This month, we're launching a new ad campaign that will be taking place in print and online.  The ads introduce our new team of mascots: the Allbots.

The Allbots represent the five major components of the Allbase Suite: Accounting, CRM, Integration, Order Management, and Project Management.  Individually, they're quite powerful, and when combined, they're unstoppable.  The ad reads:

Some things are even more powerful when combined.
Introducing the Allbase Suite,
Monstrously powerful web-based ERP.

The goal of the campaign is to have fun while giving Enterprise Resource Planning not only a face, but a hero.  I'd like to commend Toni, who did a phenomenal job on the character design.

Look for the Allbots this month and in future spots.

A full history of updates is available on the Allbase website and within each Allbase Suite under "Version History".

What's new in version 2008.07.08:

Client Login Portal

• Improved general look of client portal for all installations
• Fixed bug that could prevent email triggers from executing

Faxing

• Improved faxing interface from within the system

General

• Speed improvements throughout the system
• Logging in should be noticeably faster now thanks to improved caching
• Numerous minor bug fixes

RMAs

• Introduced new RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) module for product-based businesses

One of the things that separates the Allbase Suite from its ERP brethren is that it's constantly improving software.  Week after week, improvements are automatically rolled out at no cost to our clients.  We never settle, and you shouldn't either.

Architecting such an intricate system as the Allbase Suite takes a great deal of planning and dedication.  Occassionally, there are bug fixes and minor tweaks, but most of the changes are gradual and deliberate.

In all aspects of production, we at Allbase aim to be transparent.  On that note, I'd like to introduce the first public roadmap for the Allbase Suite.  Some of these changes may take weeks, some may take a year, and some may take longer.  Nonetheless, they all represent the direction our development team is working towards:

• Improved data integration with vendors.  The Allbase Suite currently communicates with some of the world's most popular vendors, but we aim to improve both our selection and functionality.  Streamlined purchase orders, fulfillment tracking, and payment are all on the horizon.
• An even more powerful scripting and reporting system.  The Allbase Suite already supports fully interactive reports and customizable scripts, but we hope to improve the experience through further documentation, better troubleshooting, and expanded functionality.
• A flexible web-based storefront system.  Currently, Allbase Suite users have access to a client portal and vendor portal for useful tasks (such as accounting, scheduling, and inventory management), but the system lacks a true public store.  We're hard at work on creating an extensible store designed to work for any business and integrate with our existing suite.
• Further help documentation and training materials.  We're currently at work on task-specific tutorials, FAQs, and training videos.  We will continue to make the system as intuitive as possible, but supplement the experience with plentiful self-help material.
• Tools for improving our entire customer experience.  We are working to streamline everything from sign-up to training to support.  The process is becoming even easier while maintaining our high customer experience standards.  Along those lines, a major initiative at Allbase is to make the system as inviting as possible for resellers, affiliates, and marketplaces.
• Enhanced synchronization with third-party applications.  The Allbase Suite already supports full data mirroring with some of the world's most powerful applications, but we strive to expand the selection and quality of our synchronization tools.  Our engineers are also improving our current APIs (such as the SOAP interface) to make integrating custom applications even easier.
• Even faster performance throughout all systems.  Code is constantly being optimized for performance and usability.  As we bring more servers online and the Allbase Suite code matures, the already fast system will speed up even further.
• Expanded marketing and CRM functionality.  The Allbase Suite is already a top tool for tracking all aspects of client relationships, but we're dedicated to offering the best system possible.  Improvements will include full marketing campaign management and tools for better analyzing trends and demographics.
• Better searches.  The Allbase Suite already supports full data searching in all modules.  Absolutely every field is indexed and queryable, but we're looking to make searching even more powerful.  The first steps will involve the ability to add multiple filters to a search (as in, adding multiple criteria on the same field).  The next step will be the ability to save and track searches quickly and easily.  Beyond that, interface tweaks are planned to make the experience even more intuitive.
• Specific version of the Allbase Suite tailored to different industries.  The system already meets the needs of most businesses, but we plan to make available tools designed for various verticals.  The first special "flavor" of the Suite will be for IT companies and call centers, and other industries will soon follow.

