Accounting made easy » Accounting System

C# Accounting – Why C# Accounting and Not VB.Net Accounting?

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:17:03 +0000

The only valid reason for people to use C# for the accounting system is they are not business centric application, they do not need the convenient of VB.Net in business application, and they may be very used to C# programming for another system base program…

Having said that, C# accounting is not very different from VB.Net Accounting, they all share the same components and architecture, and in business environment, many advanced C# structure does not apply. I would only recommend C# source code for accounting software when the developer are C# in nature, if you are from Visual Basic 6 or other languages, and you are developing business application, never use C#!

VB.Net is easier to learn, master and most business application are developed with Visual Basic and VB.Net! You can easily find many visual basic and vb.net based application, this make the development and resources better!

Certainly, on dot net platform, every compiled component written in dot net language are interoperable, there are no barriers between them, but if you can consistently use the same language, it makes thing even more easier.

If C# is not your daily language, use VB.Net instead, you will gain the following advantages…

Advantage #1 – More resources.

You can find more resources, including human resources if you use Visual Basic dot Net. Unless you are creating system utility like reporting tools and compiler language components, use VB.NET.

Advantage #2 – Less learning time.

If you just migrate from Visual Basic, Delphi or Java, VB.Net should be familiar…You can easily get to the expert level in few months time. C# requires more time, but certainly stronger in building tools!

Advantage #3 – Business Oriented.

All business software are built upon VB and VB.Net, you seldom see C, C++ or C# business application. Simply, because VB and VB.Net is easier to read and learn and maintain for business software.

Cynics Software provides VB.NET Accounting, POS and Inventory source code as the alternative to C# Accounting, if you can’t find any good C# Accounting, you might start to look at VB.Net, you still can use and communicate between objects easily…

Copyright © 2008 – Cynics Software. Feel free to distribute this article, along with the resources box in place without modification.

By: Kok Choon Kow

Accounting Software – What Matters Most?

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:34:56 +0000

Let’s face it, you can find accounting software fairly easily these days, whether you purchase it from a local accounting software professional, research and purchase on the Web, or simply walk into a chain store and purchase it off the shelf. And while accounting software may be easy to find and purchase, what really matters most in your decision are two things. 1. Are you able to enter your data into the program easily and in a way that is meaningful? 2. Are you able to pull out the information you have entered in such a way that it allows you to make good management decisions for your business? Here is why.

1. Are you able to enter your data into the program easily and in a way that is meaningful? A business typically has transactions to be entered on a daily basis. The system you use should allow you to enter these transactions easily and intuitively. Be sure that you are able to easily find the correct account code for entering the transaction, so the data will be accumulated into the correct ‘income or expense bucket’. If your accounting software system is not intuitive or is just plain difficult, you will find mistakes being made, and this will make the analysis of the data extremely difficult, if not impossible. If mistakes are made, be sure there is a way to easily fix them with an audit trail to track those changes. Without an easy to use entry system, the entry of your data will be a difficult and frustrating effort.

2. Are you able to pull out the information you have entered in such a way that allows you to make good decisions about your business? The number one reason for having an accounting software program is for viewing information that allows you to make important management decisions. Do we need to cut the marketing budget in order to stay profitable? Why did we spend three times more than budgeted in the sales budget last month, and how will this affect us? These are just a few of the questions that can be asked if the data is analyzed. Without the ability to review the data and ask such questions, you are left to make decisions that are not based on good, accurate financial data. By using your accounting software and data in the correct way, you are ensured of making better, more informed decisions, thereby improving your business’s profitability in the short term and for years to come.

By: Stephanie Elsen

Securing Your CRM, Accounting and Business Management Systems

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:43:38 +0000

One of the biggest challenges organizations now face is adequately securing the data held in their CRM, Accounting and Business management systems. And securing these means protecting the software, hardware and networks they run on.

There are a number of ways an organization can be attacked; traditionally the main methods of sabotage were viruses and emails. These methods of attack are still prevalent and they have increased in terms of technicality. Viruses for example can now spread worldwide within a number of hours and can have devastating effects on a business’s profitability.

The threat posed from emails has also changed significantly. For most individuals, receiving Spam is now part of the daily routine. However, aside from unsolicited emails being annoying, spam can be offensive, fraudulent and dangerous. In addition, it also takes up valuable space on an organizations server which can prevent business critical information getting through.

