Cybersecurity and Key Compliance Requirements

Cybersecurity and Key Compliance Requirements

Editor's note: Anthony La Polla is Vice President of Operations at Critical Defence, LLC. We're delighted to share his expertise in cybersecurity with our audience.

As the use of technology continues to increase in today’s business, so do the concerns pertaining to cybersecurity. According to the Verizon 2017 Data Breach Investigation Report:

  • 75% of breaches were perpetrated by outsiders
  • 62% of breaches featured hacking
  • 81% of hacking involved weak or stolen passwords
  • 66% of malware was installed via malicious emails
  • 73% of breaches were financially motivated
  • 1 in 14 users were tricked into following a link or opening an attachment

The statistics are alarming, and the consequences of a breach could be catastrophic. From theft of client personal data, loss of propriety data or intellectual property, or payment card data leakage, a single breach could cause the total collapse of the business. As a result, companies are taking action with some key measures, including:

  • Training staff to identify warning signs
  • Following the principle of least privilege
  • Instituting patch management policies
  • Encrypting sensitive date to make it useless if stolen
  • Requiring two factor authentication to limit damage if lost or stolen
  • Regularly reviewing log files for warning signs of a breach

And companies aren’t the only ones taking notice of the risks associated with cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities. Government agencies are making concentrated efforts to protect companies, employees and consumers from these digital crimes. Two of the most recent mandates addressing these issues are the General Data Protection Regulation (more commonly known as the GDPR) and New York State’s DFS Regulation 500 Part 23.

GDPR

The European Parliament adopted the GDPR in April 2016, replacing an outdated data protection directive from 1995. It carries provisions that require businesses to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens for transactions that occur within EU member states. The GDPR also regulates the exportation of personal data outside the EU. The GDPR applies to any company which has a presence in an EU country, processes personal data of European residents, has more than 250 employees, or fewer than 250 employees but its data-processing impacts the rights and freedoms of data subjects, is not occasional, or includes certain types of sensitive personal data. That effectively means almost all companies.

The GDPR protects basic identity information such as name, address and ID numbers, web data such as location, IP address, cookie data and RFID tags, health and genetic data, biometric data, racial or ethnic data, political opinions, and sexual orientation. The GDPR requires that companies appoint a Data Protection Officer, identify all protected data within the network, create a data protection plan, create a data retention policy which allows individuals the right to have their data completely removed upon request, conduct a risk assessment, report any breach within 72 hours and revise risk mitigation programs.

The GDR also outlines the consequences of failing to comply, and they are steep. It allows for financial penalties of up to €20 million or four percent of global annual turnover, whichever is higher, for non-compliance. Management consulting firm Oliver Wyman predicts that the EU could collect as much as $6 billion in fines and penalties in the first year. The good news is that there is still time to comply; GDPR enforcement will begin May 28, 2018.

DFS Reg 500 Part 23

The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued 23 NYCRR Part 500, a regulation designed to promote the protection of customer information as well as the information technology systems of regulated entities (financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies). This regulation requires each company to assess its specific risk profile and design a program that addresses its risks in a robust fashion. Senior management must take this issue seriously and be responsible for the organization’s cybersecurity program and file an annual certification confirming compliance with these regulations. A regulated entity’s cybersecurity program must ensure the safety and soundness of the institution and protect its customers.

