CPA Practice Advisor

40UNDER40 2011

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.

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Dustin Wheeler, CPA — 32 Accountant/IT Manager — Wallace Neumann & Verville LLP Las Vegas, Nevada Blog URL: www.dustinwheelercpa.com Twitter ID: twitter.com/dustinwCPA Education: Master's of Accountancy, University of Nevada-Las Vegas; Bachelor's of Accounting, Brigham Young University-Idaho. Professional Associations/Memberships: AICPA Hobbies: Basketball; Photography and home video editing; Board games; Spending time with family Do you embrace cloud computing? The firm I work for uses an Exchange server, Microsoft Office, and many other tax and accounting programs that run on a local network. It has not yet fully moved to the cloud, but a couple of years ago, it began using ShareFile as a portal for encrypted file exchange. The firm uses an automatic off-site data backup product and online research subscriptions. We will continue to evaluate SaaS products as they improve and develop for possible implementation in the firm. I have embraced cloud computing for school and non-work related activities. I installed Google Apps on my blog's domain to understand how it works and to have a non-work related but professional-looking e-mail address with Gmail's interface. I have also been able to relate to and "speak the language" of other entrepreneurs that use Google Apps in their businesses. I really love the convenience of accessing and editing my Google Documents on any computer or device with a web browser. How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? Cloud computing is transforming the profession so that people can work from anywhere, anytime, and with nearly any electronic device. I am very excited about the increased flexibility that I believe is coming in the next few years. This flexibility improves work-life balance, especially during busy seasons. Of course, there are security risks associated with cloud computing, but sometimes people forget that risks also exist in storing data locally. Firms beginning to use cloud computing should carefully select SaaS software vendors and take preventative security measures. For example, I always use strong passwords and never use public WiFi. For me, the benefits of cloud computing outweigh the risks, but I take a cautious approach. NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? Throughout my life, I've had opportunities to tour the headquarters of several large companies, but my experience last year when I toured Zappos with several other CPAs from around the country was very unique. I was impressed with their culture and how it promoted creativity and self-expression among those who work there. Everyone was happy and loved the company. Do you foresee the majority of firms still implementing servers for the majority of their computing in their offices five years from now or do you think they will be out- sourcing this component to vendors who specialize in this area? I can foresee firms having the bulk of their data hosted, but the question is whether applications will be able to run in a hosted environment as well and as quickly as they do locally. Five years is a long time to project in computer terms, but I think it's possible for web-based software to evolve to that point quickly. However, the profession moves to new technology relatively slowly, and there will probably be bumps in the road such as a large scale information breach by a service provider or a sig- nificant unscheduled service outage, so I can also see many firms keeping everything in-house. Are you using social networking (such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+) as a marketing tool for your practice/business … or do you use such sites for personal use only? Have you gained any clients/customers or seen other demonstrable benefits from the use of social networking? I am using all of those social networking tools primarily for business, not only for marketing, but also for building my personal brand, social learning and collaborating with some of the brightest minds in the profession. I occasionally use them to also keep in touch with friends and family that live in other states and countries.My involvement in social media has directly resulted in me acquiring a few young thirty-something entrepreneurs as clients who think it is the coolest thing that I am a tweeting and blogging accountant. In one case, Twitter was our first point of contact, but shortly afterwards we met for lunch and turned the virtual connection into a real connection. In other cases, I've met people briefly at conferences and events, and social media has helped me to develop a beneficial business relationship with them that otherwise would have evaporated. The greatest benefit for me has been getting to know many like-minded professionals across the country who have shown me new ways of doing business and have positively influenced my career. What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social networking etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? Before posting a status update, I always ask myself the question, "Is this information useful and meaningful for someone else?" If not, it has to be something really funny! I've seen a lot of spam, self-promotion to the point of being overkill, and mundane status updates like "I'm having a ham sandwich for lunch." I don't think my life is interesting enough for everyone to know every detail. I try to respect the time of those who follow me. Another piece of advice I have is to build a social media presence as a slow process over time rather than a one-time event. I've seen some people try to do it all in one day and then abandon it. I started with LinkedIn and spent a few minutes every two or three days adding information to my profile and making connections. After I felt comfortable with LinkedIn, I followed the same step-by-step process with Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and blogging. I closely observed others that were using these tools effectively. It was awkward in the beginning, but I persisted and didn't give up. Cell phone: The Motorola Droid X. I love the big 4.3-inch screen, and I've mastered the Swype virtual keyboard. What is your favorite smartphone or tablet app, and why? Google Reader. I use it daily to read the local newspapers, the Journal of Accountancy, technology news, blogs and other RSS feeds. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? I've always enjoyed watching the NBA and have also followed Boise State football closely for the past few years. What are some ways your firm/business has gone "paperless" and/or "green" in the last two years? The firm went paperless about three ago, and it was a huge undertaking. It required a lot of time to purchase new equipment, study industry best practices, and implement new paperless processes and workflow. It was all worth it, since working in a paperless environment has provided many benefits in terms of internal efficiencies and client service. What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? My phone. It provides means for me to communicate with the world, makes information available whenever and wherever I need it, shows me a map when I am lost, and gives me something to read when I don't have anything else to do. Actually, I have been able to live without it during a few vacations I've taken out of the country the past few years, but it is certainly an indispensable device in my day-to-day life. What are some of your favorite books, movies, music, websites, and TV shows? For me, the Discovery, History, National Geographic and Travel channels are worth the cable subscription. I remember my grandpa often inviting me to watch documentaries about foreign cultures, science and nature with him when I was very young. He would discuss the subjects and ask me questions, which instilled in me a curiosity and love for learning. Monitors on your desk? I have four monitors in quite a unique setup. I have two 22-inch monitors on the left standing vertically that I use mostly for comparing PDF documents. To the right of those, I have a horizontal 22-inch monitor I use for Outlook, and a 17-inch monitor at the right end. Other than SMS on your cell phone, what is your favorite way to IM with your friends and family? I'm really not much of a texter. My current cell phone contract actually doesn't include an SMS plan (though I do have an Internet/ data plan). I occasionally use Google Voice to send and receive text messages either from my phone or a computer for free. I've used the instant messaging features of Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, Skype and Facebook, but don't use them often. 11 Back to Contents Page 3

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