Most organizations are aware of the risks which are posed by external sources and have processes in place to protect against them. Internal threats on the other hand are often not adequately protected against. This may be because organizations are either not aware of them, or do not know how to secure their systems against them.

Internal threats are a result of the developments in portable storage and personal devices such as iPods, USB drives and mobile phones. These devices have made it easier than ever for an employee to copy large amounts data from your CRM or Accounting system and either take it with them when they leave a company or sell it to competitors. It doesn’t have to be deliberate either – data can be lost or mislaid by accident so have the potential to fall into the wrong hands. There are some high profile news stories about this, including cases of confidential information being lost or stolen, such as this BBC news item.

Losing data, either deliberately or accidentally, is called Data Leakage. It is something which has the potential to have a substantial negative impact on organizations profitability and needs to be prevented. According to recent research, 59% of people who have lost their job recently have admitted to taking data with them when they left.

With so many varying types of threats facing organizations and so many different products to protect against them, it can become difficult to understand what you are protected against and which product best suits your organizations requirements. Often organizations think they have all the protection they need, but in actual fact they are only protected against one type of threat leaving them wide open to attack. What certainly has become evident is that all organizations need to have processes in place to protect against every type of threat.

So what do you need to protect your CRM, Accounts or Business Management system? There are a variety of different security products available, including:

Full security, anti-virus and firewalls
Anti-Virus software will typically protect your organization from viruses, Trojans, spyware and adware. Anti-Virus software is often easy to use and quick to set up.

Anti-spam
Anti-Spam software is designed to reduce the number of unsolicited emails which an organisation receives. Typically anti-spam software will feature not one, but two anti-spam engines to give administrators a high capture rate.

Back-up, system continuity and maintenance solutions
Back-up solutions provide organizations with a method of automatically archiving emails. This therefore frees up space on a business’s server to allow business critical information through. Back-up systems usually have a search tool where employees can search for a specific document.

Data Leakage protection
This provides administrators with a way to actively manage user access and allow them to log the activity of all portable storage devices.

Your organizations CRM and Accounting systems are an invaluable source of data and they contain all the information which potential attackers need to have devastating effects on profitability. Subsequently comprehensive protection is vital. You need to secure your systems from both internal, as well as external threats – taking a holistic approach and using a variety of different techniques and products available. Once in place, keep your security up to date all the time – it’s important that whoever implements you security will provide on-going maintenance and support. If in any doubt, contact a security specialist to assess which security product, or combination of products, are right for your organization.

By: Peter Elgar

The Development Of Accounting

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:53:10 +0000

The particulars of transaction and financial relationships between different parties have been written up in the form of financial records since the dawn of civilisation, examples being Babylonian clay tablets and records from the Roman and Greek civilisations.

Our present system of accounting has its origins in Renaissance Italy. By the 12th century the bustle and extent of the wide-ranging trading activities engaged in by the Italian city-states had created the need for an effective system of financial recording which could accurately determine the results of large volumes of transactions involving several parties. Consequently, the double-entry system of bookkeeping, the basis of our modern accounting system, was developed.

During the renaissance, this system of accounting became known throughout Europe; by the 16th century it was standard practise in England, Germany and Holland. The first published description of the double-entry system appeared in Venice in 1494. Written by Luca Paciolo, it was entitled Summa de Arithmetica Geometria et Proportionalita.

The 18th century saw the emergence of another factor that exerted considerable influence on the development of accounting, namely the Industrial Revolution.

There was a tremendous increase in the nature and scope of manufacturing enterprises, trading activities had become far more complicated and extensive and therefore effective methods of planning and control were essential. These needs led to the emergence, out of cost accounting, of management accounting, the specific function of which is to provide whatever financial information may be required by the management of the enterprise for the purpose of planning and control.

The influence of electronic data processing (EDP) on accounting has been of paramount importance in the second half of the 20th century. It should be borne in mind, however, that EDP is purely a technology that has produced a dramatic increase in the speed at which large volumes of data can be processed. Although it has influenced the utilisation of accounting information, it nevertheless has had no effect upon the theory. The computer has made accounting information more effective chiefly in that it is now more complete, easier to understand and more readily available.

These days there are a large number of accounting software packages that are available to individuals, small and medium size enterprises and large corporations. The type of enterprise and internal operating systems will determine the type and size of accounting package that is used. In order for the enterprise to make investment decisions, a proper accounting structure must be in place. Accounting packages are just a tool to interpret the ‘language’ of the financial world – an instrument for transmitting information. Users of financial information expect accurate and comprehensive information that cannot be provided by general spoken or written language, so accounting was developed to satisfy this specialised need. By virtue of its nature, accounting information is historical. Historical trends do, however, serve as valuable guidelines for future projections.

By: Michael Russell

Insurance Accounting Software: How To Get The Best One

admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:25:46 +0000

Insurance business has developed and prospered by leaps and bounds in the last few decades. This has not only made their transactions big but have also made them a little more complicated with new insurance policies being launched every day. There are specific business requirement for insurance companies. So, software engineers have produced a number of software for insurance companies.

Any good accounting software in this category packs some startling features that are almost always needed by the companies. These features are easy to use and work much like the manual of a healthcare practitioner’s manual accounting system.

The accounting programs include open item accounting, which is helpful in matching payments made to individual charges. This way one is always aware about what has been paid to whom and what still remains to be paid and to whom.

With these software one thing that always needs to be kept in mind is the customer service and support because most of the experts in this area are of the opinion that if the technical support is not at hand to deal with the question that arise when it is put to process large amounts of data, it is likely to create quite a bit of confusion. So, when you are going for an accounting software for insurance business, lay emphasis on the post-sale technical support available.

Ready technical support should be available online or on phone so that not much time is lost troubleshooting. You might have to shell out a little more for guarantee and technical support. Do not flinch from doing that because it will prove well worth it in due course of time. Getting software with lousy technical support would harm your business instead of smoothening the operations. So, be cautious.

Always keep in mind that insurance business is a data intensive business, which means that you need a software that is very accurate and does not lose on speed when processing heavy data. There are various software that can achieve both speed and accuracy. So, if you could not find one soon enough, look around some more. You need not settle for anything less than what you want.

By: Joann Grant

Computerized Accounting for Your Company

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:35:02 +0000

Accounting is the core of any business. It is a process which gives you the information about the financial stability of your business. Each and every transaction that takes place within your organization has to be recorded properly. Without a proper Accounting system, no business can survive in this data oriented world. Accounts data helps to analyze the financial position of the organization, and plan well for future activities. It helps its investors to understand more about the company’s financial objectives.

Accounting is based on some standards and these are known Accounting Standards. Every Organization must adhere to these Accounting Standards. If one organization fails to adhere to these well-defined Accounting Standards, then it will result in complete chaos within the organization and will spoil the reputation of the company.

With the arrival of Computerized Accounting Software, adhering to Accounting Standards has become easy. Accounting Software is built upon Accounting Standards and this makes all the entries made to it follow these standards to some extent. But due care has to be taken while entering transactions, as wrong Account Heads selected can again make problems. In Accounting software, each Account Head is defined under different main groups. When you define these Account Heads proper care has to be taken to ensure that these Account Heads falls under the right group. If this is not the case, then your financial results will show unexpected losses or profits, which is far beyond the reality.

For more details related to selecting an Accounting software please visit Overview of Accounting Software

By: Gijo George

Accounting – A Practical Definition

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:48:05 +0000

What is accounting?

A simple definition is the recording of financial or money transactions. Not all transactions need to be recorded. Mostly, only business transactions are recorded, personal transactions are rarely recorded by individuals.

For example, you purchase a book for $10. You give the book seller $10; you receive the book & a receipt for $10. More often than not you throw the receipt away; you only want to read the book. The book seller however is operating a business so the transaction will be recorded.

The book seller will record the $10 as a cash sale and at the end of the day will total all of the book cash sales. That is easy, count the money in the till less the float amount at the start of the day and you have the total sales for the day. The book seller now has a problem, how many books were sold, what books were sold and was there a profit for the day?

Does it matter? It does if the book seller wishes to continue the business. This is where the accounting system or process begins to be a little more complicated.

The book seller now has to figure out a few things. How many books were sold is relatively easy, 45 transactions for the day so 45 books sold today. All at $10, unlikely, so the book seller needs an accounting system to record or show this information. This accounting system should show what books were sold, at what price and how many were sold.

