Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/40356
W. Michael Hsu, CPA, CITP — 27 (continued used to ship those invoices to our facility. On top of that, we are encouraging and converting our customers' vendors to 1) issue digital invoices that directly enter into our accounting process and 2) accept ACH payments for these invoices. For vendors who've adopted the entire DeepSky process, we are proud to say that we've created a 100% no paper process. Yes, that is zero paper being created throughout the entire vendor AR and customer AP process from start to finish. What are some of your favorite books, movies, music, websites, and TV shows? Books: "Buyology," "Start with Why," "Purple Cow," "Positioning for Professionals," "Implementing Value Pricing" & "Delivering Happiness." Movies: The Rock and Megamind. Music: Anything with a catchy tune from Chinese Pop to Country to Hip Pop to Opera to Techno. Music is a big part of me. Teresa Mackintosh, CPA.CITP — 38 GM/SVP, Indirect, Property, and Trust Tax — Thomson Reuters Carrollton, Texas Education: University of Michigan, BBA & MBA Professional Associations/Memberships: AICPA, Ohio Society of CPAs, American Marketing Asso- ciation Hobbies: Family, Golf, Exercise, Reading and Good wine Do you embrace cloud computing? As a leading partner to the accounting profession, Thomson Reuters first offered our first hosted services in 1998. We have grown and evolved to take advantage of leading edge design and offer a full complement of products to be a "one-stop shop." We have built on that foundation with the first client portals for the profession in 2001, and now mobile apps in 2010. How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? When I consider the impact of cloud computing to the profes- sion, I think of it terms of freedom. It has un-tethered many of us from our offices and allowed us to much better manage our client relationships, as well as the work load. It has also fundamentally lowered the start-up costs for a professional looking to hang their own shingle. It is simple to establish a strong virtual presence without some of the investments in office space and staff in the beginning. It is very empowering. Dealing with security is something we must be aware of and handle in all aspects of our life, whether that is paying a bill online or many other things. It is prudent to follow established security protocol and ensure the data center housing the client data has the appropriate credentials. What are some of your favorite books and TV shows? I'm still an HGTV junkie. My favorite book is "Beach Music" by Pat Conroy. Best fairly recent business book is "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. Monitors on your desk? Three 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 outsourcing this component to vendors who specialize in this area? Interesting question. The majority? Yes, I think in five years they will still buy servers. I have not seen a lot of evidence to indicate we have a fast moving profes- sion. I think the inflection point will be more like 10 years. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? Michigan vs. Ohio State in college football What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? The obvious answer is still my iPhone (seriously, it has replaced every other gadget that I own). However, I would like to give the Skybar Wine Preservation system an honorable mention. It properly chills, displays and preserves an open bottle of wine. For wine afi- cionados who are not fortunate enough to reside with a fellow wine drinker, opening a good bottle is sometimes daunting. Problem solved! Are you using social networking (such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+) as a marketing tool for your business … or do you use such sites for personal use only? I use Facebook, LinkedIn and have dabbled in Twitter. I mostly use them socially, or for business aspects of my personal life. What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social networking etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? One aspect of Google+ that I believe to be very intriguing is the use of circles to set communication parameters for a group of people. That is one of the most challenging aspects of mixing social and business on Facebook to me. It is an easy platform and widely accepted, but you certainly run into circumstances where folks have provided too much information in their status updates. Cell phone: iPhone. It does everything. What is your favorite smartphone or tablet app? I moved from Michigan to Texas this summer. One app that has proved to be indispensible is Sign-n-Send. It is awesome! We had lots of legal documents that needed to be signed by both me and my husband. This enabled us to accomplish that without being physically in the same location, and everything stayed digital. Websites: http://www.deepsky.co – duh! Lifehacker, GizModo, TechCrunch, Inc.com, and Seth's Blog. TV shows: 24, MythBusters, and shows from Discovery and Travel Channel when I am not working. Other than SMS on your cell phone, what is your favorite way to IM with your friends and family? Our company's official IM application is Skype because of its ability to be an instant messenger, a video conferencing application and a telephone. Adium X is my choice of traditional IM app for personal use, but who chats on there anymore? Other platforms where most of my conversations happen are Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, and G+ in that order. Monitors on your desk? Two. 26 Back to Contents Page 3