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Neil asked a loaded question

I wonder if Neil knows just how loaded his question: "What's the reporting issue in your view?" really is. From my perspective. Those who read AccountingWEB may know I've acquired the reputation as the semi-resident Spreadsheet Rottweiller. Those that got John Stokdyk's email this week certainly know that!

I won't rehearse the arguments here except to say when a finance house overpays  £135 million on a mortgage book because of spreadsheet error, then I rest my case - again.

Most software vendors have consistently let down their customers by failing to provide a proper reporting solution. They stop at recording the transaction. They're not lazy but reporting is  difficult to code. But you already know that from the amount of time you waste building spreadsheets you pray are error free (Howlett - shut up - you promised not to do it and you're off.)

I believe Sage has missed huge opportunities to make a difference in its acquisition sprees. I also believe the choices available to OMB/SME businesses are abysmal. Hence the spreadsheet rules by default. While professionals are forced to use specialist, EXPENSIVE products like IRIS, Viztopia and the rest.

I make no secret of the fact that I believe the SaaS route offers real possibilities to change that dynamic by offering a genuine win-win-win. You'll be hearing more about this from a live customer - soon.

'Nuff said - feel free to discuss.

Is Softworld dead?

I received one of those 'come read my interesting stuff' emails today from Softworld Interactive. Except it isn't interesting at all. Softworld's a show I've been trudging faithfully to for more than 15 years. At least it feels that long. Now its time is done. Sure, it's fun to catch up with folk I've not seen for 6 months or a year and you can be sure that even if the badges change, the faces will remain broadly the same. This is a show that is shrinking rapidly.

Sure, consolidation has taken its toll but in reality, no-one's saying anything interesting or fresh. No-one for instance is talking about how accounting software could be used as a source for communications. And still, no vendor has really cracked the reporting issue. You've still got reliance on spreadsheets or some other cack-handed way of preparing final accounts.
Which is a pity as Sage for instance has acquired some great products that aren't yet integrated into its offering that could boost productivity by a country mile.

But with the rise of 'software as services' I'm wondering whether we need a dedicated show at all. In the virtual world, you can demonstrate things over the wire very easily. You can see what works and what doesn't and the relative strengths and weaknesses quickly become apparent. You definitely DON'T see that in today's client/server product demonstrations where the emphasis is on whizzy features no-one uses.

Technorati Tags : softworld+interactive, saas, Twinfield, Sage+software+line50

Meeting Scoble - an insight into Microsoft

I've wanted to meet Robert Scoble for some time so I couldn't let the opportunity pass while at Les Blogs 2.0. He's the public face of Microsoft but he's also a public critic. I've met Bill Gates (dull) and Steve Ballmer (loud) so it was good to meet someone from the so-called Evil Empire who is prepared to answer direct questions with direct, if not always complete answers.

Microsoft is currently developing an update to Office and a new operating system to meet (some of) the challenges of the current trend towards everything being done over the internet rather than on the desktop. I'm concerned this will lead to what I term Split Windows where the applications used in business will run as now- usually as desktop or server based products - while the consumer experience will be almost wholly online. I believe this could create a real problem of user satisfaction. This is because the online world is now providing an extremely rich experience for users that is genuinely easy to use. The client/server applications space is nothing like it. Clunky. I also believe the concentration on consumer feeling products opens the door for SaaS applications to steal users from Windows based applications like Navision.

Scoble isn't convinced. The gist of what he said to me  and my reflections go like this:

• Scoble suggests there will always be occasions where we need offline applications -an example might be analysis using Excel. I agree. But. Companies will want dedicated storage for these things. But will it be virtual storage or owner managed? If virtual, doesn't that reinforce the 'virtual is better' idea?   
• Scoble says he wouldn't go back to current versions of Excel having used Excel 12 and its new pivot table capabilities which he   described as 'awesome'.  Can't comment though David Carter has positive views on this. I'll hold judgment on that one.   
• He doesn't think wikiCalc will be strong   enough to be widely adopted.  I disagree. wikiCalc is in early development but all the basic functions needed for   a reporting application - as are required for accounts production - are already there. And it's open source so SaaS developers can make it better - if they choose. Of course with the massive investment aleady made in Excel by resellers, online versions have an uphill battle if released on their own.   
• According to Microsoft research, pounding online forms based applications all day is 15% less efficient than using desktop applications. I haven't seen this   research but the comment made me  pause for thought. If Scoble is right, then isn't that a reflection of the current state of Internet technology   rather than the applications themselves? From a practitioners' perspective, this should not be an issue because clients would individually do the bulk of the initial processing.
• It is hard to imagine a time when we won't run product or services on anything other than a Windows platform. I pretty much agree on this in the sense that market shares for all operating systems have pretty much stabilised. And if you think of the history: UNIX didn't kill of the mainframe and Windows didn't kill off UNIX. Macs are enjoying something of a resurgence but I've yet to be convinced they will wean people away from the PC. However, they offer opportunities for mixed machine shops to use more online services.  Market shares change but it's a big world and anything could happen.

