CPA Technology Blog

Dear Brian: What Do You Think About Your Sprint 4G OverDrive/MiFi Device?

Dear Brian

Remind me which version of Sprint MIFI you have, the costs, and how you like it.  I’m thinking of making a switch Labor Day weekend

Thanks,

Bandwidth Hungry in Hutchinson

 

Dear Bandwidth Hungry in Hutchinson:

The device is called a Sprint Overdrive by Sierra Wireless.  I highly recommend the device – good stuff.  Major discussion points on it are below, and I think it’s a home run for small audit teams.

It’s basically a 4G Mi-Fi, and I like it a lot.   Biggest downside is that you are capped at 5GB of 3G transfer for $60/mo, although you get UNLIMITED 4G.  When I was in Chicago, I downloaded about 4GB of data when working in the hotel over 4G.

From a hardware perspective, the biggest downside I can see is that if you let the battery run completely out, you can have a hard time getting it up and going again – I think the USB power from your PC isn’t enough amps to charge while the device is running.  Battery life on the device is about 2 hrs, so you will want to keep it plugged in when you’re using it.  The other nice thing is that you can turn the device on battery power and use your PC on battery power for a few hours.  If you need to charge the device when running on battery, it will draw power from your PC’s battery using a micro-USB cable. 

The security on the device supports up to 5 people using WPA, WPA2, WEP, or an open wireless access point.  You can also do basic file sharing off of a micro-SD card which you can purchase separately (I think it only supports cards up to either 4GB or 8GB.  This would make the device a dream for audit teams who need to share files.  Although the files are not encrypted (so you might not want to put client SSN’s, etc. on it), it would be a great device for storing non-sensitive data. 

When configuring the device, you will want to change the default password immediately, and will also want to turn off the default option for it to show the SSID and WPA/WPA2 key on the LCD when the device is powered up.

The device is $349 retail, and $99 after 2yr contract, rebates, etc.  Good stuff.

If you would like to discuss further, please let me know.

Best regards, Brian

Analysis on the Cheap

I often remind participants in my seminars that every accountant I’ve ever met shares a common favorite four letter word.

Seriously.

That word is, of course, FREE.

With that in mind, I’ve run across some tools over the last few months that I haven’t blogged about, and wanted to pass these along to you all.  The tools are available for the low, low price of….. wait for it…. FREE.

Analyzing and manipulating large data sets has long been the job of accountants, auditors, and analysts, and the classic tools for these tasks like CaseWare IDEA, ACL, and others have always been very expensive and required a week or so of training so that you can be proficient with them.  With the general availability of quad core processors, workstations with 8 GB+ of RAM, fast 1 TB hard disks, end users no longer need to wait on someone to create a report for them.  Get the right tools, get access to the data, and get to work. 

Basic Tools: Microsoft Query and Excel PivotTables

Although they aren’t technically “free” since you need to purchase Microsoft Office to get them, Microsoft offers a couple of tools which are just as useful to analysts as an adjustable wrench (a Crescent wrench) and a claw hammer are to those doing home repair.

• Microsoft Query is a tool for selecting, joining, sorting, filtering, and extracting data from databases.  Query is one of those “helper” applications which is hidden from most users – I have only executed MS Query from within the Data tab of the Excel 2007/2010 Ribbon (Data, Get External Data Group, From Other Sources, Microsoft Query), but it is invaluable for entry level work with databases, and is compatible with any ODBC compliant database which you can use on your PC, including MS Access, MS SQL, and many, many other formats.  Queries can be created, edited, saved, and executed from a simple menu structure, and a wizard makes the hard task of writing SQL statements into child’s play.
• Excel Pivot Tables make it possible to summarize large data sets into interactive tables.  Although a full discussion of Pivot Tables would take all day (I actually own entire volumes written on Pivot Tables, and teach TWO half day classes on them (1) (2) through K2 Enterprises), suffice it to say that Pivot Tables will change your life, and do just about anything you want except make your teeth whiter and make you more attractive to members of the opposite sex.  Seriously – they’re that good.

