From the category archives:

Cloud Computing

Brooklyn Lunch & Learn for Nonprofit Executives

November 9, 2011

Selecting a fund accounting system for your nonprofit organization is one of the most important decisions that you’ll make.  So why not take advantage of an opportunity to compare and contrast some of the top selling solutions?

JMT Consulting provide this opportunity at the local Lunch & Learns we host throughout the country for nonprofit executives who want to learn more about the fund accounting solutions available today and take a closer look at cloud computing as one of the options.

When searching out options, it’s easy to get information on a single solution – what’s more difficult is to compare and contrast the solutions in a meaningful way.  We offer that chance at the Lunch & Learn.

We’ve scheduled an event for:

Brooklyn, NY
Date: November 17, 2011
Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm
Location: The Pearl Room
8203 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11209

Join JMT Consulting for a free gourmet lunch and a discussion about the typical accounting dilemmas facing nonprofits.  We’ll compare and contrast two leading financial accounting solutions, Intacct and Sage (MIP) Fund Accounting that can make your organization more effective.  You’ll also have a unique opportunity to network with other local nonprofit financial and executive directors.

Over lunch, we will discuss ways you can:

  • Translate organizational goals into system requirements
  • Discover potential inefficiencies in your current system
  • Identify features that could save you time and resources
  • Evaluate the benefits of cloud-based systems
  • Determine the ROI of different system options

With over 2,000 nonprofit clients, JMT Consulting Group is the leading technology partner for nonprofit organizations in the United States. We combine cutting edge software with customized services, and a range of training opportunities to address the unique requirements of nonprofits.

Registration:  To register, please click here.

What Every Nonprofit Should Understand About Cloud Computing

November 8, 2011

Compared to other sectors, nonprofits have a technology gap.  A recent Johns Hopkins University study surveyed the root causes of the nonprofit technology gap and identified lack of money, lack of time and lack of expertise as the top three challenges.

What is interesting is that Cloud Computing addresses all three of the challenges faced by nonprofits.  When solutions are resident in the Cloud, nonprofits can buy subscriptions (usually monthly) to application use.  This is often referred to as SaaS or Software as a Service.

So what is SaaS?  At the most simple level, it’s the answer to the question – do you rent or do you own your software?

Software solutions that are “owned” by a nonprofit reside at the physical location of the nonprofit (on-premises or “single-tenancy”).  Every organization has its own copy of the software.  While your organization may have a certain version of the software, the software publisher is regularly issuing new versions and updates of the software.  As a result, it is not uncommon for an organization to be “behind” in terms of most recent version of the software.

On-premises software requires IT support, upgrades, supporting infrastructure (servers, etc.) and the maintenance costs of software and infrastructure.

Cloud solutions are “rented” by the nonprofit organization.    The software resides in the cloud, and is “multi-tenancy.”  Because the solution is in the cloud, the software publisher is always providing the most recent version of the software – so only one version of the software is in use and all users are using the same version.  All server and program upgrades, maintenance, etc., are the responsibility of the solution provider – not the nonprofit organization.

While cloud computing sounds new, you’ve probably been using many cloud-based solutions personally for a long time – online banking, purchasing through amazon.com, booking airline tickets, etc.

So here is a quick and simple compare and contrast between On-Premises Model and a Cloud-based Model:

On-Premises – Upfront License Fees

Cloud – Pay for what you use

On-Premises – 18+% Annual Maintenance Fee

Cloud – Included in subscription

On-Premises – Customer bears all IT infrastructure costs and risk

Cloud – Vendor’s bears all IT infrastructure costs and risk

On-Premises – “Ship and Forget”

Cloud – Vendor Accountability

We see the following as significant benefits for Nonprofits utilizing cloud computing:

  • Anytime/Anywhere access – wherever you can access an Internet connection, you have access to your cloud-based solution
  • Limited IT resources are required
  • Faster time to deployment, faster time to value, and less risk
  • Easier and less expensive to customize/more flexible/ more open
  • Positive experiences with other cloud-based products
  • Better security and operations that otherwise could afford
  • More cost-effective than other alternatives

If you do a quick Google search of cloud-based nonprofit applications, you’ll find brands such as Intacct, Convio, Sage Fundraising Online, Tapestry, Fellowship Technologies, SalesForce.com, WebEx, Google, ADP and PAYCHEX, to name just a few.