Needless to say, I think this debate will take on greater significance in the run up to the release of the new Windows Vista and Office applications.

Thanks for lending your time to me Robert. Much appreciated.

 

Technorati Tags : les+blogs, Robert+Scoble, Excel, Windows+Vista lesblogs

SAP wants your business

SAP is the giant of the enterprise applications world but it has failed to make headway in the SME market. Yet again though, it is making a strong marketing play to capture your hearts and minds. If you've not seen it, then I recommend  looking at SAP's white paper Moving Beyond Accountancy.

 

The paper points up the need to move away from non-compliance work and throws out some interesting statistics:

SMEs are often disappointed by their investments in   business software. the most common reasons why business software failed to   deliver were: 

• failure to change internal processes -     56%   
• poor or inadequate implementation approaches -     33%   
• lack of training - 25%   
• benefits not adequately assessed in the first     place - 14%

Source: Revving up for the new regs, PMP Research,   2005

Naturally, SAP pours praise on professionals as being in the ideal place to offer practical advice. And as usual, the spinmeisters at SAP have done a compelling job in surrounding you with fuzzy warm words.

 

I have to give them credit for thinking about the overall process angle as a differentiator as opposed to punting pure accounting functionality. But the fact remains that SAP solutions for SMEs have not proven attractive. Whether that is the way they've been pitched, the complexity and relative inflexibility of the software or whether SAP just hasn't got the bodies in place that truly understand this market is a mystery.

 

Nevertheless, if you have clients that need process beyond accounting functionality, then you could do worse than to listen to the SAP pitch. Just be sure you've got your BS detectors on full alert. SAP is very, very good at sales execution. Much of that centres on your believing you're a member of an exclusive club. It works at the enterprise level. I'm not so sure that SMEs will be enamoured.

 

Technorati Tags : SAP+accountants, practice+development

I've been in IT hell

The last few days have been hell. My usually trusty IBM R51 laptop died. Last weekend, it started developing problems but I couldn't deal with it at the time. By Monday afternoon, things were getting serious. The system was slowing down, freezing and then spinning back into life. I instantly thought 'virus.' Hours and a lot of testing later - nothing, zippo, nada.

 

Tuesday morning and while on a call, I saw the dreaded blue screen of death. For the first time ever on an IBM laptop. I coaxed the machine back into life but by this stage the hard disk was making grinding sounds. Ah-ha - possible hard disk failure.

 

I have an automated backup and recovery procedure which, when combined with IBMs recovery subsystems has always served well. No problems. I set the systems off to do their stuff and then made a fresh attempt at bringing the machine back to life. Why? I'm under pressure on a project. For the remainder of the day, things seemed sort of OK but I knew I'd better get a spare hard disk.

 

Wednesday - hell. By mid-afternoon, things are looking grim and to make matters worse, I ran out of backup CDs for the IBM rescue. I changed the disk and installed a fresh copy of Windows. To my horror, something had gone badly wrong. The laptop could neither see nor detect a number of devices, including the connection to the backup USB drive, the network for ADSL or the modem. As a result, there was no way to get out to the Internet or retrieve the files.

 

Thursday morning and I'm banging on the door of the local computer dealer. I don't care what it is as long as it has a network card and USB ports. By lunchtime I had Windows installed with most stuff I need running. Breathing a sight of relief, I clicked on the USB drive-to find a broken version of Windows and no data. Now I'm in deep poo - sort of.

 

Since I make great use of hosted services, I lost almost none of the data I need to run my business. I lost a lot of email, but not all. I have gmail as well as a standard POP address. I've needed to call a handful of clients and beg for the last couple of weeks email. I'm really sorry to those wherre I've let you down on promised delivery. It could have been avoided - but only with the benefit of hindsight.

Which got me thinking. Why on earth do I (did I) keep years of that stuff? No more. Regular clean up for me from now on. Which brings me back to the IBM R51.