We are always open to feedback on the Allbase Suite.  If you have a suggestion or a question, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Like every business, we at Allbase are always conscious of how our corporate identity is seen by both clients and team members.  Everything that our clients interact with (our staff, our partners, our marketing materials, our support documentation) reflects on us in one way or another.

One of the things that reflects most strongly on a company is its name.  Sure, that's obvious when you think about it, but nomenclature is something that is surprisingly subconscious to many (after grade school, at least).

The Old Name: Avalon
 
During the spring of last year, our company was on the verge of making some very exciting changes.  After years of preparation, we had the right product, the right staff, and the right buzz to ready our management suite product for public release.

Everything was great.  That is, except the name.  You see, the company now known as "Allbase" was originally founded in 2005 under the moniker "Avalon Business Systems".  The Avalon motiff dated back several years prior (as a codename for the original project) and the name had outlived anybody's expectations.
 
Avalon was a fine name.  It certainly wasn't bad.  It just wasn't a great fit for us, for several reasons:

• There were already countless companies, products, and expectations surrounding the name.  We were never going to break out and become the Avalon.  At best we would be one of the many Avalons.
• The name said nothing about who we were or what we did.  One of the original intentions was to evoke the imagery of King Arthur's legend.  According to the tale, Avalon was a mystical island known to embolden its visitors.  Unfortunately, this mythos is unknown to most people and it made us sound medieval instead of innovative.
• Following the first point, the name's popularity meant that all of the associated terms were taken.  No way could we get avalon.com or a good 800 number.  Worse yet, most associated terms were already copyrighted, which limited us further.

The New Name: Allbase

Mindful of our old name's downsides, we decided to forge a new identity in advance of the company's public launch.  At that point, we were still operating in stealth development and market testing mode, so there were few hurdles in switching gears.  For long-established companies, changing your name is a quagmire with too many downsides for all involved to be practical.  I'm glad we were able to change when we did; I only wish we could have done so even sooner.

As we started brainstorming new names, a few criteria seemed critical to everybody we spoke with:

• The name had to be short, so as to be memorable.  This was one of the toughest contraints - we wanted three syllables or less; ideally two.
• The name had to be completely available.  We needed a good .com domain, a good phone number, and the rights to applicable intellectual property (trademarks and copyrights).
• The name had to say something about what the company did.  We wanted a name that a newcomer would be able to infer the meaning of.
• The name had to be unique.  No generic terms or buzzwords.  When you searched for our name, it was important that you found us, not some Finnish metal band.
• The name had to lend itself to multiple marketing slogans and campaigns.  We needed a flexible name with multiple interpretations to achieve our desired effect.

The team and I bounced ideas over the course of three months, evaluating hundreds of options in the process.  There were some real gems and some real duds, but at some point "Allbase" made its way onto our whiteboard.  We're not even sure who submitted the name, but as we worked through the contenders, it emerged as the best of the best.

The name Allbase met every last goal we set out for a potential name, and then some.  It works on multiple levels, some of which we never even envisioned:

• A database for all; All things in one base
  
  The system truly acts as central repository for all things business.  The term "Allbase" is one of the most concise ways you could say it's the everything database.
   
• All of your bases covered
  
  Everybody knows the phrase "cover all of your bases" (which most likely emerged from baseball slang).  Regardless of the etymology, "covering all of your bases" is now synonymous with total control.
   
• All your base are belong to us
  
  Being a Web 2.0 company, we at Allbase are understandably geeky.  As such, it's our pleasure to pay tribute to one of the internet's greatest memes: "All your base are belong to us".  For anybody not familiar with the phenomenon, check out the Easter egg on our site.

Since we adopted the Allbase name, we've experienced improvements in public awareness and corporate unity.  For us, a high quality name was a crucial match to our high quality service.

When I was first looking at the Allbase Suite, one aspect that I kept coming back to was the potential paperlessness of it.  I maintain that reducing paper usage is a great way for a business to be both greener and more productive.

