• Tactical Approach: Franchise and Operations Consulting
• Business Plans Canada
• J A Smith & Associates Inc
• Controllership Focus Online
• IT Utility.NET

Press Release

JA Smith Business Solutions Group

JA Smith Business Solutions Group announces a major breakthrough. The firm is the newest member of the Canadian Franchise Association and will immediately appear in the organization’s directory.

The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) is the national voice of the franchise industry and advocates on behalf of franchisees and franchisors. “We are thrilled to be accepted into the CFA,” says Joyce Smith, CGA and president of JA Smith Business Solutions Group. “Our ISO processes reinforce standardization, which is a perfect fit for the franchise system.”

JA Smith Business Solutions Group has been providing support services for franchisees for a number of years. Inclusion in the organization will make a monumental difference to the firm, says account manager Bobbie Buckle. “This is exciting. This is our new target market and it’s the perfect niche for us because our services help to support franchisees and franchisors to communicate with each other and improve their productivity.”

When a new franchisee purchases a business, they may not be able to handle their bookkeeping for the first few months. JA Smith Business Solutions Group can provide that service and then train the franchisee when they’re ready to take it over. “And we can train them to be in compliance with the franchisors required documentation,” Buckle says.

The firm also supplies SharePoint solutions, team collaboration software that helps the franchisee and franchisor communicate effectively. JA Smith can do payroll, provide bookkeeping services and IT services including virtual servers. It can also provide cash flow management – in other words, tailor its services to fit the needs of the client.

JA Smith Business Solutions Group consists of three companies:

JA Smith & Associates Inc. providing professional accountants and support staff for tax planning and preparation, financial statement preparation, financial planning, management consulting services and other accounting support.

Controllership Focus Online (CFO) providing controllers and bookkeepers that offer a menu of online support services for businesses.

Business Performance Solutions Inc. is a Microsoft Small Business Specialist that offers IT solutions for small to medium size organizations across Canada.

Being a member of the Canadian Franchise Association allows JA Smith to attend trade shows and exhibit at the shows. “This membership will be the catalyst that will make JA Smith Business Solutions Group a national competitor,” Buckle says. “We can provide part-time controllership, we can help them manage their business, we can help them manage their cash flow, we can host software – most importantly we support both the franchisee and the franchisor.”

For more information contact Bobbie Buckle: 250-751-3383 or bobbieb@jasmith.com

P. 250.751.3383 | Toll Free. 1.800.343.6133 | F. 250.751.3384 | jasmith.com

Simply Accounting and QuickBooks Training

Does your organization use Simply Accounting or QuickBooks? Do you require Simply Accounting or QuickBooks Training? Many of our clients use one or the other of these popular accounting programs and often turn to us for advice or training to help them make the best use of their software. Simply Accounting and QuickBooks training from Business Performance Solutions are geared toward helping them to make the most of their accounting software.

Our trainers have years of experience with the Simply Accounting and QuickBooks software and are equipped to help you avoid problems and utilize the many features of your accounting software. They spend countless hours every year improving their understanding of ways to use these programs most effectively and efficiently.

We offer hands-on Simply Accounting and QuickBooks training in our office for organizations that are near enough for this to be practical. For organizations for which this does not work we offer our accounting software training using web-based technologies wherever they may be. An internet connection is all you need to be close enough for professional Simply Accounting and QuickBooks training from experts who use the software every day.

Contact Business Performance Solutions to learn how our Simply Accounting and QuickBooks training can help you get up to speed with your accounting software.

Sharepoint, Simply Accounting & QuickBooks Training – And More

Business Performance Solutions is first and foremost a technology company, but we offer other services that are closely tied to our technology offerings. Whether you are looking for SharePoint training, QuickBooks training, Simply Accounting training, or consulting services, consider what Business Performance Solutions can provide.
We offer Consulting Services to help your organization in the quest for increased efficiency and productivity. Take advantage of our decades of experience with small to medium businesses.
Our SharePoint Training Services are part of our Intranet Solution, but we also offer it as a stand alone offering to organizations that may already have a SharePoint application, or simply need SharePoint training in order to understand how SharePoint might fit into their organization.
QuickBooks training is essential in order to maximize the usefulness of QuickBooks. The same is true of Simply Accounting training. We offer training on QuickBooks and Simply Accounting to help you make optimum use of these accounting programs.
Contact Business Performance Solutions to learn how our SharePoint training, QuickBooks training, or Simply Accounting training can help your organization.

