March 2026

630.850.9039 Continued pg.2 What’s New March is known to come ‘in like a lion and out like a lamb.’ Based on many of the weather reports, this might be true this year! We have our Mid-year State of the Company later this month. This remote meeting is a time for us to check in on our current year’s goals and reconnect across our teams. We have some fun things planned, as well. The wedding celebrations are behind us and we’ll be back to full-staff in March. Thanks to the many teams members that stepped in to allow so many of us to participate and enjoy this wonderful event in Chicago. We have some birthdays this month, too! - Catherine Wendt Several months ago, we ran a threepart introduction to Acumatica Construction, a cloud-based ERP. We started with “What is Acumatica?” and moved to the special features that make it Construction-friendly, then the cool features that make it very modern. It’s not for everyone; for others, this will be amazing! Why did we spend almost two years researching and digging into alternatives for Sage 100 Contractor? So glad you asked! As our clients grow and add new lines of business, some of their needs have changed. In some cases, there are increased expectations from new, often younger staff members when it comes to software. Sometimes this can be handled with additional software; sometimes additional reporting such as the use of Power BI and Power Automate tools; and sometimes, it’s time to look at a replacement. This is a complicated topic! If you’re considering an alternative to Sage 100 Contractor, there’s quite a bit to work through and consider. As mentioned in previous newsletters, our team members are not commissioned on anything they recommend to you. We have no sales quota; we’re a technology group, consultants who are here to help you choose the best tools to run your business! It matters who you work with. We know many of our clients are under-utilizing Sage 100 Contractor, and with a reasonable investment, could expand the use of the software they already know. You have already made this investment, have In this Issue Thinking of an ERP Change?....1 Book Review.….……….……....2 Phishing and Outlook Invites...3 Shiny New Gadget ……...….....3 NACHA Rule Changes.............4 Microsoft 365 Focus...………….5 How Did They Do It?………….6 Events Calendar ………...……..6 Syscon U March 2026 Thinking of Replacing S100C? -- 1 of 6 - Syscon U 630.850.9039 Book Nook Do you have a moment when you made a comment, a decision, that changed your life forever? For Jack Phillips, he found himself with an opportunity to give in, but he recognized the bigger issues at stake, not just for him and other cake artists, but for many types of creative artists. Question: Can you be forced to create messages that are in direct opposition to your beliefs? And make no mistake—this is a protection for both ends of the spectrum not just Jack’s Christian perspective. However, Colorado’s hostility, confirmed over time by their own actions, was directly related to Mr. Phillips’ Christian beliefs. Then when, against all odds, the Supreme Court agreed to hear his case and then ruled in his favor, he was taken back to court in Colorado two more times, winning both of them, as well! The story also includes the personal impact to Jack and his family—death threats, horrible phone calls, negative impact to his business, months in limbo waiting for results. The emotional toll has been steep, but he feels God has been in charge the whole time. Have you given thought to what business lines you will not cross? Are you ready, with kind words, knowledge of your rights, and clarity of conviction to respond? Jack didn’t do this alone, which is also part of the story. He had many supporters and experts who came along side him. Highly recommend this book and some personal time to consider what you would do! - CMW The Cost of My Faith by Jack Phillips (continued from page 1) years’ worth of data, and existing procedures. This can be the least disruptive step and may meet the need. And, if it doesn’t, you are not stuck; you can still take the next step (keep reading). Others may need to consider additional software, either with an existing integration, or a custom integration. Some of the most common include our FIT System for electronic field time; ProCore for project management; Sage Paperless or Timberscan for electronic processing of incoming AP invoices; our newest integration with BuildOps; our custom Cost to Complete with Power BI; Siteline for Lien Waivers; and more! Still others may be ready for the bigger lift, a change in their ERP. This requires a lot more planning and research. This is also more challenging across your teams since you are replacing a core piece of software. There may be additional add-on products to meet the full need and integration goals. This is also more expensive and a longer timeline than the items above. BUT, this could be the laying of a new foundation for the next chapter! Is there some magic formula to know which direction? Not really—a few clients have told me they think they’ve outgrown S100C, but we have clients in the same line of work who are more than double in size and are very happy. To be honest, this usually originates with another vendor trying to sell their ERP and planting seeds of doubt. You would be amazed at some of the large, multi-state clients we have using