IBIS

Design Features

1. Supports: purchase orders; in-house charges; multi-level surcharges and discounts; donations; by count and by weight receiving and sales

2. Supports vendor tracking and order tracking

3. Supports: 3^rd and Nth party billing; C.O.D.; Web and mail order; scrip, coupons, etc.

4. Information need only be typed in or barcode scanned once; no need for each department to re-enter data

5. Photo ID capability for secure credit accounts, employees, etc.

6. Multi-level, multi-site applications

7. Security: all data can be encrypted except what is actually being displayed on the screen

8. Internet secure. Use the Internet to track information between stores or to keep off-site servers for confidential information or disaster-proof instant backups

9. Easy to customize

10. Multiple group and individual security levels possible

11. Works with:

    • Quickbooks

    • MS Money

    • Lotus

    • Crystal Reports

    • SQL Server

12. Outboard:

    • Barcode readers

    • Cash drawers

    • Printers:

    • Label

    • Invoice

    • Scales

Design Principles

A. It's Hardware = It Breaks

Sooner or later, hardware fails. Power outages, chip creep, thermal cycles that loosen cables, head crashes, or just a kid tripping over cables can cause a system to crash. IBIS is designed so that such failure modes will result in minimal loss of data. A proper IBIS set up will result in the loss of only the transaction currently partially completed, no matter what the failure mode. As soon as the repair can be made, or new hardware installed, a business is back with all its records intact.

B. Enter Information Once and Access It as Needed.

IBIS was designed to stop the 10 to 20 hours of weekly re-entering of data most small business owners face. By taking in data from existing Point-of-Sale (POS) systems, handling most electronic reporting software for taxes, etc., IBIS gives back to the small business owner the one thing he has least of&emdash;time for something besides paperwork.

C. If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Bookkeepers and accountants do not want to change programs and IBIS will not require them to do so. Whatever type of accounting package a business uses, IBIS can report to it. IBIS imports and exports tab and comma-separated files, and also works with Quick Books, Lotus, Excel, Crystal Reports, Palm Pilots, and most other widely used business tools and software. IBIS gives the small business owner more capability without forcing her to drop the tools she already likes and uses.

D. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

IBIS was designed to minimize the expense and confusion of adding lots of new training and equipment to the small business. It takes bar code readers for input, so non-typists can do much of the entry work after installation. It is platform interoperable so no one has to learn a new platform. The entry screens are also the work screens, so if you can read even a little, you can operate it. Because IBIS is always the same, a person trained once in IBIS can work at any position with minimal additional training. An employee's promotion doesn't mean a large training expense for the business.

E. Smaller, Cheaper, Better

IBIS costs less than SAP or Microsoft's Great Plains yet is nearly as powerful. IBIS fits on one CD, the core code (minus help and templates, etc.) fits on a floppy. If you run your business on PC's, no mainframes are required. IBIS also gives the small business owner the kind of control, and data tools needed by all businesses and previously not available for a small business.