Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/94658
TECHNOLOGY IN PRACTICE By Roman H. Kepczyk, CPA.CITP In Firm: 2013 IT Predictions W ayne Gretzky's famous quote on achieving greatness was in "knowing where the puck is going to be," which allowed him to move in that direction before anyone else. CPA firms are no different and by knowing where the "Accounting IT Puck" could be going in the future, firm owners can more effectively evaluate options and move in directions that make our firms beter. In that light of "great- ness" we present our 2013 predictions for accounting firms so that owners get a vision of where they should be moving their firms. 2013 InFirm IT Trends Impacting Accounting Firms: r Hybrid Cloud Becomes Common- place: " IZCSJE DMPVE JT XIFSF ėSNT VTF UIF PQUJNBM DPNCJOBUJPO PG FYUFSOBM DMPVE SFTPVSDFT PVS TVDI BT JO QSFEJDUJPO GSPN MBTU ZFBS BOE QSJWBUF IPTUFE DMPVE BQQMJDBUJPOT UIBU UIFZ NBOBHF UIFNTFMWFT NFBOJOH UIBU UIF NBKPSJUZ PG ėSN FNQMPZFFT XJMM CF XPSLJOH WJB $MPVE BQQMJDBUJPOT PS 1SJWBUF $MPVE "DDFTT JO r "Actionable Analytics" is New Buzzword: 8F XJMM TFF ėSNT BEPQU EBTICPBSE UPPMT UIBU QSPWJEF SFBM UJNF predictive JOGPSNBUJPO JOTUFBE PG USB EJUJPOBM CBDLXBSE MPPLJOH ėOBODJBM SFTVMUT BOE UIFZ XJMM CFHJO UP BQQMZ UIFTF UPPMT UP DMJFOUT JO BEEJUJPO UP IFMQJOH UIFJS PXO ėSNT 8JUIJO ėWF ZFBST UIFTF BOBMZUJDT XJMM CF TUSFBNFE JO SFBM UJNF UP UIF BDDPVOUBOU T TNBSUQIPOF PS UBCMFU TP UIFZ DBO UBLF QSPBDUJWF BDUJPO BOE JOUFSBDUJWF EFWJDFT MJLF UIF 1FCCMF 8BUDI XJMM CF FWFSZXIFSF Roman H. Kepczyk, CPA.CITP is Director of Consulting for Xcentric and work s e xclus iv e ly with accounting firms as an independent, outsourced Chief Information Officer (CIO) optimizing the firm's tax, audit, client services and administrative workflows, utilizing the Firm Process Optimization (FPO) Review proce s s which Roman has partnered successfully on with over 275 firms. r Unified Communications Expands: 8IJMF BMM ėSNT VUJMJ[F FNBJM QIPOF GPS DPSF DMJFOU DPNNVOJDBUJPOT UIF OVNCFS PG ėSNT UIBU JOUFHSBUF WPJDF NBJM EJHJUBM GBYFT JOTUBOU NFTTBHJOH BOE FWFO WJEFP DBMMJOH JOUP B TJOHMF VOJėFE DPNNVOJDBUJPOT DPOEVJU TVDI BT .JDSPTPě -ZOD XJMM JODSFBTF TJH OJėDBOUMZ UP NBLF DPNNVOJDBUJPO BOE DPMMBCPSBUJPO FBTJFS UIBO FWFS SFHBSEMFTT PG XIBU NFUIPE PG DPN NVOJDBUJPO JT QSFGFSSFE "DDPVOUBOUT XJMM TFF FWFO NPSF GVODUJPOBMJUZ PVU 36 December 2012 t www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com TJEF PG XPSL BT UIF QFSTPOBM DMPVET QSPNPUF BOE iDPOTVNFS J[Fu UIFTF UPPMT r BYOD Prevails: i#SJOH :PVS 0XO %FWJDFu XJMM CF OPU POMZ BDDFQUFE CVU EPNJOBOU JO ėSNT BT TUBĎ SFQMBDF UIF EFWJDF UIFJS GJSN HBWF UIFN XJUI B TNBSUQIPOF PS UBCMFU UIFZ SFBMMZ XBOU UP VTF GPS CPUI XPSL BOE QFSTPOBM OFFET JOTUFBE PG DBSSZJOH UXP VOJUT 8IJMF *5 XJMM JOJUJBMMZ TUSVHHMF XJUI UIF USBOTJUJPO UIF PXOFST XJMM CF BQQFBTFE CZ UIF DPTU