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Thinking Tech BLOG
Bob Palmer


Why All the Business Commentary about the iPad?
Know It All - The Industr

Technology Forecast Cloudy??
Without going point by point through the issues raised in this article, I think there are some considerations that may be left out: CIO Revolution? Really?
InformationWeek has been touting the newest "Revolution" in the CIO job. I read the GlobalCIO editorial in the December 21

Rest in Peace S. Herbert Rhea
My uncle John S. Palmer (deceased) introduced me to Mr. Rhea when I was still a Junior in college. He told Herbert that I was a computer guy. We met at Uncle John's house, in his home office. Herbert

An ERP Parable
C.H. Dodd once defined a (Biblical) parable as "a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt abo

A Big Competitive Advantage
A few weeks ago, I was at a Memphis Society of Entrepreneur's luncheon at the Crescent Club. We were sitting around the table talking, passing around the "What do you do?" question. One of the membe

Paperless? Do You Know Where Your Backups Are?
A member of the AICPA Group on LinkedIn posted a question about keeping paper records vs. the paperless office. In case you aren't on the AICPA group on LinkedIn, here's my reply: I think the issue i

Rethinking Your Efficiency
In many cases, clients ask us to provide "technical" services. Most of the time we understand the business purpose behind these requests. Sometimes we suspect it. We're most successful (as are our cl

Oracle Believes ERP Market is Recovering
The title of the article below seems a bit misleading to me. It's not clear to me that there is evidence of SAP's unravelling, unless the reference is to SAP losing market share. Furthermore, I don't

Do People Bother To Read Email Before Hitting Reply?
I sent a simple email to a customer service rep the other day. Here's a link you should look at, I said. It was a link to a site of a company using a logo (their logo). They had just

SEO on Google About to Change Dramatically!
Google is changing the way it's search engine works in major ways after the first of the year. Most believe this is to avoid a hit to many of the Internet retailers who rely heavily on Google optimiza

Mrs. Crawford Was Right!
Mrs. Crawford said that everyone has their favorite pet peeves about the English language; if you break these rules, they'll zap you. She was right. Your == belonging to you NOT the contraction YOU

Fear of Bad Ideas / Posted Link
I like Seth Godin. I devoured his early books, and applied his concepts. This post is not about Seth Godin, even though the link below is a link to Seth's blog. This entry is about the practice of p

When was the last time your computer software company gave you a suggestion that improved your business?
I've been asking businesspeople I know this question lately. I seem to be getting a lot of blank stares. Too bad. See, I thought computers were just tools. They did things that businesses needed doin

Discontinued Products
You know, as a consultant who has to talk with clients about specific products, there's something that really hacks me off: discontinued products. Intuit had a product for QuickBooks called Business A


DGG Publishes Idea Book

Hundred%20Lightbulb-Small.gifData Guidance Group announces a new whitepaper containing ideas about using technology to solve business issues.

"This is a different kind of whitepaper," says Bob Palmer, President of Data Guidance Group. "Most whitepapers contain information about how to use the vendor's product to benefit your business--they are sales pieces for a particular product. This whitepaper is about solving business problems. You'll read about a variety of problems resolved. Some of them involve custom software, some of them involve using products that clients already owned, and all of them involve a problem-solving method that puts your business first."

DGG also created a website to preview the ideas. Click on the lightbulb to preview the ideas and order the whitepaper.

Podcast? What Podcast?

We've been working on a podcast at DGG to keep clients up to date on the newest technologies, .dgg_podcast_logo-red_100.jpg and to help with strategic thinking about technology topics. We are focusing on the business side of the technology equation.

We're planning a series of new entries soon, and setting up a recording room to produce the show on a more regular basis. You'll soon hear from many of our consultants on the podcast.

A podcast is a radio-like show that's delivered over the Internet. It gets its name from the iPod, since many people listen to podcasts with iPods or similar MP3 players. The good news is that you can take it with you wherever you go. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Top 10 ERP Software Packages

At Data Guidance Group, part of our mission is to maintain up-to-date information and analysis on as many mid-market and Tier 1 accounting software packages as possible. We're constantly researching, evaluating, and collecting data on hundreds of packages. Take a look at our list of the Top Ten ERP Software and accounting software packages on the market. Graphic for Top 10 ERP and Accounting software packages link

If you are currently thinking about an ERP software package, you might be interested in DGG's Guide To Selecting Accounting Software. Our Guide provides you information essential to making a good decision the first time you select accounting or ERP software.

