Newsroom

Research and Development is a core part of our business, and ensuring we meet local requirements both statutory and functional is of paramount importance necessary as a top business software providers, to deliver solutions to our Business Partners.

We are proud to announce that the latest release of Sage Pastel Evolution (V6.6.71) is now available and has been shipped to customers. Some of the key new features include a powerful new Retail Point of Sale module which is aimed at the larger customer looking for speed, reliability and depth of functionality. In addition to this, significant improvements have been made to the Branch Accounting module which enables companies with remote operations to keep a finger on the pulse for day to day operations.

Our core functions and features have also been improved.  For a full listing of these enhancements, please use the following link: Sage Evolution V6.6.71 Release Notes, or discuss further with an authorized Business Partner.

Further investment was made into the core framework of the application which will enable faster deployment of features, as well as leveraging of newer technologies and platforms like IOS and Android. So while we wrap up for 2011, 2012 is shaping up to be a bumper year!

Are you looking for an integrated and holistic view of your small to medium sized business? 

 If so, then look no further than the Sage Pastel Evolution Professional. 

This product will revolutionise the way that you do business by bringing all aspects of your operating environment together.   Sage Pastel Evolution Professional easily integrates with other software applications and gives you the ability to control your financial situation as well as your relationships with your customers, suppliers and employees.   

Sage Pastel Evolution Professional as a core product is feature-rich giving you the power to run your business, but the add-on modules that are available make it a truly revolutionary software solution.   

Click here for more details about this product

Congratulations to all those eligible for the Complimentary BIC Module.

Organisations which have legal entities in multiple locations may encounter difficulties in optimising operational efficiencies and control within their various branches. The new new Branch Accounting module for Sage Evolution ERP simplifies and streamlines business processes and transactions between all of these entities.

Branch Accounting enables bi-directional synchronisation and consolidation of  accounting and business data. Information can now be shared, consolidated and saved on both the centralised system at the head office as well as at branch level. For example, all financial, inventory and pricing data is always up-to-date and consistent across branches. Product prices can be changed at head office level and automatically pushed to all branches. Another major benefit allows one to set records to be only available at a specific branch and permissions can be set accordingly.

Branch Accounting includes the ability to transact at local level even if the ADSL lines or virtual private network become unavailable. In addition, any potential loss of data due to fire or theft will be kept to a minimum, as regular consolidation and replication will house data at head office over and above any off-site backup processes. Data for a particular branch can be restored and sent to the relevant branch with minimum effort and time.

Setup can be configured either in an Offline or Online method which provides flexibility on the setup to take advantage of strong networks when available or use automatic synchronization via the secure ftp protocol in remote locations

Branch Accounting assists in:

• Increasing productivity as a result of simplified transactions.
• Minimising potential errors with once-off data capturing.
• Providing full visibility into business activities with the complete audit trail, which details transaction histories for the head office per branch.
• Creating efficient, cost-effective transactions with affiliate and subsidiary companies.

Main features of Pastel Evolution Branch Accounting:

• Centralised and Decentralised Accounting.
• Document numbers and transaction types per branch.
• Ability to merge data to the head office database.
• Reports consolidated by branch at the head office.
• Global and local Customers and Suppliers.
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) as a communication protocol.

From 1 October 2006, Sage (UK) Limited (Sage) adopted a policy to formalise  the procedure of withdrawing support for software versions that are a minimum of five versions behind the latest release.  

As a result of this policy the following is important to note:

1. Sage 50 V11 has now reached the support anniversary date and no support is available as of April 2011

2. Sage 50 V12 is currently in the cycle and as such Support for this version will terminate at the end of April 2013

3. Sage 50 V14 is currently in the cycle and as such Support for this version will terminate at the end of April 2013

What to do next?

To ensure our customers are taking advantage of all that the latest version allows for including support for the Australian and New Zealand tax management we are offering a special upgrade price to get to the latest version. As a first point of contact, we would advise you to speak to your authorized Sage partner to determine what the impact of this would mean to your business.

Why do software companies do this?

 It is standard industry practice for technology companies to withdraw support from older versions of software. Every year we invest in research and development to improve our software and services. We do this in line with regular customer feedback, and take into account new technology and changes in legislation. We believe that using the latest software is the best way for us to help your customers run their business effectively.

 By concentrating our resources on looking forward, we can help your customers move forward too. We also want to ensure that we continue to offer the best level of support for our software that we can. We want our customers to be able to reach technical experts with the right level of knowledge to answer their questions quickly. That means continuous investment in training and resources. Further details, including key dates are in our software lifecycle policy on the Sage website.