Business Performance Solutions – Choices to Meet Your Needs

Business Connect Intranet System is based on Microsoft’s SharePoint platform and is “a private Internet”, or an Internet that is confined to your business. It fulfills the need for small to medium size businesses to benefit from an intranet system that previously was only available to large businesses or governments. The Microsoft SharePoint framework, which provides the underpinnings of Business Connect, enables lower-cost intranet solutions and provides full integration with the Microsoft Office software you probably already use.

The Business Connect Intranet Systems are sold either as a licensed or as a hosted solution, depending upon your organization’s size, technical abilities, and other factors. When you purchase the licensed solution, our team will work with you to install and configure Business Connect on your own computer systems. With the hosted solution, you will access the software from secure servers operated by our Microsoft Gold Partner.

Business Performance Solutions also provides on-demand hosting of various other software packages, including Microsoft Office. This solution offers flexibility for a varying number of users, as might happen in a seasonal industry, for example. When you need extra employees for a short time, just increase the number of users for your hosting package. When your high demand drops again, reduce the number of users and pocket the savings. You don’t have to pay for extra license copies of every expensive program for every temporary employee. Ask us for details about software and hosting option availability.

At Business Performance Solutions Inc., we realize that every business has its own needs and wants. With our many options, we can get you up and running regardless of your current hardware and software specifications. With all of our options, we can keep your software up to date, so you’re not stuck on the software update merry-go-round.

Contact Business Performance Solutions to find out how Business Connect or one of our Software as a Service Hosting Services can help your business run better.

Get a head start with our professional SharePoint Training

Business Performance Solutions has developed a SharePoint Training module as part of its Business Connect intranet solution. We believe that we have an excellent solution in Business Connect, but realize that it may not be the solution that all businesses need. We therefore offer SharePoint Training as a standalone offering to organizations that may already have a SharePoint application.

SharePoint is a powerful platform that provides collaboration and information sharing facilities to an organization, but it does have a steep learning curve. Help from someone with SharePoint experience can make the introduction to the system go much more smoothly. We have invested a great deal of time and energy in learning to work with the SharePoint framework, and our SharePoint Training is available to help organizations who are trying to make their way through the myriad parts of SharePoint.

We have developed a series of lessons  that cover all the basics of our SharePoint solution. We have continually modified these, guided by feedback from our clients, and are always looking for ways to make the training fit the needs of those we are helping. We generally follow the course outline that we have developed in order to ensure that we do not leave any large gaps in training, but we will always put aside the plan for a time in order to deal with specific issues that may arise.

We deliver the training remotely with web-based technologies, in approximately one-hour lessons. Students are given control of the sessions at times and allowed to interact with SharePoint themselves, because we believe that doing so is a better way of learning. We have trained users in all areas of Canada, so we are accustomed to dealing with the issues that a wide variety of time zones cause. Our lessons are usually delivered to very small groups or individuals, though we have on occasion given presentations to groups numbering more than fifty.

We can offer customized training tailored to your needs. SharePoint is very flexible in addition to being very powerful, and we can help you to fully utilize it in your organization.

Contact Business Performance Solutions to find out how our SharePoint Training can help you and your business.

Let us help you streamline your business

Business Performance Solutions (BPSi) offers several technology products and services, but we know that running a business requires much more than technology. The proper role of technology is that of supporting the people, processes, and systems that comprise a business operation, and maximizing the efficient use of resources. BPSi Consulting Services can help to increase efficiency, whether an operation requires a slight tune up or a major overhaul.

At BPSi we are more than just a technology company. We are a company with over 40 years of experience with small to medium sized business. We are built on a solid foundation of quality standards which include assured security and redundancy. BPSi is backed by the business acumen of accountants, professional teachers, and IT personnel, who can help medium businesses make that difficult leap from being a small business to being a successful big business.

As part of the implementation process for any of BPSi’s technology solutions, we confer with the business leaders to develop a plan that takes into account the systems and processes already in place. We look for ways to build on the strengths of an organization, to use the expertise and experience of its personnel more effectively. Our aim is to have the technology work with the business rather than forcing the business to be shaped by the technology.

