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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Dynaline Upgrades to VAI S2K Enterprise Software

S2K Enterprise 5.0 Will Improve Business Processes and Create Operational Efficiencies to Support Company Growth

VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.), an award-winning ERP software provider, today announced that Dynaline Industries Inc., a privately-held Canadian company sourcing agriculture, automotive and industrial products to major distributors across Canada and the United States, has upgraded to S2K Enterprise 5.0. VAI S2K Enterprise software helps companies manage and analyze virtually every aspect of a company’s business processes, providing the information necessary to drive educated business decisions. 

As a growing company dedicated to a niche market, Dynaline needed a dynamic system that could adapt to the industry and support its growth. Dynaline will work specifically with S2K Financial and S2K Distribution Management to further streamline operations and create efficiencies that will benefit the bottom line. With the latest upgrade, Dynaline has access to even more reporting capabilities that export directly into Excel and provide further insight into the business. As Dynaline continues to expand, the Company will look into other modules such as S2K Sales Force and Warehouse Management that directly integrate with S2K Enterprise.

“We have been working with VAI for more than five years, and we are thrilled with VAI’s ability to continually accommodate our Company’s growth and provide solutions specifically designed for our industry,” said Jennifer Otto, operations manager, Dynaline Industries. “Not only were we up and running on S2K 5.0 in only three days, but we are happy with the software’s ease-of-use. We are already using information extracted from the system to focus our efforts on specific aspects of the business.”

“VAI is pleased to continue its partnership with Dynaline with an upgrade to S2K 5.0,” said Pete Zimmerman, manufacturing segment manager, VAI. “Scalability is extremely important to a growing business, and we’ve specifically architected S2K Enterprise to expand with our customers. We are confident that Dynaline’s upgrade to S2K 5.0 will enhance the Company’s ability to achieve its business goals and we look forward to continuing to assist with Dynaline’s growth expansion with the future implementations of S2K WMS and Commerce Express solutions.”

About VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.)

VAI is an award-winning software developer and an IBM Premier Business Partner. Designed for the mid-range market, S2K Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Suite is used by a wide variety of mid-sized companies worldwide, with a number of clients in the manufacturing, distribution, retail, food and related service industries. Advanced applications such as Warehouse Management Systems, EDI, CRM, Business Analytics and e-Business provide companies the power to leverage their information technology investment. VAI is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, New York, with branch offices in Miami, Orlando, Chicago and Oroville, California. For more information, please contact Diane Dady at 800-824-7776, ext. 236 or visit www.vai.net

Contact Information:

Rachel Perlmutter
SHIFT Communications
617.779.1884
 

Friday, October 28, 2011

VAI Enhances S2K Analytics with Financial Business Intelligence Capabilities

New Comprehensive Dashboards Help Companies Make Educated Financial Decisions

VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.), an award-winning ERP software provider, announced the release of its enhanced S2K Analytics solution, a comprehensive, web-based Business Intelligence (BI) tool designed to drive smarter, faster business decisions. This upgraded tool features ten new financial management dashboards that provide an in-depth view of financial data from all levels of the organization.

Designed to meet the needs of VAI’s customers, regardless of size or industry, S2K Analytics integrates with S2K Enterprise and features automated reporting and dashboard capabilities that give customers big-picture visibility into their revenue and profitability. The new dashboards provide at-a-glance insight into a company’s financial performance, allowing for customization and consolidation of data that can then be used to make educated decisions. With the enhanced S2K Analytics, VAI customers can:
  • View balance sheets, and P&L statements
  • Analyze profitability of their business
  • Monitor procurement and expense management
  • Create ad hoc self-serve inquiries
  • Build reports and dashboards as well as share information with others
  • Integrate S2K Analytics with Excel
  • Collaborate on and contribute to new reporting needs
  • Access information through a web browser, including mobile devices
  • Compare past financial performance
"VAI is excited to offer an even more comprehensive BI tool to our customers,” said Joe Scioscia, vice president of sales, VAI. “We are committed to continually innovating our products in order to provide our customers with best-in-class software that streamlines business processes and creates cost efficiencies. The upgraded S2K Analytics will undoubtedly enhance our customers’ ability to use the information gathered through our ERP software to make even more effective, real-time business decisions.”

 About VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.)

VAI is an award-winning software developer and an IBM Premier Business Partner. Designed for the mid-range market, S2K Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Suite is used by a wide variety of mid-sized companies worldwide, with a number of clients in the manufacturing, distribution, retail, food and related service industries. Advanced applications such as Warehouse Management Systems, EDI, CRM, Business Analytics and e-Business provide companies the power to leverage their information technology investment. VAI is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, New York, with branch offices in Miami, Orlando, Chicago and Oroville, California. For more information, please contact Diane Dady at 800-824-7776, ext. 236 or visit www.vai.net.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

IBS Debuts New Cloud, Mobile, Distribution Intelligence Offerings at Global Customer Summit

Symphony Services Continues Investment in Accelerating Product Road Map

International Business Systems (IBS), a global leading integrated ERP and supply chain provider, announced the addition of cloud and mobile offerings to its flagship IBS Enterprise solution during its Global Customer Summit.

“The acquisition of IBS was a strategic move by Symphony Technologies to harness the power of the company’s technology, blue chip customer base and world-class people,” said Pallab Chatterjee, chairman of the board of IBS. “Now it is time for us to put the power of Symphony’s deep product and technology portfolio, strong financial position and history of success in repositioning software companies to make IBS’ customers successful.”

As a part of the rollout of the company’s strategic product roadmap for customers, IBS debuted IBS Cloud Solutions, which are designed to prove benefits such as lower IT cost, reduced business risk, faster time to value and greater flexibility combined with the advanced functionality of IBS Enterprise in the cloud. The offering is a subscription-based license model that leverages a shared, virtualized infrastructure for on-demand offerings and can also be extended to IBS’ mobility solution.
IBS Cloud Solutions include the latest versions of the IBS Enterprise modules for Distribution Intelligence; Distributions Financials; Supply Management; Logistics, Assembly and Services; Demand Management and Supply Chain Integration.