JMT Consulting is experienced with both on-premises and cloud-based solutions and can help you find the perfect solution for your nonprofit.

Nashville Lunch & Learn November 16

October 31, 2011

Join JMT Consulting for a free gourmet lunch and a discussion about the typical accounting dilemmas facing nonprofits.  We’ll compare and contrast two leading financial accounting solutions, Intacct and Sage (MIP) Fund Accounting that can make your organization more effective.  You’ll also have a unique opportunity to network with other local nonprofit financial and executive directors.

Over lunch, we will discuss ways you can:

  • Translate organizational goals into system requirements
  • Discover potential inefficiencies in your current system
  • Identify features that could save you time and resources
  • Evaluate the benefits of cloud-based systems
  • Determine the ROI of different system options

Selecting a fund accounting system for your nonprofit organization is one of the most important decisions that you’ll make.  So why not take advantage of an opportunity to compare and contrast some of the top selling solutions?

JMT Consulting provide this opportunity at the local Lunch & Learns we host throughout the country for nonprofit executives who want to learn more about the fund accounting solutions available today and take a closer look at cloud computing as one of the options.

We’ve scheduled an event for Nashville on November 16, 2011:

Nashville, TN
Date: November 16, 2011
Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm
Location: Chappy’s
1721 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37203

When searching out options, it’s easy to get information on a single solution – what’s more difficult is to compare and contrast the solutions in a meaningful way.  We offer that chance at the Lunch & Learn.

With over 2,000 nonprofit clients, JMT Consulting Group is the leading technology partner for nonprofit organizations in the United States. We combine cutting edge software with customized services, and a range of training opportunities to address the unique requirements of nonprofits.

Registration:  To register for the Nashville Lunch & Learns, please click here.

Intacct Advantage 2011 Conference

October 18, 2011

We are looking forward to attending the Intacct Advantage 2011 Conference October 26 – 28 in Las Vegas.

It will be an opportunity to connect with our customers who are using Intacct for nonprofits and we always enjoy the opportunities to see you face to face.  We’ll also be taking part in the educational sessions to increase our own knowledge of this wonderful cloud-based solution that has so many benefits for nonprofit organizations.

Our Vice President of Business Development, Tom Thornton, will be moderating one of the sessions led by a panel of nonprofits that are using Intact as their financial accounting system.

Let us know if you’ll be attending and we look forward to seeing you there!

Chicago Nonprofits: A CFO’s Guide to Nonprofit Financial Systems

August 25, 2011

We will be hosting a Lunch & Learn in Chicago for local nonprofit financial and executive directors at The Capital Grille on Tuesday September 20, 2011.

We will be comparing and contrasting Intacct and Sage Fund Accounting, two successful financial systems widely used by nonprofits, that encompass cloud-based and on-premise platforms.

The presentation will help you learn what to identify in your selection process when your organization is ready to change financial systems:

  • Understanding your organization’s needs
  • Determining the Return on Investment (ROI) of any changes
  • Learning what to look for in a new system
  • Discovering if your system is the cause of your inefficiencies
  • Gaining knowledge of hosting in the cloud environment
  • Defining your organization’s goals

Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Time: 12:30 – 2:00pm

Location:  The Capital Grille, 633 North St. Clair Street, Chicago, IL 60611

Registration is required – please contact us at 888-368-2463 or email us at info@jmtconsulting.com.

We hope you will join us and other local nonprofit executives for learning, enjoying a gourmet lunch, and networking.

JMT Consulting Group Named to Intacct 2011 President’s Club

August 19, 2011

On Wednesday, August 17, Intacct announced that six Business Partners had been named to Intacct 2011 President’s Club and we are delighted to report that JMT Consulting Group was one of the six firms chosen.

We are committed to providing nonprofit organizations with the right solution and the right technology at the right time.  Having a powerful cloud-computing solution like Intacct to offer helps us to fulfill that commitment.

We’re thrilled to be a part of the Intacct 2011 President’s Club.  In the Intacct-issued press release it stated of JMT Consulting Group and the other five honorees “These firms represent an elite group of Intacct partners.  Membership in the Intacct President’s Club is based on sales success and customer service.”

Intacct CEO Robert Reid was quoted in the press release saying, “These companies have gone the extra mile to ensure clients are getting maximum value for their Intacct investments.”

