onSpecial

Try the TOPS Internet Backup Service FREE
for 30 days - Up to 500 Megabytes of Data!

Implementing a Strong Backup Plan

Backing up your association data is vital to the very core of your company's existence. Implementing a strong backup plan is as important as purchasing insurance for your physical business.

Hopefully, you already have a backup plan, but in case you haven't, we've compiled a list of the steps you need to take to implement one for your organization. Additionally, we have included tips on how the TOPS Internet Backup Service can assist you in implementing a strong backup plan:

• First, you have to develop a backup scheme. Keeping a certain number of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly backups, for example. (The TOPS Internet Backup Service provides you with a number of predefined schemes to choose from, or you may create your own.)
• You need to have a backup device, like a tape drive or removable drive media that has adequate space to store your backups. You need to have a number of tapes or media so that you have multiple backups, not just one. (With the TOPS Internet Backup Service you do not need any backup device or media, just a connection to the Internet.)
• You have to store the backups someplace safe. Backup tapes on top of the desk next to the server are not going to help you in the event of a fire. Some people store their backups in a fireproof safe, but most agree that backups should be taken off-site for maximum security. (The files you create with the TOPS Internet Backup Service are automatically stored on an off-site Internet server, AND backed up to a server at TOPS Software's corporate office.)
• You also need to remember to test your backups regularly. It can become a critical problem to find out at crunch time that your backup tapes are worn-out, have become magnetized, or the backup program that you were using has been backing up the wrong data and the backups you thought you had are worthless. (With the TOPS Internet Backup Service it is easy to test your backup files. Simply restore them to a new community ID. You could even run two versions of community files concurrently to compare the data.)
• Finally, you have to dedicate the manpower to perform the backups. This means that you or someone in your office has to remember to run the backup program each night, save it to the correct tape, and then remember to take that tape to a fireproof safe or offsite location. (Setting up and maintaining your TOPS Internet Backup Service is so easy, you could take just five minutes to set it up, and then forget about it!)

Even if you already have a backup system as described above, the TOPS Internet Backup Service can provide you with a redundant backup system to supplement your own backup scheme. The TOPS Internet Backup Service has so much to offer! You can schedule your backups to run automatically every night, define unique backup settings, and even password encrypt your backed up files for added security.

The TOPS Internet Backup Service is more than just an online backup system. Since your data is being backed up through TOPS, it is very easy to restore just the files you need. In fact, you could even use the TOPS Internet Backup Service as a method of sharing community data between offices. Simply backup data from your main office, and restore it to a remote office. Presto! Your remote office instantly has the most up-to-date owner database, or A/R records, and so on.

There are so many uses for the TOPS Internet Backup Service, and so many reasons why it will become the most important tool in your property management toolbox. Don't wait! Sign up for the TOPS Internet Backup Service today! With prices starting at $15 per month, the question is not whether you can afford this service, but whether you can afford NOT to have this service. Disaster is lurking just around the corner, are you ready for it if it strikes? Be prepared with the TOPS Internet Backup Service.

To sign up, go to www.topsbackup.com and click on Sign Up. Enter promotional code 074E to take advantage of our FREE 30-Day trial, up to 500MB of compressed association data!

Andrea Drennen 

onTheUpdater

TOPS 2000™ Updates

Please be advised that the Internet Updater is restricted to customers on a current maintenance support agreement. If you are interested in our support plans, please go to
www.topssoft.com/Support/MSA_plans.htm.

The following updates were added to the TOPS 2000™ Internet Updater in June:

TOPS 2000™ Main Programs

• The Maintain Owners screen, account browser has been corrected so if you click OK after highlighting an account it will select the correct owner. Before it was pulling the last owner in the list.
• Enter AP has been corrected to not change the vendor if you tab through the vendor name field and you have multiple vendors with the same exact name. Previously the Name field was a searchable field, so if you selected the vendor ID and that vendor's name was exactly the same as another vendor, the program searched for the first vendor with that name. The name field is still searchable, but only if no vendor ID is entered.
• The title bar has been corrected to display the correct ID and name for the owner history when accessed via the global search for owners.

TOPS Mobile PDA

• Extended the maximum number of communities allowed on the PDA from 50 to 300 communities.
• Increased size of owner name field so full name is displayed.
• An install feature has been added to the Hand Held Utility to install files from web update.
• Hot syncing outside the main TOPS program does not cause any loss of data from the TOPS Mobile PDA.
• Jennifer Lance has been removed from the first owners spot.