Need New Software? Maybe NOT! We can help you get the most from your current system!


In tough economic times, getting the most out of everything in your business can be the difference between profit and failure.

Many small and mid-sized businesses look at technology as a tool to solve accounting problems. Checking%20Spreadsheet.jpgTechnology is often good at solving problems like inaccurate inventory, inefficiency in warehouses, invoicing, accurately calculating costs of contracts, tracking fixed assets, and so forth. But software isn't just for accountants! It can help you manage better!

You can also use your software to move forward. How? By developing and using better measurement. By managing your resources better. By making growth possible without increasing cost. By controlling your sales and marketing cycles and bringing you more sales.

You might miss opportunites just because you don't know they are there! Whether you have MAS-90(TM), QuickBooks(TM), ACCPAC(TM), Microsoft(R) Dynamics(TM), or something else, we can help you get the most from your investment. The initial consultation is always FREE. We guarantee that you'll get business benefit from our first conversation!

Give us a call or drop us a line; we'd love to see if we can help.

Managing in Tough Times


Profit_Tools_Cover.jpgEconomists finally announced what we had known since the first of 2008: the economy is in recession. You know that you have to manage more closely than ever before, and pay attention to things that you haven't had to watch closely before. Many software packages don't provide the information in an easy-to-use format.

No matter what software your business is using--QuickBooks, ACCPAC, MAS 90/200/500, Microsoft Dynamics, J.D. Edwards, SAP, or Oracle--we can help you get the data you need. The how is different for every business; information has to be tailored for you and your management needs.

But no matter what business you are in, we'd be happy to discuss what Data Guidance Group can do to help you get the information you need to manage profitably. Call us at 901-452-4585 or 877-306-3994 for more information. You can also get a copy of our white paper, Profit Tools; it provides dozens of ideas which can improve your profitability.

Data Guidance Group Adds QuickBooks Enterprise Solution Support


QuickBooks"We had been looking at QuickBooks® for several years", said Bob Palmer, CPA, President of Data Guidance Group, "but until the 9.0 version of the product released this year, along with Warehouse Management ES, Field Service ES, and Sales Management ES, we didn't think it fit many of our clients."

In addition, the Software Development Kit (SDK) which allows us to develop software using data from inside QuickBooks has evolved a great deal since the earliest versions. We now have a powerful and quick tool to develop solutions as sophisticated or simple as our clients need.

To find out more about how QuickBooks Enterprise Solution can benefit you, and read our analysis of the current product, visit our QBES page.

Outgrown your Old Accounting or ERP System? DGG Can Help!


Photo: Frantic Woman Squeezed into Box: Have you outgrown your accounting or ERP Software? If your business is using an old system, whether it's DOS, QuickBooks, an in-house custom developed system, or an AS/400, your data can be migrated. Data Guidance Group specializes in smooth data migration and our process for Legacy System Migration makes your job easier.

Efficient and cost-effective transfer of your data is possible, particularly if you are using a database-based software solution. Data Guidance Group has developed expertise and software tools to assist you in moving to a solution that better suits your business needs

Give us a ring if you would like to discuss your situation. You might also want a copy of our Guide to Selecting Business Software. Get your copy emailed now.

How To Select Business Software


Photo of The Guide To Selecting Business Software - Order your free copy - Selecting ERP software right the first time. Sometimes businesses decide that they've outgrown their business software, or that their business software is not working for them any longer. Data Guidance Group helps businesses select and implement the right ERP software for them. If you're thinking about new software, get a copy of the DGG Guide To Selecting Business Software. It's designed for companies selecting manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, ERP, or accounting software.

Our clients tell us this is one of the most helpful resources they can find. It helps them consider all the options effectively and ask the right questions. But it doesn't champion any particular solution. Data Guidance Group believes that successful ERP software implementations begin with being sure that the software selected is the right software.

We have also collected some research that you might want to review on the Top 10 Accounting and ERP software packages.

Data Guidance Group, Inc.
Suite 1505
1407 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38104
901-452-4585
901-458-2604 (fax)
877-306-3994 (toll free)