Once upon a time, rinehimerbaker llc joined the Intacct Partner Program as a value added reseller for the software, and did so with a multitude of good reasons behind it. For one, we care about our clients and want to help them find the most efficient, cost-effective, and feature-rich software that provides high return on investment and rapid payback. Another good reason is that the company provides high levels of training to its VARs, and ensures that they have the knowledge and skills to help companies thrive with the software.

This is why we are proud to share the news that Intacct has hit the VAR century mark—100 value-added resellers in the industry. Even if it means that we will face additional yet welcome competition, it also means that we are part of a highly successful program designed to help clients recognize the value of the cloud.

From the Intacct Press Release:

Intacct, the innovation and customer satisfaction leader in cloud ERP software, today announced the addition of several new business partners to its channel program. Intacct now has 100 value-added resellers (VARs) in the program, including several recent additions that appear on one or more of the industry’s Top Firms lists.

Over the past six years, Intacct has steadily grown its channel program into the envy of the industry. CRN has consistently awarded the Intacct Partner Program a 5-Star Rating and no other cloud ERP vendor has more partners that appear on the annual Top 100 VARs lists. With the new additions, Intacct now boasts 29 partners on the most recent Accounting Today VAR 100 list, 27 partners on Bob Scott’s Top 100 VARs list, and 26 partners on Bob Scott’s VAR Stars list.

As an increasing number of companies look to move their financial applications to the cloud, Intacct has been the go-to choice for traditional Microsoft and Sage partners looking to add a modern, cloud ERP solution to their portfolio to meet this growing demand. In fact, Intacct has added 40 new partners to its program since January 1, 2016.

“As we pass the sixth anniversary of the launch of the Intacct Partner Program, we have never seen higher levels of interest from the partner community to work with Intacct,” said Taylor Macdonald, SVP of Channel Sales at Intacct. “Even with our rapid growth, Intacct remains very selective in which firms it adds to the program – taking in only about 1 out of every 6 that apply.”

“I’ve been on the other side of things and understand what it takes to build a successful technology consulting firm,” continued Macdonald. “We’ve built our program in a way that gives partners every opportunity to succeed. Unlike other vendors, who typically take any firm willing to sign up – including taking dozens of firms targeting the same geographic area – we are very selective in the firms we work with to ensure our partners can be successful. We want firms that are committed to the cloud, ones that can deliver the high levels of satisfaction our customers expect, and ones that fit the vertical and geographic needs of our target customers.”

Intacct’s channel partners have played a critical role in the growth of the company. Last quarter, for example, Intacct grew new customer bookings by more than 45% over the same period a year earlier. Nearly half of those new customers came in through channel partners.

Why Work with an Intacct Partner like rinehimerbaker llc?

There are a multitude of reasons to work with a VAR, especially one as focused and dedicated as rinehimerbaker.

First, consider that value-added resellers provide focuses on certain areas and industries, getting to know you and your business, and working closely with you through the selection, implementation, training and operation process, ready to answer questions and provide insights.

Second, Intacct has trained our staff to be as knowledgeable and helpful as their own employees, one of the reasons the company continues to receive industry acclaim as a five-star rated channel program. The 5-Star Partner Program Guide rating from CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, recognizes an elite subset of companies that offer solution providers the best partnering elements in their channel programs. This annual guide is the definitive listing of technology vendors that service solution providers or provide products through the IT channel.

Third, you should work with us because Intacct is the right option for your business. A continued leader chosen by over 11,000 businesses of all sizes, Intacct offers anytime, anywhere access with a user-friendly interface, packaged into a best-of-breed platform. Ready to provide the right functionality no matter the industry and business-friendly, per-user pricing, the software helps you to grow and is ready to grow with your business.

Get in contact with rinehimerbaker for a free, 30-day trial and learn more by reading our Intacct overview here.

Time is money, and one of the most frequently asked questions that a business decision maker has when looking into any new software (or any project for that matter) is this: “How much time will it take to make this project happen?”

If you’ve led a major change project at your company, you understand that you will be spending a lot of time talking and working with the implementation team, who will be getting to know the ins and outs of your business’s operation and how their software will fit into the bigger picture. However, just as you charge your clients for the products or services your firm offers, the team helping you to implement software will charge you for any overruns or unplanned changes—the more moving parts or changes being made, the higher the end cost for you.

Knowing how important this is, it’s important to know that the initial plan and additional time spent will be driven by a variety of factors that need to be discussed before the project begins.

Three Factors That Impact the Length of an Accounting Software Implementation Project

The average accounting software or ERP implementation can range anywhere from as little as 60 days to well over two years for large, complex implementations, but most often can be completed in three to six months.

This all depends on a multitude of factors, three of which we explore below. For a more detailed look into the possible costs, Software Advice offers a calculator on ERP Implementation Costs.

Number of Users and Number of Features

The first thing that will change the amount of time it takes to implement an accounting software is the number of users that will be using a product., The second is the number of modules that you will be using. It goes without saying that implementing, migrating, and training users to use general ledger functionality will take much less time and effort than a project including features like inventory management, billing modules, and more.

Add on to this any integration with software you already use (if you’re lucky, certain solutions offer plug-and-play functionality that take significantly less time to implement), and you’re looking at additional complexity.

Delivery (Cloud vs. On-Premises vs. Hosted)

So much of an implementation can ride on the choice of on-premises, hosted, or cloud for the delivery of the software. As cloud solutions are part of a vendor’s data center and access is completed through an internet browser, there is no hardware to install (on-premises), or delivery layers (hosted) to implement, this immediately cuts time out of an implementation schedule.

New hardware takes time and money to implement, and according to the 2016 Buyers’ Guide to Selecting Accounting Software, cloud computing or SaaS solutions generally take 6-12 weeks to implement, compared to 3-6 months for on-premises or hosted solutions.

Suite or Best-of-Breed

Another thing that impacts the overall time (as well as the success or failure) of an implementation project is whether you choose to implement a suite or a best of breed solution.

Suites, by nature, are complex, and in turn have lengthy implementation times, multiple decision makers, and fewer straightforward integrations with software options not included in the suite. All of this takes time, adds risk to implementation success, and ultimately drives up the cost of a project.

Conclusion

One of the most important ways to avoid implementation disaster is to know what you want (Software Advice recommends taking a test drive before diving in), remain flexible, and keep optimizing your workflow as the project completes:

• Know What You Need: Too many organizations fail to plan their projects before buying into (or even deciding on) a software, and as the adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail.
• Be Realistic: Software Advice notes that “Implementations take time, and unrealistic time frames only create more problems.” Speak with your team and partner to design a time frame that is realistic and that will contain costs.
• Communicate: This means communicating with your employees and your implementation team. Any lapse in communication during the project can lead to additional pain at the end.

For instance, an implementation project for a cloud-based, best of breed solution like Intacct can take as little as 60 days, with a majority projects often taking one financial quarter, or 90 days. Of course, this is if all goes right. Nonetheless, even a complex Intacct Implementation with multiple modules will take less time and cost less money than an on-premises or suite implementation, thanks to its ease of integration and ability to “start simple,” growing with your business in size and scope.

To learn more, head to “What’s Your Implementation Plan” on the Intacct website, download the Buyer’s Guide to Selecting Accounting Software, and contact us for a free, 30-day trial.