How to Update Your Files

1. Make sure you are logged into the computer that will be performing the update. (If you are updating in a networked environment, update the server first, as a workstation, and then run the update on each workstation.)
2. If it is open, close TOPS on your computer.
3. Connect to the Internet and navigate to www.topssoft.com/Downloads.
4. Under "Program Updates" click the GO button.
5. Click Open, to run the update from the current location.
6. When the TOPS Web Updater appears, click the down arrow next to 'Select Module to Check' and Choose TOPS 2000.
7. On the bottom right, ensure that the "Workstation Only" option is selected.
8. Click the "Begin Update" button. (The system may prompt you for a User ID. If so, enter in your TOPS Customer ID)
9. Once the update is complete, you can close this window and re-open TOPS 2000T.

TOPS Programming Department 

onSales

Embracing Change

Hard to believe we are halfway through 2004 and the dog days of summer have begun! Last month CAI held it's 53rd National Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, CA. The theme of the conference, "One Community Embracing Change" had many educational sessions and workshops devoted to how positive change and progress are achieved by visionaries and leaders. Issues confronting communities, management companies and managers were discussed in great detail.

As a software company we have change confronting us every day! The industry is rapidly changing, technology is changing, the way our clients use the software is changing. It is not change that is as important as how one deals with change. To that end, we at Property Management Systems, not only realize the community association industry is changing; we EMBRACE that change! We recently brought out new features such as A/P digital signature, online A/P approval, online payments, and we are about to go into limited release of Utility Billing.

Conservation of natural resources is becoming more important as they decline while our population increases; this greatly impacts community associations as they bear the burden of rising energy costs. Some areas of the United States are in drought situations as of this writing, as consumption increases, the cost increases at a higher rate. Our Utility Billing Module was developed with this in mind, to streamline the reading, charging, and invoicing of multiple utilities! With improved tracking of utilities, the association or manager can ascertain areas of misuse or over use and take appropriate action to charge the involved parties or to find possible areas that can be adjusted to prevent escalating costs. The result is more efficient use of the various utilities that should result in better cost management for the association. Those on the limited release list will be notified in the next week that Utility Billing is available and ready for use!

With all this technology available, how does one decide, let alone use what is necessary to manage their association or management company to it's fullest? I had this question posed to me recently; my competitor uses your software, why should I buy TOPS? My answer, it is not just the software but more importantly - how you utilize the software to it's maximum potential! This will be the topic of my next article, please stay tuned.

2004 Trade Show Schedule

• Jul 23: CAI Gold Coast Designation Dinner; Singer Island, FL
• Aug 12: CAI Dallas CA Day; Dallas, TX
• Sep 10: CAI Gold Coast CA Day; West Palm Beach, FL
• Sep 18: CAI New Jersey CA Day; Somerset, NJ
• Oct 2: CAI Nevada CA Day; Las Vegas, NV
• Oct 15: CAI Houston CA Day; Houston, TX
• Oct 28-30: CAI National Leadership Conference; New Orleans, LA

Bruce R. Gran, CMCA®, AMS™, PCAM®

onSupport

TOPS Mobile PDA Support Issues

Last month, TOPS Software released a major update to the TOPS Mobile PDA. The new update includes a number of enhancements to the PDA, including more user-friendly displays and more accurate syncing. This article will address certain issues that can arise from loading the update and other general hand held issues.

Pocket PC OS

• Pocket PC will not overwrite existing files:
  When trying to update the Pocket PC program files we have found that the Pocket PC will not overwrite the existing program files. To resolve this issue, remove the existing program files. Deleting the existing files can be done under Start / Settings / System / Remove Programs on the Pocket PC. The program that will need to be removed is called "TOPS Software TOPS PDA". After removing this program the new TOPS PDA files will install correctly. (You should sync first under the old system to avoid losing any data when deleting the old program files.)
• Pocket PC will not shut down applications:
  Another issue when using the Pocket PC is that, due to its multi-task design that it will not shut down applications automatically. If you are syncing data to the PPC and receive this error: "The remote device database XXXXX could not be deleted." your TOPS Mobile PDA programs are still open. To shut down the application on the Pocket PC, and continue to sync, click on Start / Settings / System / Memory / Running Program. You will need to "Stop" programs that have TOPS or CFSPalm in the name. After the programs are stopped, click 'retry' on the error message and the sync will continue properly.

Palm OS

The Palm OS tends to have fewer problems installing files and transferring data because the Hot Sync program handles it all. The Hot Sync program shuts down all applications running on the Palm. The only down side is that the Hot Sync program tends to be slower that the Pocket PC's active sync.

