, without having to give everyone the same access.

Transparency & Accountability: Important goals for a university or college are often transparency and accountability. These two goals go together: if a department is transparent in how its department is run, then it naturally gives way for accountability. The ERP softwares allow that to happen through the different views management can have, as well as how different departments can view other department’s work and progress.

Reduce Cost & Increase Productivity: ERP software allows universities to track time, costs, and labor, allowing universities to record where they can cut costs and help employees increase productivity.

Student Customer Service: Universities need to keep in contact with their students, and an ERP software allows them to do that. With add-on modules, such as a mobile interface, payment gateways, GPS and biometric systems, all allow the organization to manage student relations efficiently. With the ERP add-ons, they can have real time access to the college campus and can stay aware of all notifications regarding fees, payments, events, admissions and many more.

ERP software can be the all-in-one option for better university management.

At the Attivo Group, we feel the CPA's pain during tax season. Ok, maybe we don't exactly feel your pain, but we're certainly sympathetic to the hours of work, weekends lost, and long days you put in to help the businesses we support. We hope the  ERP Software we installed has helped make your job easier, but we also understand there's still a lot of work to do.

So, let's ease the IRS stress a little, shall we?

One of our favorite CPAs is social media darling Kelly Phillips Eerb, aka TaxGirl. She had a friendly competition in February called 'Tax Haiku'. You can read all of them on her Facebook page (click the 'February' on the right to get to the right area), but here are some of our favorites. (It's ok, really. Take a break and have a few minutes of fun.)



Accountant, my friend
My shoebox runneth over
Deduct yes, owe no

Estimated taxes must be paid
Or you'll get a notice of balance due
Penalties and interest added too!

Taxes due again?
Where are the good deductions?
Phased out — too much dough.

Section 1-6-2
You allow me to expense
I think I love you.

Have some Haikus that you would like to share - or just some ways you relieve stress during the tax season? We'd love to hear it in the comments below! Oh, and we just launched our new Facebook Page!

Struggling to manage your own EDI operation? Tying up precious IT resources updating EDI maps and troubleshooting failed transactions? Do you suspect that the real cost per EDI transaction is eating into margins? RedTail’s managed EDI service can help.  Download our free EDI ROI caculator to learn more about potential cost savings related to your business processes.







Do you need an EDI solution that:

• Eliminates manual data entry tasks
• Connects your warehouse or 3PL
• Automates order fulfillment
• Speeds your order-to-cash cycle
• Reduces chargebacks and deductions
• Lowers cost per EDI transaction

If you answered yes to any of the foregoing questions please watch our 30 minute presentation to learn how RedTail EDI works in the cloud with your MAS 90 MAS 200 ERP system to reduce costs and errors associated with redundant data entry.

We get a lot of calls from our MAS 90 and MAS 200 customers who have trouble cutting a check to their customers when there is a refund due.  Rather than apply the credit toward a future bill the client may incur, the MAS 90 or MAS 200 user must cut a check to their client.  How do they cut a physical check in MAS 90, MAS 200 Sage 100 ERP?  We will show you how in just a few quick and easy steps.  Please watch our short MAS 90 How To video to find out!