Our customers are our first priority at JMT Consulting Group.  We work exclusively with nonprofit organizations and it is exhilarating to assist them as they go about the good work of fulfilling their missions.

Thank you Intacct for joining us in that effort and thank you for honoring us.

Intacct Named One of CRN’s “25 Cloud Vendors You Need to Know”

August 14, 2011

At JMT Consulting Group we are very excited about Intacct and we offer its nonprofit solution that allows organizations to take advantage of the many benefits of cloud computing.

Recently, Intacct was named one of the 25 Cloud Vendors You Need to Know by CRN.  This list is a who’s who of cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS).  The top 25 list includes Intacct and global industry leaders like Amazon.com, Google and Salesforce.com.

We are excited about what Intacct can offer Nonprofit organizations – namely lower total cost of ownership, reduced implementation risk, operation excellence, anywhere/anytime access, dramatically reduced IT costs, data security, and pre-built integration with other best of breed vendors.  Intacct is also the endorsed solution of the AICPA – so you can be sure that the financials are robust and compliant.

If you are interested in cloud computing, on August 23 we are hosting a webcast “Intacct Cloud Financials for Nonprofit Organizations.”  It is free and you can register here.

 

Hartford CFO Guide to Nonprofit Financial Systems

July 20, 2011

Join JMT Consulting Group, an independent nonprofit consultancy, to learn about choosing the correct financial system for your organization.  Enjoy a gourmet lunch on us and network with other local nonprofit financial and executive directors.

You will learn what to identify when your organization is ready to change your fund accounting software by:

  • Understanding your organization’s needs
  • Determining the ROI of any changes
  • Learning what to look for when choosing a new system
  • Discovering if your system is the cause of your inefficiencies
  • Gaining knowledge of hosting in the cloud environment
  • Defining your organization’s goals

We will be comparing and contrasting two excellent financial systems widely used by nonprofits:  Intacct and Sage Fund Accounting.

Join us July 27, 2011 from 12:30 – 2:00.

Location:

Vivo Seasonal Trattoria

200 Columbus Blvd (in the Marriott – Hartford Downtown)

Hartford, CT 06103

Register with Noelle Hasser 314-766-4019 or email nhasser@jmtconsulting.com.

We hope to see you there!

Intacct Cloud Financials for Nonprofit Organizations – Join us for an Online Webcast!

July 20, 2011

Join us for a webcast on August 23, 2011 from 3:00 – 4:00e.

We’ve developed this webcast in response to the volume of inquiries we’re receiving on how cloud computing can help nonprofit organizations.

In this session we will discuss:

  • What is “The Cloud” and what does it mean for nonprofit organizations?
  • How to objectively compare true Cloud-based applications to traditional on-premise solutions
  • Which distinctive capabilities of Intacct Cloud Financials make it an ideal fit for many nonprofit organizations?

As a nonprofit organization, your accounting needs are more challenging than for-profit businesses, but your resources are scarce.  You have less budget.  You have little to no IT resources.  And, your first focus is on your mission, not managing and maintaining software.

Cloud computing may be a great option for your organization.  JMT Consulting Group has added cloud-based Intacct as part of our solution portfolio.

Intacct Cloud Financials is the true Cloud-based financial management solution that provides the best set of capabilities available in the marketplace for nonprofit organizations.  Nonprofits benefit from the innovative tools and reporting while avoiding the high cost of implementing enabling technologies.

This presentation will include an overview demonstration of key capabilities of Intacct Cloud Financials.

As part of this event, we will also provide a roadmap for organizations that are considering switching financial management systems so that you can better understand what is involved in undertaking a project of this nature.

Please click here to register.

Why I Moved Our Business to Cloud Computing and Why It Might Be the Right Move for your Nonprofit

May 9, 2011

By Jacqueline M. Tiso, Founder and CEO of JMT Consulting Group

As does every leader in a firm, I have to keep watch on how the numbers are doing.  Specifically – how is the money coming in and what is it going out for.  Probably the strongest message any business leader has heard over the past few years is that cash is king.  This is true for every firm, whether for-profit or non-profit.

Given this fact, you can imagine having to spend approximately $20,000 a year on technology – upgrades and maintenance to our servers – is NOT my most happy moment.

The good news?  The last time I had to spend this kind of money was in late 2009.

At that time, I realized that I really didn’t like to spend $20,000 a year on hardware and software upgrades – and that money could be much better spent elsewhere.

