September 2014cdn.viewpointcs.com/marketing/viewpointnewsletter/... · American Contractor Release 8.5 Release 8.5 is currently in BETA. The release will contain issue resolutions

September 2014

The V. Newsletter now includes feature articles for all Viewpointproducts (including acquired Maxwell products). Simply click on theproduct button after the featured articles for information on productsof interest.

Viewpoint News in This Issue

The Collaborate 2014 Viewpoint User Conference wrap up. What a great eventit was!New HiresViewpoint Business Forms – discounts on tax forms

Product Updates – Select Your Product

The Collaborate 2014 Viewpoint User Conference wrap up. Whata great event it was!By Jim Paulson, President

Now that was something else!!! For those that attended Collaborate 2014, our annualViewpoint User Conference this week, I’m hoping you enjoyed the four days of sessions,events and networking as much as we did. I also hope you are able to take some of thebest practices shared at the conference back to your office so that you’re getting the mostout of your software features and functionality. For those that were unable to attend, pleaseconsider coming next year, because frankly, it keeps getting bigger and better. In fact, nextyear, for those of you who are formerly Maxwell Systems customers – you will now be a part of the ViewpointUser Conference, with plenty of sessions about the products you use every day. It is truly THE EVENT that ourcustomers put on their calendar every year. Let me share some statistics from this year’s conference.

Another Sell Out!!! This year brought with it a record 40% growth in attendance year over year and Collaborate2014 sold out in record time. The size of the conference itself has outgrown the largest hotels in the city whichrequired a move to The Portland Convention Center for all presentations and sessions. Over 1200 customers,partners and exhibitors, plus nearly 300 busy Viewpoint team members were present – giving everyone anopen door to the Viewpoint ecosystem. There were plenty of sessions about all things Viewpoint and attendeeswere the first to learn about upcoming software enhancements, the newest products and the excitementaround Viewpoint For Cloud.

We had a fantastic cross section of Accounting, Operations and IT professionals from various levels of customerbusinesses, including Senior Executives, Management and Support Staff from across North America, UnitedKingdom and Australia. Each construction segment was in attendance with Heavy/Civil, Specialty and GeneralContractors all represented.

Lastly, I had the opportunity to talk to so many of you between sessions and at the parties and you confirmed

how valuable the conference is to your businesses for information, tips and tricks, benchmarking, sharing bestpractices, and networking opportunities. Many of you appreciated the larger space of the convention centerwhich allowed more booths and wider hallways for meeting with peers in your industry. We’re also happy tocontinue keeping the conference local in Portland so that you’ll be able to interact with more Viewpointemployees. We’re looking forward to next year already. Mark your calendars for next year as the 2015conference will be held September 15-17 and is sure to be a sellout!

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New Hires

Welcome new hires!

Tommy Banta – Lead Development SpecialistTom Moon – Lead Development SpecialistRob Hennis – Lead Development SpecialistVerdie Polizzi – Customer Support DispatchBeverly Davis-Johnson – ReceptionistRoger Hope – Software ConsultantAshley Slomanson – Sales RepresentativeDan Fearing – Consultant - Development Jim Rickel QA Analyst (Level III)Erich Litch – General Manager, North AmericaChris Gielow – IT ManagerJanice Goldstein – Technical WriterPete Dziembowski – Order Fulfillment Coordinator

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Product Update: American Contractor

American Contractor Release 8.5Release 8.5 is currently in BETA. The release will contain issue resolutions and the following new features:

Migration AgentWhen you are ready to begin your decision-making process of migrating to one of Viewpoint’sother product options (ProContractor or Vista), you will be instructed to run this process toprovide Viewpoint with information about your American Contractor system setup and thevolume of data (record counts) in your system. This will allow us to work with you in makingthe right choice of software for your future solution.

Windows 8.1 supportBank Reconciliation Report option to only display outstanding checks/deposits2014 Federal 940 Fill-in-Form changes (previously delivered in a Support Update, 04/2014)Changes to support Mobile Connect for American Contractor

2014 Year EndThe minimum release supported for the 2014 year end will be Release 8.4. If you have not already completedthe update on your system, you will need to plan on this update before October so you will be able to installthe 2014 year End Update when it becomes available in November.

