Technology renders speed, agility and efficiency to a small business. That’s why you will see that small businesses the world over are clamouring to systemize their business processes so as to achieve speed, efficiency, higher quality services and happy customers. For small business owners though, the question remains whether they should develop business software like accounting software and deploy these accounting systems all by themselves? Does having a accounting software developing company do it make more sense? Let’s explore:

Accounting software, among other kinds of business software and Business Intelligence systems, is a core software system that any business – big or small – heavily depends on. Being the backbone of any business process, accounting software development and deployment is a serious aspect to look into. Here’s why you should never develop it yourself and you should instead let an accounting software developer handle this for you:

• The obvious cost factor: Pramod Bashin, The CEO of Genpact, India – a 20,000 odd manned back-office handling outsourcing work spun off by General Electric (GE) claimed in a Business Week report titled “The Future of Outsourcing” that outsourcing business processes can help in at least 20% to 30% of labor cost savings within the first year itself. With staff available in developing countries like India, Philippines and other such destinations, global outsourcing is happening for a very strong reason – cut costs, boost profits, enhance productivity. A recent McKinsey Global Institute study claims that about $18.4 billion in global IT work and $11.4 billion in business-process services are being outsourced to destinations mentioned above. Of course, we were talking about big companies until now. Can a small business do something similar? Very much. By allowing business software developers to work on setting up and deploying business software for you, cost savings become very much obvious.
• Vendors can do more: Small businesses come with their respective expertise. What if they spend money, time and effort on having accounting software developed in-house but still lack expertise to use it, and implement it effectively? You can save time and money and also obviate the need to hire professionals for accounting, book-keeping, payrolls, accounts payables & receivables, billing and invoicing, collections, vendor payments, taxation and much more. Say, how many professionals will you hire for these specific services? It could be mind-bogglingly complex and expensive, don’t you think? It is smarter to let business software end-to-end solution providers to handle this for you since they have requisite infrastructure in place – this is all they do, don’t they?
• You do what you must do: If you are the owner of a small business, you will do well to realize that core-competency is a must for a business to succeed. There isn’t any leverage if you had to do everything by yourself. Small businesses tend to freeze in growth terms since they don’t seem to let go and have someone else to perform flanking business operations like accounting, finance, Human resources management, etc.  Similarly, accounting software development is best handled by vendors with years of expertise in doing just the same; while the small businesses in question would do well to do what they are best at.

What other advantages do you see in letting accounting and other business software be developed by a software house, IT and software development firm rather than in house?

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If you are like us, your life completely revolves around that little inbox not to mention its crucial contributions to commerce. Earlier, when webmail was just sprouting up, Microsoft Outlook reigned and stood really tall. For both businesses and individuals today, Microsoft Outlook might very well be like the dwindling count of the tigers in the world, leading to a possible extinction.

We literally hate anything to do with the hard disks on our computers; we don’t even trust our servers. No matter how you look at it, we find that hardware is as fragile and unpredictable as they come. We cannot, not even if you point a double-barrelled shotgun on us, vouch for storing anything as precious as email (yes, it’s precious for us. We know some of you might hate it) on hard disk drives or even any of those removable drives like USB external Hard drives and flash drives. That’s not to say that we are all digital and literally store everything online; we believe in a balance. We are believers in hybrid solutions.

Email is literally the forerunner of our business. Without it, we bite the dust in just as long as it takes a rocket to escape earth’s gravitational pull. Files and folders apart, our email needs to find a place to stay.

The webmail we use now is Gmail (and it can be used with companies too by setting it up that way). Our business emails actually come to the webmail related to our domains and hosting accounts like myname@datum.com .  This is in turn routed back to our corporate Gmail account (which never runs out of storage space; in fact, it adds up all the time). However, there is a copy of  email on our original webmail inbox too. We now have two copies, don’t we?

You might now ask us: Aren’t you leaving everything in Google’s hands? Is that your idea of being “safe and secure”?

Absolutely not!

That’s when we use automated back-up solutions like Carbonite and Mozy and have our hard disk (or particular important sections/folders/files backed-up continuously and automatically. If that isn’t enough and if we really need more copies, we could use yet another online solution just to store the files/folders/programs. Additionally, we might even use an external USB hard drive if need be. Here’s a timely round-up of 5 Best Online Back-up Solutions at lifehacker, you could find helpful.

