Edelkoort Smethurst Schein CPA’s LLP was one of the “early adopters” and began using Microsoft VISTA during October 2007.

I can certainly attest to the frustration that has been vented by people who have gone through the transition. This was particularly true with regard to Excel spreadsheet applications. I am not sure why Microsoft did this, but they changed and shifted around just about every template and function. The functions still exist, but it took some time to learn where they are. I eventually adapted to the new layout and I am now as efficient as ever on Excel, but it did make me wonder why Microsoft did this. I don’t think Microsoft realized how busy people are, especially in accounting and finance who use spreadsheets to such an extent – these people don’t have time in their day to fiddle with and learn new icons and screens – akin to learning a new language.

Anyway, I found that like any change, it was initially difficult, but I was able to master it relatively quickly and have actually found that VISTA is indeed superior to the previous version.  My advice, for what it is worth for organizations making the transition, is to provide adequate lead time and training for users, and treat Vista like a system upgrade. That most likely means the IT department should be involved with training and support. Remember that many of spreadsheets support calculations for financial reporting. The last thing an organization can afford is to have errors in financial statements that are the result of transitioning to a new spreadsheet format. Treat this like you would any other significant system change (review it, test it etc) and you will be likely fine. Problems may occur for those who introduce this haphazardly without adequate planning and oversight

I hope this helps. Please contact Edelkoort Smethurst Schein CPA’s LLP at Edelkoort Smethurst Schein CPA’s LLP if you have any questions or comments.