The launch of IBS Mobile solutions focuses on the trend of the increase in enterprise mobility in corporations and allows customers to use IBS Enterprise on mobile devices. This end-to-end solution will leverage existing technology investments in IBS solutions; accelerate customer ROI through automated, real-time and accurate mobile data collection and provide a flexible, integrated solution.
IBS also extended its focus on even more advanced capabilities for Distribution Intelligence by debuting Advanced Sales and Operations Planning and Rapid Performance Management from Symphony Technologies.

The company also launched IBS AppExchange, which provides customers the opportunity to take immediate advantage of commonly used solutions across multiple release levels as well as its Sales & Operations Planning offering designed to balance demand, production and inventory to deliver rapid insights, collaboration and data-driven results.

For more information, please contact:
Mark Illidge
VP IBS Field Operations & Corporate Marketing
IBS AB
+44 777 195 42 73
Mark.illidge@ibs.net

IBS in brief
Stockholm-based International Business Systems (IBS) is a leading global integrated ERP and supply chain provider. Thousands of customers in over 40 countries rely on IBS for world-class solutions to drive dramatic improvements in their operations. IBS operates Dynaman, an advanced warehouse management solution and Bookmaster, a leader in ERP technology for publishing. For more information, contact www.ibs.net.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Infor Introduces Next Wave of Enterprise Software with Infor10

Consumer-Grade User Experience, Complete Industry Applications & Cloud Deployment Options Enabled by ION Technology

Infor, a leading provider of business application software with operations serving more than 75,000 customers, unveiled Infor10, which features a consumer-grade user experience, complete industry-specific software applications and Infor10 ION Suite, a lightweight, middleware technology that changes the way enterprise software is managed. 

"Our customers today already enjoy best-in-class applications with deep out-of-the-box functionality across a variety of highly specialized industries and micro-verticals. Infor10 sets a new standard for how work gets done. People at work have come to expect the same user experience they encounter in their everyday lives as users of Twitter, Facebook and Google. Infor10 and the Infor10 ION Suite bring that to the workplace," said Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor. "This unique combination provides our existing customers the opportunity to dramatically upgrade and extend their investments in Infor applications, and it gives new customers the next wave of enterprise software innovation they've been seeking."

ION Is the Foundation of Infor10
The Infor10 ION Suite is at the heart of Infor10. ION connects and integrates Infor and non-Infor applications, storing information in a common format and repository. ION allows information that flows among applications, analytics and social media streams to be accessed by users from their desktops, laptops and mobile devices.   

Unlike conventional middleware, the lightweight ION technology is not layered on top of existing applications, but infused into them. As a result, ION makes integrations quicker, simpler and more reliable. "ION creates the mobile, social and flexible enterprise," said Soma Somasundaram, senior vice president, Global Product Development, Infor. "Because it's lightweight and built using open standards, ION installs much faster than heavy middleware and allows customers to get up and running quickly and efficiently so they can focus on their core business." 

ION enables new and existing Infor and non-Infor applications to work as a holistic solution, helping to create streamlined workflows and end-to-end business processes, while improving system performance speed and upgrades.

"We say ION is unbreakable architecture because extensions don't break during upgrades," said Somasundaram. "Most of our customers don't want to be in the technology business. They would rather have IT be more agile and innovative, which is what ION allows them to do."

Infor10 Consumer-Grade Experience
Infor10 Workspace is the front end of Infor10 and designed to deliver a consumer-grade user experience and change the way work is done for the average enterprise user.

"Enterprise software users want to work the way they live," said Duncan Angove, president, Products and Support, Infor. "They can see what's going on in the consumer world, where social media, collaboration and mobile devices combined with beautiful design, ready-to-use applications and agile technology have substantially improved the speed, value and productivity of the consumer experience. With Infor10, we are delivering a consumer-grade user experience that begins with a beautiful user interface."

Infor10 ION Workspace unifies and presents all relevant information for each user on one screen, including role-based workflows, task and alerts, in-context business intelligence, event management, social media collaboration, consumer-like search capabilities, and business activity streams.

Infor10 Complete Industry Applications
ION also makes it possible to connect the rich functionality of leading ERP and best- in-class solutions from Infor and affiliate Lawson Software for specific industries.

Infor10 suites are targeted for Aerospace and Defense; Automotive; Chemicals; Distribution; Equipment Services, Maintenance & Rental; Fashion; Food and Beverage; General Manufacturing; Healthcare; High Tech; Hospitality; Industrial Equipment and  Machinery; and Public Sector.

"Generic one-size-fits-all software requires time-consuming configuration and doesn't address the specific needs of an industry," said Angove. "We believe that speed is the new basis for global competition, and we are building the functionality our customers need not only to address their industry issues right out of the box, but also to eliminate extensive customizations that lead to costly and risky implementations."

Infor10 Reimagines How Software is Managed
The Infor10 release also provides flexible deployment options, including Infor's CloudSuite Platform, to increase an organization's speed and agility.

Customers can run their entire solution on Infor10 CloudSuite or can keep core enterprise systems on premise, while running other applications or services in the Cloud. The Infor10 CloudSuite Platform features a unified user experience and security, and enables two-tiered, hybrid deployments.

Whether customers access functionality from a software-as-a-service (cloud) model or on-premise deployment, they get the same functionality and look-and-feel. The only difference is in how their users connect to core applications. Customers can even move from one deployment model to another, since the same application code is used for all deployment models.

About Infor
Infor is a leading provider of business software and services, helping more than 75,000 customers in 164 countries improve operations and drive growth.  To learn more about Infor10 or Infor, please visit www.infor.com.

