Save Us Some Turkey...

On behalf of every one at Atlas we wish you and your business a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year.

Details of our opening hours and support arrangements over Christmas and New Year can be found on our website through this news article and we would like to reassure customers that we are here to help should you need it over the festive period.

Best wishes,

The Atlas Business Team.

VAT Changes - January 1st 2010

Service packs for many versions of the Access Dimensions system are now available for download on our main website

These service packs are intended for use by an experienced user, and if you feel you would be better served by one of engineers talking the process through with you then please contact Application Systems Management for help and guidance.

The files are self extracting archives, '.exe' executables, so please be careful.

The first thing to do is to right-click on the one for your system and save it somewhere on your hard disk. Then run it and it will self extract into your chosen location. There is a 'readme.txt' file in each so use this as an instruction manual.

If you require any assistance whatsoever then please do not hesitate to call the Applications Systems Management department on 0333 666 3330 or send them an e-mail at asm@atlasbiz.com

Meet Tony – Atlas Helpdesk Engineer … … … with a taste for Murder, Mystery and Suspense

As usual it started out as quiet evening; hotel, 3 course meal, friends and weekend chatter. In the hotel reception we found Helen: knife through her chest and a paramedic in attendance. Only minutes earlier she had been arguing with an off-duty police sergeant over some missing money …

As the evening progressed and questions were asked, Tony became a victim too; horrific burns and a blow to the head with a heavy dumbbell. We know why it happened. Tony it transpired, is an ex-convict, blackmailing a prison governor for thousands of pounds. Seems Tony has an alias too - Joel Landon for some reason….

This is the world of Murder Mysteries. None of the above is really 'real'. Tony is one of a bunch of actors who put on murder nights for wannabe detectives. During the day he’s quite normal and works for Atlas Business supporting accounting software customers.

It’s in the evenings that his alter ego appears. Tony has been heavily involved in the theatre for over 25 years. On Saturday mornings he can be found teaching drama to 8-16 years old for Leeds Children’s Theatre something he really enjoys and gets a lot of satisfaction from. Over the years this group has produced some outstanding talent, such as Angela Griffin of ‘Corrie’ and Waterloo Road fame. Tony has acted in many shows and musicals, and directed one or two as well, has performed in a variety of locations, even doing a ‘pilgrimage’ for local charities and street theatre.

A few times each year he heads for The Bridge Hotel, Wetherby to weave a web of intrigue and murder for the gathered audience to solve. Seems he and his mates do this just for fun…. They have been to RAF bases, hotel chains like DeVere, and even wedding receptions! There is no script. The players follow a timetable of events and the whole ‘happening’ is interactive. The guests talk to the actors who stay in character the whole evening. At one event Tony was dragged across the floor by a guest who thought he was the main culprit – he wasn’t on this occasion.

The driving force behind these endeavours is Tony’s best friend, Sue Gibson. The make-up is so realistic that she was once arrested as a murder suspect after she had taken some photos to be developed of apparently dead bodies. That took more than a bit of explaining….

Should you feel inspired to ‘have a go’ or ‘join up’ just have a word with Tony on 0333 666 3330 and he will be delighted to point you in the right direction. Alternatively you can email him at tony.hutchinson@atlasbiz.com.

Atlas Bulks Up Training Facilities

All our customers are probably aware that Atlas are expert trainers in all of the solutions that we provide. What you may not know is that this training doesn't necessarily have to take place in your offices. Often, we find that training sessions benefit a great deal from having delegates away from their phones and e-mails, and in a customised computer environment, set up by our qualified engineers.

We've always had our training room at our Nantwich head office and Atlas have recently further invested in this training facility, adding another four dedicated HP PCs to the existing hardware that was already in the suite. John Butler, Group MD, said that “we made this decision to show our commitment to delivering value to our customers.” We know these powerful new machines will prove popular with delegates; applications will launch quickly and reports will produce results promptly ensuring that users spend their time learning rather than looking at egg timers!

