Technology in Practice

Why now could be the right time to upgrade Sage 100 to Sage Intacct, Sage’s next-generation Cloud ERP Is your Sage 100on-premise ERP software helping you grow and compete—or is it holding you back? The need to make decisions based on real-time financial data has never been more important. In today’s complicated business climate, you need the latest technology to stay competitive. Read this white paper to compare Sage 100 to Sage Intacct, and to see if it’s time to migrate Sage 100 to Sage Intacct. You’ll discover: Why on-premises accounting software systems like Sage 100 hinder your ability to quickly pull real-time financial information The questions you need to ask before considering moving Sage 100 to Sage Intacct or another next-generation cloud ERP solution Why the process for evaluating ERP software is different for cloud ERP solutions like Intacct,—and how to compare your current Sage 100 to Sage Intacct With our broad bench of experienced Sage 100 and Sage Intacct consultants, Net at Work is your guide to migrate dated accounting systems, on-premise ERP software and antiquated business management software for success in today’s cloud-first environment.

Not surprisingly, internet connectivity is at an all-time high. Also not surprisingly, this has led to a rise in cyberattacks: Phishing and identity theft are prevalent (yet, underreported), and the adoption of best practices continues to lag as nearly two-thirds of tech users lack access to basic cybersecurity knowledge. These are the key findings of the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) and CybSafe Oh Behave! The Annual Cybersecurity Attitudes and Behaviors Report 2022. The report, which polled 3,000 people across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, was released today ahead of NCA’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October. “Cyberattacks have grown in frequency especially over the last few years, with the pandemic accelerating and forever changing the attack surface against consumers and businesses,” said Lisa Plaggemier, NCA executive director. “However, bad actors continue to successfully claim victims via low-tech (but still effective) methodologies.” Clean up your passwords One of the most troubling findings: Weak password hygiene. Although 45% of respondents said they are always online, just 16% reported that they create passwords more than 12 characters long. Similarly, 40% don’t use strong password combinations, and only 7% use a password manager. Also, more than a third (37%) of respondents preferred to write passwords in a notebook, 28% store them electronically and 22% “just remember them.” “It’s alarming because each of these methodologies for password hygiene has massive weaknesses that can ultimately cause passwords to fall into the wrong hands,” said Plaggemier. Also according to the report: 43% of respondents had never heard of multifactor authentication (MFA). 37% do not have automatic software updates enabled. 35% presumed that their devices are automatically secure. Simply put, technology users don’t like passwords and struggle overall with “sensible security hygiene,” said Plaggemier. To defend themselves and their employees, companies should use a combination of MFA, zero-trust policies, and good password hygiene. This means mandating the use of passphrases that are at least 12 characters long. Users must create and maintain unique, multicharacter-sequence passwords for the ever-increasing number of online accounts they log into. “Regardless of length, if passwords are predictable or lack a differentiation of characters, bad actors have a significantly greater chance of compromising or brute-forcing their way into a respective user’s account,” said Plaggemier. Phishing and identity theft are the most prevalent attacks Out of more than 1,700 incidents of cybercrime disclosed by participants, 36% were phishing attacks that led to a loss of money or data and 24% were identity theft. The report also found that: Participants in the U.S. were consistently more likely to have been victims of cybercrime. 20% of Millennials and 18% of Gen Z had their identity stolen at least once. 27% of Millennials and 34% of Gen Z had lost money/data due to harmful cyber activity such as phishing. By contrast, 92% of Baby Boomers reported never having their identity stolen, and 88% had never lost money/data due to cyberattacks. Meanwhile, 45% of romance-scam victims and 48% of cyberbullying victims did not report incidents. And, 26% of identity theft victims and 31% of phishing victims did not report their incidents directly to service providers or law enforcement. “Phishing attacks are extremely prevalent and, unfortunately, successful,” said Plaggemier. Thus, it is essential that tech users know how to spot and report phishing attacks. If a link or attachment looks suspicious, scroll past it or delete/mark it as spam or junk mail. And, be wary of communications that ask for immediate action. “Monitoring for these types of phishing scams will help users and companies avoid clicking on links with malware that can damage your device, and worse, give cybercriminals access to them,” said Plaggemier. Basic cybersecurity knowledge is lacking Basic cybersecurity awareness and adoption of tools are also cause for concern. The study found that: 62% of users lack access to cybersecurity knowledge, and one-third rely on the help of friends and family. 78% of respondents consider staying secure online a priority. 57% were worried about cybercrime. 46% felt frustrated while staying secure online. These findings are endemic to the way cybersecurity training is viewed, said Plaggemier. The onset of the pandemic and the blurring of personal and professional lives is “a major wake-up call,” she said. Access was prioritized over security. “Businesses that put security on the back burner to give people remote access quickly, watched as bad actors took advantage of people’s general ignorance surrounding the dangers they faced by being connected all the time,” she said. “Now we must course-correct and make fundamental safeguards like MFA and training-as-a-culture more of a necessity than a luxury,” said Plaggemier. A call to action There is a culture shift — which needs to be accelerated, said Plaggemier — as organizations increasingly fall victim to phishing and social engineering attacks. It’s paramount that cybersecurity training becomes “entrenched in digital culture” and emphasized as a proactive and beneficial must-have rather than a punitive and reactive response. The key to increasing education and adoption of cybersecurity best practices is to implement cyber-safe requirements. Ultimately, tech companies should be prioritizing cybersecurity over a fear of backlash from user friction and implementation, she said. “Our study tells us that people want to prioritize security and they expect tech companies to do more,” said Plaggemier. Instead of making MFA optional and framing it as a “just in case” deterrence measure, it should be “table stakes” for all devices that carry and store critical information, she said. This may seem a burden at first, but the amount of data risk it could minimize down the line is worth the initial growing pains. “Practitioners need to move past the framing of training as punitive and instead create an environment where cybersecurity awareness and education is cultural,” said Plaggemier. Ultimately, it should be embedded into our workplaces and our daily lives, she said. “If we can change the messaging and make it easier for the average person to understand deterrence, we can collectively become safer and better prevent cyberattacks from proliferating.”