The regulation requires that covered entities create and implement a cybersecurity program and policy the identifies and mitigates risk and aims to prevent breaches. The regulation is rather specific and requires, at a minimum, that covered organization do the following:

  • Assign a Chief Information Security Officer
  • Perform annual penetration testing
  • Perform Bi-annual vulnerability assessments
  • Maintain an audit trail
  • Limit access privileges
  • Ensure the use of secure deployment practices
  • Conduct a periodic risk assessment
  • Utilize qualified cybersecurity personnel
  • Implement a third party service provider security policy
  • Utilize multi-factor authentication
  • Limit data retention and create a secure disposal policy
  • Provide regular cyber security awareness training and monitoring
  • Encrypt of nonpublic information
  • Establish a written incident response plan
  • Notification within 72 hours of cyber event identification

There are few exemptions to this regulation. Only organizations (including independent contractors) with fewer than

10 employees, organization with less than $5,000,000 in gross annual revenue in each of the last three fiscal years, and organizations with less than $10,000,000 in year-end total assets, calculated in accordance with GAAP including assets of all affiliates are excluded from the compliance requirement. This regulation was put into effect on May 1, 2017, and covered organizations were required to be compliant by August 27, 2017. By February 15, 2018, covered entities are required to submit the first certification for 23 NYCRR 500.17(b). On March 1, 2018, covered entities are required to be in compliance with sections 500.06, 500.08, 500.13, 500.14(a) and 500.15 of 23 NYCRR Part 500, and by March 1, 2019, organizations are required to be compliant section 500.11.

As technology and internet usage continue to grow, so does cyber crimeCybersecurity and Key Compliance Requirements . In order to defend against it companies will need to implement appropriate policies and procedures that align with new mandated regulations. These requirements will need to be monitored closely and will need experts to ensure proper implementation and maintenance. Otherwise, the costs and consequences could be catastrophic.

 

About Critical Defence

Critical Defence, LLC is a global provider of cyber security services including, but not limited to Assurance, Response, Compliance and Training. Additional information can be found at www.criticaldefence.com.

Keep Track of Your Correspondence with aACE Email Integration

Keep Track of Your Correspondence with aACE Email Integration

Most businesses today rely on email to exchange information, but it can be all too easy for messages to get lost in your inbox – and when that happens, you risk missing out on vital details that could impact your communication with your customers. Wouldn’t it be great if you could file those messages with their associated records in your ERP solution, without having to manually copy and paste the text?

With aACE, you can.

aACE’s email integration feature spares you from time-consuming data entry by linking emails and their attachments directly to the relevant records anywhere in aACE. This feature works across all aACE modules, so whether your message is about a contact, a project, an order, or more, you can organize your emails directly in your aACE solution. Here’s how:

 

 

Now that we’ve seen this feature in action, let’s look at one example of how fictional company aACME Education Solutions uses it in their day-to-day operations:

aACME has just fulfilled an order for the Shea Township School District and the invoice has been generated in aACE. John in the Accounts Receivable department is ready to send it to Julia, the school district’s administrative assistant. When John opens the invoice in aACE and selects Email Invoice from the Print menu, his desktop mail app opens with an auto-generated email that has the invoice attached as a PDF. aACE automatically fills in the client’s email address, a pre-set signature, and the invoice’s record ID. Additionally, a special email address for aACME’s aACE solution is included on the BCC line. When John sends the email, a copy appears in aACE’s inbox. Based on keywords in the email, aACE files the message and attachment in three places:

  • the Invoice record for Invoice #50001
  • the Contact record for Julia Delaney, the client who received the invoice
  • the Team Member record of John Smith, the user who sent the invoice

This means that any user with access to these records can view the email right from within aACE. So when Julia contacts her account manager at aACME, Mara Harvey, with a question about the invoice, Mara is able to immediately see what was sent to Julia and when – there's no need to ask John to forward the email or to dig through a long email chain to find the relevant information.

Email Integration Blog Post
 

With aACE’s email integration feature, Mara and her colleagues have everything they need right at their fingertips.

To see how other aACE features could work for your business, check out our aACE Videos series. And if you’d like to know more about this feature or discuss what else aACE can do for you, contact us today to learn more.

