Recently we had to move QuickBooks 2006 from an old PC to a newer PC since we were taking to old PC out of service. We took the QuickBooks 2006 CD and we installed the program with the product number and serial number. After the installation we opened it and we get a messaged that there are upgrades that we need to download. We download the updates and we install them. About half hour later we see that the system is still installing these update so we start looking at the different messages Calculating Space, Copying File, Deleting Temporary Files and then we see that the process starts again and again.
After another 20 minutes of looking the installation process going in a loop we stopped it. We went on the Internet but we could not easily find help within QB site. We ended up calling support who with a strong Indian accent offered us to upgrade or get a $79 one month support plan. We chose that last option. The support person went on the download page of the QuickBooks web site and downloaded the QB 2006 update and installed it outside the QuickBooks program and that fixed the problem.
The thing that puzzles me is that Intuit puts in QuickBooks an automatic update tool that is not functioning. Then there is no information like a Frequently Asked Questions FAQ or a knowledge base site to look up these problems so that you have to get QB support and pay for the support plan. To top it of the following day I got an e-mail survey with a link that was not working…
I know I am not the only one having this kind of problems. Any of you have a similar experience with QB?
I am back writing new entries in the 2b1 blog. We have been very busy in the last months to create new exciting services for the small and medium size law firms and learn about the new Amicus Attorney 2009 PE and Amicus Attorney 2009 SFE.
I would like to start by presenting the new 2b1 Backup Service. We have notice that in many small firms not much attention is given on backing up the data and documents on the server.Some have backup tapes others have external hard drives; however very few have a comprehensive approach that will better protect the firm’s data.
The weak points of the backup systems mentioned above are the human factor and the maintenance. We have seen that some firms do have tape systems but the people at the firm are not changing the tapes regularly or the tapes have no information on them. With the external hard drives rarely someone checks regularly if the backup is working and all too often we find out that the files needed were not backed up.
Another point that often is overlooked is that something can happen to the office like a fire or burglary then people realize that they don’t have a copy of their data off site and the firm is forced to close.
2b1 looked at all these problems and came up with a clever way to resolve them. We have setup backup servers one in Phoenix, AZ and a second one in San Diego, CA on two datacenters with fast Internet connection. Now with the 2b1 Backup Service you can backup your data in a local hard drive and offsite on 2b1backup servers. Your data is compressed and encrypted before leaving the firm up to military/bank encryption. You can choose how often the backup will run and the information will be on two separate servers in two different states. You will get an e-mail status to let you know if the backup was successful. If something should happen to your office you can download your documents and data e.g. Amicus, Timeslips QuickBooks, PCLaw databases etc to any PC connected to the Internet and setup your office there.
We have had a great response with 2b1 Backup Service since with have a high end backup system at a fraction of the price. Please contact us to find out more about the special discounted rates we have right now on 2b1 Backup Service.
Yesterday I had a client that needed to see his To Do list in a specific way. He used to use Palm Desktop to print out a list of his trial events but once we upgraded the law firm to Amicus Attorney 2009 PE. He could not see the To Do list like it used to. After showing me the print out from the old system, we went to the Tasks module in Amicus.
There in the Show Custom Tasks Profile we selected Custom to get to the Tasks Profile windows. In the Who section we selected the attorney name. In the How section we selected the Simple view that shows us the Done, Date, Priority, Initial, Title and File field of the To Dos. We let the Sort on Date and secondary sort on Priority. Under When we selected the Next 90 days since today. Finally under What we selected all tasks for all files. We named that profile and set it as his default. The very final test was to print out the list on the screen. File>>Print Preview gave us a picture of what we wanted so we printed and that was very close to that list To Dos that he was used to.
There are many ways to customize profiles in the new Amicus Attorney 2009 PE. If you want more information please contact me by going to the Contact Us page.
Paolo Broggi
Amicus Attorney Certified Consultant www.2b1inc.com
Here is another short trianing video this time for Amicus Attorney Small Firm: How to create and manage an appointment in the Calendar module. For additional Amicus Training please contact us or call us at 415 284-2221
There are a couple of ways for you to connect back to the office with Amicus Attorney 2008 PE.
