Sage Business Solutions – Spotlight on: Manufacturing

Manufacturing company has unique business processes that revolve around generally accepted manufacturing principles. SME in particular face new challenges in today globalization of market. Evolving a manufacturing company to a new level of growth is more challenging than ever. To achieve growth goal in the world that is increasingly complex and globally competitive, manufacturer need to implement and share common manufacturing processes and systems. Manufacture globally at a lower cost and rely on a flexible system that enable advanced approaches like demand driven, lead and outsource manufacturing.

Sage Manufacturing Solution solves these challenges. And it does so with a comprehensive solution that is both easier to use and less expensive than the alternative.

Accpac is probably the most well known in the world of Financial Accounting. And for good reason most ERP software out there in the market started out with the Accounting modules and add on other functionalities or modules in due time. After all the foundation of the entire business application is the accounting as all will finally integrate to it. On top of my head right away I can think of at least three (3) well known brands of ERP that started off that way.

The creator of the world’s most popular accounting software is now increasing its offerings for business solutions for small and mid size companies in Asia. Sage works through a network of world-wide Partners and Developers who are the leaders in their area and often specialize in particular vertical industries. This means that Sage customers get the best of global software coupled with local support. These best of breed manufacturing system like Misys is the endorsed solution of choice for the Sage Accpac series. It is not a bolt on solutions but an integral solution with the same look and feel of Accpac. MISys has more than 25 years experiences in developing the Manufacturing modules for Accpac and it is a stable and proven solution with over 7,800 installations worldwide.

Careware being the Top Premier Partner for Sage in the region is well suited to provide manufacturing solutions for the SME in Malaysia. Careware’s manufacturing domain experiences is unparallel in Malaysia as it managements comes from difference disciplines such as mechanical engineering in manufacturing and project, accounting and programming background. These synergy and years of cumulative domain experiences enable Careware to provide a total solutions for the manufacturing segments that they serve.Sage Manufacturing Solutions is one of Careware’s four core business pillars.

1. Manufacturing Solutions

2. Wholesales & Distribution Solutions
3. Project Job Cost solutions
4. Sage CRM Solutions.

Sage Accpac Manufacturing Solutions are particularly well suited for Asian manufacturers; Manufacturing oriented modules are already available; Specific set-up and templates may be easily created to satisfy a particular need; Country-specific modules are available and language packs enable non-English speaking users to access the system in Traditional Chinese or Simplify Chinese Character. (Only English and Chinese version is supported by Careware)

Careware’s has a experience to serve all kinds of manufacturing environments including discrete, process, chemical, pharmaceutical and fashion.

In this "Spotlight on Manufacturing" we would like to introduce you to the various Sage Manufacturing Solutions available.
 

MISys SAE - Sage Accpac Enterprise. An integrated business solution for growing small to medium sized manufactures that need the capability of the full ERP systems. It combines the ease of use and set up for quick deployment. Covering discrete, made-to-order, made-to-stock and job shops, Misys Manufacturing is designed to leverage integration across Accpac’s business solutions for the medium business range.

Misys SBM – Small Business ManufacturingMISys SBM is for small manufacturer that need a easy to ease system that is adaptable and who need a high degree of accounting functionality along with manufacturing inventory management, BOM, production scheduling and it is economical to owned. It will integrate with Sage Accpac and Sage Peachtree Quantum.

Depends on your budgets and requirement Careware can provide a solution for the small medium manufactures in Malaysia.

For more information on Sage Accpac Manufacturing Solutions visit : http://www.careware.com.my/index.php?mid=1957

Gartner 10 strategic technologies in 2010.

Gartner articles here identified 10 hot technologies for 2010. How useful is the list as a guide to CIO, CEO in planning for next year priority is anyone guesses? I have place my humble opinions and comments below each of the items listed. Read it, think about it and share what is yours.
1. Cloud Computing. – I do think that it is over hype as this is not new. It has been around for more than a decades. From Asp to SaaS to Cloud computer. Slap on a new label-buzzword and you have people all excited. Cloud computing simply means that we are all going to access our mission critical applications from the internet “cloud”. From my observation to date it is usually entry level type of applications (SOHO) that has gone to the cloud. Corporate Malaysia running mission critical application like ERP and other has too many issues to handle than to be too hung-up on technologies and predictions. The writer has not done business in south Asia I presume. We have unacceptable slow internet connection and frequent outage in the 3rd world countries.

