inHARMONY
FEBRUARY 2013
In this edition:
New WinPOS Feature
Wholesale Ordering
Web Watch
Bonza Brats New
Website
Process Spotlight
Disaster Recovery
Are you taking
every precaution
to safeguard your
business?
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Managing Director's Note
More than a facelift
As a parent with adolescent children, I’m constantly reminded of the
marketing juggernauts that drive the fashion, sports and entertainment
industries.
On a recent trip to America I was dragged into an Abercrombie & Fitch
retail store. Abercrombie & Fitch is synonymous with casualwear and
differentiates its brand through a unique in-store experience which taps
into all five senses and aims to transport the consumer into an
atmosphere that is authentic to each sub-brand: with dim lighting and
spotlights reminiscent of a nightclub, model-like sales assistants, loud
energetic music and the brand’s signature scent pervading the air,
Abercrombie & Fitch creates a lively, charged store atmosphere.
The experience left me pondering the shift from rational to experiential
retailing that is tapping into a retail consumer’s hedonic motivations.
The good news is that I survived the cacophony of sound and my
eyesight returned to normal a few hours later. The bad news is that my
wallet was considerably lighter in US currency.
“Our focus is
to help you
maintain your
competitive
position.”
I’m pleased to announce that we will be introducing a number of new
hardware and software services that will be invaluable to all our
customers. The focus will be on mitigating business risk and saving
time. One important area covered in this newsletter is the lifecycle of a
Harmony server. We urge all our customers to be vigilant and purchase
a new Harmony server if your existing server is long in the tooth. Our
account managers have been contacting those customers most at risk.
We recognise that business complexity is growing and competition is
intense so our focus is to help you maintain your competitive position.
We are only a phone call away. Enjoy the Summer 2013 edition of the
inHARMONY newsletter.
Mark Silver
Managing Director
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Focus on Hardware
Recently we have seen a sharp
increase in the number of stores that
have turned to a wireless network
environment. Whilst we still strongly
advise that Point of Sale terminals be
connected to the network by cable,
the turn towards wireless has been
largely due to a new range of
interactions by customers with
devices like iPads and other tablets or
PDAs. Regional sales managers want
to be able to walk into a store and
become part of the organisation’s
Wide Area Network.
The Billion
BiPac 7404
has the
ability to
handle FBS’s preferred method for
connecting stores back to their Head
Office, the IPSec VPN tunnel. It has an
ADLS2+ modem, 4-Port Gigabit Switch
and an 802.11n Wireless Access Point.
The device is very well priced and has
thus become extremely popular over
the last few months. One thing that
must be noted is that for best wireless
range, the device should be placed in
an open location.
Please contact your Account Manager
if you would like further information.
(Specs courtesy of
www.warcom.com.au)
FBS has been on the hunt for an
economically priced wireless router,
suited to of the Point of Sale
environment. The Billion BiPac 7404
satisfies the requirements, including
strong network stability between
head office and store, the option to
add a wireless network within the
store, and the added benefit of having
an internal modem.
End of Product Life Cycle – How old is your Harmony Server?
Products reach the end of their Product Life Cycle for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons may be due to
market demands; technology innovation and development driving changes in the product, or the products simply
become obsolete over time and are replaced by functionally richer
technology. FBS recognises that IT infrastructure plays a critical role in the
operation of your business and failure of such vital equipment may
dramatically impact your end-to-end operation. With that in mind, FBS will
be performing a review of all our customers to identify Harmony servers
that are approaching their “end of life”, and assist in the process of
updating the relevant hardware.
Typically a Harmony Application Server will have a life cycle of 3-5 years
depending on the length of the manufacturer warranty. Once the
warranty period expires, the manufacturer often ceases to support the
product or provide replacement parts. Where FBS identifies that a Server
has reached end of life you will receive a letter notifying you of our Server
Replacement policy and the potential business impact of running Harmony
on out of Warranty Servers.
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Focus on Customer Demand
What would
you do if
disaster
struck?
D
Disasters happen more often than we can predict.
Hence, every business must have a disaster recovery
plan. Whether it’s a natural disaster that destroys
property and assets, or an IT related disaster that strikes
a business and brings it to a halt – one must have a plan,
– a course of action that will bring the business back on
track and running as quickly as possible.
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An essential component of any
disaster recovery plan is the DATA
BACKUP.
Traditionally, Harmony backups are
performed daily on tape cartridges
and are taken off site. Typically, there
would be 5 tapes, one for each day of
the week, that get rotated, and
weekly tapes as well as monthly tapes
for the end of months. There might
even be a tape set aside for end of