Gable Finds Time with aACE+ DayBack Calendar

Gable Finds Time with aACE+ DayBack Calendar

“The results of implementing the calendar have been overwhelmingly positive. Everybody benefits from “real time” scheduling allowing us to see down to the nth degree what resources are available for any project at any time. The calendar solved the lack of visibility issues we were having.”
– Jimmie Wolfe, Director of Field Operations, Gable

Gable provides visual solutions that attract, engage and direct people to properties, buildings, places, and spaces through the integration of architectural and graphic elements that include signs, digital displays, audiovisual, media and lighting. Its custom signage that is manufactured in-house requires a complex production and installation schedule. However, when it came to scheduling projects, there wasn’t much visibility across the company and rapid decision-making was challenging. When spreadsheets weren’t cutting it, the aACE+ DayBack calendar integration saved the day by allowing users to see exactly what their day, their week, or their month looks like.

CHALLENGES & aACE SOLUTIONS

Behind-the-Times Spreadsheets

As the last link in the chain from order to delivery, the Installation team is responsible for delivering an order to the customer exactly how they want it – and when they want it. Director of Field Operations Jimmie Wolfe and his crews kept track of which orders were assigned to which resources using spreadsheets saved on a shared drive. These were cumbersome to access and time-consuming to keep updated. The aACE+ DayBack calendar now gives them up-to-the-minute visibility into what resources are scheduled where, allowing them to plan installations quickly and accurately.

Surprise Orders

Under the previous system, Jimmie sometimes wouldn’t know an order was coming until a physical copy arrived in his office. At that point, he would manually enter it into a spreadsheet, prioritize and filter the spreadsheet, and then go back and manually remove the order once it was done. With up to a dozen work orders coming in each day, this was a burdensome task. And if the spreadsheets weren't up to date, Jimmie or a member of his team would have to physically track down colleagues to find out what resources were and weren’t available. With aACE+ DayBack he can see an order coming as soon as it’s entered into the system and know precisely what resources are available to fulfill it, giving him more time to plan ahead.

Confused Customers

When a customer places an order, they typically like to know when it’s going to arrive. That sounds like a simple question, but under Gable’s previous scheduling system they often had no simple answer. Sales representatives in the field would have to call the office to find out whether an installation crew was available on the customer’s preferred date. And as orders moved from team to team, project managers had no way to easily track which step of the process they were in. aACE+ DayBack allows sales reps to give customers an immediate answer about when their order will be installed. And if a customer has questions about their order while it’s underway, project managers can see where in the fulfillment process it is and connect them with the relevant team.

RESULTS

Real-Time Visibility

The aACE+ DayBack calendar updates when a change is made to an order, giving users an immediate and accurate view into their own schedule and those of other teams. “It's pretty important for our account managers and our project managers to be able to see in real time what we're doing today, what we're doing tomorrow, or what just got completed,” Jimmie tells us. “The calendar is a window for the company to see exactly what was going on at any given time.”

Drag 'n' Drop Scheduling

With aACE+ DayBack, users no longer have to schedule sections of time just to manage their schedule. Now users can rearrange their calendars in seconds simply by dragging and dropping events from one date or resource to another. The calendar automatically updates the associated order record, making rescheduling as easy as clicking a button. This user-friendly system has been a big crowd-pleaser, especially among employees who were familiar with the previous system. Says Jimmie, “Everybody who's used this tool is ecstatic over it.”

Custom Resources by Department

Gable has currently rolled the calendar out to three teams, each with their own unique needs. Typically, a calendar has one static list of resources for the company, with users able to drag and drop events onto that shared list. Because Gable has different resources in each team, they worked with the aACE team on a custom solution allowing them to set a different resource list for each team that's using the calendar. “It's a nice feature to open up specific calendars on-the-fly for a specific team, see the resources, and set the schedule. That was a great addition,” Jimmie says.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Here's what Gable's Director of Field Operations, Jimmie Wolfe, has to say about the calendar:

“It's much easier for people to get the information they need when they need it. There is less time spent on admin tasks, and less walking around the building trying to get updates. Now you can just log into the module and see exactly what's happening. It’s a huge time-saver, really.
“Any business that uses a scheduling system should look into the aACE+ DayBack calendar. This aACE module can be tweaked to conform to different situations. For anybody that currently uses a calendar in their day-to-day operations, this module would obviously be helpful.
“So far there's been an overwhelmingly positive response from everybody at Gable that has seen and used the calendar. They want to see more of it right now, so we're in the process of spreading this through the rest of the company. Eventually we want to roll out our customized calendar to each of the half-dozen teams that can use it. In the teams that keep workflow schedules, it's a must-have. And it improves each time we roll it out, so the next team is getting a better, more user-friendly product each time we set it up!”

Do you or someone you know need a change from one-size-fits-all ERP tools? Check out our videos to learn more about whether aACE business management software for Mac and PC can help accelerate your company. And if you'd like to learn more about the aACE+ DayBack calendar integration, start with our calendar demo to see it in action.

aACE Ranks Higher in Value, Capability After FrontRunners Fall Refresh

aACE Ranks Higher in Value, Capability After FrontRunners Fall Refresh

This spring we were pleased to announce that aACE had been recognized as a significant ERP Contender in SoftwareAdvice.com’s 2017 FrontRunners Report, a round-up of top-performing business management solutions. Powered by Gartner’s data-driven methodology, this quadrant relies on user reviews and other data to highlight products that offer the best capability and value for their class. Last month the folks at SoftwareAdvice.com took another look at their ERP quadrant – and this time around, aACE earned even higher scores on both axes.

FrontRunners ERP Quadrant Fall 2017

  • Capability: We've gone up from a 3.45 to a 3.69 in Capability over the past six months. The Capability score is based on factors such as user ratings of the product's functionality, ease of use, and customer support, as well as other data assessed by SoftwareAdvice.com.
  • Value: Our Value score has risen from a 3.00 to a 3.58 over same short time frame. The Value score is based on factors such as user satisfaction, the likelihood that users will recommend the product to others, and how valuable users consider the product to be, among other data points.

We were chosen as a top product for small businesses from among over 350 enterprise resource planning solutions, largely thanks to reviews from our existing clients. The people who know aACE best are the people who use it every day. We’re delighted that our users have enthusiastically recommended aACE to other businesses looking to streamline their operations and improve their bottom line. Here’s a sampling of what some of our clients have to say:

"I would recommend this software to anyone wanting to simplify his or her workflow, anyone who wants their software to work for them and not the other way around, and anyone tired of the ERP money pit!" – Todd Breedlove, Vice President, Knight Hardwood Flooring, Inc.
"With [aACE], our team members can now see a complete account of the history of a transaction as it moves through our system. Not only does this provide us with visibility that we had never had before, but I'm pleased to say we have also greatly benefited from the increased accountability that comes with logging all that our users have access to." – Andrew Porter, ERP Manager, Gable
"We would recommend aACE to any small to medium-size business that cannot afford full-time IT personnel. Specifically, since we’re a multi-channel business, we would highly recommend aACE to businesses in the following industries: distribution, direct marketing, and mail-order." – Bumkee Kim, President, Janibell
"Over the years and through many other software initiatives, the aACE business suite has proven its robust and flexible characteristics, remaining the core of our management system." – Matthew Pelfrey, Director of Process and Compliance, Duggal Visual Solutions
"I have worked with multiple systems over the years, big and small, and to date I think that aACE is the most user friendly and customizable product available." – Daniel Peleg, Exec. VP of Operations and Business Development, Consumers' Choice Awards
"aACE is perfect for many different types of businesses. It handles inventory very well, projects, general accounting. Due to the nature of the system, and the ability to customize it for a specific business need, it is really a good fit for almost all business types: warehousing, design, etc." – Doug Jacobs, President, Restylers' Choice

To see where aACE placed on the FrontRunners quadrant and download a breakdown of our scores, visit SoftwareAdvice.com. And to learn more about what aACE Enterprise Resource Software for Mac and PC can do for your business, contact us today.

