What is The Business Edge?

Computer Insights, Inc. introduces The Business Edge, an ERP software specifically tailored for fastener and industrial supply distributors, allowing them to maximize efficiency while minimizing resource expenditure. This distinct emphasis on the fastener sector distinguishes The Business Edge from competing solutions. It caters to a diverse array of organizations across the United States and Canada, ranging from small teams of four members to larger corporations with more than 500 employees. The software boasts a comprehensive suite of features, including a wireless warehouse management system, seamless integration with customer relationship management tools, simplified sales tax calculations using Avalara, improved shipping workflows via ShipEngine, support for ISO audits, and the automation of numerous processes. Moreover, it automatically confirms package quantities, availability, and pricing during purchase order entry, which helps streamline operations significantly. Users can submit verified purchase orders electronically, eliminating the need for repetitive data entry. The system also provides advanced search functionalities through suppliers' line cards, utilizing unique product trees to facilitate efficient inquiries regarding pricing and stock availability. Ultimately, The Business Edge significantly boosts productivity and accuracy for businesses engaged in fastener distribution, making it an invaluable tool in the industry. Additionally, its user-friendly interface ensures that teams can adapt quickly, further enhancing operational effectiveness.

Pricing

Price Starts At:
$10000
Price Overview:
The Business Edge is sold as a complete system: a one-time up-front investment that includes every module selected at purchase, plus evergreen maintenance. Maintenance covers every upgrade and unlimited support — phone, email, Slack, and Zoom. Additional modules can be added at any time as your business grows. All training is included at no additional charge: initial implementation, refresher, new-employee, and advanced features. Contact Computer Insights, Inc. for a quote tailored to your company.

Integrations

Offers API?:
Yes, The Business Edge provides an API

Screenshots and Video

The Business Edge Screenshot 1

Company Facts

Company Name:
Computer Insights
Date Founded:
1981
Company Location:
United States
Company Website:
www.ci-inc.com/info/
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Product Details

Deployment
SaaS
Linux
iPhone
iPad
Android
On-Prem
Training Options
Documentation Hub
Online Training
Webinars
On-Site Training
Video Library
Support
Standard Support
24 Hour Support
Web-Based Support

Product Details

Target Company Sizes
1-10
11-50
51-200
201-500
501-1000
Target Organization Types
Mid Size Business
Small Business
Enterprise
Freelance
Startup
Supported Languages
English

The Business Edge Categories and Features

Distribution Software

Barcoding / RFID
Import / Export Management
Inventory Management
Order Management
Purchasing
Returns Management
Sales Forecasting
Shipping Management
Warehouse Management

More The Business Edge Categories

The Business Edge Customer Reviews

Write a Review
  • Reviewer Name: Terri O.
    Position: Materials
    Has used product for: 2+ Years
    Uses the product: Daily
    Org Size (# of Employees): 1 - 25
    Feature Set
    Layout
    Ease Of Use
    Cost
    Customer Service
    Would you Recommend to Others?
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    Great People

    Date: Aug 25 2026
    Summary

    Business Edge is great software. Newbies coming into our company learn how to use it quickly! If you can type, you can use BE.

    Positive

    I enjoy working will all the people at BE. I have dealt with them for 12+ years and have always had my questions answered.

    Negative

    Not much. The people there have always been very accommodating! When a problem has occurred, they usually figure out how to solve it.

    Read More...
    Official The Business Edge Response
    Date: Aug 26 2026
    Hi Terri, Thank you for taking the time to write this. Twelve-plus years is a long relationship, and "Great People" is exactly the reputation we work hardest to earn. We'll pass this along to the team; they'll be glad to know they're still getting your questions answered. We also love "If you can type, you can use BE." That may be the best one-line summary of the software we've heard, and it's great to hear your new hires are up and running quickly. Thanks again for trusting us every day. If anything ever does come up, you know where to find us. The Business Edge Team
  • Reviewer Name: Susie K.
    Position: Sales Supervisor
    Has used product for: 2+ Years
    Uses the product: Daily
    Org Size (# of Employees): 1 - 25
    Feature Set
    Layout
    Ease Of Use
    Cost
    Customer Service
    Would you Recommend to Others?
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    Sales

    Date: Aug 24 2026
    Summary

    Very pleasant experiences. Everyone at Computer Insights is very professional and responds quickly to any issues that might come up.

