CPA Practice Advisor

40 UNDER 40 2012

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.

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What are some ways your company has gone "paperless" and/or "green" in the last two years? Christian James 34 COO, Xcentric Alpharetta, Georgia We've settled into the idea that going "paperless" is more of a habit to be formed and practiced rather than an initiative that can be checked off when completed. We practice many of the same strategies our clients use such as multiple monitor document review, taking notes on digital tablets rather than notepads, signing documents electronically, etc. the simple requirement of locking doors to virtually "locking" technical doors. Hobbies: Family, How mobile are you regarding your work? How have mobile devices and apps impacted your pro- ductivity and work-life balance? Mountain Biking, Fly-Fishing Our company is very mobile. Our team is spread across the US. While most of our team works from Alpharetta, Georgia, some work from home offices and still oth- ers are on the road quite a bit. Additionally, we have a How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how con- cerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? Website: www.xcentric.com/ Blog: www.xcentric.com/blog Twitter: www.twitter.com/ccjames28 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christianjamesxcentric Education: Texas Wesleyan University, BBA Information Technology Professional Associations/Memberships: Vistage I believe cloud computing has had an im- pact on the profession just as many of the major technology advancements that have come before it. If we rewind several years to the transition from paper spreadsheets to Lotus 123 digital spreadsheets, we can easily understand the benefits gained. How- ever, we're typically quick to overlook the reality that when that information was put into a digital format it changed how we were required to secure it. Many years ago the profession moved from branch office in Bozeman, Montana, that's entirely mobile. I believe there is no doubt that productivity is enhanced by mobility. However, work-life balance can be af- fected either way. After years of trying to find that balance, I've come to understand the best way to achieve something that resembles balance is to make the choice to pursue both appropriately. Have you found business success via so- cial media, either via recognizable ROI, new customers, marketing or network- ing? We do use social networking both inter- nally and externally for marketing and per- sonal use. This stems from the belief that our business isn't brick and mortar but rather a bunch of real people with real life situations. We find the more we celebrate and encourage who we are as humans, the more enjoyable it is to do what we do. One of the areas that's often overlooked when it comes to social networking is the breadth of knowledge and skills within a firm that should be leveraged. We use a free online software named SocialCast to encourage interoffice sharing and commu- nication. NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? Sellers, Richardson, Holman & West, LLP. SRHW is a CPA firm located in Birming- ham, Alabama. Every experience I've had with them (at any level) has been good. Not only are they a premier regional CPA firm, they have consistently proven to be humble, honest and sincere. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? I'm a huge Texas Rangers fan. There's something about following a traditionally sub-par team for your whole life and then being around when they excel. I just hope they can get that last out one of these days. How many monitors do you have on your desk? Two, plus my iPad connected via Air Dis- play when needed. RING RING! Most of our 40 listed their phone as the one piece of tech- nology they couldn't live with- out. Tied for the second most indispensable technology were computer, tablet and internet. 13 | 2012 CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40 BACK TO PAGE 3

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