TBWJOHT GSPN SFEVDFE FRVJQNFOU NBJOUFOBODF BOE DBQJUBM JOWFTUNFOUT r Digital Delivery Surpasses Manual Delivery: .FEJVN BOE MBSHF ėSNT UIBU EFBM XJUI NPSF TPQIJTUJDBUFE DMJFOUT XJMM TFF UIF TDBMFT UJQ UIJT ZFBS UP XIFSF UIF NBKPSJUZ PG DMJFOU UBY SFUVSOT BOE DMJFOU ėOBODJBM SFQPSUT BSF EFMJWFSFE FMFDUSPOJDBMMZ WJB QPSUBMT BOE FODSZQUFE FNBJM SBUIFS UIBO USBEJ UJPOBM NBOVBM NFBOT BT XFMM BT UIF OVNCFS GPS ėSNT TFOEJOH EJHJUBM UBY PSHBOJ[FST JODSFBTJOH r Security Emphasis on Privacy not Passwords: 8JUI QBTTXPSET CFDPNJOH JODSFBTJOHMZ FBTJFS UP DSBDL BOE *5 DPVOUFS NFBTVSFT UP DIBOHF UIFN NPSF GSFRVFOUMZ XJUI NPSF DPNQMFY QBTTXPSET NFFUJOH JODSFBTFE SFTJTUBODF UIF FNQIBTJT PG TFDVSJUZ BDDFTT XJMM USBOTJUJPO UP PUIFS TFDVSF DPOOFDUJWJUZ PQUJPOT BOE QBSUOFST XJMM IBWF *5 GPDVT PO MJNJUJOH BDDFTT UP ėMFT FĎFDUJWFMZ BOE TPMVUJPOT GPS TFBSDIJOH BOE BDDFTTJOH ėMFT XJMM DIBOHF TJHOJė DBOUMZ GPSDJOH ėSNT UP MPPL BU BMUFSOBUF BOE XPSLĚPX UPPMT UP NBOBHF ėMFT r Fourth SaaS Player Gets Notice: ĉF HBQ CFUXFFO UIF #JH 5ISFF $$) ĉPNTPO 3FVUFST *OUVJU BOE B EJT UBOU GPVSUI WFOEPS XJMM OBSSPX OPUJDFBCMZ BT B $MPVE CBTFE 4BB4 "DDPVOUJOH QSPWJEFS TXFMMT VQ GSPN UIF CPĨPN QSPWJEJOH TNBMMFS ėSNT XJUI B DPTU FĎFDUJWF PQUJPO r Internal IT Staff Disintermediation: )JHI MFWFM OFUXPSL QFSTPOOFM XJUIJO ėSNT XJMM IBWF UP USBOTJUJPO UP B NPSF TUSBUFHJD *5 NBOBHFNFOU BOE BEPQ UJPO SPMF PS TFF UIFJS QPTJUJPOT JODSFBTJOHMZ VOEFS ėSF BOE PVUTPVSDFE UP FYUFSOBM QSPWJEFST XJUI EFQUI PG TQFDJBMJ[FE *5 QFSTPOOFM ĉJT XJMM CF B NBKPS EJTDVTTJPO XJUIJO GJSNT JO BT QBSUOFST FWBMVBUF *5 4UBđOH DPTUT BOE TFF UIF $MPVE XSJUJOH JO UIF TLZ r Partners Recognize IT Risk: *5 (PWFSOBODF XJMM KVNQ XBZ VQ UIF MJTU PG UIJOHT LFFQJOH QBSUOFST BXBLF BU OJHIU BT TFDVSJUZ BOE DMJFOU QSJWBDZ CSFBDIFT JO UIF OFXT QPJOU UP GJSN PXOFST CFJOH UIF POFT VMUJNBUFMZ SFTQPOTJCMF 5IJT XJMM MFBE GJSNT UP GPSNBMMZ EJTDVTT *5 SJTL BOE BDUVBMMZ EFTJHOBUF B OPO *5 QFSTPO UP FWBMVBUF UIF ėSN T HPWFSOBODFw BOE BDUVBMMZ EPJOH TPNFUIJOH BCPVU JU ,FFQJOH BCSFBTU PG BOE FWBMVBUJOH To see how Roman's 2012 predictions fared, go to www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/10822946. UP QSPUFDU DMJFOU QSJWBDZ UP POMZ UIPTF QFSTPOOFM UIBU BSF BVUIPSJ[FE BOE IBWF B OFFE UP BDDFTT UIF EBUB r BIG DATA for Accountants hits Radar: ĉF DPODFQU PG #JH %BUB JT UIBU BT ėSNT TIPWF NPSF EJHJUBM ėMFT JOUP UIFJS OFUXPSL EJSFDUPSJFT PS EPDVNFOU NBOBHFNFOU BQQMJDBUJPO UIFSF DPNFT B QPJOU XIFO UIFTF DVSSFOU UPPMT BSF OP MPOHFS QPXFSGVM FOPVHI UP DPO UJOVF UP BDDFTT BOE VUJMJ[F UIF GJMFT UIF JNQBDU PG UIF MBUFTU BDDPVOUJOH GJSN USFOET BOE UFDIOPMPHJFT XJMM IFMQ BDDPVOUJOH ėSN QBSUOFST QPTJ UJPO UIFJS PSHBOJ[BUJPOT iUP HP UP XIFSF UIF QVDL XJMM CFu FOTVSJOH HSFBUOFTT JO UIF GVUVSF PG UIFJS ėSNT 0XOFST TIPVME UBLF UIF UJNF UP SFWJFX UIFJS TUSBUFHJD QMBOT BěFS UIF CVTZ TFBTPO BOE TFF IPX *5 UIJT MJTU XJMM JNQBDU UIFN