If you use Outlook or Thunderbird, can’t we still do the same thing as above? We can. But then, what about the possibility of not being near your computer or laptop? What if you suddenly have to work out of Chile, Bangkok or India and out of a friend’s laptop or a cyber cafe? What if you don’t find Outlook or Thunderbird in the all those other computers you are forced to access? Are you going to install and configure these desktop based email systems?

We  just find that working completely online gives me a freedom from hardware, which other tethers you to a machine or a desk.

Snap out of it and go online; it’s the best thing to do.

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1. We’re Hiring

Available Positions

Sales Executive

Meeting prospects and clients.
Own transport is needed.

Telemarketers

Based in office.

Is It for Me?
You should be able to communicate in English.

If you like to meet people, solve problems and building wealth at the same time, then this is something you should give yourself an opportunity.

Also, you’ll need to have some knowledge of computers and how to operate them. The rest will be provided in training.

How To Apply?
Please call us on our office, 03-5631 3133 or email to us (with your number) via our contact page, we will contact you.

Share On Your Facebook

If you have friends who are looking for job, do them a favor by sharing the news.
Also, please send us your facebook link for a pleasant surprise.

No related posts.

Here are 13 reasons that you may consider for your company…

1. How to maximize your profit margin with less time and effort.
2. How to sell faster and easier – even if you don’t have a sales team.
3. Easiest way to be lean and mean. Your overhead expenses grow much slower than your business.
4. How to monitor your operations remotely even when you’re not in office for an extended period of time.
5. Immediately leverage on operations best practices accumulated over the years to jump-start your new operations in no time.
6. Templates that you can set up and have it running in just minutes.
7. Eliminates the risks and costs associated with hiring freelance or one staff programmer to develop your system from scratch.
8. Improves customer satisfaction and loyalty.
9. Give more reasons for your customers and prospects to buy more from you.
10. Gain full control of your business database – your most important asset of them all.
11. Gain full control over what your staff does and know exactly what they are doing.
12. The 5 components that turns a small business to bigger corporate within a year or less.
13. Develop scorecard for technicians to self-monitor problems that can be prevented.

Straight Line from Conventional to Professional

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2. We’re Hiring
3. Coming Soon: ProLine 3.0

Dubbed as the All-In-One Business Operations and Intelligence Software, ProLine 3.0 includes several new features that may excite entrepreneurs on putting systems in place and without breaking their wallet.

Integrated E-Filing

First of all, ProLine 3.0 features an improved user interface that is much easier to use – all the modules are integrated into one intuitive interface similar to Outlook. ProLine 3.0 now comes with E-Filing to allow storing of related files, documents and photos into records in ProLine. You can drag and drop files, double click to open or edit the files just like in My Documents.

How You Want It Quotation

ProLine now empower sales people to create flexible and beautiful quotations in less time. Create options for your customers to help them make informed decisions and reduce the time to revise quotes therefore speeding up the sales cycle.

Improved Search & Info File

ProLine’s main interface now comes with Finder that allow users to find information faster and easier. Info File allows user to drill down information pertaining a Contact and its related activities. This greatly improves customer service performance as it provides information required to service or handle the customer right on the fingertips.

Seamless Stock & Accounting

With seamless recording of related transactions, ProLine aims to improved usability and reduce entry errors by reducing the steps needed for a single transaction. For example, stock in can be automated by entering Supplier Invoice rather than entering a separate Goods Receive Note. The Stock Balance and Costing will be automatically tracked by ProLine.

ProLine 3.0 also comes with a Work Plan to allow planning of work schedules. The service form is simplified and integrated with billing as it incorporates information from the deliverables.

Visual Reporting

Graphs and charts can be generated within seconds together with statistical and listing reports. Improved and new reports are added every quarter to enhance business intelligence with finer details.

All-In-One Software with All-In-One Pricing

Now, witness for yourself, the All-In-One that promises a whole lot of benefits with an All-In-One pricing that guarantee not to break wallets.

The software is scheduled to be released in January 2010.
Contact us for irresistible prelaunch offers.

Straight Line from Conventional to Professional

Download Your Free Guide

on 7 Straight Lines to Multiply Profits with Less Effort

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Before implementing any software or systems to an existing operation, it is vital to have everyone’s mindset aligned to the same expectations to improve collaboration while minimizing miscommunications.

Take advantage of the meeting time with your vendor so that you and your team can understand each other more. Also to establish relationships and make others like you first.

