ERP Implementation Strategies – A Guide to ERP Implementation Methodology

Posted By: Houston Neal March 11, 2010 at 2:40 pm | 6 Comments

In choosing new enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, implementation is every bit as important as finding the right program. You should be thinking about it proactively when evaluating systems, you should raise the topic with propsective vendors and even ask for examples of their customers’ strategies.

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Searching for Real Estate Made Easy: Geo-Fences Plus Mobile Phones

Posted By: Chris Thorman March 4, 2010 at 10:56 am | 20 Comments

It’s Saturday morning. Joel and Rebecca are walking their dog through a neighborhood in Austin, TX. As they walk, they chat about the movie they saw last night, what they’re going to make for dinner, and the big trip they have planned for next weekend. You wouldn’t know it by listening to their conversation, but the couple is also house hunting.

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The Coming Renaissance of Electrical Contracting

Posted By: Houston Neal February 10, 2010 at 10:39 am | 11 Comments

In the next ten to twenty years, “electrical contractor” will no longer be a suitable job title for electricians. They will transition into “energy contractors” to support the fast-growing green construction market.

We see this as a coming renaissance in electrical contracting. There has been a revival of interest in the electrical trade as home owners and corporations adopt alternative methods (e.g. solar, wind, etc) to power buildings. What’s driving this? Federal incentives, lower material costs and savings from reduced energy spending.

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Healthcare Wants a Tablet, But Not Apple’s iPad | Survey Results

Posted By: Chris Thorman February 4, 2010 at 6:14 pm | 29 Comments

Last week, during the fever pitch surrounding the announcement of Apple’s iPad tablet, Software Advice surveyed 178 physicians, nurses, medical students and healthcare IT professionals about what the healthcare industry’s ideal tablet would look like. This isn’t our first time talking tablets and healthcare. In April of last year, we wondered if the Apple tablet would become the ideal device to run electronic health record (EMR) software.

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Property Management Software Advice Offers “Tech Savvy Property Management” Certification

Posted By: Guest Blogger February 1, 2010 at 3:32 pm | 2 Comments

At Software Advice, a key component of our mission is to encourage the successful adoption of technologies that make businesses more competitive, profitable and environmentally friendly.

Toward that end, we are excited to offer the “Tech Savvy Property Management” (TSPM) certification at no cost to those that apply. This certification rates property management firms on their adoption of property management software capabilities that:
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Which Tablet PC Will Rule the Halls of Healthcare?

Posted By: Chris Thorman January 26, 2010 at 10:50 am | 6 Comments

Back in April, when the rumors of a tablet device from Apple were beginning to surface, we wondered aloud if a Mac tablet would become the gadget of choice to integrate with electronic medical records.

Apparently, that concept may soon be a reality. In early January, Venture Beat reported a rumor that Apple reps have been spotted at Los Angeles’ Cedar-Sinai hospital, probing physicians about how a tablet (Apple’s iPad) could be used in a hospital setting. Meanwhile, tablets were all the rage earlier this year at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show with product announcements from Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Dell.

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Apple 3D Head-Tracking for Doctors

Posted By: Houston Neal January 15, 2010 at 9:14 am | 11 Comments

Apple is the hottest topic in the tech blogosphere these days. Even if you ignore all news of the “iSlate,” dozens of rumors abound. One we find particularly interesting is a patent for 3D head-tracking. Instead of using a mouse and keyboard, Mac users simply move their head or body to control an image on screen. We think this technology would perfect for healthcare. Here’s a short video to help you visualize this:

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Apple 3D Head-Tracking for Manufacturing

Posted By: Houston Neal January 11, 2010 at 4:37 pm | 5 Comments

There’s been a lot of buzz in the Apple blogosphere over a patent for 3D head-tracking. Apple recently filed for a technology that allows users to move an object (on a computer screen) by simply moving their head or body. There’s no need for a mouse or keyboard any more; just look behind an image and it will rotate with you. To help visualize this, we put together a video of how this could be used in 3D modeling:

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Updates on Meaningful Use, Certified EHR Technology and the Stimulus Bill

Posted By: Chris Thorman January 7, 2010 at 9:43 am | 30 Comments

On December 30, 2009, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released documents shedding light on what physicians and hospitals must do to qualify for electronic health records (EHR) incentive payments under the HITECH Act. To qualify for incentives, physicians and hospitals must be using “certified EHR technology” in a “meaningful manner.”

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What Does it Take to Qualify for the EHR Stimulus Funds?

Posted By: Guest Blogger December 22, 2009 at 8:30 pm | 7 Comments

We talk with hundreds of physician practices each month. Their biggest question: “What does the economic stimulus package mean for me?”

Practices understand that up to $45 billion is allocated to provide incentive for physicians to adopt EHRs. However, many questions remain about how and when providers will receive stimulus funds.

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Don’t Wait for the Government to Start Your EHR Implementation

Posted By: Chris Thorman December 22, 2009 at 11:15 am | 1 Comment

Physician practices around the country are asking us: “Should I wait for the government to finalize its definitions of ‘meaningful use’ and ‘certified EHR technology’ before I purchase electronic health record (EHR) software?”

Our answer: No.

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Apple 3D Head-Tracking – The Ultimate Display for Construction Plans

Posted By: Houston Neal December 18, 2009 at 12:03 pm | 5 Comments

The latest talk of the town in the Apple blogosphere is 3D head-tracking. Apple recently filed a patent for technology that allows users to change perspective of an object by moving their head or body. So instead of dragging your mouse to rotate a graph or chart, you simply look behind it; a more intuitive approach (at least in the eyes of Apple engineers). Here’s a quick video of how this could be used to view 3D construction plans:

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RFID – A Construction Technology Dream Come True

Posted By: Guest Blogger December 17, 2009 at 12:18 pm | 1 Comment

What construction executive doesn’t daydream about tools and equipment that are safe and sound whether on a job site or in the warehouse, especially as construction projects decline and competition heats up? Dream no more, as radio frequency identification (RFID) technology combined with a comprehensive tool tracking system makes improved profits a reality.

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Survey Results: How Are Property Managers Using Technology?

Posted By: Chris Thorman December 16, 2009 at 5:47 pm | 12 Comments

Last week, Software Advice set out to learn about the state of technology among property managers and how they are using property management software. Thanks to the 70 of you who responded to our survey, we gathered interesting information on social media use, business growth, lead tracking, and other areas.

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The End of Blueprints

Posted By: Houston Neal December 10, 2009 at 10:29 am | 5 Comments

We’re big advocates of “going paperless.” Our desks are free of folders, pens, printers and sticky notes. There’s not a single TPS report to be found. We’re also big advocates of software. So, when a visitor to our website shared their concern about the paper waste from printing blueprints, we were intrigued. Can estimating and takeoff software end the destruction of forests (or at least save a few thousand trees)?

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This is the Future of Green Building Management

Posted By: Chris Thorman December 8, 2009 at 10:55 am | 2 Comments

For years, both commercial and residential property managers have adhered to a fixed set of job responsibilities – collecting rent, coordinating maintenance requests, renewing leases and attracting new residents. Property management software has helped them complete many of those tasks.

One more job responsibility – managing and forecasting a building’s carbon footprint – should be added, according to Ross Sharman, director of Australia-based Knowledge Global and Oracle Magazine’s 2009 Green IT Architect of the Year.

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Survey: How are Property Managers Using Technology?

Posted By: Chris Thorman December 1, 2009 at 4:03 pm | 3 Comments

Since Software Advice launched our property management software buyer’s guide in early 2009, we’ve talked with over one thousand people during their search for property management software.

This week, we’re moving from the anecdotal to the empirical with our Property Management Technology Survey.

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Microsoft Dynamics for Manufacturing – Understanding the Difference Between GP, NAV, SL and AX

Posted By: Houston Neal November 17, 2009 at 9:51 am | 27 Comments

In establishing its foothold in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software market, Microsoft has acquired no less than thirteen companies. Now Microsoft – and their prospects – face the challenge of sorting through the various applications in the Microsoft Dynamics family.

With the recent launch of our ERP software service, we decided to shed some light on the Dynamics product

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Own to Rent: Breaking Down Fannie Mae’s Deed for Lease Program

Posted By: Chris Thorman November 16, 2009 at 4:53 pm | 19 Comments

The Federal National Mortgage Association, more commonly known as Fannie Mae, recently announced a new program designed to keep mortgage-challenged borrowers in their homes. The Deed for Lease (D4L) program allows qualified borrowers to relinquish the deed to their property and rent their home at the market rate for 12 months.

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Construction Software State of the Industry Report

Posted By: Don Fornes November 12, 2009 at 11:09 am | 5 Comments

This is the first in a series of “state of the industry” reports in which we will share our observations on construction software industry trends. While reporting the recessive state of the industry is not breaking news, there are some interesting trends that we can share. Not everything is gloomy, and significant technological shifts are underway.

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State by State: Is the Stimulus Bill Creating Construction Jobs?

Posted By: Chris Thorman November 2, 2009 at 1:30 pm | 8 Comments

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) had big plans for the construction industry – $131 billion big.

That stimulus money is supposed to help an industry that is still hemorrhaging jobs today. So far, the ARRA has sent money to all corners of the construction industry, from residential

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Software Advice Simplifies Manufacturing ERP Software Selection

Posted By: Houston Neal October 30, 2009 at 1:20 pm | No Comments

Today Software Advice launched its Manufacturing Software Advice (http://www.softwareadvice.com/manufacturing/) service, a free online resource that helps manufacturers find the right software for their enterprise. Software applications covered on Software Advice includes enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM) and financial accounting.

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Obama’s EMR/EHR Stimulus of 2009 – Creating Buyers or Tire Kickers?

Posted By: Houston Neal October 27, 2009 at 9:16 am | 11 Comments

October 30th marked the close of the first reporting period for grants, loans and contracts awarded under the Recovery Act. If you don’t already know, healthcare is one of the industries eligible to receive funds (Read, The Stimulus Bill and Meaningful Use of Qualified EHRs / EMRs).

At Software Advice, we have noticed a big jump in the number of medical practices researching

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Six Ways Software Can Help Property Managers

Posted By: Chris Thorman October 14, 2009 at 11:40 am | 8 Comments

If you’re like most property managers, your work day is stuck in the 20th century. Rent checks are collected through a metal drop box. Brochures sit idly by outside of your office. Your web site consists of one page with a phone number, e-mail address and a few photos. Enough paperwork is collecting in your office to create a fire hazard.

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Best Medical Blog Widgets

Posted By: Chris Thorman October 8, 2009 at 11:56 am | 4 Comments

Because we’re obsessed with medical blogs here at Software Advice, we decided to create a FREE RSS widget of our 25 favorite medical blogs.

Choose your color scheme and number of posts to display below and simply cut and paste the code into your site. To see what the widget looks like, click Preview next to each one.

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The Best Medical iPhone Apps for Doctors and Med Students

Posted By: Houston Neal October 7, 2009 at 12:19 pm | 33 Comments

There are 1,544 medical iPhone apps (and counting) in the App Store. Unless you know the name of the app you’re looking for, it is very time consuming to sort through them all. For example, do you need a Drug Reference guide for your iPhone? Good luck, there are over 50 of them.

So, we decided to do the hard work. We hand picked a list of the top medical apps and separated them into 18 

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Spectrum Equipment Service System – Taking the Guesswork Out of Tracking Equipment Costs

Posted By: Houston Neal October 6, 2009 at 3:54 pm | No Comments

Dexter + Chaney has launched an equipment tracking system for heavy construction companies. The product, “Spectrum Equipment Service System,” tracks equipment hours, fuel consumption, and maintenance activity. Staying true to their mission – solving problems for construction markets – Dexter + Chaney has done it again with this latest addition to their line of software products.

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SaaS v. On-premises Software: Which One is More Green?

Posted By: Chris Thorman September 22, 2009 at 9:16 am | 23 Comments

In case you haven’t heard (or aren’t obsessively following IT trends like we are), the great trend in software is the evolution from traditional “on-premises” software (e.g. client/server software installed at the office) to Software as a Service (SaaS) (i.e. web-based applications that are managed in the vendors’ data center and accessed “on-demand” through a web browser).

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Seven Great Applications for IP-PBXs in the Medical Practice

Posted By: Houston Neal September 16, 2009 at 9:48 am | 21 Comments

At Software Advice, we just finished implementing a new phone system. It’s great! It got us thinking of how medical practices can take advantage of Internet Protocol – Private Branch Exchange (IP-PBX) phone systems to be more efficient and provide better patient care.

First, let’s get some definitions out of the way. A PBX is the system that routes phone calls to appropriate

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Bringing Your Punch List Into the 21st Century

Posted By: Chris Thorman August 19, 2009 at 12:23 pm | 11 Comments

Whether you’re the general contractor of a major construction firm or a local home builder, the completion of a project’s “punch list” is the final barrier between you and receiving payment for your work.

The explosion in popularity of smartphones begs for a solution to the traditional, low-tech way of approaching a construction project’s punch list.

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5 Amazing Mobile Apps for Property Management

Posted By: Houston Neal August 11, 2009 at 1:38 pm | 8 Comments

Property management is not often an industry on the cutting edge of technology. However, more and more property managers are making use of smartphones in their daily activities.

So, Software Advice has put together a list of smartphone apps we’d like to see developed for property management. Most of the technology already exists in property management software and other mobile apps,

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Software Advice Relocates Headquarters to Austin, Texas

Posted By: Chris Thorman July 31, 2009 at 12:32 pm | 13 Comments

(AUSTIN, Texas – July 31, 2009) Software Advice, a free online resource for software buyers, has moved its headquarters from San Francisco, CA, to Austin, TX.

Founded in 2005, Software Advice matches technology buyers with the right software for their organization. The company serves a range of vertical markets, including the construction, medical, property management

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Survey Results: Which Smartphone Will Own the Healthcare Market?

Posted By: Chris Thorman July 30, 2009 at 10:10 am | 16 Comments

Last week, Software Advice set out to try to answer the question: Which smartphone will own the healthcare market?

Doctors, nurses, students and many others in the healthcare industry responded to our survey and provided results that are bound to be conversation starters.

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Which Smartphone Will Own the Healthcare Market?

Posted By: Chris Thorman July 21, 2009 at 7:21 am | No Comments

The smartphone industry is on fire. iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre and Google are all in the hunt for dominance. We want to know one thing: Which phone will become the device of choice for healthcare providers?

Please take our short survey and forward it on to your friends and colleagues. If you’d like to be notified by e-mail about our survey results, please enter your e-mail address in the form below.

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Track LEED v3 Credits in Project Management Software

Posted By: Houston Neal July 13, 2009 at 11:46 am | 4 Comments

Given the recent deadline for registering LEED v2.2 projects, we were reminded of a post we wanted to write: how construction project management software can be used to track LEED credits.

Tracking LEED credits requires software functionality similar to that required for more traditional construction project management. Consequently, a few leading vendors have re-purposed their technology to make this

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Twitter: Growing Virally But Can It Stop Viruses?

Posted By: Chris Thorman June 30, 2009 at 10:42 am | 7 Comments
As evidenced by Twitter’s front-and-center role in the “Second Iranian Revolution,” the micro-blogging tool has emerged as a serious communication channel. At Software Advice, we think Twitter is every bit as relevant in medicine as it is in politics, business and personal communications.
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Medical Billing Services and Consultants Directory

Posted By: Guest Blogger June 9, 2009 at 1:22 pm | 1 Comment

Running a medical practice is as much about running a business as providing health care. Physicians often face the same challenges of any business owner: managing cash flow, keeping accurate “customer” accounts and processing invoices. In healthcare, challenges are multiplied as providers must meet strict government and insurance requirements. Failure to comply can result in rejected claims, ultimately affecting cash flow.

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Jonas Software Makes a Case for Twitter

Posted By: Houston Neal May 26, 2009 at 1:59 pm | No Comments

Unless you’ve been holed up at a job site for the past six months, you’ve probably heard of Twitter, the website that allows you to post 140-character updates about virtually anything. Nearly every news organization has written about Twitter, thereby contributing to it’s exponential growth and user base of ~1 million.

Twitter was first adopted by tech-savvy computer engineers and web designers. Recently, the social media

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Coming Soon: Recovery Act Grants for Medical Informatics

Posted By: Houston Neal May 21, 2009 at 7:29 am | 1 Comment

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the ARRA, also known as the Stimulus Bill) allocates $51 billion to healthcare. Universities that want to establish and/or expand health informatics programs are entitled stimulus bill funds. But what’s available? Who qualifies? And how can universities take advantage of the funds?

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Construction Cost Estimating Consultants Directory

Posted By: Guest Blogger May 5, 2009 at 2:34 pm | No Comments

Forecasting construction costs is one of the most challenging steps in the pre-construction process. Estimators must calculate costs of materials, equipment and labor for the entire life cycle of a project. Adding to the difficulty of the task, costs vary in price based on a project’s location, size and type. Many contractors rely on construction estimating software to help lighten the load; others choose to outsource this function to outside consulting firms.

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Mac Tablet – The Ultimate Device for EMRs?

Posted By: Houston Neal April 20, 2009 at 8:18 am | 25 Comments

Rumors of a Mac Tablet have been circulating around the Apple blogosphere for the past few months. While speculation escalates about the opportunities for an “iTablet” in the consumer market, we can’t help but muse on its applicability to medical records.

There is a seemingly endless amount of medical applications that could be developed for a Mac Tablet.

