As community action agencies across the state move toward standardizing software internally, we see different patterns across categories of software that agencies have chosen to meet their typical needs.
Microsoft Word — 23
Corel WordPerfect — 4
Microsoft Word is clearly the standard for word processing. Of the four agencies that use Corel WordPerfect, only two have established it as the agency standard. In one of the other two, WordPerfect is used only by the Executive Director, who is gradually making the shift to Word. In the last agency, their technology development plan is encouraging staff members who prefer WordPerfect to make a gradual transition, being careful not to force staff to leap before they are ready.
Many agencies’ initial substantial investment in computer technology and training focused on meeting agency fiscal needs. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a wide variety of programs used by small numbers of agencies across the state.
The top choices for fiscal software include:
MIP — 7
CAPTAIN — 3
ADP — 5
ACPAC — 2
ECHO — 5
One Write — 2
ROSS HR/PR
Solomon III
STM
ABRA
American Fundware
Isis
Orion
Municipal Accounting
Peachtree
Grants Management System
The importance of Microsoft’s impact on software is evidenced by the popularity of Access—which is used by twice as many agencies as its closest competitor in database applications.
Access — 12
Community Networks — 6
CAPTAIN — 5
Dbase IV — 2
In the arena of spreadsheet applications, once again, Microsoft is the clear leader across the state. Its program Excel is used by 18 out of 25 agencies.
Excel — 18
Lotus 1-2-3 — 8
DOS Central Database — 1
<< Return to Part I: Information Technology Systems at Massachusetts CAAs