it’s simpler than you think.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
every firm has concerns about their systems being hacked or getting attacked by a virus or malware. but the vast majority of issues can be effectively negated with one simple process: keep your software updated. i’ll explain how the best firms do it. read more →
debate erupts at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 linkedin group.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
one of our regular contributors, hitendra r. patil, coo of pransform inc. in chicago, pointed out an article in a 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 linkedin group post. he noted that katrina geety had posted “i was skeptical about a move to the cloud. what it cost our firm.” on the workflow exchange.
she noted that a server crash hadn’t meant any loss of data, since that was backed up, but a new one, related upgrades, downtime and testing meant an unproductive week. “had i hosted my applications instead, i would have paid $219 per month, a total of $3,723 for 17 months, instead of investing well over $30,000.” read more →
plan transition and training as part of a firmwide rollout.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
to be effective in business today, every member of your firm must optimally utilize the microsoft office suite at an intermediate to advanced level for outlook, excel and word.
if your firm is on office 2007 or older, or has microsoft software assurance where the upgrade is included, you should jump to the 2013 version or consider the cloud-based office 365.
more tech trends: windows 8 augers new era for how accountants will work in the future | how to choose the right backup system | how to know it’s time to scrap your old server | where laptops rule at cpa firms today | step 1 in building the paperless firm: scanners | how many computer monitors do you need? | the 9 ways managing partners leverage technology for a competitive edge | 2014 roundtable: tax season tech boom
today’s standard is office 2007 or 2010 and firms with previous and mixed versions should plan on moving everyone to the latest common version as soon as feasible.
when neither democracy nor dictatorship works, there is a third way.
by auqust aquila
creating the effective partnership
what checks and balances exist in your firm to keep it strong but also to protect the minority interest?
maybe it’s time for more firms to consider a republic instead of a so-called democracy. the larger firms in the country are surely run more like a republic than a democracy. smaller firms would be well advised to change their governance to mirror the larger firms. but let’s start with the dictatorial form of governance – commonly found, sometimes wildly successful, but only to a point. read more →
more mobile, more monitors, more power.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
okay, we all know that the windows operating system is preferred to run computers by the primary vendors to the accounting profession.
all decisions about operating systems have to be made carefully as they impact software and hardware decisions for at least three to five years.
more tech spending tips: how to choose the right backup system | how to know it’s time to scrap your old server | where laptops rule at cpa firms today | step 1 in building the paperless firm: scanners | how many computer monitors do you need? | the 9 ways managing partners leverage technology for a competitive edge | 2014 roundtable: tax season tech boom
you can’t overlook increasing computer memory to function optimally with today’s multi-monitor requirements and the multitude of concurrent applications your staff will be running. read more →
getting specific with leadership duties and partner accountability.
by auqust aquila
creating the effective partnership
as leaders of a firm, partners need to do more than pay for themselves and contribute to overhead expenses. their duties to the firm and to each other extend to bringing in new business, improving their own skills as well as developing skills in others, contributing to strategy and a passion for continuous improvement in all things.
more partner issues: are bad clients driving you crazy? | 6 steps to handle staffing problems in a merger | new times call for new cpa firm metrics | why cpa firms fail in innovation | when the deal is done: a 24-point checklist for the morning after | 7 signs your firm is headed for an implosion | why some partners should not retire | why is it always about partner compensation?
most firms don’t take enough time to develop meaningful partner goals because it is a very time-consuming process. but, if you want to get better results in this highly competitive environment, this is the road you need to take.
here are eight key areas where partners can and should provide leadership in a firm. read more →
new study shows merger mania and consolidation force new imperatives for the year ahead.
it’s no secret that the u.s. accounting industry is consolidating. with m&a comes an era of larger regional firms with more staff and more specific advisory services and clients than the general public accounting practice model our fathers and grandfathers knew.
