51% plan new hiring now and into next year. for 2015, 81 percent percent of small businesses forecast a revenue increase, with 21 percent expecting to grow more than 100 percent, according to a new xero survey. the study also shows that … continued
smbs say cloud accounting is the last thing they want.
accountants are encountering extraordinary difficulties in getting their small- and mid-size business clients to adopt cloud computing, according to new research findings made available first to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.
accounting is the last operation small business wants to update. everything else comes first, according to software advice, austin, texas-based accounting technology reviews company.
key findings:
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: i have a small firm and i’m overwhelmed with all the new technology things i’m hearing about. how can i keep up to date?
response: i personally am astounded at what is out there. it is way beyond me.
related survey results: how accountants keep up with tech trends
here are 10 ways you can stay ahead of the curve: read more →
the virtual workplace has arrived. and it’s paying off.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
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.
so give your people access to the resources needed whenever and wherever they are. they will get more work done in less time. here’s how.
…but only if you’ve done everything else first.
by sandi smith leyva the accountant’s accelerator
it’s likely your friends and peers are urging you to get on the social media bandwagon. hearing about social media is unavoidable these days. we have many clients who feel stressed about the whole topic. the stress or guilt comes in when they don’t really want to do it but their friends keep urging them to.
more on small-firm growth strategies: 5 ways to attract higher-quality clients | 6 biz dev metrics accountants should measure | 5 areas to improve client acquisition success | are accountants newsworthy? you bet! | when accountants don’t know they don’t know | seven hot lead generation methods for accountants | what stage of business are you in? | 8 essential ingredients for your new client welcome kit | 4 ways small firms can surpass larger firms | rebuttal: the 3 most unused marketing methods for accountants
i like to take a contrarian view with social media: i believe it’s not a cost-effective marketing tool for a majority of accountants. nevertheless, there are some very important exceptions where it can pay off big. here are some ideas just in case you can’t resist getting started in social media.
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.
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 →
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 →
top strategy: compare with peers.
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 exclusive
the pace of change in technology is leaving accountants so dazed and confused that about half of all practitioners say merely “keeping up” is one of their biggest technology-related problems. cost comes second.
accountants are so fed up with the staggering pace of developments that you couldn’t pay them enough to try a new software product “while drinking umbrella drinks on a beach at vendor expense,” according to randy johnston and leslie garrett, writing in the new accounting firm operations and technology survey. they caution, however, that “if you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevance even more.”
the survey reveals the top tactics accountants are employing to stay up to date and make informed decisions – starting with keeping close tabs on their colleagues and competitors. read more →
also: save up to 26% on your hardware spending with four smart strategies.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
getting the right mix of mobility is critical for firms today. today’s rule of thumb is that everyone who works out of the office one day or more per week should have a laptop as their only machine.
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, windows terminal server and workstation virtualization (vdi) in the future, the functioning life of a desktop computer can be five or more years. read more →
survey: 78% of firms scan at the front end – and it’s not just an admin job.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
one of the keys to optimizing accounting firm production processes is capturing information at its “root” source – the moment data enters your firm, regardless of the format – mail, fax, email or on a flash drive.
ideally, documents would be delivered already in a digital format such as email attachments or preferably through a portal, but the reality today is that a significant portion of accounting firm source documents arrive from clients in a physical paper format. your firm will need to develop processes to efficiently scan, name and store these documents.
the best firms start with the right scanners. scanners come in three flavors, capturing data at three levels: production, workgroup and individual.