                                                                            

  

The Sage Cash Manager is a debtors management system that’s suitable for any business in any industry that seeks to optimize their debtors collection process. Unlike other products which tend to focus on the macro level, this is a hands-on practical system that automates the daily control of the debtor’s book

Have a look at the video below for an overview....

 

As part of our continuing investment in Research and Development we are proud to announce that Sage Pastel Evolution V6.5 has been officially released and is packed with many new features and enhancements.

So what's new?

Branch Accounting is probably the most exciting new module. It’s been designed specifically for companies with more than just a head office and simply put; it introduces scheduled bi-directional synchronisation and consolidation of data. This two-way data streaming comes with many benefits. In particular, information is now shared, consolidated and saved on both the centralised system at head office as well as at branch level. The benefits of this include the ongoing ability to transact at a local level even if the ADSL lines or virtual private network goes down. Also, any potential loss of data due to fire, theft, etc. can be kept to a minimum because of the regular consolidation and replication of data.

The other change is Evolution Retail Point of Sale which offers a fully integrated end-to-end retail management solution. It’s an easy to use, robust, keyboard driven application that generates sales orders, invoices and credit notes from a single simple interface. When bolted onto the Evolution ERP offering, control of inventory, pricing, inter-branch transfers and purchases are all maintained from a single area at head office. Other significant enhancements in Evolution 6.5 include the system audit manager, ageing per customer and supplier; Business Intelligence Genie; user defined fields on inventory document transaction lines and improvements on the Manufacturing and CRM modules.

Please contact your Business Partner to book your upgrade appointment.  If you are unsure of whom your business is, please call Usage Business Solutions on 02 9440 7216.

Downlaod your Sage Pastel International News Online!

A quarterly online publication full of tips and tricks and business news. An easy read not to be missed!

Welcome to the Spring edition of the Sage Pastel Intelligence Magazine. With the sun out and the gardens greening, you probably have renewed your vigour to ensure some year-end success in your business. With this in mind, you'll find Sage Pastel MD's thoughts on the use of Excel for business intelligence enlightening and exciting - read Big isn't always best for more info. In addition, if you didn't already know Sage Pastel Evolution have upgraded versions of the accounting and Evolution programs that certainly make for improved financial and business management. Sage Pastel Evolution Version 6.5 is here and there’s never been a better time to upgrade!

Previous editions of Sage Pastel Intelligence Magazineare below.

Issue 1 (2010)
Issue 2 (2010)

Issue 1 (2009)
Issue 2 (2009)

With the announcement of the GST rate change from 12.5% to 15% coming into effect from 1st October 2010 here in New Zealand, it is important to plan for the changes that will need to happen in your business to make the transition as easy as possible.   As a Sage Pastel user, you have nothing to fear with handling this change as our R&D team has taken great care in developing applications that are flexible, agile and quick to respond to legislative changes.  With over 20 years experience in over 50 countries it has given us a good depth of knowledge for various different market changes and how to deal with them with minimum effort to you the user. 

The changes to the software are relatively simple however care needs to be taken to ensure that various scenarios are handled correctly, the following FAQ whilst not an exhaustive list will provide insight to the changes required and management thereof:     

1.       Can I just change my GST rate to 15% on 1 October?  

No, a 15% GST rate won’t apply to every transaction posted from 1 October, such as some adjustments and credit notes prior to 1 October, and supplier invoices and transactions that are received late. Therefore it will be necessary to use both tax rates for a while. Remember the significance of the invoice date relevant to the tax rate, so it is essential to cater to 12.5% and 15% rates simultaneously. Merely changing 12.5% to 15% will not suffice. Common scenarios are where someone has paid for something prior to 1 October but not been invoiced until after 30 September or where an adjustment is made after 30 September to an invoice that was produced prior to 1 October. Seek advice from your accountant or financial advisor if in doubt.    

2.       Will I need to download new software or upgrade?  

It is recommended to be on the latest build of the relevant application you are on, for Sage Pastel Partner this is 10.2.4 and for Sage Pastel Evolution it is 6.00.46, whilst it is recommended it is not necessary, it is advisable to consult your Sage Pastel business partner for a system health check to ensure a smooth transition.    

3.      How do I get all my invoicing done by midnight on 30 September? 

 The IRD has granted 11 days grace (including 2 weekends) to allow for this. Be mindful of associating the correct rate with the date. 

4.      What about processing credit notes against invoices at the old rate of 12.5%? 

Credit notes will be processed by linking to the originating document. The transaction will be processed at 12.5%. During the transition it is wise to look at the selected tax rate/amount to satisfy yourself it is correct, before posting!

