I laughed as I read the headline of a Between the Lines post talking about who isn’t targeting Microsoft Office.

The days when the only choice for office productivity software is Microsoft are apparently ending, and that’s probably a good thing. But it’s an interesting thing about choices. We all think we want more, but when there are too many choices, it can be overwhelming. The more choices we have, the more time and energy we must put into making the right choice.

This has been the case with accounting software for a long, long time. There are literally hundreds of publishers of accounting software, as well as thousands of system implementers. There are hosted solutions, web-based solutions, pc-based solutions – the choices are mind-boggling. This is when finding a partner – a solution consultant – can streamline the process .

Here are a couple of pages on the ACI Consulting site that will give you some further insight:

• Choosing a New Accounting Software
• Top Ten Criteria for Selecting Accounting Software (a .pdf)

Sage Software has many FAS systems to choose from - FAS 50, FAS 100, FAS 500, and now Sage Fixed Assets for MAS 90/200. In addition, there are sub-categories, such as Construction in Progress and FAS Inventory. A good fixed asset system is a must have for small and medium sized businesses because it can replace a messy filing cabinet full of torn paperwork. Besides keeping track of depreciation, it keeps track of warranties, vendors, insurance information, and also allows user-defined fields. You can take it to the next level and appy pictures and bar codes to your items. FAS 500 is a SQL product, so if your assets are large in number, or if you have MAS 500, then FAS 500 is a must have. For smaller companies, FAS 50 and FAS 100 will do, as the main difference is the number of assets that you can have. And now, MAS 90/200 users can have a implement a FAS modules that sits right inside MAS 90.

I recommend to all Sage customers to attend Sage Summit. First, Sage Software takes care of appreciates its customers. You will have a great time. Second, the information that you will pick up is incredible. There are classes on every product and many subjects. There is great food, great entertainment, and the cities are fabulous.

I am often asked what is so difficult about upgrading MAS 90 to a new version. If you remember back in the DOS days, when Windows came out (MAS 90 for Windows and at one point it was called MAS 90G), that was a significant ugprade. Upgrading to the new verion of MAS 90 Level 4 (from level 3) is the same thing, because the technology behind the program has changed (as well as, of course, many new features have been added). MAS 90 is now Object Oriented Programming (OOP). In the end, the new technology allows for MAS 90 to do a lot that it could not do before. I personally recommend having a certified consultant do it. It is well worth the money and peace of mind, as there are many, many steps to a successful ugprade. The final cost will depend on the number of users, number of companies, enhancements, third party integtration, financial statements, forms, and reports. Any report that runs from G/L, A/R, S/O, B/R, eB, RMA, and A/P (at 4.20) essentially has to be rewritten.

One of the more common questions I am asked is “what is the difference between MAS 90 and MAS 200?”. The only difference is that MAS 200 is a Client Server product. What this means is that the data is processed at the server - not the workstation. This logic provides several benefits - a) less chance of data corruption, since data is not being transferred to the clients; b) faster processing; c) bettr handling for remote clients; and c) faster printing. In general, if you have 10 or more users, I recommend getting MAS 200 - the price difference is not dramatic, and the performance over the long run will be much better.