As we say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for making this past year a success and to wish you a prosperous and profitable new year.

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the U.S.-based Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) have made extensive changes to the exposure draft, released in August 2010. The boards said the changes would result in a more consistent approach to lease accounting and would improve the quality of financial information available to investors.

They released an Exposure Draft of the Proposed Accounting Standards Update on October 14th with an invitation for comments by Dec. 13th: “The Board invites individuals and organizations to send written comments on all matters in this Exposure Draft of a proposed Accounting Standards Update. Responses from those wishing to comment on the Exposure Draft must be received in writing by December 13, 2011. Interested parties should submit their comments by email to director@fasb.org, File Reference No. 2011-190. Those without email should send their comments to ―Technical Director, File Reference No. 2011-190, FASB, 401 Merritt 7, PO Box 5116, Norwalk, CT 06856-5116.‖ Do not send responses by fax.”

A schedule of the proposed Proposed Accounting Standards Update documents can be found on the FASB website.

Rest assured that we are closely monitoring this process and are working to make sure REportfolio will have the tools necessary to comply with the new regulations when they’re officially released next year.

“At Apple we come at everything asking, ‘How easy is this going to be for the user? How great is it going to be for the user?’”

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”

“An adult looks at a computer and says, ‘what does it do?’ A child looks at a computer and says, ‘What can I do with it?’”

We would be nowhere close to where we are today without Steve Jobs’ vision, passion and relentless focus on the experience of the end user. He will be missed, but everything we do will continue to be touched by his genius.

Thank you Steve Jobs for setting the bar so high.

– Dave Johnson, President/CEO

IFMA’s World Workplace Conference & Expo is the largest, most longstanding and well-respected annual conference and exposition for facility management and related professions. Each year offers a new experience, addressing challenges and strategies that are universal to every facility type, shape and size.

A fully customizable experience, attendees can choose sessions under specific topic tracks and learning levels; spend time on the expo floor talking to vendors and attending exhibitor-presented sessions; and take advantage of the many networking and learning activities scheduled throughout the week.

Stop by our booth, #1935, for some delicious chocolate and a personal tour of the latest versions of Workorderama, REportfolio and Projecto. Be sure to check out our new iPad app!

Facility Decisions is a FREE 2-day conference and trade show for all facility professionals. It’s vital that you invest a little time, away from your office/facility, to benefit from new ideas, innovative solutions and powerful networking. Attend Facility Decisions and you will return to the office with fresh ideas, contacts and products that will increase your productivity and save money. If you’re still doing business the way things were done 35 years ago, you need Facility Decisions.

Stop by our booth, #507, to say “Hello” and get a personal demo of the latest versions of Workorderama, REportfolio and Projecto along with a preview of our new Workorderama iPad app.

The event raised money for an organization called Best Buddies International, to help sponsor and enrich the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Best Buddies is a non-profit organization that assists people with these disabilities by pairing them up with volunteers in one-to-one friendships to help them find jobs in their community. Way to go, Dave!

In the Workorderama example below, we want to find all of the Electrical type work orders for Center 1 and Center 2. Simply click the Find button and enter the Type Electrical and Building Center 1. Next go to the Requests menu and select Add New Request.

This creates a second line where we enter Type Electrical and Building Center 2. Hit Return and it will generate a list of Electrical work orders for Center 1 and Center 2. It’s that simple. You can create as many additional lines as you want.

And once you have your Found Set just the way you want it, you can go to Reports and print all of the standard reports for that data.

Over 40 conference sessions will offer the latest practices, innovative solutions and practical guidance, with a focus on the following this year in Atlanta:

• How will technology influence education and facilities over the next 10 years?
• How will facilities professionals prepare their institutions for the next-generation of learning?
• How will technological innovation impact traditional learning and the management of capital assets?
• How will educational institutions balance tradition with innovation?
• How will facilities professionals influence and lead efforts to shape tomorrow’s education business model?

Please stop by our booth, #601, for a personal tour of the latest versions of Workorderama™, Projecto™ and REportfolio™ plus a sneak preview of our iPad applications!