 5.       Where do I change the rates in the application? 

The change of rates is pretty easy in the system and is dependent on the application you are using, for Sage Pastel Partner please click here, for Line 50 here, and for Sage Evolution Users please click here     

So whether you are using Xpress, Partner or our ERP solution Evolution for larger customers …Sage Pastel has you covered. As always our dedicated Business Partner are available to field any queries that you may have on this and provide useful tips especially during the transition phase, for further information it is also worth looking at http://www.gstadvisory.govt.nz/ which will provide users with answers to frequently asked questions.

Business Solutions – beyond accounting

Sage Pastel, a leading developer of accounting, payroll, ERP and business management software for the small, medium and large enterprise market has never had the luxury of supplying business solutions to a market that could afford complex offerings that take years to implement and entail months of intensive user training.

When customers started growing and asking for a system that could go beyond accounting and give them the benefits of enterprise resource planning (ERP), we knew we had to keep the system both simple – in terms of being easy to implement and use – and affordable, in terms of minimising consultancy requirements and total cost of ownership.

We succeeded so well that the system can happily scale up to 1 000 users while being operational within a month and costing less than half of competitor products.

And we achieved that by ensuring that the basics that had always worked so well in our accounting products - financials, payroll, human resources, and purchase order and procurement management – formed the heart of any additional functionality we provided. To use a piece of jargon, we ensured that the best practice we had perfected in accounting was transferred into the broader ERP solutions we developed.

That, in turn, meant that additional functionality was automatically based on best practice without complicating the use of the software in any way.

Then, we created a software development kit (SDK) that third party software developers could use to develop niched, customer-specific applications to run on our products. That way, customers could get what they wanted without having to pay for functionality in the main system that they would never use.

And we created separate, pre-integrated modules covering universally applicable disciplines, such as business intelligence, that customers could acquire when they were ready.

In other words, through the sheer necessity of keeping our installed base happy (and, thereby, ensuring continued organic growth for ourselves), we unwittingly stripped the mystique out of ERP. We acted on our belief that ERP is just a single system for running the whole of your business.

It doesn’t have to be complex. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming. It doesn’t have to be expensive. And it certainly is not something mysterious to which only certain software vendors have the magic key.

You see, there’s money to be made wherever there is mystery – and for too many years ERP systems have been shrouded in awe. And with that has come an enormous price tag and the myth that ERP is suitable only for very large organisations – that are able to afford them and have the extensive internal information technology (IT) resources to manage and maintain them.

The great irony is that we proved the opposite to be true not because we set out to do so but because we just got on with doing a job our customers needed us to do. Common sense prevailed – to the benefit of our customers as well as ourselves.

So, the next time you’re in a conversation with a vendor about implementing ERP for your SME, think twice if the implementation is going to take longer than a month.

Founded in 1989, Sage Pastel has developed an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the industry As Sage Pastel International, operating in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.

The Sage Pastel product range has been developed to provide comprehensive accounting and business solutions for start-up, small, medium and larger sized companies. This scalable range includes My Invoicing, My Business, Sage Pastel Xpress, Sage Pastel Partner and Sage Pastel Evolution. Sage Pastel Accounting also offers a range of add-on modules that can assist your business with CRM, Business Intelligence, legal and auditing solutions.

 

CONTACT

Jeff Lewis, Managing Director
Usage Business Solutions
02 9440 7216 or 0447 777 781

Usage Business Solutions are excited to launch their new website which offers easy-to-use tools to help users understand the different products available when selecting accounting software.

Usage Business Solutions is the authorized provider in Australia & New Zealand of Sage Pastel Business Software. The business sells exclusively through our distribution channel and provide technical support, consulting and software training.

Located at www.usagebusiness.com the website contains details on the complete product range provided by Sage Pastel products, from startup businesses through to large companies who need more than just accounting software.

Incorporating state-of-the-art functionality, the new website has tools which help customers through the initial stage of narrowing down a selection of products which support their business needs. Users are encouraged to contact Usage Business Solutions to discuss the next step in defining their business needs and selecting a Channel Partner to assist them in the software selection process.

Sage Pastel products are sold exclusively through Usage Business Solutions, Channel Partners. Usage’s Channel Partners have a number of years of experience of assisting and designing business solutions that best fit customers unique needs.

Founded in 1989, Sage Pastel has developed an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the industry As Sage Pastel International, operating in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.

The Sage Pastel product range has been developed to provide comprehensive accounting and business solutions for start-up, small, medium and larger sized companies. This scalable range includes My Invoicing, My Business, Sage Pastel Xpress, Sage Pastel Partner and Sage Pastel Evolution. Sage Pastel Accounting also offers a range of add-on modules that can assist your business with CRM, Business Intelligence, legal and auditing solutions.