 

I will get to the bottom of what's happened but not now. There are simply too many other things going on. The inconvenience of not having a laptop is not too much of an issue. I don't travel as I used to and I can moblog if I need to.

 

Despite the catalogue of problems, I'm relaxed. Using hosted services is a life saver. But in future, I will make sure I fully understand how the IBM rescue and recovery process works. Oh yes - I'm sticking with them. Their kit will form the hub of the setup I'm building early next year. Because in all the years I've used IBM kit, this is th efirst time it's floored me. I can forgive it for one time at least.

 

Technorati Tags : IBM+R51+failure, customer+service

Drawing the line

In a discussion around EDS and the 'failed' tax credits system, David Carter, head honcho at Excel Zone comments that:

"You shouldn't attempt to computerise anything unless there is a mature manual system already in place. Over the years the manual system winkles out all the possible anomalies, special conditions etc. You can then write your spec confident that the new computerised system will cover everything. "

Before going on, I should say that much of what David had to say earlier in the piece resonated with me. But here, there are a number of flaws that matter for when you're thinking about consulting with clients:

• There is an implication that manual processes acquire a degree of perfection. That's patently absurd. Witness the amount of process error - writing the wrong amount in a cheque book stub for example.
• This argument represents what I call the Zero-Sum Applications Game. There is no effectiveness in merely transferring manual to automated. Only a one time acceleration. There may be benefits in reduced error, but not before the process is examined for potential gaps. If on the other hand you believe David to be right then you might as well consider direct offshoring and outsourcing.
• There is no room in this argument for innovation in the application of process to activities that are not subject to formal process or which are part of wider, business critical processes but which have not been optimised. For instance, the disconnect between book-keeping and management accounting or managemernt accounting and more formal financial statements is a prime area that is only now being addressed at a point where professionals can see real benefits to both their practices and clients.
• There is no room for consideration of alternative. Offshoring, which I've talked about a lot is one such alternative which could deliver enormous value - in the right hands and for the right things.

This is the kind of debate that will roll on and on. It's important because when considering these issues, there is always a potential to discover value.

 

Technorati Tags : offshoring, EDS+HMRC+project+failure, project+failure

wikiCalc update

I've had an offline conversation with Dan Bricklin, the co-inventor of Visicalc and the creator of wikiCalc. I'll outline it as it's important and there's no confidentiality in this case.

 

I explained that I'd like to see what amounts to an extended TB spread template with the ability to incorporate adjustments. This is a 'step 1' year end accounting idea.

 

I had a devil of a job getting this across to Dan. Despite being the inventor of Visicalc, Dan admits to not having a great deal of contact with accountants. OK - so before anyone groans, it does get better, much better. In a response, Dan said:

 

"...get the feeling you are looking for ways to copy   / create stuff on a spreadsheet. When wikiCalc gets "done" and the source is   available, you'll see that it gives you lots of opportunity to play around   yourself and make the product you want, whatever that is. Most operations on   the sheet (set formula, insert row, etc.) are performed internally by issuing   text commands to an "execute" routine. Therefore, you'll have access at a   somewhat macro-like level to automating operations as well as diving at the   lowest level into the Perl code to add/change any operations you want,   including import/export/calculations."

You don't have to be a geek to understand the opportunity. Those out there in the import/export game for Excel to whatever can kiss goodbye to that business. Developers and VARs should be falling over themselves to integrate this directly into new SaaS offerings. Those looking at alternative ways to deliver information to clients now have a legitimate asset you can adapt and use for competitive advantage.

 

Watch this space. The beta comes available in a couple of weeks. Bookmark the date: 12th December, 2005.

Review - Dragon Naturally Speaking v.8.1

I need a headset for Skype conversations and for background music that won't annoy other people who may be around. This weekend, I've been test driving  a Plantronics CS-60 wireless headset which comes as part of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred Edition - a speech-to-text product. I promised the PR wonk that sent it I'd crank out a review so here goes.

I'm a fan of Plantronics kit. My DSP-300 headset has been a faithful companion for several years though I  finally managed to wear out the headphone 'cushions' last month. It's not on the current Plantronics product list and for those that want this type of device, I'd opt for the updated and more robust DSP-500. Back to the CS-60.

As a USB powered wireless headset, it's the dog's nuts. It provides clear audio through several walls and up to around 50 feet distance from the machine before the signal starts to break up. This should be more than enough for anyone in an office environment. Sound quality doesn't quite match the DSP-300 but then it's a single earpiece device so maybe I'm expecting a bit much. I found I had to crank the volume up using Control Panel>Sounds to hear sound at an acceptable level.