Friday, September 23, 2011

VAI Webinar: Learn How S2K for Food Helps Comply with FDA Safety Regulation

September 27, 2011 at 2:00pm ET

The new FDA legislation is geared toward bringing the Distributors and Manufacturers industries quality control standards to the level that currently exists in the pharmaceutical industry. According to the new act, Distributors and Manufacturers will be required to keep control of their inventory recalls and know what products were shipped to which clients. Failure to comply with the new standards will result in severe penalties and a complete recall of all shipments for that period.
To register, visit: http://www.vai.net/events

Friday, September 16, 2011

Visma, a KKR portfolio company, Invests in Acumatica

Investment and distribution agreement to accelerate adoption of Acumatica’s Cloud accounting, ERP, and CRM software worldwide.






Acumatica, a provider of Cloud ERP software, announced the close of a round of investment led by Visma, a portfolio company of an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. In addition to the investment, Visma will help to accelerate Acumatica sales and partnership goals, through its own activities as a leading Nordic-based technology company that delivers accounting, tax, and payroll applications to hundreds of thousands of SMEs in the Nordic region and through its network. The investment will be used to help Acumatica expand its sales and marketing efforts, continue development of its leading technology platform, and secure its position as a leader in providing Cloud ERP software.
Unlike traditional software solutions, Acumatica allows clients to work from anywhere without complex client software so businesses can involve everybody while saving money on deployment and ongoing operational costs. Unlike SaaS-only providers, Acumatica allows customers to control the location of their data, the timing of upgrades, and ongoing software expenses.
“Acumatica is the only established Cloud ERP vendor with technology that gives customers the choice to deploy their software on-premise, hosted in a cloud datacenter, or purchased as a turnkey SaaS solution,” said Øystein Moan, CEO at Visma. “Our investment in Acumatica acknowledges their unique positioning within the market and our belief that Cloud technology will play a critical role in the future of ERP software. We will adapt Acumatica for the Nordic markets and distribute Acumatica to our tens of thousands of midsized customers in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and The Netherlands.”
Acumatica’s software delivers a complete set of solutions to cover all mid-sized business needs. This includes advanced financial features that are integrated with inventory, sales orders, purchase orders, customer management, and many other modules. A flourishing community of third party developers utilizes Acumatica’s development platform to construct fully integrated modules for manufacturing, ecommerce, payroll, EDI, point of sales, and other vertical market solutions. Acumatica has hundreds of customers in several industries including key accounts in wholesale distribution, financial services, hospitality, manufacturing, not for profit, and professional services.
“This new round of financing is important because Visma will provide the resources to help establish Acumatica as the global leader in Cloud ERP software and introduce Acumatica to several new high-quality business partners through its network," said Ezequiel Steiner, CEO of Acumatica. "A partner like Visma is a testament to our current business plan, our product roadmap, and the efforts of our channel partners as well as a vote of confidence in our ERP technology. This partnership enhances the credibility of Acumatica in the eyes of our customers."
About Visma 
Visma is the leading Nordic-based technology company that delivers mission-critical software and services, such as accounting, tax, and payroll applications, to over 300,000 SME customers in the Nordic region and the Netherlands.  The group comprises five business areas which are Visma Software, Visma BPO, Visma Commerce Solutions, Visma Retail and Visma Projects & Consulting. For additional information, please visit Visma’s website at www.visma.com.
About Acumatica
Acumatica develops web-based ERP software that delivers the benefits of Cloud and SaaS without sacrificing customization, control, security, or speed.  Acumatica can be deployed on premise, hosted at a datacenter, or run on a Cloud computing platform.  Learn more about Acumatica’s Cloud ERP solution at www.acumatica.com.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Infor Announces InForce - Next Generation Social ERP and Marketing Built on Force.com

InForce Everywhere, InForce Order Management and InForce Marketing to Deliver 360-Degree View of Customer Data Across the Enterprise

Infor, a leading provider of business application software with operations serving more than 75,000 customers, and salesforce.com [NYSE: CRM], the enterprise cloud computing company, today announced that Infor will deliver three applications, built on Force.com, salesforce.com's social enterprise platform. The three new InForce applications will bring the power of the back office to the front office, and throughout the social enterprise - helping customers collaborate and drive growth. Additionally, salesforce.com made an investment in Infor as part of the agreement.

Through the partnership, Infor will build and deliver InForce Everywhere, a native Force.com application that brings ERP data into Salesforce; InForce Order Management, a quote, order and proposal management application; and InForce Marketing, which will leverage Infor CRM Epiphany, a leader in recommendation engines, for global marketing automation technology - all on Force.com. Infor will also develop additional applications on Force.com.

Comments on the News
  • "Sales professionals in Infor's large manufacturing customer base need fast and easy access to the critical product and order data in our applications, and we will render that rich data in Salesforce," said Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor. "This partnership will help customers focus on building and selling great products instead of configuring databases, middleware, BI tools, or disk drives. Our customers need to automate processes in hours and days, not months and years, and skip the classic 3-by-3 ERP project - 3 years, 300 million, and 3 CIOs. They need results faster."
  • "Companies transforming themselves into social enterprises want new ways to run their business," said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, salesforce.com. "Infor joins salesforce.com in recognizing these transformations must span across the entire company."
Available later this calendar year, InForce Everywhere will offer:
  • A 360-degree view of invoice, contacts, quotes, shipments, receivables, orders, and RMAs (return merchandise authorizations) across the enterprise.
  • A way for Salesforce users to view orders from Infor ERP applications.
  • Access to customer information and transactions from the Salesforce Sales Cloud and Service Cloud using InForce Everywhere.
  • Connection to ION, Infor's standard integration platform.
  • Salesforce Chatter, which will make all of this data social to more effectively and quickly engage with customers through features like social profiles, status updates and real-time feeds.
  • Infor's 700+ sales people and more than 800 channel partners the ability to resell bundled Salesforce CRM into more than 75,000 customers.
InForce Order Management will:
  • Deliver a comprehensive quote, order and proposal management application built on Force.com.
  • Integrate with Salesforce CRM to give Sales and Service Cloud users a clear and accurate view of pricing and availability.
InForce Marketing will:
  • Offer a comprehensive global marketing automation system built on Force.com.
  • Include inbound and outbound campaign management and lead maturation integrated with the Infor CRM Epiphany recommendation engine.
About Infor

Infor is a leading provider of business software and services, with operations helping more than 75,000 customers in 164 countries improve operations and drive growth. To learn more about Infor, please visit www.infor.com.

About Salesforce.com

With more than 100,000 customers, salesforce.com is the enterprise cloud computing company that is leading the shift to the social enterprise. Social enterprises leverage social, mobile and open cloud technologies to put customers at the heart of their business. Based on salesforce.com's real-time, multitenant architecture, the company's platform and application services include:
  • Salesforce Chatter, a secure, private social network for your business
  • Salesforce Sales Cloud, for sales force automation and contact management
  • Salesforce Service Cloud, for customer service and support solutions
  • Salesforce Radian6, for social media monitoring and engagement
  • Salesforce Data.com, for the most complete source of accurate business data
  • AppExchange, the leading marketplace for enterprise cloud computing applications
  • Force.com, for custom application development
  • Heroku, for building social and mobile customer apps
  • Database.com, the world's first enterprise cloud database

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Acumatica Releases Version 2.2 of its Cloud Accounting, ERP, and CRM Software

New features improve capabilities for wholesale distributors, manufacturers, multi-national companies, and service companies.

On August 17, 2011 Acumatica released the latest version of its Cloud ERP software that includes several customer driven enhancements such as automated bank reconciliation, inventory allocation by sales order, expanded replenishment algorithms, flexible payment remittance, and more. Cloud and on-premise customers can choose to install these updates at a time that is convenient to them.

“Acumatica responded quickly to our needs by delivering inventory allocation features that are critical to our distribution business,” said Ehren Dimitry, President at AME Corporation. “Even after my initial purchase, I was able to work closely with product experts who were able to configure the upgrade for my business.”

Acumatica 2.2 includes changes and updates to the financial, distribution, and customer management modules. Many features were implemented based on customer requests while others were built to expand the reach of Acumatica in the wholesale distribution, manufacturing, retail, and service industry verticals. The changes were built using the Acumatica web development platform to ensure compatibility with existing security settings, reporting capabilities, customizations, and third party modules.

“Our advanced platform design allows us to rapidly publish new releases without breaking customizations made by partners and customers,” said Ali Jani, Vice President of Product Management at Acumatica. “This is critical for our mid-sized customers who want to take advantage of Cloud technologies but require software that adapts to their unique business processes.”

Availability:
SaaS customers and license customers with up-to-date maintenance contracts can get the latest release by contacting their value added reseller (VAR) to schedule an upgrade. Details about the release can be downloaded from the Acumatica Cloud ERP website.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Lawson M3 Product Line Set to Receive Significant Investment with Infor Technology

Infor and Lawson Software said the direction of the M3 product line is strategic to the growth of Lawson, and that the development plan is to deliver complete industry suites built around the core M3 application. Lawson M3 solutions are designed for companies that make, move and maintain products or equipment.

The Infor and Lawson M3 product development teams have initially focused on three levels of adding value to M3 customers: 1) the user experience; 2) technology and 3) applications.

"We are truly looking to bring the best of both companies to provide immediate value to M3 customers," said Henrik Billgren, vice president, Lawson product management. "One example is the user experience with the Lawson Smart Office and Infor Workspace products. We see Lawson Smart Office as ideal for the power users within an organization, while Infor Workspace is great for the day-to-day workplace user. We are also looking to bring Lawson's mashup designer capabilities and Lawson Enterprise Search into Infor Workspace."

Among the planned benefits to the user experience include a unified look and feel, single sign-on, improved navigation, and in-context business intelligence.

At the technology level, the development teams have focused on using Infor ION, an innovative interoperability architecture, as a bridge to M3 Collaborator to create a unified and uniform middleware stack. This major advancement in M3 architecture will connect and deliver end-to-end processes across disparate applications, whether they are M3, Infor, home-grown, or third-party applications.

Lastly, at the application level, the initial work has focused on building out industry suites for the core M3 verticals: manufacturing, distribution, fashion, food and beverage, and equipment service management & rental. First examples are targeted at the process manufacturing and distribution verticals with Process Supply Chain Scheduling, Process Product Lifecycle Management, Corporate Performance Management (leveraging M3 Opportunity Analyzer), and Warehouse Management integrated with the core M3 application.

"Over the past five years, the Global Association of M3 User Groups (GAM3) has witnessed significant improvements in the functionality and technical advances, such as Smart Office and Enterprise Search, to the Java-based M3 ERP software," said Graham Maxfield, general manager of GAM3, which represents all M3 customers worldwide. "Following the acquisition of Lawson, GAM3 anticipates that these advances will continue and will accelerate to the benefit of M3 customers, both existing and new."

About Lawson Software

Lawson Software is an Infor affiliate with more than 4,500 customers worldwide, primarily in specific services, trade and manufacturing/distribution industries.

About Infor

Infor is a leading provider of business software and services, helping more than 70,000 customers in 164 countries improve operations and drive growth. To learn more about Infor, please visit www.infor.com.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

VAI Webinar: Automate sales tax compliance with ADP's Sales & Use Tax System

August 24, 2011 at 2:00pm EST

Are you managing an array of sales tax challenges such as tax rate changes, tax law changes and additions, tax form changes, increase in audits and/or agency notices? If you answered yes to any of these issues then VAI & ADP can help alleviate those challenges. VAI and ADP have partnered to provide VAI S2K Enterprise customers access to ADP's Sales and Use Tax System which automates the sales tax compliance process in its entirety. ADP's sales tax solution provides significant time savings, reduce costs, and mitigate the risk of calculation and filing errors through S2K Enterprise Software.

