One of the reasons our company was drawn to offering SugarCRM for our customers was due to its ease of customization. Many customers rarely use any CRM solution right out of the box so we wanted to offer a product that would empower our customers to be able to make customizations quickly and efficiently without having to spend tons of money. Over the next few posts, I will be going over some of the top "No Code Customizations" you can make to SugarCRM.
When employees are new to CRM, they are sometimes resistant to change. The terminology used in SugarCRM may not match the terminology they may be accustomed to. They may be used to using "Customers" instead of "Accounts". Thankfully in SugarCRM we are given tools that allow us to rename Sugar modules to match your customer's current terminology.
In our example below, our Customer Service Representatives have always noted their customers as "Customers". In SugarCRM, we notate them as "Accounts". Below I will show you how to rename the "Accounts" module in SugarCRM to "Customers".
1. First, you'll need to login to SugarCRM with a user with Admin privileges and click on the Admin link.
RESULT: The Administration page displays.
2. Once you're on the Administration page, scroll towards the bottom to the Developer Tools section. Here you'll find the option to "Rename Modules".
RESULT: The Rename Modules page displays.
3. The tab labels and the corresponding database values display on the page. From the drop-down list displayed above the tab levels, you can select the language to display the tab.
4. Click the label that you want to edit and enter the singular and plural label replacement.
5. Click on the Save button to save your changes.
Check back next week when we create custom and dependent fields in SugarCRM.
By Molly Hunter, Mar 29, 2012 8:21pm
Psst. If you’re thinking of getting into the intelligent smoke-detector business or building a swarm of nano-bots, NASA has a few patents for you.
In fact, you might even get them at a bargain price. They’re up for auction Thursday in Los Angeles, at an event run by the patent-selling company ICAP Patent Brokerage. NASA is listing them as part of a pilot program that has been running for the past four years, trying to make its space-aged technology available to the public.
Who wouldn’t want a crack at the NASA patent, “Swarm Autonomic Agents with Self-Destruct Capability?”
That’s included in one of the three patent lots that will be auctioned Tuesday. Two of the lots cover autonomic computing, including techniques that help large numbers of tiny devices—NASA calls them “autonomous nanotechnology swarms”—figure out whether or not they’re working properly, share information, and even self destruct for “self protection of the entire system,” according to NASA.
Another of the autonomic patents describes a way of reporting a broken smoke detector, a technique that appears to be much more carefully thought-out than the industry-standard 2 am beeping noise.
“These are interesting: they are generally about the way these independent networked devices interact with one another,” says Brian Way, Director of Intellectual Property Law at chip-maker Altera.
All told, there are 12 NASA patents up for auction in the three lots. The third group of patents is less sexy, covering software development techniques. All of the patents were developed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Unlike others at the ICAP auction, NASA isn’t selling its patents outright. Instead, it’s offering exclusive licenses. Three years ago, a company called DynaDX bought licenses to 10 NASA patents covering a complicated set of algorithms for analyzing signals. It’s now using them to build brain-pressure-measuring devices that can help diagnose whether someone has had a stroke and monitor treatment in dementia patients.
The patent auctions are an experiment in making NASA’s work useful to a wider audience, says Daniel Lockney, a Technology Transfer Program Executive with NASA. “We’re not making a lot off of this. It’s one of the agency’s goals to transfer as much of this technology to the public as possible.”
Lockney couldn’t say how much the patents are expected to fetch if they sell Thursday.
NASA researchers have filed more than 6,000 patents over the years. Most of them have expired by now, but the agency still has about 1,250 it can license out, he says.
And starting this summer, it will be looking for new ways to do this, beyond the ICAP auction. Lockney says that NASA will put out a request for proposals, asking for some new patent ideas. “We’re asking for no-cost-to-the-government contracts for IP brokerage services and then the brokers who would come in would determine a way to monetize their contribution,” he says.
By Robert McMillan, Wired.com | March 29, 2012
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2012/03/nasa-puts-nanotechnology-swarm-patents-up-for-auction.ars
Sage is changing the names of many of its ERP software products in an effort to create a more consistent brand experience for its partners and customers.
Within Sage 100, there are three offerings:
Besides RFID credit cards, retailers are embracing phone devices that act as portable credit cards. All these changes will be here by the end of 2013.
pcAmerica Newsletter #452 March 20, 2012
It’s a truth universally accepted (and also supported by many surveys) that today’s young people are more interested than ever in entrepreneurship. Having seen their parents laid off from corporate jobs, having grown up with entrepreneurial role models like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, and having witnessed their older siblings’ difficulty finding entry-level jobs in today’s economy, it’s no surprise that youth today often express more interest in starting their own businesses than in working for someone else.
But are young people interested in starting their businesses for the right reasons—or the wrong ones? A new study by Harris Interactive for ASQ (PDF), which polled teens about their attitudes toward careers and study, paints a worrisome picture.