FrontRunners scores and graphics are derived from individual end-user reviews based on their own experiences, vendor-supplied information and publicly available product information; they do not represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates.

aACE Software Featured in Idaho Business Review

aACE Software Featured in Idaho Business Review

Two months ago we announced our expansion to Boise, and we're pleased to say we're already attracting attention in our new hometown. Recently the Idaho Business Review spoke to aACE Software President Michael Bethuy about his decision to establish our new headquarters in the Treasure Valley.

Michael shared that because our Boise office is the center of our general operations — including ongoing aACE development, technical support, documentation, and administrative functions — we're looking for the kind of seasoned professionals that tend to be attracted to an area like Boise, which boasts both a low cost and high quality of living.

“We’re not looking to hire kids right out of school,” Michael told Zach Kyle of the IBR. “Because of the complexity of our product, we want to hire professionals who are seasoned, stable and with kids, that sort of thing. People like that are extraordinarily expensive in places like New York.”

The IBR article focused largely on the Accounting portion of our software; a shortage of accounting talent has many businesses turning to technology to fill the gap. As a complete quote-to-cash solution, aACE is poised to take advantage of this trend. “[I would recommend aACE to] any company that needs a seemingly impossible-to-achieve customized accounting system that will take them from inputting a transaction to the general ledger,” says Wendy Donenfield, CPA and Controller at aACE client M&R International.

For more details on our expansion to Boise, read the full story on aACE in print or online at the Idaho Business Review. And to learn more about how aACE can help your business achieve full visibility into your accounting system and more, contact us today.

Cybersecurity for the Small to Mid-Sized Business

Cybersecurity for the Small to Mid-Sized Business

Editor's note: Melissa Derr is Director of Digital Forensics and Response at Critical Defence, LLC. We're delighted to share her expertise in cyber security with our audience.

Even though small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) are a primary target for cyber attackers, they remain underprepared to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from an event. A 2017 report from the Ponemon Institute reported that 54% of SMBs had reported they suffered a data breach in the past 12 months, costing on average just over $1MM in direct expenses, plus additional indirect costs of over $1.2MM.

The numbers are staggering, but the realities remain: most SMBs lack proper budgets to implement the effective security controls that larger companies can afford, nor do they have the staff capable of protecting their technology. So, what can you do about it? Here are a few relatively simple solutions to get you started in the right direction.

1. Identify key risks

Before you can even begin to protect your SMB from cyberattacks, you need to first identify potential vulnerabilities, threats, and risks to your company. Vulnerabilities that most SMBs will find applicable to them are unpatched software, poor employee digital hygiene and unmanaged/unidentified devices on the company network. Cyber threats to most SMBs include the loss of proprietary data/intellectual property, loss of customer data, and loss of control over corporate technology assets.

Once vulnerabilities and threats have been identified, you can more fully understand the organization’s cyber risk. You should plan to patch software as soon as updates are available, encrypt sensitive data at rest, train your employees to detect potential social engineering tactics and phishing emails, and establish a policy prohibiting unmanaged devices on your company infrastructure. Once the policies are in place, make sure you are doing your best to regularly enforce them.

2. Educate Employees

Educating your employees about your key risks and cybersecurity policies is essential. According to independent researcher Ponemon Institute, the number one cause of a breach at SMBs was a negligent employee. Whether it be by clicking a link in an email, web-browsing at insecure websites, downloading software from unofficial sources, or accidentally sending an internal email to an unintended external party, your employees have more impact on the security of your organization than you might realize.

Employees should be aware of the policies you have regarding good digital hygiene, including prohibiting password reuse, safe web-browsing practices, and password length requirements.

While formal cyber security awareness training is ideal, it could be cost prohibitive for smaller businesses. The US Department of Homeland Security’s “Stop. Think. Connect.” campaign, however, is a free resource with sample fliers and internal communications to help you get started.