There are many more advantages to receiving training professional services off-site and below are just a few examples:-

• You receive more value for your investment. Whilst off-site you will get no distractions or interruptions from colleagues walking into your office, ringing your telephone or sending you emails allowing you to cover more content during the day.

• We have machines and the environment already set-up and so you can rest assured that the day will run smoothly with no technical hiccups.

• The software is already installed and configured so the day is spent learning rather than on set-up.

• The room layout is set-up in such a way that the delegates can all see the trainer and the projector screen and there are several PCs so the users can have a hands-on practical experience rather than just watching and listening. In our experience, most clients don’t have a dedicated training environment and as such setting one up can prove difficult.

• Where possible we will always try to host the training session using the clients data rather than demonstration data, this way it is very specific and relevant to the user’s day to day requirements.

• Pens, pads, teas, coffees, biscuits and lunch are all provided at no extra charge.

Both our Leeds and Glasgow offices have similar training suites available. Speak to your account manager or a sales consultant on 0333 666 3330 to discuss your training requirements further.

Bomb Squad Isolate Globe House - Shut Down For Five Hours

On Tuesday lunchtime, workers clearing the out-buildings of 17 The Gullet next door to Globe House - the registered office of Atlas Business Group companies - found unexploded what is believed to have been a Second World War hand-grenade. For the first time in her life Jan, our local landlady at The Boot and Shoe, saw a black armoured van turn up with 'BOMB SQUAD' writ large along the side. Police cordonned off The Gullet to prevent pedestrians and vehicles approaching the area.

Fortunately nobody was present at Globe House at the time and no evacuation was necessary.

17 The Gullet has recently been sold proceeds of the estate of Mr and Mrs Shakeshaft. It was auctioned in October after being empty for around two years. The workmen are clearing the outbuildings on the instructions of the new owner.

Happy Birthday Adam!

Today sees a very important event in at least one of our employee's lives as Hardware and Systems engineer Adam Wilkinson reaches the young age of 50. Adam has been with us 'longer than we can remember' according to Director Gary Manktelow, who manages Adam over at our Leeds office. To celebrate Adam is hosting a party which will be attended by many of the Atlas staff and, as you can see, the party might start a little early with a celebratory glass of Port bought for Adam by his colleagues. It goes without saying that everyone at Atlas would like to send their very happy returns to him and we look forward to drinking all his beer tonight!

QlikView: Atlas Sales Team Sent to Coventry

OK, so it’s not quite as drastic as it sounds, however the Atlas Sales Team have just returned from Coventry, attending a training course run by QlikTech in one of the most exciting products to be added to our portfolio; QlikView.

Offering flexible, meaningful and real-time data analysis and business intelligence, QlikView has been described as “Next Generation Business Intelligence” software and it is clear to see why.


We have all been very impressed with the people at QlikTech and the QlikView product so far and it was a great opportunity to put some faces to names as well as meeting and sharing ideas with a number of other QlikView partners.

Founded in Sweden in 1993, QlikTech were named the fastest growing BI provider in the world by IDC and were recently selected as a Technology Pioneer 2008 by the World Economic Forum, joining global innovators such as Google on the list. If you’ve not heard of them before today, prepare to hear much more about them in the next few years.

So what does this mean for you? Well, the good news for both existing customers and potential clients is that we are now even more qualified to discuss your Business Intelligence needs and have another great option when it comes to bringing your data together, interrogating it and displaying it to you in a way that is flexible, easy to navigate and adds real value to your business processes.

For more information on QlikView check our recent news update or contact us for more information on QlikView Business Intelligence or any of the reporting tools available from Atlas Business.

Friday Night and We Headed For Crewe Hall...

Friday night saw the 2009 edition of The South Cheshire Chamber Business Awards. Representing Atlas were Group Managing Director John Butler and Director (and John's wife) Daphne Butler. Here, Daphne blogs about the evening and the Butler's favourable impression of young local businessmen and women.