 

ActiveData For Office

My friends over at InformationActive.com have a couple of nice products which meet the needs of accountants, engineers, and other professionals who need to perform sophisticated analysis on large data sets.  While my favorite one, ActiveData for Excel, is still a pay application, there is a version of this powerful tool called ActiveData for Office, which is now available for the low, low, price of FREE.  ActiveData for Office (also referred to as “ActiveData for SQL”) uses standard ODBC connections to talk to large databases, and will perform routine calculations like verifying the accuracy of an A/R aging report based on the dates in an open item listing, stratifying a sample, and evaluating sample results.  I’ve been somewhat confused by the move to give away this product, as I think it’s more powerful than the Excel tool – but pricing decisions are above my pay grade.  For more information, visit InformationActive.com’s page on ActiveData for Office.

ActiveData for Office is a FREE data analysis tool which is invaluable for Accountants and other information professionals who need to slice and dice large data sets.

 

PowerPivot for Office 2010

With the release of Microsoft Office 2010, our friends at Microsoft have come to the table with one of the best tools for summarizing huge (100K+ records) data sets.  While the tool does require that you become an early adopter of Office 2010, the price is definitely right, and the tool has been used to analyze data sets with hundreds of millions of records.  PowerPivot (free from www.powerpivot.com) is a self-service business intelligence tool designed to let end users create their own business intelligence (BI) solutions which combine data from disparate sources using an Excel add-in.  For seasoned BI professionals, PowerPivot creates pre-summarized tables which are periodically updated and can be queried similar to cubes for almost instant calculations on data sets with millions of records.

While you can do many of the same things using MS Access, update queries, dummy databases, ODBC connections, and pivot tables, PowerPIvot is both more powerful (smarter) and easier to use (better looking) than the alternatives, and it’s free.

If you haven’t tried it, PowerPivot is available from www.powerpivot.com.

What’s Going on with Brian?

I generally avoid posting a lot of stuff about me to the blog, as most readers don’t care, and just want to get some tips to assist them in their daily quest to stay ahead of the technology in their world.  In the last few months, however, I’ve had some pretty significant personal accomplishments, and I wanted to make a quick post about them.

• I am now a Technical Editor with the CPA Technology Advisor, and will be hosting a number of their podcasts, as well as writing my monthly column, The Sage Peachtree Perspective.  More info on this at www.cpata.com.
• The Tennessee Society of CPA’s recently announced that I received the 2009 Outstanding Discussion Leader Award for some courses I taught last year.  I’ll post the pics when I actually get the award from them later this year. 

I’m still posting, but my posts are more infrequent now than in the past.  Many of the “FYI” links I used to post are now posted to my Twitter feed, which is at www.twitter.com/bftcpa.  For those interested in the links, there’s a pretty good history there.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you all on the road for the rest of this year.

Sage Releases Peachtree 2011 and Peachtree Quantum 2011

Sage announced today the release of Peachtree 2011 and Peachtree 2011 Quantum.  Press releases are below.

 

Sage Peachtree 2011 Helps Small Businesses Stay Competitive

Customer-driven enhancements help small businesses get started quickly, stay on track, and on budget

Atlanta, Ga., May 18, 2010 – Sage North America announced today the availability of the Sage Peachtree 2011 product line, part of the broad portfolio of Sage business management solutions that service end-to-end business needs.  A longtime favorite of small businesses and accountants, Sage Peachtree is easier to use than ever, providing companies with instant access to key information that makes billing customers, reacting to issues and controlling profitability easier than ever for small businesses, helping them to stay competitive in a rapidly changing economy.  

“At a time when most small businesses need to do more with less, Sage Peachtree 2011 will help them to leverage efficiencies and answer the three most important questions of their day:  are business activities on track, on schedule, and within budget,” said Connie Certusi, general manager, small business accounting solutions, Sage North America.  “Sage Peachtree 2011 makes it easier for small businesses to quickly get the information they need so they can focus on what they do best:  running their businesses.”

Sage Peachtree 2011 helps small business owners and managers: 

Streamline Service Billing:  Businesses that provide services can quickly invoice customers for any unbilled time and expenses; unbilled items can be filtered by date, customer or job.  The outstanding time and expenses are then transferred directly to an invoice, increasing billing efficiency.

Improve decision making with the new Inventory and Services Management Center:  A customized dashboard helps users process large quantities of information about a single inventory item or a service at a glance.  It enables quick research, comparisons, and decision making, and helps small businesses easily see the impact of a service—usage, revenue, and more.  The dashboard cuts time needed to track details on inventory for planning purchases, freeing that time for other activities.  

