One of the challenges that many accountants face is accurately capturing employee time for their live payroll clients. INTERAC provides a variety of solutions to this issue. 

Spreadsheet Time Sheets can be a simple but effective way to gather employee time. A time keeper can enter a whole crew’s time into a single sheet and submit the data. Anyone with basic computer skills can act as a time keeper, and it is very easy to review and edit the data for accuracy before it is processed. 

Clients who utilize time clock systems can generally submit their data in spreadsheet format, making it easy to import. Using INTERAC InterLink import/export utilities, data from a spreadsheet is easily imported directly into payroll for processing, eliminating the errors and time spent with manually keying the data in. 

For clients who need a more complete payroll solution, INTERAC offers the Payroll Data Entry application, which is an easy way to offer just the functionality that is needed. It can be run as a stand-alone application at the client site, as a hosted application on a cloud server, or an in-house terminal server, whatever fits the requirements best. 

Payroll Data Entry is ideal for client installations, particularly where they need the ability to process payroll and print checks in-house. Because it is a subset of the actual payroll application, it offers lots of capabilities:

• It provides complete payroll data entry capabilities because it includes the actual payroll journalizing application. If that is all that the client needs, the transaction files may be submitted for processing.
• Clients can manage their own employee setup, adding and editing employees as needed.
• Where appropriate, clients are able to complete the payroll process, printing checks, and disbursing direct deposits. 
• The system generates the payroll data files for distribution to the General Ledger, but it does not have the ability to post. This prevents posting before they have been reviewed. 

Whatever your situation, INTERAC provides a variety of ways to help streamline your payroll data capture process. 


Other Resources:
Payroll Data Entry Brochure

An all too common pitfall is a reluctance to invest in training. We find that our most successful customers are eager to have new hires trained to use their software tools. In addition to training new users, there is value in an occasional refresher course to be sure that the entire team is taking full advantage of the software tools. With all the new enhancements that are being added, it is easy to get behind and never utilize these new, time saving features.

There is never a good time, so waiting until things slow down, or till business picks up, or whatever excuse you might use, training needs to be a priority that is scheduled and utilized just like you would for safety training or job certifications. The productivity gains realized will more than offset the cost and minor disruption to the routine. For some, it means sending users to training seminars, while others prefer to have a trainer come to them. Webinars are also a very effective way to deliver training. There are lots of options that can be tailored to fit your schedule organization providing your organization with the productivity gains to improve your bottom line performance, and after all, that is really what it’s all about.

User conferences are a great opportunity to learn what is new with your software. Not only will you learn about the latest enhancements and new products from the developer, the exchange of ideas and questions from other users may help you discover new ways of doing things that you would not have otherwise thought of. One of the benefits we consistently hear about from user conference attendees is their opportunity to share ideas with other users.
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Scheduling routine software reviews with your vendor will help to identify processes that can be improved, features that are not being utilized, and other creative ways to increase productivity. Remember, your vendors work with lots of other users, so they have experience with a variety of ways to approach a given task. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of their expertise and recommendations. They are the most qualified to suggest best practices for their systems.

​Windows Server powers many of the world’s largest data centers, but it also delivers value to small- to midsize business (SMBs).  Windows Server 2012 redefines the server category, delivering hundreds of new features and enhancements that span virtualization, networking, storage, user experience, cloud computing, automation, and more.  For SMBs, virtualizing Windows Server 2012 through a cloud service provider can help transform IT operations, reducing costs and delivering an entirely new level of business value.

But why Windows Server 2012?
 
Windows Server 2012 provides a scalable, highly available platform for mission-critical applications and offers enhanced support for open standards, open source applications and various development languages.  Windows Server 2012 also makes it easier to deploy a virtual desktop infrastructure, and can lower storage costs. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure in Windows Server 2012 enables businesses to access IT from virtually anywhere, providing a rich Windows experience while ensuring enhanced data security and compliance.

For SMBs considering Windows cloud server hosting Windows Server 2012 offers optimum flexibility. Quality cloud service providers (CSPs) provide a number of Windows 2012 hosting plans, along with support for Windows 8 as well. These kinds of plans harness cloud solutions to advance the growth of SMBs.  Windows cloud servers offered through quality CSPs are 100 percent protected, 100 percent secure, 100 percent scalable and deliver 100 percent uptime. 

Windows virtual server hosting using Windows 2012 delivers a host of benefits, from the ability to select a graphical user interface to dramatically simplified licensing.  Its Server Manager offers multi-server capabilities, making it extremely easy to deploy roles and features remotely to physical and virtual servers. Windows 2012 incorporates integrated security features such as Dynamic Access Control (DAC) and adds Storage Spaces, a new feature that enables users to create a storage pool using inexpensive hard drives. Its Hyper-V Replica replication mechanism provides true disaster recovery capabilities to SMBs that might otherwise find that kind of solution unattainable due to cost constraints.

To ensure comprehensive data protection, SMBs considering a move to Windows virtual server hosting should expect free onsite and offsite backup using Application-Consistent Snapshot technology.  With Application-Consistent Snapshots, entire servers or individual files can be restored in minutes in a consistent state. Database and disk transactions are complete and free of data corruption.

Business should also require that their cloud service provider offer Perimeter Intrusion Detection Prevention and Perimeter Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware with Windows virtual server hosting. This ensures that every network transaction is inspected by unique perimeter devices, blocking known attacks and CVEs. Viruses and malware transmitted over unencrypted connections are blocked before they reach the client’s server.  

Windows cloud servers enable SMBs to stay lean and scale instantly when required. They permit organizations to do business anywhere, empowering them to be faster and bolder than competitors who have yet to make the move.