Wouldn’t it be nice if your clients could just write their accounts payable checks without having to have a license, or learn to use accounts payable? With INTERAC Checkbook, that’s exactly what they can do. It really is as easy as an electronic checkbook, complete with check printing capabilities, and it generates the transaction file for updating in Accounts Payable and General Ledger. 

Think of INTERAC Checkbook as a simplified, remote Accounts Payable system. The client can write checks, record receipts, and even enter miscellaneous AP transactions, all of which are submitted to your INTERAC Client Accounting system for processing. Checkbook can be run as a stand-alone application at the client site, hosted on a cloud server, or on your in-house Terminal Server. 

Checkbook integrates with Accounts Payable, making the entire process easier for both you and your client. 

• Manage the vendor master records from either Checkbook or AP.
• Enter invoices and print checks, just like a checkbook.
• Enter cash receipts.
• Enter miscellaneous AP transactions.
• It submits the transactions, ready for processing in AP and distribution to General Ledger. 

Checkbook also provides an instant check register view and printable report, along with a complete selection of Accounts Payable reports from the INTERAC report library. 

If you need an easy to use solution to help your clients manage their accounts payable processing, INTERAC Checkbook may be just the solution you were looking for. 


Other Resources:
INTERAC Checkbook Brochure

As software tools have become vital to the long term success in business, your software vendors need to become part of your team as technology partners. If your current vendors are not considered partners, why not? If it is due to issues in your organization, I would encourage you to reevaluate. On the other hand, if you have tried and are unable to establish this sort of relationship with an established vendor, it may be time to search for a replacement.
 
Before you go to the expense and disruption of a complete software conversion, explore the areas of need and concern with your existing vendors. Although there are times when a conversion is the right answer, it is not something that should be taken lightly. Look for a “partner” not just a vendor, one you will be comfortable with for at least the next ten years. With hundreds of software solutions available that may provide the basic features and functionality you need, the support and training to help your team make the most of them should be a key factor in selecting your next software partner.

Don’t be afraid to ask. As a software vendor, we are eager to hear from users. We encourage users not to wait until they are frustrated to call for help. Customer support services are offered as a means to assist with finding the best way to accomplish a task using our software tools. Who better to guide you than those who created it. These calls both help the end user and the vendor. The feedback we get from users helps us understand the needs and identify areas where we can improve our applications. It is truly a win – win scenario.
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It is easy to get “stuck in a rut”, but you don’t have to stay there. Software should be viewed as a tool just like the other tools of the trade. Make it work for you. Take the time to learn to use it in the most efficient and effective way possible. Your software investment should grow with you. It shouldn’t wear out and be disposed of like hardware. Through ongoing upgrades and enhancements, it should become an indispensable tool for maximizing the productivity and profitability of your organization.

Guest post by Adam Stern, CEO of Infinitely Virtual

It’s now part of the conventional wisdom that cloud computing has altered the IT delivery model. The steady embrace of the cloud among businesses large and small does not, however, mean that organizations can or should let their guard down on matters of security and data protection. While cloud server hosting provides compelling benefits, security is an essential part of any discussion of cloud adoption. Mitigating security risks is imperative to creating a comfort level among CIOs and CISOs, to transition applications and data to the cloud.
 
Applications, systems and data all have different security thresholds.  Even in highly regulated industries such as healthcare or financial services, there are cases in which virtual servers make sense. For example, web, mobile and social can be moved to a virtual server without the same degree of security concern as there is for regulated information or mission critical applications.
 
When deciding whether an application, product or service belongs in a cloud server, CIOs and CISOs must consider:

• Type of data or application;
• Service-level agreement; and
• Security environment.

 The decision to move to the cloud, especially the public cloud, should depend on the sensitivity of the data and the level of security offered by the cloud provider. The final question should be whether the business value offsets the risk.
 
Cloud service providers (CSPs) are beginning to put a greater emphasis on security protections, with technologies such as clustered firewalls and intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS). In the cloud’s infancy, CSPs touted scalability, initial cost savings and speed. But the prospect of enhanced security in the cloud – indeed, that the better cloud deployments now mean that data is safer in the cloud than on a typical unsecured desktop – has altered the conversation. Organizations assessing cloud service providers can now seek out CSPs whose security controls mitigate the risks of moving to the cloud.
 
When considering a move to virtual server hosting, CIOs and CISOs need to check for audits of a CSP’s security controls.  Look for providers who have passed the SSAE (Standards for Attestation Engagements) No. 16 Type II audit, one of the most rigorous auditing standards for hosting companies.  The audit confirms the highest level of service and reliability attainable for a virtual server hosting company.  To be SSAE compliant, a hosting provider should offer SSL capability, enterprise-level, application level protection, hardware firewall, IP-restricted FTP, managed backups with 14-day retention, advanced monitoring and multi-level intrusion prevention.
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In addition, an increasing number of CSPs are using the American Insti­tute of Certified Public Accountants’ Service Organization Control process (SOC), the organization’s certification of controls with verification for cloud environments. Some of the larger cloud service providers now publish SOC reports on their security controls. Mandates from CIOs and CISOs may be required before SOC reports are published by all cloud providers.
 
Now more than ever, cloud service providers are realizing that managing security is fundamental to facilitating cloud adoption. Those cloud providers concerned about safeguarding their clients’ data and applications are taking steps to mitigate those risks with tight security controls and transparency regarding those controls.