If there is a PC that you can log back in, you can use GoToMyPC (about $20/month) /LogMeIn (about $12/month) and other remote control programs (e.g. Remote Desktop or pcAnywhere) to control that PC or even the Amicus server. Since we can log into Amicus Attorney 2008 PE from any workstation, from the PC that you logs in, you can enter the your credential and have access to all your info (minus e-mail synch). Only the graphics travel though the internet making this solution a fast one.
The other option is to use VPN to connect back to the office and then open Amicus on your laptop. Normally the bottleneck in this configuration is the upload speed of the office DSL/cable connection (256kbps - regular DSL about $49month) . You could update that speed (738kbps next level up about $79/month) and see a significant improvement in speed. Then you needs to have a server or a router at the office that allows receiving a VPN connection e.g. Windows 2003 server or most routers and firewalls.
Another option is terminal services if you have a server that can support that. In this case it is like having a PC running on the server and only the graphics travel though the internet making this solution also a faster one than VPN. It may require some technical expertise to setup the server in this configuration.
Depending of what you needs you could use Amicus Attorney 2008 Offline capability or with AA 2008 PE SP1 you can use Amicus Mobile…
I hope this help selecting your options. Contact me directly if you need more specific information.
2b1 inc. is creating free short training segments for everyone to see and learn how to use Amicus Attorney. We are starting with Amicus Attorney 2008 PE. For full Amicus Attorney training classes contact 2b1 inc directly (415) 284-2221 or use the contact us page. Training are create by Paolo Broggi a Certified Amicus Consultant and Trainer since 1997.
Today Gavel and Gown gave a webinar to us the Amicus Attorney certified consultant introducing the new Amicus Attorney 2008 SP1. In this update that should be available by end of next week, GG has combined a few fixes that are already available online to the Amicus Consultants with some more fixes. Then they added the interface to setup and configure Amicus Mobile.
Amicus Mobile will come as a separate program. You can install the Amicus Mobile module on the same server as your Amicus Attorney server or it can be installed on a separate server. If you want more security a server outside your firewall will do but it compromise speed. Microsoft IIS 5 (Microsoft web server) is required to make Amicus Mobile work as well as ASP.NET 2.0. You will need to get a new license from the Amicus Attorney User Manager interface to activate Amicus Mobile. Once that is done you will see an additional column in User Management. There you can check the users that need Amicus Mobile. You only need to purchase as many licenses of Amicus Mobile as the number of users that will have mobile phone connecting with it back to the main Amicus Attorney server. For example if you have 20 users but 7 of them wants to keep track of their phone calls and enter their time from their Windows Mobile 5 or higher(Amicus Mobile will not work on Blackberry’s iPhones and Treos with Palm OS), you only will need 7 license of Amicus Mobile. For those of you familiar with Amicus Telephone Pro, you will be at home with Amicus Mobile.
2b1 was told that while the fixes will be available through the “check for update” option in Amicus Attorney 2008 on the server. A CD will be shipped out to the clients wanting Amicus Mobile.
Amicus Attorney SP1 is a free upgrade. Amicus Mobile is $149 per license. There is a special promotion right now until end of June: you purchase a license of Amicus Mobile and you can upgrade to Amicus Attorney 2008 PE ALL your Amicus Attorney licenses for a 25% discount. This is a great deal and highly recommended to all Amicus Attorney 7 users. For more details on Amicus Mobile check out my Amicus Mobile post of June 3rd.
Please contact 2b1 inc to get your upgrade today.
Paolo Broggi, Amicus Certified Consultant since 1997 www.2b1inc.com
I am happy to report that one of the coolest products of the year has arrived. Amicus Mobileis the first integrated mini practice management product for Windows Mobile phones version 5 and up. It needs Amicus Attorney 2008 PEas its backbone since it rides on top of the new Amicus Attorney and Microsoft SQL technology.I have to say that Amicus Attorney 2008 PE is a recommended upgrade to all Amicus Attorney 7 users because of the additional Task module, new creation of contacts and many other improvements including stability and speed.
