User conferences in 2012

Posted by accountingweb on Nov 10 2011 1567 printer friendly

I've been traveling for the past couple of weeks, speaking at and attending Thomson Reuters and CCH user conferences. The biggest take-away I've gotten from these conferences is that technology is moving ahead at lightning speed these days, and the firms that don't jump in with both feet are likely to be left in the dust (sorry – I'm awash in clichés today). Basically –while we've been chugging along, adopting new technologies here and there, upgrading our software when the venders make us do it, upgrading hardware when we need more speed or when we spill coffee on the keyboard, sticking our toes in the water of tools that let us use less paper, technology has started racing ahead, and the needs of our clients to stay on top of trends are going to drive our need to be in front of the curve.

It's no longer okay to use last year's programs and devices. A new technology movement is taking hold and it's critical to our jobs to know what's going on. If you haven't been keeping up with the latest trends, you need to take a look at the state and national accounting conferences coming your way in 2012 and block out the time in your calendar to attend. At conferences you can talk with your peers and learn how they are adapting their practices to new technologies; you can talk with vendors and see what they have planned for the future, and you can learn more about the technologies you already use to ensure you are getting the most out of your products. My last cliché of the day: This is not your father's accounting world any more.

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Gail Perry - Voice of the Editor

Gail Perry is Publisher at Sift Media US, Inc. and oversees the content on the Sift websites, AccountingWEB.com and GoingConcern.com. She has been the editor-in-chief at Sift Media US since 2007, overseeing the content on AccountingWEB.

Perry is a CPA and a former senior tax accountant with Big Four firm Deloitte. She maintains a small tax practice, she is a personal finance instructor, and the author of thirty books, including Surviving Financial Downsizing: A Practical Guide to Living Well on Less Income (Adams Media); QuickBooks on Demand (Que); Excel 2007 Macros Made Easy (McGraw Hill); The Complete Idiot's Guide to Doing Your Income Taxes (Alpha/MacMillan); and, most recently, Mint.com for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons). In addition, she is a former columnist for the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News daily newspapers.

Perry is a nationally recognized speaker who advises public accountants on using Internet tools to improve their accounting practices. She also taught a college-level introductory accounting class and was on staff at the Indiana CPA Society as a computer applications instructor. For five years, she was a contributing editor for Accounting Today magazine before taking over the helm at AccountingWEB.

Perry is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She returned to school to study accounting at Illinois State University, passed the CPA exam (in one sitting!), and worked for Deloitte in the Chicago tax department.

Gail has been named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor magazine and the American Society of Women Accountants.

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