Sage Announces Peachtree by Sage-Quantum 2010
New accounting software for SMBs beefs up security, shifts information processing away from the desktop for greater speed and efficiency, and more.
By Cecilia Galvinalvin
All businesses do accounting of one kind or another. And for those in the higher end of the small business market or the lower end of the midmarket, Atlanta-based Sage North America has provided another accounting option: Peachtree by Sage-Quantum 2010.
Building on its line of Peachtree products, Quantum 2010 beefs up security using a role-based model. Rather than having security at a screen or module level, the new product enables you to set security for an individual person or the role that person plays within the organization. The software is also designed to handle more information, using a feature called smart posting that takes processing work away from the user’s desktop machine and shifts it to the servers.
†”From a benefit and efficiency standpoint, smart posting frees users up more quickly so they can move on to other tasks-they don’t have to wait for their desktop to process transactions or save records, for example,” says Chris Claude, product marketing manager, Sage North America. “The more users you have working in the system and the more they’re doing, the more efficiencies you should see.”
And more users are what Quantum 2010 accommodates. The regular Peachtree line maxes out at five users, but the new product supports 10, 15, 20, 30, or even 40 users-setting it apart from its nearest competition in the SMB space. According to Claude, this flexibility-and the product’s new features-address not only customers already using a Peachtree product and looking for a more robust solution, but those using a midmarket solution that want more advanced capabilities without a big jump in price.
Order Process Workflow is one of those features with midmarket appeal, says Claude. It tracks all moving parts of an order from one centralized location so nothing is overlooked and orders continue to be processed.†”It can be described as a light ERP system,” notes Claude. “It’s much simpler than being dependent on other software for that job, or on out-of-computer solutions such as whiteboards or sticky notes.”
The workflow feature is flexible and customizable to how a particular company operates, and can be changed as the company identifies new steps in its process or even new processes. “From a consultant’s perspective, this is a big thing-helping their customers to set up the right processes,” says Claude, which opens the door to providing additional services. Consultants can also help customers set up notifications, whereby a user or users can be alerted that there is something they are expected to track or do.
A feature called My Dashboard, which is set up based on security status, allows users to create customized dashboards to cut through clutter and access only the things they do on a regular basis. A multiuser management capability enables the administrator to send notifications to other users if or when they need to log out, and then log them out if necessary.†”It’s much more efficient than having to get on the phone or walk around the office,” says Claude.†
Also part of Quantum 2010 is a benchmarking tool that helps small businesses assess their performance compared with other businesses in their industry and other small businesses overall.
The Peachtree Business Care Plan is included with product purchase.†Under the plan, companies receive one year of unlimited access to support specialists for both Peachtree Quantum and Microsoft Excel, and access to product updates and upgrades for 12 months from the date of purchase.†Live and recorded educational modules are included in the plan as well.
Pricing starts at $3,975 for upgrading customers or $4,450 for new customers.
