Myob Accountedge 2008 for Mac Also Includes Network Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been a regular user of AccountEdge since September of 1999, having switched when intuit could not guarantee a Y2K patch for QuickBooks Pro. Since MYOB has a new version of the software, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at what other accounting programs for Macintosh were being offered. I was surprised to see three other robust programs available. Reading the specs though I could see they were designed for smaller businesses such as sole proprietorships, or specific types of businesses (i.e., retail), or individuals. The two big players on the market for small to medium businesses are still QuickBooks Pro and MYOB AccountEdge (or Peachtree, if you are running an Intel Mac.) I know that MYOB maintains a commitment to continue to develop for the Macintosh platform. This is not necessarily so for Intuit and definitely not for Peachtree. And, Intuit recently had some major issues with user data being lost. http://db.tidbits.com/article/9378.
It's not my intention to review MYOB AccountEdge by using QuickBooks Pro as their foil. The truth is that there are very few Accounting programs that are supported on a Macintosh. And even though I always give kudos to MYOB for their support of the Macintosh platform, there are always features that can be improved upon. Most notably for me was the length of time it took MYOB to be up and running for the OS 10.5 Panther release. At this point in time, MYOB has the following statement on the website:
AccountEdge and AccountEdge Network Edition 2008 are certified compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Make sure you are on the latest version by opening the Help menu from the top menu bar and choosing Check for Product Updates from the Help menu. Following is a list of known issues.
Payroll forms - In order to run any payroll forms - including W-2s - at the end of the year, you will need to download an updated Payroll Forms Viewer. This update can be accessed by opening AccountEdge, navigating to the Help menu, and then selecting Check For Updates.
Upgrading files - When opening a file from a previous version, you may receive an "Upgrade Assistant is unable to process the company file" error message. You must first upgrade the file using the Upgrade Assistant found in your MYOB AccountEdge 2008 applications directory.
New Features in MYOB AccountEdge 2008
Backup to .mac. is by far one the best new feature for my money. This offsite backup capability for .mac account holders is useful for businesses that do not have any other offsite backup in place. When the backup command is selected, there is an option to back up to disk, or to .mac. The user also has the option to back up only the company file which saves on storage space. I have to say that I am having problems with this new feature, and had hoped to have it solved before posting this review. My workaround right now is to back my company file up to disc, then open .mac and upload the file from there. My past experience with this company on issues like this is that they are eventually taken care of. It could be that there is a conflict on my end as well. I've yet to sign up for a support plan, but will be doing so.
iCal integration is a great tool for people who use iCal on a regular basis. One advantage I can see to this is if the user has a customer that is historically late with payments. Publishing the invoice to iCal will bring up a reminder to contact the customer when the invoice is due. Other reminders such as bill payments and recording recurring transactions can also be sent to iCal just by selecting the checkbox in the open window.
New Payroll features include better sick leave and vacation tracking, and auto calculating the same. This is a great feature both the payroll clerk and employee will benefit from.
Statements have been updates to be more customizable. This is a great new feature, as in prior versions the statements could be confusing to some customers who did not pay their entire invoice in full.
The Command Center has a new look. It's OK, not really necessary but nice to see. Also added to the command center is a feature called Task Drawer. It is a slide out window controlled by a button on the bottom right edge of the Command Center. The Task Drawer holds a list of the most common functions the user can customize to his or her specific tasks.
The W-2 and W-3 function in AccountEdge 2008 is greatly improved from earlier versions of the software. Using Forms Viewer, the user can now print plain paper copies of these forms, eliminating the need to purchase costly pre-printed forms from third party vendors.
There are other new features in AccountEdge 2008 that can improve productivity once the user becomes familiar with them. Command +N now bring up new, accounts, jobs, invoices, depending on the window the user is working in. Previously this command would only bring up a new window. If you are using direct deposit for payroll, you can now email pay-stubs to the employees, saving on printing.
MYOB offers it's Accounting 101 tutorial for people who are just starting out, or need a refresher course in Accounting. I would recommend that anyone who is considering this software be somewhat familiar with standard accounting practices, however.
New customers can take advantage of an online training webinar. For a fee, MYOB offers Full Service Payroll, Credit Card Processing, Direct Deposit, eFiling, and Vendor Payment services. I've not tried any of these, but I can see how they would make sense for a small business that doesn't want to spend a lot of time taking care of these types of tasks.
If you are running Leopard (OS 10.5) make sure all your software updates have been downloaded and installed., including 10.5.1. Also helpful is the latest version of stuffit expander 12.0.1 Once MYOB AccountEdge is installed, choose check for updates from your MYOB products under the help menu, download and install. Ancillary programs such as Forms Viewer need to be updated the same way, by looking under the help menu. Make sure the most current tax tables are loaded by choosing that feature once the program is fully installed and updated.
I hear a lot of complaining about paid support plans, and read about problems with them on the message boards. I'd like to speak up in defense of paid support plans. In one sense it is no different from purchasing AppleCare for hardware products. It's there if you need it, and hopefully you don't. Also, the company has to have staff on hand for those who do need help with the software. I imagine there are a percentage of users who know little about accounting and use the support plans for reasons other than software glitches. That said, when comparing cost of ownership including the support plan over a three year period, between QuickBooks and MYOB, MYOB offers the best value for money.
There is a user discussion board accessible through the MYOB site. I have found it useful to read through some of the discussions. One thread recently reported that networked machines on Leopard using file-connect have noticed an improvement is speed. Speed has been an issue since the introduction of the Networked version of AccountEdge, so I'm glad to see that has been improved upon.
A trial version of this software is available for 30 days, and support is free for the first 30 days.
MYOB offers a free Accountant's Version of the software to qualified users.
MYOB AccountEdge and AccountEdge Network Edition 2008 version 8 System Requirements
Minimum requirements for full installation:
'Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later
'PowerMac G3 or later with at least 128 MB RAM
'100MB of available Hard Disk space for program installation. 245MB for full installation
'Average of 35 MB additional HD space for each company file maintained with MYOB AccountEdge
'1024x768 screen resolution running thousands of colors
Help System, Payroll Updates and Business Services:
'Internet access required for payroll updates and forms, as well as Internet-based Business Services
'Safari or Firefox
'QuickTime 5.0 or higher
Networking Requirements:
'AccountEdge Network Edition recommended for multi-user networking
'G5 processor or better with at least 1 GB RAM
'100BaseT or faster Ethernet network
Microsoft Office connection requires:
'Microsoft Word® X and 2004
'Microsoft Excel® X and 2004
Intel-Based Mac Compatibility:
'AccountEdge v7 and above will run natively on both Intel-based and PowerPC Macs.
1. Mac OS X 10.4 or later is required for syncing with Mac Address Book. 2. (UNIX File System) formatted hard drives are not supported
MyMac rating on this product is 4.5 out of 5.

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CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor Study Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)First, this should not be your only reference. There: got that out of the way.
I recommend this book along with the official questions and answers book and the official questions and answers supplement.
This book does a very good job of covering every topic with which you need to be very familiar in order to pass the test. It covers the practice areas as updated for 2006, which haven't changed for 2007. However, the questions in this book are terrible and do not represent the questions you will be asked on the actual test. Also, there are many editing errors in this book so be on the lookout.
The official questions and answers book and its supplement are essential. The test questions are often misleadingly (or just poorly) worded and correctly answering the multiple choice questions often comes down to almost arbitrarily deciding which one is "most" correct. You will have a hard time on the exam if you haven't subjected yourself to this abuse before hand.
I do not recommend the official study guide. The official study guide is so terrible on so many levels I wished I could throw it at an ISACA official after wasting my time and money on it. The writing is terrible: redundant, dry, and often times of questionable use and technical accuracy. The book itself has terrible typography and pedagogy that make it painful to read. The softcover, oversized dimensions, and spiral binding make it very annoying to carry or store anywhere other than on a flat desktop since it flops around. That it was so obviously cheaply produced and yet costs more than $100 is insulting.
So, in summary: This book is worth your money despite its flaws and will help you pass the CISA exam. Make sure you also buy the official questions and answers book and its supplement. Avoid the official study guide.

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CISSP Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Fourth Edition (Cissp All-In-One Exam Guide) Review

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(More customer reviews)Not sure why this book is so highly rated. Having taken (and passed) the CISSP several years ago, I need to retake this exam and bought three books for review and study purposes. I have a previous version of the Harris book and it is ~900 pages. This new version is 1100+ pages, but seems to be filled more with fluff and some of the actually useful knowledge has been removed! One example which stands out is the removal of the effectiveness and acceptance charts for biometrics methods. This is an important concept and it is entirely ignored in this version. Other things have been changed to no real benefit. The CIA triad (as is the de-facto acronym, even in her previous book) has been renamed to the ICA triad. There is no reason for this.
Finally, the entire book is written in a dumbed-down, cutesy fashion in an attempt (I believe) to make the book more approachable. All it has done, IMO, has increased the number of pages, possibly forcing out relevant materials.
I will pass this test, but it won't be because of this book. Buy the ISC book and the Krutz book (and/or a previous version of the Harris book) - you will not be disappointed.
UPDATE: ok, took the test in Sept and passed. I won't turn this into a test review as this is about the book, but when you buy a certification book, your primary requirement is that the book will be timely and relevant to the test material. The 4th Edition Harris book does just that. ISC has made significant changes to both the content and nature of the test (in large part to keep its test current on security trends and to satisfy a larger target audience) and Shon has captured those changes very well. So, having said all that, it is my revised opinion that this book is more than adequate for passing the test (although it is still filled with fluff.) If I could change the review, I would probably give it 4 stars at this point. The ISC book and the Krutz book are both excellent references to actually apply the knowledge in a meaningful way, however if you just want to pass the test, the Harris book will serve you well.

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All-in-One is All You Need

Fully revised for the latest exam release, this authoritative volume offers thorough coverage of all the material on the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) exam. Written by a renowned security expert and CISSP, this guide features complete details on all 10 exam domains developed by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC²). Inside, you'll find learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter, exam tips, practice questions, and in-depth explanations. CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Fourth Edition will not only help you pass the test, but also be your essential on-the-job reference.

Covers all 10 subject areas on the exam:

Access control
Application security
Business continuity and disaster recovery planning
Cryptography
Information security and risk management
Legal, regulations, compliance, and investigations
Operations security
Physical (environmental) security
Security architecture and design
Telecommunications and network security

The CD-ROM features:

Simulated exam with practice questions and answers
Video training from the author
Complete electronic book

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