Why the buzz? What’s propelling this shift from Sage ERP legacy on-premises to Sage Intacct, Sage’s next generation Cloud ERP /accounting system? In this on-demand session we unravel the reasons fueling legacy Sage ERP users to migrate to Sage Intacct, and uncover why organizations across industries are eagerly catching the wave towards a cloud-based ERP future. Access our informative session on demand and walk away with: An overview of what’s driving Cloud ERP adoption Why Sage ERP On-Premise users are moving to Sage Intacct The benefits of moving to Sage Intacct’s cloud native platform How to quantify the cost of your Sage legacy / hosted/on-premise software vs. Sage Intacct When it comes to navigating the advantages of migrating your outdated Sage ERP (Sage 100, Sage 300, Sage 500) to Sage Intacct, look no further than our experts at Net at Work. We specialize in Sage on-premise, Sage Cloud, Sage ERP Next Generation, and an array of other leading Cloud solutions, making us your ideal partner in this transformative journey. Entrust your Sage Inacct migration to the experts at Net at Work – contact a legacy Sage ERP migration specialist.

Children First, a not-for-profit organization in Ontario, Canada, serves families with young children who may experience mental health or developmental challenges. In 2020, their staff of approximately 90 people served more than 1,300 children, including providing nearly 17,000 hours of virtual services (in addition to in-person services) during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the organization moved from paper-based to electronic systems for its patient records, the administrative staff wanted to upgrade their existing paper- and server-based accounting software to a cloud financial software application that could help automate their workflows. And once the pandemic began and most of the office staff were working from home, paper-based workflows were no longer effective and the search for new accounting software became a priority. A Partner with a Plan So, Children First turned to Net at Work for guidance. A technology advisor to small-to-medium-sized businesses throughout North America, Net at Work provides extensive services to help support the ongoing initiatives of organizations – from software selection and implementation through managed IT and Fractional CIO & Advisory services. “They’ve been our partner for over a decade, and we trust Net at Work to provide us with the best advice and the best direction,” says Jane Patterson, Administration Manager at Children First. The not-for-profit experts at Net at Work worked with Children First to identify Sage Intacct as the financial hub that would meet their evolving accounting needs. Handling an accounting system migration involving at least seven years of data while navigating strict data privacy and residency laws was a tall order for a small organization such as Children First, but they had strong support from Net at Work throughout the entire process. For example, Net at Work’s experienced team was there for every step of the system migration process, including using proprietary technology to improve the data conversion process for Children First’s substantial financial records. Impacting the Mission Through Efficiency Now that Children First has implemented the Sage Intacct-powered not-for-profit software, the administrative team can undertake proactive projects such as streamlining core financial processes, building operational efficiencies and saving staff time. Says Jane, “Those efficiencies, we believe, will ultimately lead to cost savings and productivity increases that positively impact our mission.” In fact, Net at Work projects the organization will realize a total cost of ownership savings in excess of $20,000 over five years. Net at Work continues to be the organization’s first line of support for all things Sage Intacct. “I love their helpdesk team,” Jane says. “They are always very available, responsive, and quick. We feel like our account matters to them.” Download the full Net at Work success story on Children First’s successful system migration to Sage Intacct to learn more about their approach and subsequent results.