Back to Amicus Mobile. As our lives are getting more on the go we do get in touch with clients from our mobile phones more and more. I am sure that most of you have one in your pocket or purse. Wouldn’t be nice to have these little devices do a bit more for us then just phone calls and e-mail? That is what Amicus Mobile is doing. Not only your assistant at the office can send you stickies that you can get in a few moments on your phone, but also keep track of your client’s call and bill for it.
Amicus Mobile has four modules: Call Center, Files, Notes and Time. The Files module allows you to see your file index and open a file. No, you cannot do everything you do in the file like in Amicus Attorney at the office, but you can see all the contacts attached to the file and if a new expert was added at the office you would see the new added contact in minutes on your phone ready to be called.You can add notes to the file which will be received at your firm in a few moments.
The Call Centermodule allows you to receive messages , the pink slips, from the office that your assistant took and entered them in Amicus Attorney for you and see the calls you have done today associated with the file and contact. Better than in Amicus Attorney in Amicus Mobile you are one click away from returning a call from a message and your mobile will dial the number!
The Notes module in Amicus Mobile is similar in functionality as the one we know in Amicus Attorney. We can type a note and associate it to a file or send a sticky back to someone at the office in real time.
The Time module behaves like expected. Enter a new time entry, select the file, type a description and enter the time. As you click/tab on the Ok button the time sheets is sent over the air to the office where it can be billed in real time.
Amicus Mobile is not just about the four modules, it is about how these four modules are working together. Like you would expect from Gavel and Gown the work flow is what makes this product amazing. As you finish a call from your mobile you will be asked if you want to track that phone call. Click on yes and select the file, enter a note then choose to make a time entry and you are done, no more forgotten or un-billed calls. If you are like me chances are that we forget to enter one or two quick calls a day and that alone could pay for Amicus Mobile $149 per license in one day!
To add the icing on the cake…Since Amicus Attorney 2008 PEcan synchronize Appointments, To Dos and People with Outlook, Outlook can push real time any new information or changes directly to your mobile. Now your calendar can be up to date when you create a new appointment and as you do that people at the office will see that you are booked and avoid double booking.
In conclusion I think that Amicus Mobile is revolutionizing the practice management landscape by shifting more functionality in our mobile phones. The ability to keep track of every phone call made to and from our mobile phone and bill for it is fantastic as is the ability to make a note to a file or send a sticky to our assistants. What will Gave & Gown come up next?
Gavel & Gown is having a promotion to upgrade to Amicus Attorney 2008 PE until June 30 2008. For more information please contact us at 415 284-2221 or www.2b1inc.com
Paolo Broggi, IT Engineer and Amicus Certified Consultant since 1997 www.2b1inc.com
P: 415 284-2221
I am pleased to announce that 2b1 inc web site went though some transformation. We have simplified the navigation and make the look and feel a bit more modern. Also we have a new shopping page. hope you like it and if you have have any suggestions please let us know.
Amicus Attorney 2008 PEhas a new Task module that allows you to manage your To Dos in a nice and convenient way. You can see your To Do for today, the next day 7 days or the next 14 days. Then I can see any of my coworker To Do list in the same manner. I am working in a team I can create a profile and select the firm members working with and their respective To Dos. Then I can choose how I want these To Dos to show and finally I can save this and many other profiles to quickly jump from one to another.
There three format to see the To Dos: Simple, Detailed and Timeline. Simple shows you what is necessary like the date, priority, Title and the File. Detailed adds the DO button, Category, Deadline and Time sheet column. Finally the Timeslips shows you graphically the To Dos of a selected profile.
If you on the View Linked button the whole To Do sequence open in a new window so you can quickly see which To Dos are connected to the precedent.
As you enter a new To Do from the new quick enter line you can tab from the Tile to the File column then just type the first few letters of the matter to see a list of matters you can choose from. This makes it very fast to add new To Dos. Then you can assign these new To Dos to you colleges (delegation!) and finally you can check if these To Dos are getting done.
Amicus Attorney 2008 PE Task Module will help you in managing the To Dos in a much easier way.
2b1 inc gives trainings in Amicus Attorney 2008 PE. Please contact 2b1 inc at 415 284-221 or Contact us to get more information or to schedule a training. We also to remote training directly into your office.
Paolo Broggi, IT Engineer and Amicus Certified Consultant since 1997 2b1 Inc
415-284-2221