To register, visit: www.vai.net/events

Friday, August 19, 2011

VAI Webinar: VAI Solution for HVAC

August 23, 2011 at 2:00pm to 3:00pm EST

VAI S2K Enterprise Management Software is an end-to-end integrated enterprise solution that has helped companies in the Plumbing / HVAC industry for over 30 years. S2K ERP features include Inventory Management, Warehouse Management, Counter Sales, Service and Repair, Non-Stock Special Orders, Serial Number Tracking, Complementary and Substitute Items, Kit and Manufacturing Capabilities, Dynamic Sales Reporting, Contract Pricing / Pricing Matrix, Orders, Quotes, Return Authorizations, Credits, Direct Shipments, and much more. S2K ERP software system has helped companies such as Sid Harvey Industries automate and optimize every aspect of its operations – from sales and inventory management to finance and e-commerce.

To register, visit: www.vai.net/events

Sunday, August 14, 2011

VAI Webinar: 15 Minute Coffee Break on VAI S2K e-Commerce

August 18, 2011 at 1:00pm EST

Taking advantage of e-Commerce is much more than simply opening up a new, on-line sales channel. It’s about using technology to streamline your business model, creating savings, and increasing efficiency. VAI offers a suite of e-business solutions that allow you to leverage the opportunities that the web provides.

To register, visit: www.vai.net/events

Sunday, August 7, 2011

VAI Webinar: 15 Minute Coffee Break on VAI Sales Force Management

August 11, 2011 at 1:00pm EST

Companies are always looking for ways to bridge the communication gap between in-office and their mobile sales force. Using the latest web technology, VAI S2K Sales Force allows you to integrate your enterprise data with mobile computing devices, such as the new Apple iPad and iPhone, giving your field sales force easy access to customer and product information at the point of customer contact.

To register, visit: www.vai.net/events

Saturday, August 6, 2011

VAI Webinar: VAI S2K Retail

August 10, 2011 at 2:00pm to 3:00pm EST

VAI S2K Retail Management Software leverages innovative technology to create integrated enterprise solutions. Our software package provides comprehensive turnkey solutions that optimize and centralize information across platforms. By increasing productivity and streamlining retail operations, VAI’s advanced software gives management teams the ability to move merchandise more effectively and eliminate costly delays. Money saving opportunities abound with this dynamic enterprise application, which excels at maximizing effectiveness across all levels of your business. Through our enduring partnership with IBM, VAI offers the security you’ve come to expect from an industry leader, while providing the innovative enterprise solutions that growing businesses demand. By enhancing the software infrastructure of companies, VAI S2K Retail Management Software enables companies to achieve effective integration.

To register, visit: http://www.vai.net/events

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Launch

You want a powerful, agile, simple enterprise resource planning solution for your business. Microsoft has got it for you: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

It's launching September 8, 2011, and we'd like you to be a part of it. Register today to join the global virtual launch from the comfort of your home or office. You'll see the new product up close, hear from customers, and learn how Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 can meet your business needs.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX 2012

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

IBS Webinar: NetStore is the self-service web channel for buyers and sellers

Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 1:00PM to 1:30PM EDT

IBS NetStore is an e-business application that provides you fast, easy, low-cost access to new markets. It gives your customers immediate answers for order-related questions, thanks to its complete integration with IBS Enterprise or your existing ERP system.

During this webinar you will see how NetStore:
  • Provides a self-service web channel for purchases, service, incident reports, and even returns or quote requests.
  • Connects to social media.
  • Supports mobility of your salesforce and buyers with iPad and Droid usability.
  • Has Google style product search with image, video, animation viewing capability for multi-item comparisons or multi-field searches.
  • Allows online customer registration, credit check, and credit card authorization.
  • Gives real-time pricing and availability with automatic e-mail confirmation.

NetStore improves the customer experience which increases customer satisfaction and loyalty while lightening the load on your current staff to allow focus on the more complex sales activities.

Join IBS for 30 minutes to see how IBS NetStore can also provide account status information including current balance, credit, outstanding payments, and A/R agreements all while you track website visitor behavior like the number of visits, last visit, average session, interrupted orders or transactions per hour.

To register, visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/144592057?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonv6rKZKXonjHpfsX67OksWaCg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YIERcd0dvycMRAVFZl5nQVaCQ%3D%3D


Monday, July 11, 2011

100 Years And Counting For Industrial Distribution Magazine

Iconic media property celebrates 100 years of bringing news, exclusive features, new products, sales strategies and more to the industrial distribution marketplace.

In 2011 Industrial Distribution (www.inddist.com) magazine is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The milestone will be marked with exclusive web features and in a commemorative September/October print edition.

First off the presses in 1911, Mill Supplies was known as more of a catalog and directory, as opposed to the vital information source Industrial Distribution has become for large and small distributors alike. Over the years the property changed hands and titles, morphing over time to its current form. Annual highlights include: The Survey of Distributor Operations, The Big 50, and The Industrial Distribution Salary Report.

“I know I speak for our entire staff when I say how honored we are to be associated with Industrial Distribution,” stated Anna Wells, Industrial Distribution’s executive editor. “A legacy this long-standing can’t be replicated. We’re proud to have the most storied and resilient brand in the marketplace, and we’re committed to continuing into the next hundred years with the same focus on timely and relevant information for distribution professionals.”

Special editorial content will stem from the property’s unique relationship with its readership. Some of the industry’s most successful distributors will be joining forces to create a signature piece created via in-depth interviews with key industry players representing Grainger, Fastenal, MSC, and more.

“In addition to the feedback we get from our readership, we’ll also look to incorporate the unique insight of key suppliers,” adds Wells. “This group offers invaluable perspective on how their products or solutions can help address our readers’ critical issues. Obviously without these relationships and the support of our advertisers, the property wouldn’t be embarking on a centennial celebration.”

Industrial Distribution is part of Advantage Business Media’s Manufacturing Group, with sister properties that include: Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation, Food Manufacturing, Manufacturing.net, Manufacturing Business Technology, and Pharmaceutical Processing.

