November 2002

VAST Accounting for the PC World

Reviewed by Jennifer A. Moore

The complexity of today’s business environment forces companies to facilitate existing processes while maintaining cost efficiency. Small to midsize businesses are searching for accounting software designed to meet their unique needs. For PC users with an up-to-date version of Microsoft software and a programming background, this reviewer suggests Virginian Accounting Software Technologies (VAST) Accounting version 2.0.

Getting the most out of VAST 2.0 requires Microsoft Access in Office 2000; otherwise, users must install the runtime version that is included with the product. VAST runs out of Access and exports reports to Excel or Word, and can set tasks and appointments directly to Outlook. The built-in security features allow a company to maintain separation of powers through passwords. The program’s open design allows its core Virtual Basic programming capable to be tailored toward a business’ specific needs.

VAST version 2.0 offers two software packages: Accounting and Accounting Professional. The latter package includes contact manager, payroll, and job-costing modules. The contact manager module maintains information on customers and vendors, both current and prospective. It creates appointments and tasks for all users that can be saved in VAST, ACT!, and Outlook. The payroll module allows a company to maintain information about its employees, and includes a direct deposit function that works in conjunction with the activation of an electronic transaction network account. This function is only for companies interested in maintaining their payroll information and processing in-house. The job-costing module maintains information about jobs, including estimates, change of orders, and actual transactions. It can be used to track billings, material costs, labor, and other costs per job. This module also interacts with and is updated by the accounts receivable, accounts payable, order entry, and payroll modules.

VAST is tailored for small and midsize companies. Businesses can either import their existing data or manually enter their opening information into the program. Importing data may cause problems if the original software did not require specific fields such as inventory groups and categories.

When launching the program for the first time, VAST requires creating an initial user name and a password. The main menu, a modified version of an Access database main switchboard design, is very easy to follow. The user can click on a specific module, such as general ledger or accounts payable. I found the system to be user friendly, especially for users that have experience with Access. VAST also provides both a manual and training sessions.

VAST Accounting is $1,295 for up to five users; the Professional edition is $3,495 for up to 10 users. Considering the number of functions and the software’s complete integration with the Microsoft Office suite, it appears to be worth the cost. I was particularly impressed with its customizability. Given the source code and sufficient experience in Virtual Basic, a small to midsize business can customize the product to meet its specific needs.
For more information, visit www.vastaccounting.com.