Sage announces Sage 200 2010 for launch April 2010.

January 2010

Sage has announced the scheduled release of Sage 200 2010 for the close of April 2010. This is great news for customers, bringing a wealth of new functionality as well as improvements to usability. More news on this release will follow shortly so watch this space.......

Krypton Factor Returns sponsored by Sage

December 2009

We have just received notice that again Sage will be sponsoring the up coming 2010 series of the Krypton factor on ITV1.

Claire Horton, Controller of Entertainment at ITV Studios said: “We're delighted to be working with SAGE for a second series of The Krypton Factor on ITV 1. We have already been inundated with hopeful applicants who, amongst other rounds, will have to tackle the brand new specially designed assault course. This is going to be our biggest and best The Krypton Factor yet.”

We look forward to the new series, launching on the 5th of January!

VAT Changes January 2010

December 2009

As you may be aware there are imminent changes to VAT in January 2010. Below are guides to changing this on your Sage systems as well as a link to the Irish revenue where you can find out more about how this will affect your business.

This document is provided for customers and other users of Sage solutions as a guide to changing your VAT rates. To download this guide please click here.

OMS customers can download the guide here. (Note: you must update your Sage settings prior to your OMS!)

For more information on how the VAT changes affect your business please see the HMRC website here.

If you are having any issues please feel free to contact our support team on: 0161 975 1666.

EC Sales List Legislation from January 2010
(Sage 200/MMS/Line 100 users)

December 2009

If you are not already aware, there are imminent EC Legislation changes due in January 2010. If you are not a Sage 200, Sage Line 100 or MMS user this does not affect you.

Rule Changes

• Monthly submissions for goods for companies with significant EU trade
• The need to include taxable services to reflect the adoption of new rules governing "Place of Supply"
• Changes to the XML file formats used for electronic submission

Sage have issued a patch which will support the new legislation by making it possible to:

• Submit the UK EC Sales List as XML output. This format complies with the Bulk Upload for EC Sales List submission format in accordance with HMRC (UK) guidelines. 
• Submit the Irish VIES declaration as XML output. This format complies with the Irish Revenue's Revenue On-Line Service (ROS) format.
  
  NB: The EC Sales List updates provided by Sage do not support a mixed submission i.e. monthly submission for goods and quarterly for services or vice versa. You must submit the EC Sales List/VIES declaration monthly for goods and services or quarterly (depending on the extent of your EC trade) for goods and service.
• Include/exclude taxable 'Non Related Services' in the EC Sales List/VIES Declaration.

Which Versions support the new EC sales list legislation?

If you are affected by the new legislation you must use the following versions in order to support the new EC sales list legislation:

• Sage 200 2010 (when released)
• Sage 200 2009 SP1 and SP2 (SP3 will contain the update)
• Sage 200 5.1 SP2 
• MMS v3.5 SP8
• MMS v2.3 SP1
• Line 100 v5.4, v6.22, v7.2 and v7.6

As a customer you should have received a communication with a download of this patch. If this is not the case and you would like access to this file, or if you would like to discuss this further with our support team please call them on: 0161 975 1688 (UK) or 021 429 9123 (IR)

Important Information for all Current Sage 200 users:

Withdrawal of Support for SQL 2000.

November 2009

From the launch of Sage 200 2010, Sage will be stopping support for Microsoft SQL 2000. They will also be stopping the sale of SQL 2005 for new purchases of the Sage 200 product. Current users who utilise the SQL 2005 platform will still be supported. If you would like more information on how this could affect you then please contact your account manager.

Innov8 are now on Twitter!

November 2009

Here at Innov8 we have finally joined the 21st century with the setting up of our feed on Twitter. If you would like to see what is happening here at Innov8 HQ then please subscribe to our feed at: @Innov8_tech. Here we will be posting the latest up to date information and news as it happens. Alternatively you may want to contact us....

Innov8 Announced Microsoft Gold Partner.

October 2009

Innov8 are proud to announce that after many years of being Microsoft accredited we are now a gold certified partner. This certification ensures that we are better placed than ever to serve our customers within the Microsoft product family. If you would like more information on this then give us a call or speak to your account manager.

