Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/40356
Aubrey Lynch, CPA — 36 Principal, CS&L; CPAs Sarasota, Florida Education: University of Florida — Master of Accounting, Bachelor of Science in Accounting Professional Associations/Memberships: Vice President of the Manatee County Estate Planning Council, Member of Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council, Prior Vice-President of Academics for the Manatee Gator Club, United Way of Manatee County Allocations Committee, Member of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance. Hobbies: Reading, Cooking, Spending time with Family, Snorkeling and Scuba Diving NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? Google. I am impressed with the market share and branding the company has achieved. In such a dynamic industry, Google has prevailed as the leader in search engines and is a household name. In an industry where human capital is so important, Google has achieved a culture and corporate philosophy that positions the company to recruit a high level of talent and continue to dominate the market share. What are some ways your firm/business has gone "paperless" and/or "green" in the last two years? The firm has moved to a paperless environment for both our audit and tax service areas. In addition, we have virtualized the majority of our servers, which has reduced our power consumption. We are able to deliver tax returns via our secure portal and electronically file the tax returns, thereby, eliminating paper in the entire process. 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? Possibly, but cloud computing may drive less of a need for a firm to run applications on an outsourced server. Do you embrace cloud computing? CS&L; has deployed a number of applications in the cloud, including our document management system, anti-spam and the firm portal. How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? As bandwidth becomes more and more cost effective, many of the on-premise accounting, tax and practice applica- tions will be deployed in the cloud. Security will always be a concern, but not necessarily an obstacle. Are you using social networking (such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+) as a marketing tool for your practice … or do you use such sites for personal use only? I use LinkedIn for practice/business, both as a networking tool, but also to keep up to date with clients, referral sources and recruit new graduates. Cell phone: BlackBerry Curve Monitors on your desk? Two What is your favorite smartphone or tablet app? My favorite app is VZ Navigator. I am directionally challenged, and this app has helped me many times. Have you gained any clients or seen other demonstrable benefits from the use of social networking? Yes, I have been referred new clients by referral sources via LinkedIn. I foresee this will increase in the future given the increased use of these social networking outlets. What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social net- working etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? Education of staff with regard to the proper use of social networking is often overlooked. Even if a firm does not embrace social networking as a firm strategy, it should still recognize that its members will utilize social networking in both their personal and professional lives. One frequently missed aspect of social networking, as opposed to face-to-face contact, is the loss of emotion/social cues. Sometimes, typed communication can be misinterpreted. What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? I could not live without our remote access through Citrix. The ability to log in to work from home and client locations and access our full range of software, client files and e-mail is invaluable in today's public accounting world. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? I absolutely refuse to miss University of Florida football games and the SEC championship game. Go Gators! What are some of your favorite books, movies & music? I enjoy reading his- torical-based fiction. Some of my favorite books are "The Winds of War" & "War and Remembrance," "Tale of Two Cities" and "Gone with the Wind." My favorite music tends to come from the 1970s. Some of my favorite artists are Van Morrison, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. I also enjoy classical music and often listen to Mozart and Bach while working on tax returns or research. I haven't been to the movies recently, but reluctantly admit my favorite movies are horror movies, especially the cult classics. Other than SMS on your cell phone, what is your favorite way to IM with your friends and family? Skype is my favorite way to IM friends and family. My son, who is two and half years old, "Skypes" with his grandparents in New York almost daily. AN APPLE A DAY The iPhone was noted as the most popular smartphone, although Android phones are right on their heels. Several of this year's honorees noted they have multiple phones, one for work and one for personal use. Common combos: iPhone & BlackBerry; iPhone & Droid; BlackBerry & Droid. 30 Back to Contents Page 3