Archive for Accounting Softwares
November 19, 2008 at 5:01 am · Filed under Accounting Softwares
Income, credit, and funding for small businesses are all drying up, so you’ve got to keep a closer eye than ever on your bottom line. Whether you’re a one-person shop or an entire crew, you can’t afford to not have top quality bookkeeping.
The PC Magazine Software Team has reviewed four accounting apps that can help you keep your cash flow in check. Find out which one of these programs will fit your needs in our accounting software roundup.
Each of these four products has its own strengths and weaknesses, depending on what you’re looking for in an accounting app. If–like most–you’re used to using Office applications, you’ll feel right at home with Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2008. The interface is not only comfortable to use, but it also integrates well with other Office applications.
MYOB Premier Accounting 2008 is also very user friendly, proving to be one of the cleanest, most easily navigable accounting products we’ve reviewed.
Peachtree by Sage Complete Accounting 2009 gives you more flexible database forms for customers, vendors, and inventory items than its competitors, and its transaction forms are equally adaptable.
Of the four accounting products listed here, our Editor’s Choice, QuickBooks Accounting Pro Edition 2009, is the most well-rounded, offering robust time-billing features, more choices for payroll processing, and better online accessibility.
http://www.appscout.com/2008/11/the_best_accounting_software_f.php
November 17, 2008 at 6:33 am · Filed under Accounting Softwares
The world of small business accounting software can be a minefield for any business owner. However choosing the right package is one of the most critical business decisions you will make.
Here are the seven things you must consider before making a purchase that will help you achieve your businesses goals.
1. Scalability
Businesses change over time so it’s critical that the small business accounting software you choose can change too. Some things that often change are the number of products and services offered and the number of employees. When you choose your package try and imaging the business in 5 years or 10 years time and how different it will be. Use this information to guide your purchase decision. It may well be better to pay a little more now for the software knowing that it can be easily up-graded when needed with minimum disruption and cost to your business.
2. Support
It is important that most software has great support for when something goes wrong (and it always does). All major companies offer support but you also need to think about support in your local area. It’s often much easier to have someone locally come in and do things you need done with your software than have someone trying to help you over the phone. Make some inquiries with other small businesses about the package they use and who helps them.
3. Accountant Interface
It’s most unlikely you will handle every aspect of your small businesses accounting. Your accountant is an important factor in making the right decision. What software are they used to working with and what do they prefer? Can you easily supply them data and reports from your package without the need for any extra work (which you’ll have to pay for)? Don’t be afraid to ask their opinion because they live and breathe this stuff.
4. Best Value for Money
Let’s understand that a low price and high quality equals the best value. Shop around as the price can vary greatly and the product is exactly the same. However price is only one part of the equation, so if there is a great merchant locally with support or installation assistance this may be far more valuable.
5. Major Brands
There are two major players in the small business accounting software market. They are QuickBooks and Peachtree. Microsoft is expected to enter the market soon. I recommend choosing a major brand so that you can get regular updates and you know the company will be around as long as your business needs them.
6. Ease of Use
Ease of use is a personal thing but it is worth trying the software before you buy it if you can. Remember to get the person who will be the main user to test the software as well. Also consider how well the package can interact with other software you use. This is an advantage the Microsoft package may have when it’s available.
7. Features Needed
I touched on this earlier when talking about thinking ahead as to where you business will be in 5 or 10 years time. Most accounting software packages come in several different versions. If you don’t need certain features now and can’t see a need for them in the future then don’t buy them. The major differences are usually - number of users allowed, inventory management capability and number of reports available.
To sum up think ahead when planning your purchase of small business accounting software. You will make a much smarter business decision that will save you plenty of trouble and money in the future.
Joe Coffee is a consultant for the online marketing firm, Web Shepherd. Visit www.AccountingAndYou.com for tips about leading methods of accounting and small business accounting options.
Article Source: 7 Considerations When Buying Small Business Accounting Software
http://bossadvice.com/2008/11/15/7-considerations-when-buying-small-business-accounting-software/
November 14, 2008 at 2:05 am · Filed under Accounting Softwares
Income, credit, and funding for small businesses are all drying up, so you’ve got to keep a closer eye than ever on your bottom line. These four accounting packages can help.
by Gary Berline
Anyone who’s running a small business knows that new money is hard to come by these days. Chances are, you’re going to have to make do with what you’ve got for a while. So it’s time to pinch those pennies until they scream, and that means keeping a very close eye on your accounts and your cash flow. Whether your staff consists of just you or an entire crew, you can’t afford to be doing your bookkeeping on Post-it notes. Powerful, inexpensive, and easy-to-use accounting packages abound, and we’ve reviewed four of the best to help you pick the right one for your business.