Instantly identify Job Status: Customizable job status indicators provide  visual red/yellow/green “stoplights” for easy identification of what’s on or off track, and are completely customizable to suit the needs of individual businesses.  Small businesses can easily delete, rename, or change the color-coded stoplight button attached to each status, with virtually unlimited status types, for easy monitoring. 

“Sage Peachtree is amazing.  It’s so easy to use, and it really helps me keep track of my business overall,” says Pat Walther, owner of Whatsmokin’ Barbecue in St. Louis, MO.  “When I opened last year, I considered hiring someone, which would have been difficult at the time, but I bought Sage Peachtree instead, and it was the best decision I could have made.  I really depend on the reporting and analysis tools - they get me what I need quickly, so that I can focus on my customers and on doing what I love.”  

Sage Peachtree 2011 handily simplifies mundane tasks so that small businesses can get more work done faster, increasing efficiency with an easier installation process and a setup advisor that automatically displays related instructions, descriptions, and links for assistance.  The guide can be turned on or off for each user.

Other new features, which vary across products, include the ability to process change orders, enhanced assembly reporting, and additional improvements to jobs management.  For more information, please visit www.peachtree2011.com. 

Also available in the line are industry-focused products specifically for manufacturers, distributors, nonprofit organizations, accountants, and construction businesses, as well as Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011. Sage Peachtree Quantum is the most comprehensive application in the product line, offering all of the new features and enhancements in the core line along with exclusive new features to support improved jobs management.

Sage Peachtree is the entry point into the Sage family of ERP solutions.  The Sage migration path expands the Peachtree product line and offers a natural progression up to Sage ERP solutions to ensure small businesses have familiar and affordable options to support their long term business needs.  

Pricing and Availability
Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting 2011, Sage Peachtree Complete Accounting 2011, Sage Peachtree Pro Accounting 2011 and Sage Peachtree First Accounting 2011 are now available direct from Sage and will be available from most computer retailers and office supply stores in mid-June. The suggested retail price for Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting 2011 is $499.99, Sage Peachtree Complete Accounting 2011 is $299.99, Sage Peachtree Pro Accounting 2011 is $199.99, and Sage Peachtree First Accounting 2011 is $99.99. The Multi-User Edition (5 seat license) of Sage Peachtree Complete Accounting retails for $699.99, while the Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting 2011 Multi-User Edition (5 seat license) can be ordered direct from Sage for $1,199.99.  High-value competitive rebates are available from Sage for customers on other small business accounting packages.  Call 800-228-0068 for more details. 

About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs 4,000 people and supports 3.1 million small and midsized business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 13,100 people and supports 6.2 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the website at www.sagenorthamerica.com.

Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011 Adds More Business Management Power At An Affordable Price

New jobs management features will help small businesses take advantage of stimulus-related opportunities

Denver, Colo., May 18, 2010 – Sage North America announced today the general availability of Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011, with major enhancements in usability and jobs management, adding even more business management power at an affordable price.  Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011 is part of the broad portfolio of Sage business solutions that service end-to-end business needs.

Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011 offers the simplicity of an integrated accounting solution, with unrivalled performance and unmatched capacity in its class:  twice as fast for transaction saves and report generation than its nearest competitor, and capacity from five to 40 named users. It’s ideal for businesses looking for more power on a modest budget, and adds a mid-way step in the Sage migration path for small businesses who have outgrown Sage Peachtree, but aren’t yet ready to move up to a midsized, fully customizable solution such as Sage ERP MAS 90. 

“Companies are maximizing their investments, looking at ways to do more with less,” said Connie Certusi, general manager, small business accounting solutions, Sage.  “For these firms, Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011 is a perfect choice; an out-of-the-box solution that is fast, flexible, and works the way a small business does.  It’s perfect for companies who have an eye on growth and are looking for value, or for companies who realize that their current system is more than they need, either from a cost or a transactional standpoint, and are looking to switch.”

With the government releasing most of the $787 billion in stimulus funds this year, new job opportunities will be developing for small businesses.  The new jobs management functionality in Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011 will assist small businesses in taking advantage of those stimulus-based opportunities, enabling them to track the data required to comply with federal project parameters.   

Exclusive new job-related features in Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011 include: 

Job Navigation Center:  A ‘one-stop shop’ for quick, easy access to all job-related information including tasks and reports from a centralized dashboard, in which a complete list of jobs is displayed.  Users can drill down for detail, and use new Job Status Indicators to easily view or sort by status. 