3. Deploy an endpoint monitoring solution

Detection and remediation is essential to your SMB’s security posture. Monitoring and updating all your endpoints is not at difficult as it used to be; a number of reasonably-priced, cloud-based solutions are available. Earlier this year, PCMag reviewed 10 of the industry leading endpoint protection platforms for small businesses, starting as low as $1 per endpoint per month. These tools can provide anti-virus coverage, quarantine or remove malicious files, email filtering, URL protection, and patch management all in a web-based management console. If you only have room in your budget for one security tool, an endpoint protection solution is your best bargain.

4. Have a back-up plan

No one ever wants to plan for the worst, but as half of all SMBs reported they had suffered a breach, chances are you’ll need a recovery plan. A recovery plan is needed to outline how you will continue business operations in the event of a cyberattack. How will you process payments if your payment system is compromised? What happens to your intellectual property if all your systems are infected with ransomware?

One easy solution is to take regular backups of business-critical systems and data, and store them OFFLINE, so you can recover with relative ease in the event of an incident. You may want to consider building in redundancy in the event of failures. And most importantly, regularly test the solution to confirm it will work in the event you need it.

Cyber attackers have set their sights on small and medium sized businesses. But small businesses often lack the proper budgets, staff and expertise to secure themselves properly. By implementing a few basic solutions small businesses can greatly enhance their security posture. While this is not a comprehensive list of everything you can do to secure your SMB, we hope this provides you with a good place to start. Attackers will continue to target SMBs, and it’s in the best interest of both the consumer and the SMB to be protected. Additional resources are available through the Nations Cyber Security Alliance.

About Critical Defence

Critical Defence, LLC is a global provider of cyber security services including, but not limited to Assurance, Response, Compliance and Training. Additional information can be found at www.criticaldefence.com.

Seamlessly Link Records in aACE to Files on Your Server – Here’s How

Seamlessly Link Records in aACE to Files on Your Server – Here’s How

aACE’s document management system is great for storing files directly in aACE, but if you’re in a creative or an engineering environment, you may need to keep files on your shared company server where colleagues who aren’t aACE users can access them. Wouldn’t it be great if you could access those server files directly from the relevant records in your ERP solution?

With aACE, you can.

aACE’s File Server Folder Launcher feature allows you to keep files organized on your company server while making it easy to access the folders you need directly from the relevant Lead, Project, Order, or Job record in aACE. Let’s take a look at how it works.

 

 

Now that you’ve seen this feature in action, let’s walk through how one company uses it in their day-to-day operations.

Our sample company, aACME Educational Services, publishes educational resources and programs for students, teachers, and school administrators. They’ve just received an order for a School Spirit Week science workshop from the Full STEAM Charter School (FSCS). As part of the order, FSCS has asked for custom signage and curricular materials to promote the school’s astronomy program.

aACME’s graphic designers are not aACE users, so all of their work stays on the company shared drive. Account manager Mara Harvey sends drafts to the client and passes their feedback on to the creative team. Because aACME offers workshops like this regularly, they have a template set up with their standard workflow.

Mara starts by opening the order’s record in aACE. From the Actions menu, she selects “Reveal File Server Folder”. This creates a new folder on her shared drive that’s pre-populated with the subfolders she and her colleagues use to keep their files organized. When Mara follows up with FSCS, she can easily access all of the files related to their order right from her aACE solution – ensuring she has everything she needs close at hand.

If you’d like to know more about this feature or discuss what else aACE can do for you, contact us today to learn more.

Special EFX Runs 3 Businesses in 1 aACE Solution

Special EFX Runs 3 Businesses in 1 aACE Solution

“Most companies of our size buy a software package and change the way they run their business to fit the package. We have been lucky enough to work the other way. aACE started with a basic structure which was then tailored to our specific way of working.” – Peter Osborne, CEO, Special EFX Ltd., U.K.

