DataServ, the leading On-Demand service provider of document management, workflow and outsourcing solutions, would like to announce that Dave Preis has recently been promoted to the position Software Infrastructure Manager.

Preis began with DataServ as a Document Solutions Consultant in the Information Services Department. During that time, he has designed and implemented sophisticated document management and workflow solutions for several key DataServ clients. Recently promoted to Software Infrastructure Manager, Preis is responsible for continuing to enhance DataServ's software architecture to provide the best service and solutions for its clients. "I'm excited about the challenge of delivering high quality solutions to our clients faster than ever," commented Preis. "We're focused on custom, on-demand solutions and superior client service, so the technology driving our capabilities is critical."

From: Global Services
By: Rusty Weston

Everything was under control until the day your cheese was gone - now what are you going to do about it? You could read a trite management guide or study change management best practices.

I Moved Your Cheese

DataServ, the leading On-Demand service provider of document management, workflow and outsourcing solutions, has added finance veteran Jim Fox as a new partner. Fox is responsible for business and product development including the development and marketing of DataServ's new Finance Managed Services (FMS).

Prior to joining DataServ, Jim was SVP, Shared Services and Global Transformation Leader for Reuters Limited. In his role at Reuters, Fox was responsible for developing and managing the Americas Finance Shared Service function, as well as implementing Reuters' world-class finance strategy. His experience at Reuters included establishing an offshore service capability in Bangalore, India in 2004, outsourcing various activities and designing "best-in-class" finance management capabilities. Previously, Fox was a Corporate Controller of a technology company and a Senior Manager with Deloitte.

"Jim's wealth of first-hand experience in knowing what is effective and what simply does not work when it comes to finance and outsourcing will be of great value to the company in support of the expansion of the services we offer," says Jeff Haller, CEO of DataServ.

"DataServ FMS is a natural progression of how we already support finance and administrative functions," says Haller. DataServ FMS allows companies of any size the opportunity to benefit from business process outsourcing, including streamlining processes and improving productivity while maintaining control over vital financial processes. No longer does a company have to settle for an "all or nothing" approach associated with a typical BPO arrangement. DataServ FMS allows clients to tailor a solution to fit the specific needs of the company. Clients choose their own combination of services to create the solution that will reduce the cost of their low-value process activities, so they can then focus resources on more critical areas of their business.

"Offering a different approach to finance and administration outsourcing means that financial executives can focus on core and value-added activities while leveraging DataServ FMS capabilities for non-core effectiveness and efficiency gains" says Fox. "Often, the long return on investment (ROI) on technology solutions and the 'all or nothing' risk associated with traditional business process outsourcing solutions fall short of clients' control objectives or risk tolerance. DataServ enables our clients to reduce the cost of finance functions while maintaining control of their financial processes."

From: Outsourcing Venture
By: Ben Gomes-Casseres

"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none," was President Thomas Jefferson's goal in his first inaugural address in 1801. This seems to be the ideal for many companies today that outsource their operations, manufacturing, or services to third parties. But can they avoid entangling alliances? Should they?

Vendor or Partner?

Read below for some interesting details about the world of Accounts Payable:



- The best run A/P departments are 6 times more efficient than the average.
- Approximately 96% of A/P invoice processing involves keying data from paper.
- EDI and other document automation account for just 4% of A/P invoices.
- The average time it takes to process an invoice is 12 days.
- The incidence of anomalies (issues, SL) in A/P invoices range from 44% to 55%.
- Some 25% of all invoices are paid late.

DataServ, the leading hosted service provider of document management, workflow and outsourcing solutions, today announced that Melanie O'Connell, Associate Document Solutions Consultant, has achieved her Certified Document Imaging Architect (CDIA+) certification.

The CDIA+ certification is the industry standard for validating document imaging and management skills. David Berndt, DataServ's Chief Information Officer, commented, "Given that our solutions are customized based on the needs of our clients, this certification is critical. It signifies our level of commitment to building technically sound solutions that will deliver ongoing value."

About the CDIA Certification

The CDIA+ certification is an internationally recognized credential, acknowledging competency and professionalism in the document management industry. Those holding CDIA+ certification possess critical knowledge of technologies used to plan, design and specify a document imaging/management system. Looking forward to a paperless business environment, those with this level of certification will be on the leading edge.

So you believe business process outsourcing only makes sense for the big companies? Think again. DataServ, the leading On-Demand service provider of document management, workflow and outsourcing solutions, has expanded its services to include Finance Managed Services (FMS)-which allows companies of any size the opportunity to benefit from business process outsourcing, including streamlining processes and improving productivity while maintaining control over vital financial processes.