year backups. In addition to Harmony
data, there can be many other data
resources that need to be backed up.
For example, emails, important
documents, spread sheets, images,
and other files that could be vital for a
business. These would typically be
backed up along with Harmony data
on the same tape cartridge. While
tape backups are highly reliable and
have been around for years, they are
not the easiest medium to use when
you just want to restore a file or two.
For the last 18 months, FBS have
been exploring alternative solutions to
tape backups that are not only as
efficient as tape backups, but also
provide much more flexibility for the
user in terms of restoring efforts. The
use of hard disks in a Network
Attached Storage (NAS) box provides
just that. These units consist of
multiple hard discs that can be
mirrored using RAID technology in
order to provide greater fault
tolerance. The storage capacity can
be scalable depending on the volume
of data that needs to be backed up.
Using specialised backup software,
one can also backup specific user files
from various workstations within the
organisation without the need for any
regular user intervention. The
software can be configured to perform
incremental backups, whereby only
the new data gets added to the
backup each day, as opposed to
copying everything every day. This
makes the backup process much more
efficient in terms of the time it takes
each night.
In order to facilitate offsite backups,
we can use external portable USB
drives that can be plugged in to the
NAS device, and then taken offsite
each day. Alternatively, a second
NAS box stored in a remote location,
connected via the internet, with
remote synchronisation, can be used
to mirror the onsite NAS box. This
method would require a reasonably
fast and stable internet connection at
both ends and an appropriately
matched internet data plan. Once
set up, the user does not need to
remember to change any tapes or
check if the backup worked because
the system can be configured to email
the user a detailed backup report.
For more information contact your
account manager.
BACKUP PROCESS FLOW
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Harmony
Shortcuts
Consider yourself a
Harmony power user? Or are
you just a beginner looking
for quicker ways to navigate
through the Harmony
Desktop menu? Regardless of
your Harmony experience
these handy shortcut keys
may just make your life a
little easier.
SHORTCUT
Ctrl Y
Ctrl B
Ctrl W
Ctrl K
Ctrl J
Ctrl M
Ctrl T
Ctrl F# (F1, F2 etc)
Ctrl V
Ctlr Esc
Ctrl Page Down
Alt # (1,2,3,4)
Ctrl +
Ctrl Ctrl Delete
Ctrl Insert
Tab
Enter
Ctrl Tab
ACTION
Abort without saving
Save and accept
Will take you to the menu bar
Will take you to the line above without saving
Will take you to the line below without saving
Will save and take you to the next line
Will bring up the More-info
Will allow you to toggle between the sessions that are open
Will take you to the menu bar
Will take you to the Windows start menu
Will bring up the More-info
Will change the screen size
Will make the screen bigger
Will make the screen smaller
Will copy selected text
Will paste copied text
Will delete text from a field
Will save text in a field
Will allow you to toggle between the sessions that are open
High staff turnover? Day to day operations not running as smoothly as you like?
Sometimes you need to just bite the bullet and call in the experts…
You can now save BIG on Harmony training with our bulk buy promotion. Simply choose
from any of the training packages below and get up to 20% off the normal prices. That’s a
session entirely for FREE when you buy 5! You will have one year from the date of purchase
to use the sessions, giving you plenty of time to allow for new staff, revamping old processes
or even conducting that long overdue financial review.
3 Sessions
are
normally
15% off bulk buy
promotion, you
pay only
Saving
5 Sessions
are
normally
20% off bulk buy
promotion, you
pay only
Saving
Half day at FBS
$2,085
$1,772
$313
$3,475
$2,780
$695
Half day on site
$2,985
$2,537
$448
$4,975
$3,980
$995
Full day at FBS
$3,585
$3,047
$538
$5,975
$4,780
$1,195
Full day on site
$4,485
$3,812
$673
$7,475
$5,980
$1,495
All prices shown are exclusive of tax. Training is subject to availability and needs to be scheduled in advance with the Training and Implementation Department.
Prices displayed above are valid for Melbourne metro only. Interstate training will incur additional charges for flights and expenses.
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Focus on Customer Demand
Wholesale
Ordering
now
available in
WinPOS!
WinPOS has been a key element of Harmony since its
inception in 2002. It is currently deployed at
approximately 2000 terminals across Australia and New
Zealand. WinPOS allows users to enter transactions,
customer orders and laybys, update customer details,
and have all of this information feed seamlessly back into
the back end Harmony system. This makes for a real time
experience where orders can be fulfilled and reports run
minutes after the transaction is entered, no matter where
the user is.
towards our Wholesale customers, in particular, those
who take orders from customers in a show room or a
remote location. WinPOS allows for the easy entry of a
Sales Order by merely selecting the debtor, scanning in
the items, and clicking Order. The order will then be
automatically sent through to Harmony. Order forms can
be configured to automatically print once the order is
received into Harmony or a receipt can be printed.
Other new features of the Wholesale Ordering System
are:
FBS have just released a new WinPOS feature geared