Think about it:  What could you do for your organization with $20,000 of “found” money?

JMT’s mission is to support non-profits in their use of technology, so they can achieve their mission.  I realized that I should be applying this philosophy to my own business.  And this forced me to ask the question how was spending this money every year on upgrades and maintenance furthering our mission?

I easily realized that spending a significant portion of our operating budget each year on IT infrastructure didn’t support JMT’s mission.  And that was the moment our move to the cloud was born.  This decision was arrived at after thorough reviews of our entire technology foot print, including not only direct costs such as the annual $20,000 equipment spend, but also electrical, maintenance, security, and of course, the human resources costs.

Our move to the cloud is not 100% complete, but it’s almost done and it has had an amazing impact on our organization in terms of not only dollars, but in the ability to streamline our processes, accessibility, team collaboration, and increased efficiency.

Every non-profit can benefit just as JMT has.  If you need help in understanding this changing paradigm and how you organization might benefit, please do call us and I will be happy to share what we’ve done.

Technology Working in Favor of Nonprofits

Have you ever postponed investing in a new accounting system for your nonprofit because of the cost to buy or add new servers? Or maybe your organization doesn’t have a large (any) IT department to support replacing or upgrading to a better accounting solution and so you’ve made due with the system that you have [...]

Intacct Participating in “Joining Forces” – a program for military veterans

Yesterday was a proud moment and an exciting day for us as an Intacct solution provider. Intacct is part of an exciting new program “Joining Forces,” championed by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, which seeks to improve the economic opportunity for military veterans and their families.  Cloud computing and SaaS will serve [...]

INNOVATE 2011 Solution Spotlight Will Feature Hosting, Cloud Computing, Web-based Applications for Nonprofit Organizations

JMT Consulting Group announced today a special Solution Spotlight track for nonprofit organizations attending JMT’s annual conference INNOVATE 2011. One of the Solution Spotlight sessions will be “Saving Money for Nonprofits Through Hosted Solutions” and will be presented by Stanley Kania, CEO of Software Link, Inc.  In addition to the insights shared at the session, [...]

Nonprofits and Cloud Computing

You’re a nonprofit.  You have less budget.  You have little to no IT resources.  And, your first focus is on your mission, not managing and maintaining software. Our CEO, Jacqueline M. Tiso will be presenting “Nonprofit Best Practices:  Moving to the Cloud” at The Volunteer Center in Stamford, CT, on Wednesday May 25, 2011. She [...]

Expense Management Seminar – NYC March 30

We’re going into the City to host a seminar on Expense Management highlighting RestEasy Expense.  We use RestEasy Expense internally for expense report reimbursement – it’s web-based and very easy to use. If you are on a trip, you can take a photo of your receipts with a smart phone save it to your expense [...]

RestEasy Expense – So Good We Use It Ourselves

Last year at INNOVATE, RestEasy Expense was a new product that we featured in our keynote.  There was a lot of excitement among the attendees regarding the product.  We were excited as well.  In fact, we’re using RestEasy Expense at JMT to process expense reports. It lives up to its name, incredibly easy to use, cloud-based, [...]

Nonprofit Best Practices: Cloud Financials

On February 15 at 1:00e, Jacqueline M. Tiso, JMT Consulting Group, CEO and founder will be presenting with Dan Druker (Intacct) and James Linday, CFO of The Great Books Foundation. This is a webcast and free of charge, so please join us by registering here. Here’s what you’ll learn at the web event: The key financial [...]

Admit it – You Hate Expense Reports

Even though there is wonderful motivation for finally sitting down, collecting those receipts, and filling out your expense reports (namely getting reimbursed), we all hate doing it.  I know I do. RestEasy Expense is a cloud-based application that really does take the pain out of the expense reimbursement process.  And, it is integrated with Sage [...]

RestEasy Expense – So Good We Use It Ourselves

Last year at INNOVATE, RestEasy Expense was a new product that we featured in our keynote.  There was a lot of excitement among the attendees regarding the product.  We were excited as well.  In fact, we’re using RestEasy Expense at JMT to process expense reports. It lives up to its name, incredibly easy to use, [...]

Preview: Nonprofit Best Practices: Cloud Financials

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa-Lv38pQQQ&w=640&h=390] Here is a video of James Linday who will be presenting with Jacqueline M. Tiso and Dan Druker on February 15 – more here. Enjoy the preview!