monitor real estate: more is better

empty office space with many monitorsno, one big screen is not just as good as multiple smaller ones.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

the best place to start the discussion on hardware is with monitors as it is the easiest place to see an immediate return on your it investment.

more on tech spending: keep your tech budget updated | develop monthly it flash reports | centralize contact administration | is your ap digital yet? | a better way to handle time & expenses | how the best cpa firms capture best tech practices in procedures manuals | workflow systems make tax season less tedious | smart firms don’t happen by accident
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your monitors are your windows into all digitally stored information and are the foundation for improving every aspect of firm production. transitioning tax production processes from physical to digital requires that all input screens and source documents be simultaneously viewable in a convenient format, which today means more screen real estate per workstation.
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keep your tech budget updated

three people looking at server rackwill you replace servers or head for the cloud?

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

we have all heard the saying that if you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up going nowhere (or… you won’t ever get there).

more on tech spending: centralize contact administration | standardize quickbooks support (and bring your clients) | remote deposit saves in several ways  | how efficient are your audits? | going digital: how to train a client | unified messaging offers benefits | remote access: giving workers what they want | desktops vs. laptops
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unfortunately, many accounting firms do not do a good job of integrating their information technology requirements into the firm’s overall strategic vision.
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develop monthly it flash reports

fiber opticsafter a while, you’ll review them just like financials.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

most firms have a line partner or firm administrator overseeing the firm’s information technology department.

more on tech spending: mandate training programs | turn to portal encryption | deliver reports digitally (even in-house) | front-end scanning hits the mainstream | don’t just store documents, manage them | stay on top of software updates | update your backup
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these people may have an interest in information technology, but their primary responsibility lies in other production areas. they need a way to efficiently oversee the firm’s it initiatives.
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why you need an independent security review

hacking and security word cloudalso vital: annual training on threats.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

going paperless means that all firm files and client data will be digitally stored on the firm’s network, which is almost always accessible to firm personnel via internal workstations and remotely via the internet.

more on tech spending: mandate training programs | centralize contact administration | is your ap digital yet? | how the best cpa firms capture best tech practices in procedures manuals | smart firms don’t happen by accident | are you ready for office 365? | size matters: in desktop monitors
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the firm has a fiduciary responsibility to protect this data from anyone not specifically authorized to view it.
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survey: cybersecurity grows in importance

technology security with internet digital signature as artmake sure word filters throughout the firm, not just in it.

by roman kepczyk
the rosenberg map survey

in 2015, from a technology perspective, we saw traditional firms becoming increasingly comfortable with adoption of cloud-based technologies, many by first outsourcing their outlook with hosted microsoft exchange, which proved that the cost and expanded capabilities were better than what firms could do themselves.

more from the survey: mergers spur growth | accounting profession demands swift change | don’t just win work, figure out why | talent wars, m&a frenzy continue | next-gen leaders getting restless | mergers keep racing forward  | do you have a firm or a co-op? | accountability, equity, compensation are concerns | map survey top 10 findings | cpa firm revenues rise a hefty 8%
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the growing desire to have anytime, anywhere access to all the firm’s applications and data further promoted the adoption of private cloud and vendor-hosted solutions, so remote access capability could be firmwide.
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forget technology. the last, best competitive edge is now your firm’s ‘learning’ skills

office workers training on computershow to build it and give chargeable credit to the coordinators.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

for many firms, the ability to identify, standardize and implement best practices is the last remaining competitive advantage in business today as communications tools and access to technology have become available to everyone.

more on tech spending: centralize contact administration | standardize quickbooks support (and bring your clients) | remote deposit saves in several ways | how efficient are your audits? | going digital: how to train a client | hit ‘delete,’ but only when it’s time | unified messaging offers benefits | remote access: giving workers what they want | why use windows 10?
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to take advantage of the continuous stream of innovation and opportunities, firms must adopt a “learning culture.” this requires a formal process to capture and standardize best practices in every department within the firm so that every person can take advantage of them.
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survey says: centralize contact administration

woman looking at paperwork at computermake sure the current information is available where people look for it.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

many firms today maintain contact information within multiple applications such as practice management, outlook, tax systems and other marketing and crm (customer relationship management) programs.

more on tech spending: standardize quickbooks support (and bring your clients) | turn to portal encryption | deliver reports digitally (even in-house) | tech trends for auditors | front-end scanning hits the mainstream | don’t just store documents, manage them | which wireless depends on location | stay on top of software updates
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

too often, a significant amount of time is wasted in firms pulling contact information together, reconciling and verifying lists for mailings, invitations, and even organizers. it is critical that firms centralize the updating of contact information for consistency.

