Darcy Boerio | Schulz Consulting

Managing a local server for Sage 100 – all risk, no reward

August 20, 2019 by Darcy Boerio

IT can be a thankless job.

When’s the last time you told your IT person (or whomever it is that is responsible for your network), “Hey, great job keeping our server up and running and secure this month!”? Chances are you haven’t. They probably only hear from you when there’s a problem.

But if they’ve managed to keep your local server up and running continuously and you haven’t been impacted by a cyberattack (think phishing, ransomware, identity theft, malware, etc.) then they deserve some love. At least for this month.

Every month, new varieties of threats are cropping up, and it can be a full-time job to keep up with it all. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the role of Information Security Analyst, described as someone who will “plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems” to grow by 28% between 2016-2026. And at a median pay of nearly $100k, it’s not a cheap role to fill.

IT doesn’t get a second chance.

Have you ever tried to log in to your server and gotten an error? Maybe you just mistyped your password, but did your heart skip a beat?

What about backups? Many people only think about backups when they fear they may need to restore for some reason. “Do I have a recent backup? Did I back up the right files? Do I know how to restore them?”

Have you ever waited until the elements were at your door to try figure out how you will keep your business operational if your on-premises server is damaged or loses power?

IT can’t do it alone.

A recent survey of IT works showed that 62% of IT workers say that, “the biggest security threat comes from well-meaning but negligent end users”. In other words, the very people they’re paid to keep secure are the biggest threats they face.

Read: Yep, your IT guy blames you for your computer problems

What can you do to minimize the risks associated with having a local server?

For starters, read this article from the Sage cloud hosting experts at Summit Hosting on quick and easy ways to protect your data:

7 Ways to Help Keep Your Data Safe

You may also want to consider hosting Sage 100 / Sage 100cloud with a Sage hosting professional who is 100% dedicated to keeping your data secure.

Learn more at https://www.summithosting.com/sage-100-hosting/.

Warehouse Wizard Series Parts 4 – 6

July 9, 2019 by Darcy Boerio

Last month we brought you parts 1 – 3 of the six-part “Warehouse Wizard Series”, a joint effort by ScanForce and Sage Inventory Advisor to provide educational content for Sage 100 users who operate warehouses.

Read Parts 1 – 3 of the Warehouse Wizard Series

And now for parts 4 – 6:

Part 4: Incorrect Levels Drive Excess Inventory

While having excess inventory on hand can seem like a safe bet to make sure you can meet demand, it is not cost-effective and can stunt your business’ growth.

On the other hand, you can have the best methodology imaginable in place to optimize replenishment and avoid excess inventory, but if your inputs are wrong, you will still fail. Good decisions start with accurate data.

Read Reducing Excess Inventory to learn about how to address the complexities associated with not having a source of truth for your levels.

Part 5: The Advantages of ABC Analysis

Ranking your items lets you focus on the ones that really matter. Whether they’re high velocity/high value or slow moving/low value or anywhere in between, these criteria can help you make better decisions about where to focus your time and working capital.

Read up on The 5 Advantages of an Effective ABC Analysis to learn how these classifications can lead to increased profits.

Part 6: Free Tools for Sage 100cloud to Optimize Inventory

Your Sage 100cloud subscription comes with a number of free tools that were previously only available for purchase. Two of these products that are included “out of the box” are:

DSD/ScanForce Multi-Bin Basic by ScanForce
Sage Inventory Advisor Basics by Sage Inventory Advisor

Are you taking advantage of these features you already own? The infographic shows some of the functionality available to help you optimize inventory without purchasing any additional software.

That’s it for the series. Thanks for reading along! You’re a Warehouse Wizard!

Contact ScanForce or Sage Inventory Advisor if we can be of assistance with any of the initiatives you learned about in the series.

Warehouse Wizard Series Parts 1 – 3

June 13, 2019 by Darcy Boerio

From ensuring that you have an accurate picture of what you have on hand and where everything is to informed decision making on replenishment, there are many moving parts when it comes to managing inventory (pun intended).

The inventory and warehouse experts and Sage Inventory Advisor and ScanForce have teamed up to bring you a series of tips to help you become a “Warehouse Wizard”. For this article, we’ll look at the first three of the six tips.

Part 1: Two Sides of Inventory Management

From managing the physical product through accuracy in receiving, pick/pack/ship, physical counts, and labeling, inventory control is crucial to warehouse efficiency. It’s the foundation that allows you to make informed decisions on forecasting, ordering, and expediting, all in the name of inventory optimization.

In this 5 minute video, Russ Graf of NetStock and Steve Showalter of ScanForce discuss the key components of Inventory Control and Inventory Replenishment, and why even if business is booming, NOW is the time to invest in warehouse productivity tools.

Read the full article and watch “The Two Sides of Inventory Management” here.

Part 2: The Right Items in the Right Place at the Right Time

What if your warehouse had just the right amount of inventory to meet demands? Not too little, not too much, but just right?

Having the right items means faster fulfillment, happy customers, and more sales.

Having them in the right place leads to increased productivity and lower operating costs.

Having them at the right time prevents excess inventory and stock-outs.

And it all leads to increased profit.

Read the full article on how to “get it right” here.

Part 3: Hidden Costs of Inventory Spreadsheets

Who doesn’t love Excel? It’s inexpensive and easy to use. But when it comes to managing inventory, it’s not the right tool for the job.

In this 6 minute video, Russ and Steve expose some of the hidden costs lurking in your inventory spreadsheets, and how using tools designed for Sage 100 users can help you avoid the risks of spreadsheet inaccuracies.

Read the full article and watch “The Hidden Costs of Inventory Spreadsheets” here.