Affordable Care Act

We are aware of changes taking effect in 2015 for the Affordable Care Act. We have reviewed the details of theAct and are designing the changes needed to accommodate the new forms to be filed with 2015 year endpayroll. More details will follow in early 2015 as we deliver the changes for this requirement.

September Support Update for American ContractorYear End Update

All customers must be operating at version 8.4a or higher to install the 2014 Year End Upgrade. The Year EndUpdate for version 8.4a (version 8.4 with 2013 year end release) should be available the end of September

2014 on the download page of my.viewpoint.com.

American Contractor Support Tip/TrickNow Is a Great Time to Assess the Quality of Your Backup SystemWith a good backup, your company can be up and running in minutes if your data is damaged. Hardwareproblems, such as a small electrical surge, a bad sector on a hard disk, or a virus could cause your data tobecome unusable. Data may also be damaged by factors such as a fire or a flood.

A good backup system would include an occasional backup of the program folder as well as a daily backup ofthe data folders. A copy of these data folders (usually named Data1, Data2, etc.) should frequently be storedoff site. Offsite backups can be saved to a cloud server and set up to happen automatically.

Please note that incremental backups are not recommended. A full backup copy of each data folder is neededto restore the company data. The two most common pitfalls that we see sabotage good backup strategies are:the wrong data is chosen to be backed up or that the reports of backup failures are not reviewed. You mightfind the following Support Answer Center Articles helpful when testing your backup: "What files need to bebacked up for the American Contractor" and "Detach and attach the data folder."

Answers About MigrationFuture Transformations: Upcoming Educational OpportunitiesHopefully, most of you have now heard about our plans for the support timeline of 3-5 years for AmericanContractor. Whether you have an immediate interest in looking into new technology, or whether you areplanning for the future, we are developing new educational resources for you every day.

This fall, we offer many opportunities for learning about the contemporary migrations solutions: Vista byViewpoint and ProContractor by Viewpoint. Here are some of the upcoming webinars:

Migration to ProContractor: Webinars

Date Day/Week Start TimeEastern

StartTime

PacificTopic

10/9/14 Thursday 3:00 PM 12:00 PM ProContractor Migration: Migration ProcessOverview

10/16/14 Thursday 4:00 PM 1:00 PM ProContractor Migration: Moving fromAmerican Contractor to ProContractor

Migration to Vista: Webinars


Start TimePacific Topic

10/10/14 Friday 2:00 PM 11:00 AM Vista Migration: ProcessOverview

You will receive email invitations about these webinars, but to sign up today, visit the "My Migration" Section ofMy Viewpoint. Look under "Upcoming Webinars" to register.

Have you heard?Introducing My Migration! Your convenient online resource, My Viewpoint, now offers adedicated area that provides a wide variety of helpful information for customersconsidering migration to a contemporary Viewpoint solution.

Check it out in 3 easy steps!

1. Go to http://my.viewpoint.com2. Enter Username and password, then Submit3. Look for blue box on right-hand side (Says My Migration), and click

That takes you to the My Migration section (also accessible by selecting orange "MyMigration" tab in header area of the page where you can:

Learn how to contact your Migration Sales Consultant who can assist with pricing, implementation

timeline, and product demonstrationsFind details about what’s required to make the transition from your current software to a contemporaryViewpoint solutionRead success stories featuring the experience of other contractors who’ve made the moveDownload product brochuresAnd more!

Any questions about login or resources, please contact your Account Manager at 800-688-8226, option 3.

VISIT MY MIGRATION TODAY at My Viewpoint

Your At-the-Ready ResourceYou have a dedicated Migration Sales Consultant ready to assist you with new technology pricing, timeline forimplementation, arrangement of a personalized product demonstration, and any questions you may have. Tofind out who your Migration Sales Consultant is, please contact your Account Manager at 1-800-688-8226,Option 3.

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Product Update: Viewpoint For Estimating

Tech Tip - Using Merge in Advance Image Manager(AIM)Once you have selected layers and pages, you can use the Merge function to merge two or three pages into asingle PDF page or Digital Takeoff image. This feature is useful when performing a takeoff that spans multiplepages. All pages must be the same original size and scale. The images can be merged horizontally or vertically.

