Cougar Mountain Software — CMS Professional 2009 Accounting

IMPORT/EXPORT/INTEGRATION:
CMS Professional 2009 Accounting offers excellent integration capabilities. All modules are completely integrated so add-on modules can be purchased as needed. Cougar Mountain also offers one of the most extensive lists of add-on modules that I have seen, particularly for a product designed for smaller businesses. The Data Exchange module, included in CMS Professional, makes it easy to import and export data using a wide variety of formats such as Excel, Lotus, Access, dBaseIII, FoxPro and ASCII. Data can also be imported from other accounting software, and the data transfer process makes exporting data painless.

HELP & SUPPORT OPTIONS:
Cougar Mountain Software offers several different support options, including the Software Assurance plan, which is available in both Standard and Premier levels. The Software Assurance plan provides customers with everything from access to the customer service center and product knowledge base to all maintenance and service packs, product upgrades and basic e-learning. You’ll also get a discount on support and classroom and telephone training. The premier version also provides 20 hours of online or telephone support. Numerous phone support plans are available, as well, ranging from two hours to 20 hours of support per contract year.

CMS Professional offers an excellent Help option, in addition to classroom and online training through the vendor’s popular e-learning offerings, which provide access to over 100 online tutorials.

RELATIVE VALUE:
CMS Professional from Cougar Mountain Software is an excellent product. A single-user system currently costs $1,599. The Payroll module is extra as an add-on module and costs $425 for a single user. This is an excellent product for smaller and growing businesses that need flexibility, integration and affordability.

2009 OVERALL RATING: