CPA Practice Advisor

SEP 2017

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.

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SEPTEMBER 2017 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 5 FROM THE TRENCHES ■ External mice Portable ■ Desktop ■ HIPPA screen filters built in hardware ■ Security management features ■ Monitors • Use larger models (27-34") that have been manu- factured in 2017 or later to get newer quantum dot or nanoparticle technology – this results in higher resolution • Consider two monitors that are larger instead of three or four monitors ■ Cabling/Wireless • The current international standard is CAT8 • Minimum cable specification is CAT6A • You may want to consider recabling if your system is more than 12 years old, and you are using CAT5, CAT5e or CAT6. This will likely cost $250 per cable drop. • Use 802.11ac Mesh wireless – set up at least a private wireless and public wireless if you are making wireless available in your office ■ Possible computer selections include: • HP Spectre x360 - http://store.hp.com/us/en/ mdp/laptops/spectre-x360-211501--1 • HP ProBook 650 G3 - http://store.hp.com/us/ en/pdp/hp-probook-650-g3-notebook-pc- --customizable-x6u18av-mb • Dell Latitude 7480 - http://www.dell. com/en-us/work/shop/productdetails/ latitude-14-7480-laptop • Dell Latitude E7470 - http://www.dell. com/en-us/work/shop/productdetails/ latitude-e7470-ultrabook/cto04le747014us • Microsoft Surface Pro - https://www.microsoft. com/en-us/store/d/surface/8NKT9WTTRBJK/ L6FV?icid=Cat_Surface-NavLink1-SurfacePro- Pro-052317-en-us OTHER CONSIDERATIONS? Besides the fundamental hardware listed above, there are a few other technologies that have come of age and you should consider implementing now if you have not done so already. These technologies include: disk encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), Mobile Device Management (MDM), and may generate additional monthly charges. If you are a Windows user, Windows 10 and Office 365 has made it easier to implement these technologies. As we head into the next year, Microsoft 365 will combine Windows, Office and MDM into a single offering at a single price. To comply with PCI regulations, MFA will be required on all accounts that have PCI admin access. Because of this, we're recommending deploying MFA to all users. The building blocks above are a good starting place, but note that we have not identified any of the software solutions needed to run a business or use in your home, with the exception of Office 365. We can select productivity software in the form of Office 365, Zoho Office, or GSuite, all of which include email service. We can select SaaS based accounting software such as Sage One, Sage Live, Intuit QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books, Microsoft Dynamics 365, or Acumatica. We can add document management, specialty applications such as time and expense reporting or bill payment and many more. It doesn't matter what we choose, processing power will be needed on the servers and some processing power will be needed locally. If we ignore the local device, whether it is a phone, tablet or computer, we are likely to cut user productivity. HOW MUCH? Now that we understand the current building blocks needed, how much is this going to cost us? Most soft- ware vendors are converting to subscription models, which means that they are trying to get us to pay a monthly fee. For example, the new Microsoft Office 365 which is a complete, intelligent solution, includ- ing Office 365, Windows 10, and Enterprise Mobility + Security, is $20/user/month. Tools that either do or will require a subscription include Windows ($10/ month), anti-virus ($5-10/month), spam control ($5- 10/month), Office ($12-35/month), Adobe DC ($15-25/ month), Accounting Software ($9-$250/month) and more. If you add these up, you can easily see $56-$340/ month or more per user. A reasonable budget amount may be $3,000-5,000 per user per year for hardware, software and training. Using technology effectively is not cheap, but using technology ineffectively is even more expensive. Do you ask yourself the question if there is an easier, faster way to accomplish a task? If you have not invested in the hardware, software and training on the items listed above, you may have part of your answer why things are taking so long to get done effectively. We encourage you to invest in technology and yourself to drive up productivity. ■ http://easy.surepayroll.com/PracticeAdvisor/9617 Using technology effectively is not cheap, but using technology ineffectively is even more expensive.

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