Accounting Technology articles from September 2007

Accounting Technology archives from September 2007

Data Security: The Stakes Grow.
September 1, 2007... There's nothing special about getting a Dell computer catalog in the mail-once you buy a Dell, you're a pen pal for life. But the last catalog was an eye-opener for me (which means I haven't been paying enough attention) in terms of the...

OutSource Technology.
September 1, 2007... Outsourcing is not a four-letter word, although it has been confused with offshoring, which is a no-no in the view of many accounting professionals. No, outsourcing is simply handing off a job to another organization. Associate Editor...

Practice Development News.
September 1, 2007... CPAS MAY BE SBS TARGET Microsoft is studying a vertical marketing approach for its Small Business Specialist credential, which was introduced to the small business community more than two years ago. The company may target CPAs and...

Accounting News.
September 1, 2007... MBS HITS $1 BILLION Microsoft says revenue for Microsoft Business Solutions topped $1 billion for the year ended June 30, the first time the accounting and CRM software unit has passed that threshold. The event was reported by SVP Jeff...

Tax & Financial Planning News.
September 1, 2007... FCSI: DELAY VISTA Financial Computer Support Inc., which markets the dbCams+ line, recommends users delay adopting the Microsoft Vista operating system and notes its products do not run on Vista. In a June newsletter, the Oakland,...

Secrets of Outsourcing: Doling out tasks to other firms lets CPAs do more for less.
September 1, 2007... When one of Mike Block's largest 1040 clients walked through his door on April 8 expecting to have his personal and corporate returns completed for tax season, the CPA didn't exactly sleep. He stayed at the office until 2 a.m. scanning in...

Recommended Resources.
September 1, 2007... Sending work to other companies in the states or overseas could be risky, especially if the company is not well-known. How can firms sort through the hundreds of thousands of outsourcers out there to find the good guys and mitigate the risk...

Outsourcing Advice.
September 1, 2007... Many factors must be considered when determining what type of work to outsource and to whom. Following are some things to keep in mind: Determine what and what not to outsource. Think about which tasks make sense to hand out to other...

Look Ma, No Hands: Vendors strive to automate data entry.
September 1, 2007... Looking to bolster productivity and trim costs, Drake Software user Alex P. Anderson, chief executive officer of Laird's Tax Service, is in the midst of transforming the company's 15 office locations to paperless environments and is...

Outlining the 1040 Scan Approach to Data Entry.(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Nicholas Siersema took less than eight hours to complete a tax return that had 150 rentals. Last year, it would have taken 16 to 20 hours. The difference, says Siersema, a CPA sole practitioner based in Campbell, Calif., is his use of...

Budgeting Software Grows Up: Budgeting is now part of broad corporate management.
September 1, 2007... For some companies, the only reason to engage in the planning process is to produce a budget, which in turn helps determine the financial stability of the company. While few companies still use the term "planning" and "budgeting"...

Opening for Open Source?: Are open-source products becoming a better fit for the business community?
September 1, 2007... To get things straight right away, no one is running Linux or other open source products on computers that are used for tax preparation, write-up or word processing. And to a great extent Linux, which has a reputation for being rock-solid...

Open Source?
September 1, 2007... For those confused by technology terms, open source is another of the market's phrases that seems designed to make technology harder to understand. Open source refers to the code used in writing software. However, it does not mean that the...

Microsoft: Linux, Yes. Linux, No.
September 1, 2007... Microsoft has a two different views when it comes to Linux. On the one hand, it has a marketing agreement to support Novell's version of Linux called Suse Linux. On the other hand, it rails against Linux and the rest of the open source...

Adaptive Planning's Triple Play.
September 1, 2007... Last summer, Adaptive Planning hired a director of alliances in hopes of bringing some structure to its channel program and enlisting more resellers. Since then, the company, which provides Web-based budgeting, forecasting and reporting...

Advertisers' Index 9/07.
September 1, 2007... Ad Appears Advertiser on page ADP Small Business Services 5 CCH Tax Group C4 Drake Software 1 Epson 3 Fuji 7 ...

Tatarinov: An Outsider Takes over MBS.
September 1, 2007... When members of the reselling community were mulling names of candidates to replace Doug Burgum, Kirill Tatarinov was probably not a name that came to mind. Most of them had probably not heard of Tatarinov, who, in 2002, joined Microsoft...