2. Advanced Analytics. -- I would think that Business Intelligence and Analytics is the next big thing to decision makers, CEO,CFO , head of states and our Prime Minister need to feel the pulse of their businesses/nation and to act and react on the fly. Gone were the days of sieving through pages and pages of reports and worst still informal reporting. And the DRIP syndrome. (Data Rich Information Poor) Having plenty of data in the server but not able to mine them. So Idris Jala our named minister in PM’s dept to oversee KPI initiatives would have to use some of these BI and Advance Analytical tool. So I would think that there are good opportunities for BI and CRM solution providers in Malaysia.

3. Client Computing. -- Has been around for ages and still viable. Client runs an application or system that accesses a remote service on another computer system, known as a server, by way of a network. The client-server model is also used today on the Internet, where a user may connect to a service operating on a remote system through the Internet protocol suite. Thin clients vendors like Citrix and MS Terminal Service will continue to flourish as Fat clients computing will dwindle. Come to think of it a dumb terminal that connects to a mainframe is also a client. Now I am beginning to sounds confusing.

4. IT for Green. -- Yes, Green is the in-things today as very corporation is going green as it is good image-ing. But unless it has actual benefits and cost saving features rather then just for PR only I would not buy it. The movie Avatar has subtle environmental and social messages like anti-war, anti-plundering of the mother earth.  See my write-up here on Green.

5. Reshaping the Data Center. -- Don’t know what it means, I guess that Data centre will continue to by re-models, re-sized with green in mind and also security and fault tolerance (100% redundancies) computing. But more energy efficient UPS power supply will continued to be used but the water chillers computing (if you are old enough to know what I am talking about) will be things of the past.

6. Social Computing. -- Yep, social computing is all over the net. It is an economical way for smaller companies to make themselves visible. It’s great for networking and sharing of information and business matching. Some are able to make a tidy sum selling eBook on How to make money on Internet or Facebook etc. But not sure how much business value it will brings to ERP vendors. But we should all embraced social computing.

7. Security. -- Activity Monitoring. -- Security, confidentiality and data integrity as usual will continue to be important to all corporations. More so when cloud computing become more pervasive. Companies like Symantec and others will be churning Internet security – Fire wall, Virus Wall against Malware and viruses.

8. Flash Memory. -- Ahh! An invention by a Malaysian. Thumb drive is one of the most valuable and convenience gadgets for people on the move. With capacity growing and prices falling it surely will be improvise for other used in entertainment. But not sure of its security aspect of moving data around. Remember those days when floppy drive was being disabled by some corporation.

9. Virtualization for Availability. – I am not an expert in this technology (so I read up) and will keep my comments to a minimum. High availability means duplications of servers, OS, hard disks, NICs or power packs. As anyone of these component may fail and in order to have 100% redundancy Fault Tolerance, every components need to be duplicate or triplicate. As Virtualization software creates a Virtual Machine (VM) that emulates a physical computer. This creates a separate OS environment that is logically isolated from the host server. By providing multiple VMs at once, this approach allows several operating systems to run simultaneously on a single physical machine.

However, since each server runs multiple virtual server workloads, a single point of failure, the server, is created. This escalates the issue of availability for that physical server. In other words, if you put all your virtual eggs in one basket, then you want to take very good care of that basket. Some of our larger customers are moving into virtualizations as of today but for the smaller sme this don’t seems to be high on their priority.

10. Mobile Applications.-- Everyone has a handset. There are already thousands of applications for it, be it games or dictionaries, concordance and others. But with the new mobile OS has enabled accessibility more than ever as we can have the mobile handset used as a front end of the ERP applications. It is much cheaper than carry a notebook. Productivity increases with Mobile sale person taking orders on the move or querying stocks and customer information to the HQ server or back office Service ERP/CRM issuing work order to the serviceman on the move. I see this augur wells for solutions provider that is ready to offer their solution to the market place. Careware has the solutions with the almost full features miniature Sage Accpac ERP and Sage CRM. For more information read here.

Conclusion -- So this is Gartner list of 10 strategic technologies in 2010. (Has anyone done a score of Gartner prediction over the last 10 years, I would like to read it. I should think below 30%).

Every sales person will floored you with new technology jargon to impress you that they have the latest and sleekest application or devices.