For several years, Special EFX ran their business using a European ERP solution that they found to be unreliable, inconsistent, poorly supported, and inflexible. Driven by dissatisfaction with that software, they sought an integrated business solution built on FileMaker Pro, which they knew from experience had proven reliability. They made contact with the team at aACE through the FileMaker website and instantly knew that they’d found their solution. Special EFX began working with aACE in 2007, and since that time the product has evolved greatly. They have also been able to extensively customize their aACE solution to fit their particular business needs, which include operating three companies from the same database, supporting the use of multiple currencies, and accounting for European sales tax.

CHALLENGES & aACE SOLUTIONS

Stability

Prior to discovering aACE, Special EFX was using a product called Daybook, built on the 4D platform, which was no longer being updated. They found Daybook to be unreliable and inconsistent, with poor or no support when things went wrong; as a result the Special EFX staff had no confidence in the software and employee morale took a hit. aACE offers world-class support and frequent updates to ensure that it is always running at peak performance.

Customization

In addition to being unstable, Daybook could not be modified to suit Special EFX’s particular needs, which include multi-currency support, support for European VAT taxes, and other nuances of running three very different European businesses out of one solution. Instead, they had to rely on slow and clunky workarounds. aACE can be easily customized to fit almost any business.

Mac Environment

Special EFX is mainly Mac-based and had been using FileMaker Pro for many years. When they decided to replace their previous software, they knew their new solution had to be Mac-compatible. aACE is a cross-platform business management software for Mac and PC that's built in FileMaker.

RESULTS

All-in-One Solution

In addition to offering the full range of CRM software, aACE provided Special EFX with a fully-integrated financial suite giving real-time status updates on all of their accounts. This and other features give them a full view of their business all from one software solution.

A Tailored Fit

aACE was easily tailored to meet Special EFX’s specific operational needs, including support for multiple currencies and European sales tax, as well as detailed enhancements for their particular industry.

World-Class Support

The team at Special EFX has been thrilled with the support offered by aACE, which allows them to focus on managing their businesses instead of managing their software. aACE has direct IP access to Special EFX’s server for diagnostics and periodic upgrades, ensuring that their aACE solution will always run smoothly.

Increased Efficiency

By allowing Special EFX to focus on their business rather than their software, aACE has, as CEO Peter Osborne put it, “released [them] to make more money from [their] business.” Special EFX has doubled their sales in the last three years, but thanks to the high degree of automation provided by aACE, they’ve also been able to control and reduce pro rata staff costs.

Scalability

Special EFX now runs three very different companies — dealing in trophies, wind turbines, and trailers — from the same integrated aACE database, with plans to add even more.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Here is what Special EFX’s CEO, Peter Osborne, has to say about the results of the aACE software implementation:

"I cannot begin to tell you what a breath of fresh air this has been for us. Implementing aACE is the best thing we ever did. The solution evolves with us as our needs change.
[I would recommend aACE to] any SME who wants tight control, instant up-to-date information over all aspects of their business without the need to plough through acres of data, and optimal automation of all sales and functions, irrespective of Mac or Windows platforms. In short, I have no hesitation in fully recommending aACE as a truly great enterprise solution. We are truly proud to be part of the aACE family."

Download Special EFX, Ltd.’s Case Study.

Do you or someone you know need a change from one-size-fits-all ERP tools? Check out our videos to learn more about whether aACE business management software for Mac and PC can help accelerate your company.

The Who, What, and How of a Successful Accounting Software Upgrade

The Who, What, and How of a Successful Accounting Software Upgrade

In 2013, Michael Krigsman estimated that the global cost of failed IT projects was around $3 Trillion. The stats from the year before, according to the Standish Group, estimated that 1 out of every 6-7 IT projects ends in failure.