Note: more than one page must be selected for the Merge function to become available.

SetupAfter you have selected the pages you want to merge, use the Setup section to select the:

Number of Pages - select 2 or 3 pages that are being merged into one PDFMerge Type - select Vertical or Horizontal as the orientation for your merged file

In the left pane:

Drag the Page listed in the top box to the position you want it to be in for the mergeOnce dragged in, a thumbnail preview of the page is shown in its designated positionFor a Vertical merge of 3 pages, you will place the pages in positions of Bottom, Middle, and Top.For a Horizontal Merge of 3 pages, place the pages according to Left, Center, and Right positions.Use Clear Selections to clear the page positions and start over with your placements. notice the labelson the left when dragging the pages to the thumbs

Trim/AlignAfter you have made your Setup selections, move to the Trim/Align section to specify the sizing and placementof the merged file. The trim options depend on the number of pages. The status bar at the bottom displays sizeinformation. If you need to start over with the original pages, select Restore at any time.

Using the Trim and Align tools, you can use your mouse to move the slide bar for major trimming or aligningadjustments. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard for making more fine adjustments.

Trim 1/2, 2/3 - shows two pages at a time for you to "trim" each one, using the sliders in eachdirection for each page. Notice the labels on the left when you are aligning pages for the Trim 1/2 orTrim 2/3 page designation.Align - in the left pane, a slider bar displays for each page you are going to merge so you can adjustthe page's position. Click the reset bar if you need to change your alignment.

Apply Changes - when you are satisfied with your image trimming and alignment, click Apply Changesto see the preview of your settings.Restore - click Restore to return to the file list screen to select the page to drag to position and startover trimming and aligning.

Export/SaveAfter you have successfully trimmed and aligned your pages, use the Export/Save section to save your mergedfile.

Export to Digital Takeoff - saves the merged PDF to the default location for Digital Takeoff.Click "Merge Options" from the Export/Save section to establish the settings in the PDF DocumentMerge Options window.

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Product Update: Management Suite

Management Suite Release 7.1Release 7.1 is getting ready to go to BETA. The release will contain issue resolutions and the following newfeatures:

Migration AgentWhen you are ready to begin your decision-making process of migrating to one of Viewpoint'sother product options (ProContractor or Vista), you will be instructed to run this process toprovide Viewpoint with information about your Management Suite system set up and thevolume of data (record counts) in your system. This will allow us to work with you in makingthe right choice of software for your future solution.

Windows 8.1 supportChanges to support Mobile Connect for Management SuitePayroll Graphical Earnings Statement is now available to send to Piracle Create-a-CheckAdd additional fields in Customer and Customer Site lookups to allow better utilization of enhancedlookup search featureOption in Customer History Report to select specific invoices or check numbersAddition of Batch processing to MaxService Pending Ticket EntryAbility to create Purchase Orders from Bid/Proposal Service Worksheet

2014 Year EndThe minimum release supported for the 2014 year end will be Release 7.0. If you have not already completedthe update on your system, you will need to plan on this update before October so you will be able to installthe 2014 Year End Update when it becomes available in November.

Affordable Care Act

We are aware of changes taking effect in 2015 for the Affordable Care Act. We have reviewed the details of theAct and are designing the changes needed to accommodate the new forms to be filed with 2015 year endpayroll. More details will follow in early 2015 as we deliver the changes for this requirement.

September Support Update for Management SuiteThe 2014 supported Release Level will be 7.0.0b which is currently available on the Download page atmy.viewpoint.com.

The actual 2014 Year End Release should be available in late November and an email announcement will besent to all customers.

If you have custom programming and have not upgraded to 7.0.0b, submit your CSR9999 for review as soonas possible. The instructions for generating a CSR9999 can be found in the Answer Center ofmy.viewpoint.com.