South Cheshire Chamber
Business Awards 2009

Appropriately frocked and suited, John and I mounted the steps of Crewe Hall last night, guests of Tracey Barcroft our indispensible bank manager. Tracey is with the NatWest Commercial Office in Nantwich which sponsors the Best Large Business of the Year Award at this now well-established annual event. It was a bit of a trip down memory lane for John and I since Atlas won this award back in 2001, then at Stapeley Water Gardens Tropical Oasis … … … and although many of the main players remain the event itself has definitely grown-up and moved on.

These sort of formal get-togethers can be a bit daunting, but you can’t live and work in a town for nigh on 20 years without getting to know people, and we had barely escaped the wet November evening and connected with a glass of something fizzy before we were chatting with Martin and Heather Kynch old friends from way back in the early days of Atlas Business.

One of the best things about reaching an uncertain age is that the achievements of others, young, fresh and going places acquire a bottomless fascination, so that when the award ceremony got underway (very capably presented by Sam Plank of Moorlands Radio, and Verity Hilton of BBC Radio Stoke) I found myself enchanted by the string of bright young people and companies who made their way to the rostrum collecting certificates and plaques.

Companies like Best Small Business of the Year, Amita UK, who describe themselves as ‘an IT dept in a box’ and provide a comprehensive range of IT services for their clients. (Hey, wait a minute, that’s Atlas territory. Is there something we might learn here?).

And then Employer of the Year was the Commercial Training Division North West of St John’s Ambulance – amazing people training other amazing people to do amazing things. (Are Atlas amazing enough to compete with that, I wonder?).

The International Trade Award … … … International Trade? … … … The winner here turned out to be Event Stewarding & Training Consultancy Ltd (ESTC for short – an acronym just up John’s street) who work with sporting and music venues advising on safety management of stadiums and spectators with an impressive testimonial list starting with Crewe Alex and ending with the Hellenic Football Federation.

In all there were nine different awards, which I am sure will be very ably reported on next week by the Crewe Chronicle who are joint-sponsors of this razzamattaz with the South Cheshire Chamber, but I would just like to mention one more award that caught my attention. The Visitors’ Choice Award is sponsored by Visit Chester & Cheshire and is voted on by the people who find their way to visitor attractions in the county. There were eighteen contenders, and the winner was, for the second year running, Nantwich Players Theatre*.

Good food, splendid company, what a lovely way to end the week! Thank you NatWest.

* For those who are not aware, Nantwich Players is where the absent Atlas Business and C2 Internet director (Benjamin who?) first took to the stage www.west16.co.uk refers.

Compliance and Corrections: Ask The Expert

With the recent major new launch by Access of the Compliance and Corrections module, Dimensions and Dimensions Lite users find themselves with the ability to purchase a module with potentially huge benefits. We decided to sit down with our resident Access Expert to find out just what the practical application of the module is for businesses.

Question: OK Expert, I'm a relatively small Access Dimensions Lite customer with only a few users. What's this new module going to do for me?

The Expert: Well, the Compliance and Corrections module has many applications for all sizes of business. For smaller businesses, the most likely use of it is in its Corrections functionality. As a small business you've no doubt got plans to grow - Compliance and Corrections is another tool that allows your software to grow with your business.

Q: And how does it do that exactly?

TE: As you grow your demands on your software will change. Your customers for example, will come and go and probably merge and change. Similarly, when you start using the software, it's only natural that a few mistakes will be made. Compliance and Corrections helps with both of these things: adapting your accounting software at the top level.

Q: So as my business grows, Compliance and Corrections will help my systems to meet my needs? Basically to be flexible to changing conditions?

TE: Exactly, but crucially, the module helps your software to grow in a coherent and structured way. If two customers merge for example, the module gives you the functionality to combine their accounts and assign them a new account code if necessary. All your transaction history is moved as well meaning any new employees can immediately see a clear picture of how your company operates.

Q: OK, that sounds good but what about when I become a bigger business. Lets say I've got 10 or more users on Dimensions.

TE: Well once you get to this size, you're probably going to want to take advantage of the Compliance side of the module. This enhances the audit capability of the Access software. Have you heard of the Sarbanes-Oxley audit and compliance legislation?

