SAFE SQL Feature: Enhanced PDF Capabilities
Ed. Note: This is the second in a series of articles on the major new features in SAFE SQL. The following describes the updated PDFExtensions option.

One of the most useful new features in SAFE SQL is the increased capabilities of our PDFExtensions option. PDFExtensions always allowed users to print a report directly to a PDF without requiring Adobe Acrobat, but Version 6 takes this two important steps further with the addition of Security and Forms.

Security
Security means that you can print a document, such as a check, to a Secured PDF which cannot be opened or printed without the proper identification. A Secured PDF also means that the PDF may not be modified, copied or edited by anyone (even if they own Acrobat or other PDF editing software). This means that you can now print PDFs and transmit them with a certainty that they can only be read or printed by the intended party with proper password. Secured PDF Forms are encrypted to 128 bits which is currently thought to be unbreakable.

You can use this ability to generate sensitive reports or quotes designed only to be read by one person. You could also use this to enable branch offices to print A/P Checks which you have generated like this. Supply them with the blank (but numbered) checks. As needed, 'print' the necessary checks to a Secured PDF and transmit the Secured PDF to the authorized party who can then commit the checks to paper only once.

PDF Forms
Forms, means that you can now use PDF Forms to replace traditional SAFE forms. For example, you may have a Reorder Notice format we designed for you. If your needs change, you would need to contact us for any design change. However, if you used a PDF Form for the same purpose and needed a design change, you could do it yourself immediately! (For example, you could use PDF Forms built-in logic to let you print different style Reorder Notices for individual customers!)

And let's say you want to create mass marketing letters to print, fax or e-mail? Yes you can still use our interface with Microsoft Word, but you can now also create a PDF Form which pulls data from SAFE's Contact Management system. Since any type of printed document can be rendered as a PDF Form, this means that you can now generate the highest possible quality e-documents to send to your prospects and clients to make the best possible impression. Plus, with PDF Extensions, you don't need a copy of  MS-Word on every salesperson's desk to do a marketing letter; in fact, all you need is the PDF Form on your server and he/she is ready to go.

PDF Forms
PDFExtensions is $695 for use with SAFE. Like all Simple Accounting products, this is a site license which provides unlimited use on a single server. Existing licensees of PDFExtensions may, of course, upgrade from versions 5.0 and 5.1 at no charge.
 

Suntower Systems To Offer Dell Configured Systems
Effective immediately, Suntower Systems will be offering pre-configured computer systems direct from Dell Computer, Inc. Dell is now the number one computer manufacturer in the world, thanks to it's consistent track record of excellent products, great service and low prices.

New systems will come configured optimally for your needs and pre-loaded with your precise configuration of SAFE, Ollie, WebSAFE or ThinSAFE.

The key benefits are:

• Dell provides the best price/performance ratio around
• Dell provides superb customer service and tech support, both up front and after the sale
• We provide precisely the system specs you need to best run Simple Accounting
• We pre-configure Simple Accounting and do all company setup

Many of you put off upgrading your systems due to high cost, or fears that setup will be time-consuming. Plus, we hear horror stories all the time about difficulties in finding reliable computer system providers.

Our partnership with Dell provides a completely end-to-end customer solution for all your Simple Accounting hardware and software needs. Your Technical Service Rep will be happy to provide you more information or create a quotation.
 

Tips On Pronouncing Tough Irish Names
We get quite a lot of confusion over how to pronounce some of our names. We know it's tough and that you try to get it right, so every year, I publish the following pronunciation guide for those not yet up to speed on their Gaelic!

What About Last Names?
Just keep in mind that there are lots of Irish people in America and their names have been 'anglicized' to a number of English versions. For example:

Ni'Donnellaigh and O'Donnellaigh are equivalent, meaning 'Part of the Donnelly clan.' 'Ni' is for girls, 'O' for boys.

O'Docheartaigh is rendered as 'Daugherty', 'Doughty', 'Dotey'.

Mearain is simply 'Mair-ihn' as in 'Mariner', not 'moron', 'mu-rahn', or the color 'maroon'. They're a bit touchy about this one. :)
 

Ciaran's Corner: Did You Get Bitten By The Sapphire Worm?
Super Bowl weekend saw the outbreak of one of the worst computer viruses yet seen. The virus is known commonly as Sapphire Worm. Sapphire Worm attacks Microsoft's SQL Server database through the Internet, using a known flaw in the program which was diagnosed by Microsoft several months ago. The worm, which is though to have been deployed from South Korea, attacked many important business databases, including thousands of bank ATM machines here in America. (Can you imagine how unhappy that made all those people who went out for cash for an extra case of beer on Super Bowl Sunday?) Other than the inconvenience, two important points need to be addressed:

1. Security experts believe the timing was not accidental: the culprits knew that the Super Bowl would provide the perfect distraction from their attack. This raises important national security questions. What is the difference between this attack and so-called 'terrorism'? There is none. Regardless of their motivations, these guys caused a great deal of inconvenience and cost a lot of people a lot of money. We have to stop thinking of these things as somehow soft crimes. They are just as real as a bank heist and need to be treated as such. Until you start complaining bitterly for tough laws against any and all such crimes (including Spam, but I won't go there now) we give tacit license to these people to keep trying.

2. The whole thing was completely avoidable. As I said above, Microsoft was aware of the flaw several months ago and a patch was available at their web site which prevented the problem for everyone who kept up to date on their software. The fact that so many companies, even supposedly security conscious institutions such as banks, did not do so, says something fundamental about our society's attitude towards security.

Once you get on the Internet, you simply must assume that every piece of software you own will be subject to attack at some point. Virus checkers and Spam Filters are fine, but they are not the total solution. It is up to each and every one of us to be vigilant by making certain that we are always up to date with all software we use which is exposed to the Internet. Such things include:

Servers
Routers
Modems
Operating Systems on each and every desktop
Databases
Networking software
Virus checkers
E-mail servers and clients
ALL Applications

It should be your job to make certain that all these are up to date, either by subscribing to each vendor's notification list (Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Dell, IBM all have them) or by periodically checking their web sites for news.

You should also take pains to not allow your employees to install other pieces of software on your systems. One of the most devastating things I have seen recently is that it is now possible to embed viruses into Shockwave Flash games. These are extremely popular games which many, many people send around in e-mails (heck, Macromedia sends them out all the time as advertising) and when you run the game from your e-mail you have just infected your computer. Which means you may have just infected your network.

As always, I will get comments about being The Voice Of Doom, but much of this is simple common sense. If you disagree, or find this business too confusing for words, please let me know. We want to do everything we can to keep your computer's SAFE (pun intended) and helping you achieve security is a essential part of that.

Cheers!

Ciarān Marron
Technical Support Manager
cm@suntowersystems.com

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End of E-News From The Suntower, Volume V #3