Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/40356
Robin Penney, (Former CPA) — 38 Technical Product Manager — CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Education: BS in Accounting with Double Major in English, St. Mary's College of California Hobbies: Anusara Yoga, Ayurveda, gardening, reading What are some ways your firm/business has gone "paperless" and/or "green" in the last two years? The software application I have worked on for over 10 years, ProSystem fx Engagement, is all about helping accounting firms go paperless. So of course, I'm a proponent. For many firms, going paperless is a natural result of needing to work with people across the world, in different time zones and different offices, and needing access to your data wherever you are. It's the same at my company. At CCH, we use SharePoint for document storage, ProSystem fx Portal for exchanging documents, Knowledge Connect for knowledge sharing, and many other systems that help us get our work done. I do admit that I still print out the odd document in my home office because sometimes I need to see something "in paper" to better digest it. But we certainly use less paper than ever before. We even do something called "paper prototyping" that looks like an electronic version of paper when we are trying to evaluate a design concept to a user over the Web! It looks informal so that users will feel free to critique it, but it's so much easier to share it with them and to make changes when we need to than a real paper version ever could. Do you embrace cloud computing? I use Dropbox for my own personal files, because I've had too many hard drives crash on me. So all of my music, pictures and other documents are stored in the Cloud. I can get to that information from my iPad or any computer in the world, and I love that. How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? As a software provider to accounting firms, we are starting to hear more and more of an interest in Cloud applica- tions. Getting more frequent updates, not having to administer software on every machine, having data centralized and highly available, being able to collabo- rate more tightly with clients and third parties … all of these things are going to push firms to the Cloud. While some firms seem more comfortable with having their data live on the Web and feel that security has advanced, it's still a big concern for every firm. No one wants to lose data or have it be used or accessed inappropriately. 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? I am guessing that the hosting specialists will be the way to go. Larger firms may want to keep more control over their servers, and may have more resources to do so. But for the majority of firms, it just may not make sense to do this on their own. Specialists can configure the environment to best take advantage of performance, availability and security, as well as take care of backups and recovery. What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? Desktop Sharing software like Live Meeting, WebEx or GoToMeeting. I use Live Meeting nearly every day to share my desktop with others so we can get work done despite not being in the same office or even the same country. It has enabled me to work remotely for many years. So much has changed because of the ability to connect to others over the web, and I could not have the life I have now without this type of technology. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? I'm not much of a sports fan, but my son is getting into hockey, baseball and soccer. So his games will be what I watch! What are some of your favorite books, music and TV shows? I did a double major in English due to my love of literature, so I have many favorite books … too many to mention. Some recent ones I've enjoyed include: "The Time Traveler's Wife," "Room" and "How Yoga Works." Right now, I'm reading, "Let the Great World Spin" on my iPad, along with a lot of books on yoga, cooking, gardening and healthy living. I don't watch much TV, though my husband and I are watching The Pillars of the Earth miniseries right now. For music, I love John Mayer, Todd Boston, MC Yogi, Sting and The Indigo Girls. 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? I use Facebook and Twitter mostly for personal use, though Twitter does cross over into my professional life now and then. LinkedIn has become a great site for me in the past year. Though I have been on it for several years, it didn't start to really become a community for me until quite recently. Now, CCH has several groups set up for our customers, and it's a really nice way for me to stay in touch with what our users are trying to do, where their problems and successes are, and what they are planning for the future. I am also a member of several technology groups that help me stay up on what is happening in the industry. It's invaluable. What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social networking etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? The main thing to remember is that the Internet is forever. As my parents would say, "Don't do anything you wouldn't want to have on the front page of the newspaper!" Even when I'm sharing things on my personal Facebook page, I have to remember that my colleagues and customers may see that someday. You develop a personality in social networking, so it's important to always remain professional, respect others, and assume positive intent. Cell phone: iPhone 4. I love it. What is your favorite smartphone or tablet app? Cozi Family Calendar. With a busy family and two working parents, it helps me stay on top of what my kids and husband are doing each day, what's on the shopping and to-do list, when I'm hitting a yoga class, and other things. I also love Insight Timer. I have just starting following the Pomodoro Technique in an effort to focus more and reduce evil multi-tasking, and I use the Insight Timer to set up my 25-minute timers. I can also use it to time myself in yoga inversions! And of course, Epicurious, for finding great recipes. NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? Lululemon. I love their company manifesto. I practice Anusara Yoga on a daily basis (or try to!), and so I spend a lot of time in Lululemon attire. But more than that, the company is very involved in the community, and has a great website that focuses on goal setting (GoalTender). I believe that we can all achieve our best life through aligning with nature and extending the right level of effort. No excuses! Monitors on your desk? Two. I abso- lutely rely on multiples. If I had three, I would probably have Outlook open on it, which would NOT be a good idea for me. Two is a good balance, so I can be more productive because I can see more than one thing, but I'm not dis- tracted by new emails and IMs. Other than SMS on your cell phone, what is your favorite way to IM with your friends and family? I use Skype with my family, who lives in Cali- fornia, and I think that will increase. I also use Google Talk with a webcam. I definitely use Facebook with friends and family, but not for chatting very much. At work, I use Messenger to coordinate things with co- workers. Since I work remotely, this is an easy way to exchange quick ideas or see if someone is available for a phone call. However, I have started to set my status as "Busy" or "Show Offline" recently, because if I don't, I get too many distractions. I think IM'ing is great, but like any tool, we have to be disciplined to get the most out of it. 22 Back to Contents Page 3