S100C for many years. Sure, we’ve built custom tools to streamline things as they’ve grown, but that core software program can’t be beat given their line of work and in-house labor. Let’s talk about what’s different and the opportunities. With our Azure hosting services, staying with S100C might be just right since it’s cloud hosting. The best place to start is to look at current processes. Start with workflows, pain points, and additional reports and software you might be using, to get the full “Healthy things grow, and growing things change.” — Christine Caine March 2026 picture of what’s working and what could be improved. Then the research starts! If you think you’re ready for an overhaul, we’d like to send you a link to our three-part recording on Acumatica Construction. After almost two years of research, we believe it is a great ‘next step’ for the construction industry. Before you make any decision or investment, we would ask for the opportunity to talk with you. As one of our clients, we have some insight that might be helpful, and we are willing to share our research and perspective to help you make the best decision for your company! - CMW -- 2 of 6 - 630.850.9039 Syscon U I love my Overland slippers, but I can think of several states on the East Coast that might want these heated slipper socks given the recent winter storms! These heated slipper socks are made out of moisture-wicking fabric to keep your feet dry and comfortable while keeping your feet and toes warm and toasty. The temperature adjusts from low to high for up to 8 hours. They’re available in gray in sizes S/M (Men’s 5-7/Women’s 5-8) or L/XL (Men’s 8-10/Women’s 9-11). These are not little ankle-biters. They’re 10.2” L x 1” W x 12.6” H. They operate on two rechargeable batteries which are included. It also has an AC adapter/charger and a 1-year limited replacement warranty. The cost is $99.99 each. I also saw a few additional items for heated indoor/outdoor slippers and heated socks! These ‘suggestions’ cost a bit more, so be ready. I can just picture Mom and Dad warming up with their matching socks after shoveling! —CMW Shiny New Gadget Of The Month: Phishing and Outlook Calendar Invitations We’ve seen an uptick in phishing through calendar invitations in Outlook. The bad actors know people are becoming more cautious about the email they receive (but keep those reminders front and center!), so they’re trying a new tact. Instead of sending an email, they send a calendar invitation. It’s pretty likely you would open it to see what it’s about. Often there’s a link in the body of the invitation, which they’re hoping you’ll click on, but DON’T do it! We’ve seen some of these show up in Teams, as well. Someone sends a Teams invitation. This isn’t unusual since many of us are guests in Teams meetings. I know ASA Chicago uses Teams, so when I attend the Education and Technology Committee meetings, the Teams group shows up in my Teams window. When I see rogue groups, I delete them! The concepts are the same—they’re trying to trick you into opening what they send and getting you to respond. Stay diligent and suspicious, just like you’re doing when it comes to email messages. - CMW OneDrive—An Odd Error Within a few weeks of each other, Teresa and I both had an odd experience with OneDrive. Darren was able to help us out, but we’re unsure what triggered the event. I was working with some local documents and needed a file that was in SharePoint (shared files). When I clicked on it, it said there was an error and I could try again; which of course didn’t work. I know that one of most common things we see in a situation like this is that OneDrive is either not signed in or is syncing a large file, so I took a look. It wasn’t even in the tray to select. We went through several steps to reinstall OneDrive, then out to Office.com to kick off the re-sync of all our shared sites. I have a lot of files, so I decided to enjoy a nice lunch while all of this ran. It did require a reboot, as well. Since at least two of us have experienced the issue, we wanted to make you aware. If your team is having access issues to shared files, and you’ve checked to see if OneDrive is signed in and sync’d, but still can’t open the files, give us a call right away. -CMW Blackpoint Vulnerability Updates—Fortinet Blackpoint Cyber is a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service with some pretty impressive leadership. We’ve partnered with them on advanced security for a while now, and we receive regular updates of various findings, along with their level of risk. Most of our clients have Sonicwall firewalls and we’ve been a partner with them for literally decades! Another popular vendor in this space is Fortinet and several of our clients have these products from their IT transition to our services. In the Blackpoint January news report, they mentioned a Critical level vulnerability involving FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiOS, and FortiProxy. There is an authentication bypass vulnerability that could be exploited by the bad actors. These are limited to the FortiCloud SSO/SAML environments. An attacker could improperly authenticate into environments that trust FortiCloud SSO. Fortinet says they’ve identified the attacker-controlled accounts and taken action! - CMW Tech Talk March 2026 Heated Slipper Socks -- 3 of 6 - Syscon U 