Interactive Job Reporting:  On-the-fly customized reports with real-time totals can be developed from job modules on the dashboard, based on what information is selected.  The Job Profitability module with comparisons of original, estimated vs. committed and the various filters can create hundreds of user-defined reports, all of which can be exported to Excel, PDF, or email. 

Job and Project Management Center:  Small businesses can proactively manage projects with easy access to job information in one centralized place.  A second tab in the Job Navigation Center provides a customizable dashboard view of information per job, per job/phase, or per job/phase/cc. 

A new Streamlined Service Billing feature enables businesses that provide services to quickly invoice customers for any unbilled time and expenses; unbilled items can be filtered by date, customer or job.  The outstanding time and expenses are then transferred directly to an invoice, increasing billing efficiency.  New customizable Job Status Indicators with visual red/yellow/green “stoplights” enable easy identification of what’s on or off track, and is completely customizable to suit the needs of individual businesses, improving efficiency and awareness.

Other new features include the ability to process change orders and enhanced assembly reporting.  Additional improvements simplify startup, increasing efficiency with an easier installation process and a helpful setup advisor. 

With industry-specific features and reports to meet the specialized needs of small manufacturers, distributors, contractors, and nonprofit organizations, Sage Peachtree Quantum provides growing small organizations with the accuracy, control, and results they require for successful business management, and is the entry point into the Sage family of ERP solutions.  The Sage migration path expands the Sage Peachtree product line and offers a natural progression up to Sage ERP solutions to ensure small businesses have familiar and affordable options to support their long term business needs.  

Pricing and Availability

Sage Peachtree Quantum is available direct from Sage or from the Sage network of Sage Peachtree Certified Consultants.  Pricing starts at $2950 for a 5 seat license. A payment plan is available, through which small businesses can pay six months in equal installments via credit card.  For more information, please call 800-228-0068, or visit www.peachtreequantum.com. 

About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs 4,000 people and supports 3.1 million small and midsized business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 13,100 people and supports 6.2 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the website at www.sagenorthamerica.com.

Accountant Advocates Added to Sage Accountants Network

Sage announced today that they are adding a new team of “Accountant Advocates” to help Sage Accountants Network (SAN) members with marketing, practice management, and technical issues.  This is the kind of in-house service that software companies normally reserve for Value-Added Resellers (VARs), and makes it easier to get issues resolved in one call.

I had the opportunity to interact with one of the early Accountant Advocates during some meetings earlier this year, and I was very impressed with the depth and breadth of topics he could help with.  I expected a junior staff person with 2-3 years experience, and instead got a seasoned controller/consultant with 20+ years of strong experience in a wide range of businesses.

You can contact the Accountant Advocates at accountantadvocate@sage.com. 

(Full Text of Press Release Follows)

Sage Introduces Accountant Advocates and Strengthens Partnership With Accountant Community

New Accountant Advocates will assist Sage Accountants’ Network members on a range of issues from practice management to marketing and more

Atlanta, May 4, 2010— Sage North America today announced the addition of a new Accountant Advocate team to augment the services provided through the Sage Accountants’ Network.  Accountant Advocates are CPAs or accountants with industry or in-firm experience who will be focused on working with and providing an exceptional experience for accountants, bookkeepers and CPAs in the Sage Accountants’ Network. 

“We want our Sage Accountants’ Network members to see value from day 1, and for them to look to Sage as a partner in their success, providing them with knowledge, tools, and support to grow their practices and client relationships,”  said Jennifer Warawa, director of partner programs, Sage North America.  “By adding our new Accountant Advocates, we’re further enhancing the Sage Accountants’ Network experience with a team that will understand and be able to advise on a variety of practice management issues.” 

The Accountant Advocates’ role is to fully support Sage Accountants’ Network members and be their partner in business development. Accountant Advocates will be well versed in the Sage family of products and be prepared to assist and guide Sage Accountants’ Network members with anything from basic installation support to running a marketing campaign in their local area to go after new customers.  

The Sage Accountants’ Network offers resources to increase technical competency and help grow an accountant’s practice by providing informative communications and resources, product discounts, training, certification and membership benefits related to the Sage portfolio of products.  Through the Sage Accountants’ Network, accounting professionals also have access to Sage products that include accounting and business management software, support services and automatically delivered upgrades and updates, including payroll tax tables when applicable.  In addition to software, members receive a complimentary listing in the Sage Accountants’ Network member locator.  