Management Suite Support Tip/TrickYou can determine how many W2s to order by running the W2 Preparation Report

To run this report go to Payroll > Quarterly/Yearly Processing > W2 Preparation ReportThe terminal date must be set to the correct year the W2s are needed for (example: Running for 2014the terminal date must be set to 12/31/14 or lower)

At the prompt Print only ONE State/Local per W-2?Answer Y if separate W2s needed for each state/localAnswer N if fewest amount of W2s is desired

Answers About MigrationFuture Transformations: Upcoming Educational OpportunitiesHopefully, most of you have now heard about our plans for the support timeline of 3-5 years for ManagementSuite. Whether you have an immediate interest in looking into new technology, or whether you are planning forthe future, we are developing new educational resources for you every day. This fall, we offer manyopportunities for learning about the contemporary migrations solutions: Vista by Viewpoint and ProContractorby Viewpoint. Here are some of the upcoming webinars:

This fall, we offer many opportunities for learning about the contemporary migrations solutions: Vista byViewpoint and ProContractor by Viewpoint. Here are some of the upcoming webinars:

Migration to ProContractor: Webinars


StartTime

PacificTopic

10/2/14 Thursday 2:00 PM 11:00 AM ProContractor Migration: Moving fromManagement Suite to ProContractor

10/9/14 Thursday 3:00 PM 12:00 PM ProContractor Migration: Migration ProcessOverview





You will receive email invitations about these webinars, but to sign up today, visit the "My Migration" Section ofMy Viewpoint. Look under "Upcoming Webinars" to register.





Learn how to contact your Migration Sales Consultant who can assist with pricing, implementationtimeline, and product demonstrationsFind details about what’s required to make the transition from your current software to a contemporaryViewpoint solutionRead success stories featuring the experience of other contractors who've made the moveDownload product brochuresAnd more!



Your At-the-Ready ResourceYou have a dedicated Migration Sales Consultant ready to assist you with new technology pricing, timeline forimplementation, arrangement of a personalized product demonstration, and any questions you may have. Tofind out who your Migration Sales Consultant is, please contact your Account Manager at 1-800-688-8226,

Option 3.

Best Practices WebinarsAdd our upcoming Best Practices to your calendar! These are free live webinars that happen at 12 noonEastern. Attendees may ask questions using the Go To Webinar Questions Pane. To register, go to MyViewpoint, My Training tab. They are listed down the center of the page. All webinars are recorded and can alsobe found as Free Recordings, a little further down the page.

Management Suite

Dates Instructor Topic

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 Jan Payroll - Absent Accruals

Tuesday, October 21, 2014 Jan Forms Design - How to Create and edit Standard Forms

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Product Update: ProContractor

Tech Tip - Using Merge in Advance Image Manager(AIM)Once you have selected layers and pages, you can use the Merge function to merge two or three pages into asingle PDF page or Digital Takeoff image. This feature is useful when performing a takeoff that spans multiplepages. All pages must be the same original size and scale. The images can be merged horizontally or vertically.

Note: more than one page must be selected for the Merge function to become available.

SetupAfter you have selected the pages you want to merge, use the Setup section to select the:

Number of Pages - select 2 or 3 pages that are being merged into one PDFMerge Type - select Vertical or Horizontal as the orientation for your merged file

In the left pane:

Drag the Page listed in the top box to the position you want it to be in for the mergeOnce dragged in, a thumbnail preview of the page is shown in its designated positionFor a Vertical merge of 3 pages, you will place the pages in positions of Bottom, Middle, and Top.For a Horizontal Merge of 3 pages, place the pages according to Left, Center, and Right positions.Use Clear Selections to clear the page positions and start over with your placements. notice the labelson the left when dragging the pages to the thumbs

Trim/AlignAfter you have made your Setup selections, move to the Trim/Align section to specify the sizing and placementof the merged file. The trim options depend on the number of pages. The status bar at the bottom displays sizeinformation. If you need to start over with the original pages, select Restore at any time.

Using the Trim and Align tools, you can use your mouse to move the slide bar for major trimming or aligningadjustments. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard for making more fine adjustments.

Trim 1/2, 2/3 - shows two pages at a time for you to "trim" each one, using the sliders in eachdirection for each page. Notice the labels on the left when you are aligning pages for the Trim 1/2 orTrim 2/3 page designation.

