As we move into an ever-increasingly digital world, it’s become crucial for distributors to take advantage of new technologies to succeed. You’re looking for a solution that will increase productivity, and allow you to respond to unique customer requests.
You may be stuck on legacy software; you might have difficulty finding IT Resources or your business might ever be held back from innovation and growth. Whatever the reason is, it’s time to look at your ERP.
One of the first questions to ask yourself as the leader in your company is “What is Standing in the Way of Your Business Growth.” Once you have gotten over the idea that your solutions may be holding back, you can start to think about the real issues that are keeping your business from growing. Issues such as:
You’ll find that many ERP solutions are lacking. For one, they are not industry specific or built to meet the complex demands of the Distribution industry. You are probably looking for a solution that is scalable to your business and will grow with you as your business grows. Solutions such as:
Transforming your Business
When you look at all the features Infor CSD offers to today’s distributors, it’s easy to see why many are moving from their previous ERP to Infor CloudSuite Distribution is designed specifically for distributors, providing deep micro-vertical functionality, and powered by modern technology.
More companies are starting to recognize the value of technology and automation. Distributors will need to invest in a massive digital transformation to stay competitive. Those lagging behind will find it increasingly difficult to keep up with the pace of change and meet consumer expectations.
Introducing VantagePro from Aktion Associates
In the world of architecture, engineering, and professional services, time is essential. In a fast-paced industry like these, efficiency and productivity are the keys to success. Aktion Associates has developed a suite of tools to help you unlock the full potential of Deltek Vantagepoint, making your business more efficient, productive, and well-informed than ever before. In this blog post, we’ll explore how the new VantagePro tools from Aktion can elevate your business and take it to new heights.
Introduced this year at the 2023 Deltek Project Con Conference, Aktion now offers over 15 pre-built tools that allow you to customize your Vantagepoint ERP according to your needs, making accessing and managing data incredibly efficient. Instead of manually importing or copying data across different applications, VantagePro automatically handles it. Cutting down the time you need to spend on manually importing and exporting data can lead to increased productivity and accuracy.
Here are just a few highlights of some of these powerful and innovative tools from Aktion Associates.
Master Services Agreement Hub
This custom-built hub offers you the most complete way to manage, review, and analyze your master service agreements.
User Maintenance Hub
The perfect tool for managing your company’s user accounts, this customizable solution is designed to help streamline many of the tedious tasks associated with user maintenance.
Professional License Management Hub
For organizations looking to streamline the legal requirements of their employees. This hub is custom-designed to ensure your employees have the right license for any state.
Dashboard Package Featuring Phocas
The Dashboard Package enables decision-makers to gain accurate, actionable insights into their data quickly. With the provided visualizations and reports, users can identify trends that may not otherwise be visible in raw data.
If you want to improve your efficiency and productivity and make well-informed decisions, Aktion’s VantagePro tools can take your business to the next level. Call us to take advantage of the customizable data hubs, effortless connections, and user-friendly interfaces for increased efficiency, and enhanced productivity. Take the first step today to elevate your business.
Learn more about VantagePro in this brochure.
In an era where most of our information resides in digital form, the importance of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. As we commemorate Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we delve into the significance of digital security and the collective role we play in safeguarding our digital footprint.
The Growing Importance of Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is no longer a concern confined to IT departments; it’s a universal issue that impacts every facet of our lives. From our personal data to our financial information, everything is at stake. Despite this, many individuals and businesses remain unaware of the dangers they face online.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month serves as a crucial reminder of our shared responsibility to protect our digital world. This annual event, a collaboration between the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance, aims to highlight the importance of digital security and provide resources for individuals and organizations to enhance their cyber defenses.
Empowering Individuals and Businesses
Through Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we too are committed to enhancing cybersecurity awareness. As a leader in technology solutions and business process consulting, we firmly believe in the importance of equipping individuals and businesses with the knowledge and tools they need to thwart cyber threats. We encourage you to empower individuals to take charge of their digital security. Talking with our IT professionals can provide a wealth of resources, from informative guides to best practices, aimed at helping everyone stay safe online.
