Technology in Practice

Shonda Rhimes is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author best known for her hit TV series, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and recently the most acclaimed Netflix series, Bridgerton. The excellence of these series speaks of Rhimes’s brilliancy as a TV producer. Rhimes’s ability to create strong female leads is quite impressive. Rhimes was the first woman to create three hit television series with over 100 episodes which many attribute to her expertise with creating three-dimensional female characters. One of my favorite quotes from Rhimes is this, “I am not lucky. You know what I am? I am smart, I am talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and I work really, really hard. Don’t call me lucky. Call me a badass.” I love this quote because it speaks to how women’s success is often downgraded and how women are not given enough credit for their hard work. Studies show that often when women engage in self-promoting behaviors, they are perceived as more dominant and arrogant than men displaying the same behavior. Rhimes owns her success and has been sometimes stereotyped as an “angry black woman” — a trope in American society that portrays African American women as sassy, ill-mannered, and ill-tempered by nature. Former first lady Michelle Obama, Naomi Campbell, and Serena Williams are some of the many famous and successful black women who have suffered from this negative stereotype. Rhimes’s work has garnered much recognition and awards for her tackling of important issues in terms of race and sexuality. Michelle Obama describes Rhimes as “a force like no other”, a very fitting description I’ll say. Rhimes has an estimated net worth of $135 million with her own production company Shondaland, making her one of the richest Showrunners in Hollywood. She was recently featured in Forbes 50 OVER 50. Visit here to learn more about Shonda Rhimes and her amazing work.

JR’s POS Depot are distributors of a full complement of point-of-sale equipment to financial institutions and gateway partners. Founded more than 20 years ago, JR’s POS Depot has a well-earned reputation for providing a wide-range of equipment coupled with value-added service and support. When the company sought to grow its reach and range, they knew their current ERP was cumbersome and didn’t provide the modern capabilities necessary to grow and scale the company. After a thorough evaluation, Net at Work, JR POS’s long-time business and technology partner, recommended Acumatica Cloud ERP as the best option for JR’s POS Depot to modernize its business management technology. Among the benefits JR’s POS Depot now have with Acumatica Cloud ERP are improved accessibility and reliability, an uptime guarantee, extensive visibility and streamlined audits and compliance. Of course, the hosted, cloud deployment provides access from anywhere which proved invaluable during the coronavirus pandemic. Net at Work is now working with JR’s POS Depot to further automate its order cycle by bringing orders into Acumatica Cloud ERP from customers’ FTP sites. This functionality will enable the company to process more orders, more quickly, and with fewer staff. “Net at Work is definitely living up to their promise and helping us unleash our business success and provide even better service to our customers” – Jamie Spoto, Vice President at JR’s POS Depot. For more on the positive impact and results JR Pos Depot has realized, read the full story below. For more information on Acumatica for distribution visit here. Ready to Unleash the power of your business? Contact us to speak with an advisor.