You have to decide whether to attach one of the round-the-ear-hook-up-thingies or the over-the head-wire-jobby. I've got sticky out big ears so the over the head thingy is the only viable option. It's very comfortable though wearing one of these makes me look more of a pratt than normal.

The mic boom is a bit too snug to the face for my liking. It gets in the way when my beard develops an itch or when I try to eat a bacon sarny. My personal anatomy aside, the recorded sound quality is certainly on a par with the DSP-300 and the annoying background hum I had with the DSP300 on recorded items has disappeared.

Dragon Naturally Speaking version 8.1 is the latest incarnation of a long standing contender in the voice recognition, speech-to-text market. Voice recognition has never hit the mainstream though it has enojoyed popularity for those with physical impediments and in the medical profession.

Part of the reason has been the relatively poor level of 'understanding' these systems have of individual speech patterns. This has left the impression these systems are 'inaccurate.'  The other reason is the necessity to spend time  'training' speech applications to understand your voice. This version is much easier and faster to train than any other speech-to-text application I've tried. The total direct time 'investment' was around 30 minutes. That's more than acceptable. Inevitably, it needs fine tuning but that need be no more inconvenient than making spell check corrections.  The big question: would I use it in day-to-day life? A qualified 'yes.'

As I get older and do more work with speech related technologies - like podcasting - the computer keyboard seems increasingly irrelevant. Years of banging a keyboard have left their toll and I'd prefer a more 'natural' interface with the computer.

The speed at which Dragon transcribes my speech is an order of magnitude faster and more accurate than earlier versions. I can talk at a natural pace without having to stop and start every few moments to make corrections. My one caveat is that Dragon prefers Microsoft applications like Outlook and Word, while I prefer OpenOffice and Thunderbird. Also, I use a number of 'over the wire' applications that are not directly supported by Dragon. That translates into the inconvenience of developing a piece of material in say WordPad and then having to cut 'n' paste into the online application. But there are other areas where you'd find Dragon very convenient.

Say for example you use a Palm OS based PDA. You can dictatequick notes and then synch to your PC when you return to the office withouthaving to transcribe the notes. A real productivity boon.

At a tad under £200 this is not a cheap package. But the price will drop as wireless headsets become mainstream. Would I use it on a day to day basis? 50% of the time. Would I recommend it? Sure.

Technorati Tags : Dragon+Naturally+Speaking

$100 laptop

According to the Guardian Online, MIT has been developing a $100 laptop it plans to provide for the developing world.  Kevin Manley at USA Today is reporting that students in Iran want to know where to get this device.

 

The democratisation of technology has long been an issue for the developed world. You don't need a social conscience to know we live in a world of have and have nots. Some might argue that developing a product for under-developed countries is a cynical ploy to spread western consumerism to countries that can only dream of having enough to eat let alone lead a comfortable lifestyle. I don't believe that.

 

There are too many benefits for this technology. How useful might it be for local people to get instant answers to relatively simple questions where today they rely on the physical presence of experts?

 

From a wider perspective, I'm wondering what this says about the ubiquity of information. In particular I see this kind of initiative as exactly the kind of thing that local businesses need to know about. Why? In retail for instance, wouldn't it be great if consumers could get access to producers of Fair Trade products? How about finding new products and maybe services that could be brought back to the UK?

 

For an FAQ on the project - click this link

 

Technorati Tags : $100_laptop 

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A sea change at more than one level

I see that CNet is now banging the SaaS drum. More significant is the fact that more larger businesses are looking at the SaaS delivery model. In thinking about this, it struck me there's something glaringly obvious I've missed when discussing the value of a SaaS model.

 

If you can get information over the wire and, in a short time, over SMS, then think about what you could offer your management accounting clients. Instead of sending letters or making calls you could maybe trigger an SMS out of the accounts, saying they need to login to look at the last period's figures so you can discuss a sudden increase in GPM or an unusual fall in customer service costs. What value could that bring to everyone? And at what cost? 30-50p? What if your client was on vacation and you needed to discuss something urgently? Doesn't the same delivery mechanism short circuit all those frantic calls? How much does that cost? 60p? What value does it deliver?

 

Now tell me this. Just how are you going to do that with the existing applications you use? ( I sincerely hope all those that think SaaS is only about a price battle are reading carefully.)

 

Technorati Tags : SaaS, software_as_a_service

 

 

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