Editor's Note: After a few days (and articles) on other sponsor categories, Murph is taking his second (virtual) trip through the exhibit hall visiting General Ledger Sponsors at this year's "Scaling New Heights" in Orlando, Florida. As he is only covering one or two of these accounting apps in each of these features, be on the lookout for a few more articles before he covers them all.
Microsoft 365 Business Central (MS365BC) is the platform designed to connect every aspect of your small- to mid-sized business operation. It allows you to work wherever your business takes you, offering full capabilities on desktop, tablet or mobile devices. You can work on-premises or in the cloud, using Windows, Android and even iOS devices.
Microsoft 365 Business Central is being sponsored at "Scaling New Heights" by Stratos Cloud Alliance, a unique Microsoft Indirect Cloud Solution Provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of Microsoft Cloud Business and productivity solutions, ISV products and tools, and partner and customer services.
MS365BC is a single comprehensive solution that runs where you need it, offering the same user experience and rapid deployment. That means you can go-live and onboard via the cloud on-premises so that you're ready to scale and perform as you grow.
Using modern technologies built on the Microsoft cloud, like machine learning and mixed reality, you will easily adapt to market dynamics to take control of your mission-critical business data. Purpose driven extension from the Microsoft AppSource business applications marketplace will help you meet your unique vertical or business-specific requirements.
And MS365BC can be tailored to meet your business needs with support for 25 languages, localization, a no-code user interface and multiple other ways to extend the solution.
With Microsoft 365 Business Central, you can access business intelligence when and where you need it, with real-time dashboards and KPIs to get insights within the flow of business for each of your user roles.
Automated workflows and processes with AI will optimize your performance, bolster audit trail reporting, and provide enterprise-level security.
The financial and business insights within MS365BC provide better management of your cash flow, enhanced bank reconciliations, improved fixed asset management, streamlined budgeting, more accurate project costing and forecasting, all while shortening cycle times and providing late payment-prediction functionality.
You also will accelerate your month- and year-end closings with connected general ledger, A/R, A/P and fixed assets data facilitated by Power Automates streamlined approval workflows.
You will use built-in reports, Excel or Microsoft Power BI, and unlimited data dimensions to get real-time cash flow, identify financial patterns, analyze trends and improve business planning.
MS365BC’s reporting features connect reports, charts, and Power BI data from across accounting, sales, purchasing and inventory to get accurate insights, which allow you to make financial decisions with confidence.
Microsoft 365 Business Central’s inventory features even allow you to use the same costing method or different ones for inventory items, and easily move items between locations to control the quantity on hand using cycle-counting.
Built-in intelligence in their inventory tracking system allows you to replenish inventory based on actuals, demand, and availability from sales forecasts, and expected stock-outs so you can automatically create purchase orders.
In addition, real-time data on every item’s zone, bin and quantity means you can more quickly and accurately fulfill your customer’s inventory-based orders.
Whoever said Microsoft 365 Business Central was not manufacturing friendly just did not know what they were saying. It can implement manufacturing processes even in agile and complex environments.
You can define raw materials, sub-assemblies or resources within any bill-of-materials to comprise a finished product or a kit. MS365BC even allows you to capture special requirements within a Bill-of-Materials and pull the requirements directory from a quote or sales order during the assemble-to-order process.
The Production Order feature allows you to register consumption and output across multiple Bills of Materials and routes. You also can reconcile scrap or deviations in consumption and output.
In addition, MS365BC helps you optimize warehouse operations and expedite shipping. Based on the sales history and forecasting of your sales patterns—along with information about the layout of your warehouse(s)—the system can provide you with information on how to improve organization within your warehouse facilities including placement of racks and shelves for specific inventory items.
The system also can help determine the best put-away locations for items based on type, size and bin capacity in relationship to receiving locations. One additional feature is the ability of Business Central to help optimize your space and picking process, which speeds-up your shipments.
So, if you thought Microsoft 365 Business Central just did finances, think again. To find out more, visit the Stratos Cloud Alliance Booth in the exhibit hall or point your browser to the Stratos Cloud Alliance website or MSD365BC website.
Patriot Accounting software was developed to help small businesses easily track and manage their money. It was created with the input of business owners and accountants.
The software features:
- Easy on-boarding with a startup wizard
- Importing of customers, vendors and trial balance from spreadsheet or other accounting applications
- Creation of invoices, payment of bills and generation of financial reports
- Free USA-based, expert customer support
Accountants love the powerful capabilities of Patriot Accounting software, and business owners love the simplicity, price and US-based support. Patriot’s online accounting for small business uses breakthrough machine learning technology to save users clicks and precious time.
The software offers a simplified on-boarding process so you can get started with one-click accounting settings or customize them to meet your needs.
Its Dual-Ledger Accounting feature makes it easy for you—and your accountant—to switch between cash-basis, modified cash-basis and accrual accounting without messy conversions. You can see more details in your financial reports without the hassle of leaving the page with Patriot’s drill-down feature.
Patriot Accounting includes the ability to send and track an unlimited number of invoices to an unlimited number of customers. You also can accept customer credit card payments for open invoices.
If your business is required to charge sales tax based on your location or the location of your customers, you can manage multiple sales tax rates to use when you create invoices and credits for your customers.
Sales tax rates will be used when you create invoices for your customers. You can change the sales tax rate directly on the invoice, if needed. If needed, you also can add new rates directly from the invoice.
Patriot Accounting also offers a number of premium features, including:
- Automatically sending invoice reminders via email to customers with past due invoices
- Comparing your bank statements and books to spot issues and make changes to ensure proper bank account reconciliation
- Sub-accounts (up to eight levels) allow you to categorize your accounting in greater detail so that transactions reflect the information classification you require
So, as they say, “Welcome to Patriot Accounting, how would you like to get started?” I suggest visiting the Patriot booth in the conference exhibit hall. Of course, you also can go visit the Patriot Accounting website.
Acknowledgements and Disclosures:
Portions of this feature, including graphical artwork contained therein, have been adapted from content used from the vendor (sponsor) websites (or other related sources) of the various sponsors (vendors) discussed within this feature. All such source materials within this feature by Insightful Accountant were adapted and are furnished solely for educational purposes.
As used herein, QuickBooks refers to one or more registered trademarks of Intuit Inc., a publicly-traded corporation headquartered in Mountain View, California. Intuit QuickBooks and the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program are proud sponsors of Insightful Accountant's 2022 Top 100 ProAdvisor and the ProAdvisor of the Year Awards.
"Scaling New Heights" is a registered trade name of Woodard Events LLC of Canton, Georgia. "Scaling New Heights" is a proud sponsor of Insightful Accountant's 2022 Top 100 ProAdvisor and the ProAdvisor of the Year Awards.
Any other trade names used herein, including those of the sponsors (vendors) featured within this article, refer to products that may be registered, trademarked, or otherwise held by their respective owners; they are referenced for informational and educational purposes only.
This is an editorial feature, not sponsored content. None of the vendors within this article have paid Insightful Accountant or the author any form of remuneration to be included within this feature. The article is provided solely for informational and educational purposes.
The publication of this article, nor the inclusion of this product within the related series, does not represent any endorsement by either the author or Insightful Accountant.
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