We are looking forward to seeing you at Sage Sessions X3 – live from Orlando, Florida, November 15-17, 2021! Why Attend? An end-user conference for Sage X3, Sage Sessions will provide the insights, education, and inspiration you need to build your business with Sage. You can expect unique content and experiences for Sage X3, in addition to coming together for daily keynote sessions, networking, meeting with the Net at Work team, and more! We Are Here to Help You Plan Your Stay As a Platinum Sponsor and Exhibitor (Visit us at Booth #12), the Net at Work team along with our colleagues at Pixafy and Cloud at Work, will be onsite in Orlando to help make the most out of your time there. If you have any questions about Sage Sessions, want to meet anyone in particular, or would just like advice on planning your days to the maximum, please email us or contact your account manager directly. Your safety and wellbeing are Sage’s top priority. Sage will continue to monitor the situation with COVID-19 in Florida, with the goal of creating a safe and comfortable event experience that everyone can enjoy. Register Here >> * During registration, please indicate Net at Work as your Sage Authorized Business Partner. What to Expect Education Get the valuable information and tools you need to build your business, delivered by Sage experts, your peers, and thought leaders. Community Enjoy face-to-face access to the Sage X3 community, and your peers, at your comfort level. Alignment Understand the Sage vision, strategy, and how our technology can help your business succeed. Inspiration Realize what’s next for your business with uplifting success stories and previews of exciting technology. Featured Speakers [row][one_half_column] Gary Vaynerchuk Serial entrepreneur Chairman, VaynerX and CEO, VaynerMedia Learn More >>[/one_half_column] [one_half_column]Mickey North Rizza Program Vice President, Enterprise Applications and Digital Commerce, IDC Learn More >>[/one_half_column] [/row] Keynote Speakers [row][one_third_column] Aziz Benmalek Executive Vice President, Partners and Alliances[/one_third_column][one_third_column] Nancy Harris Executive Vice President and Managing Director, North America, Sage[/one_third_column][one_third_column] Rob Sinfield Vice President, Product, Sage X3[/one_third_column] [/row] [row] [one_third_column] Aaron Harris Chief Technology Officer, Sage[/one_third_column][one_third_column] Nancy Teixeira Vice President, North America Partner Strategy[/one_third_column][one_third_column] Matt Collins Vice President of Information Technology, SCA Pharma[/one_third_column] [/row] [row] [one_third_column] Tyler Bower Director of Cloud, Cloud at Work[/one_third_column] [/row]   Agenda Sage has developed a comprehensive agenda, including shared and specialized learning and networking opportunities. We’ll come together for keynote sessions, networking events, and meals, and separate for deeper, targeted learning opportunities. Can’t Make It to Orlando? If you can’t make it to Orlando for the full Sage Sessions experience, we’re pleased to offer you a virtual front-row seat for select Sage Sessions content. The digital experience will offer access to limited content from November 16-17, 2021. Register Here >> * During registration, please indicate Net at Work as your Sage Authorized Business Partner. Registration Register now and save $100 off the standard rate. Enter code SX3100 during the registration process to receive the discounted rate. * Rates listed are per person. Live event rates do not include 7.5% Florida state sales tax. Group rates are not available. Registration fees must be paid at the time of registration using a credit card. Registrants must agree to the event Code of Conduct, Registration Policy, and health and safety protocols at the time of registration. Once registered, if you need to make a change to how you attend the event, you may log in to your account and update your registration to the live event or digital experience. Details can be found in your registration confirmation, in the FAQs, and in the registration policy. Register now or for more information about Sage Sessions for Sage X3, please contact us. We hope to see you in November!

For discrete manufacturers, supply chain challenges are increasing every year and becoming more of a daily concern. A recent report from IDC says that 97% of discrete manufacturers will focus on visibility, with 60% concentrating their efforts on end-to-end traceability in their supply chain. In this blog post, we will review the 5 takeaways from IDC’s End-to-End Traceability in Discrete Manufacturing report, which you can keep in mind when coming up with supply chain strategies for your business. Note: content for this blog post was originally posted on Sage Advice by Margaux Wynter, August 28, 2021. Global pressures like environmental changes, tensions, and the challenges presented by coronavirus have shown manufacturers all over the world that their supply chains require improvement and a lot more visibility. The main supply chain-related challenges out there today include increasing competition, the need to innovate, and rising customer expectations regarding the detail and quality of the information available to them. Visibility is key An impressive 68% believe that a lack of supply chain visibility and flexibility will cause significant issues in the future if not addressed appropriately, and 50% say that supply chain visibility is a focus from a supply chain risk management perspective, compared to only 32% in 2018. Traceability is not just about ensuring you are compliant—it is gradually becoming a way to differentiate yourself from the competition. Here are five takeaways from IDC’s End-to-End Traceability in Discrete Manufacturing report, which you can keep in mind when coming up with supply chain strategies for your business. 