These numbers, collected by Adam Bluemner for FindAccountingSoftware.com, might make you question whether you should risk upgrading your digital tools. Certainly such a major decision requires a sober look at the realities, with the possible expense of a bad software roll-out being measured against the ongoing expense of less effective tools. But even more consideration should be invested into preparing for success.

That's the help provided by Bluemner's article, "How to Ensure Success in Your Accounting Software Project." He points out that a company doesn't have to stress out if they don't have a giant-sized budget or a brute-force legion of tech staff to make an accounting software implementation go well. Concentration on solid project management is the key. Bluemner highlights the Standish Group's MVP factors: executive management support, user involvement, and optimization.

Executive Management Support

This is more than just getting permission. Support from top members of your organization will not only help remove roadblocks for a software upgrade, but will also ensure that any planned upgrade is lined up well with the larger vision of the company's progress. It's never good when the shiny, new accounting program zigs, but the company overall needs to zag.

To help get this executive support, you can explain a few vital factors about upgrading an accounting software. Modern tools maximize efficiency, automating repetitive processes. This can create an impactful cost reduction, which most decision-makers will find attractive. (For help in estimating this ROI, you can use FindAccountingSofware.com's calculator.) Also, while some IT projects deal with unproven technology that makes it hard to predict the results, most accounting software packages have been deployed many times, making this a low-risk upgrade.

User Involvement

While high-level employees can offer guidance on direction, the front-line employees are often the best source of information about benefits that can come from automation. The repetitive or complex processes they deal with each day are what you'll want the new accounting system to address. So these folks are the best place to get input on what the ROI from an improved software package can be. Also, you can invite them to participate in software demos. These users will be able to point out weaknesses and strengths, and respecting their expertise will increase their interest in helping the project succeed.

Optimization

This refers to an optimized project — one with careful plans and focused scope. These preparations might seem to delay getting things done, but they can have a crucial benefit once the ball starts rolling. You should organize a needs analysis interview to verify the key requirements for the new accounting system. This also enables you to identify the fundamental baselines:

  • Scope — What functionalities are high and low priority for your company? What benefits will each of these features bring to your business?
  • Cost — To meet your functional needs, what is the estimated cost?
  • Timeline — How long will the deployment take, including installing, configuring, and training?

Bringing experts into this conversation is one of the best ways to make sure these measures are relevant and accurate. And the best vendors will provide this type of consultation as a free service.

You don't have to leave your project's success or failure up to a roll of the dice. With diligent preparation, you can be sure that deploying a new software system — whether it's accounting, CRM, or ERP — will be a win.

 

One of the complicating factors for a new system is integration with other legacy software; not being fully integrated is also one of the most common causes of inefficiencies. While updating the accounting package will have definite benefits, bringing all the operational software up to par at one time greatly enhances those benefits. aACE 5 is a robust yet affordable business operations suite that includes accounting, CRM, ERP, and more. As an easily customizable, cross-platform solution, aACE 5 can help streamline the flow of information for companies in professional services, wholesale distribution, light manufacturing, or other industries.

If this information we've shared makes sense to you, as sharp small and mid-sized business owners will recognize, then the next step is to find out more. Our past clients are almost unanimous in calling aACE 5 a five-star product, as you can see in our Capterra reviews. We've devoted many hours to understanding and supporting their unique business needs and we're willing to do the same for you — SME's like yours are a vital part of the American economy. So before the distractions of the day make you lose track of this opportunity, contact our sales team for more information.

"In 2008, our company began searching for a technology partner that could help us migrate our 'closed' accounting software to an integrated, FileMaker-based solution. Our project required a high level of detailed data conversion with tens of thousands of records. The success of this migration was highly dependent on finding the right skill-set. [aACE Software's] attention to detail and ability to understand our goals was exactly what we needed. With insight and understanding, they helped us make one of the most significant technology updates in our company history!" ~ Bryant Wilson, CEO, On Hold Co.