the ability to check previous sale prices
for a particular customer, ensuring your
customers is charged the correct price

Users (with a certain permission level)
are able to view cost prices of a selected item
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

Sales prices can be modified with discounts
Stock availability levels can be searched
Customer details can be modified.
uploaded to Harmony.
WinPOS is currently being modified to run on the
Windows 8 Operating System and is compatible with all
Another important feature is the ability of WinPOS to run previous versions of Windows. This means that it can be
offline, meaning that a sales agent can be mobile, without run on a Tablet PC or a Notebook for maximum portability.
the need to be permanently online. As soon as the
Please contact your account manager if you would like to
program is brought back online, the transactions will be
discuss this further.

Over the next few weeks we will be making changes to the way we send all Invoices and Debtor
Statements to our customers. In an effort to be more efficient and environmentally friendly we will
now be emailing these documents. To ensure minimal disruption and that someone is always there to
receive them, 2 people in your office will be copied on the email.
We are in the process of compiling a list of the correct recipients for both invoices and statements for
each company. If there are ever any changes to the email recipient, please contact us.
Please make sure that you add eadvice@fbsaust.com.au to your safe sender list.
Go Green Team!
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New Harmony Application
Java Bank Reconciliation
Take the pain out of reconciling
your bank accounts!
Breeze through your daily bank reconciliations with the new
Java Bank Reconciliation program. You can easily import your
Bank Statements and automatically match the records against
the records in Harmony based on corresponding references,
dates and amounts. This dramatically simplifies the
reconciliation process and reduces errors that commonly
occur in the daily procedure.
Bank Statements can be easily sorted by Date, Amount or
Reference at each level and there are two available screen
layouts to cater for standard and widescreen displays.
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New Harmony Application
The Bank Reconciliation Life Cycle incorporates five
primary stages:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Data import
Matching
Exception management,
Reconciliation
Reporting
Consider the benefits of having all of your financial data and
reconciliation-related activities across all stages of the lifecycle in
one integrated solution. Harmony Java Bank Reconciliation is the
answer.
Merging transactions is simple on both the bank statement and Harmony side. You are also
easily able to hide matched transactions to simplify the process.
Talk to your account manager for more details on how you can start using the Java Bank
Reconciliation program.
Transaction display screens
Our information is presented in one single
screen with easy links to your cash
information:
• Side-by-side comparison of statement
and reconciliation information
• Sortable columns
Key benefits