The teens, ranging from 6th to 12th graders, believed studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects gave them the widest range of opportunities after graduation. Medical doctor and engineer were seen as the most desirable careers by 34 percent and 29 percent of respondents respectively. In contrast, just 11 percent of the teens thought being an entrepreneur offered the most opportunity.
But even among those students who were interested in careers in STEM, 67 percent were concerned about the obstacles they would face. What was bothering them? Twenty-six percent said the cost and time required to get a degree in STEM is too high compared to other subjects. One-fourth said their grades in STEM subjects (math and science) aren’t good enough to pursue this as a career. Perhaps most disturbing, 25 percent said STEM careers involve “too much work and study” compared to other careers.
It begs the question, are the students who want to be entrepreneurs taking that path because they truly want to be business owners, or because they think it’s “easier” than studying math or science?
As an entrepreneur, I truly believe that we are living in the most exciting period for entrepreneurs we have ever seen. But to fully take advantage of the biggest opportunities for entrepreneurship today—those in technology–you need to be well versed in math and/or science.
I wonder if today’s image of the successful tech entrepreneur as laid-back and casual (picture Mark Zuckerberg’s ever-present hoodie) and the fun, campus like environment at tech companies like Google may be giving our kids the mistaken impression that you can surf YouTube all day and still come up with the next great business idea. Sadly, 51 percent of students in the survey admitted they spend more time after school on the computer—surfing the Web or playing video games—than they do on schoolwork, studying or reading.
Being an entrepreneur is a lot of fun, and on the outside, it may look like it’s all play and no work. But getting it right requires lots of hard work. Are today’s kids up to the challenge? Or do they think entrepreneurship is “the lazy way out”?
http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/02/entrepreneurs-working-hard-or-hardly-working.html
Sage Fixed Assets 2012.1 Tax Update! Designed to provide you with the most up-to-date functionality and tax legislation, this version contains exciting new features and enhancements to your Sage Fixed Assets solution.
The following changes apply to our industry-leading fixed assets solution:
• New Product Names. We have changed the names of all of our Sage Fixed Assets products.
• Sage Fixed Assets – Depreciation: Tax Law Updates. We have updated the Sage Fixed Assets program to comply with the latest tax law changes:
• Updated Tax Forms. The 2012.1 tax update includes the updated IRS Form 4562 – Depreciation and Amortization for 2011.
• Updated Tax Limits. The 2012.1 tax update complies with the scheduled updates to the Section 179 limits and luxury auto limits.
• Updated Sec 179 Limits for Qualified Disaster Zone Property. The 2012.1 tax update includes Section 179 dollar limits for the Qualified Disaster Zone.
• Updated Audit Advisor. We have updated Audit Advisor to check for real property that may be qualified for the Section 179 expense deduction.
Sage Fixed Assets - Depreciation Tax Law Updates
Updated Tax Forms
The IRS changes many tax laws each year. As a result, the corresponding tax forms and worksheets may change moderately or significantly. Sage Business Care members receive the updated forms and worksheets each year as part of the annual tax update; enabling them to get the greatest savings and most benefit from the recent tax law changes.
This year, the IRS Form 4562 – Depreciation and Amortization has been updated for the 2011 tax year.
To run the tax forms and worksheets
• Calculate depreciation through the end of the fiscal year.
• Select Tax Forms and Worksheets from the Reports menu.
• Select the desired tax form or worksheet.
• Complete the fields on the dialog box, and then click the Execute button.
Updated Tax Limits
The IRS routinely modifies the depreciation limits for certain automobiles to adjust for inflation and other factors. If you use vehicles in your business, these changes can have significant tax implications.
Luxury Auto Limits
The depreciation limits in effect for automobiles placed in service in 2012 are as follows:
Year 1: $11,160*
Year 2: $5,100
Year 3: $3,050
Year 4: $1,875
* If you elect out of the 168 Allowance for the automobile, the depreciation limitation is $3,160 for the first year.
Light Trucks and Vans Limits
The depreciation limits for light trucks and vans placed in service in 2011 are as follows:
Year 1: $11,360*
Year 2: $5,300
Year 3: $3,150
* If you elect out of the 168 Allowance for the truck or van, the depreciation limitation is $3,360 for the first year.
Section 179 Limits
The maximum Section 179 limit is $139,000 for assets placed in service in the tax year beginning in 2012. In addition, the maximum cost of Section 179 property that can be placed in service in the year before the phase-out begins is $560,000 for the tax year beginning in 2012.
Increased Sec 179 Limits for Qualified Disaster Zone Property
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 provides for increased Section 179 limits for assets located in a Qualified Disaster Zone. The Section 179 limit for 2012 is $239,000 ($139,000 plus the cost of the Disaster Zone property, limited to $100,000).
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