Align - in the left pane, a slider bar displays for each page you are going to merge so you can adjustthe page's position. Click the reset bar if you need to change your alignment.Apply Changes - when you are satisfied with your image trimming and alignment, click Apply Changesto see the preview of your settings.Restore - click Restore to return to the file list screen to select the page to drag to position and startover trimming and aligning.

Export/SaveAfter you have successfully trimmed and aligned your pages, use the Export/Save section to save your mergedfile.

Export to Digital Takeoff - saves the merged PDF to the default location for Digital Takeoff.Click "Merge Options" from the Export/Save section to establish the settings in the PDF DocumentMerge Options window.

Best Practices WebinarsAdd our upcoming Best Practices to your calendar! These are free live webinars that happen at 12 noonEastern. Attendees may ask questions using the Go To Webinar Questions Pane. To register, go to MyViewpoint, My Training tab. They are listed down the center of the page. All webinars are recorded and can alsobe found as Free Recordings, a little further down the page

ProContractor

Dates Instructor Topic

Thursday, October2, 2014 Rocky Change Orders from Estimate to Owner CO, Owner Change Orders with

and without Change Management Record

Thursday, October16, 2014 John Setup Views especially with employees and documents

Thursday,November 6, 2014 Aaron Estimating: How to make best use of the WBS codes

Thursday,November 20,

2014Adam Creating Purchase Orders from Estimate

Thursday,December 4, 2014 Suzanne Cost Code Structures: More information on coding structures. What are

the best practices in setting up job cost codes?

Thursday,December 18,

2014Martha Year End for PCMX USA

Product NewsProContractor 3.3: Release UpdateWe are excited to announce that this month we begin releasing version 3.3 of our ProContractor software. Thereleases will first be made available to the customers who participated in our 3.3 Beta program, and then rolledout to the remaining customer base.

Some of the exciting work of this release includes:

Retention release on T&M InvoicesWarning options for AP or PO entries which will exceed budgets or quantities receivedSave of customized Report options and one-click report runsMany significant improvements in Performance and Data IntegrityAnd much more!

2014 Accounting Year-End for the United StatesWe are currently working on the changes for 2014 Accounting year-end – this includes requirements for W2s,payroll electronic filing, and 1099s. The 2014 Year-End Release will be available for installation onProContractor version 3.3 or higher. We plan to have this available in November of this year, so please keep aneye out for your notifications!

We are aware of changes taking effect in 2015 for the Affordable Care Act. We have reviewed the details of theAct and are designing the changes needed to accommodate the new forms to be filed with 2015 year endpayroll. More details will come in early 2015 as we deliver the changes for this requirement.

Coming AttractionsJust a few of the things we are currently working on which will be available starting in early 2015:

Web-based Project Management functionality – phase 2 document integration between ProContractorand CPM, as well as launching of web-based CPM modules as functions of and from inside ofProContractorExciting news about Mobile Connect – ProContractor’s mobile appEnhancements to WIP entry and calculationOngoing performance, stability and usability enhancementsMore!

September Support Update for ProContractorThe 2014 supported Release Level will be the 3.3 GR (general release), which will be available on the Downloadpage of my.viewpoint.com in late September or early October. The actual Year End Release will be 3.3.10available in late November. An email invite will be sent to all customers once these important updates areavailable.

ProContractor Support Tip/TrickThere are many valuable training videos available at my.viewpoint.com for the ProContractor software. Visitmy.viewpoint.com and go to the My Training section.

When in the Learning Portal and trying to select a link under the My Training section, you may get a messagethat you are not authorized to take any courses or that you are not enrolled in classes. Registration needs tobe completed first for courses or classes through the Catalog. To do this, please follow the steps below:

1. On the left-hand side of this page, click on the Search Catalog link located directly under the MyEducation heading

2. On the Search Catalog dialog box you can change the Category and scroll through the Product Namewhich is the self pace classes you can review and select

to view detail on the product, click on the title of the product hit the button called "Search Now"to add the product to your shopping cart, click on the book icon under action

it will take you to your shopping cart, to continue shopping click the Go Back buttonand repeat the previous steps to select other courses that you wish to takeIf you are ready to check out, click on the Proceed to Checkout button

3. To confirm your order click on the Place Order button4. This will take you to an order confirmation window and also an email notice will be sent, close out of

this window when done reviewing5. Back on the Home page of the Learning Portal, under My Training, click the Courses link. Click the link

for your Viewpoint product(s) on the next page that appears. Below that link, you should now be ableto view the course(s) for which you have registered.

