the first app-first cpa firm [video]
l.a. cpa derek davis left the big four to launch a smartphone app, even before renting an office for his new firm
technology
why even the best and biggest cpa firms are losing their best and brightest talent
despite paying top dollar for top talent, old-line firms are losing gen y staffers with bigger ambitions.
derek davis, the shared economy cpa, talks about launching the first app-first cpa firm
by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
with cpa firms locked in a battle for top-level talent, wages are advancing at record rates in desperate efforts to both retain and recruit highly-prized professionals, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research.
partners and staffers alike, feeling stifled and underused at their current firms, are finding a broad array of new opportunities at other firms. and where they can’t find the right position at another firm, they are creating their own.
los angeles cpa derek davis, for example, left a career at a big four firm to start his own practice. but his first hire wasn’t an assistant. and his first partner wasn’t another cpa. instead, davis teamed with a software designer. and they didn’t open an office, they launched an iphone app.
remote access boosts productivity, requires planning
bandwidth, bandwidth, bandwidth.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
give your people access to the firm application and data resources needed whenever and wherever they are. they will get more work done in less time. one of the key components in optimizing firm production is providing the capability for firm personnel to work from anyplace, at any time, at their own convenience.
more on tech spending: get ahead of your software updates | blame accounting vendors: accountants stuck with outdated versions of microsoft office | ready or not, here comes windows 10 | back up and check your backup | cloud computing can cost less | laptop-only workers more common | scanners allow data capture at the source | in pc monitors, more is better
according to the aaa 2015 survey, 77 percent of firms stated they implemented remote access technology to access firm resources when away from the office. read more →
get ahead of your software updates
bottom line? you’ll be more productive.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
every firm has concerns about their systems being hacked or getting attacked by a virus or malware. the vast majority of issues can be effectively negated with one simple process: keep your software updated.
more on tech spending: blame accounting vendors: accountants stuck with outdated versions of microsoft office | ready or not, here comes windows 10 | back up and check your backup | cloud computing can cost less | laptop-only workers more common | scanners allow data capture at the source | in pc monitors, more is better
for workstations, your antivirus software should regularly look for updates and automatically install them. microsoft windows has an update feature that can be set to automatic for security upgrades. turn them on and schedule them to run automatically, either overnight or on weekends. read more →
blame accounting vendors: accountants stuck with outdated versions of microsoft office
many still using office 2010 even as microsoft plans launch of new 2016 version.
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. today’s standard is office 2013, but many firms use office 2010 because some accounting vendors still do not support office 2013 within all of their applications.
more on tech spending: ready or not, here comes windows 10 | back up and check your backup | cloud computing can cost less | laptop-only workers more common | scanners allow data capture at the source | in pc monitors, more is better
this is a good time for firms to review their listing of accounting applications to determine if they can transition to office 2013 and the cost to do so. keep in mind office 2016 will likely be released later this year and supported by the accounting vendors by the end of 2016. read more →
four signs the uberization of accounting has already begun
how disruption is creating a “no-choice future” for some firms.
by hitendra patil
the dictionary defines “uber” as a superlative example of its kind or class. the word uber, derived from german language, means “over” or “beyond”.
you may have heard of the uberization of the taxi cab hiring industry, or of room rentals via airbnb, and other such services. that was made possible because of phenomenal leaps in internet and mobile device technologies.
more for the entrepreneurial accountant: the one word that can make accountants rich | management guru chester elton on success | savvy cpas focus on the constants | 10 things that accountants didn’t need to worry about 10 years ago | three amazing cpas who want to do tax returns for free | can accounting firms lead with work-life vision? | why accountants could be the happiest people on earth | more…
the companies, using new but still well-established technologies, are simply focusing on existing industries, simplifying them, and creating a faster, better, stronger, convenient and, more often than not, cheaper process.
accounting’s fundamental business model has not changed in more than 100 years. and this very fact makes accounting indeed a perfect candidate for uberization. albeit, with some caveats. in fact, the stealth-uberization of accounting is already happening in at least four ways: read more →
ready or not, here comes windows 10
are you ready for the windows 7 to 8.1 transition? does 10 make you queasy?
