Data security and privacy is an important topic at Red Wing Software. We understand whenever data is shared with us, or any other trusted advisor, you expect and deserve complete confidence that your information is protected from inappropriate use.

On a number of occasions, and as a regular part of our customer service, customers give us access to their private/personal information by providing us access to their computers using a support tool. Sometimes, when our support staff is helping troubleshoot an issue, they will take control of your computer, and step through processes that help you find mistakes in data or help interpret information on reports. This can only be done by you initiating the process on your end so we can access your computer, and only works for that individual session.

We also provide data migration services for people moving from a legacy Red Wing product to our newer technology. This usually involves the customer sending their financial data files to us over a secure internet connection, so we can move their information from the old product to the new one. Then, we use the secure connection to send the new data back to the customer.

We have policies in place for how customer data is handled and how it can be received from the customer and returned or removed from our computers. We have a team created that meets regularly to ensure that these policies are always followed and we are using the latest technology for securely handling our own, and our customers’ personal/private information. Please rest assured that your information is safe with us.

- Ken Hilton, President

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, January was extremely busy in the office. Well, February seemed to be just as busy outside of the office. We had staff at several trade shows, and other staff taking our product training on the road. Among the venues that we attended included one of the largest trade shows under one roof. It was nearly a mile from one end to the other and included thousands of exhibitors. Check our web site for locations where we will be displaying or teaching our products, we would love to see you at one of the locations.

We had a chance to talk to many current and potential customers, and communicate the latest in what’s available in financial management software. One of the most interesting things I heard at the conference that I attended last week was the number of attendees that are still using outdated, obsolete, or antique hardware and software technology. (Yes, in some cases, systems that are over 20 years old.) That observation reinforced my belief in the importance of our role in keeping our customers informed about the latest technologies, and the importance of helping them keep their systems up-to-date.

One of our staff members made the comment; “Because of old technology, many people are just one computer burp away from losing all of their financial data history.” If you are in need of a technology checkup, please give us a call and let us help with your go-forward plans.

- Ken Hilton, President

It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of cold weather, so I’m sure it will surprise many people to know that I love January. No, not because I like to spend as little time as possible outside, and not because I like to drive around in a car that always needs to be washed. It’s because I get to witness the best software team on the planet shine.

I don’t like to brag about our team (that’s a lie, I do it all the time), but if you ever get a chance to visit our office, you too can see a group of people that truly enjoy working hard at answering customers’ questions. When I wander into our support area, the entire team is quietly focused on dealing with the issue at hand, call after call. It’s kind of like watching ducks on a still pond. As they gracefully and effortlessly move across the water, you just know they are paddling like crazy under the surface. To use another duck analogy, our entire team is always flying in formation. A call might originate at the front desk and may not need to go any farther. If others need to be involved, one team member may take the initial lead on a problem, and then pass it on to another for additional research or analysis, and then it may move through the Quality Assurance department, and on to our programming staff as they help take some load off the front-line support team, and so on. Rarely do I hear any of our team members quack. That’s probably because we also have the best customers on the planet.

A few years ago, we set a goal to answer at least 80% of our support calls as they come in, as opposed to having to call a customer back. We review that metric weekly, and for the past few years, it is rare that we attain lower than 89%. This January our call volume was up more than 10% over last year. We were still able to maintain our high standards, and rarely did any customer have to wait a long time on hold.

As you walk into our Red Wing office, you’ll see our vision painted on the wall under the Red Wing Software logo. It reads, “Creating the Best Management Software Experience”. Our entire organization makes every attempt to live up to that vision.

- Ken Hilton, President

As you are likely aware, this is an extremely busy time of year at Red Wing Software. In addition to the normal support calls we receive as our clients finish their year-end transactions and get ready for the New Year with payroll tax table and forms updates, our representatives in Washington, DC threw a couple new items onto our list.

Anticipated legislation was passed that restored the Section 179 expenses to their previous level for the remainder of 2014 (with a few caveats), and then revert back again on the first of 2015. This, of course, caused a last minute change to our CenterPoint Depreciation program that needed to be released before the end of 2014.

Also, 2015 brings in some new requirements for the Affordable Care Act for most of our clients. There is new data that needs to be tracked for 2015, and then reported at the beginning of 2016. Even though this information is not really payroll data, but rather Human Resource information, we decided to add functionality to our CenterPoint Payroll program to capture this information and provide it for the new 1095C and 1094C forms, as well as the employee W-2 form. This functionally will be released in the second quarter of 2015, and will cover the entire year so you can complete the new forms in 2016.

In addition, there are several customers using two of our legacy products (Perception and AgCHEK), and are now migrating to our newer CenterPoint Accounting program as we will stop support of those products on March 31, 2015. As our customers begin using these new-to-them products, we anticipate receiving a few more calls than usual at this time of year.

And finally, we just released a brand new product, Red Wing Tax Forms. This program allows employers and service bureaus that do not already use our accounting and/or payroll products to manually enter year-to-date payroll and other information for easily completing and eFiling many forms including W-2, 941, 943, and several 1099s. You can check our web site or contact a sales consultant for more information on this new offering.

All of us at Red Wing Software hope you had a pleasant holiday season and enjoy a safe and profitable New Year.

- Ken Hilton, President

I hope everyone had a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving. I believe there is a reason that Thanksgiving comes after Election Day in the United States. It gives everyone something to be thankful for. If you’re not thankful for the way the election turned out, you can at least be thankful it’s over.

While our elected officials around the country negotiate for solutions to the many issues we face, we should be planning for our own future within our companies. Your budgeting process for 2015 should be well underway if not finished, and final planning for the rest of 2014 has a top priority. There is still some uncertainty about tax extenders for 2014, so it might be a good idea to consult your accounting professional or financial consultant to get their recommendations.

At Red Wing Software, we are working on the expected changes to payroll taxes that take effect at the beginning of the year, knowing full well that they could all change and we will have to make additional last-minute changes to make sure you have the latest and most accurate calculations. Please watch your e-mail for notices from us on any updates that are available for the software products you use so you start the new year with the most current information.

Please have a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and enjoy a prosperous new year.

- Ken Hilton, President