Trust and transparency form the backbone of effective cybersecurity. Individuals need to trust that their information is safe, while businesses must be transparent about their data protection practices. At our company, we prioritize these principles, ensuring that our customers can trust our commitment to their digital safety.
In the face of evolving cyber threats, a clear growth IT strategy is more important than ever. Such a strategy should focus on continually improving cybersecurity measures, keeping abreast of the latest industry trends, and educating employees on safe online practices.
As part of our commitment to cybersecurity, we continually refine our own IT growth strategy, ensuring we stay at the forefront of industry developments and provide our customers with the most robust security solutions.
We understand that cybersecurity can seem daunting, which is why we use benefit-oriented language and clear call-to-action statements to demystify the process to our employees. We emphasize the tangible benefits of robust cybersecurity measures, such as safeguarding personal data and protecting financial information, to help everyone understand the importance of digital security.
The Power of a Collective Approach
Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. By working together, we can create a safer digital world. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we encourage everyone to learn more about cybersecurity, implement robust security measures, and spread the word about the importance of digital safety.
The collective power of individuals and organizations committed to cybersecurity awareness can make a world of difference. Remember, when it comes to cybersecurity, we’re all in this together. Let’s be vigilant and protect our digital world.
Join us on October 24th for our Cybersecurity Webinar to learn more about the measures that Aktion takes to be more secure in the digital world. Additionally, we will be discussing the value of Cybersecurity Insurance.
In our increasingly interconnected world, where businesses rely heavily on technology and digital infrastructure, the threat landscape has expanded to include sophisticated cyberattacks. Organizations face a daunting task in safeguarding their sensitive data, systems, and customer information from malicious actors. As a proactive measure, cybersecurity insurance has emerged as a valuable tool that helps businesses mitigate financial losses and protect their reputation in the event of a cyber incident. In this blog post, we will dive into the value of cybersecurity insurance and why it has become an essential investment for companies of all sizes.
Rising Cyber Threats:
The proliferation of cyber threats poses a significant risk to businesses across industries. Hackers, cybercriminals, and state-sponsored actors constantly evolve their tactics to exploit vulnerabilities and gain unauthorized access to networks. As a result, companies face the threat of data breaches, ransomware attacks, business email compromise, and other cyber incidents. Cybersecurity insurance provides financial protection against these potential risks and enables organizations to respond effectively when breaches occur.
Comprehensive Coverage:
Cybersecurity insurance offers coverage across a range of areas affected by cyber incidents. This includes data breaches, network security failures, digital asset damage, legal liabilities, and costs associated with incident response, forensic investigations, public relations, and credit monitoring for affected customers. The breadth of coverage ensures that businesses have a safety net to minimize the financial impact and manage the fallout of a cyberattack.
Financial Protection:
The financial consequences of a cyber incident can be substantial. The costs associated with investigating and mitigating an attack, recovering compromised data, legal fees, regulatory fines, and potential litigation can cripple an organization’s financial stability. Cybersecurity insurance acts as a financial safety net, covering these expenses and ensuring that businesses can navigate the aftermath without significant disruption.
Rebuilding Trust and Reputation:
In today’s digital age, trust and reputation are paramount to business success. When a cyber incident occurs, customers, partners, and stakeholders may question an organization’s ability to protect their information. Cybersecurity insurance not only provides financial assistance but also supports businesses in the critical task of rebuilding trust. It covers expenses related to public relations, communication, and credit monitoring services, allowing organizations to communicate transparently, mitigate reputational damage, and demonstrate their commitment to cybersecurity.
Risk Management and Prevention:
Cybersecurity insurance is more than just a reactive measure; it also encourages proactive risk management and prevention. Insurers often provide resources and requirements such as risk assessments, security audits, and best practices guidance to help organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture. By implementing robust security measures and adhering to industry standards, businesses can reduce the likelihood of an incident and potentially lower insurance premiums.
Peace of Mind:
Knowing that they are protected by cybersecurity insurance provides business owners and executives with peace of mind. It allows them to focus on core operations, innovation, and growth, without constantly worrying about the potential financial devastation caused by a cyber incident. This sense of security allows businesses to operate with confidence in an increasingly digital world.