It wasn't until I was introduced to Allbase Suite To-Go (a solution for using the system offline, which synchronizes with the Allbase Suite) that I started thinking about the potential energy savings of working remotely.  Not every company can offer telecommuting, but those who can will see major savings in time, money, and impact on the environment.

Allowing employees to work from home can be a great incentive for employees.  It won't hurt your business either!  Studies have shown that employees working from home tend to put in longer, more productive hours than they would in the office.  This can probably be attributed to the significantly reduced commute time as well as the need to justify the reward of comfort.

Now comes the green aspect – no drive time means no gasoline used and no CO2 emissions.  Perfect!  I hate to be all buzz-words about it, but it's seriously a win-win-win situation. The environment gets a little less polluted, the employee gets to save gas money and work from the comfort of their home, and the employer gets all of the productivity of an office-bound employee.  That last point only really comes to the full fruition if the company uses a SaaS program to manage their business.

With SaaS, all you need is an internet connection and you have the entire company at your fingertips.  Just add a VOIP phone to the mix and the employee can even answer business calls as if they were in the office.

Have green business ideas that you'd like to share?  Please let us know!

Running a large web-based ERP system as complex as the Allbase Suite is no easy task.  We have to deal with all of the usual challenges of managing an Enterprise Resource Planning platform:

• Managing servers and hardware
• Configuring and patching software
• Maintaining network infrastructure

In addition, we have to deal with the unique demands that are introduced when scaling such a powerful Software-as-a-Service:

• Keeping servers mirrored in real-time
• Synchronizing data with various external sources
• Running scheduled and triggered tasks automatically

Tackling these challenges requires a great deal of planning and effort.  You need to build a clever, dedicated, and flexible system to cope with the stringent demands.  The resulting solution ends up resembling something organic more than it does a machine.

Thanks to several years of hard work, Allbase has created a mature suite of tools for overcoming these hurdles.  There have been a plethora of sophisticated solutions and clever hacks, but three key technologies stand out as the most vital:

• Allbase Script Engine
  
  This is the platform which runs all reports, scripts, triggers, and templates in the Allbase Suite.  It is truly the heart of the system, keeping data flowing smoothly and powering all functionality.
   
  The Allbase Script Engine is responsible for grabbing data from vendors, generating file snapshots, pre-caching information, and countless other maintenance tasks.  Furthermore, it powers real-time processes like graph generation, PDF creation, template handling, and pricing formulas.
   
• Allbase Backup
  
  All data on our servers is protected through several layers of backups, the most powerful of which are managed using the Allbase Backup service.  This service powers real-time file synchronization across servers, utilizing an efficient differential backup algorithm.
  
  It further provides continuous SQL log shipping, effortlessly keeping all data synchronized across multiple systems.  In the unlikely scenario where a server is taken down, its mirrored counterparts can take over in the matter of seconds.
   
• Allbase Data Bridge
  
  For translating information between disparate systems, the Allbase Data Bridge does all the heavy lifting.  It provides continuous data synchronization with other commercial and custom applications, including: Outlook®, ACT!®, Exchange®, QuickBooks®, Allbase Suite To-Go, and more.
  
  The Data Bridge accomplishes all of this by internally distilling all data to its fundamental parts.  By doing so, it acts as a hub to be able to quickly and easily move data to or from any kind of system.

Of course, this is just a quick summary.  Over the next weeks, I will explore each of these technologies in more detail.

Creating uniform branding for your business is important not only for your customers, but also for your employees.  Consistent graphics, colors, and terminology are invaluable for building familiarity, confidence, and morale amongst your team.

Applying your branding should be easy and natural in all walks of business; even enterprise software.  You see, Allbase solutions cater to fit your business's needs, whereas most solutions are built the other way around.

This philosophy is integral to everything Allbase does, and it's one of the reasons I'm so proud of the work we do.  Allbase recognizes that every business is unique and we embrace individuality by making our offerings completely customizable.