No longer does a company have to settle for an "all or nothing" approach associated with a typical BPO arrangement. DataServ FMS allows clients to tailor a solution to fit the specific needs of the company. Clients choose their own combination of services to create the solution that will reduce the cost of their low-value process activities, so they can then focus resources on more critical areas of their business.

"We know through our experience that the market needs a 'middle ground' when it comes to outsourcing," explains Jeff Haller, CEO of St. Louis-based DataServ. "The traditional BPO model does not work for most companies, especially those in the mid-market. Our clients have asked us to leverage our solution expertise in business processes with a low-cost service capability. Dedicating staff and resources to Finance Managed Services means that DataServ can provide best-in-class service, experienced personnel and innovative technology that dramatically impacts the bottom line and overall productivity."

"DataServ FMS is a natural progression of how we already support finance and administrative functions," Haller adds. "It's an effective integration of people, process and technology."

Adapted to assist both complex and mid-market companies, DataServ FMS delivers a range of integrated and hosted solutions for finance and administrative departments. In the areas of Purchase to Pay (AP), Contract to Cash (AR), Record to Report (Accounting) and Hire to Retire (HR), DataServ FMS enables clients to benefit from existing relationships, technologies and capabilities in document management, workflow and process automation, and transaction processing services.

Clients can continue to own their business processes and dedicate internal teams to the essential areas of their business. In short, DataServ FMS offers selective outsourcing to yield the highest returns-underscoring the service component of software-as-a-service.

To lead the FMS business, DataServ has added finance veteran Jim Fox as a new partner. Fox brings a wealth of firsthand experience in knowing what works and what does not when it comes to selective outsourcing.

"Offering a different approach to finance and administration outsourcing means that financial executives can focus on core and value-added activities while leveraging DataServ FMS capabilities for non-core effectiveness and efficiency gains," says Fox. "Often, the long return on investment (ROI) on technology solutions and the 'all or nothing' risk associated with traditional business process outsourcing solutions fall short of clients' control objectives or risk tolerance. DataServ enables our clients to reduce the cost of finance functions while maintaining control of their financial processes."

Prior to joining DataServ, Fox was senior vice president of finance for Reuters, where he oversaw Reuters' shared services function in the Americas. He also led the global transformation of Reuters' shared services and the establishment of an off-shore presence in Bangalore, India in 2004. Under Fox's leadership, DataServ is expanding its global reach with service centers that transcend time zones, technology barriers and day-to-day challenges faced by finance departments.

DataServ FMS technologies integrate with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, such as Oracle, JDE and SAP. Every technology solution is tailored to particular needs and is hosted and supported by DataServ. The company also provides project transition management and comprehensive service management programs.

Under the harsh glare of today's intense scrutiny of corporate financial controls, AP departments must make sure their own internal controls are rock-solid-especially for employee expense reimbursements. Executives have been sent to jail over expense account abuses. Plus, the IRS recently issued new training materials to agents on how to ferret out reimbursements that run afoul of the tax law. What's more, corporate T&E operations must pass tough Sarbanes-Oxley audits.

How have AP departments responded? IOMA recently surveyed readers of its Managing Accounts Payable newsletter and found that companies are doing more in-depth checking of expense reports, requiring high-level approvals, and penalizing employees for abuses or for not filing reports on time. To control costs, companies are using year-to-date spending amounts to negotiate discounts with travel suppliers. As a result, almost all (91%) of the companies we surveyed say they are now in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act's requirements for strong internal controls.

More Auditing Now Done

Five years ago, companies told us they do in-depth checking on 20% of all expense reports. Today, companies that audit based on the number of expense reports say they audit 68% of all reports. Some companies audit based on a percentage of expenses. For them, they typically audit 44% of expenses.

What percentage of your expense reports or total expenses should you audit? Answer: It depends. A key variable here is corporate culture-what percentage will your company feel comfortable with? If your expense reports typically contain high amounts, the potential exposure is high. In this case, you may want to choose a high percentage. On the other hand, if you have a large volume of small-dollar reports, you may feel that it's appropriate to choose a low percentage. If you're picking up a lot of errors currently, you may want to keep the percentage on the high side.


Other Key Policies

To increase internal control and reduce costs, companies are also using the following policies and procedures:

o 87% of companies require either a supervisor or department head to approve an expense report;
o almost all (92%) of companies do not limit how many reports an employee can submit, but some (21%) penalize employees for submitting them late;
o about 60% of companies have a policy for terminating an employee for inappropriate use of a corporate credit card;
o almost three-quarters (74%) of companies have ready access to year-to-date spending information; and
o negotiating discounts with travel-related suppliers is most prevalent for hotels (cited by 48% of companies), car rentals (44%), and airlines (32%).

(Source: Managing Accounts Payable April 2006)