Accounts software

[SpuffMonkey]

Just wondered what non-SIMS schools were using to run their Finance depts? We have CMIS - but have hung onto to FMS (much to my chagrin) - the accounts in CMIS look pretty average - so do any of you guys run a vanilla accounts package - and if so - do you have any problems with sending stuff to the LA etc?

 

Cheers

[Joedetic]

We used Oracle Financials which was hosted by the LEA. Having used Oracle Financials during a data entry job for Carrilion Rail, I can personally say I don't like it. It's a slow and that's AFTER it's loaded onto the local PC using that god aweful java nonsense.

 

Quicken was another package that the bursar used. Sage is a popular choice so I'm told.

 

Through all of this we had CMIS on the system but it was never used I don't think, neither was the SIMS stuff before that IIRC.

[elsiegee40]

We use Sage Line50 Accounts and Sage Payroll. Because we're small we use a single user license on each installed locally on the Bursar's PC with the data held on the server. I had to do some fiddling with the permissions on her PC so that she could use it with her school logon which doesn't have admin rights. It seems to be fine.

 

However as an independent, we don't have to submit anything to the LEA

 

EDIT: I should also have said that Sage's telephone support have proved excellent when I needed to use it.

Edited February 20, 2008 by elsiegee40

[sahmeepee]

We use FMS for school finance stuff and Sage Payroll (I think the name's changed now) to pay staff. The Sage side of it is OK, although the updates come about as often as FMS ones do.

 

Their phone support is good, and it should be. I read a few years ago that they make a third of their income from phone support.

[jcollings]

Our Finance team still prefer to use the dos version of Sage! Just runs from a mapped drive on the server. Bless 'em:rolleyes:

[powdarrmonkey]

We have two licenses for Opera II, but not being a finance person I couldn't tell you much about it. It's their preferred choice though.

[john]

MS Office Accounting is worth looking at I would say as its actually a really good program and a few friends of mine who are in the accounting know are impressed. Microsoft worked with K3 Business Solutions to develop it and they make finance packages (Sigma) and so its got bits of that in it, Payroll is an addon with a fee per employee to be paid but that includes the BACS fee and stuff.

[hmd01]

Our Bursar's team are still using an old DOS version of Sage too, but are looking to move over to ABS Fee Master with Sage 200, if that means anything to anyone?

 

Incidentally, they want to install the new Finance system on the Windows server that we are running CMIS on. Can anyone advise if this is ok to do (please pardon my ignorance)? The school uses Macs and Mac servers, so the only thing on the Windows server is CMIS. It would seem a bit excessive for the school to buy another Windows server for the Finance system, but equally, I don't want their system messing up CMIS or using up resource that might impact the performance of CMIS. From other threads it appears that CMIS can be pretty resource hungry itself.

 

Any advise/thoughts please?

Thanks

[john]

Windows servers are cheap, just bought one that would probably be fine for your finance team for £200 including 2gb ram and a pair of 250GB Hard Drives, with dual core 2.33ghz Xeon chip, can't argue with that for £200.

 

Its a HP Proliant btw, ML110G5.

Edited February 24, 2008 by john
fixed cpu speed

[Joedetic]

Where was that from?

[torledo]

i second john's suggestion of Office accounting, have heard very good things about it.

 

@joeditic - there's a reason Oracle financials is LEA hosted, it's just too darn expensive and difficult to implement for all but those orgs with deep pockets. It's a popular package with large companies, but completely out of reach for an individual school.

[Joedetic]

@Torledo....I wasn't suggesting that the OP get Oracle...I was responding with what was used at our place.

 

I know it costs a LOT in licensing. The initial outlay for the software and then the licensing is astronomical. And yes.....very difficult to implement because of the configuration of the actual interfaces etc (so i'm told).

[john]

@Joe - http://www.serversdirect.co.uk/HP_ProLiant_ML115_445847-035/version.aspis the cheapest one at £110+vat (not the spec I quoted above though) and this is the one I've got on order - http://www.serversdirect.co.uk/HP_ProLiant_ML110_G5_455948-035/version.asp Will admit I listed the wrong CPU speed in my first post, its a 2.33 not 2.6 so sorry about that! Ram and HDD are on rebate from HP before you instantly spot that its only coming with 1gb ram not the 2 I say it has, but as its on rebate its free in the end so its a 2GB box.

[zag]

We use Sage Line 100 windows version here, its very easy to install, manage and backup as it is just a simple windows share.

[Dos_Box]

I use the Free Office Accounting Express package to manage EduGeek. Nice, well featured and FREE!

Ensure you download the UK version though, as each version is region locked.

 

http://msofficeaccounting.co.uk/downloads1.aspx

[dave.81]

We use PASS for all our accounting and payroll, took awhile for our team to get to grips with but now they dont know how they coped without it.

[john]

I use the Free Office Accounting Express package to manage EduGeek. Nice, well featured and FREE!

Ensure you download the UK version though, as each version is region locked.

 

http://msofficeaccounting.co.uk/downloads1.aspx

I like both versions but I do get rather muddled with all these expendeture and income headers, very confusing for someone who just wants to track income and expenditure without managing 100000 sub-codes in departments with types. But one day I will master it, after eveything else on my list