Q: Yes, but doesn't that only apply to American companies?

TE: It does but increasingly UK businesses (and more so their parent companies) are choosing to follow its recommendations of greater auditability as a matter of good business practice. The Compliance side helps you to show you are taking the correct steps to address auditing requirements. We all hope that we won't ever have a situation where a staff member is engaging in fraudulent activity but, as I always say, the first rule of holes is don't fall in! With Compliance you can monitor individual fields within your software so, for example, bank codes or delivery addresses. You then generate a report which will show when the field was changed, what it was changed from and to and which user changed it.

Q: That sounds great! So I can have a complete record of what happens in my system?

TE: Exactly, if you really wanted to you could even generate an audit log for a specific transaction type, fully monitoring any activity against it. It's a very powerful way of ensuring your accounts are accurate and your business is protected.

Q: So you'd recommend this for all businesses?

TE: Absolutely! It's rare that an Access module has so wide an application across the Atlas client base but we really would recommend this for all of our customers. The benefits are potentially huge and it is extremely easy to use and definitely affordable. It really is a no-brainer to add it to your system.

Q: Great! How do I order it?

TE: Give the sales team a call on 0333 666 3330 and they can take your order and answer any questions. Alternatively drop them an e-mail at sales@atlasbiz.com and they'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Meet The Team: My Boss is Better Than Your Boss!

We're aware that sometimes many of our valued customers and prospective clients only ever see a couple of familiar faces at Atlas. Maybe you deal with Joe on a regular basis, or always speak to our ASM Manager Roger whenever you call in. In this new series then, we'll introduce you to the Atlas team starting at the very top!

Whether you're a customer, prospective client or supplier, you will probably know (or at least, know of!) one of our JB’s. If you’re on the East side of the Pennines you are more than likely familiar with John Bilyj, whereas if you’re based on the West side of the Pennines you will have no doubt met John Butler. You perhaps didn’t know that the other JB existed. Can you have too much of a good thing? Can the real JB please stand up? In a light hearted way of introducing you to the other JB we pitted the two against each other…… which regional office has the best boss, you decide!

John Bilyj (left) and John Butler share a joke during the toughest interview of their career

Question	John Butler	John Bilyj
Position	Group Managing Director	Director
What do you do when you’re not at work?	Enjoy my leisure time with my dear wife. [have you read these questions already John...]	Generally watch Leeds United but I'm also a keen photographer and I play the guitar and piano.
How did you meet your wife?	Erm... I was forced to get out of the back of a sports car to fit someone else in. As I got out I saw a blonde lady and I thought 'by God, you're fantastic' and the rest is history.	She used to work with my Brother and I went to his company's Christmas party.
DIY or call in the experts?	There is a cusp in the life of a man. At one side you're a DIYer. At the other side you're a GMIer (Get a Man In). I'm on the later side of that cusp.	Oof, that's a tough call! [no pressure John...] If my wife's reading, DIY. If she's not, call in the experts!
What was the first LP you bought?	Awww... [JB takes great pains to remember something in the mists of time] It might have been Bill Haley 'Rock Around the Clock' but I suspect it was Elvis' 'Jailhouse Rock'.	LP or Single? LP? [Without hesitation, John likes his music...] 'Every Good Boy Deserves Favour' by The Moody Blues.
Favourite film?	Probably Dr. Zhivago for a good weepy or Deer Hunter which never fails to 'get me'.	Hmm it's got to be Citizen Kane.
If I was Prime Minister, the first change I would make would be…	[thinks for a long period in silence] Probably something to do with bankers that I won't go into detail over.	[again, thinks for a long period in silence, the two John's take politics very seriously!] That's difficult. Restore funding for medium and long-term blue sky science research in Universities. [John's thought about this before!]
Favourite tipple?	Depends what’s got £8 off in the supermarket. At the moment, I'm happy to say it's The Glenlivet 15 year old.	Pint of Strongbow. Definitely.
Do you Tweet?	No, I twonk.	No. Enough said.
Beach or city break? Where?	Not a big fan of beaches nowadays so probably a city. We're looking at going somewhere near the fjords in Norway.	Beach. Anywhere in the South of Thailand would do me fine.
Why did the chicken cross the road?	To get to the Birds-Eye shop... on no wait, that was the one about the blind chicken.	[Laughs] Who wrote these? I can't think of a better answer than 'to get to the other side'!
Favourite three letter acronym?	Oh... I thought we'd gone past three and were at four or five now? No? Well for three I guess JDI (Just Do It) is not bad.	Favourite Three Letter Acronym? Oh its got to be TLA (Three Letter Acronym). [Yes... very clever John...]
What is the best thing since sliced bread?	Everything is better than sliced bread which is only fit for wall insulation. Everything.	Hovis Granary from TESCO is brilliant!
Christmas every day of the year or never again?	I think every day is Christmas.	Never again. Moving on...
Your house is on fire! Which one possession will you grab on the way out?	Well I suppose it's your money or your wife. Definitely my wife.	My wife! [Has a change of heart] No don't put that, she might take offence! My hard-disk backup.
Your side of the Pennines is better than the other JB’s because…	I'd better be careful here. I think we get more sun. Yes, more sun.	Oh that's where Leeds United play. Definitely.

