28-Jan-04 - Aptus plays hardball to get VARs to sign their agreement and pay their fees, even though the agreement is still being changed. They have given a 5-Feb-04 cut-off date for the highest level of VARs (Platinum) and stated that from 6-Feb-04 on the emphasis will be on new VARs, not resigning old ones, and only the "Dealer", "Gold" and "MyBooks Professional Reseller" levels will be accepted.

Aptus says there will be no extensions, no individual negotiation and that they will assign a new VAR to customers of any VAR who does not sign up immediately. The end user agreements have, however, finally been made available for VARs to review.

The harshness of Aptus' conditions and the number of sales calls they are making suggests sign-ups and income are running well behind expectations. I would not be surprised if this were the case given the way Aptus has handled the situation, and I wouldn't be real surprised if InsynQ sold Aptus off in fairly short order.

A number of other accounting software companies are currently suliciting not only Appgen end users, but Appgen VARs, some offering "no signing cost" deals to attract defections. I expect they will have some takers.

For those who have indicated interest in MyBooks, the existance of the "MyBooks Professional Reseller" contract level does indicate that product will continue and be available, but not direct from Aptus as it was from Appgen.

27-Jan-04 - Aptus is trying to get the VARs to sign up to a contract, but the VARs see the offered contract is incomplete and unacceptable in many details and most aren't signing. Aptus says "sign now and we'll fix it later", but the VARS have already been burned and want to see an acceptable contract before they sign.

Aptus also wants end user customers to sign a contract, but that contract isn't yet available for the VARs to review.

This disorganization and delay is costing Aptus (and everyone else involved with Appgen) plenty and stands to destroy their investment. Aptus needs to immediately get someone on board with real channel experience and give that person authority to fix the problems fast or they stand to lose their investment.

Unfortunately InsynQ, Aptus' parent, is a dot.com company, so its officers probably think they're so smart and so "new economy" they don't need any fuddy-duddy with actual experience telling them what to do. That attitude killed off most of the early dot.coms.

17-Jan-04 - Sale of the Appgen products is complete. Fate of the MyBooks product still uncertain. The new company, Aptus (a subsidiary of Insync), is asking VARs to sign up immediately, but there appears to be a bit of disorganization because VARs report not having copies of VAR agreements. Caution is being exercised and most may opt for a "pay as you go" plan.

Most of the requests for information I receive are about the MyBooks product which Appgen sold direct. Direct sales of MyBooks seem unlikely, and many VARs blame these sales for Appgen's collapse. I appears at this time MyBooks will be available through VARs, but nothing is firm yet. From the number of requests I have recieved, I figure it could be a very successful product if properly handled, especially as a long term leader into the larger Appgen products.

9-Dec-03 - InsynQ is reported to have opened a New York office and hired an ex-Appgen employee. They are polling VARs about terms and may be thinking of creating a multiple tier VAR structure (VARs under master VARs). Negotiations are apparently difficult and still on-going.

18-Nov-03 - The InsynQ Appgen webinar was a little premature, since the sale is still in the "due dilligence" stage. A letter of intent is in place but the sale is not yet final. No pricing has yet been set, but the company hopes to start issuing licenses in just a few days.

13-Nov-03 - Appgen has reportedly been sold to InsynQ, a Tacoma Washington company with an account ASP (Application Service Provider) operation. Exactly what they bought and what their plans are is unknown at this time, but they've been contacting VARs to organize a webinar (on line seminar) on Tuesday 18 Nov. We should know a lot more then.

10-Oct-03 - The Appgen company has closed - the Appgen product is expected to continue. There are groups currently working on acquiring rights to license the product and this issue should be resolved soon. Nothing is yet resolved about terms, pricing or VAR support.

For people with licensing problems with Mybooks purchased directly from Appgen, this temporary solution has been proposed by an Appgen VAR.

1. Copy your data files to a different folder.
2. Reinstall the My Books/My Books Professional and copy your data folders back into the new install. This will give you 30 more days and we are in the hopes that service will be restored by then by a replacement Web site.

You may contact me by email at aax@aaxnet.com and I will keep you updated on whatever I learn about this matter.- or just watch this space

The point of Appgen Accounting is custom fitting it to your exact needs. Changes can be made quickly and economically - and we're not talking minor details - whole new modules can be written if you need them. Appgen development costs and lead times are far below what you would experience with other accounting packages.