• Palm Work Files not located in Default Directory:
  One issue that we have seen on the Palm OS is that after installing the update users must reset the "Change Hand Held work files" option. This option is found in the Hand Held Utility program in TOPS 2000™ under the "File" menu option. This path will need to be set to your Palm directory. This folder can be normally found under program files, but can change depending on where the Palm was installed.
  
  Typically, this error occurs when more than one Palm is installed on a system, or the user selects a different default directory when they install their Palm. We have also seen this issue with users using the Palm OS on a unit from another manufacturer, such as Handspring.

Hopefully with these few tips your new TOPS Mobile PDA program will install easier and you will be able to take advantage of the new updates to work more proficiently on your PDA.

Ryan Allen

onTheSpot

Excellence Community Management, Nevada

Excellence Community Management, located in Henderson, NV is dedicated to providing excellent management service to their clients. We believe that one of the most valuable services we provide to our clients is our excellent customer service.

Excellence Community Management is an active member of the Community Association Institute. We specialize in community association management and we work well with all types of associations, from the small associations to Master Planned Communities.

The decision was made to get a web site for Excellence Community Management [www.excellencemgmt.com] and a few companies were looked into, including TOPS Software. Once we saw what TOPS had to offer there was no need to look anywhere else. Through TOPS we could have the community web sites integrated with Excellence Community Management and homeowners would be able to access their account histories, violations and documents online. TOPS Interactive Web Site Service is convenient and cost-effective, and like Excellence Community Management, provides excellent customer service.

We feel TOPS is the only way to go if you want a web site for your management company and the communities that you manage.

One of the communities we manage is Ventana Canyon, Henderson, NV [www.excellencemgmt.com/ventanacanyon/] and we have received several enthusiastic e-mails from the homeowners in Ventana Canyon stating how much they are enjoying their new web site. After just a few days of being notified of their web site they have placed classified ads, are utilizing the message board with various topics and getting to know their neighbors via the message board and chat.

The residents are also taking advantage of checking their account histories and using the direct payment form that has been provided on the web site, as well as the Architectural Forms. It saves us, the management company, from having to take the phone calls and faxing/mailing out the forms. The web site is a real time-saver for homeowners, the Board of Directors, and the management company.

Jamie McCafferty
President/Owner
Excellence Community Management
www.excellencemgmt.com

onLine

How to stay ahead of the competition in a tech-savvy world

Today's savvy consumers are looking for the latest communication technologies. With a TOPS Interactive Web Site, you can edge out the competition by offering residents innovative communication tools that will simplify their lives, increase their connectivity to community and revolutionize the way they interact with their neighbors!

Now you can provide residents with a private web site dedicated to their community, where they can see their own account balance, submit work orders, exchange opinions with their neighbors on the new restaurant around the corner, reserve the common area, pay their dues online and so much more! By using TOPS technology, you ensure that you get a web site that meets the most stringent standards for reliability, feature set and performance.

With a TOPS Interactive Web Site, your associations won't be left behind!

Contact websales@topshome.com for details!

Susan Sanders 

offTopic

Technobabel: 

What happens when an English phrase is translated back and forth between 5 different languages? Translation software is good enough to turn grammatically correct, slang-free text from one language into grammatically incorrect, barely readable approximations in another. But the software is not equipped for 10 consecutive translations of the same piece of text. The resulting half-English, half-foreign, and totally non sequitur response bears almost no resemblance to the original. Remember the old game of "Telephone"? Here are some funny examples:

• TOPS Software: 'Raised Software more of the direction'
• Solutions that work for you: 'With the result of the mobility of its communication of the thing'
• We bring good things to life: 'We are a good fact with the life here'
• A cookie is just a cookie, but fig newtons are fruit and cake: 'biskuit has expert of biskuit, but Newton von Fig is fruit and hardens'
• When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore: 'If the moon fixes its eye like a great vector of Fleischpie of the vector of Pizzapie, is the lover'

Try it for yourself at www.tashian.com/multibabel/. Share your funny translations with us at insider@topssoft.com.

www.tashian.com/multibabel/ 

onCall

Here is a list of some of the most common contact data for TOPS Software:

Designed by Property Management Systems Inc., d.b.a. TOPS Software. Copyright© 2005 Property Management Systems, Inc., 364-C Christopher Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 2879. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

To manage the emails that you receive from TOPS Software, please visit
http://www.topssoft.com/eforms/manage_subscriptions.htm.

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