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Product Update: StreetSmarts

Answers About MigrationFuture Transformations: Upcoming Educational OpportunitiesHopefully, most of you have now heard about our plans for the support timeline of 3-5 years for StreetSmarts.Whether you have an immediate interest in looking into new technology, or whether you are planning for thefuture, we are developing new educational resources for you every day. This fall, we offer many opportunitiesfor learning about the contemporary migrations solutions. For StreetSmarts, don't miss this upcoming webinar:





You will receive email invitations about this and other relevant webinars, but to sign up today, visit the "MyMigration" Section of My Viewpoint. Look under "Upcoming Webinars" to register.





Learn how to contact your Migration Sales Consultant who can assist with pricing, implementationtimeline, and product demonstrationsFind details about what’s required to make the transition from your current software to a contemporaryViewpoint solutionRead success stories featuring the experience of other contractors who've made the moveDownload product brochuresAnd more!



Your At-the-Ready ResourceYou have a dedicated Migration Sales Consultant ready to assist you with new technology pricing, timeline forimplementation, arrangement of a personalized product demonstration, and any questions you may have. Tofind out who your Migration Sales Consultant is, please contact your Account Manager at 1-800-688-8226,Option 3.

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Product Update: Vista by Viewpoint

Vista 6.9 Release - A Path to Continued SuccessBy Rob Humphreys, Vice President of Product Management

As the saying goes, if you're not sure where you are going, it’s impossible to determine thebest way to get there. That is why a thoughtful and consensus-built roadmap and regularsoftware releases are essential to helping you run a smoother operation.

With the upcoming 6.9 release for Vista™ by Viewpoint, we are pleased to deliver numerousenhancements across our product lines requested by customers. These enhancements arefocused in the following areas: more integration between our products, additional mobile capabilities, a newand enhanced cloud offering and more operationally focused dashboard reports that can help you improveperformance and profitability across your construction operation.

I'd like to share with you highlights of the 6.9 release as follows:

Win More Business, Better Manage ProjectsVista by Viewpoint

Customers already experience a fully integrated, comprehensive suite of software solutions that help youmanage all areas of your operations. With this release, Vista has a tighter integration with Viewpoint ForProject Collaboration (VPC) – an online collaborative solution for sharing drawings, documents, emails, andcontracts among internal and external project stakeholders. This next level of integration enables drawings andconstruction documents initiated in Vista to be easily published and collaborated on in VPC -- ensuring projectcontrol at every stage of the project lifecycle.

With Viewpoint's new estimating solutions - estimators working in General Construction, Specialty Trades, andSite Work/Excavating can quickly and accurately takeoff, estimate, and bid projects. In this release, importing

data from our Viewpoint For Estimating products to Vista is now easier than ever saving users' time andhelping you to win even more profitable business.

Mobile EnhancementsFaster Access to DocumentsViewpoint continues to enhance and expand the mobile capabilities across the entirety of our product portfolio.Viewpoint For Content Management (VCM) provides digital storage, organization, access and distribution ofdata and documents. In this release, customers will find that in addition to the current desktop browserexperience, remote users can now easily search for, view and take actions on documents even when away fromthe office. This new functionality allows for faster document processing and shorter turnaround times onreviews and approvals.

Operational DashboardsRich and Functional Data for Increased VisibilityAccess to financial and operational data plays a critical role in the overall health of our customer’s business.Our Business Intelligence module is an innovative management tool to help drive improved performance andprofitability across your entire construction operation. With this release, we are providing more operationaldashboard reports for Vista that can help monitor the health of projects. These new dashboard reports includemonitoring exposure to subcontractor change orders, tracking margin by department and the ability to drill intochange order details by project manager, project, status and type.