Our expertise is in simplifying business processes and systems in the search for increased efficiency and productivity. As part of the consulting process BPSi will examine all aspects of the business operations with an eye to integration and improvement. Where appropriate we may recommend replacing manual methods with more automated process, and we may propose technology changes or additions that will benefit your business.
Contact Business Performance Solutions to find out how our Consulting Services can help you and your business.

Managed Hosting that is Seamless and Reliable

Business Performance Solutions provides the following as part of our hosting services offerings:

• new equipment
• data backup
• secure facilities
• antivirus protection
• technical support
• software updates

New Equipment

Computer technology continues to advance extremely rapidly, and equipment obsolescence is a fact of life. BPSi regularly replaces older equipment with newer, so when you choose one of our hosting services, you always get the advantage of newer hardware without having to go through the upgrade process yourself. You can concentrate on your business.

Data Backup

Regular backups of data helps to ensure data integrity and availability, but when business gets busy, it can be all too easy to overlook. This is a core part of our hosting services, not just an administrative task that is added to somebody’s already large task list.

Secure Facilities

Our hosting computers are located in secure data centers whose whole purpose is providing reliable computing power and data storage. That is their only business.

Antivirus Protection

Keeping your data safe is major priority for us, so we always have up-to-date antivirus protection on all of our hosting computer systems.

Technical Support

“We service what we sell.” That’s our way of saying that we stand behind our hosting services with professional IT support. Every hosting package includes appropriate IT support, and you can always arrange for extra support for any special projects you undertake using our hosting services.

Software Updates

Keeping all software updated is important to ensure a smoothly functioning system. We perform regular updates on the software we host as part of our support process.

Contact Business Performance Solutions to see if our hosting services could be right for your organization.

Putting You In-the-Know

Business Performance Solutions provides intranet solutions to help organizations improve organizational and operational efficiency. Business Connect consists of several independent modules, each designed with key business needs in mind. At BPSi, we want you to get the most out of our product, which is why we include training in all aspects of the solution. With the help of our professional Business Support Service staff, you will be shown how Business Connect will benefit your organization. Our professional training team will help identify areas where your company can streamline systems and help introduce best practices to your company.

Intranet solutions can help organizations in their desire for efficiency. Our training plan for Business Connect helps our clients use Business Connect efficiently and we have modified it in response to their feedback. The training is designed to help new users by giving an overview of the entire system as well as an introduction to general SharePoint concepts.

Our Business Connect Training can be modified to your company’s needs, but gives your team a core understanding of how to benefit from an intranet system. It is delivered in one-hour web-based modules by knowledgeable professional computer instructors. Lesson plans are followed, but instructors will be guided by responses from students. If particular questions or problems lead in another direction, we follow it in order that you get the maximum benefit. 

The training is interactive, so students get a chance to try things for themselves. We believe that doing is the most effective form of learning. Most of our Business Connect clients find our knowledgeable trainers to be the biggest benefit of our solution.

Contact Business Performance Solutions to see how our intranet solutions training packages will give you a head start to new efficiencies.

Hosting Services

Larger organizations may want to consider one of our Virtual Private Server (VPS) solutions. We offer both managed and unmanaged VPS solutions, and BPSi’s IT staff will set up your server according to the option you choose. In either case, you have the assurance of knowing that your server is in a secure data center. An added benefit is that you will never have to deal with replacing a server – the physical servers that run your Virtual Private Server will be replaced periodically, and your VPS will remain fully functional.

An unmanaged VPS gives you a server over which you have practically complete control. You will make choices about the server configuration, such as the amount of storage space you require. BPSi’s IT staff will set up the server and configure it according to your choices. BPSi will be responsible for the hardware, antivirus protection, backups, and hardware-related issues. You will need IT expertise, either in-house or under contract, to deal with the remaining software on the server. You will be responsible for configuring and updating the operating system, and installing and maintaining the applications you choose.

A managed VPS lets you concentrate on running your business as we assume more of the responsibilities towards your server. BPSi’s IT staff will manage all of the hardware and the software on your server. This includes the Windows operating system and all of the applications you have us install for you. This option leaves the IT work to us and the business work to you.

Either a managed or an unmanaged VPS may be attractive to larger organizations because the cost for the server does not increase with more users, as is the case with the hosted options. You may have to purchase additional software licenses for some or all of your programs when you add more users to a VPS, but the incremental cost will be less than adding those users onto a hosted offering.

Contact Business Performance Solutions to learn more about our virtual private server solutions and how they could fit into your organization’s technology solution.