Technology news June 2009

Technology

Technology required: Making 7216 easily manageable

By Barry J. Friedman, CPAFuture-thinking firms are taking advantage of the latest and greatest technologies to elevate efficiency at all levels of operation. From automating tax document preparation to delivery of financial statements via portals, technology is at the heart of a well-run and profitable practice. But what about beyond core tax and accounting workflow? Technology certainly has a place in relation to compliance—for example with Internal Revenue Code Section 7216. Disclosure and Use mandates set forth in 7216 are complex and demand significant time investment.
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Technology

Whither Conficker?

By David Ringstrom, CPAIt's only been a couple months since the Conficker virus completely dominated the media, yet there's been a deafening silence on this front since April 2. All of the hype would have had you believe that Conficker was set to wreak havoc on April 1, but that ominous Wednesday passed without incident, much like Y2K. However, this isn't to say that Conficker simply vanished, as innumerable computers are still infected by one of the five known variants of the virus.
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Technology

Microsoft to end sales of Money products

Microsoft announced yesterday in a very brief post to its Microsoft Money Web site that its personal financial software, Microsoft Money Plus, would no longer be available for purchase after June 30. Microsoft had discontinued annual updates of Money Plus in 2008. The company plans to support online services (including updates to tax rates and tables) for active customers through at least January 2011. After that, Microsoft will no longer issue automatic data feeds to the product.
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Practice

Tips for getting the most from mobile devices

Accounting firms with a growing mobile work force may be struggling to understand how best to manage the complexity of employees working from disparate locations – how to give workers the IT support they need, while getting the most from the technology for the good for the firm.It's a big question, and one that is growing in importance.
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Technology

Pay-per-click advertising: Does it really work?

Whether you're growing a new practice or adding to your existing clientele, it is essential to have a Web site that works for you. After you have made sure that your site is full of useful content for newcomers, how do you plan on driving them to your site? One option might be SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the "organic" search results that search engines such as Google and Yahoo return to the inquiry as the most relevant Web pages based on the search term. These results are usually the ones found beneath the Sponsored Results in a typical Web search.
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Technology

Intuit acquires PayCycle, expands services for small businesses

Intuit Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to purchase PayCycle Inc., one of the nation's fastest-growing online payroll services, serving more than 85,000 small businesses. The cash transaction is valued at approximately $170 million, subject to adjustment. Privately held PayCycle, based in Palo Alto, CA, is a leader in online payroll for small businesses, accountants, and financial institutions.
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Technology

SaaS revenue projections, mega trends in 2009

Software as a service (SaaS) is forecast to reach $8 billion in sales in 2009, a 21.9 percent increase from 2008 revenue of $6.6 billion, according to a recent report from Gartner, Inc., and will experience a 19.4 percent compound annual growth rate through 2013. In a challenging economy, SaaS represents a leaner alternative, but it will continue to change and evolve within Platform as a Service (PaaS) strategies that companies like Microsoft and IBM are developing. These strategies will invite developers and integrate SaaS with their software.
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Technology

A Conversation With: Barry Melancon - Intacct and Cloud Computing for AICPA members

AccountingWEB's managing editor, Gail Perry, spoke with AICPA President and CEO, Barry Melancon, at the AICPA Practitioner's Symposium in Las Vegas last month. In this part of the interview, Melancon discussed Cloud Computing, the AICPA's new partnership with Intacct, and the Software as a Service opportunities the AICPA is making available to its members.GP: Regarding Intacct and your relationship - how is that going to affect the AICPA and its membership?
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Technology

Cloud computing: Just a fancy name for virtualization?

Two of the hottest terms in computing these days are virtualization and cloud computing. Are these two terms the same? Are they mutually exclusive? Does one depend on the other? This article will demystify the terms and help the reader understand how each technology fits today’s organizations.What is Cloud Computing?The term “Cloud Computing” comes from the symbol usually used to depict the Internet on network diagrams. That term leads one to believe that some portion of their computing environment “lives” on the Internet (and that assumption would be true).
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Technology

30 questions every CFO should ask about software implementation costs

CAL Business Solutions announces the release of a new white paper aimed at educating accounting software buyers on ways to save money and avoid hidden costs when buying new ERP/accounting software. Companies will find sixteen buying tips and thirty cost-saving questions to ask a valued added reseller (VAR) in the free white paper, 30 Questions Every CFO Must Ask About The Cost of Accounting Software.
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Technology

SaaS is cheaper than on-premise software, right? Maybe.

Is it less expensive to use Software as a Service SaaS than to purchase software for use on your premises? Research firm Gartner Group has issued a warning to CIOs not to assume that SaaS will in fact turn out cheaper in the long run. "In recent years there has been a great deal of hype around SaaS," stated Robert DeSisto, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner, the information technology research and advisory company. "As a result, a great number of assumptions have been made by users, some positive, some negative, and some more accurate than others.
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Voice of the Editor

What would you do if one of your clients won the lottery? We asked several accountants to weigh in with their advice for the lucky Powerball winner, and the tips we received are useful for anyone who receives a windfall, whether it's a lottery win, an inheritance, a big bonus on the job, or a killing in the stock market.
Read more
Gail Perry, CPA
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AccountingWEB
editor@accountingweb.com
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This Week on AccountingWEB

CPAs Mira Finé, Scott Hitchcock, Rob Keasal, Kathy Scorcio, and Ken Travis offer ten pieces of financial advice for the newest Powerball winner.
Hang Bower of BDO USA and Dan Black of Ernst & Young share their perspectives on why their firms made the Best Places to Work for Recent Grads 2013 list.
Herbein + Company, Inc. firm members talked with AccountingWEB about their year-round employee wellness program.
Bill Walter of Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates and Harold Gaar of TravisWolff LLP weigh in on mobile technology use while employees are at work.
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