Category: Technology

ISV Spotlight: NonProfitPlus

Non-Profit Organizations have a complex relationship with technology, especially depending on one’s size and the resources available. We’ve never met a social entrepreneur that has formed a not-for-profit with the end goal of using technology to streamline business processes and administrative functions. Non-Profits start as a thought, an idea to create a system that will provide a solution in a community. Here at NonProfitPlus, we come into contact with organizations that provide noble services such as housing for the homeless, after-school programs for at-risk youth, and life-changing support for recovering addicts. Their ambitions are admired, their tasks are never-ending and their self-motivation is inspiring. There is no doubt that these organizations leave a positive mark on communities both near and far.

November 4, 2014

Where is Everyone Going?

Do you commute to work? Do you sit in traffic during that commute? Do you sit in an unreasonable amount of traffic? Do you feel your time can be better spent being more productive? If so I’m with you. Anyone else feel it’s crazy to pay $13.50 to go 10 miles slightly faster and then still have to sit in a jam after those 10 miles?

This is life in the DC area and it can easily be that same case for any major metropolitan city. I have heard comedians make the joke that to get ride of all the traffic, if only the people going north could change jobs or homes with the people going south everything would be fine (it goes something like that). Traffic is a plague to the issues like fossil fuels and ozone. There is a 21^st century solution to all these problems; work remotely.

October 29, 2014

Responsibility vs. Blame

In the many organizations and projects I have been through, I always hear someone saying these words, “We must have more accountability around here.” But, in reality what they ‘really’ mean is, “I want to know whom to blame when something goes wrong”. We assume that by early identification of a scapegoat you have put the fear of blame in you or at least the fear of consequences related to that blame and further assume that fear is an effective motivator.

October 28, 2014

We have an App for you!

KTL Solutions has been creating customizations for Microsoft Dynamics GP since before there was a Microsoft Dynamics GP. Dynamics GP was originally Dynamics by Great Plains Software and some of our products go back that far. These add-on modules for GP have been designed to fill a need that the core functionality of GP does not provide. We will be looking at 3 core products that KTL offers as add-ons to GP. These are AP Fast Entry, Payroll Security, and Advanced Distributions.

October 14, 2014

Integrative Technology Improvement – Diagnose Before Prescribe

From the time the innovative General Hannibal implemented new technology (elephants) to enhance his ability to wage war, technology improvements affect the way we do things. Unfortunately, some technology adoptions have had piecemeal, rather than strategic approaches. To quote a new colleague (discussing a recent company who is looking for a new accounting system), “they currently have a Franken-system”, a monster of mish-mashed technologies that absorb vast resources and lull an organization into thinking that technology is addressing its real needs.

October 10, 2014

Communication is Key

I have been consulting now for over 27 years. When I first started, verbal communication was the accepted and expected way of exchanging ideas, concerns, and complaints. It was efficient and thus you completed your objectives in a timely manor.

Then came the 90’s and the Internet. Email entered our world and people started exchanging ideas via email. We still called each other to discuss issues and exchange information, but email slowly started making it’s way into how we communicate. People felt it was more efficient; they got more done because they could work on other tasks while waiting for a response.

Then the 21’st century came and everything really started to explode…

September 30, 2014

Save Money by Reducing your Time of Design with Bootstrap

As a software developer I am not much of a web designer. Sure I can create a functional website from scratch. It will have all the basic things a normal website would have: a header, navigation bar, main content, and anything else the user wants. Unfortunately, although functional, it won’t be the most eye pleasing design.

September 22, 2014

Networking by Fire

These days so much networking is done online; email, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to mention a few. Not allowing for face to face interaction and the opportunity let alone the availability to really sit and discuss / debate your industry. There is something to be said for just sitting around and talking face to face with colleagues.

I get my fair share of knowledge and excitement from events that I attend, but those are not the only places I find value. I feel a great deal of value comes from the networking at not only the formal networking events set up at these things, but the after everything has shut down and people are more laid back type of networking.

September 15, 2014

A Comparison of On-Premise vs. the Cloud

Most organizations are dependent on fast, accurate, and reliable information that their ERP systems provide. Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics CRM are just two of these that may be hosted On-Premise or in the Cloud. With this in mind, I wanted to compare two different installation models: On-Premise Installations vs. Cloud based installations.

September 12, 2014

ISVs: A blessing or a curse?

If you have been in the Dynamics world for any extended period of time chances are you have heard the term “ISV” or “third party product” and you have probably thought to yourself “What and who are these people?”

ISV stands for Independent Software Vendor. In the Dynamics world, these are companies that specifically write software for Dynamics products. Due to the large footprint that Dynamics has, there are hundreds if not thousands of ISVs out there. Most of these ISVs, or third party products, are industry specific….

September 8, 2014