What has emerged is a robust suite of applications used by over 1,100 customers. AccuFund says that its products abide by FASB and GASB guidelines, meaning you can rely on the results for audit purposes as well as simply providing accurate financial information.
I tried the software over a remote connection and liked what I saw. The user interface is clean and consistent, and all the functions were easy to identify and access.
Basic operation
AccuFund describes its program as 'client/server' since the program itself is installed on a network server and workstations attached to the server via the network can access the program and its data. That means that remote users need to use a program like Citrix to access the server. In today's increasingly distributed world, I would like to see more software companies deliver their applications as web based programs. Web based programs don't require special servers like Citrix, that cost extra dollars. I understand that for many, or maybe all software companies, a change from the client/server model to a web model will be a significant project. However I also think that the benefits to their users will be at least as significant in terms of the amount of use they can get from the program. My observation is not aimed only at AccuFund, and indeed, some of the advanced capabilities that AccuFund provides would require advanced programming to make them available as web applications. Still, the company or companies that offer these technologies will give their customers distinct advantages.
My comments don't mean that AccuFund is lacking in technology. It's database is managed by Sybase and incorporates transaction rollback, which protects the data from technological hiccups. It also provides realtime data updates like most modern accounting applications. In AccuFund's case this also means there are no "hard closes" to accounting periods. Users with the proper login credentials can have as many prior periods open as they need.
In Use
AccuFund is designed to allow for a huge variety of fund types within each organization. The account numbering structure is among the best I've seen. Account numbers can have as many as 255 characters, separated into up to 99 segments, and the application can be set to select on any combination of characters in the account number for combining and roll-up of categories. In addition, it's possible to establish categories that cut across account number segments in pretty much any way necessary for the purpose of creating specialized reports.
I also liked AccuFund's document management function. Though it has little to do with the actual accounting function as far as numbers are concerned, it's possible to link document files to accounts and transactions. That means you can scan receipts, invoices, or memos and store them on your server, and the links to those files show up in the accounting pages, and can be displayed by clicking on the links.
I mentioned that AccuFund's roots were in data integration with other accounting programs. These roots show up in the system's extensive abilities to produce and incorporate external files, particularly Microsoft Excel and Word. If you've ever struggled with multiple budget revisions by revising spreadsheets between several decision makers, you understand the difficulty in consolidating the results into the accounting system. AccuFund handles this task (almost) effortlessly. It's necessary to set up a template to describe the relationship of the spreadsheet to the system's data columns, but once that's been done, the process is nearly automatic.
Recap
There is much more to AccuFund's packages, which include a full range of applications that are fully integrated. I found it to have good capabilities for all the things that I've found to be headaches in most of the other packages I've seen. The user interface is clean and easy to understand. There is extensive security that allows users to have access to only the information they need to be involved with. And the system provides extensive reporting capabilities for both internal and external recipients.
Pricing is not advertised. AccuFund works with each customer to develop the appropriate set of functions and price structure.
Advantages
Flexible account numbering structure
Extensive reporting functions
Large set of integrated functions
Consistent user interface
Disadvantages
Remote access requires Citrix (or other service)
