MISys Inks Deal With Sleeter Group. The Sleeter Group and Manufacturing Information Systems Inc. (MISys) recently announced that they have formed an alliance intended to increase MISys’ penetration into the small- to medium-sized accounting software market, where right-sized manufacturing solutions are in high demand. The new relationship enhances the existing business partner programs of both organizations by bringing existing MISysBusiness Partners who sell MISys Small Business Manufacturing (MISys SBM) into The Sleeter Group Consultant’s Network (SGCN). The nationwide network includes over 600 accounting firms and business software consultants with expertise in QuickBooks financial software and other products, will operate as a Value Added Reseller channel for MISys to handle sales, installation, integration, and business process consulting for MISys clients.

MISys Sure Start Expanded. Following a hugely successful trial period, the Sure Start program for users of MISys Small Business Manufacturing has been expanded to encompass three technical support options. New MISys SBM users will choose one of the following: Sure Start Bronze ($400), Sure Start Silver ($900), or Sure Start Gold ($1500). Each plan starts off with 60 days of implementation assistance from our Sure Start Coach. The Bronze plan adds 6 months of Standard Technical Support. The Silver plan adds 6 months of Priority Technical Support, and the Gold plan adds 12 months of Priority Technical Support.
When you select one of these options, your MISys Sales Advisor will contact you to introduce your Sure Start Coach, who will serve as your personal implementation manager to guide you through the installation and initial setup of the software. During your first 60 days as a user of MISys SBM, your Coach will be checking with you on a regular basis by telephone and web conference to make sure your installation is going smoothly and that you are making good progress setting up the program, establishing the required master files, performing your initial physical inventory, and posting your first inventory transactions successfully. At the end of 60 days, your Coach will review the Technical Support option you have selected and make certain that you ! know how to contact the MISys experts whenever the need arises.
Should you desire additional consulting services from our team of experts, your Sure Start Coach can help you make arrangements with our MISys Professional Services Group. Beyond the length of your chosen option, we will continue to offer Priority Support at either $225 per month or $2500 per year, or Standard Support for either $90 per month or $1000 per year.

MISys Development Roadmap. Last month at Insights we spoke to many of our Business Partners about our development roadmap and how it affects all of us. We discussed integration with Accpac v5.5 and other accounting packages, the future of MISys SAE and MISys SBM and more.Since we were not able to spend time with all of you and feel it's critical that you are aware of our plans for the future, we've scheduled two Webinars in which we'll explain where MISys is headed and what you can expect from our products. The first webinar will be held this Thursday, June 5th. The second will be on Monday, June 7th. Both webinars start at 1:00pm Eastern Time and should last about a half an hour.
If you are a MISys/Accpac Business Partner and would like to attend, please email Scott Beavers, MISys Channel Manager, or telephone 802/457-4600 x286 for the login information. We hope you'll join us.

Dateline Woodstock:
Regardless of where you live or work, there's a good chance that your evening news is dominated by two topics: 1) who is really the Democratic nominee for the US Presidency and 2) how much gas and oil costs in your neck of the woods. Since everyone (except one) knows the answer to the first question, Vermonters spend most of their time contemplating the impact the answer to the second question will have on our rural lives. On a recent trip to Florida (a state where the maximum elevation is measured in inches) we counted 3 sightings of Toyota Prius' and 8,457 Lincoln Navigators, Ford Explorers, Chevy Suburbans, and other gas guzzlers. Here in Woodstock, the Prius' are more common than mosquitoes. Gas may be hovering around $4/gallon but Woodchucks take great delight in 1) staying home and 2) traveling over 500 miles on one 10-gallon fill-up. Local businesses are adjusting for what may be a slow tourist season. Jake and Irv Samuels, the brothers who run the local RV park, have announced what they think is an innovative idea. The Samuels boys own 26 motor homes that they customarily rent to tourists who wish to visit various geographic and historic sites around the state. Problem is, the RVs average 8-10 miles per gallon. So the boys have announced their "Stay At Home Vermont Plan." The idea is that, for a yet undisclosed price, you get to stay in one of their "deluxe motor homes" and experience what Real Vermonters do most every day -- you go absolutely nowhere. Cleverly, Jake and Irv have contracted with Vermont Outdoor Sign Company to produce 26 large-format pictures of the Top Tourist Sites in Vermont. To entice prospective customers and make their visit to Vermont all the more authentic, the boys plan to position one of these pictures on each side of their units. According to Jake, "We'll move the pictures each night so that, in the course of a week, ou! r people will feel like they have seen the entire state." All without burning a gallon of gasoline!