In the Allbase Suite, we encourage our clients to get their hands dirty and truly make it their own.  Every aspect of the system is customizable:

• The Allbase Suite's appearance can be changed globally using the built-in skin editor. This tool gives you access to dozens of beautiful pre-built themes and provides the ability to tweak every last color and picture.
• All verbiage in the Allbase Suite is customizable, allowing for the most complete personalization possible. For instance, if your company would rather say "proposals" instead of "quotes", or "customers" instead of "clients", simply change the verbiage settings and it will take effect system-wide.
• Custom fields can be added to any module, allowing your business to track everything pertinent to the task. Custom field types include text, number, date, list, and more. There is no limit to the number of custom fields available.
• While the Allbase Suite already features over a hundred detailed reports, the built-in report editor enables you to modify the existing ones or even make your own.
• Scripting and triggers enable you to write business rules that happen automatically, either based on a schedule or upon being triggered by certain events (such as creates, edits, or deletes). This powerful API, along with the SOAP data interface, allow you to manipulate your data any way you like.
• When facing the most demanding of requirements, templates allow you to change or even replace entire modules. Templates can be used to change how your employees and clients interact with data, including custom layout, fields, and validation.

Take total control and immerse your employees.  Good corporate branding reinforces your company's philosophy, direction, goals, and personality.

Your software should feel like it was built specifically for your company.  Don't compromise.

One important question seems to pop up in every area of business on a regular basis:

"Is this something I should do myself or should I delegate?"

No matter who you are or what role you play, you have to deal with this every day.  Balance is key in getting the most out of your time, money, and energy.  One of the main reasons I see SMBs suffer is from misallocation of resources.

In-Housing

Many businesses start out trying to do everything by themselves to save money.  This is a natural instinct for small business owners who assume they have to wear every hat.

The downside is obvious: the more time you’re spending away from your core competency is time you’re not utilizing your advantage.  An amazing lawyer shouldn’t spend half of her time marketing and accounting.  Likewise, a stellar painter shouldn’t spend too much of his time writing contracts.

Out-Sourcing

At the other end of the spectrum, many businesspeople lose perspective of their business through over-delegation.  Their first instinct for every problem is to throw money at it instead of doing it in-house.

This may seem like a non-issue for growing companies with large piles of capital, but the more work you outsource, the less you really "own" your business.  When you're doing things yourself, you’re gaining valuable skills and experience.  Further, if somebody else is doing all of your work, what’s stopping a competitor from stepping in and hiring them instead?

Allbase, Inc.’s Approach

At Allbase, we focus on doing a few things and doing them well.  Our decisions boil down to maximizing the effort we put into our top efficiencies.  Like all businesses should, we know our strengths and weaknesses, which dictate how we get things done:

What We Do (Strengths):

• Software-as-a-Service – We have the best team out there when it comes to creating powerful, user-friendly, and scalable SaaS solutions.
• Windows development – Our team is expert at every aspect of Windows application and service development, from low-level to high.
• Data replication and migration – Through the years, we’ve dealt with data synchronization and backup with hundreds of different architectures.

What We Rely On Others For:

• Mac and Linux development – Eventually, this will be done in-house, but for now we rely on our top-notch partners to develop for these platforms.
• Payroll management – Due to the constantly-changing regulations and rates, the Allbase Suite doesn’t currently support payroll, so we interface with other vendors.
• Data Center / Networking – We know software and systems inside and out, but when it comes to networking decisions, we team up with experts from all over.

Our policy is to focus on these specialties and allow our clients to focus on theirs.  Our products and services are designed to let companies spend their time building their business instead of managing it.

Lessons Learned

As your company grows, this crucial decision becomes more frequent and even more vital.  Always evaluate the costs of doing-it-yourself vs. contracting out.

There are two key questions that can help clarify which path to take. "Can I financially afford to have somebody else do this?" and "Can I afford the opportunity cost not to?"

Balance in business, as in life, is paramount.

Reducing paper use in the office helps cut down significantly on waste as well as save a bit of extra cash from not buying new reams of paper every month.

