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BNA Software – Fixed Assets Desktop Pro

800-424-2938www.bnasoftware.com

From the Dec. 2008 Review of Fixed
Asset Systems

BNA offers asset depreciation management systems to meet the needs of large
entities as well as smaller and mid-sized organizations. Versions for the large
organizations provide the ability to manage greater numbers of assets with more
location/subsidiary support. The company also offers BNA Asset Inventory for
tracking and regulatory compliance functions, including barcoding and en-hanced
reporting options. BNA Fixed Assets Desktop Pro, which is generally employed
by the small to mid-sized business, provides a wealth of powerful management
functions and re-porting features, with a built-in audit trail, a validation
engine that enforces compliance, construction-in-progress management, and an
Open Timeline feature that gives full access to prior periods. BNA Desktop starts
at $1,595, and BNA DesktopPro starts at $2,495. While this review highlights
the capabilities of the desktop version, BNA also offers server, network and
web-based options.

NAVIGATION/EASE-OF-USE – 5 Stars
BNA Fixed Assets provides great assistive features when initially setting up
clients and assets, including wizards and the ability to create asset templates
or copy asset information. Wizards and other guides also aid in setting asset
types, depreciation methods, life spans, bonus depreciation and disposition
functions. The program opens within a well-designed interface that is centered
on an intuitive, spreadsheet-view Master Asset selection list, from which users
can sort, search or filter the list, and dive deeper into specific asset detail
screens. The interface also offers pull-down menus and large icons for acces-sing
features such as adding assets, reporting functions, disposals, splits, exporting
data, queries and customizing fields.

The detailed asset screens offer tabs for moving between summary information,
balance, depreciation expense and docu-ment categories, and provide a quick
view of all books for the asset. These screens also let users add custom data
fields and attach photos or supporting documentation. Calculations are processed
across all books as data is entered or changed, with the system displaying property
type, life span and other information. BNA Fixed Assets also provides an automatic
validation feature that helps ensure accuracy of data. The system includes 20
user-customizable fields.

MANAGEMENT FEATURES – 5 Stars
BNA Fixed Assets Desktop Pro can manage any number of companies and subsidiary
units with up to 10,000 assets each, and offers support for all traditional
methods, including ACRS, MACRS, straight-line, listed auto, amortization, sum-of-the-year’s
digits, units of production and declining balance. Up to 200 short tax years
are supported. During setup tasks, the system aids the user in selecting appropriate
property type and classification.

Books include Federal, GAAP, AMT, ACE and E&P, and users can create up
to 94 additional custom books. An additional first-year depreciation update
enables bonus depreciation as allowed under the new tax laws. BNA Fixed Assets
offers gain and loss calculations for 1231, 1245 and 1250 property types, and
manages ordinary and capital gains calculations for asset sales. It also includes
the ability to handle the investment tax credit, Indian land, farms and government
entities. The construction-in-progress feature added last year provides enhanced
depreciation and valuation management for assets with activity prior to their
depreciable, in-service life.

Mass changes to assets can be made using a global change function or across
asset groups, and asset splits, unsplits, combinations, like-kind exchanges,
and partial and mass dispositions can be managed quite easily. In addition to
a full-time audit trail and the data validation feature, users can set security
preferences at the file or database level. Assets can also be transferred between
companies, and the program supports company consolidations with any number of
entities. BNA Fixed Assets supports barcode scanning for asset tracking.

INTEGRATION – 4.5 Stars
Although BNA Fixed Assets Desktop Pro is a stand-alone system, it offers good
import and export options, including the ability to acquire asset data from
Thomson Reuters’ CS and GoSystem lines, Sage’s FAS system, and other
third-party programs as well as from spreadsheets. It can share GL data with
most major accounting packages, includ-ing QuickBooks, Timberline, Accpac, Microsoft
Dynamics GP and PeopleSoft. No direct integration with tax packages is offered.
Data and many reports can also be saved to PDF, HTML and plain text formats.

REPORTING – 5 Stars
BNA Fixed Assets provides a full library of standard reports, as well as the
ability to create or customize user-defined output. Options include a net book
value report, asset comments, balance reconciliation, acquisition, disposition,
exchanges and journal entries, as well as comprehensive depreciation, depreciation
expenses, revisions, gain/loss, comparisons, FASB 109 projections, and IRS forms
3468, 4255, 4562, 4626, 4797, 8824, and the schedule M-1/ M-3 report. Additional
capabilities are available through a built-in Report Maker feature that allows
additional customization as well as an optional report writer module that uses
Crystal Reports.

HELP/SUPPORT – 5 Stars
The BNA system is very easy to learn and use, with multiple wizards and other
aids that speed setup and infrequent tasks. The system comes with a Quick Start
Guide and has good built-in Help, while the company’s support website
also offers a large collection of documentation and access to CPE-eligible training
options. Technical support is included at no additional cost.

2008 OVERALL RATING: