Ransomware Attack Have you ever encountered a ransomware attack? It’s not good. Here’s a true story. A Crestwood client was the victim of an attack. Their on-premise servers got rooted badly, they even encrypted all the backups. The attackers were demanding over $100,000 to get back their information. What would you do? The client decided … Read more
With today’s rapidly changing business ecosystem, legacy ERP systems are giving way to cloud services. This shift is giving small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) all of the advantages known to larger competitors with the bandwidth and revenue to support such IT efforts. In fact, Gartner predicts 17.3% growth in 2019 to total $206.2 billion in … Read more
Acumatica vs. NetSuite. Two true cloud options—but is there a true winner? At Crestwood Associates, we have been in the business of customizing, implementing, and delivering business-changing software for more than two decades. As one of the leading channel partners in North America, we would today like to explore the key differences and compare two … Read more
I recently helped a Microsoft Dynamics GP client create a SmartList to pull in purchase order numbers for shipments and match receiving lines. Additionally they wanted to see the number of the receiving line. To accomplish this I created a SmartList Builder Report from the SmartList “Receiving Transactions.” Here’s how: The trick is we had … Read more
Increase cash flow and reduce collection times through automation There is an uptick in expectations around finance teams to be innovative as well as efficient. With this, more leaders in this area are looking for ways to work smarter, not harder. Modern CFOs are increasingly turning to cloud-based financial management systems to replace legacy ERP … Read more
Every business that sees the necessity of new ERP system software does so with the knowledge that ERP implementations can be challenging. Which leads to the question: is there someone who can do the big lifting, someone who can make the process a smooth and successful transition? We call that person the “champion,” and every … Read more
Acumatica uses report templates for most of the out-of-the-box forms and reports. This makes creating new reports so much faster and more efficient. Within these templates, you can view and change the appearance settings to suit your needs. Or you can start creating a new report, then add in the template; all the formatting will … Read more
Life would be so boring without change, don’t you think? We know that Microsoft agrees with that! One big change is coming that we wanted to make you aware of: the new, modern portal for submitting support requests for all Dynamics products (like Dynamics GP, Dynamics SL, and Dynamics 365 Business Central). Microsoft is working … Read more
As I was searching for a new topic for our Productivity Tips & Tricks, I came across this nifty tool called Dictate. Similar to voice to text on your mobile phone, this feature allows you (actually your fingers) to take a break from typing. What’s not to love about that? First thing, Dictate is only … Read more
Another new feature in the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 R2 release is the ability to select a default checkbook in the Payables Management setup window. The checkbook ID selected here will default in the Payables Batch Entry window when creating a “Computer Checks” batch. In previous versions, when a Payables batch was created using a … Read more
In previous versions of Microsoft Dynamics GP, any transaction posted from a sub-module that was not saved to a batch would automatically create a batch that had to be posted in the General Ledger. Not anymore! Users may now post through the General Ledger at the transaction level. Here’s how An additional checkbox has been … Read more
Construction professionals struggle with many of the same challenges as those in other areas of business, but with an entire set of unique issues. Accounting and ERP software designed specifically for construction contractors, fabrication, home builders, subcontractors, specialty contractors, and land developers with the solutions they require to improve their bottom line, can help keep … Read more
Managing fixed assets is a cornerstone of any good accounting software. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is no different. Here’s how to create and depreciate a new asset in a flash. Create a New Fixed Asset Go to Finance>Fixed Assets>New. Then enter the basic information (the fields in boxes below are required). Note: the subclass … Read more
Distribution businesses need real-time visibility into sales, order management, inventory, purchasing, production and services—and accounting information. Customers and employees now expect to have complete information at their fingertips. Maybe you’re considering a new or upgraded ERP system? Cloud solutions can help, but only if they’re built the right way. Do you know the difference between … Read more
Before you make any important business decisions, it is necessary to check the books. Can you afford to take on this project at this price, or will it strain the profit margin? Can we invest in new equipment this year, or do we need to put it off? Are the efforts we’ve been dedicating to … Read more
Attention Dynamics SL Users: You’ll notice a lot of “Dynamics GP” language used below – that’s only because we used Dynamics GP for our presentation. Management Reporter works exactly the same in Dynamics SL! Management Reporter (MR) in Dynamics GP is known for the valuable financial data it can offer — and in turn the … Read more
I recently had a customer call me and describe that their batches were taking a long time to release in Microsoft Dynamics SL. They have Cash Manager installed and configured properly, but any batches in Cash Manager, Check, or AP Payments, were taking forever to release. They even tried to cancel the release and redo … Read more
If you’re a visual person like I am, and you like things color coordinated, then you need to check out Color Categories in Microsoft Outlook. This feature has been around since 2010 and it’s a great way to get organized, and keep track of your emails. It helps me to sort and find my messages … Read more
With the release of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 R2, you can now limit the use of the pay code during the Payroll Transaction Entry and Build Payroll Batch process. Dynamics GP 2018 R2 includes two additional fields for a Start Date and an End Date on the employee pay code maintenance window. If you’re familiar … Read more
When you notice that numbers in the books have mysteriously changed, it is likely not a glitch; it’s probably a manual entry that was rewritten. Many basic accounting software programs, QuickBooks included, allow any user to login and edit data at will, without any restrictions or an audit trail. Unless you keep a close eye … Read more
Here’s a quick and great way to speed up your reports – enable pre-filtering in Microsoft Dynamics 365. Pre-filtering is a feature that allows users to restrict the parameters of the data they are grabbing. It leverages the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Advanced Find filtering. For example, you may want to enable pre-filtering when running a … Read more
Did you know that you can track your Skype chat conversations in Outlook, track call history, and durations? It can be a useful tool in regard to tracking time with clients or projects. Here’s how I use it. First make sure your Skype Options are set properly. For some companies this is controlled by your … Read more
Have you ever needed to move a field from one Acumatica tab to another? You might want to organize your fields on the tabs to match your process. It will make your day go faster and easier. I’m going to show you how, without needing an Acumatica developer to help. However, keep in mind that … Read more
What is a portal? A portal is a website you can customize for your customers, partners, or employees. It is connected to your Microsoft Dynamics 365 environment so users are able to externally: Submit and review cases or knowledge articles Create and review sales opportunities Utilize forums for discussions, questions, or suggestions Can you envision … Read more