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MS Windows XP Service Pack 3 |
Earlier this month, Microsoft released Service Pack 3 for users of Windows XP systems. The Windows XP Service Pack 3 includes all previously released Windows XP updates, including security updates and hotfixes. It also includes select out-of-band releases, and a small number of new enhancements, which do not significantly change your experience with the operating system.
The service pack should be installed on any PC which is using the XP software, and is something that AKM can help you with if you are at all unsure about completing the task yourself.
The installation takes approximately 45 minutes to complete per PC, during which time the user will of course would not be able to access the workstation.
So call us on 0870 0429076 if you need us to help you with it. |
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AKM and Laugh Out Loud in Partnership |
AKM is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Laugh Out Loud, based in Ely.
As LOL continue to focus more and more on their website and software services we were approached to be their partner, who would take on LOL's IT service business and continue to deliver the quality of service and response their customers had come to expect.
This is an exciting time for all at AKM as we have already welcomed 7 of LOL's customers to our support services and hope that more will follow once they see how committed we are to delivering excellent service and cost effective solutions to their businesses. |
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Sage 50 Accounts |
Reasons for discrepancies between Aged Debtors, Control Accounts and Aged debtors reports
The reconciliation of the Aged Debtors report with the equivalent control account is a common routine and a useful means of tracking debt. In certain circumstances the balance may not agree. It's possible both to minimise the chances of discrepancy and investigate why it may have occurred.
Running the report
To produce an accurate Aged Debtors report, you must ensure:
- No Search is applied to the Customer list.
- The Exc Later Payments check box is selected.
- If you are running a detailed report, use a date range from 01/01/1980 until the end of the reporting period.
Causes of discrepancy
There are three potential causes of discrepancy:
- Data corruption
- Accounting actions, for example a journal directly to the debtors Control account.
- Transaction allocation date errors.
Data corruption and fixing
To identify data corruption, from the File menu, choose Maintenance and then click Check Data.
Any Errors reported must be corrected.
If Errors have been reported previously, and the Check Data Fix option was applied, the data may not have been fully repaired. If this is known to be the case, a pre-corruption backup must be restored. If no backup exists, for further advice, contact Sage Technical Support.
If any Warnings appear concerning the Debtors Control account, note the value and refer to the following section, Accounting actions. If no Warnings are reported, please refer to the Allocation dates section.
Accounting Actions:
| Cause |
How to identify |
Correction |
| Journals posted to the Debtors Control account. Note: such transactions cause a discrepancy as they adjust the control account but are not picked up by the report. |
Run the Day Books: Nominal Ledger report for the control account to identify any journals other than opening balances. |
Check the validity of the journals and reverse where necessary. |
| The Debtors Control account opening balance may have been entered as part of the Trial Balance and as individual transactions through the Customer module without being reversed. |
Compare the Debtors Control account opening balance to the value given in the Check Data Warning. |
If the Warning and opening balance values agree, a reversal of the opening balance must be posted. |
| Opening balance not entered |
Run a Trial Balance |
Post opening Balances |
Allocation dates
Example: if a sales receipt is allocated to an invoice using a date that pre-dates the invoice, it is possible that the receipt transaction could be excluded from the debtors report whilst affecting the control account balance.
A set of reports is available to identify such situations. |
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BackUpAssist |
Software that will change the way you think about data back ups!
AKM are pleased to offer our customers a new product; BackUpAssist.
BackUpAssist is backup software for Windows servers - with a difference. BackUpAssist was developed specifically for the small and medium business market, was first released in 2002, and has experienced phenomenal growth ever since.
Whilst AKM has only recently got involved with the software we are extremely impressed with what it can do and how simple it is to use. So much so, we have now installed it on our servers and some of our customers!
BackUpAssist is different because the key idea underpinning its design is simplicity for the end user. It doesnt have loads of bells and whistles that typically make a product more expensive or complex. The concept is simple, 'set-and-forget'. Once it is set up on the server, the software takes over and basically runs on autopilot, you needn't worry about it again.
BackUpAssist is also available separately for Exchange and SQL, so it ensures that all your data is backed up. So for those of you that want to restore a single e.mail account instead of all the accounts on the network, you can, which makes life a lot easier for everyone.
From as little as £160 + vat for the standard BackUpAssist facility, it is an extremely cost effective way to ensure your business data is safe.
If you would like to know about the product or have some technical questions, please call Chris on 0870 0429076 or e.mail enquiries@akm-it.co.uk. |
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Social Networking |
With mobile phones, e-mail, instant messaging and all the other communicatory gadgetry that surrounds our everyday lives, it's never been easier to stay in touch with friends and family. Social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Bebo and Cyworld have been attracting millions of users ever since they started. These sites, and many others, offer a free (mostly) networking utility that allows you to stay in touch with friends and family, make new friends, join interest groups, write blogs, share pictures and videos and oodles more!
It comes as no surprise given their popularity, that they would come under ridicule from time to time. It only takes a few searches of Google to find many news stories relating to social networking sites. One of the main issues that brings these sites under the spotlight is the concern over privacy and security. While some of you may not mind meeting strangers, some people do. Especially parents whose children use the sites on a daily basis. Here are a few tips on how you can stay safe:
1. Have your profile set to private, if possible.
Only allow people you know to view your profile and if you are looking to make friends, ensure people cannot see your entire profile until you approve them (this is a standard feature of Facebook, but not of MySpace and Bebo).
2. Don't put your credit card details, phone numbers or address on your profile
You may have heard about this one, actually. A while back there was a news report on people's identities being stolen because of information that they put on their profile pages. This example is one of the extreme consequences, but its good practice not to show this information (if a friend wants your new address for example, send a private message, at least).
3. Monitor children when they use social networking sites
This extends to overall internet usage. Also ensure that you have the correct content control programs in order to restrict what they can look at on the internet.
4. Use a good password
This rule also extends far beyond social networking, but the general rules are: don't use something obvious, like a pet name or your name. Use UPPERCASE and lowercase characters, and numbers too (the easiest ones to remember are replacing 'S' for '5' and 'E' for '3' and 'O' for '0'), and most of all DONT use password (as your password)!
All in all, social networking sites are there for fun. Every site should have its relevant guide on how to stay safe and it's certainly recommend you give this a read before (or even after) you get started. The internet can be a barren place at times and it's a jungle at best, but we sure love it!
Links:
www.facebook.com/help.php?safety
www1.myspace.com/misc/safetyTips.html
www.bebo.com/SafetyTips.jsp
us.cyworld.com/main/aboutus/safety.php |
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