But my advised is not too hung-up on technology for the sake of technology. Use Gartner list as aides by all means but do not let them set your strategic path. But your strategic direction is driven by a clear and details understanding of your business needs and your business mission. -- taking into account, processes, costs, technology direction, availability and etc.

Introducing Sage Accpac Version 5.6

Introducing Sage Accpac Version 5.6

As the world of business is constantly evolving, so must your business management software. Sage works to continually improve your experience with Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suite and develop new functionality to help you get more out of your solution. Working directly with an extensive customer base (over 45,000 companies and 200,000 users) Sage ensures its products work the way you do to improve processes and enhance productivity.

The key enhancements developed in Version 5.6 will help to automate workflow and reduce costs throughout your organization, helping you accomplish more in less time. How you can get your hands on all of the dynamic new features packed into this version? Great news! If you are an existing Sage Accpac user with a current Client Care plan, you are entitled to software upgrades and maintenance updates as part of your Sage Accpac Software Assurance plan.

Here are just some highlights:

What's New In V5.6

• Better Insight into your Business

Increase insight into your business to realize your strategic vision! A new business intelligence tool enables you to adapt successfully to changes in today’s markets and make better, faster decisions.

• Proficiently manage Bank Services

Get a fast and accurate view of your cash position and better insight into cash flow with the improved usability and new functionality in System Manager Bank Services.

• Increase productivity

Now you have more ways than ever to accommodate your unique procedures and get your job done even more quickly.

• Streamline Operations

Boost profitability and cut costs by dynamically linking processes, information, workflows, and communication channels through improved SageCRM integration.

• Better Inventory Management

Several enhancements assist you with inventory management–a key area for process improvements used to reduce costs that also result in better service and greater customer satisfaction.

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Sage Accpac Intelligence

A new product within the Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suite–empowers you to quickly and easily obtain the information you need for operations and strategic planning from your Sage Accpac solution. Effortlessly create reports and analyze data, utilizing the familiar Microsoft Excel application. You can spend more time focusing on information analysis and interpretation and less time pulling the data together. Best of all, Version 5.6 provides you with the Sage Accpac Intelligence application at no additional cost, along with a single user license of the Report Manager. A new Reverse Transactions form lets you reverse both payments and receipts quickly and accurately.

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Proficiently Manage Bank Services

Version 5.6 empowers you with a more straightforward way to reconcile your accounts and finish month-end in record time. The new user interface simplifies the user experience and allows for greater flexibility and more efficient daily task management. Cash management processes are greatly improved. You can also take advantage of new functionality such as bank security resources for separation of duties, an improved reversal process, and a bank entries posting journal.
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Better Inventory Management

You will find many improvements to inventory management, including an optimized Inventory Valuation report, faster access to information, a new Internal Usage form, improved integration to Sage FAS Fixed Assets, additional costing and transaction creation options, Item Inquiry and Drilldown functionality, and a new field to track posting dates for transactions. Version 5.6 also takes Serialized Inventory and Lot Tracking to the next level, as this functionality has been completely redesigned to improve workflow and performance and add customer-requested functionality.
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SAGE CRM for Service Based Businesses

SageCRM is part of the Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suites give you a 360 degree views of your business.

Whether your business is in the Service, Financial or Insurance industry, CAREWARE has the solution for you with the award winning selection of Accpac ERP modules in conjunction with our Customer Relationship Management product – SAGE CRM.

SAGE CRM for Service Based Businesses

Sage Accpac  provides a completely integrated suite of applications to streamline your service and support processes from virtually any touch point. As a service business, you will know that the key to success is a streamlined and efficient call centre that presents all the information your staff need when they need it. Moreover, this level of information must flow throughout the business from the Board to the Technicians on the road and out to the Customer via a web login or SMS technology.

SAGE Accpac’s suite of solutions include the following core

• Holistic view of all customer interactions from call logging to dispute resolution.

• Complete integration to either SAGE Accpac service suite or third party product sets.

• SAGE Accpac Service module allows tracking of sites, equipment, jobs, SLA and staff skills to name a few…

• Full tracking of jobs and planning of resources and sub-contractors.

• Integrated Call Centre with escalations and alert management.

• Web and Wireless presentation of any information anywhere, anytime.

• Full PDA capability for mobile sales force and mobile technicians allowing them to receive and process jobs on the move.

• Award winning integrated e-marketing solution for permission based communications.