About Advantage Business Media:
Advantage Business Media is an integrated business media company with a diversified portfolio of highly focused print publications, e-newsletters, specialized directories, vertical search databases, conferences, ancillary media vehicles, and associated web-based services. Advantage Business Media is headquartered in Rockaway, NJ, with offices in Chicago, IL, Madison, WI and Denver, CO. For more information go to www.advantagebusinessmedia.com.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

SAP and Microsoft Make App Development and Cloud Management Easier

Microsoft’s broad partner ecosystem is what powers increased value and solutions for customers and their evolving business needs.

One example of this is today’s announcement of SAP and Microsoft’s plans to focus on two key areas: first, to help .NET Framework developers more easily build applications connecting to SAP, and second, to help customers harness the power of the cloud.

As a result of this announcement, developers can expect much more support and integration between the development worlds of SAP and Microsoft. Business processes from SAP software can now be easily consumed and extended by .NET developers, simplifying the overall application development process. This level of access will immediately reduce the number of steps developers must take in order to ensure application integration, and also lead to shorter development cycles and lower costs.

Microsoft and SAP also plan to provide integration between SAP’s landscape management software, Microsoft System Center and Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V technology, bringing greater agility to cloud management and deployments.

This integration will instill enhanced flexibility, scalability and management in the cloud, all while reducing cost and risk. Through these connected offerings, SAP and Microsoft customers will be able to easily scale their deployments in their own data centers or through private clouds, for example, if they have a workload that needs on-demand scale periodically, such as a paycheck or employee performance review application.

Together, Microsoft and SAP are committed to driving greater levels of innovation and flexibility for application development and cloud deployment – from your datacenter to the public cloud, eventually enabling hybrid computing scenarios via Windows Azure for companies to embrace cloud computing on their terms.

This announcement was made at SAPPHIRE® NOW, being held in Orlando, Florida, May 15-18, 2011 where Microsoft was also named SAP Global Technology Partner of the Year.

Posted by Ted Kummert (http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2011/05/18/sap-and-microsoft-make-app-development-and-cloud-management-easier.aspx)
Senior Vice President, Business Platform Division, Microsoft

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

IFS and NetSuite Sponsor Consulting Magazine's Consulting Summit

Serving Clients with Distinction: Setting Your Firm Apart

Join thought leaders, May 5, 2001 at University Club of Chicago , from such prominent firms as Prudential Capital Partners, Bain & Company, and Booz & Company for interactive sessions on:
• The State of the Consulting Profession
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• Setting Your Firm Apart
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PLUS – Working Lunch: Data Mining the “Best Firms to Work For”

Visit www.ConsultingSummit.com and discover Consulting Summit 2011!

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Real Time Inventory, Pricing, Sales and Service Data On a Web Browser













At last, wholesale distribution revenues are starting to climb! Many distributors are reporting increased sales that are now spanning several quarters.

If you are one of them, and you think the time is right to upgrade your ERP technology, Acumatica thinks it's time you consider the Cloud!

The power of the Cloud
Acumatica Distribution Management uses the power of the cloud to deliver enterprise-wide control of your distribution operations. Because Acumatica Cloud ERP provides real-time information for every phase of your distribution business, from sales to purchasing to order entry to inventory control and to financial accounting, and beyond, you get the information you need to better manage all your company's resources.

What is included?
Acumatica is a fully integrated system that provides order management, inventory management, purchasing management, financial management, customer relationship management, and more. The solution is priced for unlimited users and sold as a one-time perpetual license or as a recurring turnkey service, depending on your level of IT expertise.

Learn more in 2 minutes
Find out how the power of the Cloud can help you by:
Watching some of our 2-minute videos
Attending a free seminar

For additional information, contact Acumatica at 1-888-228-8300.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Acumatica, BSWC, & MDM Webinar: Cloud Computing: Reality vs. Theory

Cloud computing is creating a big buzz in consumer markets. But its value proposition for wholesale distribution companies is still a bit fuzzy for IT professionals and executives alike. Join well-known technology consultant Steve Epner in this 60-minute free Webcast sponsored by Acumatica to separate fact from fiction, and learn more about the business case for cloud computing for wholesale distribution businesses.

The discussion on April 7, 2011 will knock down the myths to review the growing number of options, opportunities for wholesale distributors to leverage cloud computing, and the business case for cloud deployment. All this with the help of Steve Epner’s many years of clearly explaining how to use technology to solve business problems!

Register at: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/sc​hedule/display.​do?udc=5f013d4t​8z8f

Monday, April 4, 2011

Activant and Epicor being bought by Apax Partners

Software providers Epicor Software Corp. and Activant Solutions Inc. agreed to buyout offers from funds affiliated with private-equity firm Apax Partners in a combined deal valued at about $2 billion.

Epicor shares surged 11% to $12.50 in early Monday trading on the Nasdaq stock market, matching the per-share offer price. The stock had gained 18% over the past 12 months. Epicor said the total value of its deal, which likely includes debt, is about $976 million.

Activant is currently owned by funds affiliated with Hellman & Friedman LLC, Thoma Bravo LLC and JMI Equity.

Apax plans to merge the two companies as a private firm under the Epicor name. The combined company will have more than 30,000 customers and $825 million in annual revenues, Apax said.

Sales at Epicor, which makes integrated enterprise and business software, have improved as clients for its business software started to spend again. Its latest fourth-quarter profit narrowed on higher costs, though the top line continued to grow.

Activant provides software for mid-market retail and wholesale distribution businesses.

Shareholders representing about 19% of Epicor's outstanding shares, including private-equity firm Elliott Associates LP, have backed the deal.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576242560623987014.html#ixzz1IZriCxYM

Monday, March 28, 2011

VAI Webinar: VAI’s S2K for Food-VAI's S2K for Food ERP software offers proven results for the future of your business.

