LAKE SunSystems Newsletter

December 2008

Welcome to the December edition of the newsletter for LAKE Customers in which we introduce a new feature entitled Sector Focus. On this occasion we take a look at the Further & Higher Education sector.

This time round we also take the opportunity for a fresh look at Proactis Expense Claim Management and there is also an important update regarding Windows Vista compatibility.

Once again, if you would like to discuss any of the items in this newsletter please call me on the number below.

Best regards

Adrian Howard
General Manager
0113 273 7788

LAKE NEWS

LAKE extends Vision for Proactis to include Proactis Stores

Most of our customers enjoy the ease-of-use and power of Vision for SunSystems, so it is a natural step to extend Vision to work over Proactis. This leverages skills in Vision and reduces the cost of supporting additional applications.

Among the ever growing Proactis user-base there are a significant number, for example in the Oil & Gas sector, using the Proactis Stores module. For these organisations Vision for Proactis now includes the following items:

Stock Movements
Item Balance
Stock on Order
Stock Item Listing
Stock Journal Entries

SECTOR FOCUS

Further & Higher Education

LAKE is a specialist supplier of SunSystems to colleges. We combine sector expertise with market-leading financials and web-based purchasing.

The following are just some of the reasons why LAKE Solutions based on SunSystems are so well suited to the needs of Finance teams in this sector.

Improved monitoring and financial control
SunSystems delivers the level of reporting power that is appropriate to the needs of a College. It combines more intuitive analysis of transactions with a system that does not burden the chart of accounts. User-defined dimensions typically include items such as Site, Department, Cost Centre, Activity, Project, Employee and Course.

SunSystems also enables the creation of reporting hierarchies. This feature greatly simplifies reporting by, say, subject head and their academic areas of responsibility. Furthermore, hierarchies can be changed at any time and with the minimum of fuss to quickly reflect changes within a college.

Produce financial and management reports at the click of a mouse
SunSystems includes the reporting and analytics solution called Vision. Vision combines powerful reporting features with the familiarity and ease of use of the Microsoft Office Suite. Vision delivers timely information in a form that Stakeholders can use to view the performance of their departments or activities at the click of a button.

SunSystems Vision also allows you to combine information from different data sources into a single report pack.

Streamlines the buying process and controls spend
Experience has shown that web-based purchasing is easier to use than paper-based alternatives. It positively encourages people to take part in the purchasing process and delivers significant improvements in governance and control for colleges.

Improved efficiency and data integrity
SunSystems has been integrated with all the major systems for the management of student records. A SunSystems solution tightly integrated with Student Records, Payroll, and Human Resources will reduce error and improve productivity.

CLICK HERE and take a closer look at LAKE Solutions for Education by registering for one of our online workshops.

PRODUCT FOCUS

Expense Claim Management

Proactis Expense Claim Management is a cost-effective and efficient solution to the management of expense claims. Users find it quicker and easier to use and managers find that it simplifies the authorisation process and greatly improves the flow of information.

All items codes are available to enter from drop-down selections. VAT is calculated automatically and once the claim is complete, a single click sends it for authorisation.

Proactis Expense Claim Management empowers users to submit claims accurately and with ease. This in turn, enhances the management experience by minimising the authorisation process to an uncomplicated point and click operation, and by offering instant access to overview reports.

Features include:

Web browser access - zero footprint
Claim-as-you-spend expense entry system
Tax calculations performed automatically using site specific business rules
Automatic allocation of receipt numbers
Emails are sent automatically to update users when claims are authorised or queried
Automated postings to SunSystems without any further manual intervention for onward processing including payment, analysis and reporting
Improved management information, helping you to deliver timely and consistent analysis of expenditure by person, by type of expense item, by period, etc - without the need to analyse hundreds or thousands of paper expense claims in lever-arch files
One click to forward claim for either payment or return to claimant

CLICK HERE to launch a self-service tour

T ECHNICAL UPDATE

Windows Vista Compatibility

Certified versions of SunSystems 4, Vision and Proactis are available now for client machines running Windows Vista.

A certified version of SunSystems 5 is due out of development in Q1-2009.

Compatibility of your Live system

Customers who use Citrix thin client software to deliver applications to end-users should be able to use existing versions of the applications successfully at a Vista desktop machine.

For other customers, unless you have upgraded recently to one of the new Vista-certified versions, your current live system may not run successfully on desktop machines loaded with Vista.

Next Steps

If you are planning to introduce Vista desktop machines into your end-user community, please call us to discuss your specific situation in more detail. We will clarify how you are affected, and help you agree a sensible approach and timetable for your project.

SUNSYSTEMS & PROACTIS TRAINING

Latest Training Dates

CLICK HERE to view the current SunSystems training schedule

CLICK HERE for Proactis training