As the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, cybersecurity insurance has become an indispensable tool for businesses. It provides comprehensive coverage, financial protection, and support in rebuilding trust and reputation. By investing in cybersecurity insurance, organizations can proactively manage cyber risks, demonstrate their commitment to security, and navigate the aftermath of an attack with greater resilience. In an era where digital resilience is paramount, cybersecurity insurance stands as a critical asset for safeguarding businesses in a digital age.
In our next blog post, we review what you need to know to prepare and be ready for obtaining cybersecurity insurance.
Keep your Acumatica ERP solution up-to-date with Acumatica’s Always Current Program. With the Acumatica Always Current Program, users can access the latest updates, features, and enhancements of the Acumatica ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.
This program provides customers with continuous updates to Acumatica software, such as new functionality, bug fixes, security updates, and regulatory compliance updates. Always Current ensures that customers have access to the latest version of the software without having to undergo time-consuming and expensive upgrades. Staying current will decrease maintenance costs and improve system functionality.
The Always Current Program upgrades Acumatica customers to the most recent version of their software on a scheduled upgrade date. Additionally, they will automatically receive software updates on a fixed quarterly schedule. The scheduled upgrade date will be set at the onset of the contract.
A notification will be sent to customers 120 days before the upgrade takes place. The notification will provide the customer with details of the upgrade plan. It is recommended that customers prepare their staff with a timeframe and schedule for testing.
The Always Current Program will complete the upgrade in two phases. The first step is to set up a testing version so that any additional tasks can be accomplished. As soon as the testing period is completed, Acumatica will seek approval from the customer, and the official upgrade will take place.
Acumatica SaaS customers qualify for Always Current based on their Acumatica edition. Currently, this program is not available to private cloud customers (PCS and PCP).
To reduce potential upgrade issues, the program limits the types of customizations installed.
Customers in this program can only install ISV solutions compatible with the Always Current Program. As a result, they will be able to deliver their solutions on or before the deadline for upgrades or updates.
As well as continuous software updates, the Always Current program also includes access to Acumatica’s support team, which can assist with any issues or questions.
A major advantage of the Acumatica Always Current program is that it enables businesses to stay up-to-date with their ERP software and ensure that they are getting the most out of their investment.
Our team recently presented an overview of the Always Current Program. To learn more about the details and the process, watch the recording here. Contact our support team for more information about Acumatica Always Current.
Specialty contractors often provide subcontractor work by using their own equipment. This creates a complex, multiple tiered need for integration between the technician, accounting and the customer. The ability to provide efficient and high-quality service to your customers gives you an advantage over the competition.
But now you can streamline your field operations with a strong software platform, such as Acumatica. By integrating accounting and payroll with the teams in the field, your company delivers proven efficiencies for employees and customers. Here are some key areas where the right tech tool will significantly improve your customer satisfaction levels with regards to field service management. In this article, you will learn how to improve profits and customer satisfaction with Acumatica.
Mobility in the field
Often, companies who provide service work don’t have a mobile solution for their technicians, meaning clipboards and paperwork are the reality. Eliminating paperwork for time sheets and service work really reduces the risk of double entry errors occurring. Mobility also means every piece of documentation presented to your customer digitally shows the customer a commitment to service excellence.
Imagine the time-savings when a technician in the field, working on a piece of equipment can log time and locate tools just from a smartphone or tablet. What a great way to impress customers with prompt and comprehensive service.
Maximizing field technicians’ time
Routine and preventative maintenance can be scheduled in advance to maximize your technicians’ time. But things come up to upset that schedule all the time. Emergencies must take priority over regularly scheduled service work which can make juggling your technician’s time challenging. Vehicles, tools and inventory need to be available when and where they’re needed. What if your dispatch team could see responses to emergencies and route the technicians for any change in priorities? Yet another way you to generate customer loyalty.
Prompt and accurate invoicing
Billing in a timely manner means you get paid in a timely manner. A full integration between field operations and accounting is so important for this reason. That same mobility that we spoke of before comes into play here. With an integrated solution, field service teams can submit completed jobs immediately to accounting from the field. Enabling your office team to have the information in real-time and turn around accurate invoices fast.
The company that embraces field service work will leverage it as a profit center. Acumatica Field Service is a comprehensive system that is highly customizable. Get scheduling, dispatching, inventory management, accounting, and analysis. Make your field service business effective and deliver the highest level of customer service possible. Because Aktion Associates is a Value-Added Reseller of Acumatica, we’d love to show you this powerful real cloud technology so you can get your field service operations harnessed to make money now and into the future.
Infor CloudSuite Distribution (CSD) has over 200 pre-built events that can provide email notifications to a single user or a group of users in real-time. These notifications are a useful alternative to remembering to run ad-hoc queries or to a colleague telling you on their way to get coffee. The intent is to see the smoke before the fire has started. Don’t leave discovering these important events to chance. Below we’ll discuss some of the available events and best practices for implementing them into your instance of CSD.
Example Events:
CloudSuite Distribution defines an event as something that has happened in the system that is not part of normal day-to-day procedures. There are thousands of activities that happen daily in any given business. CSD gives administrators the ability to focus on the few activities that serve as major pain points and notify the proper user(s) the second it happens.
Some popular event examples include, but are not limited to:
Best Practices:
Just because over 200 events exist in CloudSuite Distribution, doesn’t mean a business should implement all of them. An administrator should weigh the severity of the impact that the event will have on the business with the likelihood that the event will occur. In other words, a sales order that is canceled with a tied PO might only occur twice a month, but when it does happen it can cause 6 plus hours of work to clean it up if the event wasn’t caught prior to the order shipping.
Another important consideration is making sure the event goes to the right person to prevent “event fatigue”. Event fatigue is the result of a user receiving so many email events that the importance of an event begins to lose its urgency. CSD can accomplish this, for example, by setting up events to go to the buyer that wrote the purchase order instead of all buyers in the company.
Companies can maximize the value of CloudSuite Distribution events and notifications when they take a surgical approach. Events should be complementary to existing processes and tailored to specific business problems which the company is trying to solve.
Aktion has a team of qualified consultants with deep industry knowledge in applying CloudSuite Distribution events/notifications to specific business problems. Contact us to be put in touch with an Aktion expert consultant to help you put out fires with the use of events before they get started.
Why is real-time data so important in today’s construction industry?
In today’s fast-paced construction industry, a modern financial management system will almost always mean cloud-based financials. It’s tempting to put off change, to stay with the systems that your teams are comfortable with using. However, that approach may come with some risk. As systems become outdated, they require investment – time, money and skill – to maintain. Internal teams may not be connected and working with real-time information, management is unable to make decisions with accurate data.
To stay competitive, construction and real estate companies’ technology strategies are evolving. The real-time data trend has been studied by industry leaders, which is telling for the future. Forward-thinking businesses are architecting a modern technology strategy that includes cloud accounting financials. A recent Deloitte study discusses both these technology strategies and other construction industry trends to keep on your radar.
Here are my top three signs it’s time to move to cloud-based financials:
It’s hard to overstate the importance of real-time data access that you’ll find in cloud-based financials. One single source of truth gives people in the office and field the ability to view job costing, tools and equipment allocations and overall project status updates. Quick and easy reporting makes it much less likely that you’d miss warning signs that a project is losing money or going to take longer than projected.
Contractors who adopt a cloud-based platform that meets all their needs report that they immediately see improvements in workflows and communication. These forward-thinking business leaders have recognized the risk of delaying change and the advantages that a cloud financial system brings to their business.
Aktion Associates has teams of experts who understand the construction industry’s unique demands. We are ready to review your business needs and determine which cloud platform will fit you best. One popular and powerful choice among our customers is Sage Intacct Construction. Because Sage Intacct was born in the cloud, the accessibility and scalability are unrivaled in the construction industry.
Contact us today to begin your journey towards cloud-based financials, real-time data and position your company for growth.
Infor CloudSuite Distribution users enjoy the ability to personalize and customize what data and information each role within the company can see and how they see it. Based on my experience with CSD, below you’ll find a couple of unique tips and tricks for personalizing the user interface in Infor CloudSuite Distribution to improve efficiency and ease of use within the software.
How Personalizing the User Interface in Infor CloudSuite Distribution Works.