Introducing Viewpoint For CloudFocus on your business while Viewpoint serves up your software in the cloudViewpoint For Cloud provides our customers with web based access to their Viewpoint applications fromanywhere, anytime without downloads or plug-ins (no more Citrix). Customers can also easily access additionalapplications such as MS Office Suite or other lines of business applications providing their end-users anintegrated experience that looks, feels, behaves, and responds just like being in the office.

We have built our own Cloud environment from the ground up and provide this solution as a Desktop as aService (DaaS) giving customers access to their data through a virtual desktop experience. With this cloudoffering we have total control of the environment and so it is simpler to use with more reliable access.

Defining the Future of Construction Excellence TogetherAs always, we remain dedicated to improving and updating our software based on customer feedback, markettrends and the newest of technologies. We truly appreciate our partnership with you and look forward tolooking at ways to continually enhance your business processes that drives lasting success for you.

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September Support Update

By Bill Berendes, Director of Customer Support

Countdown to Microsoft Product SupportSunset – 1 month remainingPer our previous e-mail communication in June of 2013 we would like to remind you the following MicrosoftProducts will no longer be supported and may become incompatible with the Viewpoint product lines with theSeptember 2014 releases.

Windows 2003Windows XPOffice 2003SQL 2005

Note Added July 2014: In addition we are announcing that Windows Vista will no longer be supported and maybecome incompatible with the Viewpoint product lines with the September 2015 releases.

Microsoft Product Support Sunset Frequently AskedQuestionsWhat does this mean?This means that you must upgrade your servers/desktops to newer versions of these products before youinstall the September 2014 release.

Why is Viewpoint discontinuing support on these products?This is a normal process. As our vendors no longer support certain releases, we in turn are not able to continueto debug and test on the release of their products. Does this mean full application functionality will not beguaranteed if you remain on any of these platforms beyond the date? Yes. While full application functionalitymay continue, Viewpoint cannot guarantee this.

Do I have to install the September 2014 release as soon as it is available?No, the September 2014 release will not be required to install the December 2014 Regulatory release for year-end processing – only the March 2014 update must be installed. Although, you would be forgoing the benefitsand functionality of the September 2014 release, you may postpone installation for a few months and into2015.

Note: The June 2015 Regulatory release will require installing either the September 2014 or March 2015release. The December 2015 Regulatory release will require installing either the March 2015 or September2015 release.

What conversion support can Viewpoint provide?If you need assistance in upgrading MS SQL Server from SQL 2005 or MS Windows 2003 Professional, theViewpoint Professional Services team offers billable services to assist you. To request Professional Servicessimply place a support request with Viewpoint.

Does this apply only to Vista or all Viewpoint products? (Note added in July 2014 newsletter)Any Viewpoint product released during or after September 2014 will follow this same Microsoft Product Supportschedule. Products that are not scheduled for a September 2014 release will not see a change in support untilthe next release is made available.

What if I have additional questions?Please send a support request with any questions you may have regarding the sunset of these products. Youcan also view the Viewpoint Product System Requirements document on Vantage Point for the currentminimum hardware requirements for running all Viewpoint products.

At your serviceBill [email protected]

Security changes coming in the Vista 6.9.0 releaseIn preparing for future software enhancements around performance, web services, integration, and securityadministration usability, we have made changes to the underlying SQL database accounts used by Viewpointthat will have an impact in how support and professional services are setup to help you.

We have prepared the following articles to help you understand the changes and how it will impact you.

Vista 6.9.0 Security changes – For the End User RoleVista 6.9.0 Security changes – For the IT/Database Administrator

Support Tip/TrickWebEx has a new lookEarlier this month Viewpoint upgraded to a newer version of WebEx. We hope that this will help with theApplication Support Specialist and the customer getting connected more quickly. With this, the email thatoften gets sent to customers with the WebEx link has changed in appearance.

In the previous version, the email looked like the following and the customer selected the link like in theexample seen below,

Go to https://viewpointcs.webex.com/viewpointcs/e.php?AT=WMI&EventID=ExampleURL

In the new version, the email looks like this:

And to join the meeting you only need to click the embedded link:

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Informative Release Enhancement Webinars – Don't Miss Out!