VAI's S2K Entprise for Food Distribution Software streamlines operations, improves employee productivity, cuts costs, and strengthens relationships with consumers. Discover what industry leaders already know.

To Register, visit: http://www.vai.net/events/details/25-food-webcast.html

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

VAI Webinar: VAI’s S2K for Rental-VAI's S2K Rental Software is a comprehensive management system designed for the rental industry.

If you rent tools, party goods, scaffolding, aerial platforms, amusement items, construction equipment, or just about anything else, this solution provides all the tools you need to effectively manage and grow your rental operation. It covers all aspects of a rental business including Reservations and Allocations, Financials, Equipment Servicing, Sales Order Processing, Inventory Management, Purchasing, and CRM.

To Register, visit: http://www.vai.net/events/details/26-rental.html

Monday, February 28, 2011

IBS Webinar: The Seven Things You Might Want to Consider If You Are Changing ERP Systems

ERP systems have advanced significantly over the last three years. Most ERP systems now have much more sophisticated capabilities – new ways to better serve your customers, increase your profitability, and maintain or improve your competitive position in your industry. The choices available have broadened and each one has its benefits and limitations.

Whether you are just beginning to think about changing, or have decided to see what newer ERP solutions have available to help you run your business; this Webinar will prove to be educational and informative. There are seven areas you may want to consider, and we’ll touch on each of these.

Join us for this information-filled Webinar as we share key things you should think about when evaluating a new solution. You’ll also learn a little about IBS; see highlights of our flagship offering, IBS Enterprise, including the latest innovative features and robust functionality; and hear how we’ve helped thousands of organizations like yours improve business performance.

To register and learn more, click here to visit.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

VAI Webinar: All in One-Affordable Enterprise Management Solutions That Can Help You Compete In The New Economy!

Ideal for manufacturing and distribution businesses, VAI’s S2K Enterprise
Software offers streamlined solutions that will address companies most
pressing challenges.

To Register, visit: http://www.vai.net/events/details/23-all-in-one.html

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Acumatica releases Advanced Features in v2.0

Acumatica Releases Advanced Cloud ERP Features to SaaS and On-Premise Customers

Hundreds of business customers and VARs can upgrade to Acumatica 2.0 to take advantage of new accounting, distribution, CRM, and ERP features while maintaining customizations

BETHESDA, Md., January 6, 2011 Acumatica, a global provider of Cloud ERP software, announced today Release 2.0 of its Acumatica ERP suite. This latest release includes new functionality and enhancements to track fixed assets, compute sales tax, deliver integrated ecommerce, manage shipping activities, improve customer fulfillment processes, and more.

The new Acumatica 2.0 release is the first in the ERP industry to deliver a major software upgrade with the same code for on-premise customers as well as software-as-a-service customers. Acumatica customers can upgrade to the new release while maintaining transparently all customizations made to the software. Because Acumatica is web-based, customers get the new features without the hassle and expense of upgrading client software or client devices.

New Acumatica 2.0 capabilities make it easier to manage inventory, integrate with other applications, maintain accurate financials, streamline business processes, improve communications, increase productivity, and enhance customer service. Key functionality and enhancements in Acumatica 2.0 include:

  • Fixed Assets Management that delivers powerful features for complete control of assets, and calculation of depreciation schedules for meeting compliance requirements.
  • Freight management facility offers built-in UPS and FedEx integration, reduces shipping costs, enhances customer service and improves productivity when shipping and quoting
  • Integrated ecommerce delivers comprehensive website and shopping cart capabilities, offering a single view of customers, inventory and orders for every sales model including online.
  • New dashboard and reporting capabilities allow for the easy creation of role and user-based key performance indicators and facilitate the control of the overall operation.
  • New financial studio enhancements extend and simplify payment and credit card processing, thus enabling non-accounting people to process and collect payments.
  • Expanded CRM delivers total visibility into sales funnels, helps close more deals faster, and improves communication and customer service.
  • New supply chain capabilities optimize customer warranty and returns processing, streamline inventory movement with-in and across warehouses, improve customer service, and improve overall inventory accuracy.
“Release 2.0 demonstrates the flexibility of our Cloud ERP platform by allowing customers to maintain existing customizations during the upgrade,” said Ezequiel Steiner, CEO of Acumatica. “Customers can benefit from the new features and all the power of the Cloud whether they run Acumatica on-premise or SaaS.”

Acumatica 2.0 is now available for new customers as well as all existing SaaS and on-premise users. Businesses wanting to learn more about Acumatica 2.0 may locate an Acumatica VAR or contact us directly.

2011 Shaping up to be a Good Year

10 Days In, 2011 is Shaping Up to be a Very Good Year
Bruce Richardson, Chief Strategy Officer, Infor
http://blogs.infor.com/inside/

Posted on January 10, 2011

If a television newscaster was to be so bold as to predict the winner of an election with less than 4% of the votes tallied, there is a good chance that viewers would overwhelm the station’s switchboard with calls asking whether that neatly coiffed person had been over-medicated.

At the risk of inviting a similar deluge, I’m going to declare that 2011 will finally put an end to any questions about the timing of a US economic recovery. It’s here.

It’s true. See for yourself. Grab a pen and a piece of paper. Create two columns. On the left, write “Good News.” On the other side scribble “Bad News.” Under each heading, add as many proof points as you can.

You can relax now when you open your 401K statements

Let me help you out. We’ll start with the stock market. Look at how some of the major indices ended 2010: the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 11% for the year. It closed at a 28-month high. The S&P 500 gained 12.8% to finish at its highest close since September 2008. The NASDAQ Composite jumped 16.91%. It closed at its highest level in nearly three years. The Russell 2000 gained more than 25%, and closed at its highest point since October 2007. A stronger stock market is good for both business and consumer confidence.

