Insight Reconciler rewrites the rules of JD Edwards reconciliations, highlighting integrity issues in real-time and explaining inconsistencies with full transactional drill-down.

According to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study, accurately managing the reconciliation of accounts adds to an organization’s financial reporting success: “Effective management of account reconciliation activities greatly increases executives’ ability to proactively identify and resolve issues that could result in misstatements in financial accounting and reporting records and lead to substantial write-offs. Many common account reconciliation problems are preventable. By creating and putting in place appropriate reconciliation and information management processes, and improving organization, training, and automation, companies can gain assurance over their general ledger balances.”

For JD Edwards users, having Insight Reconciler helps gain this assurance over the GL – in addition to Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Inventory, Fixed Assets, and Received Not Vouchered.  Built for end-users, Insight Reconciler is customizable to suit an organization’s specific reconciliation needs.

“…(Insight Reconciler) has dramatically improved the efficiency of our end-users, from ad-hoc lookups to month-end close, reconciliations and audit cycle reductions,” said Melissa Penfield, Director of Business Systems at Majestic Realty Co.

Dump the spreadsheets.  Stop the pivot table madness.  It’s time to learn why having a tool like Insight Reconciler can help.  The PricewaterhouseCoopers study continues: “Information management issues range from preparation of reconciliation in spreadsheets (which rarely have supporting documentation and proper controls over versions) to lack of visibility into the current status of account reconciliations. In many companies, internal audit reviews and Sarbanes-Oxley 404 tests are the only formal source of information available to evaluate the potential impact of unreconciled financial accounts on financial statements.”

To learn more about Insight Reconciler, visit http://www.insightsoftware.com/reconciler/.

Attendees of Quest Midwest can visit InsightSoftware.com at booth No. 23 for an Insight Reconciler demonstration. Additionally, showgoers are invited to attend InsightSoftware.com’s session, “Improve Data Integrity to Streamline Reconciliations and Month End Reporting,” presented by Tracey Lewis on Aug. 18, 9 a.m. – 9:50 a.m., in room International F.

However, there might be a few challenges in the systems, including:

• Rework to correct data accuracy issues
• Late shipments and setbacks in delivery performance
• Increased customer complaints
• Time spent on complaint resolution
• Poor management of backorders
• Inefficient order processing and fulfillment
• Untimely invoicing
• Diminished cash flow and sales margins

In an Aberdeen Research study called “Working Capital Optimization: Increase Cash Flow in the New Economy,” author Nari Viswanathan said that “Best-in-Class companies are 30% as likely as all others to use cash conversion metrics as part of their supply chain organization metrics.  Companies that embed cash conversion metrics into the set of supply chain metrics are twice as likely to have reduced their cash conversion cycle over the past year (45% versus 21%).  Some of the key metrics that have been adopted as part of the process are: Sales forecast accuracy, on-time shipping, on-time delivery, inventory turns, logistics costs as a percentage of sales, and gross profit margin.”

Achieving an on-time shipping and delivery system is an industry standard met by few.  Using JD Edwards can get you on your way, but will only take you so far.

To read more, click here.

Quincy Ko will join InsightSoftware.com on Monday, June 28 as the company’s new sales executive for the northwest region (all the places in the West where it snows).

Quincy is based in Vancouver, Canada and comes with deep and varied experience in the Business Intelligence and ERP industries.

With experience in growing territories, short/long sales cycles, closing small/large deals, and his eye for the end-user experience, Quincy is the ideal addition to InsightSoftware.  He understands our value proposition and the Insight opportunity.

Welcome to the team, Quincy!

More details:

• Business Analyst is the preferred background, someone who has experience across the technical and functional functions
• Manufacturing/Supply Chain background (preferably with Oracle EBS or JD Edwards) although other vendors ERP’s would not preclude consideration. Financial background would be considered as well.
• A Business Intelligence implementation under your belt would go a long way towards understanding our value proposition versus the competition
• Agile and adaptable to changing priorities and multiple sales cycles
• Coachable in presales, with a personality that supports interacting and presenting

Apply via LinkedIn.com: http://bit.ly/doJAe2.

