Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/40356
David Wyle, CPA.CITP — 39 President & CEO — SurePrep, LLC Irvine, California Education: BA in Economics from University of California Santa Barbara Professional Associations/Memberships: AICPA, CSCPA Hobbies: Skiing, Piano, Tennis, Reading, Travel How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? Cloud computing is especially relevant to tax and accounting due to the seasonal nature of the industry. Why purchase hardware when you may only need it for a few months? Cloud computing gives you a level of flexibility and scalability previously not economically feasible. Data security is always a concern regardless of whether it resides in the cloud or not. But many cloud computing services actually provide better security than the premise- based solutions they replace. Do you embrace cloud computing? SurePrep is both a provider and consumer of cloud computing services (and therefore a big advocate). SurePrep uses cloud-based infrastructure services to gain additional computing power during tax season. And the services SurePrep provides to its clients are cloud-based, as well (i.e., SaaS). 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? Five years from now, I think the majority of firms will use cloud computing services instead of purchasing, installing and maintaining on- premise servers. NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? I admire Apple for being so innovative and quick to market even though it's such a large company. What are some ways your firm/business has gone "paperless" and/or "green" in the last two years? Some of the first paperless tax workflow technologies were developed almost a decade ago to facilitate tax outsourcing services. Having tax preparers (i.e., the outsourcer) and reviewers (i.e., the tax and accounting firm) in different geographical locations necessitated a paperless tax process. As a pioneer in the tax out- sourcing industry, SurePrep's service centers have been paperless since inception in 2002. Visitors to our offices note how work desks have no drawers, paper or printers. Are you using social networking (such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+) as a marketing tool for your business … or do you use such sites for personal use only? Have you gained any cus- tomers or seen other demonstrable benefits from the use of social net- working? SurePrep uses social net- working as a marketing tool. Personally, I do not use these services. Cell phone: iPhone 4.0 Monitors on your desk? Two. Other than SMS on your cell phone, what is your favorite way to IM with your friends and family? Skype What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? My iPhone is certainly my most useful single piece of technology as it keeps me connected to others and my data regardless of my location. What is your favorite smartphone or tablet app, and why? SugarSync is a favorite of mine. It allows me to access all my files (in the cloud) from either my iPhone or iPad. What are some of your favorite books, movies, music and TV shows? "1776" is a favorite book of mine. The "Big Short" is also entertaining. I generally listen to classical music and watch 30 Rock, The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Melanie Carol Geist, CPA — 35 Partner, Porter & Geist, LP San Antonio, Texas Education: Master of Taxes, University of Texas at San Antonio; Bachelor of Commerce and Business Administration, University of Alabama Professional Associations/Memberships: AICPA, Texas Society of CPAs, San Antonio Society of CPAs Hobbies: Running, Traveling, Reading, Food & Wine What are some ways your firm/business has gone "paperless" and/or "green" in the last two years? Calendar year 2006 was our last tax season to keep paper files of tax returns and the corre- sponding source documents. Since then, we converted our entire office to a "paperless" office. Any copy we "print" for our files, we print it as a PDF copy. Our most recent conversion in the last two years was to electronic facsimile. Do you embrace cloud computing? We do not currently save our data or the applications in a cloud environment. I plan to embrace cloud computing. First, we plan to move our email to the cloud. As our current server ages, we plan our next upgrade will be to utilize the cloud for data storage and application management. How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? Tom Friedman titled his book and the corresponding phenomenon, "The World is Flat." Cloud computing is one of the driving forces behind the "flattening" of the world and thus our profession. Email started the impetus, making us available to all people, all the time. Cloud computing enables us to work simultane- ously with our clients. It facilitates an environment in which we can work faster and more efficiently. There are and will always be security issues to address where confidential data is concerned. I believe the reputable vendors in the business of hosting data for their clients are more knowledgeable regarding the security issues than I am. We have risks of data loss and contingency plans in our current server environ- ment. We will trade those risks and work closely with our host to mitigate the risk of data loss or compromised data. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? Alabama football 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? Outsourcing to the cloud is inevitable and the wave of the future. Yes, I believe the majority of firms will outsource their server to a vendor host. There are those that drag their feet no matter what … see my next comment regarding social networking. 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? Have you gained any clients or seen other demonstrable benefits from the use of social net- working? I do not use social networking for business or personal purposes. At some point, I will cross over to the "dark side" as I like to call it. For the moment, I am surviving without it. What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social networking etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? I believe people tend to forget that once you post it, you cannot take it back. What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? My cell phone. It helps me stay in constant communication with clients, friends and family. CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 14 Back to Contents Page 3