To learn more about the Sage Accountants’ Network and how to get a free one-year membership, please visit Booth 315 at the 2010 Accounting Technology New York Show, May 5-6 at the Penn Plaza Pavilion.  In addition, Mike Savory, senior product manager, Sage Peachtree, will be presenting a session at the show on Thursday, May 6, on the Sage Accountants’ Network and Sage Peachtree Quantum.  You can also visit the Sage Accountants’ Network online at www.sageaccountantsnetwork.com, or contact the new Accountant Advocates:  accountantadvocate@sage.com. 

About Sage North America
Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,100 people and supports 3.1 million small and midsized business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 13,400 people and supports 6.1 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the website at www.sagenorthamerica.com.

Disclosure:  I write a monthly column on Sage Peachtree for The CPA Technology Advisor (CPATA.com) called “The Sage Peachtree Perspective”.  My initial column is in the can, and will be published around the end this month in the June 2010 issue of the magazine.  More on the column is available at http://bit.ly/sptp-cpata

Best “404 Error” Message Ever – www.Avalara.com/whoops.htm

We’ve all seen the message - “404 – Not Found” when we’ve made a mistake entering an internet address or the server had some kind of “issue” where the server couldn’t find the page we wanted.  These messages usually read like the legals section of the newspaper, full of unimaginable drivel which normal humans can’t understand.

From our friends at Avalara, we have possibly the best 404 Error message ever, at www.avalara.com/whoops.htm.

The link for the recipe actually works, and has a Margarita recipe.  Since I gave up tequila 20 years ago, I can’t tell you if the recipe is any good or not, but this is a great way to take a boring message and make it fun!

$ave at Sage Insights 5/17-5/20/2010. New Accountants Track and BIG DISCOUNTS

Sage’s annual Insights Conference will be held in Denver on May 17-20, and seats are still available for accountant first time attendees to attend Sage Insights for only $495.  You can earn up to 17 CPE credits, and learn about both financial and technology developments directly from industry leaders at this national business technology conference.

Every year, Sage hosts the partner event that can’t be missed…Insights. This year, with our renewed focus on accounting professionals, we have designed a track just for you. Our lineup of speakers includes Greg LaFollette, Randy Johnston, Brian Tankersley, Doug Sleeter from The Sleeter Group, Joe Woodard, Geni Whitehouse from Even a Nerd Can Be Heard, and more!

As an attendee, you’ll interact with other Sage partners, accounting professionals, Sage executives, and the product management teams that build Peachtree by Sage, Sage MAS ERP, Sage Accpac, and our other industry-leading solutions. You’ll hear what’s coming up in future releases, help us plan our product roadmap, develop skills to help you grow your practice in a challenging economy, learn the latest trends in social media and how they apply to you, and discover the latest in accounting trends, including insights into IFRS.

You will also be invited to attend a welcome reception exclusively for accounting professionals, where you can meet with industry thought leaders, Sage executives, and your fellow accounting professionals from across the country to exchange ideas and build relationships. 

Date:               May 17 – 20, 2010
Location:        Denver, CO
                        Colorado Convention Center

We have limited seating available in our accountants track and we want you to take one of those seats. We are offering an amazing savings opportunity exclusively for accounting professionals. Insights registration opened at $995, but through our exclusive offer for the first 100 SAN members that are first time attendees of Insights, you can register for only $495 – that’s a 50% savings! After the first 100 registrants, we will still have room for first time attendees, but at a discounted rate of $795.

Earn CPE credits and maximize your learning potential at the Sage partner event of the year.

• Request Your Insights Promo Code
• Review the Accountants Track Sessions
• View the Accountants Track Speakers Bios
• Learn More About Insights Events and Highlights

Remember: Reserve your spot today, as the special $495 pricing is only available to the first 100 accounting professionals who register for Insights.  This offer is only open to individuals that have never previously attended Insights.

If you are interested in attending, simply e-mail John Parisi at john.parisi@sage.com and he will send you the registration link and promotional code to access the 50% discount.

QuickBooks 2010 on Demand

The lovely and talented Gail Perry has come out with a really nice QuickBooks book entitled “QuickBooks 2010 on Demand”, and I really like it.  My Amazon review is shown below.

 

A must for QuickBooks users who want to actually get things done., March 13, 2010

This is a great book for the average QuickBooks user who needs a good tutorial on how to get things done in the application. Unlike many other "dopey" books, the authors have included screen shots from QB2010 as well as lots of good practical information for novices and advanced users without being too technical. The book is printed in full color, but it's done in a way where it's not too "busy", and is easy on the eyes. The book includes things users know they need to do but don't usually know how to handle (like bank reconciliations), as well as things that will save them time but they don't know about or don't understand (like time tracking, job costing, etc.)
A must for your QuickBooks bookshelf.

As many of you know, most authors don’t make much money writing, so Gail is selling copies of her book directly (I’m sure she’ll even autograph them if you would like) for 10% off retail with free shipping ($31.50).  If interested, contact her directly at gperry at iquest dot net, or visit her website, www.funwithtaxes.com. 

Gail has also written an excellent book on Excel Macros which is also available at the site.

What’s New For 2010

I’ve been traveling to meetings with vendors and writing pretty much nonstop the last few weeks, and have neglected you, the gentle reader of this blog.  Accordingly, I’m going to simply link to some great coverage of good tech tricks from my recent work/writing.

1. Windows 7 “God Mode” – My friend Dr. Bob Spencer recently posted on an unsupported “hack” in Windows 7 to allow sophisticated users to create a “super control panel”.  Read on @ www.bobspencer.com.  There is also a freeware (UNTESTED) application called “GodMode Creator” for Windows Vista and Windows 7 – use at your own risk.  (No word on whether or not you can order up a Garden of Eden without the serpent…)
2. Outlook Data Exporter – I’ve been working on a course on a webmail and web calendar productivity apps, and have noted that it’s notoriously hard to get data out of MS Outlook.  I discovered a utility earlier today that may make this a little easier.  The utility is called Outlook Data Exporter, and it’s an open source application which lets you export data like events from your calendar into a number of different formats.  More available online at http://outlookdataexp.codeplex.com/.
3. ZumoDrive is a web-based application which will let you share directories across numerous PC and Mac computers.  It also will store your synchronized data as encrypted files in the cloud.  Finally, you can use ZumoDrive to share content with people no matter where they are, and it has features like version control which make it very interesting. 
4. Google Apps – I’ve been working on a course on Google Apps for quite a while now, and am starting to see how it provides a compelling alternative, particularly for small businesses.  The e-mail and calendar are absolutely brilliant (powered by GMail and Google Calendar, respectively).  Google Apps and Google Docs are particularly interesting in how the features sets reflect the priorities of Google itself, a company of brilliant engineers.  For example:

• The spreadsheet tool is extremely feature rich, and has the majority of the functions in Microsoft Excel as well as some new web functions, and a very compelling method for publishing charts to the web or to a dashboard.  There are some major holes in the tool for Accountants – PivotTables, support for cubes, and ODBC support are all missing in action.  (Google is working on a tool called FusionTables, which is in Google Labs now, but it’s still not functioning at the level where PivotTables were 15 years ago on my 486 laptop (25 Mhz, 1MB RAM, Windows 3.1).
• The word processing tool seems to be designed for writing content for the web, and leaves something to be desired for editing documents to be printed on dead trees (e.g. paper).  Google expects you to edit CSS and use javascript to do some of the functions you know and love like modify styles and other functions.  The tool is probably OK for basic correspondence, but where the form of the correspondence is important, this one leaves something to be desired.
• The presentations tool is pretty compelling, but the lack of meaningful support for styles without being a web programmer just isn’t going to be enough for most office workers to change.

If you look at the war between Microsoft and Apple, it’s clear that there is a role for style in computing, and Google Apps clearly needs a new pair of shoes (and a wardrobe).

How about you, readers.  What are you working on, and what have you learned lately?  You can read more of the stuff I’m reading by following me on Twitter.  For a preview, visit twitter.com/bftcpa

Intuit and Microsoft Join Forces to Deliver Web Applications to Millions of Small Businesses

Ed. Note – This press release was issued today, and since both MS and Intuit are betting so much on hosted services, I thought it was an important release for you, the gentle reader.  I have not edited or otherwise modified the release, other than inserting this comment, so this content is solely the responsibility of its authors – Intuit and Microsoft - BFT

Companies Expand Cloud Opportunity for Developers and Channel Partners

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and REDMOND, Wash. – Jan. 20, 2010 – Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) plan to create new opportunities for software developers to deliver and market Web applications to small business customers through the Intuit App Center. The two companies plan to integrate the capabilities of their cloud services platforms ­– the Intuit Partner Platform and Windows^® Azure platform™ – to enable developers and channel partners to deliver solutions to the millions of employees within businesses that use QuickBooks^® financial software. In addition, the two companies will provide small businesses with Microsoft’s cloud-based productivity applications via the Intuit App Center.