    Positive

    Very easy to use and simple ways to look up products. The Search Tree Menu is a huge help for navigating the system.

    Negative

    Too many ways to do the same thing. Other than that, no issues.

    Read More...
    Official The Business Edge Response
    Date: Aug 24 2026
    Susie, thank you — the Search Tree Menu is one of those features that quietly earns its keep every day, so I'm glad it's working for your team. You're the second person to tell us there are too many ways to do the same thing, and I take that seriously; if it would help, we'll walk your group through the shortest paths for the work you do most, and that training is included with your system at no charge. Just email or call us at (800) 539-1233. Thank you for taking the time to write this. — Dennis Cowhey, President, Computer Insights, Inc.
  • Reviewer Name: Eric S.
    Position: Chief Purchasing Officer
    Has used product for: 2+ Years
    Uses the product: Daily
    Org Size (# of Employees): 26 - 99
    Feature Set
    Layout
    Ease Of Use
    Cost
    Customer Service
    Would you Recommend to Others?
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    Great Software!

    Date: Aug 04 2026
    Summary

    The learning curve is very low and that's great when bringing on a new team member. I was really against replacing FASPAC to be honest, but TBE won me over rapidly and now I sing its praises far and wide.

    Positive

    It is feature packed and if you want to do something, it's probably there somewhere. It is relatively bug-free, which compared to some other products is critical. It lets us get the information we need quickly and accurately. That means we can focus on selling. You can export almost anything to Excel to make reports; I love that part. Their support team is readily available and I like that also. It's really customizable and you can turn on/off different fields, boxes, and re-order layouts too. It's even got themes.

    Negative

    My biggest complaint, personally believe it or not, is if you're a really fast typist (I'm over 100wpm) sometimes on a new screen it'll miss the first one or two characters. Most users will never experience this. It is not the fault of the software but the framework. The biggest universal dislike here is that it can't handle negative inventory, which we find mystifying. (We were a FASPAC user before this, and as clunky as it was, it handled it gracefully.)

    Read More...
    Official The Business Edge Response
    Date: Aug 04 2026
    Eric, thank you — "I was against replacing our old system, but TBE won me over" is the sentence every software company hopes to earn, and your honesty about the rough edges makes the rest mean more. On the fast-typist keystroke issue: I have a couple of ideas that may help, including some things worth checking on the workstation side — please call me at (800) 539-1233 and we'll dig into it together. And I hear you on negative inventory; I'd welcome that conversation too, because understanding the workflows behind a request is how features get built here. — Dennis Cowhey, President, Computer Insights, Inc.
  • Reviewer Name: Linda T.
    Position: Vice President
    Has used product for: 2+ Years
    Uses the product: Daily
    Org Size (# of Employees): 100 - 499
    Feature Set
    Layout
    Ease Of Use
    Cost
    Customer Service
    Would you Recommend to Others?
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    Vice President

    Date: Aug 04 2026
    Summary

    We've been with The Business Edge for over 15 years. I love the fact that the developers are constantly making new features and new functionally as business in general changes all the time.

    Positive

    Ease of utilizing the keyboard navigation and shortcuts makes the system user friendly. This ERP system encompasses every aspect of our business from Distribution, to Manufacturing, Quality, MRP, Certifications, payment solutions etc. Everything is integrated in 1 solution. No 3rd party add-ons.

    Negative

    As with any software there can be areas you don't care for. Everything is usable and consistent.

    Read More...
    Official The Business Edge Response
    Date: Aug 04 2026
    Linda, thank you — and thank you for more than 15 years with us. I'm especially glad the keyboard navigation still earns its keep; we build for people who live in the system all day, and speed at the keys matters more than screenshots ever show. The steady stream of new features you mentioned comes largely from clients telling us what the fastener industry needs next, so please keep those ideas coming. — Dennis Cowhey, President, Computer Insights, Inc.
  • Reviewer Name: Matt G.
    Position: CEO
    Has used product for: 2+ Years
    Uses the product: Daily
    Org Size (# of Employees): 100 - 499
    Feature Set
    Layout
    Ease Of Use
    Cost
    Customer Service
    Would you Recommend to Others?
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    A wonderful solution for a Stocking Fastener Manufacturer

    Date: Aug 04 2026
    Summary

    Excellent. The robustness of the program means it rarely goes down, and when it does (and we are a 24/7 operation) it's fixed within 30-45 minutes of reporting the problem. The responsiveness of the family owned company behind The Business Edge is extraordinary.

