It’s never been easier to prepare your own tax return.

The software available for the 2012 tax season has been both expanded and made easier to use. This will make the annual chore quicker and reduce the chance of missing big deductions and important tax credits.

Close to 40 million taxpayers prepared their own returns online last year. That’s up 14 percent from 2010 and nearly 24 percent from 2009, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Still, more than 33 million returns were submitted on paper forms in 2011, meaning there’s still a large target market for software providers. Whether you’re an old hand or trying e-filing for the first time, you’ll find an array of software choices:

This market-leading program is user-friendly and easy to navigate. That’s a big plus for anyone who may be a little uncomfortable handling financial paperwork. It uses multiple graphics to depict various categories of deductions, such as a small house for mortgage, property taxes and related deductions and a graduation cap for education-related items.

It also asks simple questions that lead you to various points on the return and to additional forms to possibly include, without making it obvious what’s happening.

Do-it-yourselfers who used Intuit Inc.’s TurboTax in past years should be able to call up their information from prior years when they log in. TurboTax also can grab prior-year return information from your computer if you used another company’s software. The software compares results between years, which is another way to ensure you don’t miss any deductions or credits.

Source:http://newsok.com/technology-update-software-exras-ease-do-it-yourself-taxes/article/3646897?custom_click=pod_headline_national-finance-news

Technology firm Take Solutions today released its Web-based solution suite ‘PharmaReady 5.0′ for use by life science organisations for faster regulatory approvals of their new products.

The product has a record of 100 per cent submission acceptance by the regulatory authorities, the company claimed.

“PharmaReady 5.0 supports submissions to Swissmedic, USFDA, Health Canada and EMEA,” it added.

Speaking on the launch Take Solutions President and CEO Ram Yeleswarapu said: “Take Solutions has understood the pulse of life sciences market…we are proud to release the upgraded version PharmaReady 5.0″.

This version has technology upgrades to enhance scalability, response time and is easy to use and can run on any Microsoft platform, the company said.

Shares of Take Solutions today closed at Rs 26 on BSE, up 0.97 per cent from its previous close.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/software-services/Take-Solutions-launches-software-for-life-sciences-cos/articleshow/11550462.cms

Ilesfay Technology Group LLC, an early-stage company that offers cloud-based data replication services for corporate product life-cycle management (PLM) systems, announced today it is expanding its services to South America and making available ZoneSync, a first-to-market software application that improves point-to-cloud and cloud-to-cloud data replication processes.

ZoneSync allows network administrators to replicate data from their business systems to the cloud and create ongoing, automatic replication schedules that keep their data synchronized not only with their business systems but with their other cloud systems as well. The result is accurate, on-demand data that is the same for all users, regardless of their location.

Ilesfay’s expansion of services, made possible after Amazon added its Sao Paulo region, will allow companies in South America to replicate data across their systems with increased efficiency.

“Businesses with distributed work groups that want to use cloud computing are often challenged by not only getting their data to the cloud but also making sure the data continues to flow correctly between the cloud and their current systems,” said Chris McLennan, CEO of Ilesfay. “ZoneSync is designed to improve that process by making it easier to onboard to the cloud and regulate the data replication according to a set of rules.”

ZoneSync is the newest of five SaaS products from Ilesfay: Ilesfay Replication, IlesfayFS, Ilesfay for PLM, and OEM Backup/Restore. In addition, Ilesfay has several patents pending to make its ZoneSync technology more efficient.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cloud-based-software-firm-expanding-adding-new-data-replication-technology-2012-01-03

Align Technology has announced the introduction of version 4.05 of its software for the iTero 3D scanning system.

The new software upgrade represents a significant improvement in operational flexibility, introducing the Invisalign Scanning Protocol to provide full interoperability with Invisalign treatment.

Users will be able to link their systems to the Invisalign Doctor Site and Invisalign Case Gallery, while other new features include enhancements to bite registration scanning, new guidance, an eraser tool and real-time modelling.

Align will be introducing the new software for existing iTero customers via a phased software rollout over the coming weeks.