Over the past 6 months, Net at Work has been transitioning our Sage 300 support systems to a partnership-oriented service.  We want to be your ally and teammate for all your business needs.  And we want you to be able to reach out to us any time that you need to, without the fear of an impending invoice!  Our Customer Experience Plans deliver exactly that! One fixed monthly fee gives you unlimited access to our dedicated help desk support consultants.  There are 3 flavors of Customer Experience Plans, and you can choose the one that best fits your needs and budget. Our Core plan gives you a guaranteed response time of 4 – 8 hours, Select guarantees 2-4 hours and Premier, a 0–2-hour response to your request. There are many other features to each plan, including some report modifications for Select plan members and upgrades to the most current version, every 2 years, for Premier members.  Monthly training sessions are provided for all plans as well as yearend assistance, workstation setup and an annual Business Health Assessment.  Let’s work together to be proactive instead of reactionary! Once you have acquired a CEP Membership, you will receive a welcoming email to the Net at Work CEP group.  This group will allow us to communicate with our CEP members collectively and notify you of events that you are entitled to with your plan.  We want to make sure you get full use out of your investment! Net at Work welcomes all our CEP members, and we look forward to working with you! Please contact your Consultant or Account Manager, or reach out to us here to learn more about our Customer Experience Plans.

In this video our Microsoft Dynamics CRM expert will walk you through how to modify a form using the new Microsoft Power Apps. Contact Us if you have any questions or would like more information about Microsoft CRM or Microsoft Power Apps features and enhancements. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

From time-to-time we as Sage 100 Consultants may recommend running the Rebuild Sort Files utility on specific modules, have you ever wondered why…what does Rebuild Sort Files do? Sort files maintain your Sage 100 master files, A/R Customer, A/P Vendor, I/M Item, etc.  The Rebuild Sort Files utility can be run to resolve the following issues – The Sort files are damaged, resulting in a missing record (Error 11) or missing information in a report. Rebuild Key Files or Reinitialize Data Files utilities have been run. Balances must be recalculated to resolve a specific issue. When running Rebuild Sort Files for certain modules you will be asked to “recalculate”, see below for details – Accounts Payable “Do you want to recalculate vendor balances in the Vendor masterfile?” click Yes to recalculate Balance Due in the Vendor Masterfile. Accounts Receivable Select the Recalculate Aging in Customer Master checkbox to recalculate the dollar amounts of open invoices that belong in the aging fields in A/R Customer Maintenance / Inquiry. Select the Aging Date field. Select Recalculate Open Order amount in Customer checkbox to recalculate the Open Order Amount in each customer record in A/R Customer Maintenance / Inquiry. Inventory Management “Do you want to recalculate committed lot/serial quantities?” click Yes to search the following files for any data entry records containing lot or serial Items; S/O Invoice Data Entry (Tier Distribution Detail) I/M Transaction Entry P/O Return of Goods/Invoice Entry P/O Material Requisition Issue Entry P/O Receipt of Goods/Invoice Entry B/M Production Entry B/M Disassembly Entry Job Cost “Would you like to recalculate unbilled costs also?” click Yes to recalculate the Unbilled Costs field in the Job Masterfile. Purchase Order “Would you like to recalculate open purchase order quantities in the inventory masterfile also?” click Yes to recalculate the On PO quantity in Item Maintenance / Inquiry based on the open orders in the Purchase Order Entry files. Sales Order “Do you want to recalculate open sales order quantities in the Inventory masterfile also?” click Yes to recalculate the On SO quantity in Item Maintenance / Inquiry based on the open orders in the Sales Order Entry files. Production Management “Do you want to recalculate open work ticket quantities in the Inventory Masterfile?” click Yes to recalculate the On W/T and Req for W/T quantities in Item Maintenance / Inquiry based on the open Work Tickets in the Work Ticket Entry files. Work Order “Do you want to recalculate Open Work Order Quantities in the Inventory Masterfile also?” click Yes to recalculate the On WO quantity in Item Maintenance / Inquiry based on the open orders in the Work Order Entry files. Please reach out to either your Net at Work Sage 100 Consultant or Account Manager, should you want additional information on Rebuild Sort Files.