While confidence is never lacking in investment banking, 2010 brought a fresh supply of testosterone. According to Thomson Reuters, the global dollar volume in announced deals reached $2.4 trillion, up 23.1%. The US accounted for about a third of the volume—$822 billion. This was up 14.2% over 2009. Buyers paid 50+% premiums for targets in financial services, industrial manufacturing, and telecommunications. Is there anyone that expects the M&A market to slow this year? I didn’t think so.

Bullish predictions from the analysts

Now, let’s look at what the analysts are saying. IDC’s list of 2011 predictions opens with a wager that global IT spend will hit $1.6 trillion this year, up 5.7%. The analysts see the software market “rebounding” after modest growth last year and a decline in 2009.

For its part, Forrester Research presents an optimistic view of the US IT market. The firm expects the domestic market to reach $889 billion, up 7.4% over last year. Forrester is even more bullish on 2012, as early signs point to 9% growth. Drilling a little deeper, the software market should grow 8.4% to $220 billion this year. That’s great news for application vendors like us, as apps make up the largest slice of the software pie.

Forrester also models IT spend as a multiple of “nominal GDP” or GDP that has not been adjusted for inflation. Historically, IT spend tends to be at least double nominal GDP. Economists’ estimates for US GDP range from 2.1% to 7.0% this year, with many camped out between 3% and 4.0%. Assuming 2011 doesn’t prove to be an aberration, this should be another good omen.

Companies are profitable and sitting on a lot of cash

Speaking of spending, American companies are sitting on a lot of cash. At the end of the third quarter, the 419 non-financial firms that make up the S&P 500 had $902.4 billion in cash on hand, 49% higher than one year ago. Their combined third quarter profits were $1.64 trillion, up 26%. This is the highest profits have been in four years.

Profits should continue to rise. Barclays is forecasting 8% profit this year. While that’s lower than the 2010 level, it’s because the bank is anticipating increased spending on property and equipment.

Buyers have been loosening the purse strings. In Q3, US companies spent $1.08 trillion on equipment and software. That was up 15% over the year earlier period.

Good news across the service and manufacturing sectors

Last week saw positive news from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM). The index for the services sector reached its highest level since May 2006. This marked the 12 straight month of growth. This is good news as this sector accounts for 80% of the US workforce.

Meanwhile, ISM’s index for manufacturing showed that the sector grew for the 17 month. According to the organization’s chairman, the continued expansion is due to “strength in autos, metals, food, machinery, computers, and electronics.”

If you did a double-take when you read “autos,” that wasn’t a typo. One of the more surprising success stories for 2010 was the comeback of the US automobile market. December sales rose 11% versus one year ago. Overall, US drivers purchased nearly 11.6 million vehicles last year. Preliminary forecasts see this number increasing to 13.5 million in 2011.

Now for the other side of the ledger

Last week, ADP issued a report showing that private firms added 297,000 jobs in December. This was three times what economists had been predicting. Later that week, the US Department of Labor issued its own study. The agency said that the private sector had added 113,000 jobs last month.

While that was enough to nudge the unemployment rate from 9.6% to 9.4%, it still means that 14.5 million Americans remain out of work. While some areas are much lower than the national rate, a separate Labor Department study noted that unemployment had increased in 258 of the 372 largest US cities.

While many industries have rebounded, the housing market remains soft. Construction spending grew 0.4% in November, but markets remain too soft—especially in Arizona, California, Florida, and Nevada.

On a related note, there were 1.55 million bankruptcy filings in the US last year. While this represents a 10% increase over 2009, it’s a much smaller increase than the previous two years.

You may have noticed that the price of gasoline and crude oil has been rising. There is frequent talk about “$5 gas.” Higher fuel prices coupled with rising food prices may negatively impact the strong recovery.

What does your Good News/Bad News score sheet look like?

As you might surmise, the Good News trounced the pessimism in my T-chart. And I didn’t even have to talk about the potential “halo effect” from successful IPOs from Facebook, Groupon, and/or Twitter. Should one or all of them go out in 2011, they could cast a positive shadow across the tech market.

What does your T-chart look like? Did Good overcome Bad? Or, did pessimism/caution prevail?



New 1099 Requirement created by Healthcare Reform

New 1099 Filing Requirements Weigh Heavily on Accounts Payable Departments

Tucked away in the healthcare reform bill (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), signed into law on March 23, 2010, are new rules requiring reporting of goods, services and payments made to all corporations, creating a host of new Form 1099 reporting responsibilities for Accounts Payable departments.

Blg5901Credit: Stu's Views (www.stus.com)

Previously, businesses sent Forms 1099 for payments of rent, interest, dividends, and non-employee services when provided by entities other than corporations. Under the new law set to go into effect in 2012, businesses will be required to send a 1099 to other businesses for virtually all purchases – including corporations -- whenever they do more than $600 of business in a year.

This adds a heavy administrative toll on Accounts Payable departments. To file all these 1099s, companies will need to collect the necessary information from all service providers, including a Taxpayer Information Number or TIN from the business. Businesses on the receiving end of the vast flood of these forms will have to match them with existing accounting records -- no doubt presenting tremendous potential for errors and mismatches.

Now more than ever companies need an automated solution to comply with 1099 reporting responsibilities. To this end, last month we introduced Epicor Tax Connect 1099, the first and only cloud-based 1099 tax reporting and processing solution designed to easily integrate with a company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Epicor Tax Connect 1099 is delivered on-demand for use with customers’ existing on-premise Epicor ERP environments.

Epicor Tax Connect 1099 allows you to import, submit and manage all of the 1099 data from your Epicor ERP and many other feeder systems, with Tax Identification Number (TIN) validation tools at the ready, and other tools to assist businesses in streamlining year end 1099 procedures. Epicor Tax Connect 1099 acts as an in-house seasoned tax professional, providing the most comprehensive 1099 tax preparation reporting solutions and research required to file accurate and timely returns. With built-in secure servers linked directly to the IRS, Epicor Tax Connect 1099 makes the annual printing, mailing and e-filing a simple one-click process.

For more information on new requirements in 1099 reporting, watch our on-demand webcast "

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