Timothy Mack, Align Technology’s senior vice-president of business development, said: “Integration with Invisalign treatment brings the same enhanced accuracy of digital impressions and greater treatment efficiency, along with a better overall patient experience, to practices that are also offering Invisalign treatment.”

This follows on from the October 2011 introduction of Invisalign G4, the latest version of its dental malocclusion treatment technology.

Source:http://www.zenopa.com/news/801250443/Align_Technology_launches_new_iTero_4.05_software

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has announced a deal valued at more than a billion US dollars with aviation computer technology provider Sabre Airline Solutions.

The result of an exhaustive selection process, the 10-year deal will see Etihad Airways utilize cutting edge, integrated software across its reservations, inventory, marketing, planning, e-commerce, distribution and departure control operations.

The Sabre-created software will be implemented by February, 2013 and will significantly reduce the airline’s technology costs while streamlining processes considerably.

Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer James Hogan said: “This groundbreaking deal will play a pivotal role in providing Etihad Airways with the tools necessary to achieve its next phase of growth and profitability targets in an innovative, sustainable and cost effective manner.

“It will be the single largest technology-enabled business change that Etihad Airways will undertake in a decade.

“Sabre came to us with a world-class product that we believe will help us increase revenues but also take our outstanding customer service to another level. This integrated approach not only gives us cost certainty, but creates efficiencies of scale. We are fortunate to be in a position, unlike legacy carriers, to be able to implement this software across the board,” Hogan said.

Also included in the deal is a multi-year, full content distribution agreement to provide Sabre-connected travel agents worldwide with real time access to Etihad Airways’ flight and scheduling information.

Etihad Airways will also be able to access the Sabre global distribution system to market and sell products and services.

Sam Gilliland, Sabre Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Etihad Airways is a premier airline in a growing and dynamic part of the world. We are privileged to work with a visionary carrier that will greatly benefit from Sabre’s best in class-in-class technology, which will provide the airline with the flexibility to adapt to the constantly changing travel marketplace.

Source:http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/346294/etihad-inks-software-technology-deal

The school committee approved phase one of the technology plan Monday night, Dec. 19, which included the purchasing of the X2 student information system software and also hiring on a data manager to oversee the implementation of X2.

The data manager will work for the remainder of the fiscal year on the implementation of the program, at a salary of $30,000.

The system, which costs about $65,000, will allow all the schools to have a centralized data system for records such as attendance, grades, schedules, and course registrations.

According to assistant superintendent Jim Kelleher, who has been working with the technology committee, investing in this programming and this position is a top priority for the school district.

According to Kelleher, in recent years the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has increased their expectations for reports on student grades, attendance and other measures, along with personnel information.

Kelleher said X2 is a program that would allow the school department to meet these expectations as the program not only stores academic information for students, but also personnel records, district curriculum records, professional development, student grades, teacher websites, as well as other features.

“The X2 program will allow Scituate to compile these new reports in an efficient way that we are currently unable to do with so many overlapping and outdated programs,” wrote Kelleher in an email.

He said the current programming doesn’t allow the schools to migrate student information between schools, translate data to reports accurately, and it also does not allow the school to develop the master schedule efficiently. Kelleher said all of these things then cause more work for already busy administrators.

However, school committee member Bill Johnston was hesitant about voting for the programming initially. “I just don’t feel we have enough of a plan,” Johnston said.

Johnston said he agreed the schools should have the X2 software and a data manager, however without knowing the budget for future fiscal years, he was nervous they may not be able to maintain the new position and also he wanted to make sure the school staff would be able to use the new software.

“We don’t want to make the same mistake again of investing in technology and then it taking us three years to train our teachers for it,” said Johnston.

Johnston also said along with the capital investments there needed to be professional development and someone to be on call for the teachers and staff in case something breaks or isn’t working right.

Source:http://www.wickedlocal.com/scituate/topstories/x1479407986/Scituate-investing-in-technology-X2-Software-to-be-used-district-wide#axzz1hKO0dDvX