For any software to improve and add value, first, it has to be profitable to the software vendor. Like any expected human behavior, if there is no motivation for a development to proceed, it will stop or being abandoned. But if the software continues to improve, mature and add richness to it, the benefits are to the users of the software.

The fact is: There’s no such thing as a perfect software.

The perfection happens when users understand how the software works and take advantage of it.

The Way Datum Works

In Datum, we are highly motivated towards our software and we believe strongly that market-driven products are the way to go.

We love our clients because they pay us – not exactly. But because they are the domain experts. Their detailed experience mesmerize and inspire us to build solutions that empowers them to be on the competitive edge. Its our passion.

To achieve highest ROI in the software, is to first start to use it as soon as possible.

Being said so, our approach is to get the system running live first and then implement the suggestions (or wish-list) from the users. The bare minimum is to tweak the software to be able to run to replace existing operations that the software is capable of doing.

Coming back to the point, we are very much interested to know exactly the feedbacks and looking forward to improve the software with your team. However, to be realistic, timeframe and budget is part of the equation. Prioritizing is the answer.

Use what works, skip those that aren’t.

We can focus all-day-long on what the software cannot do, but that doesn’t bring any good to both parties. Try avoiding the gumption trap. Remember that motivation is the key to success in any project.

We look forward on collaborating with our clients and continuously building beautiful applications that gets the work done – fast.

In summary, expectations and motivations on both sides will make or break the success of the project.

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Here's Richard doing his presentation

On our last Saturday’s sharing session, Richard was kind enough to prepare a short presentation of what are the benefits of using server compared to workgroup setups.

After summing up the session taking out all technical mumbo-jumbo, below are the important points why server is needed and vital to the success of any organization.

Recalling back about 10 years ago, where it costs us a big sum to purchase a desktop computer with 17″ CRT monitor. With almost similar investment, a company can now purchase a server to power up their organization.

Do you agree on whether today’s servers are able to provide the above benefits? Let us know by leaving us a reply below.

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1. 13 Reasons Why You Need ProLine
2. Why Agile Development?
3. Why It’s Smart To Use Webmail with Data Back-up

It is a Web 2.0 application that will save time and focus on preparing quotations with other related automations for small businesses and freelancers.

The beta version should be completed by December 2009.
To get first hand updates on the releases and freebies, visit the Prelaunch website and signup for the newsletter.

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2. We’ve changed! For the better.
3. Coming Soon: ProLine 3.0

adjectiveable to move quickly and easily : Ruth was as agile as a monkey | figurative his vague manner concealed an agile mind.ORIGIN late Middle English : via French from Latin agilis, from agere‘do.’

Why is it important to software development practices?

Improved success rate for any projects.

In the beginning, most software were developed based on a waterfall approach. The name waterfall was used because the look of a project plan (gantt chart) that resembles a waterfall pattern.

System Analysts will do fact finding (requirements definition) and prepare a thick documentation that may not be easily understood by non-technical people. Once its done, it will take, say 6 months to a year or more to develop.

Once completed, it will then present the software to the users or clients (stakeholders). The chances of the project fails due to various reasons are much higher. Most probably they already forgotten what was the project details.

Success Rate comparison

As for Agile development, results can be seen much quicker. For example, the development team can update latest working software on a weekly basis for the management team to review and users to test, with feedbacks on what to add or change.

Based on the to do list, development team can set the time required for each tasks and a progressive roadmap is formed. Everyone can follow the progress of the roadmap based on daily updates.

This encourages collaboration between development and the stakeholders. However, stakeholders need to commit time to involve in the project and its not optional.

How we incorporate Agile mindset in everything we do?

Writing or documentation in an agile way. No one can write a complete book in one go. It is always by iterations, writing down thoughts and rewriting it.

When writing is done in a group rather than individual, agile is more apparent as everyone in the team can see changes almost immediately and improving it (rewriting). A good example is Wikipedia – an online collaborative documentation from contributors effort.

Everyone in the team is involved and informed.

You may want to incorporate a Wiki software within your organization for multi-purpose journals and documentation. Everyone in your team can participate to write parts of the document such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

The bottom line…

The concept of Agile is not new but an improved way of ensuring higher success rate for projects by improving collaboration and communication between development and stakeholders.

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1. Setting The Right Expectations or Project Fails
2. Why Invest in a Server?
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Now with a minimalistic design, we focus to deliver “right to the point, long story short” type of content.

For the coming months, we are consolidating our sites and contents.

Oh! And before I forget, please let us know what you think of our new website. Stay tuned.

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