Look out for more meet the team face offs soon!

Sales Manager Ties The Knot!

Joe and Marilys Jardine celebrating their wedding

The 26th September was an extremely happy occasion for everyone working at Atlas Business and especially for one particular member of staff. Long-serving Sales Manager Joe Jardine finally tied the knot with fiance Marilys Yaselli at a lavish wedding ceremony split between St Mary's Church, Crewe and Cranage Hall, Holmes Chapel.

It was a particularly special day for everyone at Atlas as it was at the company that the happy couple first met. We were very pleased to welcome Marilys on board around eight years ago and little were we to know that a few short years later we would celebrating her marriage to one of our longest-serving employees. Despite leaving Atlas for pastures new in 2007, Marilys has remained a member of the extended Atlas family, making it a delightful double-celebration for us.

The day started with a remarkably calm Joe awaiting the arrival of Marilys at the church in Crewe. Joe was joined by Atlas directors John Butler, Daphne Butler and Craig Cameron as well as Atlas team members Sam Turner and Phil Potter. Together we all watched a beautiful ceremony which featured live choral singing.

After the wedding ceremony the newly-wed Mr and Mrs Jardine made their way to Cranage Hall, set in the rolling Cheshire countryside where the Wedding Party hosted the traditional wedding breakfast and speeches. Keeping it in the family, Joe's best man was brother and local businessman Ryan Jardine who, despite being more nervous than the groom, performed an active Best Man speech in front of the head table.

The evening was rounded off with many more of the Atlas team joining Joe and Marilys for a disco and live band performance late into the night.

Everyone at Atlas Business would like to send their warmest wishes for the future to Joe and Marilys and thank them for letting us be a part of their very special day.

Reminder for Access Payroll Administrators

Statutory Returns and Multi-Part Submissions

When 'Multiple Databases' is selected, the 'SSP Recovered' functionality is switched off deliberately and has to be deducted manually from the HMRC payment.

This is done intentionally due to the fact that the amount (if any) recoverable is calculated on the amount of NI payable across the (multiple) databases carrying the same PAYE reference, and is based on a percentage of the Gross NI payable across the combined group total.

SSP is not neccessarily recoverable but where it is, it may be adjusted by means of a manual amendment to the HMRC payment. This is not a major issue but Payroll Administrators should be made aware of it so they can action accordingly.

Jack Welch - It's Everybody's Business

Jack Welch has posted a new video over at Microsoft's 'It's Everybody's Business' website (well, we suspect Jack may have not done it himself, Microsoft may just have given him a helping hand).

In this episode Jack imparts some more of his sound business advice on to the team at Domino's pizza who are looking to increase their market share of lunch time sales. You can view the trailer for the new episode below and watch the full 20-minute episode the other side of the link.



Watch the full episode here...