We specialize in the business of Architects, Engineers and Design professionals

SUPPORT

Keystone supports your accounting function. The support you get from a software company is for the software. And, although software companies are writing software that addresses the way you do business, they are more focused on all A/E firms rather than just you. That is not their fault, they have to draw the line somewhere. Keystone works with your firm and knows the way you do business. We work with your accounting people to create processes that make sense, save time and get the job done.

These are the accounting packages that we are most familiar with:

Deltek Vision:

Most Mid-size to Larger AEC firms in North America use Deltek Vision for their Financial Project Management and Accounting. It tends to be a little too pricey for smaller firms although many do use it. Deltek entered the AEC market by acquiring the makers of popular products such as Advantage, Sema4, Wind2 and now Ajera. After controlling the majority of the market, Deltek released Vision, which has been the standard in the AEC market for the over ten years. Deltek Vision is continuously evolving, and most new installations are now completely cloud-based, rather than requiring expensive server hardware.

Clearview Infocus:

Clearview is the up and coming Financial Project Management Accounting Software. It has been around for about six or seven years now. Started by a handful of former Deltek employees and industry veterans who had heard the constant grumbling from Sema4, Advantage and Wind2 users who were being forced to switch; the same grumbling that fueled the success of Ajera. While Clearview got off the ground later than Ajera, they had the benefit of starting from scratch and building a modern product. While Clearview InFocus had been playing catch-up with Axium Ajera for years, they are suddenly the only real alternative for small to mid-size firms who want to leave Deltek.

Deltek Sema4:

Believe it or not, we still find companies that use Sema4 (or Semaphore) to handle their Financial Project Management Accounting. Sema4 was arguably the industry standard prior to being bought out by Deltek in 2000. It is a little dated but if you can navigate around the technology changes it still gets the job done. Firms that are struggling due to the economy may not have a choice but it is best to start looking into one of the above software packages. The features in the new software is worth the trouble.

QuickBooks:

Some small AEC firms run on QuickBooks. It is made to be used in almost any small business and it does have some features that can be useful to AEC firms. However, you really have to know what you are doing to set it up. The trade-off for limited functionality is the low entry price.

Timeslips:

A stand-alone Time and Billing Package that can be linked to QuickBooks. Most popular with Lawyers but can be used for AEC time and billing and even progress billing with a little setup.