Personalization allows for customizing the screen displays to meet a company’s individual business requirements. This is a great way to tailor the screen layout to be more user-friendly and to optimize efficiency while using Infor CloudSuite Distribution. By personalizing the user interface in Infor CloudSuite Distribution, the user can adjust fields, columns, buttons, toolbars, and grids to be hidden, unhidden, highlighted, renamed, resized, and sequenced – anything to fit the user’s unique business style and workflows. Infor CloudSuite Distribution also allows users to change the user interface to a lighter display, a darker display or higher contrast that is easier to read, based on personal preferences.
Can We Have Different Personalizations for Different Departments?
YES! Personalization can be done on a user, profile, or company level. It is possible to create unique profiles per user or department. You can have customized profiles for Customer Service, Purchasing, Accounting and all departments. This personalized layout per department is great because it results in an efficient and uniform workflow for that department or even companywide.
Who Can Personalize in CSD?
Most companies only want to allow access to personalize their screen based on those users who have the experience and knowledge of the system and to keep to corporate branding and appearance standards for the organization. With Infor CloudSuite Distribution’s comprehensive security system, it is possible to allow personalization to be only limited to specific users. Additionally, the security measures will allow and/or prevent users from performing specific tasks based on role and accessibility. Administrators can easily assign who can and can’t personalize.
Can Personalization Be Reversed or Reset?
YES! The System Administrator can view, allow, prevent, or reset all personalizations. Access changes can be made, and roles can be changed easily.
Can Aktion Help Me Personalize My CloudSuite Solution?
YES! Aktion Associates has an entire team of Infor CSD Application Consultants who can guide you through the Personalization process. Aktion can also provide complete training and solutions for all roles and applications needed. Please contact Aktion Associates at 1-800-AKTION (800-425-8466), info@aktion.com or contact your Account Manager to schedule a personalization consultation.
All accounting professionals dread month-end reconciliation. Between the ticking and the inevitable hunt for a needle in a haystack, this can be a time-consuming and mind-numbing experience. I come from an accounting background and know this all too well. That’s why I’d like to offer you three ways to keep your Infor CloudSuite Distribution (CSD) chart of accounts balanced to simplify the process and save you time.
1: Trial Balance Reports
Out of the box, CSD offers a wide array of trial balance reports. These reports compare the subsidiary total to the general ledger and calculate if they are in balance or not. The reports can be used for reconciliation when in balance.
Popular Reporting Acronyms & Descriptions Inside CSD:
Other accounts:
These easy-to-use reports inside of CSD can help with reconciliation documentation as well as pinpoint any discrepancies.
2: Scheduled Reports & Balance History
Another one of my favorite time-saving features inside of CSD is the ability to set up the trial balance reports to run on a schedule. Trial balance report scheduling allows you to print, email, or even save a file of the report. Then when the report is run, it creates a record inside the general ledger. An example that comes to mind is when the AP trial balance runs, the results are stored in the general ledger account inquiry screen under the tab of balance history.
Below you’ll see a variance comparison report showing the difference between the last time it was run and the current report. You’ll notice it also includes crucial data like report total, GL total, and the difference. By running this report daily, you gain the ability to isolate down to the day when reports went out of balance.
3: CSD Events
Topping out our list is a must-use, time-saving feature in CSD called, event manager. Events are basically notifications that specific actions took place. The nice thing about CSD is that it comes with over 100 prebuilt event types that can be configured to fit your business needs.
Suspense postings are made in the general ledger when CSD does not know where to make a specific posting. This can happen for many different reasons, but normally it is related to a GL mapping issue. My go-to event to keep the general ledger clean and balanced is an alert when a suspense posting occurs, which can be emailed or printed at the time of the event. Through the use of events, you can isolate the problem and correct the discrepancy before it muddies your data and creates extra work for you.
Month-end reconciliation may never be a fun process. But if you use these tips inside CSD, you can significantly simplify the process and save yourself quite a bit of time too.
At Aktion, we have an entire team of Infor CSD experts who understand your software inside and out. We know keeping your chart of accounts balanced in CSD can be stressful and time-consuming, that’s why we’re here to help. Contact us to be connected to a qualified CSD consultant to review your current process and provide insight into how you can streamline your processes.