The book seller needs this information because tomorrow there will be more sales. If there were 10 books titled “Book 1″ today and four were sold then tomorrow there will only be six on the shelf. If four more are sold tomorrow, there will be two left for the day after tomorrow. If customers come into the book shop to buy “Book 1″ and it is not available they will go somewhere else to get it.

It may take a week to receive more books after an order is made.

So the accounting system must show the book seller when more books need to be ordered not just how many were sold and at what price. In the example “Book 1″ the book seller will need more books arriving tomorrow or early the day after so no book sale is lost. The new book order would have needed to be made a week ago for there to be no loss of book sales.

How much did the book seller pay for the books? That information also needs to be available to show whether a profit is being made. The simple transaction of one $10 sale is not so simple for the book seller.

Accounting is far more than the simple recording of a financial transaction. Accounting needs to be able to provide more information than the financial amount of the transaction alone.

A better definition would be accounting is the process of recording all aspects of the money transaction from a financial, physical and non-financial informational point.

Mind you not all transactions are completely money so even the better definition is not complete when it comes to a definition of accounting. Accounting involves so many different areas of business that any definition given is always going to be open to debate, especially amongst accountants.

By: Michael Russell

Web-Based Accounting – Your Accounting Tasks Made Easier With Internet

admin — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:11:53 +0000

You might be a leader in the market as far as your ranking is concerned. But given to the ever changing scenario due to the peaks and troughs of the market, there is this unsaid uncertainty. And when the question is of speed is concerned, web-based accounting has all the answers for you. With a simple click of the browser, you are able to manage your accounting related tasks like accounting, cash-flow management, customer relationship management (CRM), inventory control and marketing. You are saved from paying up large sums of money on the hardware and software and instead have top pay up a small amount as fee. A wave of transformation is sweeping business with the help of e-Peach tree, Intacct e-ledger or the QuickBooks online. Internet is the medium from where the companies can have an access to personal information, which includes earnings, income tax holdings, retirement plans, vacation days etc.

A number of advantages await the client company, which has an access to web-based accounting. Using the concerned software, business organizations can reduce their sales returns from a larger percentage to a smaller one. To stay ahead in the race to the top, it is imperative for the companies to set up a computer network. The plus point of this step is that the members of any business organization can keep up the pace with the fast pace of information technology. For sharing any financial information, Ethernet is the preferred choice because of its speed and reasonable cost. Web-based accounting helps the useful data to travel very quickly, particularly if a virtual private network or VPN is set up. This type of accounting system can be useful even for a small business set up. For a speedy growth in the market, the organization can hire a value-added reseller or VAR for the purpose of wiring and system configuration. Utilizing ‘Linux’ in such cases also results in the high performance of the said company.

Web-based accounting packages are used generally in a company for a speed-based management of its accounts. A small business system can customize its accounting system within hours for its clients. Typically, a small organization begins with the preparation of system documentation providing detailed procedures, which includes system activation and de-activation, accounts cycles, sales and purchase cycles, cash receipts, journal entries, financial reports and error corrections. The hallmarks of purposeful system documentation are its ability for an easy user access, systematic specific information including a table of contents, page numbers, etc. It should be also borne in the mind that the procedures should be complete, in easy-to-follow steps. Security of the documentation system should be fool-proof and a thoroughly professional approach should be maintained.

Innumerable advantages await the client companies if the web-based accounting package is installed. This type of effective system enables small businesses to track their progress on a timely basis. The data sheets and other related financial information is always up to date because of the efforts on the part of organizations to periodically submit new features and other upgrades. The completion of technology plan is finally followed by the matching up of the software products with the company’s goals and objectives. An expert handling of the whole process of installation of the software is step in the right direction. Consultants are hired for this purpose, who categorize the available products in the market. They evaluate the bought up software on the basis of competing services, value-added features, unlimited nation-wide dial-up, efficiently workable web-based email, management of the associate traffic etc.

By: Michelle Barkley

Construction Accounting Software – All For Project Completion On Time

admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:17:27 +0000

Mightiest of construction projects can be completed today with the ease of cigarette packets, rolling out of the assembly line! It is all possible with the help of magnificent construction software that makes it very easy to calculate the viability and timeliness of the projects well in advance.

