Carlton’s "Quick Hits"
MAS 90/200
July 2004

MAS 90/200 is the best selling mid-market accounting package in the world with approximately 92,000 customers. The product has 32 modules, and includes a decent amount of features. MAS 90 was one of the top five mid-market products in the nineties, and today I still consider it to be a top product, but its position as a top ten product has been steadily slipping. The “quick hit” comments below explain why. 

1. MAS 90’s Technology Woes – By today’s object-oriented standards, MAS 90/200’s underlying technology appears to be a nightmare. The product was originally written as a DOS product in BBX2 & BBX4, and then recompiled into a 32-bit Windows application using ProvideX. Since then the product has been improved enhanced, revamped, and even re-invented to a certain degree – all of which has served to product a tangled mess of code so intertwined, that even simple changes to the system are akin to a major undertaking. Consider:

·        In 2002, Best Software introduced MAS 90/200 4.0 with great fanfare at their conference, and then again in 2003. Yet this product did not ship for nearly two and half years after it was supposed to start shipping; and then only two modules (General Ledger and Accounts Payable) shipped. Supposedly 3 more modules will become available in 2005. There is no word yet on when the remaining 27 modules will be upgraded.

·        This causes me to remember the nineties when it took 8 full years to convert MAS 90 DOS to MAS 90 Windows. There must be something very complex about any code that requires a company to take to take that long to enhance it. Many other products such as Navision, ACCPAC, NetSuite, and SouthWare seem to introduce significant enhancements in just a few months time.

2. Minimal Integration - Another tale tell sign that MAS 90/200’s technology is a weakness rather than strength is found in the product’s lack of sophisticated integration. For many years the company has owned Best Fixed Assets, Sales Logix CRM, and Abra Human Resources – yet the integration between these products and MAS 90 is minimal. Other solutions such as ACCPAC include dozens of touch points throughout the system allowing accounting system users to seamlessly access these add-on applications with just one click, and add-on users can access the accounting system seamlessly as well. However MAS 90/200. falls well short with period batch transfers of totals – which does very little to create an all-inclusive solution.

3. Lackluster Company Strategy – This lack of commitment to technology can be seen in the company’s public statements. In 2002, then President - David Butler was asked when a LINUX version of MAS 90 could be expected. His reply was “when our customers start asking for it in numbers, we will be there”. But if you wait until there is significant customer demand before you even start development, and development will surely take years, how does this strategy accommodate customers? Shouldn’t a software development company anticipate demand, embrace newer and better technologies, and put customers first? This example seems to reflect Best’s attitudes regarding the product in general. By comparison, Doug Burgum of Microsoft tells the public that Microsoft is investing billions of dollars to enhance their accounting software products. Staying ahead of the competition and being innovative is a major theme for Microsoft. Microsoft seems to be backing up these words with actions as the new 2004 versions of their products have been dramatically improved. Best does not even use the right words, much less mimic this approach.

Is MAS 90/200 being Left Behind? – The hand writing on the wall suggests that MAS 90/200’s peak has past. Today there are better products with better underlying technology that provide better customization and a more promising future. For example, Best’s own ACCPAC Advantage appears to be a superior product with better integration, better technology, and a better future outlook. Likewise ACCPAC ProSeries also appears to have much to offer including source code rights. However, MAS 90/200 has been the company’s primary solution and the people behind that product wield a great deal of power in that organization. A company with that many products will certainly struggle internally with priorities. For example, common questions may be which Best products will receive the lion’s share of the marketing funds, sales leads, and development dollars? Only time will tell.

Positively Speaking - On the positive side, Best Software is the largest accounting software company in the world. They are loaded with talent (such as Taylor Macdonald, Susan Sheridan, and many more). The company has made a practice of acquiring the top solutions in the market place, such as BusinessVision, ACCPAC Advantage, Best Fixed Assets, Abra Payroll, Timberline, and Peachtree Complete 2004 – all outstanding products. The Best Partner channel is outstanding and well supported by Best Software. To be sure the developers at Best have done great things within the boundaries of MAS 90/200’s underlying technology. For example the Palm Pilot integration is well done, as is the built-in customization tool set. MAS 90/200’s Custom Office that enables e-mail communications with customers, vendors and employees is outstanding. The diverse offering of add-on applications is to be commended. There are many bright spots for MAS 90/200, historically speaking.

Conclusion - No one is suggesting that MAS 90 is an obsolete product that should be put to pasture, the product is certainly a cash cow with 92,000 customers; and this customer base will pay enormous dividends for years to come. It all comes down to vision. The key question is as follows: Do the folks at Best Software really think that they can get into a horse race over the next 10 to 15 years with Microsoft, ICode’s Everest, SAP’s Business One, NetSuite, and countless other products? Surely MAS 90’s crippling technology will leave that horse lagging well behind these other thoroughbreds. Surely, prospective customers will be able to see the MAS 90/200 as a long shot “at best”. Best Software has always been good at describing how they intend to support partners in the coming year – and they do a wonderful job. In my opinion, what Best Software sorely needs is to convey a long-term vision 5, 10, and 15 years down that makes sense. Skeptics like myself have started wondering whether a consolidation strategy alone is enough. Perhaps it is if you only intend to keep investors happy. But customers can be funny and they need to be kept happy too. Top products with promising futures will make them happy.

- END -

 

J. Carlton Collins, CPA is a nationally recognized author, lecturer, and analyst in the accounting systems industry.  He has installed more than 200 accounting systems, and delivered 1,800 lectures around the world on the subject of accounting systems and technology. Mr. Collins has published extensive accounting system reviews which can be seen at www.accountingsoftwareadvisor.com.

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J. Carlton Collins, CPA

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