Share what you know with millions of people

Focus is the best place to turn what you know into remarkable content

×

Fred Blauer

Follow Following Unfollow

CEO,CFO,VP,Director, Fred Blauer and Associates

281 points

Fred Blauer is a senior consultant with more than 20 years of experience providing information systems consulting, ERP implementation, systems auditing, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance services. He has past experience as a Director of Information systems in a mid sized CA ...

Fred Blauer is a senior consultant with more than 20 years of experience providing information systems consulting, ERP implementation, systems auditing, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance services. He has past experience as a Director of Information systems in a mid sized CA firm, as a manager in the information systems audit division of Ernst & Young, as well as in the information systems consulting practice for small and mid sized clients.

Fred has worked on numerous projects and assignments including: Sarbanes Oxley compliance using methodologies such as COBIT; security audits; substantive testing using tools such as IDEA and Monarch; needs analysis for ERP systems; system selection and evaluation; project management; and implementation of various accounting and ERP systems.

Fred Blauer has a B.Com from McGill University, a Certified Information Systems Auditor from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, and a CA.IT from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, and the Ordre des Comptables Agree Du Quebec.

» read more » read less

WEB: Main web site

May 11, 2012

Fred Blauer and 12 other people answered this question

What alternatives to Quickbooks are there for the small business?

This a free and open source alternative:
http://www.xtuple.com/the-quickbooks-alternative
We have several clients up and running on xtuple, and it works well. Most people still don't seem to be aware that there are good alternatives to the traditional, proprietary legacy systems. more

Accounting Software

Oct. 26, 2011

Fred Blauer and 18 other people commented on a brief

The Top 10 Open-Source CRM Solutions

@h cw Most of the above would be able to do this. One of the benefits of open source is that you can evaluate them and decide which is best for you. Personally, I am more familiar with Sugar, and vtiger. I am just looking ... more

Oct. 24, 2011

Fred Blauer and 1 other person answered this question

Have you used Open ERP?

Are you referring to the product called "Openerp", or the category of software known as "Open source ERP"? more

Open Source ERP

Oct. 24, 2011

Fred Blauer and 2 other people answered this question

Does anyone have any reviews on open source ERP systems?

I'd really suggest a good needs analysis as a starting point, since there is no one solution that is best for everyone. It really depends on a lot of factors such as required features, size of company, industry, localization, and a lot of other considerations. ... more

Open Source ERP

Oct. 24, 2011

Fred Blauer and 2 other people answered this question

Is open source ERP the same as free ERP?

There is a lot of confusion out there over this. Open source means that the "source code" is open or available to anyone. It is really just a philosophy for developing and enhancing software. Many systems were developed this way. Familiar examples would be Linux, ... more

Oct. 24, 2011

Fred Blauer and 2 other people answered this question

When choosing an ERP, is proprietary vs. open source a relevant concern?

Yes it is. They are different philosophies for developing software, different business models etc. The selection methodology should be similar. however there are things you can do with open source that you can't with traditional/proprietary software. For example, you should take advantage of the ability ... more

Information Technology

Oct. 24, 2011

Fred Blauer and 7 other people answered this question

What are the advantages of a free/open source ERP system?

What are the advantages of a free/open source ERP system?”
TCO - compare ALL the costs
Platform independence, support for more OS platforms/architectures and form factors (ex. Mac, Linux, web client, tablet, mobile, etc.)
Access from anywhere and any device - Better Deployment flexibility, in-house, in the cloud ... more

Erp Software Solutions

Open Source ERP

Oct. 24, 2011

Fred Blauer and 6 other people answered this question

What is the best free open source ERP solution available?

There is no one solution that fits everyone, since it depends on your needs. Each of the alternatives have advantages and disadvantages which you need to weigh against your needs in order to chose the best solution for your situation. One of the advantages of ... more

Information Technology

Sept. 6, 2011

Fred Blauer and 10 other people answered this question

Why has the user experience on ERP products historically been so bad?

You want to watch this video from Ray Wang:
http://openacct.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/ray-wang-why-enterprise-software-sucks/
(I think it also applies to ERP to a certain extent)
If it isn't the fault of the systems, and you can't blame the clients, maybe its a question of new and better approaches to implementation. That's my ... more

Information Technology

Enterprise Resource Planning

Aug. 12, 2011

Fred Blauer and 1 other person answered this question

Is there any ERP or related application for practical learning?

Yes, there are several for accounting. The one that I have used most extensively is xtuple postbooks. more

Information Technology

July 28, 2011

Fred Blauer and 1 other person answered this question

Which type of ERP is easier to customize - SaaS or on premise?

It depends on which system you are talking about. The deployment method doesn't necessarily determine how customizable the system is. It also depends on the type of customizations that you are referring to. Also, "easy" is a subjective term. In general the "most" customizable systems ... more

Information Technology

June 30, 2011

Fred Blauer asked a question at this roundtable

ERP Innovations: Using Cloud, Mobile and Social to Improve Agility [6/30 @ 11 am]

What are the leading causes of ERP implementation failure?

Information Technology

Cloud Computing

June 30, 2011

Fred Blauer asked a question at this roundtable

ERP Innovations: Using Cloud, Mobile and Social to Improve Agility [6/30 @ 11 am]

Security in the cloud

Information Technology

Cloud Computing

June 30, 2011

Fred Blauer is now following Brian Sommer and 1 other person

May 19, 2011

Fred Blauer and 4 other people answered this question

Which is better, online or desktop accounting systems?

You can have both with solutions like xtuple (postbooks). Chose the deployment method that suits you, or change your mind. Both are supported:
I am amazed at how complicated it is to retrofit a proprietary, legacy application like Quickbooks for remote access.
On the other hand, If ... more

Accounting Systems

March 31, 2011

Fred Blauer and 4 other people answered this question

What are the latest ERP trends and product innovations?

It would be nice to get some opinions from actual customers or users of the ERP systems, about what their perceived issues/problems are.
Having said that, most people seem to agree that the traditional monolithic systems are outdated or broken, but everyone has their own ... more

Information Technology

Cloud Computing

Enterprise Resource Planning

March 27, 2011

Fred Blauer and 4 other people answered this question

Do you have a book keeper or accountant who manages your small business expenses?

We implement an opensource, platform independent, remotely accessible accounting app called xtuple postbooks. Most of our clients find it very convenient because they can get to it from anywhere (securely), and so can their bookeeper, and professional accountants for the year end and tax filing ... more

Accounting Software

March 24, 2011

Fred Blauer and 2 other people answered this question

Are cloud ERP systems cost effective if you're just buying a portion, like best of breed solutions?

Bill, I have to disagree. I think you have to specify which cloud service you are talking about rather than making a generalization. Do you keep your money in your house or in your bank? Why should your information assets be different? more

Information Technology

Cloud Computing

Enterprise Resource Planning

March 23, 2011

Fred Blauer and 2 other people answered this question

What is the reliability like with Magic Jack? Does the cliche "you get what you pay for" stand true?

How about google talk? I can use it to call outside phones from my gmail, and there is no charge. more

Information Technology

Small Business IT

March 19, 2011

Fred Blauer and 6 other people answered this question

How can ERP companies better educate customers on how to use their products to their full potential?

I agree with Steve also. That is why I favor the opensource approach, where you are not locked in to any one vendor. You can also do a better evaluation of the system by downloading, installing and testing anything you want, Systems like xtuple, openerp, ... more

Customer Service

Enterprise Resource Planning

March 9, 2011

Fred Blauer and 3 other people answered this question

What are the basic features that most accounting systems have?

That's fine if Quickbooks meets their needs. Quickbooks is an entry level system. If they are looking for something more sophisticated, or grow out of quickbooks, they don't necessarily have to go to a 100k+ system. I call it "solutions in search of problems" I ... more

Accounting Software

Accounting Systems

Feb. 28, 2011

Fred Blauer and 3 other people answered this question

How is Microsoft trying to gain traction in the CRM market? Will they ever be the leader?

Here is a feature comparison between SugarCRM and MS CRM. You can draw your own conclusions.
http://www.brainsell.net/blog/index.php/2011/02/sugar-vs-microsoftcrm-white-p... more

Customer Service

Feb. 25, 2011

Fred Blauer and 5 other people answered this question

What are the top things that SMBs should consider before purchasing accounting software?

1) What problems are you trying to solve, and what are you hoping to achieve? A good ROI is hard to do, because there are a lot of qualitative factors. But there should a strong business case. The business goals should be aligned with the ... more

General Management

Accounting Software

Feb. 23, 2011

Fred Blauer answered this question

Will a lower price point make Microsoft Dynamics CRM more competitive?

When you talk about price point, I think that you should be looking at total cost of ownership. The cost of the licenses is only one part of the equation. There are also a number of other factors to consider. Here is a whitepaper which ... more

Information Technology

Feb. 22, 2011

Fred Blauer and 1 other person answered this question

What CRM company has made the most strides over the past year?

Here is a comparison for Sugar CRM vs. MS CRM:
http://www.brainsell.net/blog/index.php/2011/02/sugar-vs-microsoftcrm-white-p...

Following 4 Topics

Enterprise Resource Planning

Following 2 People

Followed by 33 People

Knowledgeable in 37 Topics

Information Technology

#50 of 2263

Servers and Storage

#5 of 157

#72 of 749

Cloud Computing

#60 of 462

#7 of 88

#98 of 822

Business Intelligence

#40 of 246

#575 of 2984

#93 of 636

#434 of 2156

Accounting Software

#8 of 54

#53 of 268

General Management

#317 of 1194

#348 of 1456

#11 of 23

#24 of 71

#130 of 341

Marketing Automation

#187 of 531

Enterprise Resource Planning

#38 of 86

Business Intelligence Solution

#18 of 22

Mobile and Wireless

#37 of 42

Return on Investment

#35 of 44

#34 of 60

#42 of 72

#49 of 99

Mobile Wireless

#59 of 107

#88 of 129

#313 of 419

#274 of 443

Product Development

#69 of 79

Customer Service

#660 of 785

Security Solutions

#19 of 21

#28 of 32

#35 of 36

#259 of 300

#20 of 21

Project Management

#241 of 254