We work with thousands of companies each year who are looking for accounting software. Believe me most do not look at this as a fun thing to do. There are a lot of things to consider when making a change. What OS the software runs on most often is not the thing that ultimately drives the software choice. I understand the desire for staying with Linux but be sure to keep an open mind and review other software options. I believe you'll be doing your business a disservice if you don't look at other choices. Selecting the right accounting software can make or break the business.
That said there are literally thousands of accounting systems to consider. Obviously many more than anyone could ever consider. Given your business size you can quickly eliminate high end products like SAP, JD Edwards, etc as well as low end products like Quickbooks, MYOB, Peachtree, etc. You'll find your best bets are in the mid range product lines. I agree with you regarding the AR needs for your type of business. Actually it's very common for businesses to have specific needs in different areas. For example, a retailer has a completely different invoice process than does manufacturer. What can commonly be found are systems where the general accounting functions are provided by the main developer with a third party developer providing a complementary module that addresses the needs of a specific industry. Often this provides a good option for a lower cost.
You will however find that the vast majority of accounting systems (read 90+%) are Windows based. Like it or not it's a fact of life. In that environment is where you'll find the broadest number of choices available. Do a search on http://www.google.com/ for accounting software or visit http://www.findaccountingsoftware.com/ to see what I mean.
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We work with thousands of companies each year who are looking for accounting software. Believe me most do not look at this as a fun thing to do. There are a lot of things to consider when making a change. What OS the software runs on most often is not the thing that ultimately drives the software choice. I understand the desire for staying with Linux but be sure to keep an open mind and review other software options. I believe you'll be doing your business a disservice if you don't look at other choices. Selecting the right accounting software can make or break the business.
That said there are literally thousands of accounting systems to consider. Obviously many more than anyone could ever consider. Given your business size you can quickly eliminate high end products like SAP, JD Edwards, etc as well as low end products like Quickbooks, MYOB, Peachtree, etc. You'll find your best bets are in the mid range product lines. I agree with you regarding the AR needs for your type of business. Actually it's very common for businesses to have specific needs in different areas. For example, a retailer has a completely different invoice process than does manufacturer. What can commonly be found are systems where the general accounting functions are provided by the main developer with a third party developer providing a complementary module that addresses the needs of a specific industry. Often this provides a good option for a lower cost.
You will however find that the vast majority of accounting systems (read 90+%) are Windows based. Like it or not it's a fact of life. In that environment is where you'll find the broadest number of choices available. Do a search on http://www.google.com/ for accounting software or visit http://www.findaccountingsoftware.com/ to see what I mean.