It appears that most banks are allowing clients the
next six months to use up existing cheque stock before enforcing the new CPA
cheque standards in 2008. If you haven’t already converted, make sure that any
cheques you order before 2008 are CPA compliant. Summer is a good time for
these types of modifications as things are a little slower than the end of the
year. Don’t leave it too late. Bank charges of some sort are likely on the way
for non-compliant cheques.
If you haven’t already converted your cheques to
laser there may be a further complication. Some scanning systems are rejecting
many dot-matrix cheques as unreadable.
This may force users to convert to laser printed cheques. This is a
fairly simple matter to reprogram for Accounts Payable and Payroll Cheques so
you can just pick a compliant cheque that you like and send us a copy to be
programmed. Most users of laser cheques go with a Stub/Cheque/Stub format detaching
one stub for their own records.
To reduce cheque fraud you may want to rethink the
windows envelope. You can consider one of several alternatives, including:
1)
Printing the address on the back
of the stub so the cheque can be folded inwards hiding the “Pay To The Order
Of” notation.
This
requires a Duplexing Printer such as the HP TP-3005-D or TP-2015 models.
2)
Printing the cheque address on a
blank envelope and matching the cheque to the address on the envelope.
3)
Printing a set of address labels
to match the cheques you have printed.
Of the above, option 1 seems the most streamlined and
least likely to get mixed up. It also allows you to place the cheques in the
tray face up as apposed to face down for Simplex printing.
Going on a service at the bank such as Positive Pay
Processing is the ultimate way to combat cheque fraud. We have implemented this
service for several of the larger banks at present.
MICROSOFT NEWS
While this is hardly news anymore, Microsoft has
clearly won the File Server Wars. Novell and Linux Based servers still comprise
a healthy niche market but Microsoft Server 2003 has all but taken over the
Business File Server Market.
Recent improvements in stability have caused us to
declare Microsoft Windows Server 2003 the system of choice for running Libra
and most general business applications. It has excellent compatibility with
most modern servers and you can even order it preloaded on dozens of different
hardware platforms. It has become so pervasive in recent years that Microsoft
has even lowered their standard pricing for the software.
Server 2003 has excellent file and printer sharing
capabilities. It allows you to set up a single source of network printers and
drivers. A variety of programs can be installed in a Deployment Mode making it
far more time efficient to install that software on multiple network
workstations.
The Computer Management Function easily allows you to
see who is logged in and what files they have open at any time. The same
function can force a user off the system to permit backups or a server reboot
whenever required.
Server 2003 also permits a variety of timed
procedures to backup data files to auxiliary hard drives during the night or to
off-site locations.
When combined with Terminal Services, it can permit
remote users access via the Internet for data entry, inquiry and reporting
purposes.
On the downside of Microsoft News is the ongoing
backlash against Windows Vista. High levels of software incompatibility have
led to extended periods of availability for Windows XP. This will extend at
least until sometime in 2008 and likely beyond if users continue to request XP
The current
“I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” ads make fun of its non-stop security obsession. While
it is pretty to look at, the fact that very little of your old software will
actually run makes it unusable.