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Wal-Mart + eClinicalWorks Electronic Medical Records | An Odd Couple with Good Intentions

Posted By: Don Fornes March 31, 2009 at 9:31 am | 10 Comments

The Wal-Mart / eClinicalWorks (eCW) partnership to sell electronic medical records (EMR) software in Sam’s Club strikes us as an odd couple. While we think eCW will benefit from this marketing coup, we don’t see the relationship lasting over the long term.

Certainly, the intent is good: simplify a traditionally complex and expensive purchase by distributing

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Construction CPA / Accounting Firm Directory

Posted By: Guest Blogger March 30, 2009 at 4:30 pm | No Comments

With April 15th right around the corner, we are hearing from a lot of contractors scrambling to get their books ready. With mounds of paperwork around the office, it certainly doesn’t come as a surprise. While we talk to most companies about using the right construction accounting software, occasionally we get asked if we know a good accountant. The only problem is that we’re software guys and don’t know much about the CPA world. With this in mind, we thought we’d put together a list of good construction accounting and consulting firms that

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Penta Releases Mobile Service Management Software

Posted By: Houston Neal March 13, 2009 at 9:58 am | 1 Comment

With the increased availability and reduced costs of mobile devices, mobile software applications are on the rise. Construction software vendors are entering the market with fully-integrated mobile versions of their existing offerings.

In an announcement at the recent 2009 AHR Expo, Penta is now participating with their Mobile Field Service

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Get Ready for EHR Failures, But Don’t Blame the Software

Posted By: Austin Merritt March 12, 2009 at 10:07 am | 6 Comments

With the Economic Stimulus Bill signed and available to subsidize EHR purchases (for more information see “The Stimulus Bill and Meaningful Use of Qualified EHRs/EMRs“), we are seeing a dramatic increase in electronic health records (EHR) buyer interest. Assuming these buyers make use of the stimulus subsidy to buy an EHR, we expect to see a lot of EHR failures over the next couple years.

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Software Advice Certified to Display TRUSTe Privacy Seal of Approval

Posted By: Guest Blogger March 2, 2009 at 8:40 am | No Comments

Software Advice Becomes TRUSTe Sealholder, Demonstrates Commitment to
Consumer Privacy Protection

San Francisco – March 3, 2009Software Advice, today announced that its Web site has been certified to display the TRUSTe Privacy Seal, which demonstrates its commitment to consumer privacy and trust online.

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Practice Management Software Helps Growing Concierge Medicine Segment

Posted By: Houston Neal February 19, 2009 at 6:50 pm | No Comments

Antek HealthWare is taking a step toward niche offerings by releasing a practice management system designed for concierge medical practices.

The software, DAQoffice, scales back billing so that physicians can bill patients directly rather than through insurance companies. While the system still allows providers to document diagnosis codes, it won’t

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Software Advice Adds Property Management Systems to Their Online Advisory Service

Posted By: Guest Blogger February 18, 2009 at 1:32 pm | 3 Comments
Software Advice has launched its Property Management Software Advice service, a free online resource that matches property management and real estate companies with the right software for their businesses.

With almost 30,000 monthly searches for “property management software” in Google, Yahoo and MSN, there is clearly strong interest in automating core property management business processes.

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Electrical Material Pricing Challenge Addressed By Epic DUO

Posted By: Houston Neal February 3, 2009 at 7:18 pm | 1 Comment

Vision Infosoft has released a new software add-on that provides daily material prices on 1.4 million items. The add-on, EPIC DUO, works directly with the EPIC Pricing System, a subscription service that gives contractors access to electrical material cost information.

EPIC DUO is different from traditional pricing services in that the cost information

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Cost Control is Crucial, but so is Project Management

Posted By: Guest Blogger January 23, 2009 at 2:57 pm | 2 Comments

While too few builders have appropriate measures and processes in place to track and manage the cost side of their business, too many of those who do put the appropriate measures in place, are focusing on just one of the two key operational dimensions of the building business.

All too often tract home builders put a 6-month building period, when planning for their project carrying

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HCSS Offers Twelve-Month Money-Back Guarantee

Posted By: Houston Neal January 20, 2009 at 9:43 am | 1 Comment

In a fairly unique move for a software company, HCSS is now issuing a 12-month money-back guarantee for all its software systems. While other companies have impressed us with similar guarantees – Jobpower offers a 60-day money back guarantee and Procore has a 30-day free trial – the HCSS guarantee is particularly impressive for the length of the guarantee. Customers can receive a full refund within 12 months of purchasing if they are unsatisfied with any HCSS software program.

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Optimize 2009 Purchasing with Open-to-Buy (OTB) Software

Posted By: Houston Neal January 19, 2009 at 3:45 pm | No Comments

The holidays are over and you’re left with a surplus of outdated inventory. To preserve customer interest, you need to buy new merchandise and move out old stock. But with a high volume of ‘08 merchandise, you don’t have enough open-to-buy dollars to purchase new products. As a result, you are forced to sell the dated merchandise on clearance, reducing your margins and putting profits at risk.

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Business Process Management (BPM) by BuilderMT

Posted By: Houston Neal December 30, 2008 at 7:53 am | 1 Comment

You already know how to create efficient business processes, but how do you enforce them? With so many stakeholders, contractors and staffers involved in the building process, it can be difficult to hold them accountable and ensure your business processes are running efficiently. Business process management software has emerged into the industry to solve this challenge, amalgamating application software, project correspondence and business processes into a single software program. BuilderMT BPM is at the fore.

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Penta and e-Builder Partner on agcXML Data Exchange Standard

Posted By: Houston Neal December 9, 2008 at 7:25 pm | No Comments

On December 10th, Penta and e-Builder will demonstrate the transfer of an RFI document using the new agcXML data exchange standard. The demonstration marks a significant milestone for the construction industry, as it greatly simplifies document exchange between separate construction management software systems.

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The Double Standard for Web-Based EMRs

Posted By: Houston Neal December 5, 2008 at 10:51 am | 5 Comments

Why are some physicians still fearful of web-based electronic medical records (EMRs) when most of them are comfortable using web banking and e-commerce sites?

Many physicians allow all of their personal financial information to be transmitted over the Internet – including actionable credit card data – but fear using the same methods for managing their patient records.

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A CPAs Advice on How to Manage the Software Selection Process

Posted By: Guest Blogger November 24, 2008 at 5:54 pm | No Comments

So you’ve decided to consider getting the proper financial accounting and reporting package for your construction business. It’s a daunting task on the one hand and exciting on the other. The general idea is to bring into your organization a tool that will better allow you to understand what is making money, what is costing money, and to provide information allowing you and your in-house accounting team to keep up with the paperwork requirements that go along with being in the construction business.

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5 Reasons to Replace Construction Accounting Software

Posted By: Houston Neal November 20, 2008 at 5:55 pm | No Comments

This time of year, we talk with many construction companies considering a new accounting software purchase. Maybe it’s the change in seasons, the closing of the calendar year or the tax season looming on the horizon; what ever the psychological trigger, there are rational reasons to replace generic accounting software with a construction-specific accounting and job costing system. Here are the 5 top reasons we hear from companies thinking about a purchase.

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Spectrum 13 Offers Enhanced Service Management Capabilities

Posted By: Houston Neal November 20, 2008 at 4:22 pm | No Comments

In direct response to customer’s requests, Dexter + Chaney has enhanced the service management capabilities in Spectrum Version 13. The updates aim to support mechanical, HVAC, electrical and plumbing contractors’ unique business processes and workflow.

“We’re very excited that these updates will make it easier and more profitable for those clients

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Software Advice Helps 500th Electrical Contractor Find the Right Software

Posted By: Houston Neal November 18, 2008 at 8:46 am | 2 Comments

Software Advice today announced that they have assisted over 500 electrical contractors during their evaluation of new electrical estimating software, accounting and project management systems for their businesses. Moreover, Software Advice has now developed partnerships with the majority of software vendors serving the electrical division. This network of software partners allows Software Advice to recommend the ideal systems for a wide range of electrical firms with a variety of technology needs.

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Tailwinds for Web-Based Medical Systems

Posted By: Don Fornes November 14, 2008 at 10:46 am | No Comments

Over the past couple of years, we’ve noticed a marked change in medical office’s views on the web-based, or Software as a Service (SaaS), model of using EMR and practice management systems. Among practices looking for new software, we’ve observed:

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EHR vs EMR – What’s the Difference?

Posted By: Houston Neal November 14, 2008 at 10:39 am | 23 Comments

Should you implement an EMR or an EHR? Do you know the difference? Is there a difference?

In theory, and by definition, there is a difference and it should play into any provider’s clinical software selection. At the same time, marketing messages and technical terminology have clouded provider’s understanding of the two software definitions.

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CMAA 2008 – Innovations in Construction Management Software

Posted By: Houston Neal October 21, 2008 at 12:56 pm | No Comments

It was a record-setting year at the 2008 Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) conference. Over 900 people attended the show to catch-up on the latest trends and innovations in construction management. Among the group of attendees was EADOC, Meridian Systems and Synchro, 3 construction management software vendors. We met up with these companies to get an insiders look at what makes their systems unique and separates them from other construction management software systems.

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4D Project Scheduling from Synchro & Google

Posted By: Houston Neal October 16, 2008 at 12:02 pm | 2 Comments

Construction management firms are often too tied-up with project deadlines to keep pace with the latest news and developments in technology. To offer a glimpse of innovative trends in construction software, we attended this year’s CMAA conference, camera’s ready, to get footage of what’s new and interesting in construction software.

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5 Things to Look for in POS Software for Jewelers

Posted By: Don Fornes September 5, 2008 at 8:56 pm | No Comments

Computerized technology is priceless when it comes to the analysis of inventory turnover and gross margin return-on-investment (GMROI) for jewelers. Today’s point-of-sale (POS) software systems offer many tools that can help you track inventory, customer history, employee commissions and overall business finances for increased productivity and reduced shrinkage.

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5 Reasons Retailers Replace their Retail Management System

Posted By: Don Fornes August 31, 2008 at 7:28 pm | 3 Comments

As software selection advisors, my team has talked to thousands of retailers considering a major new software purchase. The vast majority are replacing an existing system – one they’ve used for years. Why? Why replace what’s familiar? Why pay up for something entirely new when an upgrade is – on paper – less expensive? Why move away from a long-term vendor relationship?

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PCBC Video Exclusive – How to Preserve Margins in a Difficult Home Building Market

Posted By: Houston Neal August 11, 2008 at 7:32 pm | 1 Comment

A major theme at this year’s PCBC show is how to remain profitable in a difficult home building market. The solution is expressed in the term “Lean Process,” an operating philosophy and practice of identifying and removing waste in product and process. We interviewed 10 leading software vendors to investigate how software supports lean construction in building projects.

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Feature Checklist – Project Management Software

Posted By: Houston Neal August 6, 2008 at 8:48 am | No Comments

Project management software for construction helps contracting firms stay on-budget and on-schedule by tracking key items during the building process. Given the complexity of construction projects, project management software comes with a variety of features and functions to meet the demands of commercial and residential jobs. Advanced construction project management software systems include modules for scheduling, accounting, bid procurement, document management and estimating.

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Tailwinds for Web-Based Construction Management Systems

Posted By: Don Fornes July 28, 2008 at 2:47 pm | 1 Comment

Recently, we’ve noticed a big change in construction firms’ views on the web-based, or Software as a Service (SaaS), model of using project management software. Among AEC companies evaluating new construction management systems, we’ve observed:

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Retail CRM for a Down Economy

Posted By: Guest Blogger April 18, 2008 at 1:34 pm | 2 Comments

Retaining customers and increasing “share of wallet” are critical in the current tough economy. Consumers spend less, competition is fierce and even well known chains are going out of business. To remain competitive – and solvent – retailers need to develop more profitable relationships with their customers.

Moreover, a recent Nielson Company study showed that 52% of shopping trips are quick “in-and-out”

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5 Ways Physicians Can Profit from Using an EMR

Posted By: Houston Neal April 11, 2008 at 7:51 am | 1 Comment

As a physician, you earned an MD, but probably not an MBA. But in today’s health care environment you have to run your practice like a business in addition to providing great patient care. It’s critical to have efficient staffing, minimize costs and maximize your reimbursements and collections. Here we present five ways in which an electronic medical record (EMR) can help you achieve these goals.

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An RFID Primer for the Small Retailer

Posted By: Guest Blogger April 10, 2008 at 11:52 am | No Comments

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has been a hot topic throughout the retail supply chain for a few years. However, its adoption has largely been confined to larger retailers like Wal-mart, which championed the technology earlier on and even went so far as to mandate the use by its vendors.

Given Moore’s Law – computing technology will exponentially increase in processing power while lowering in

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Project Portfolio Management for the Building Owner

Posted By: Don Fornes April 1, 2008 at 12:37 pm | No Comments

Regardless of how responsibility is shared in a project, building owners bear the ultimate risk. They write the checks for overruns. They feel the pain of delays in the form of lost revenue opportunity. Finally, they pay the additional costs of a facility built for project profitability rather than long-term operating efficiency. Everyone but the lawyers will agree that litigation won’t recover these costs.

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Bringing the Faded Project Schedule Back to Life

Posted By: Austin Merritt March 21, 2008 at 11:06 am | No Comments

Before your job got rolling, you built a detailed schedule you thought would help you manage the project to completion. Now you’re waiting on permits, two of your subs haven’t showed and your available resources are strained. You’ve got a stack of daily reports that are too overwhelming to sort through before your next OAC meeting. That faded project schedule on the wall is looking pretty useless.