630.850.9039 NACHA Rule Changes Coming Soon! We received a four-page update from our bank about the 2026 NACH ACH rule changes. Phase I is effective March 20th and is focused on Standard Company Entry Descriptions for specific size companies, then beginning June 22nd, companies regardless of annual origination activity. We asked Daniel from our Business Applications team and Larry to take a look and summarize the changes and their impact (if any) to our clients. Here’s what they shared! The majority of our clients using S100C to generate payroll NACHA files will see little or no impact. The changes are primarily procedural and compliance-focused, rather than requiring changes to the ACH file format itself. One key change is a new requirement for the Company Entry Description field. For Payroll (PPD credits related to wages) they must use ’PAYROLL.’ For WEB debits related to online purchases, the need to use ’PURCHASE.’ This is now an explicit NACHA requirement, not just a best practice. Unless clients are manually overriding or modifying these fields, no changes are needed. NACHA is also introducing expanded fraud monitoring requirements. Previously, this was tied to transaction -volume thresholds, but as of June 22nd, the rule will apply to all ACH originators, regardless of size. No new software is required, but having riskbased ACH fraud-monitoring procedures, reviewing annually and using these to verify banking and payment changes will be your requirements. Many of our clients already have strict rules about handling requests to change banking and payment information and how this is verified—keep it up! - CMW IRS Changes: Electronic Payments and Refunds There are quite a few articles on this topic and our CPA has brought it up a couple of times, as well. There was an Executive Order ‘Modernizing Payments to and From America’s Bank Account’ all related to the IRS moving to electronic payments and refunds. The goal is to improve security, reduce fraud, and modernize the federal payment systems. Based on the articles we researched, here are some highlights. Most taxpayers including individuals, businesses, estates, and trusts, will move to electronic funds, starting with individual taxpayers. The original deadline to stop using paper checks was September 30, 2025! Then the IRS announced a delay and promises to provide guidance before the 2026 tax season. If you’re intrigued, you can actually start using Direct Pay for Individuals and Businesses. It’s free, secure, and no sign-up is required. Later this year, we expect EFTPS to no longer be available to individual taxpayers. Your CPA can provide more guidance on making electronic payments, and you can include information in your tax return to receive any refunds electronically, as well. -CMW Federally Qualified Overtime Reporting We’ve received several requests for reports that will allow payroll Admins to track the amount of calculated overtime qualified for reporting on the W-2’s at yearend. With each Final Computed payroll record, you can see the calculated information right in the 5-2-2 screen next to the ACA information. But we didn’t see any new reports available with the latest software releases. Teresa stumbled on a query, though. It’s available in the 5-2-2 screen under the binoculars. You might want to check it out! - CMW ‘Many clients already have strict rules about handling requests to change bank info.’ Construction Corner March 2026 -- 4 of 6 - Syscon U 630.850.9039 M365 Education Station Microsoft Publisher—Going away... Partner March 2026 What is Microsoft Publisher and Why is it Ending? Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing software that allows users to create various types of documents, such as flyers, newsletters, brochures, and invitations, as well as our newsletter! It is part of the Microsoft Office suite and has been available since 1991. Microsoft has announced that it will stop supporting Publisher after October 2026. This means that users will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or technical support for the software. Additionally, Publisher will not be compatible with newer versions of Windows or Office; no more support from Microsoft. What are the Implications of Publisher's End-of-Life? If you are a current user of Publisher, you may be wondering what this means for your existing documents and projects. The good news is that you can still access and edit your Publisher files until the end-of-life date. However, Microsoft warns that you should be aware of the potential risks and limitations of using an outdated software. For example, there may be compatibility issues with other applications or devices, security vulnerabilities, or performance problems. You will not be able to create new documents or projects with Publisher after the end-of-life date. So it’s time to start looking for alternative tools! What are Some Alternative Tools to Publisher? There are several options available for desktop publishing software, both online and offline. Depending on your preferences, budget, and requirements, you can choose from a variety of tools that offer similar or better features than Publisher. Here are some of the most popular and recommended alternatives: Adobe InDesign: This is a professional and powerful desktop publishing software that is widely used by designers, publishers, and marketers. It