Using MS MapPoint to link to live ERP data

Microsoft MapPoint is a decent tool to analyze business data geographically: sales by region/state, pinpoint customer, prospects, etc.

The screenshot to the right shows MapPoint 'pinpointing' the location of live field service requests out of Sage ERP: the yellow pins represent 'dispatched' tickets whereas the red pins represent service requests not yet scheduled.

Windows 7 is Officially Released

We’ve been testing Windows 7 for many months, and today is its official “birthday”. After the market clearly dictated to Microsoft that its Vista operating system was not going to become the primary business operating system, Microsoft worked very hard to produce Windows 7. We’re happy to report that our testing of the operating system has proven it to be reliable, fast, and easy to use.

Windows 7 is different than Windows XP - and it needed to be, for security, reliability, and currency with software demands. For people having used Windows XP for the past 8 years, it will take getting used to. The effort to adapt to the change is worth it, in our judgement.

How do you adopt Windows 7 in your business? We can help. The task requires confirming that your business software is compatible with Windows 7, then planning the upgrade path. Even if a migration to Windows 7 is not planned, it is important to prepare for the fact that equipment makers are very quickly going to be selling exclusively Windows 7 on new computers.

Here is the official home page for Windows 7: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx

Site revamp

We've updated the look of our website today; we'll be making additional improvements and adding more content in the next two weeks.

Relearning Microsoft Outlook

Get to Know Microsoft Outlook

Though you may have used it for years, there are probably “tips and tricks” that may save you time every day when you use Microsoft Outlook. Some of these features work only when your organization has an Exchange Server, and others work with generic Internet mailboxes. Check out these links:

http://www.customguide.com/pdf/outlook-quick-reference-2007.pdf
http://email.about.com/od/outlooktips/Outlook_Tips_Tricks_and_Secrets.htm
http://email.about.com/od/outlooktips/tp/popular_tips.-06V.htm
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/FX100647191033.aspx

Windows 7 Feature Focus: XP Mode

One of the biggest considerations before rolling out a new operating system to your business is whether the software you rely on is compatible. Windows 7, due for official release in October, addresses this issue by bundling “XP Mode” with the business versions of Windows 7. This feature allows older software that is not compatible with Windows 7 to still be ran on a Windows 7 computer using virtualization technology.

A detailed article about Windows 7 XP Mode can be found here:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/windows_7_feature_focus_virtual_windows_xp_aka_xp_mode

New add-on for Sage MAS 90 / MAS 200 - "Purchasing Agent"

There is a new, powerful purchasing automation tool available for Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200: "Purchasing Agent". The tool automates the process of generating purchase orders based on your company's demand sources, dramatically reducing the time it takes to generate orders and manage inventory.

Although a new offering, the tool is based on a well proven, existing add-on called JobOps which many of our clients have been using for years. "Purchasing Agent" does not require full JobOps and can easily be added to MAS 90 or MAS 200.

Give us a ring to learn more about it or to see it in action.

Recent project - secure file transfer

We recently implemented Biscom Delivery Server for a professional services firm.

This software allows a business to host their own secure email and file delivery system. A button is added to Microsoft Outlook allowing one-click security to encrypt and protect sensitive information from traveling openly over the Internet, as email does. Large files can now be sent to/received from customers securely, while reducing the problem of large attachments clogging the email system.

More information on this software is found here: http://www.biscomdeliveryserver.com/