Citrix announces XenDesktop 4 for October 2009.

October 2009

Citrix Systems have announced the release of XenDesktop 4, a Windows desktop virtualisation solution which revolutionises desktop computing. This will be available for order from October 28th 2009.

XenDesktop 4 includes all the essential on-demand desktop and application virtualisation technologies needed to provide the best user experience for every desktop user in an organisation. XenDesktop 4 now includes the complete application virtualisation capabilities of XenApp, making it the only desktop virtualisation solution that can deliver individual applications and complete Windows desktops.

If you would like more information on what the new Citrix Applications can do for your business please contact your local branch or call us on: 0161 975 1600. Alternatively if you are a current customer please contact your account manager.

Tax Changes for 2010.

September 2009

From the first of January 2010 the HMRC will be introducing new VAT rules. The new changes will enable tax authorities to check that VAT is being accounted for correctly by those businesses who receive intra-EU supplies of services (or recapitulative statements).

Businesses which are affected by the changes will need a Sage tax service pack, however it is also anticipated that some older releases of Sage products may require an upgrade. Sage have yet to confirm which versions these will be.

Those businesses affected will be:

• Businesses who supply services to overseas businesses
• Businesses receiving services from overseas businesses
• Businesses who supply goods to other EC countries
• Businesses who want to reclaim VAT incurred in another EC country

If you believe that any of the above matches your business please contact Innov8's support team who will be able to advise you of any service packs or upgrades which may be required.

Innov8 Acquires Office Mobile Solutions (OMS)

July 2009

After many months of negotiations Innov8 are proud to announce the acquisition of Office Mobile Solutions Ltd (OMS). OMS are a key player in the areas of mobile sales and stock control, supplying cost effective handset solutions to a number of mobile sales based businesses across the world.  Enjoying  particular success in the ‘small to medium sized enterprise’ sector of the marketplace OMS’s products cater for mobile Sales, Bar Coding and Warehousing.

OMS’s Solutions are designed to be easy to install and to need very little support, so they are a truly an ‘off the shelf’ product. Their solutions have been sold to over 400 customers with many key names using them to save both time and money.

This acquisition brings with it benefits for our existing customers as well as OMS’s existing customer base:

As an existing OMS customer, you should feel safe in the knowledge that you are now being looked after by one of the most reliable names in the IT industry. You will benefit from enhanced support as well as access to some of the most knowledgeable individuals in the IT marketplace.

For those of you who are existing Innov8 customers, the acquisition has also brought with it a number of key staff, products and expertise which will enhance current offerings while increasing the knowledge available to our customers in the areas of Mobile computing and Sales.

From a product perspective the OMS solutions are based around integration with the Sage 50 suite. As a key business partner and developer of Sage solutions in the UK and Ireland we will obviously be looking to maximise the potential that this represents for ourselves and our customers.

If you would like to know more about this acquisition and how this will impact upon your business please contact your account manager or call us on 0161 975 1600. More information on OMS and its products can be found on their web site at: www.officemobilesolutions.co.uk.

Existing OMS customers should have received a letter regarding this, if you any concerns about this then please feel free to contact Jayne directly.

Sage Launches Service Pack one for Sage 200.

June 2009

Sage have recently announced the launch of service Service Pack 1 for their Sage 200 suite. This update contains a new implementation of the scripting engine, which enables form customisation via VBScript. There's no need to worry about your existing developments though. It's a ‘like-for-like’ replacement, and should behave and run your customisations in exactly the same way.

If you are a current Sage 200 user and would like to know more about this patch and how we can help your business stay up to date then please contact us on: 0161 975 1600.

Innov8's joint open day with Sage, Sicon and Draycir.

May 2009

Innov8, in partnership with Sage, Sicon and Draycir hosted a joint open day at our head offices in Stockport on Wednesday the 13th May 2009. The session was aimed at discussing the current economic pressures and demonstrations of solutions which can give businesses greater control during these hard times. Nina our presales analyst was on hand as a friendly face to meet and talk through individual company issues. She demonstrated the Sage 200 2009 as well as Sage's Business Intelligence product. The aim was to show how these tools can help your business run more effectively and keep you more informed.

Nina Demonstrates the Sage 200 2009 and BI Products.

Many customers as well as new faces were present to view Innov8's solutions.

As well as Sage the event was also attended by representatives from Draycir and Sicon. Tom Bevan from Draycir showed impressive Credit Hound and Credit Guardian products. These help your business to more effectively track debtors and more easily chase and recover this outstanding revenue. Sarah Vickers from Sicon demonstrated their exciting electronic document management solutions as well as their PRS (Purchase Requisition system) allowing you to keep tabs on your company spend. A huge thank you to those of you who attended the day. We hope that you got the advise you needed and saw the products which will hopefully aid your business in the future. We look forward to speaking to you soon.

If you would like to see any of the products which were demonstrated at this event then brochures are available on our downloads and support page.

Innov8 Gains 'Sage Customer Development Centre' Status.

January 2009

Innov8 is proud to be named one of a very few Sage Customer Development Centres in the UK. Sage has chosen a select number of Business Partners to receive this status based on their abilities in assisting and advising the best time to move through the Sage software range. Many customers while initially reliant upon the Sage 50 solutions to provide their financials, commercials and CRM operations outgrow these solutions and need advice on their next steps.

The decision on the right time to move up through the Sage product range requires knowledge from a highly experienced Business Partner. Sage Customer Development Centres offer your business the ultimate reassurance through a proven track record of working with the Sage range of products.

Innov8 continues to gain momentum with the Sage arena as a key player in both the UK and Ireland. this is just one more string to the growing bow and demonstrates our knowledge and commitment to great customer service.

For more information on what this status means for you, please the guide (pdf) here, contact your account manager or alternatively contact us directly on: 0161 975 1600.

Sage Announcements.

November 2008

Sage Announces Sage CRM v6.20

Sage has announced the latest version of their CRM solution.The New 6.20 version comes with a host of new features and improvements designed to make it more practical and productive. CRM 6.20 is more customisable than ever before with a selection of ready made themes. Relationship Manager enhancements The relationship manager has been made more powerful and flexible. you can now set up many-to-many relationships between primary entities, and facilitate parent child and sibling relationships. Usability has also been enhanced with an even easier to use interface. New Email Editor toolbar

Writing and sending professional emails for many customers is even more straight forward with the improved email editor and multilingual spell checking tools.

These are just a couple of the changes that have been made, if you would like to see the new products then please contact your account manager or drop us an email to: info@innov8.co.uk.

Sage HR 2009

Sage 50 HR 2009 helps you manage all your people processes by recording and tracking performance, skills and working patterns with tools that help ensure you comply with employment legislation. Manage your people • Record all the employee information you need to comply with legislation • Manage performance and appraisals • Manage skills and qualifications • Record details and evidence of disciplinary action Manage your business • Identify skill levels and shortages • Monitor costs and attendance rates for training courses • Keep track of working patterns • Manage holidays and absence

Sage 50 HR 2009 helps you record, store and maintain the key information you need to manage your people and comply with legislation. Together with the online and telephone-based support offered by Sage HR and Health and Safety services, it offers you complete peace of mind for all your people processes.

If you would like more information on the Sage HR product or any of the new 2009 products from Sage then please contact your account manager. If you are not a customer and would like more information them please fill in the form available on our 'Contact us' page or email: info@innov8.co.uk. A downloadable brochure is available here.

Things you need to know support withdrawal on Microsoft products.

Looking forward to 2009, the highly anticipated Sage 2009 is due to be launched in February 2009 with a host of new features. However these new features come at a cost:

Withdrawal of support for Microsoft Windows 2000

As Microsoft released Windows 2008 in April 2008, Sage will be withdrawing support for Windows 2000 (Desktop and Server Versions) in line with their policy to support only the latest and prior version of Microsoft’s Operating systems, As a result of this, Sage 200 2009 will be supporting Microsoft Windows Server 2005 and 2008. If you are planning to upgrade to Sage 200 2009 please contact your account manager to see how this will affect your business.