allows you to create stunning and sophisticated documents, such as magazines, books, posters, and flyers. It also integrates with other Adobe products, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, for seamless editing and design. However, InDesign is not very user-friendly for beginners and has a steep learning curve. It also requires a subscription fee, which can be expensive for some users. Canva: This is an online graphic design platform that is easy to use and accessible from any device. It offers thousands of templates, fonts, icons, and images that you can customize and download for free. You can also upload your own photos and logos, or use the premium features for a small fee. You can create various types of documents, such as social media posts, flyers, newsletters, and invitations. However, Canva does not have as many advanced features as InDesign, such as layout grids, master pages, or typography controls. It also requires an internet connection and may not be suitable for offline or print projects. Scribus: This is a free and open-source desktop publishing software that is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It offers many features that are similar to InDesign, such as layout grids, master pages, color management, and PDF export. You can create professional and high-quality documents, such as brochures, magazines, books, and posters. However, Scribus has a less intuitive and outdated interface, and may not have as many templates, fonts, or images as Canva. It also has a limited technical support and documentation, and may not be compatible with some file formats. Microsoft: There were also references to using Word for simple documents and reports, as well as templates for newsletters. PowerPoint was also mentioned, highlighting features for animation, transitions, and multi-media. Microsoft Sway was also on the list to share interactive web pages, stories, and reports (a cloud-based service). Conclusion Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing software that will stop being supported by Microsoft after October 2026. This means we have to look for alternative tools that can replace Publisher. Some of the most popular and recommended alternatives are Adobe InDesign, Canva, and Scribus. We’ve gathered this info from various online postings and using Copilot.— CMW, Copilot R I P Publisher -- 5 of 6 - Syscon U 630.850.9039 We love this stuff! We are committed to helping businesses use technology to run their organization successfully and profitably. This monthly publication provided courtesy of Catherine Wendt, President of Syscon Proud Members How Did They Do It? Alhambra Credit Union As they approach 70 years of service, the core foundation of knowing their members and serving their financial needs has not changed. The Credit Union started serving teachers in the Alhambra district. Some key expansions over the years include the larger Maricopa county with seven more school districts, then beyond schools districts to meet a greater audience of customers across the county. There’s a strong focus on attending community events, hearing the members’ stories, serving their needs, knowing their names and who they are. Eddie started on the teller line back in 2005, working in all areas of the credit union, moving into Operations where he found the most joy. The previous President was targeting retirement after 27 years of service. Eddie was interviewed by the board and felt he could keep the forward movement she had put in place. As opportunities have come up, the addition of automation and digital services were improved and added to stay relevant. Fraud has been huge in this industry and the senior community has been heavily targeted. One scammer told a long-time member not to tell the Credit Union during a ransomware event. Victims often feel embarrassed and don’t want to call or share what happened. In this case, the family was very thankful that the bank pursued the matter before more was lost. Cyber Security education is critical. As Eddie’s responsibilities and role have grown, assistance with marketing and IT are the biggest gaps. Having known Matt at Syscon for so many years, there’s comfort while consistently transferring more of the IT support to the Syscon team, freeing Eddie up for other initiatives. Eddie’s favorite Syscon tool is the remote access tool that allows him to access the PC’s so he can see what his staff is experiencing and actually control the computer. With two locations and some remote team members, this has been a time saver. Teams meetings are great, but this tool is the next level to provide the necessary support! - CMW Read more at www.syscon-inc.com/how-did-they-do-it Eddie Moraga, CEO Proud Partners Fast Facts Location: Phoenix, AZ Specialty: Credit Union Founded: 1955 Upcoming Events Are you interested in having your story featured? Let’s talk! Event: Stop Fighting Your Software: Custom Solutions Built for the way you Build Date: Wednesday, March 25 Time: 1:00 p.m. CST Register: www.syscon-inc.com/events March 2026 Coming Soon—Podcasts! We’re recording some podcasts and plan to request feedback from a beta group of clients. Do you have PM’s, Owners, Office staff that just love podcasts and might be interested in checking these out? Please share their names and contact info and we’ll be sure to get them on the list!! -- 6 of 6 -