Learning a new interface can be time-consuming and frustrating, but with Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2008, chances are it won’t be. Assuming you’ve already used the software goliath’s Office application, you’ll feel right at home—this small-biz accounting package shares the same look and feel. Not surprisingly, it also integrates with Office better than the three rivals we look at here. There’s room for improvement—for example, businesses with heavy-duty inventory or time-billing needs will need to look elsewhere—but otherwise, this package is a worthy contender for your accounting dollars.
But even if you do complex hourly billing or have a warehouse packed with items that can be sold in a dizzying number of configurations, you don’t have to sacrifice usability. MYOB Premier Accounting 2008 doesn’t look or act like Microsoft Office, but you won’t have to spend much time learning how to get around. It is one of the cleanest, most easily navigable of these products, and its time-billing and inventory modules are excellent. If the company improves the product’s online-banking features, MYOB could become the best small-business accounting package around.
Peachtree by Sage Complete Accounting 2009 gives you more flexible database forms for customers, vendors, and inventory items than its competitors, and its transaction forms are equally adaptable. The product’s time-billing section goes into greater depth than those of its competitors, its inventory capability shines, and the company’s payroll solutions are impressive. All that holds it back is its interface, but if you’re willing to put the extra effort into learning your way around, your time will be rewarded.
The giant in small-business accounting is, of course, Intuit, and the company’s QuickBooks Accounting Pro Edition 2009 is the most well-rounded of these four competitors. The company’s products are well regarded for their thorough setup interviews, and this software goes a little further with the process than the competitors. Some rivals offer more structured follow-up, though, and have forms that allow you to enter more details. On the other hand, QuickBooks has robust time-billing features and offers more good choices for payroll processing. It also does more online.
In the current economy, you need quick access to your business’s financial information. You can’t afford not to get every dollar you’re owed, or to not know where every dollar is going. Whether you run a sole-proprietor operation or a small business, one of these programs will meet your needs. Read the reviews of these products by clicking on the links in this article or those in the short descriptions that follow.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2334483,00.asp
November 10, 2008 at 7:31 am · Filed under Accounting Softwares
Conventionally, accounting software come in all sizes and shapes ranging from a small sized software that could fit into a 1.44″ Floppy Diskette, to hundreds of megabytes worth of complicated software, to open source accounting software (gnucash) to software worth thousands of dollars.
Choosing an accounting software is like choosing a pearl from the ocean - there are thousands to choose from but not many that are reliable and can do the job well. The problem further accentuates, in case of a small-medium business whereby the user may not be as competent a computer user and may want a really simple solution to manage his/her finances.
So be careful when you take your pick! The following may help:
Research and short list your solution. There are hundreds of good solutions available out there including Quicken, MS Money and others.
Choose a solution that you can use! Being a small business is in itself a challenge and you do not want to waste your time learning software and spend hours trying to figure out what to do. Besides, save costs when you can - you do not want to hire personnel for software!
A web based software could be a better choice! With a web based accounting software, you do not need to worry about changing computers, losing data, backups and what not! Try out manageME, mint and others.
Spend some time, flex your muscles and try out a demo!
Check support! Email them and see how responsive they are with your support requests. You cannot wait for a week in case you run into a problem.
Do not buy the name! Remember, the most popular solution may not always be the most suitable solution for you!
Do not buy the price! In many a case, we tend to relate the pricing with the quality of the software. The most expensive solution might not be the one for you.
Be flexible! With out of the box solutions (also known as commercial off the shelf software), it is hard to find a software that would exactly match your current process. At the same time, do not trade-off integral business processes - go for a custom solution in that case.
Sanjeev Pandey is associated with http://www.manageme.in/ for personal finance software, free money management, manage money, household budget, personal money management, family budget, personal budgeting, family money management, manage expenses and much more.
http://blog.seamolec.org/thursday10231/2008/11/10/accounting-software-comes-of-age/
