being based in the cloud can extend workstation life.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
getting the right mix of mobility is critical for firms today.
more on tech spending: use scanners to capture source documents | monitor real estate: more is better | why you need an independent security review | standardize quickbooks support (and bring your clients) | remote deposit saves in several ways | how efficient are your audits?
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the accounting professional’s rule of thumb is that everyone who works out of the office one day per week or more and needs to be self-contained should have a laptop as their only machine. the obvious exception to this is for tax or administrative personnel who would never work from remote client sites, but have a computer at home that they can use to connect to the firm via a secure remote access solution.
the string of natural disasters over the past two decades, the promotion of remote work opportunities to retain staff and the transition to more cloud-based applications have led to some firms making the decision that all professional staff will utilize a laptop as their only workstation.
laptops should be scheduled for replacement every three years, whereas desktops are often functional for a fourth year. in firms that utilize workstations only as “dumb terminals” via tools such as citrix and microsoft remote desktop server (formerly windows terminal server), the functioning life of a desktop computer can be five or more years.
today, there is little benefit in purchasing off-brand computers, and most firms buy desktops from dell, lenovo, toshiba and hp/compaq. one of the keys for a stable environment is to buy the business versions rather than consumer units and to standardize on as few models as possible within the firm. studies done in the past found that such standardization could reduce the total cost of ownership by 26 percent or more.
firms have also found that buying rather than leasing makes more sense, as the firm can roll out replacement computers at their convenience, instead of being forced to complete a transition by a specific date to return the leased laptops.
cloud-based firms are also finding that the life of their workstations can be extended one to two years as the bulk of computer processing is being done on the cloud-based servers.
the key components firms should be concerned about when evaluating workstations are ram, processor and solid state drives. the firm standard should be a minimum of 8gb ram with tax personnel having 16gb to handle the increased number of applications loaded simultaneously in today’s digital environment. for traditional computer networks where much of the work is processed on the workstation, the minimum processor used by accountants should be an intel core i5 and for the more robust needs of tax users, an i7 processor would be recommended. for firms moving to the cloud, an i5 processor and 4gb ram work adequately today, but it is anticipated that the number of applications and screens accountants use will continue to increase so i recommend purchasing future cloud terminals with 8gb ram.
one of the significant changes in laptop design that occurred in 2012 was the rollout of ultrabooks that are less than 1” thin, weigh less than three pounds and have a battery life of more than five hours. these highly mobile devices were designed to provide an alternative to the proliferation of tablets, which many desktop users were acquiring to do work when away from their desk.
while tablets (apple ipad, android) have become valuable tools for “consuming” information, the majority of work performed by cpas is still done on traditional desktop and laptop computers that have access to multiple screens and full-size keyboards. microsoft’s surface pro units are a fully functioning hybrid between laptops and tablets, but the overall cost is higher than traditional laptops and peripherals, so adoption in cpa firms has been cautious.
recommended actions:
- maintain laptop and desktop inventory to identify annual replacement requirements.
- purchase name brand, business-class workstations in as large a lot as possible to promote standardization.