Recently, one of those giveaways surprisingly appeared on eBay: http://bit.ly/9SK8hm. The auction describes the plush bean bag character as a “rare collectible” and “retired and no longer being manufactured.”

Sox is going for an opening bid of $7.99.  Here’s our auction (or contest):

Do you have a “Sox the Owl” memory you’d like to share?  Send your thoughts to marketing@insightsoftware.com.

All entrants will have a chance to win a Sox the Owl plush bean bag character – very rare and in great condition.  “This cool looking owl would make a great addition to a collection!”

We’ll share your memories on this blog.  Good luck!

With Insight you truly revolutionize operational reporting throughout your organization. Insight supplies solutions for functional areas such as: Finance, Human Capital, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Project and Asset Management. Insight goes beyond mere reporting to drive productivity and profitability gains throughout your organization.

Leave with knowledge of the solutions that can help you optimize your business processes, all over lunch. We will treat you to lunch at the UNDERCURRENT restaurant . Click here to RSVP.

User Group meetings on the horizon:

Rocky Mountain User Group on June 10: http://bit.ly/diOd8T

JD Edwards Southeast Regional User Group in Atlanta, GA on June 17: http://bit.ly/9ewZJR

Eastern Canada Regional User Group on June 21 in Mississauga: http://bit.ly/9zCbOF

Running a world-class operation starts with the necessity for at least 99 percent accuracy of Item Master data.  For many, this is easier said than done.  However, with the correct tools the accuracy of Item Master records, Bills of Material, and Routings can be assured.

Once this initial foundation is secured, then focus turns to proactively optimizing scheduling to maximize available capacity and ensure availability of raw materials.  Again, although JD Edwards stores meaningful information in these areas, many struggle to access real-time actionable information that enables optimized processing.  Finally, having a full grasp of manufacturing cost variances and their drivers can make the difference in driving increasingly lower costs and fewer surprises.

With the correct tools you can unlock the rich data stored in JD Edwards to ensure the following: manufacturing tactics are aligned with the corporate strategy; forecasted demand matches market requirements; manufacturing processes are tuned to meet forecasted demand; and that ongoing reduction of cost and variances is possible.

To read more, click here.

According to an Information Management article, the BI market is growing; to read the top 10 Business Intelligence trends for 2010, click here.

Do you agree with this list?

One of Information Management’s predictions is BI’s involvement with cloud computing.  The “cloud” phenomenon is a trend of its own and quickly becoming part of the everyday businessman’s vernacular.

Cloud computing is defined as “Internet-based computing – whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand.”

Not every BI tool is made the same, unfortunately.  In fact, there seem to be more BI blunders than successes.  BeyeRESEARCH conducted a study on the ease-of-use and interface appeal in BI tools.  See the chart for their findings:

Do you use a BI tool? Do you think BI is ready – or already using – up-and-coming technological trends, such as cloud computing and complex event processing?  Share your thoughts.

The new U.S. number is 800-223-1711.  Otherwise, visit http://www.oracle.com/support/contact.html to find the Oracle Global Customer Support toll free number in your country.

In today’s economy, using an effective CAM solution can make or break a business.  It’s the financial advantages that are of main concern.  It’s the incentive of knowing how to save money by controlling costs associated with facilities, parts and labor.  This trio of asset management key points is typically where the problems related to cost-effectiveness begin.

CAM is a sensitive formula that is successful when everything is funneled through a system that works efficiently.  A core function of that formula – relevant to price control – is lowering maintenance costs.  This is usually priority No. 1.  This includes watching the following components: inventory and depreciation, scheduling of repair, logistics, utilization, monitoring (safety and tracking), total lifecycle, performance management, capital planning, and support.

To further control costs, it’s imperative that a software solution assist with increasing maintenance resource utilization.  This relates to being aware of costs related to facilities, parts and labor.  However, it’s also necessary to have a solution that helps improve equipment up-time.  Having a working organization that creates a system that sets a standard for quality control will save dollars on a long-term basis.

To read more, click here.