We are pleased to bring you the September 2014 release which contains new features, enhancements and are-brand of our products.

The name Viewpoint V6 Software is officially changing to Vista™ by Viewpoint with the September release. Thisnew product name is designed to reflect the expanding areas of the construction business we focus on and yourability to have a 360 degree view of your business – thus the view you’d have from a vista. In addition,Construction Imaging will now be referred to as Viewpoint For Content Management.

Many of the enhancements in this release are based on your input and feedback. This includes enhancementsto the Business Intelligence, Construction Operations, Service Management and Resource Managementmodules as well as Viewpoint For Content Management.

Please join us for the following webinars hosted by our Product Management team to learn about the significantenhancements in the September release. These webinars will also be recorded and available on Vantage Pointand the Viewpoint Learning Center for viewing at your convenience.

Vista by Viewpoint, Construction Operations (PM, PO,SL, JC, BI)This Fall Release for Construction Operations continues our focus on PM Cost Projections and viewing real-timeinformation on both cost and revenue projections. We’ll also feature Business Intelligence and a significantnumber of preconfigured dashboard reports. Please view this informative webinar spotlighting the enhancedfunctionality.

Presenter: Aaron Jost, Product OwnerDate and Time: Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET

Viewpoint For Content ManagementLearn about the key enhancements in the Fall Release for our Enterprise Content Management solution. We areexcited to introduce a mobile extension for ECM. Please see the attached Product Enhancement Brief for detailson the new features.

Presenter: Josh Wright, Product ManagerDate and Time: Thursday, October 9, 2014 – 11:30 am PT / 2:30 pm ET

Viewpoint For Project CollaborationNext up is our webinar about the enhanced functionality in the Fall Release of Viewpoint For ProjectCollaboration. We are continuing to enhance the overall usability, focus on best practices and enhancedcapabilities around the integration with Vista, giving you better insight into your projects. There will be a Q&Asession following the presentation. Please see the attached Product Enhancement Brief for details on the newfeatures.

Presenter: Aaron Jost, Product OwnerDate and Time: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 – 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET

Viewpoint For CloudPlease join us for this webinar featuring Viewpoint For Cloud. Our new Cloud environment provides fast,responsive, browser-based access with easy, anytime/anywhere accessibility from iOS, Android and Windowsdevices. Learn how Viewpoint For Cloud can host your mission-critical applications such as MS Office Suite,estimating, scheduling and document management. There will be a Q&A session following the presentation.Please see the attached Product Enhancement Brief for details on the new features.

Presenter: Gabe Authier, Product Manager and Matt Mosley, Sales EngineerDate and Time: Wednesday, October 15, 2014 – 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET

Vista™ by Viewpoint, Service ManagementPlease join us to learn about the enhancements in both the Work Order Management and Service Agreementsmodules for the Service Management suite. There will be a Q&A session following the presentation. Please seethe attached Product Enhancement Brief for details on the new features.

Presenter: Scott Hegrenes, Product ManagerDate and Time: Thursday, October 16, 2014 - 11:00 am / 2:00 pm ET

Security Changes in Vista™ by ViewpointTo prepare for future enhancements around web services, integration, and performance, the Vista by Viewpoint

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(formerly Viewpoint V6 Software) Fall Release will have some very important changes to the underlying SQLdatabase accounts that are used by Viewpoint. Learn how this change will impact you, what changes you needto make and what you can expect when you log a support case or receive services from Viewpoint staff afteryou install this release.

Presenter: Jim Emery, Product OwnerDate and Time: Thursday, October 23, 2014 - 11:00 am / 2:00 pm ET

Mobile Field ManagerNext up is our webinar about the enhanced functionality in Mobile Field Manager. Please note the release forMobile Field Manager will follow the Fall release in the October timeframe. Mobile Field Manager is a suite ofapplications for fast, effective data transfer from the field to the office. Enhancements include a new GridTimesheet Entry form and Progress Photos. There will be a Q&A session following the presentation.

Presenter: Ben Robbins, Product ManagerDate and Time: Thursday, November 6, 2014 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET

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