I have used Peachtree, and I am a big fan of its ease of use and its
stability, its a double entry system and I was never out of balance. Three
negatives you should consider, it is not scalable because it supports only 5
simultaneous network users, it is not rigorous about enforcing accounting
standards so it is not the best choice if you have stringent audits or
security issues, it has doesn't have a robust purchase orders, inventory and
manufacturing sub-system. In fact, its inventory tracking is weak.
Trade journals, industry associations, VAR publications, (don't neglect
materials and websites directed toward value added resellers, some software
vendors spend as much on finding consultants as they do on finding endusers,
so you can scout for accounting companies to evaluate this way) and of
course, paid consultants! are excellent sources of information for what you
need. I have been told to budget twice the software cost for training,
installation, and enhancements. The good news is you can expect these
expenses to be incurred in pieces over two years.
I predict hardware is going to be the least expensive portion, unless you go
with peachtree. I went from peachtree to a software package costing $8500
for the 'starter kit'. There are plenty of good windows 2000 based systems
out there, for even a mid-tier system you will need windows 2000 to run the
database, usually sql, so you should plan on needing a server. Unix is
popular in some vertical industries, if your industry has a prefered
accounting/manufacturing software it might require a unix network.
You should consider now if you will plan to integrate sales force automation
into your accounting system. Whether sales will have access to customer
balances and credit history, prior purchases, and can check inventory while
doing a quote, should all be considered before you buy, since there is a
great deal of difference in the way accounting systems handle this aspect.
Its easy to waste money on a large project like this, but done wisely, a
company with 7 mil in sales could find real value for a budget of 60000, and
could expect a significant return on the investment. You are going to find
you can save money, or add value, to a lot of the systems out there.
Tom Turak
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Zeoli [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2001 5:08 PM
Hi
I am managing a 30 person manufacturing firm and we are interested in
purchasing a new accounting software package (accounts payables,
receivables, payroll, etc). We currently have a system that we share with a
sister company and runs on an IBM A/S 400 computer with proprietary
software that was coded in the early 90's. The software company is now
defunct and we do not have support. We are looking to bring our accounting
in house with by purchasing new computer equipment & software. We have
quotes on a new IBM 400 and software packages that combined are in the 60 to
70 thousand dollar range. I am considering instead going with a pc network
(3 pcs) which I'm sure could be purchased, installed, and provide training
for considerably less $. My question is: does anyone have any
recommendations for accounting software packages? I am looking at Peachtree
Complete 2002 and Peachtree 2000 which according to Peachtree will meet our
needs. We are planning growth in the future for about 100 employees and 7
million in sales. Thank you for any recomendations or thoughts on where to
address this need.
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