Reduce processing time

Reduce operating costs

Resolve anomalies quickly

Increase accuracy of reconciled
transactions

Eliminate re-keying

Easy to use, secure system

Fully auditable
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WEB WATCH
Bonza Brats - New Website Launch
experience for its customers. The
store experience is further enhanced
Since its inception in 1986, Bonza
by the Bonza Brats staff. With their
Brats’ aim was to provide customers
genuine love of children, their staff are
with an outstanding choice of toys,
trained to advise you on size, trends
gifts, and designer fashion and
and suitability with many having years
accessories from all over the world. 26
of experience and knowledge to help
years later, they are a leading
you make the right decision.
children’s wear retailer in Sydney,
Australia.
Company Overview
Owned and operated by Stan and
Glynis Kuros, Bonza Brats prides itself
on going to great lengths to keep its
range of products fresh, new and
exciting, and enhancing the store
Website Requirements
look more up to date and increase
usability and functionality at the same
time.
Another major requirement was to
integrate the Club Bonza loyalty
program into their website, giving
customers access to discounts online,
entry into exclusive competitions, and
invitations to VIP shopping nights.
Future Business Systems first
developed a website for Bonza Brats
back in 2007. Recently they decided to All customers who sign up are entitled
to an automatic 5% discount on all full
spruce up their website to make it
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WEB WATCH
Bonza Brats - New Website Launch
priced merchandise. The discount
increases as their cumulative spend
does. There is no minimum spend
required to join the program and no
time limit on your cumulative spend,
meaning customers can start reaping
rewards from day one and the
rewards will keep growing as they
keep shopping.
Stand out Features
One of the website’s standout
features is the “Key Looks” section
which allows customers to take the
guess work out of finding complete
outfits. With a click of the mouse you
can purchase everything from head to
toe, including accessories to make up
the perfect outfit.
Visit the new Bonza Brats website to
see for yourself!
www.bonzabrats.com.au
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Focus on Support
Mid last year, we included an article in our Winter Edition Newsletter about the importance of regular archiving of
saved Harmony documents. FBS’ Help Desk, however, is still receiving a large number of support calls with regards to
Harmony systems slowing down. As a result of these calls, it is clear that archiving is still not being done by a lot of FBS
customers.
Every time a Harmony form or report is generated, you have the option of
saving it. Many customers save everything and never go back to clean up
their files. The number of saved files continues to grow, eventually
resulting in an overall slowing down of the Harmony system. This is
because every time a Harmony file is saved, the system has to go through
the entire OUTPUT directory to find the next available space to store the
file. The more files in the directory, the longer this process takes. We have
seen directories with as many as 100,000+ documents, when the
maximum recommended size is approximately 10,000 files.
To solve this problem, FBS recommends that you review your OUTPUT
directory and archive files that you don`t need to access regularly. You can
still access your archived files, however they are no longer stored in the
OUTPUT directory and therefore do not affect system performance.
Instructions for archiving files can be found in the Harmony System
Administrator Manual which can be downloaded from the manuals area
on the FBS website. Alternatively, a member of the FBS Help Desk will be
able to guide you through the process.
a broad array of departments including:
• Ladies casual knits
• Ladies Active wear
• Ladies Sleepwear
• Children’s Sleepwear
FROM THE
VAULT
Swiss Models have been using Harmony’s
suite of Accounting, Warehousing, EDI and
Importing modules since December 1993,
and we are delighted that 19 years on, they
continue to be a loyal and happy customer.
Based in West Footscray, Victoria, Swiss
Models Sportswear is the longest standing
company of the Baker Group. Founded in
1958, it has evolved from a local supplier of Future Business Systems would formally like
men’s coats to one of the largest suppliers of to acknowledge and thank all staff at Swiss
Ladies wear apparel in Australia.
Models for their business and continued
support over the past 19 years.
At present, Swiss specializes in the supply of
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Did you know? - WinPOS
At FBS we understand that each of our customers have unique business
requirements. Did you know that the WinPOS End of Day Procedure is one area
that can be configured to suit individual customer’s requirements?
that can be used on the WinPOS End of Day
Procedures Screen:
Complete the screen as per the example below:
To customise your configuration, use the Harmony
Message Maintenance program, which can be located
on the Main Menu under:
7) G/A Administration,
4) Advanced Administration,
2) Message Maintenance
Please note the following rules:
1.
The first line of the message will be used as the
End of Day Procedure title.
2.
The entire message will be used as the full
description of that procedure on the right hand side
of the WinPOS screen.
The following is a list of reserved Message Namekeys
WPEOD1
End of Day Procedures 1) Cash drawer
WPEOD2
End of Day Procedures 2) Petty Cash
WPEOD3
End of Day Procedures 3) Balancing the Cash
WPEOD4
End of Day Procedures 4) Deposit Slip
WPEOD5
End of Day Procedures 5) Days Trading Report
WPEOD6
End of Day Procedures 6) EFTPOS Settlement
3.
If you do not enter your own message for a
particular procedure line, WinPOS will use it’s own
default procedure. For example, if you wish to leave
procedure line 2 blank, create the Message Namekey
WPEOD2 and leave the message blank.
4.
Each of the EOD procedure lines are fixed to the
respective WinPOS function.
If additional functions are required please discuss
with your Account Manager.
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