1. Traceability—your supply chain track and trace As your business grows, your commercial pressures and expectations are likely to increase. This puts strain on the supply chain, and by using the information to manage quality, inefficiency, and the threat of recalls, traceability is vital. You often need to follow international standards for controlling quality and traceability, which impacts the sourcing of raw materials. Traceability identifies all relevant data for the materials used in the production and distribution of finished products—it is the tracking and tracing of your supply chain. Tracking occurs when you can see how products progress from one sequence to the next and how they move through the manufacturing process through location data. Internally, you can see where products are, who has worked on them, and how long until they’re finished. Tracing allows you to identify products through records and supply chain visibility, which lets you link products to their sources in the supply chain. Good traceability is only possible if you effectively record information from manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors, and those systems covering different process steps are connected and integrated. Apply traceability to your entire supply chain internally when it focuses on tracking the receipt and intake of raw materials to manufacturing processes and externally as you distribute the finished goods to their final destinations. IDC’s research features 140 medium to large-sized organizations and shows that many discrete manufacturers have work to do. Only 50% of discrete manufacturers have officially automated traceability 42% still have manual processes in place 2. The insight from traceability can improve your products The key to curing those traceability headaches is to get to the root cause of any recurring issues in your current setup. Is it because of the product design, the components used, the assembly, the software deployed, or something else? Once you figure that out, you need to make sure that discovery is shared with the right teams and loops back into the engineering process to fix the problem. But more importantly, this ensures continuous improvement of the product later down the line. Traceability gives customers something valuable: information. Serving that detailed information is the key to building trust and ultimately enhancing brand value. Whether B2B or B2C, customers expect quality and reliability in what they’ve ordered. When the product fails, has unexpected flaws, or doesn’t meet their needs, customers need quick, satisfactory replacements to limit the inconvenience on their side. While recalls in discrete manufacturing are routine, and for the most part, voluntary, they have a long-lasting impact if the incident is severe enough. These cases commonly involve many products, reports of injury or even death, and extensive media coverage. 3. Prevent problems before they arise Preventing a problem is better than going through the hassle of finding a cure if something goes wrong. Investing in digital traceability technology will give you what you need to take a proactive approach that ultimately adds value to your brand and the product your customers receive. Enterprise application software gives you end-to-end visibility of operational processes, allowing you to download an entire product history as and when needed, from ingredients used to finished goods, taking into account multi-site, multi-company, and multi-legislative product journeys. Accessible data across the product value chain lets you understand: Who supplied the raw materials Who validated the raw materials Which steps went into each process Who handled and signed off on the final product Who shipped and delivered the final product Who on the customer side validated the final product With access to data across the end-to-end process, you can analyze the supply chain for insights and improvement in: Quality control Planning and scheduling Compliance Sizing quality and sustainability initiatives to the needs of individual markets 4. Increase the value of your brand with traceability With product recalls, traceability is key to protecting both the consumer and your reputation. The standards around product safety and quality have never been higher—having consumer doubts surrounding your products could have a lasting effect on your brand value. Use traceability to catch issues early, providing the visibility you need to get your manufacturing processes in top shape. Through end-to-end value chain traceability, you can show customers that you are a viable, trustworthy supplier and can offer the depth of information they crave. So yes, investing in traceability is necessary from a regulatory perspective, but it’s also essential to understand that it can positively impact the long-term brand value of your business. Today’s customers choose environmentally sustainable and ethical brands, and it’s traceability that can help you source materials that work for your business and work to support your ecologically conscious targets. 5. Traceability pushes businesses towards digital transformation Traceability for discrete manufacturers demands real-time, pinpointed information. The pockets of siloed data in applications you have can be harnessed then and shared across your business with appropriate user permissions in place. Becoming digitally mature means transforming your business into one that can compete better in an increasingly digital environment. Therefore, it’s advisable to continuously adapt and better handle traceability by digitizing your data and processes in digital transformation. The very act of starting an end-to-end traceability journey gives your digital transformation program a boost, as it essentially helps to lay down a digital foundation. Digital maturity puts you in an excellent position to fulfill quality, documentation, and traceability requirements. In addition, Digital supports end-to-end visibility, allowing you to optimize your supply chain and improve your customer experience. The end message? You should drive your growth with a more significant commitment to traceability – driving value for money from crucial digital investments.

Within the world of network security, email remains one of the most critical—and yet often underestimated—attack surfaces for organizations. Even experienced users can be tricked by well-crafted phishing emails and business email compromise (BEC) scams, making human error the most common vulnerability in even the most fortified environments. Recent industry research confirms that email is still the primary entry point for malware, phishing, and other cyberattacks. Whether it’s a deceptive invoice, a seemingly routine internal request, or an urgent call to action, cybercriminals continue to refine their techniques to exploit our trust in email communications. Scammers Are Getting Smarter Business email compromise schemes have evolved far beyond the classic “Nigerian prince” scam. Today’s attackers impersonate company executives, vendors, or even trusted partners to trick employees into releasing sensitive information or transferring funds. For example: Record Losses from BEC: Recent FBI reports reveal that losses from BEC scams have reached new highs in recent years—exceeding billions of dollars as cybercriminals refine their methods and exploit real-time events. Exploiting Breaking News: Cybercriminals are quick to leverage current events, sending emails that appear to come from government officials or trusted institutions to lure victims into divulging personal or financial information. High-Profile Incidents: The May 2021 ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, which has been linked in part to a phishing email, is just one of several high-profile examples that illustrate how a single misdirected click can lead to significant operational disruption and financial loss. These incidents serve as a stark reminder that no organization is immune from email-based threats. How the Scams Work Attackers use a variety of techniques to bypass traditional security measures and trick users into compromising their systems: Spoofing and Impersonation: Cybercriminals replicate legitimate email addresses and websites to make fraudulent messages appear authentic. Phishing: Carefully crafted emails prompt recipients to click on malicious links or attachments, which then deploy malware or harvest login credentials. Exploitation of Remote Work Trends: As remote and hybrid work environments have become the norm, attackers have seized on the opportunity by targeting digital communication and collaboration tools. Emails that mimic legitimate meeting invitations or system alerts have become common, further blurring the line between genuine and fraudulent communications. Almost invariably, the breach begins with a single user action that opens the door for an otherwise sophisticated attack. The Two-Tier Defense Against Email Attacks Effectively mitigating email threats requires a dual approach: user education and robust technology. Education The most important defense against BEC and phishing attacks is comprehensive cybersecurity awareness training. Regularly educating staff on how to spot suspicious emails, verify requests, and follow security protocols can significantly reduce risk. A well-designed training program should be an integral part of your organization’s security strategy. Technology While user training is essential, technology must complement it. Modern email security solutions—often leveraging artificial intelligence—can monitor email activity, detect anomalies, and block malicious content before it reaches your inbox. In addition, multi-factor authentication (MFA) should be implemented on all accounts to add an extra layer of defense against compromised credentials. A managed services provider can assist with selecting, deploying, and maintaining these technologies to ensure that your organization remains protected against ever-evolving threats. No More Compromise Email-based threats are not only disruptive but can also lead to substantial financial losses and reputational damage. Preventing these attacks requires a comprehensive strategy that blends proactive education, advanced technology, and expert guidance. By staying informed about emerging threats and continuously updating your security protocols, you can better defend your organization’s sensitive information against the persistent risks of email compromise. Learn more about how to protect your organization by connecting with one of the security specialists on Net at Work’s Managed Security Services team.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what’s new in Sage X3 Finance with the release of 2021R3 (V12P27) last month—including the latest changes to existing functionality. Note: Content for this blog post was originally posted on Sage City by Irfan Chaudhary, September 3, 2021. Back in 2021R2 (V12P26), the prepayment invoice management function (GESPREPI) was added under the A/P-A/R accounting module, on the Invoicing sub-menu. This allowed users to create, post and pay prepayment invoices by setting up customer contract data, with relative amounts and specific invoice types for prepayments and final invoices. The invoices were created in the Customer BP invoice function (GESBIC). Dedicated automatic journals are used when posting the prepayment invoices, linked to a contract, as well as transferring amounts from prepayments to the final invoice. Fast forward 3 months to 2021R3, where there have been further developments to this function; you can now create, manage, and post prepayments invoices linked to a sales order using GESPREPI. Using a standard sales invoice, you can link the invoice to the prepayment management function by setting the