The Attivo Blog

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!

Can you relate to this picture?

Recently, I bought a used motorcycle and an RV.  I have no idea how to change the oil or perform routine maintenance on either.  I brought both vehicles with me on a recent camping trip.  I have learned the expensive way to obtain proper basic training before operating either of these toys.  For example, when your RV has less than a quarter tank of gas, your generator will not work.  If you put too much oil in your motorcycle it will break.  If you try to call the manufacturer for help they will refer you to a local service provider for guidance because it is not a mechanical defect, it is user error.  If you are a beginner at motorcycling and RV camping it is probably a good idea to learn about your new vehicles before use. 

The same goes for your MAS 90 ERP Software or SageCRM Software. Prior to data conversion and software use it is best to know how to use your software by enlisting the assistance of a local service provider.  If you convert the wrong data or indicate the wrong information in the wrong place you will likely be displeased with your purchase.  It is not the developers fault, it is an expensive mistake that can easily be avoided with the proper training.

Do you have problems with any of the following: MAS 90, MAS 200, QuickBooks Enterprise, Macola and/or SageCRM system but do not get the answers you need?  Make your ERP Software work for you, not the other way around.

Compare The Attivo Group Inc.'s full value support plan with your Intuit or Sage Software developer plan to see why our support will help you make your software work the way you need it to:

	THE ATTIVO GROUP INC. FULL VALUE SUPPORT	SAGE SOFTWARE BASIC TELEPHONE SUPPORT PLAN	INTUIT SOFTWARE BASIC TELEPHONE SUPPORT PLAN	MACOLA SOFTWARE BASIC TELEPHONE SUPPORT PLAN	MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP SOFTWARE BASIC TELEPHONE SUPPORT PLAN
Personalized, Custom Client Portal	x
Generic Public Portal	x	x	x	x	x
People Who Know You Personally	x
Software Updates Installed	x
User Training Included	x
Report Writing Included	x
Rollover Unused Minutes	x
Use It Or Lose it		x	x	x	x
User Guides Developed Specific To Your Needs	x
Documentation	x
System Documentation Unique To Your Installation	x

The Attivo Group Inc.'s Full Value Support Plan is designed to fit your needs like a glove! Please contact us today to learn more!

Consultants come in all shapes and sizes.  There are tall, short, fat, skinny, old, young, male and female Consultants that work in every industry.  Now, even though we don’t know what each Consultant will look like before they show up to a job, we of course assume they are all there with the same intentions… To provide good, quality, efficient service! Well, what if I was to tell you this is not always the case?!  At the risk of being “Enemy #1” amongst all you Consultants out there lets for the sake of argument and entertainment break you into 3 categories.  The Hostage, Vacationing, and Professional Consultant. The Hostage Consultant is the guy that just isn’t happy to be there.  You might even think his dog was run over by a car that morning.  Either he is not happy at his current job, is having a really bad day, or is just there because the boss absolutely made him go!  Safe to say, this is a tough person to work with and should be avoided at all costs! The Vacationing Consultant can be a little tricky at first.  (Note… Vacationing Consultants are often found on jobs in Hawaii or other coastal located business’s) An immediate tipoff is when they show up to the job in a Rein Spooner and flip flops.  This type of Consultant appears energetic and happy to be working when he is actually just excited to get to the beach.  Often times the Vacationing Consultant will do a 2nd rate job and will be more interested in the beautiful scenery than the actual work he is doing. The Professional Consultant is the one that is at the job to provide quality, efficient and cost-effective service.  This Consultant is prepared for the job and always has a plan in place!  Here at The Attivo Group we take pride in only having this type of Consultant.   Implementing a new software system is tough to begin with.  Knowing what you are getting with your Consultant can make that process a whole lot easier!

When I first heard of the term “cloud computing” I wasn’t really sure what to think?  At the risk of sounding ignorant the first thing that came to my mind was sitting on a puffy cloud while using your PC or Mac.  I know, I know, completely idiotic, but I am just being honest.  I soon found out that “cloud computing” can be a pretty efficient and cost effective way to manage the IT infrastructure of your business. So what on Earth is “cloud computing?”  Simply put it is moving software applications which would typically be on the user’s network infrastructure out onto the internet by having control remote servers to maintain data and applications.  Did I say simply put?  I know, confusing! So basically you are having your IT hardware being shared amongst many companies.  By sharing costs including electricity, internet bandwidth, data storage, security and IT management, cloud computing can provide higher quality resources at a lower cost than most companies can provide with their own resources. Another example to explain this would be if you want milk, do you need to have a cow living in your backyard?  No, let the grocery store handle that for you!  Another advantage to “Cloud” environments is that they are generally managed in a secure, disaster-ready environment.  So if a major flood, tornado, or earthquake takes place, your equipment will remain safe. Now that you know that “cloud computing” isn’t working with your computer up in the sky, it is up to you to decide whether or not it is right for your business.   A lot of business’s today use a combination of “cloud” and “on-site” technology to handle their needs.  Whatever your choice is, it is nice to have an option of having your own in house infrastructure or sharing it with other companies.