MISys SAE Compatibility. There are no known compatibility issues between MISys SAE version 5.4 and Sage Accpac ERP version 5.5. The integration of Accpac Serialized Inventory and Lot Tracking and MISys SAE Serial/Lot Tracking has not been tested.
MISys SAE Development Roadmap. Historically, MISys has released a new version of its manufacturing software within 4 to 6 months following the release of the new Sage Accpac ERP version. We anticipate the release of MISys SAE version 5.5 within this time-frame, including all previous Service Packs, and any new functionality that may be feasible to implement.

Sage Endorses MISys SAE. Sage Software, Inc. has endorsed MISys Manufacturing as the official manufacturing solution for its Sage Accpac ERP accounting line. The announcement of his endorsement was made by Laurie Schultz, Accpac's Senior Vice President and General Manager, at the Annual Sage Insights Conference in Washington, D.C. last week.
Since it's original release nearly 20 years ago, the Sage Accpac ERP system has been missing a key manufacturing component which was believed to be critical to a large segment of the Accpac target market. MISys has been selling its product (without any official endorsement) into this space since 1985.
For Manufacturing Information Systems, this official endorsement by Sage opens up a huge opportunity estimated at 20% of its total market. "This new relationship with Sage is a real shot in the arm for MISys because it makes a bold statement that our business partners have been wanting to hear for many years. What Sage is saying is that Accpac ERP now has a manufacturing component that is every bit as reliable as the rest of the Accpac suite. It gives our prospective customers and business partners substantial confidence in our product" commented David Brown, MISys' VP of Marketing.
MISys Manufacturing for Sage Accpac ERP is distributed exclusively through Sage Accpac business partners in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and beyond. Additional information about the product can be obtained from the MISys website at www.misysinc.com/accpac.

Dateline Woodstock:
People joke about small towns and how at around five pm they roll up the sidewalks. Here in Woodstock this week, there is so little happening (read no tourists, no nothing) that the state has contracted with FW Whitcomb & Co. (a local highway construction contractor) to roll up not only our sidewalks but also our streets. Mind you that most of the streets in the town of Woodstock are actually dirt roads, which works out extremely well. If you live in a place where winter temperatures dip down to 20 below zero or more like they do here, and there isn't that much traffic, you are actually better off with a dirt road than you are with a paved road. The boys from the Woodstock Highway Department make a couple of passes each year with the Town Grader and our many miles of dirt roads are kept in A1 condition. But the main roads, like the one running through the middle of Woodstock, are paved ! and they take quite a beating from the trucks, and busses, and all the tourist traffic that flows through our town. So the push is on for Whitcomb to grind up the existing asphalt and replace it with new, smooth pavement. All this commotion has driven the Wild Animals out of the hills and down into the center of town. John Chisholm, the State Wildlife expert tells us that moose and black bears are actually attracted to the smell of diesel exhaust, which may explain why 2 moose were spotted on the front steps of the Woodstock Library this week, and a family of black bears has been hanging around the ATM machine at the Woodstock Bank. Woodchucks are quite accustomed to sharing their backyards with moose, bear, and other furry things, but when the tourists come back next month we are hoping that FW Whitcomb will be done and the mooses and bears will have followed them on to their next job.