more on the managing partner: the 9 ways managing partners leverage technology for a competitive edge | the 3 traits shared by 150 top managing partners | how the best managing partners lead by example | what successful managing partners do | managing partners reveal 11 strategies for getting their firms to the top | 27 tough questions for evaluating the performance of a managing partner | essential advice for the new managing partner | eight new metrics to measure managing partner performance and potential
whether they want to conserve firm value for outgoing partners or grow for the next generation — or both — firm managing partners face difficult choices.
in a new study, members of bkr international reveal five important to-do items that need to take place within firms to support continued growth and excellent client service in the coming year and beyond. read more →
as tape drives fast become overloaded, unreliable and obsolete.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
your firm’s safety net in the event of any disaster is your data backup. it better be consistently performed and securely stored offsite.
typically, firms have a problem when their old backup systems fail or the tapes don’t complete because there’s too much data to fit. this is becoming a common problem as more data and more applications add significantly more volume, making the backup application require more storage and a longer running time to complete.
more tech trends: how to know it’s time to scrap your old server | where laptops rule at cpa firms today | step 1 in building the paperless firm: scanners | how many computer monitors do you need? | the 9 ways managing partners leverage technology for a competitive edge | 2014 roundtable: tax season tech boom
the tape drive you have today will be the last one you will ever own. today 57% of firms are backing up all their data to the internet at least once per month. and the trend shows every sign of accelerating. but how do you choose the right solution for your firm? read more →
what accountants know – and don’t know – so far.
by matt powalski, cpa
pkf texas
a global technological phenomenon called bitcoin has spread all over the news and media ever since its inception in 2009. this digital technology is a trading platform and payment system that can act as a form of currency, property or stock.
cpas, accountants and financial professionals, no doubt, will want to become more familiar with bitcoin, in order to advise their clients and employers on the topic. read more →
firms now recovered about 9 in 10 jobs lost in financial collapse.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
the u.s. tax, accounting and bookkeeping industries have recovered nearly 89 percent of the jobs lost in the economic crisis, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources.
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 careers and hiring outlook
job satisfaction and retention benchmarks
here 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reports on:
the u.s. economy as a whole added 209,000 jobs in july. in addition to the growth of 47,000 jobs in professional and business services, increases were seen in the manufacturing, retail trade and construction sectors. the unemployment rate remained stable at 6.2 percent, down from 7.3 percent a year earlier. read more →
and the six recommended actions before moving to the cloud.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
in almost every firm, the core computers used for all applications are internal file servers. down time for a day or two is a disaster. if that out-of-service stoppage stretches to a week or more, your partner income will suffer measurably.
simply put, mission-critical servers utilized for tax, audit, time and billing, and email have, at most, an effective five-year life. read more →
smallest practices find new profits in going virtual as larger firms would prefer to cut staff and delay tech upgrades.
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 exclusive
if you’re a sole practitioner, there’s a 4 in 10 chance you’re reading this outside the office – at home, on the bus, maybe while waiting in line at the dmv, according to the accounting firm operations and technology survey.
related: accountants find power and freedom in mobile tech | how firms are adapting to the new mobile workforce | new client opportunities with mobile apps | cloud & mobile technologies drive change in tax and accounting
the new survey of almost 300 professionals shows that 44% of sole practitioners report they work out of the office more than a quarter of the time, placing them in the vanguard of the mobile workforce trend. in fact, 5 percent use no office at all, reporting instead they work virtually – maybe from home, car, a client’s desk or even a starbucks. (though we suppose those grande mocha light frappuccinos add up.)
troubling problems in the forensic accounting profession and the certification industry.
by wm. dennis huber
capella university
significant problems are surfacing within the forensic accounting profession and the forensic accounting certification industry, undermining both the profession and the industry.
four factors are combining to cause confusion among not just forensic accountants, but also the users of forensic accounting services: (1) the disparity in the legal statuses of the certification corporations; (2) the qualifications of their directors and officers; (3) the educational, experience and examination requirements; and (4) the (non)existence and (non)enforceability of codes of ethics and standards of practice.
it may be time for the national association of state boards of accountancy to step in.