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 done carefully because they impact software and hardware decisions for at least thee to five years.
more on tech spending: back up and check your backup | cloud computing can cost less | laptop-only workers more common | scanners allow data capture at the source | in pc monitors, more is better
back up and check your backup
don’t forget about encryption. you did, didn’t you?
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
your firm’s safety net in the event of any disaster is your data backup. it had better be consistently performed and securely stored offsite.
typically, firms have a problem when the process they relied on to make the backups didn’t work, or the tapes weren’t complete because all the data no longer fits onto one tape. 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 on tech spending: cloud computing can cost less | laptop-only workers more common | scanners allow data capture at the source | in pc monitors, more is better
when backups are run during normal business hours, it can slow down the entire network, impacting everyone’s performance. make a note that the tape drive you have today will be the last one you will ever own.
according to the aaa 2015 survey, 67 percent of firms back up all their data to the internet with 56 percent doing so on a daily basis.
cloud computing can cost less
scheduled server replacement not always the most cost-effective option.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
in almost every firm, the core computers used for operating all applications are internal file servers. down time for a day or two is a disaster.
more on tech spending: scanners allow data capture at the source | in pc monitors, more is better | automating bank deposits offers instant roi | digital tools streamline audit production | going paperless means convincing clients first | why firms need document retention standards | is your network drive a disaster waiting to happen? | intranet is the best place for firm knowledge | digital fax has benefits you may be ignoring | wireless is hot, and here’s how to handle it | new tech tools for the 24/7 accounting firm
if an “out of service” stoppage stretches to a week or more, your partner income will suffer measurably.
laptop-only workers more common
desktops still hold value; tablets less so.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
getting the right mix of mobility is critical for firms today. the 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.
more on tech spending: scanners allow data capture at the source | in pc monitors, more is better | standardize quickbooks support for clients | how to choose the right client portal solution | streamlining bill-paying at cpa firms | automating bank deposits offers instant roi | the 3 reasons firms are migrating to digital timesheets | accounting firms run on more than checklists alone | going paperless means convincing clients first | making digital tax process easier is all about the workflow | why firms need document retention standards
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 decade and the transition to more cloud-based applications has led to some firms making the decision that all professional staff will utilize a laptop as their only workstation.
survey results: deal-savvy cpas look to lenovo computers
lenovo challenges dell and hp’s dominance with competitive pricing on desktops.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
accounting firm operations and technology survey
attracted by competitive pricing, accountants are increasingly turning to lenovo as their primary desktop computer and challenging the dominant positions of dell and hewlett-packard, according to new survey results available from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.
to be sure, the accounting firm operations and technology survey shows lenovo still dwarfed by dell and hp. but dell’s position is hardly changing, hp’s appears to be declining and lenovo is coming on strong, almost doubling its share of the profession. read more →
scanners allow data capture at the source
minimize paper handling right at the gate.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
one of the keys to optimizing production processes is capturing information at its “root” source. this means when data enters your firm, regardless of the format (mail, fax, email or on a flash drive).
more on tech spending: in pc monitors, more is better | standardize quickbooks support for clients | how to choose the right client portal solution | streamlining bill-paying at cpa firms | automating bank deposits offers instant roi | how to ‘go digital’ when partners demand monthly p&ls on paper | the 3 reasons firms are migrating to digital timesheets | digital tools streamline audit production | tech tools for today’s properly equipped field audit teams
ideally, documents would be provided to the firm in a digital format such as secured email or preferably through a web portal, but the reality today is that a significant portion of accounting firm source documents arrive from clients in a traditional paper format. your firm will need to develop processes to efficiently scan, name and store these documents.
in pc monitors, more is better
no, just one 40-inch monitor won’t do… and three reasons why.
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. your monitors are your windows into all digitally stored information and are the foundation for improving every aspect of firm production.
more on tech spending: make virus protection a no-brainer | 3 steps to truly reliable backup | moving to the cloud? do these 6 things first | 4 steps to save on hardware spending | in a pinch, use your phone as a scanner | do you have 3 computer monitors? why not?
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 screens per workstation.