“91 percent of firms have a centralized contact management list; 67 percent of firms maintained this list in their practice management application.” – cpafma 2015 survey

for example, tax personnel, who are often the first to be made aware of a change, may make the change within their tax program and not pass the change to others. all changes, from every source, need to be sent to administration where one person can update all databases for consistency.  many firms utilize a client contact form on their intranet that can be routed to the administrative department via email.  this person is then trained to update all applications.
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standardize quickbooks support (and bring your clients)

young man working at a computer and talking on a phonetake advantage of discount licenses.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

in the united states, quickbooks is the most dominant small business accounting product on the market and will be the application that the majority of the firm’s clients use. therefore, it is obvious that the firm must become proficient with supporting quickbooks.

more on tech spending: is your ap digital yet? | a better way to handle time & expenses | how the best cpa firms capture best tech practices in procedures manuals | workflow systems make tax season less tedious | smart firms don’t happen by accident | bandwidth: how much?
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unfortunately, one of the biggest wastes of time is when firms support too many older versions of the software, which often leads to incompatibilities that can corrupt the database and make it unusable for clients. fixing these errors creates lost time that is seldom charged to clients and instead impacts the profitability on these jobs.
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turn to portal encryption

padlock with key that has word "security" instead of teethsecure external file transfer is easy to implement.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

when dealing with digital files, the most effective way to transfer them is electronically over the internet either with email or through a portal. many firms have emailed clients copies of tax returns and financial statements over the years.

more on tech spending: is your ap digital yet? | remote deposit saves in several ways  | how efficient are your audits? | going digital: how to train a client | hit ‘delete,’ but only when it’s time | unified messaging offers benefits | remote access: giving workers what they want | why use windows 10? | desktops vs. laptops
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

unfortunately, this is not the most secure method as the firm does not have control of the various internet service providers and the relay servers between the firm’s email server and the client’s email account.
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is your ap digital yet?

woman typing while holding credit card over computer keyboardeliminate steps and earn cash back to boot.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

processing accounts payable is another of the manually intensive processes within the firm’s administrative department that can be significantly streamlined through digital processes.

more on tech spending: a better way to handle time & expenses | how the best cpa firms capture best tech practices in procedures manuals | workflow systems make tax season less tedious | smart firms don’t happen by accident | bandwidth: how much?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

consider how many “touches” a single payable creates:
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remote deposit saves in several ways

young businessman working at computertake a portion of that 130 hours back, for starters.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

one of the easiest processes to convert to paperless with an immediate roi is the firm’s system for depositing client checks.

more on tech spending: a better way to handle time & expenses | how efficient are your audits? | going digital: how to train a client | hit ‘delete,’ but only when it’s time | unified messaging offers benefits | remote access: giving workers what they want | why use windows 10? | desktops vs. laptops
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manually receiving and physically going to the bank to deposit checks can be time-consuming and subject to too many errors.
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deliver reports digitally (even in-house)

blacked-out password in box on screenconsider security … or lack of it.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

improving firm efficiency means that the owners have to get on board.

more on tech spending: a better way to handle time & expenses | how efficient are your audits? | going digital: how to train a client | hit ‘delete,’ but only when it’s time | unified messaging offers benefits | remote access: giving workers what they want
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

one of the more obvious opportunities is the delivery of the firm’s own financial reports.
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a better way to handle timesheets & expenses

time is money : clock hands on $100 billsthis means the owner, too.

by roman h. kepczyk

studies done over the past two decades have clearly shown that there is a significant improvement in realization for firms that enter, release and post time and expenses on a daily basis.

more on tech spending: how efficient are your audits? | tech trends for auditors | front-end scanning hits the mainstream | don’t just store documents, manage them | which wireless depends on location | stay on top of software updates | update your backup
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this process allows for daily or “hotel” type billing, which is sent out with the completion of each billable project.
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