If you concentrate on daily operations - making money, not just counting it - you should look closely at Appgen. If you just want "after the fact" bookkeeping, as your CPA prefers, a low cost "shrink wrapped" package will do just fine. On the other hand, if your competitor chooses to implement a comprehensive management accounting system, you may never realize why your business isn't doing better. That's the risk.

Here's a real life example of how useful customization is. Our client sells kits, consisting of a list of inventory items. Their customers want to see a breakdown of what each kit component cost them, so a list of components with a price (indented from the right) was added to invoicing. Problem: the client arbitrarily discounts the kits, so logic was added to calculate the discount and apply it to each kit component. This would have cost thousands of dollars in most accounting packages (the ones in which it could be done at all). With Appgen, it cost just a couple hundred and was done in two days.

Compare these Appgen features with other accounting packages.

• Choice of GUI or Text. GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces (Windows)) are pretty, and helpful for occasional users, but they badly slow production data work by experienced personnel. GUI accounting is easy to sell to top managers, but expensive and frustrating out on the floor. With Appgen, each workstation can have GUI or Text as appropriate to the user.
• Remote Access and Multi-Facility: Because no data, only display text and input text, are on the cable, Appgen works fast and effectively over slow phone lines and Internet connections. No clumsy, expensive, failure prone "remote control" setups are needed.
• Information Gathering can be done where generated, when generated, by the people who generate it and know it best. Rugged, inexpensive terminals can be used instead of vulnerable PCs in shop areas. Information is entered by the people who know it best, and is immediately available
• Information Dispersal can be where needed, when needed, and available to the people who control real time events. Printers can be placed anywhere, not just near a computer, and terminals can be used in areas too hostile for computers
• Performance: Appgen is either host based or client-server based. The program itself runs on a fast host/server down the hall, not on networked Windows PCs. The main data files never leave the box, so access and sorts and reports are many times faster than with network accounting packages. Since this host/server runs "lights off", it never wastes time drawing pretty screens or dancing paperclips.
• Network Efficiency: Since vastly less data travels down the cable compared to a PC network package, the network doesn't get bogged down.
• Customizability: No two businesses are the same, even in the same industry. Small details may make the difference between a system that works and a system that is a constant struggle. Every Appgen dealer has the complete programming environment so s/he can adapt the product to your needs.
• Extensibility: If you need a program module not included with general accounting, and want it integrated with Appgen, that can be done at lower cost than with any other system. That's what Appgen was designed for.
• Kitting: for those who don't need a full multi-layer BOM (Bill of Materials, which is also available in Appgen).
• Direct Access: Users who need only one module of the accounting go directly there when they log in, without threading through menus or squirreling around with a mouse. Since they never see anything else, they won't be mucking around with it.
• Cash Flow Projections: Immediate information on how much money will be required and how much is coming in when and from who. Since data collection is "where generated, when generated", the cash flow report is actually useful.
• Batch Control: Nothing gets posted until it has been checked and the person who is in charge says so. Batch entries can be checked and verified before posting.
• Security: Tight control over who can access different levels and menus.
• Strong Financial Reports: Appgen financials are completely customizable with multicompany and profit center roll-ups.
• Advanced Inventory Control is critical to many kinds of business. Often most of the company's money is tied up in inventory, so how well inventory is controlled determines how well the company uses its money. How well a company uses its money determines whether it will profit and grow, or decline.
• You can't sell what you don't have. Avoid "out of stock" by knowing how much you need over what time period and how long the lead time is. Appgen has full purchasing including lead time and time to order.
• You can't sell what nobody wants. Know what products are moving and which aren't. When something doesn't move, order it closed out to recover you cash for more profitable items.
• You can't sell it if you don't know where it is. Knowing you have it is just the first step. If it costs you more to find it than the profit, you have a problem. Appgen handles multiple warehouses with full transfer capability among them.
• Volume won't make up for a loss on each sale (unless you're really high volume). Which items sell well, but cost too much to sell?
• You can't make it if you don't have the parts. If you can't make it, you can't sell it. An effective bill of materials should be part of inventory management for any company that manufactures or assembles, and Appgen has it.
• You can sell what you don't have - if you know where it is. Appgen can even be adjusted to handle stuff in other people's warehouses.

• Multi-Platform: Versions are available to run on a range of Unix platforms, Windows 98, Windows NT and Linux. Any network.

Appgen is Low Cost

Contact Automation Access today to discuss the unique needs of your business and how Appgen can make you more profitable.

Also visit the Appgen Web Page for more details.