Think about it. In an average office setting the amount of paper used borders on the ridiculous. Notes left on coworkers' desks, printing emails to take to a client meeting (yes, I've seen it done, and cringed every time), faxes following an email referring to a call, countless hard-copy invoices (and the envelopes they go in), piles of client information which are then filed in the wall of cabinets.

So here's what we're doing to help:

Ways we and several of our clients have become (almost) paperless businesses:

• Instant messaging – This has done wonders to relieve the sticky notes on my desk, and since it's secure, some tech companies have been using it to request password information for their clients.
• Online Bill Pay – We offer online bill payment (and recurring online bill payments) options to our clients and allow them the capability to do the same for theirs. This is nice for both sides, really. One side can email an invoice and the other doesn't have to mail a check.
• Emailed Invoices – Emailed Invoices can be done one at a time or as a batch, and it's all instant. Some clients won't go for it, liking to see and feel the physical invoice. Some clients love it, however, and here's where you can reduce quite a bit of your paper load.
• SaaS – As long as an Allbase Suite user has an internet connection, there is access to all useful information when going to a meeting or working on-site. This partially ties into the point below, but I think it's worth saying on its own that if all of your information is in a central location, there's no need to print excess information you already have access to.
• Client files – Now here's a way to use less paper, buy less paper, and even buy fewer file cabinets! The virtual space available on a server is large – larger than most small and medium businesses need. Using the space for client-specific information or for company-wide information can cover everything from contracts sent to project blueprints.
• Faxes – The best option here is probably just to use an internet fax solution (such as MyFax) or discourage fax use in general.
• Here's a paperless benefit that I didn't outline a "problem" for – any screen in the Allbase Suite can be made into a PDF, a spreadsheet, or sent by email. This has been really useful for quickly comparing and viewing reports (which are sometimes several pages long) without needing to print them out.

Obviously, some paper is likely to get used no matter what. That's just the way people work (and have worked for hundreds of years). My own weakness is that I tend to print out mock-ups of new features I'm working on.

For the times when paper's the only way to go, just remember there are still ways to reduce your impact:

• Print double-sided when you can.
• After the paper's fulfilled its original purpose, use it for notes.
• When it's full of notes and completely useless, recycle!
• Buying an energy-efficient printer may not help with the paper itself, but is green in general.
• Buy paper which has a high percentage of recycled material.
• Use discretion when selecting which pages need to be printed.

Sometimes it's the little steps that matter most.  Have green business ideas that you'd like to share?  Please let us know!

A full history of updates is available on the Allbase website and within each Allbase Suite under "Version History".

What's new in version 2008.06.03:

Allbase To-Go

• Fixed a bug that could prevent the web browser from automatically opening on machines with certain Antivirus

Bills

• Added ability to create custom Bill ID formulas

Calendar

• Added ability to create custom Appointment ID formulas

Clients

• Fixed a bug which could prevent a user with sufficent permissions from deleting a client or prospect.
• Added ability to create custom Client ID formulas

Faxing

• Added built-in tools for faxing documents from within the system through major fax services (such as eFax, MyFax, and GreenFax)

General

• Cosmetic improvements throughout the system
• Fixed a bug in the billing snap-in which reported an incorrect number of batchable invoices
• Implemented javascript validation on all times in the system
• Fixed a minor verbiage bug in the clients module.

Invoices

• Fixed a bug in the recurring billing module which occasionally printed the wrong month name on recurring invoices
• Fixed a bug which caused the PO Number to be lost when converting from a quote
• Added ability to create custom Invoice ID formulas

Products

• Fixed a bug that could prevent certain information from showing up correctly in the browse view

Purchase Orders

• Added ability to create custom Purchase Order ID formulas

Quotes

• Added ability to create custom Quote ID formulas

Receipts

• Added ability to create custom Receipt ID formulas

Sale Orders

• Added ability to create custom Sale Order ID formulas

Statements

• Added ability to create custom Statement ID formulas

Themes

• Added pre-designed themes selectable through skin settings

Tickets

• Added ability to create custom Ticket ID formulas

Vendors

• Added ability to create custom Vendor ID formulas