Intuit will name Windows Azure as a “preferred platform” for small business cloud application development on the Intuit Partner Platform. The companies expect this to jump-start development and distribution of new Web-based applications to help small businesses in today’s challenging economy. The free Windows Azure software development kit (SDK) (Beta) for Intuit Partner Platform is available today at http://developer.intuit.com/azure.

“Intuit and Microsoft are trusted technology partners to small business,” said Walid Abu-Hadba, Microsoft Corporate Vice-President of the Developer & Platform Evangelism organization. “By combining the pooled technology assets of our developer communities, we stand to produce an outpouring of new applications to help small businesses enhance their competitive edge.”

Immense Ecosystem of Developers and Channel Partners Benefits Small Businesses

As two leading technology platform providers to small businesses, Intuit and Microsoft are creating a vast ecosystem of more than 750,000 development firms and channel partners to create more new innovative applications and services that will reach the market more quickly.

· For Microsoft developers, the ability to develop applications for Intuit’s loyal customers will open a new landscape of sales prospects looking for small business solutions.

· For Intuit’s developer community, Microsoft provides a cloud platform and tools that will boost developer productivity and expand the possibilities to extend Intuit’s core application functionality.

“Intuit is driven to help small businesses succeed by improving their bottom line,” said Bill Lucchini, Vice President and General Manager of Intuit’s Platform as a Service Group. “The Intuit App Center is a huge breakthrough, allowing us to get innovative apps that solve real problems in users’ hands faster than ever before. Now, Microsoft developers can enhance their businesses with access to the small business channel, the Intuit App Center will get stronger and small businesses will reap the rewards of all this innovation.”

“The Windows Azure SDK for Intuit Partner Platform is great news for .NET and Intuit Partner Platform developers,” said Joe Dwyer, CTO of Propelware, a longstanding member of the Intuit Developer Network, specializing in integrating software applications with QuickBooks. “Our developers are already very familiar with Visual Studio, and with the Windows Azure platform, we will no longer have to worry about maintenance, reliability and scale and can focus on creating richer applications for small businesses faster and respond quickly as their needs change.”

New Opportunities for Developers and Channel Partners

The Intuit Partner Platform will give Windows Azure developers the ability to build applications that their customers can use to take advantage of their QuickBooks data. In addition, developers get instant access to a pre-built channel for acquiring customers – a potential market of millions of employees at small businesses that use QuickBooks. A simple click from the QuickBooks Pro and Premier 2010 toolbar takes small businesses to the Intuit App Center where they can find, buy and use Web-based business applications built on or integrated with the Intuit Partner Platform. Applications in the App Center can also be accessed via any Web browser.

Integrated Microsoft Online Services on the Intuit App Center Later This Year

Later this year, Microsoft plans to make Microsoft Online Services, including Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Microsoft Office Communications Online, available for purchase in the Intuit App Center. These cloud-based applications streamline business communication and collaboration with comprehensive security, high reliability and simplified IT management. As a result, small businesses will have a complete set of high-quality Web applications that deliver the capabilities, flexibility and value they need.

Additional Information

· To download and test the Windows Azure SDK (Beta) for Intuit Partner Platform and other tools, go to http://developer.intuit.com/azure

· To learn more about the Windows Azure platform, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure

· To learn more about the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/online/business-productivity.mspx

· To learn more about the Intuit Partner Platform, visit: http://ipp.developer.intuit.com

· To learn more about upcoming Intuit and Microsoft Activities, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/Intuit

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks^®, Quicken^® and TurboTax^®, simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries^® and Lacerte^® are Intuit’s leading tax preparation software suites for professional accountants. The company’s financial institutions division, anchored by Digital Insight, provides on-demand banking services to help banks and credit unions serve businesses and consumers with innovative solutions.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.2 billion in its fiscal year 2009. The company has approximately 7,800 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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