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Is Software as a Service Right for Your Practice?

Posted By: Don Fornes February 14, 2008 at 10:38 am | No Comments

The Software as a Service (SaaS) model of deploying software has come of age and is gaining traction in medical practices. Physicians are adopting this Internet-centric model to offload the burden of server maintenance and data backup, while expanding access to their system and provide their staff with an intuitive user interface. While some physicians might remain skeptical of new technology and question a third-party’s ability to safeguard patient data, many of the early challenges with SaaS have been overcome.

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Should CCHIT Influence Your EHR Selection?

Posted By: Don Fornes February 6, 2008 at 6:01 pm | 14 Comments

Updated on March 18th, 2009 – The CCHIT is becoming increasingly relevant as the Department of Health and Human Services develops guidelines for what constitutes a “qualified EMR.” To be eligible for EMR subsidies outlined in the Stimulus Bill, healthcare providers must demonstrate use of a “qualified EMR” in a “meaningful manner” (for more information, read The Stimulus Bill and Meaningful Use of Qualified EHRs / EMRs).

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Bridging the Gap Between Field and Office

Posted By: Don Fornes December 13, 2007 at 9:28 am | No Comments

Project managers and accounting staff are often a world apart. They differ in personality, computer skills and the type of work they do. While many contractors are content to let these two worlds remain separate, the best companies are integrating what’s managed in the field with what’s accounted for in the office. Importantly, these industry leaders are finding that opposites do attract.

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10 Best Practices for Selecting Electronic Medical Records Software

Posted By: Don Fornes December 3, 2007 at 8:17 pm | No Comments

Your degree is in medicine, not computer science. Why then are so many physicians finding themselves focused on software these days? Government, payers and market forces are all pushing physicians to consider an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) strategy. As if practicing medicine weren’t challenge enough, now you need to adopt a new layer of technology infrastructure…

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Is it Time to Deploy Construction-Specific Accounting Software?

Posted By: Austin Merritt December 3, 2007 at 11:56 am | No Comments

The last thing most construction executives want to worry about is their accounting software. But as your company grows, accounting becomes more complex and more integrated with operations. While a generic accounting package like QuickBooks or Peachtree got your business off the ground, it may be time to deploy accounting software designed specifically for the construction industry.

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Benefits of a Database-Driven Cost Estimating System

Posted By: Austin Merritt December 3, 2007 at 11:46 am | 1 Comment

Still estimating the old-fashioned way? Pen, paper, and bare-bones spreadsheets still comprise the cost estimating “systems” of the majority of construction firms. Why is this so, when just about everyone uses accounting and project management software applications? We hear lots of excuses, ranging from “I’m the only one who really knows the material and labor costs in my region” to “It’s easier to do it by hand than to learn a new program”.

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Remodeling Estimating: How Not to Lose Your Shirt on the Next Bid

Posted By: Austin Merritt December 3, 2007 at 11:37 am | No Comments

Did you end up paying the homeowner to do your last remodeling project? You thought you had applied enough of a markup to be profitable, but realized you actually lost money in the end. It took a lot longer than planned to demo the wall in the kitchen. You forgot that the new hardwood floor would require shoe mold around the cabinets. And the last-minute change order for a tile backsplash upgrade was a total disaster.

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The Service Contractor’s Software Challenge…and Opportunity

Posted By: Don Fornes December 3, 2007 at 11:27 am | No Comments

One of your techs is sleeping in his van behind Arby’s. Purchasing has no idea where to allocate the $1,000 invoice they got from Midtown Supply. Meanwhile, you can’t figure out if the ACME Corp service contract you negotiated last summer turned out to be profitable.

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Ten Best Practices for Selecting Retail POS Software

Posted By: Don Fornes December 2, 2007 at 2:53 pm | 2 Comments

If you’re like most retailers, you don’t consider yourself a software expert. You may know a lot about this fall’s merchandise or last decade’s wines, but when it comes to selecting your next point of sale (POS) system, you’d rather wait until tomorrow…

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The Benefits of Integrated Estimating and Job Costing

Posted By: Austin Merritt November 27, 2007 at 1:12 pm | 1 Comment

You’ve got a pretty slick cost estimating system. Your estimators generate bids quickly, complete with line item quantities, costs, and even “what-if” scenarios. Accounting upgraded from Quickbooks a few years ago and is running smoothly.

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