Support for Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

In August 2008 Microsoft launched SQL Server 2008. Sage plan to introduce this new platform as supported with the new release. Sage 200 2009 will only support Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Workgroups and Standard Versions only as a Database Platform (and not Microsoft SQL Express, Server enterprise or Developer editions). This introduction of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 as a supported platform affects any existing Sage 200 or MMS customers looking to upgrade in the future.

Sage will not be introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 as a supported platform for Sage 200 v5.1, or any earlier version of Sage 200, MMS or Line 100. Again, is in line with their standard practice, Sage will
continue to issue patches and service packs for the latest version of Sage 200 only.

Sage 200 v5.10 Service Pack 2.

Sage is planning on releasing their Service Pack 2 for Sage 200 5.10 at the end of October 2008, this will fix many common issues. This should be available at the time you are reading this and as such, if you would like more information, please contact your account manager.

Innov8 at the IFEX in Belfast.

May 2008

Innov8 were present at the International Food Exhibition at the Kings Hall in Belfast from the 28th April - 1st May 2008. This event showcased the latest products and services available to the food producing community. Attracting many of the major players in the food industry there were also examples of everything from promotional goods and uniforms, through packing and processing machinery, catering equipment to small farms trying to prove the quality of their wares.

Apart from the opportunity to eat lots of new and interesting foods the fair was the perfect place to demonstrate our Innov8 InnVan solution to both participants in the event as well as the thousands of visitors over the the three day period. The product received a good reception with a surprising number of visitors still relying upon paper based solutions and surprised at the enormous benefits our automated van sales solution could bring to their businesses. (More information on our InnVan solution can be found here).

We also gave away three MP4 players as a bonus to our visitors, so congratulations go to our three winners!

Mark presents Karl Foy from Pacific foods with his MP4 player.

Richard Irwin from Woodwin Caterers receives his prize from Innov8's Mark Phillips.

A colleague accepts the MP4 player on behalf of Brendan McManamon of Crossgar Foodservice.

InnVan SE is launched

February 2008

InnVan SE is the new entry level Van sales solution from Innov8. Still with amazing functionality without the financial outlay, the InnVan SE product allows your business an affordable route into automating your van sales with our class leading solution.

InnVan is the flexible van sales software range which grows with your business. Linking directly into your sales and accounting systems InnVan solutions allow you the ultimate in control over your stock and sales force.

InnVan utilises the latest technology to provide reduced paperwork, increased accuracy and improved management information in easy to learn and simple to use applications - thus quickly delivering a real return on your investment.

InnVan will manage the whole business process from stock purchase and delivery to depot, customer orders, van loads, mobile transaction processing (delivery notes, invoices, credits, returns, exchanges, samples, receipts), van stock management, van and depot cash management.

If you would like more information on the InnVan SE or Enterprise products please go to our dedicated pages under InnRange - InnVan SE and Enterprise on the left menu. Alternatively brochures comparing the two offerings can be downloaded from the 'Downloads and Support' pages or alternatively below:

InnVan SE – Mobile Sales Solution – Download PDF here
InnVan Enterprise – Mobile Sales Solution – Download PDF here

Customer News

December 2007

Innov8 have beaten off stiff competition to provide the accountancy solution for Chill Factor e – The North West’s first indoor ski complex. .

'Chill Factor e' are using Sage to manage their finances. Innov8 are proud to have supplied, installed and configured the latest Sage 200 solution to cover all their financial needs.

Innov8 and Activ8 merge

December 2007

In order to better serve our customers and bring our teams together the decision was made to merge Innov8 and Activ8 businesses. The combination of the different teams means that Innov8 can now supply the whole range of Sage software solutions. The combined knowledge of Innov8 and Activ8 under the one brand, more than ever means you have a one stop shop for all your IT needs.

No changes for current customers.

For current Activ8 and Innov8 customers, everything should stay the same. Your support, upgrades and even the telephone number are the same as before. However the combined knowledge of a whole range of solutions should benefit everyone, with Innov8 better suited than ever before to fulfil your businesses needs.