{"id":5176,"date":"2009-10-19t12:53:16","date_gmt":"2009-10-19t16:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/48e130086c.nxcli.net\/?p=5176"},"modified":"2017-05-12t11:06:24","modified_gmt":"2017-05-12t15:06:24","slug":"five-tech-trends-you-cant-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2009\/10\/19\/five-tech-trends-you-cant-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"five tech trends you can\u2019t stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

but some firms are still trying.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by rick telberg<\/em><\/p>\n

if you\u2019re worried about your computer and network security, you\u2019re probably worrying about the wrong things.<\/p>\n

but then, if you\u2019re not worried, you\u2019re probably not paying attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cfor every security concern out there, there are reasonable responses,\u201d according to david cieslak<\/a>, cpa.citp, a partner at arxis technology of simi valley, calif., and one of the profession\u2019s leading authorities on technology.\u00a0 \u201cbut cpas are easily spooked and they sometimes look at the wrong things.\u201d<\/p>\n

like what? cieslak names five areas where some accounting firms and finance departments may be missing the it mark, thus depriving themselves of important technology-powered productivity tools and habits.<\/p>\n

here, according to cieslak, are five of the biggest technology mistakes he sees cpas making today:<\/p>\n

1 \u2014 shunning wireless network connections, or wi-fi, even in the office.<\/strong><\/p>\n

instead of shunning wi-fi connections completely, be smart. \u201calways look for the highest level of security available,\u201d cieslak says. wired equivalent privacy (wep) is better than nothing. but he prefers wi-fi protected access (wpa) or wpa2 (replaced wpa). and if you\u2019re connecting to the office, always use virtual private network (vpn).<\/p>\n

but if you\u2019re not using your laptop\u2019s wireless connection turn it off. \u201cmost people don\u2019t realize that unless they turn it off \u2014 and it really is a pretty simple switch on most computers \u2014 you are still connected to the internet when you don\u2019t have to be,\u201d cieslak says.<\/p>\n

2 \u2014 blocking social media tools like facebook, linkedin\u00a0or twitter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

some employers may have valid reasons for worrying that employees will be distracted by online interruptions. but cieslak says, \u201cthere is no reason to block facebook or any of the other leading sites because of it security concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

for professionals like cpas, cieslak says facebook, twitter and linkedin are now too important to ignore completely and they should be available in most workplaces. so instead of trying to stand against the tide, companies need to talk about social media in the workplace, establish a few smart and simple policies and integrate the technology into everyday practices.<\/p>\n

for instance, employees need to understand that if anyone invites you to join their \u201cmafia family,\u201d just don\u2019t. any web site that asks for your username and password should be highly suspect. malware like the so-called mafia family game can steal your contacts and broadcast bogus invitations in your name.<\/p>\n

3 \u2014 banning instant messaging applications from\u00a0the workplace.<\/strong><\/p>\n

another losing battle for employers is instant messaging. im has been around for almost two decades now, since aol popularized it. today microsoft, google and yahoo provide popular im messenger apps. \u201cinstant messaging is such a critical tool for me,\u201d cieslak says, \u201cthat i can\u2019t believe everyone isn\u2019t using it every day.\u201d for cieslak, im has replaced a lot of internal e-mails. still, he doesn\u2019t use it with clients. \u201cfor that, i want a little more formal contact,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

4 \u2014 holding back on smartphone deployments and then using the devices carelessly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

the first mistake many accountants and accounting firms make, cieslak says, is simply failing to embrace devices like a blackberry or an iphone and deploy them to as many professionals on staff as possible.<\/p>\n

but second, he finds that too many people are using them too carelessly. for instance, people shouldn\u2019t store confidential information like all their contacts, social security numbers or passwords on their cell phones. and, because they too often do, owners need to be able to deactivate them and wipe the data remotely. that\u2019s one reason why firms and companies should want to issue employer-owned devices. in the event of loss or theft (or the untimely departure of an employee), confidential information can be protected with software that is now so inexpensive and easy that even families should
\nconsider it.<\/p>\n

5 \u2014 ignoring portable media.<\/strong><\/p>\n

like cell phones, portable media of any type can be hazardous to your it health. universal serial bus (usb) drives, secure digital (sd) cards or laptop computers are being used by office workers to transport files and information from one office to another or home for the weekend. in the event of loss, the results can be disastrous. that\u2019s why every accounting office should consider, instead, supplying their own devices and banning the use of all others. \u201cit\u2019s not expensive,\u201d cieslak
\nsays, \u201cand we can make sure the data is encrypted
\nand authenticated.\u201d<\/p>\n

by the same token, laptop\u2019s hard drives, if not individual files or folders, should be routinely encrypted. it\u2019s about as simple as clicking a button on a setting menu and even easier in the forthcoming windows 7.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

to be sure, it security is a legitimate concern, as cpas well know. but, according to cieslak, cutting yourself off from innovation is the wrong way to go.<\/p>\n

good habits, such as updating your software, maintaining tough passwords and keeping track of hardware, are much more important.<\/p>\n