PREFUN parameter (TC chapter > INV group) to prepayment invoices for the site. Note, there can only be one contract for each sales order line. Payments are posted to an automatic journal until the contract is settled. The final invoice is a standard sales invoice and when it is posted, the prepayment amounts are reversed so that the open items are settled. This closes the prepayment contract. Other new features include the new parameter CTLCLOPER located in the CPT chapter, under the CLO group. This is the period closing balance control parameter which will be set to No by default. However if set to Yes, balance controls are performed when closing one or a group of periods. There have also been improvements made to the VAT framework. As per the image below, there are new pre-settings included on the accounting code for company on lines 10 and 11, this will determine the account to be used at the company level. Similarly, lines 18 and 19 in the accounting code for site have been added to determine the account to be used at the site level. Another new feature for to the VAT framework is the addition of the VAT box code, in the summary section of the VAT report, when printing the following reports from the VAT return function; DCLVATBOXDEB1, DCLVATBOXDEB2, DCLVATBOXPAY1 and DCLVATBOXPAY2. There has also been a development to the bank reconciliation report, whereby a new parameter for reconciliation date has been added to allow users to search for entry lines that have or have not been reconciled as of the reconciliation date. If the parameter is left blank, the report will only include non-reconciled bank/accounting entry lines within the date range. However when a reconciliation date is entered, the report prints every entry line within the date range that is not reconciled as of the reconciliation date. For more information on these new features and others, please review the release notes or further training on how to use the features, check out the What’s New in Patch 27 training material on Sage University.

“No economy can succeed without tapping the incredible potential of women” Indra Nooyi  –  Former CEO of PepsiCo. Indra Nooyi, who served as CEO of PepsiCo for 12 years until her retirement in 2018, has been one of the only immigrants and women of color to run a Fortune 500 company. Born and brought up in India, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from Madras Christian College in 1974, and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1976. She was admitted to Yale School of Management in 1978 and earned a Master’s degree in Public and Private Management. Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994 and became Chief Financial Officer in 2001. She was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to do what’s right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world around us. As part of this program, PepsiCo is focusing on delivering sustained growth by making healthier and more nutritious products, limiting their environmental footprint, and protecting the planet, and empowering their associates and people in the communities they serve. Please see these inspiring links for her advice on achieving a successful career: Indra Nooyi On Being One Of The Longest-Serving Female CEOs Indra Nooyi: “No economy can succeed without tapping the ‘incredible potential of women”

Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Time: 2pm EDT / 1pm CDT / 12pm MDT / 11am PDT Register >> Uncover the cost and time benefits of digitally sending and archiving financial documents, all with minimal impact on your IT infrastructure. X3CloudDocs enables remote working with paperless processes and fully traceable document journeys. Join a live product tour on Wednesday, October 20th | 2pm EDT  to learn more about the benefits and functionality of X3CloudDocs for Sage X3 users: Works natively with Sage X3 to provide a seamless cloud-based document management solution for your business Sends documents to the right people automatically via email and stores a copy in the cloud for effortless access anytime anywhere Maintains a database of contact details for your customers and suppliers—regularly synchronizing with Sage X3 so it’s always up-to-date Provides full visibility of business documents via a single cloud portal Reduces paperwork which is better for the environment and better for your business Pre-configured document templates make getting started easy SaaS solution means there is almost no impact on your IT infrastructure Let robots do robot work! Register here or contact us to learn more about how X3CloudDocs can help extend the power of Sage X3.

As featured on the Sage X3 Support channel on YouTube, there is a new video this week that discusses how to use the period closing utility (and some alternatives) in Sage X3 when you open too many periods. Month-end closing and management of periods is a very hot topic for our clients.  The Net at Work Sage X3 Support Team is never busier than at the end of a month. In this short support video from Sage, you can learn: Why it matters if fiscal periods are open What the fiscal period statuses are in Sage X3 How to use the period closing utility (UTICLOPER) Available transaction parameter options for avoiding issues What To Do If You Have Opened Too Many Fiscal Periods In Sage X3 .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%; } The Net at Work financial team has developed a month close dashboard that is available to any of our clients (charges for installation may apply depending on version). To speak to one of our experts, please contact us.