The Perfect Storm of Productivity.
September 1, 2007... The challenges to the accounting profession have never been tougher. Staff shortages, new standards, and elevating client needs are causing many firms to re-think their workflow processes. Certainly technology plays a major role in increasing...

Editor's Note: Paper? What Paper?
September 1, 2007... There is a wonderful Dilbert cartoon where the boss hands the secretary a document and tells her to email, fax, and then mail it "just in case." As the secretary is taking the document she says, "Goodbye paperless, hello clueless." That...

Accountants Obsessive About Paper.
September 1, 2007... Accountants should be obsessive about paper. For decades, how efficiently an accounting firm filed, routed, and retrieved stored paper differentiated successful firms from their toughest competitors. While the importance of efficiency in these...

Setting the Stage for Greater Workflow Productivity.
September 1, 2007... Five years ago, electronic filing of tax returns was still a relatively uncommon practice. But this past tax season, e-filing not only came of age with a record 70 million tax returns e-filed with the IRS, but moved from simply a transmission...

Catalyst to Go Paperless.
September 1, 2007... You've heard for years about the virtues of a paperless office, or, at the very least, striving for less paper in the course of your engagements. Productivity gains, more efficiency, better accountability, more satisfied clients who can argue...

The Affordable Add-On.
September 1, 2007... SourceLink is an affordable QuickBooks add-on and is a great way for small businesses to get into document management. In addition to linking a file of any type that has an associated program that can display it, this tool also has the ability...

Think Digital, Not Paperless.
September 1, 2007... How you view a product has a lot to do with the benefits you ultimately receive. Here are two accountants: George and John. Both buy the same accounting system and cater to small businesses. George views his accounting system as simply an...

Hitting the Paperless Trail.
September 1, 2007... "Paperless" is more than just a buzzword-it's a modern work philosophy that can increase efficiency and boost your bottom line. Not only can it help your staff work better together, it can also optimize how you collaborate with and service your...

Paperless Tax Process Gains Momentum.
September 1, 2007... The paperless tax process has gone from a dream, to adoption by innovators, to a mainstream process. This trend is driven by increases in electronic filing, pervasive adoption of electronic document management systems, and a steady increase in...

Going Paperless with a Scanner Series.
September 1, 2007... As accounting firms transition to a paperless document management system, many accounting professionals face the challenge of finding a simple and economical method to convert paper documents into digital files, while still maintaining accurate...

Workflow Automation Software Powers Paperless Office: Procedures in a paper world simply will not work in a digital environment.
September 1, 2007... CPA firms moving toward a paperless, technology-driven environment have learned that doing so effectively means implementing the right tools and re-engineering existing paper-based and paperless processes. Adopting technologies to scan, store,...

From Cutting Edge to Cornerstone.
September 1, 2007... Enabling streamlined workflows, effective document storage and the ability to work and collaborate remotely, the paperless office promises productivity, efficiency and service gains that can ultimately improve the bottom-line for accounting...

Virtual Fax Services: Fulfilling the Dream.
September 1, 2007... The accounting industry, just like other industries, has been chasing the elusive paperless dream for years. Although great strides have been made in the realm of e-business, there is one decades-old technology that still presents a visible...

E-Invoicing Key to Paperless Accounts Payable.
September 1, 2007... In many ways, the accounts payable process is one of the most challenging when it comes to converting to a paperless approach to doing business. Because a typical organization's invoices are submitted by such a wide range of external suppliers,...

Leveraging Enterprise Workflow Solutions: Workflow is not confined to a single suite of products, but rather should be applied across product suites.
September 1, 2007... Ongoing staffing shortages and increased regulatory requirements combined have created a challenging obstacle course for today's enterprise (large) firms. However, those who have embraced advanced technologies and services and are taking...

Scanning is Easy Enough.
September 1, 2007... So you don't scan. Who blames you? We all know scanning's a chore. Scanners have been around forever, but most offices still don't use them. Why? Well, for one thing, no-one thinks of a scanner as fast. Even now, you're visualizing a bulb...

The Paperless Office.
September 1, 2007... Which of these paperless solutions are you currently using? Are you delivering and receiving financial statements and reports instantly and electronically to and from your clients and government agencies? Are you storing client records in an...

Paperless Enabled Solutions.
September 1, 2007... Going paperless enables firms to deploy new and effective productivity solutions that are not possible in paper-based workflows. This page will discuss two such solutions that allow tax preparers to complete more returns in less time resulting...