What is the main purpose of construction accounting software? Firstly, it is to build! It is to build fast! It is to give maximum profits to all the interested parties! And that’s what makes a construction project a success.

All this is possible, if you are in total control of the situation right from the day the foundation stone was laid, from the day you made the first debit/credit ledger entries in your accounting system.

The software you select for the project must possess all the qualities that an extraordinary talented architect possesses. It should help you win profit-yielding bids, have perfect and speedy control over the construction program, generate revenues and profitability.

Every project has a project-cycle. Within that cycle, the entire game is played. If you are within the time schedule you are through. If you exceed the time-limit for whatever reasons, you are the sufferer. Your profit margins will be reduced or you will suffer losses.

The construction accounting software that you select needs to meet the requirements of all those important branches/persons concerned with the project. Each one should be able to grasp and calculate the advantages and disadvantages of the other in relation to the project in any given situation. Then only you can say that it is a perfect software project. The involved personalities in a major project are: The construction company owner, controller, accountant, estimator and project manager.

Some of the construction accounting software have the solution-providing techniques integrated in the software. They almost do the job of an highly paid consultant. They also include programs like latest product upgrades, their advantages and source of availability, latest integration management techniques, inputs about latest tax laws, training to the personnel, including online learning tools and latest and live technical support.

The construction business is tricky and complicated, involving high profits as well as high risks. One wrong calculation…and you may end up with huge losses. As a remedial measure, some of the software products contain the additional information provided in the listing and other details relating to business management experts as also independent accounting and construction experts.

What more you can look forward to in a construction accounting software product? If you are working on a construction project with required accounting software, I can definitely ask you- when is the inauguration of your project? Congratulations for completing it as per the set schedule!

By: Aasheesh Jain

Small Business Accounting Systems

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:42:02 +0000

You’re beyond the paper and list-keeping stage. Thankfully, your business has grown to a point where you know you will have at least weekly income and expenses. Soon it will be daily. It’s already starting to get hard to do your accounting manually and it will only get worse. What do you want to spend the majority of your business day on – accounting for your business, or running it? That’s a no-brainer! You need to be making an income for you and your family!

Now it’s time to buy that accounting system you’ve been thinking about. Make it something that doesn’t take a CPA to understand, is easy to operate and doesn’t take up all your valuable time to set up. Think about these things before you buy:

* If you have employees, you may need a payroll function

* Do you need to track inventory? What method do you use?

* Will the software exchange files with your bank?

* Do you have, or will you need, a tax prep package?

* Are there any unusual accounting requirements for your company or industry?

A HEARTY SOLUTION

There are several good packages out there for the new businessperson who is not an accountant. It is important to note that these packages don’t replace the need for a business to seek the assistance of an accountant! In fact many businesses require an outside audit. These software packages will NOT replace that cost, but may help alleviate it by providing the accountant with easy-to-follow record keeping!

These are some good software packages that are readily available. Look them up, compare price and features and see which one best fits your needs on paper. These all have a free trial period, but try to make as good a choice as possible before embarking on that free trial. After all, it takes a while to set up any accounting system and you’d much rather do it only once! That said, the free trials are a valuable way to assure yourself that the accounting software will meet your needs before spending your hard-earned cash. Definitely take advantage. And if the package falls short, try another with your newly adjusted requirements in mind.

Here are the best-rated packages available:

* Peachtree Software is a full-featured accounting system that comes in various “flavors” for specific industries.

* Quickbooks is made by the same people as Quicken and has some of the same look and feel. It’s a good beginning accounting software.

* Simply Accounting is another good beginners’ choice.

* MYOB Plus is a full-featured accounting software that has a Mac version with an especially good reputation.

* Microsoft Small Business Accounting integrates with your current Office products and gives you a similar look and feel, which could shorten the learning curve.

RECOMMENDATION

When you can afford it, it is well worth the price to buy one of the accounting packages above designed for small businesses. These packages provide an all-in-one solution to many of your accounting needs. Besides keeping track of all your transactions, they can tell you if you’re profitable or not, write checks or send electronic payments for you, download financial information from your bank, print invoices, track your receivables, prepare your annual financial statements, send all necessary data to your tax preparation software or firm and much more!

By: Michael Russell