Watch here on the Schulz Consulting blog for parts 4 – 6 coming soon!

Want to learn more about the tools discussed in these tips? Visit scanforce.com or inventoryadvisor.co

5 reasons NOW is the time to move Sage 100cloud to the cloud

April 3, 2019 by Darcy Boerio

If you’re still running Sage 100 or Sage 100cloud on a local server, here are five reasons why you might not want to wait any longer to move Sage to the cloud:

#1. Mother Nature.

Following a disaster, 90% of smaller companies fail within a year unless they can resume operations within 5 days.
FEMA (read more)

Flooding, fires, tropical storms. All of these unexpected events can put your business at risk. Don’t wait until Mother Nature is at the door to try to come up with a continuity plan. Having your applications and data hosted in a secure data center allows you to continue operations even if your offices become inaccessible.

Actual LinkedIn post from March, 2019 by a company hit by the massive flooding in Nebraska.

#2. Support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will be ending on January 14, 2020. Read more on this here.

If you’re currently using one of these versions, you will no longer receive regular security updates. And once Microsoft support ends for these operations systems, Sage will also stop supporting Sage 100 and Sage 100cloud running on these unsupported platforms.

If you’re faced with a server upgrade, it’s a great time to consider cloud hosting. Summit Hosting can provide you with a modern server environment with minimal IT effort on your end.

Chances are you aren’t the only one facing this deadline, so don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help! Contact Summit Hosting today.

#3. Remote work is becoming the norm, but some IT departments aren’t prepared for it.

Are you seeing an increase in requests from your team to work remotely? As remote work becomes more commonplace, some argue that remote workers are outperforming office workers. As the trend continues to grow and the workforce becomes accustomed to remote work, companies will find that offering some level of flexibility on this will be key to attracting and retaining talent.

Even if your business isn’t conducive to remote work on a large scale, there is still great benefit to providing employees with the tools they need to be productive while traveling for work.

But with it comes a whole new set of technology and security concerns that go beyond what you need to manage when your server resides down the hall in your own building. Hosting companies like Summit Hosting understand the infrastructure necessary to keep your data secure, yet easily accessible.

Hosting also solves the problem of “BYOD”. Users, remote or on site, can run Sage on a mobile device, iPad, or even on a Mac, if that’s their device of choice. You can also give access to your Sage partner, making it that much easier for them to provide remote assistance.

#4. “Right size” your IT.

Hosting allows you to scale your IT as your company’s needs change. Planning on a growth spurt? With hosting, you don’t have to worry whether or not your IT infrastructure can accommodate it. Or if you’re facing a potential downsizing situation, you don’t need to overspend on technology that is overkill for your future situation.

With hosting, you can easily add and remove users and storage space as needed.

And that 3rd party add-on that you’ve been eyeing? No need to stretch your existing servers to accommodate it. Because they specialize in Sage hosting, Summit Hosting has experience hosting all the major third party solutions for Sage 100.

#5. Cybersecurity is a moving target for your IT people.

More than 50% (of Chief Information Security Officers) believe they don’t have enough budget or do not have the resources to deal with the growing threat of cybersecurity attacks as they struggle to spot existing vulnerabilities within their business.”
Forbes.com – Cybersecurity Fears Drive CISOs to Drink Amid Serious Mental Health Concerns

Hosting companies like Summit Hosting are dedicated to keeping up with the latest cyberthreats. You can rest easy knowing that the burden of preventing cyberattacks isn’t on you or your team. Your hosting company has you covered.

While 62% of IT people believe that the biggest security threat comes from “well meaning but negligent end users”, hosting still helps mitigate that risk by offering an additional layer of security called 2 Factor Authentication that can prevent breaches even if passwords have been compromised.

Ready to move Sage 100 / Sage 100cloud to the cloud? Contact Summit Hosting to learn more. Don’t forget to mention “Schulz Says” for special pricing!

www.summithosting.com

ScanForce Brings Their Popular Sage 100 Warehouse Management to Sage Intacct

April 3, 2019 by Darcy Boerio

It’s not just the ERP software resellers who are expanding to offer multiple ERP solutions. So, too, are the publishers of 3rd party add-on solutions.

Who Is ScanForce?

A “household name” in the Sage 100 world, ScanForce has been providing barcode scanning and mobile warehouse & sales automation solutions for over 16 years. With hundreds of customers and a large, loyal partner channel, they’ve had great success with Sage 100 over the years. And now they’re expanding their market by releasing a version of their warehouse automation tool set that integrates with Sage Intacct.

Cloud Warehouse Management Backed By 16 Years Experience

As you may know, Sage acquired cloud-based financial management software provider Intacct in 2017. At that time, several of ScanForce’s Sage 100 partners had already started supporting Intacct, and since then, many more have chosen to enter the Sage Intacct market. It was based on demand from these partners for a trusted warehouse management provider to help them get more Sage Intacct business that the decision to build the integration originated.

ScanForce At Sage Intacct Business Building Conference 2019

Steve Showalter (l) and Dan Rodriguez (r) of ScanForce at Sage Intacct conference

ScanForce recently attending the Sage Intacct Business Building Conference in Dallas, TX, an invitation-only event for Sage Intacct partners, where their entry into the community was welcomed with much enthusiasm. They also said that the team at Sage Intacct has been incredibly supportive of their efforts, as they’re excited to add solutions that can help them expand their reach in their growing market segment of distribution companies.

Read the full press release here.

ScanForce offers Warehouse Management, Mobile Sales, Manufacturing Automation, Label Printing, and more.

From simple mobile inventory tools to full-blown WMS (and everything in between) your ScanForce solution expands to your needs. Learn more at https://www.scanforce.com/.