CPA Practice Advisor

JAN 2013

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.

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COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 I was able to secure some one-onone time with Jon during the 2012 Tomson Reuters SYNERGY Users' Conference in early November. Based on our conversation, I was reminded of Jon's visionary status and was impressed with how he has led Tomson Reuters consistently forward in the area of technology innovation. I began the conversation by asking Jon for a quick run down of his professional background. And here it is… Jon star ted his career in the accounting niche afer graduating from Siena College in Albany, New York. Shortly afer graduating, he joined a major tax and accounting sofware vendor, starting in service bureau tax processing and then on to outside sales for a few years. With a k nack for ta x , Jon wa s soon heading up tax 1040 development, and eventually he took over development of the vendor's entire product line. Along his career path with this vendor, Jon also ran the training organization and headed up development and western regional support. Despite Jon's expansive experience across multiple departments and functions, he maintained an eye on tax. In the early 1990's, he saw the writing on the wall—understanding that outsourced service bureau tax was on its way out. His vision at that time was to develop a powerful new tax product for the profession. So when the opportunity to join a fast moving, forward-thinking organization opened up, he jumped on board. That organization was of course Tomson Reuters (branded Creative Solutions at the time). Jon saw that micro-computers were the future, so he focused on building a tax product that would support firms in processing tax returns in house with speed and accuracy. By 1995, Jon was running the entire development group. In 1996, under Jon's development leadership, Creative Solutions released their tax product to run in Windows. Then in 1997, Creative 8 Solutions became part of Tomson and Jon was named president and CEO. Fast forward to today, and Jon is still at the helm. With over 30 years of experience in the profession, Jon truly embodies technolog y and innovation leadership. My goal in speaking with Jon was to understand how his grander vision paved his professional path and how it has changed the profession. DARREN ROOT: Jon, you are obviously a visionary and have proved to be a force in how technology has evolved in the accounting profession. Can you explain to me when your vision became clear? JON BARON: In the late 1990's, I began to see the true power of the web and started to focus on how frms could harness being online to better serve clients. What I envisioned were private client portals. I also saw a need for an advanced document management system to help frms achieve paperless status and deliver documents to their clients over the web. An easy to use website building tool was also needed to provide a vehicle for clients to access their information quickly and engage the accounting frm online. DARREN: Thomson Reuters has always been focused on the accounting firm market. What's the rationale behind this strategy? JON: We've always been in the business of ser ving accounting frms. Our goal is to help practitioners be the best they can be in the eyes of their clients and prospects. If we help firms accomplish this, we've done our job. DARREN: Where do you see mobile as it afects accounting frms and the transition forward? JON: Mobile allows frms to collaborate much more efectively and efciently with staf, colleagues and most importantly, clients. It's all about getting information in real time…instantaneously. With mobile apps, practitioners can serve their clients 24/7 from anywhere and from any device. Tere are no more tethers. This is the way society January 2013 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com communicates today. We need to make sure firms have that same ability. DARREN: You released NetClient CS Mobile at your annual SYNERGY Users' Conference. Tell me more about this new product. JON: NetClient CS mobile is an extension of NetClient CS portals. It offers accounting firm clients on-the-go access to services and content from the frm. What's more, we have enabled frm branding in the app so that the client experiences the frm's name and logo while using the app. NetClient CS Mobile ofers clients access to tax returns, fnancial statements, and other documents, as well as online accounting and payroll services, payroll data, and more. NetClient CS Mobile makes it easier for frms to connect with their clients and do business anytime, anywhere. Helping frms ofer a rich client experience every time is a core goal for Thomson Reuters. DARREN: Ofen times practitioners are slow to move their frms forward. Where do you see Tomson Reuters' role in helping frms adopt change and move forward? J ON: We are a lways look ing downstream to determine what is coming and what frms will need to succeed moving forward. We view our role as a partner to our customers, helping lead them in the d i re c t ion t he m a r k e t pl a c e i s moving. It's tough to maintain a balance between leading frms into the future while also helping them where they are currently, but we are dedicated to doing just that. I CAN'T THINK OF A PRODUCT WE ARE BUILDING THAT DOESN'T HAVE CLIENT/FIRM COLLABORATION AT ITS CORE AND MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AT THE FOREFRONT.

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