    Positive

    Speed - even with 400,000 SKU's my reports run quickly
    Design - the ease of customization and the ability to put all of your frequently used items in your My Menu
    Export and API's - we have no trouble getting information out into any of our data or custom software products

    Negative

    Because there are so many canned reports and different ways to do things it's hard to keep track, and hard to know if you're using the most efficient method to get your work done

    Read More...
    Official The Business Edge Response
    Date: Aug 04 2026
    Matt, thank you — running 400,000 SKUs with reports that still feel quick is exactly the workload we build for, and I'm glad My Menu and the APIs are pulling their weight in your custom tools. Your point about so many ways to do things is fair, and there's a standing answer: refresher and efficiency training is included with your system at no charge, always — call us at (800) 539-1233 and we'll walk your team through the fastest paths for the work you actually do. And "family owned" means a great deal to me personally; my father founded this company in 1981, and the responsiveness you described is the standard he set. — Dennis Cowhey, President, Computer Insights, Inc.
  • Reviewer Name: Lindsey K.
    Position: Owner
    Has used product for: 6-12 Months
    Uses the product: Daily
    Org Size (# of Employees): 1 - 25
    Feature Set
    Layout
    Ease Of Use
    Cost
    Customer Service
    Would you Recommend to Others?
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    The Business Edge is the way to go!

    Date: Aug 24 2026
    Summary

    Overall our experience has been fantastic. I can't praise the team there enough because they are great to work with, even if I have to call 50 times a day. I would highly recommend this to another fastener distributor because it has everything you need to manage all aspects of your business.

    Positive

    There are too many pros to list them all, but my favorite part of the system is the Vendor Managed Inventory. We are able to set bin labels for our customers and scan items they need and it puts the order right into our system. With Quickbooks Enterprise (which we previously used), we had to write up orders (pencil and paper), bring the orders back and then write them up line by line. My other favorite part is the ease of seeing everything you need on one screen. What was the last price we bought it at and sold it at is right there. In QB, I had to get out of an order, go back and find it, and then come back in. These two things have saved me hours a day!!

    Negative

    My least favorite part of The Business Edge is the accounting, but it is just different than what I was used to and takes time to learn. Luckly their customer support staff is amazing and helps us through any issues we have.

    Read More...
    Official The Business Edge Response
    Date: Aug 29 2026
    Lindsey, thank you for the review. Vendor Managed Inventory is exactly what we had in mind when we built The Business Edge for distributors — scan the bin on-site, and the order lands in the system, no pencil-and-paper round trip. Hearing that it and the one-screen order view are saving you hours a day is the best feedback we could ask for. You're right that the accounting side works differently than QuickBooks Enterprise, and it takes a little time to settle in. Call us 50 times a day if you need to — that's what the support team is there for, and they'll tell you the same. Thanks for recommending us to other fastener distributors. We're glad to have you on board. — The Business Edge Team
  • Reviewer Name: Jenny L.
    Position: Exec Admin Asst
    Has used product for: 2+ Years
    Uses the product: Daily
    Org Size (# of Employees): 26 - 99
    Feature Set
    Layout
    Ease Of Use
    Cost
    Customer Service
    Would you Recommend to Others?
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    Vendor Aging

    Date: Aug 31 2026
    Summary

    I was looking for a vendor aging report with the account numbers and couldn't find one. I emailed Angela, who then reached out to Dennis and he had that added as one of the columns that I could select within minutes. Super fast, reliable, and it was easy to communicate my needs.

    Positive

    Dennis was able to get the situation resolved quickly and with no additional information needed from me.

    Negative

    There wasn't anything that I didn't like except for the fact that the column wasn't there when I originally went to pull the report.

    Read More...
    Official The Business Edge Response
    Date: Aug 31 2026
    Jenny, thank you — this review describes exactly how we want things to work. You needed a vendor aging report with account numbers, you told Angela, and the column was there within minutes. No back-and-forth, no ticket queue, no "we'll add it to the roadmap." When something you need isn't there yet, that's how fast we want the answer to be. I'll make sure Angela sees this too — easy to communicate with starts with her. Thanks for taking the time to write it up. — Dennis Cowhey, President, Computer Insights, Inc.
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