CPA Practice Advisor

APR 2013

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.

Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/116963

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 5 of 20

Reviews For Your Clients PORTALS REVIEW SECTIONS CORE PRODUCT FUNCTIONS/ FEATURES ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� UI and simplicity of design Ease-of-Use/Navigation Ability to embed in frm website Flexibility and power Search INTEGRATION ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� Email Mobile MS Offce Integration Can scan directly to the location Cache a large number of fles on a local drive ��� Special integration with hosting providers TAX & ACCOUNTING INTEGRATION ��� ��� ��� ��� Document Management Tax software Engagement software Accounting Software SECURITY/COMPLIANCE ��� HIPAA Compliance issues ��� Section 7216 issues ��� On their own servers or using public cloud ��� Data encryption ��� Passwords & User Security ��� Redundancy ��� SSL Certifcate and Custom URLs DOCUMENT RETENTION AND DESTRUCTION ��� How long are documents kept by default ��� Can you set retention periods ��� Can you limit the number of times a document can be downloaded LARGE FILE TRANSFERS ��� Zipping of multiple fle downloads, or individual download required ��� How many times does it try to resume before cancelling with an error ��� Client application required? ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITY ��� Management Reporting ��� Return Receipt Which Portal is Right for Your Firm? By Brian Tankersley, Technology Editor O ne of the real challenges associated with selecting portal solutions is the way the product fts into a company���s workfow. We selected 11 portal products for this year���s review (and could have easily located and reviewed 50 solutions, assuming unlimited money and cafeine were available). Te products selected for review by no means represent a comprehensive listing of hosting providers, but instead are a cross-section of the many services available in this emerging category. The review also includes standalone ���best in breed��� applications which are focused primarily on fle storage and exchange, including ShareFile, CPA SafeMail, FileGenius, SendTisFile, and SmartVault without being part of comprehensive suite of practitioner tools like the offerings from CCH or Tomson Reuters. Some solutions like Ziptr really represent a proprietary secure messaging platform which happens to send fles instead of a more traditional fle sharing application. CPA Practice Advisor���s 2013 review of portal solutions covers the following applications: ��� ProSystem fx Portal ��� Citrix ShareFile ��� CPA SafeMail V 3.1 ��� FileGenius ��� SmartVault ��� NetClient CS ��� Ziptr v2.2 We also included a separate sidebar article on portal tools which are integrated into other products. XCMportal, Ofce Tools Professional 2013, and the Doc.It Suite are portal services which are only available to users of these document and workfow management solutions. Unlike previous reviews which focused on how many ���stars��� were given to a particular product, this review will instead focus on the features of each product. We will atempt to help users identify strengths and possible limitations associated with each product, and will also include links where interested parties can learn more about each product. There are a wide range of differences between the various applications, and the sofware is designed to meet very diferent needs. Some of the interesting points from each of the individual articles include: ��� Many of the applications will synchronize directories of fles from local servers into the cloud (or vice versa) similar to a backup while also integrating with the organization���s interna l Windows ser ver user database (e.g. Active Directory). ��� Other applications, like Citrix S h a re Fi le or Sm a r tVau lt a re designed to work with a wide range of solutions, albeit with shallower integration than one might obtain from solutions which are purpose built for an extremely high level of interoperability. ��� Some suites of products (CCH and Tomson Reuters) provide a twoway integration with one product line, and a lower level of integration with other products from the same vendor. For example, CCH���s ProSystem fx portal product has bidirectional integration with Pro System fx Tax, but does not provide integrated support for products from CCH Small Firm Services such as TaxWise and ATX. ��� CPA Safe Mail is one application which has an optional electronic signature tool which uses Adobe���s EchoSign digital signature technology. ��� S m a r tVa u l t i s t he o n l y t o o l reviewed which allows clients to atach documents to transactions in QuickBooks or QuickBooks Online and simultaneously grant access to outside accounting professionals. ��� Finally, Ziptr is a secure messaging application which can be used to transmit encrypted fles and messages while also also storing an encrypted copy of the information in the user���s message archive. Almost all of the solutions are hosted in enterprise-grade commercial data centers, however one solution (Doc.It Suite) provides the ability to host portals on an internal server. Many of these hosting companies have external security reviews (SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001, etc.) which are available to users upon request. We encourage users to obtain and read these reports when evaluating the risks and benefits of selecting a provider. Users should also consider which tools their employees and clients are most likely to be a positive (or at least neutral) extension of the service experience provided by your frm. ��� Brian Tankersley, CPA.CITP Technology Editor, Brian is a fequent speaker at national events, and a consultant, coach and instructor for K2 Enterprises.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of CPA Practice Advisor - APR 2013