When you run a business, time and money are your most valuable resources. Operating outdated tech drains both. If you’re trying to justify using legacy hardware, make sure you understand what’s at risk – and what solutions are available to help you change course. The Older the Hardware, the Harder it is to Update Your hardware is really only as safe as its most recent software update. That goes for operating systems as well as any apps you use. The problem is, outdated devices can get to the point they no longer update. The problem is, outdated devices can get to the point they no longer update. Whether they run out of storage space or slow up to the point they can no longer run certain programs, every missed security patch can open your company up to increasing cyber threats. Without these critical updates, malicious actors have direct access to the most sensitive information you have stored. Can’t get the latest software version? Upgrade your device before hackers uncover your vulnerabilities.  “The problem is, outdated devices can get to the point they no longer update.” You’ll Have Unjustifiably Costly Repairs We’ve all been there: the battery on the device you’ve grown so used to operating steadily starts to decline. You’re constantly having to dismiss alarmist messages about how low you’re running on storage space. It’s not long before your machine’s constantly in and out of the shop. Small improvements a new battery here, an external hard drive there can add up quickly. Small improvements – a new battery here, an external hard drive there – can add up quickly. Plus, minor improvements only go so far. Since most machines don’t make it easy to extend the life or capacity of critical components like internal hard drives, most repairs are not only expensive, they’re also sunk costs. Instead of engaging in an accounting nightmare, it’s often more economical to simply invest in a new machine than finance continual repairs. You’re Likely to Experience Decreased Productivity + Morale You’d be surprised how much those short, intermittent device glitches add up. Every freeze or lag is valuable time the company can’t get back. In fact, the average employee loses 22 minutes each day on IT-related technology issues, according to Design Rush. Not only does outdated tech hinder productivity, but it can also lead to decreased morale. Fortunately, the inverse is also true. On the upside, “having effective solutions for IT issues in place increases job satisfaction — 92% of employees say having technology that helps them do their job efficiently makes them happier at work,” explains workforce and human resource management leader UKG. Consider Using an Managed Services Provider (MSP) to Improve Your Capabilities The frequency with which technology changes and advances is dizzying. Keeping up with it and changing out your tech fleet is a full-time job. Luckily, it’s one that can be easily outsourced. CIO shares that “services delivered by an MSP are delivered by employees located at the client’s locations, or elsewhere. Managed Services Providers like Net at Work can also bundle in hardware, software, or cloud technology as part of their offerings.” Looking at the projected market growth for MSPs, it’s clear this service is essential for many SMBs. The industry is expected to reach $296.38 billion USD globally by 2023, up from $173.4 billion USD in 2018, based on data from Statistica. At the end of the day, time and cash are limited resources – no matter how successful your business is. Wasting them on legacy hardware compounds the cost of keeping them running while limiting your output. With the right tech updated at the appropriate intervals, you remove unnecessary obstacles between your current business and its future successes.

A quick google search of “Microsoft Dynamics CRM” will lead most people to believe that Dynamics CRM, customer relationship management software, is meant for sales and marketing. This might discourage customers outside those departments and verticals from exploring Dynamics CRM as an option but that is why it is so important to choose the right partner! Here at Net at Work our goal as a top Microsoft Dynamics Partner is to help clients improve operational efficiency, enhance customer experience, and maximize their investment in CRM by developing a custom solution that fits their exact business needs. Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers countless features and capabilities allowing us to implement Dynamics CRM throughout industries such as: Finance – Integrate financials into core processes, automate tasks to increase productivity, enhance decision making, mitigate risks and maximize financial performance. Healthcare – Improve your practice by guiding patients through the complex Healthcare system. From pre-visit to post operative care, Dynamics CRM offers a single solution to connect provider and patient data across all departments. Enhance customer care and operational processes, leveraging real time data to simplify tracking appointments, billing, and payments. Create patient friendly portals to schedule appointments, check test results and ask important questions. Coordinate patient care and activities between all healthcare providers through Integration with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Dynamics automation. Increase community outreach through strategic personalized marketing campaigns, landing pages, surveys, and mobile access. Human Resources – Use Dynamics CRM to create a single-entry point for all HR requests while effectively managing compensation, benefits and adhering to ever changing compliance regulations. Professional Services – Improve control and visibility over customer requests and deliver on contractual Service Level Agreements. Retail Commerce – Create a rules-based system with access to real-time inventory to determine the most cost-efficient order fulfillment strategy. Regardless of the department and industry you operate in, Dynamics CRM has the capabilities and features to keep your organization moving in the right direction. Leverage the flow of data throughout your organization to improve efficiency and productivity while ensuring customer retention by providing your end users with the information and the service they are seeking. Contact Net at Work today to learn how we can help implement the right CRM solution for you.