{"id":51,"date":"2005-05-21t19:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-05-22t00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2017-05-12t11:04:24","modified_gmt":"2017-05-12t15:04:24","slug":"cpa-tech-ya-gotta-deal-with-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2005\/05\/21\/cpa-tech-ya-gotta-deal-with-it\/","title":{"rendered":"cpa tech: ya gotta deal with it"},"content":{"rendered":"
technology overload? too much, too fast? how do you sort it all out? <\/i><\/p>\n
by rick telberg<\/em><\/p>\n with more technological power in the cell phone in your pocket than was carried aboard the first mission to the moon, accountants and financial executives are struggling to absorb it all.<\/p>\n but at the same time, worries about security, privacy and piracy are overtaking the discussion.<\/p>\n just ask some of the people who should know: organizers of next month’s tech 2005 aicpa information technology conference in las vegas. their responses weren’t in perfect unison, but they came pretty close.susan bradley, cpa, citp, mcp, a partner with tamiyasu, smith, horn and braun, seemed to speak for everyone with just one sentence:<\/p>\n “while i would first say the biggest it issue is using and learning what we have, i am suddenly reminded of the identity theft issues?”<\/p>\n bradley expressed grave concern that even some software vendors were supplying accounting software that failed to encrypt personal identity information ? data that inevitably gets emailed to somebody.<\/p>\n “as an industry, we need to ask that our vendors start understanding the risks they are taking on our behalf,” bradley said.<\/p>\n peyton burch, cpa, president of burch consultants, voiced the same concern ? from personal experience.<\/p>\n “having been a victim of identity theft two years ago, i know how terrible it is,” burch said. “i’m still reeling economically, and if my wife were not an attorney, our credit would have been ruined.”<\/p>\n burch’s suggested solution: “use software that encrypts all confidential data. make your staff ? administrative and professional ? keenly aware of their obligation to protect this information.”<\/p>\n