Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/40356
Kasey Bayne (continued) expect. This one really comes down to having an amazing employee experience. Not only through all the tech company perks (game room, meals, fun offices), but through allowing employees to explore and create, going beyond their job descriptions, learning and developing as a person. The time Google gives its employees, the 20% Innovative Time Off, really shows how much they believe in their team and in having a strong corporate culture that goes beyond a printed mission statement. This time allows employees to work on whatever they want, to solve any problem, learn a skill, start a side project of something they've always been interested in. This shows a strong passion for innovation that is to be admired, and shows such a strong trust and belief in their team's abilities to grow and develop what will become the future of Google. 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'm a huge advocate of focusing on what you do best and partnering with others to fill in the gaps. With current technology, and more and more companies moving to cloud solutions, I believe outsourcing to special- ized vendors will be the future. With reliable and trusted cloud solutions, you have an entire IT team at the organization dedicated to keeping your data safe and secure, your systems and programs up and running. That's their whole business model and key priorities for a cloud solution. When you compare this to an on-call tech support team many smaller firms are working with, the choice is clear. These scalable solutions have unbeatable flexibility when compared with on-site options, which adds to the benefits of the cloud as a great resource for any business in the accounting profession. Trusting the experts to focus on what they do best through partnering with smart cloud solutions, while your own firm can focus on providing amazing customer support and insights, can have huge business benefits on both ends. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? The World Cup is definitely my biggest "must watch." When it took over the big screen in the FreshBooks office, let me tell you, that made my day more than once! Our CFO, Levi Cooperman, also started the tournament off right with "soccer pancakes" (blueberry pancakes, which somehow the blueberries made them soccer-themed, but I'm not complaining!). We had a huge contest where everyone picked teams, down to the winner. While my team got cut out earlier this year (we'll take the next one, Italy!), I love the spirit and community that comes alive during the World Cup. Living in a city like Toronto, every nook in the city is celebrating with an amazing cultural celebration — a great way to get to know new cultures and watch some great soccer, too! What are some of your favorite books, movies, music, websites, and TV shows? Ooh, fun question! While I LOVE my PVR (I don't know how I lived without it!), I don't have too many favourites. On the top of my list is How I Met Your Mother, one of the funniest shows on TV for sure! I also love 30 Rock, Storage Wars (I love seeing what they'll find!), and I'm always up for Seinfeld reruns. As a big fan of random facts, it's not out of the ordinary to catch me watching Jeopardy, especially during holidays with the family. We all get really into it! A bit of friendly competition to go with the turkey and pie. Movies: I love Office Space. In fact, one of my claims to fame is that I just about know the whole movie off by heart. It's hilarious! Up in the Air is another recent favourite, and I'm a sucker for musicals. I've seen Grease more times than I can count! While not having much musical talent myself, there's nothing better than listening to the perfect tunes while working away. I love pop music, I'll admit it! Fun Top 40 stuff, along with all those songs from years ago that we all know the words to (we do a lot of karaoke at FreshBooks, so this comes in handy more than I would have expected). In the summer, I'm definitely a country music girl. There's nothing better than hearing the guitar strumming out by the lake. I like a lot of different stuff; you never know when you'll find your next favourite song that fits the moment just right. I love too many books to name! I read a lot of business-type books, one of my most recommended is, "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. All of his stuff is so interesting! "Freakonomics," the book, and the podcasts now too! My summer reading is a little on the lighter side — fun, random books to read on the beach. There is nothing better than getting a book recommendation from a friend, so that's how I get a lot of new reads, along with just spending some time strolling around the library. Some of my favourite websites include: • Slate.com. Interesting commentary on current events (whether I agree or not, but that's what makes it interesting). • BlogTO.com. Keeps me in the loop on what's new and hip in Toronto. • GlobeandMail.com. I check this site just about every day. I'm a bit of a news junkie. • I'm a huge personal finance nerd, so I read a lot of PF blogs. It's always interesting to read about what others are doing, and pick up some tips to incorporate into my own life. • What would a favourite website be without Facebook? A great way to stay connected, and the best part — share pictures! Cell Phone: I have a BlackBerry Curve, it's my second one, and I just love it! My favourite feature (warning: this is going to be lame) is the keyboard. With my BB, I can type out a full page report in no time. That kind of productivity, over cool apps or games (although those are fun too), is what makes the BlackBerry a win in my books. What is your favorite smartphone or tablet app? Twitter for my BlackBerry takes the top spot — no contest! It lets me stay connected no matter where I am, which is so important if you're travelling a lot like I've been doing this year. Professionally and personally (often bringing the two together), it's a must-have for both areas of my life. Where else can you find fun people at a conference to hang out with? That is only one of the many reasons Twitter is awesome. Along with all of that, it helps me keep on top of industry and technology news and what's happening, so I always feel like I have my ear to the ground. How many monitors do you have on your desk? Two, my laptop screen, and a good-sized second monitor. I've got the same setup at the FreshBooks office and at my home office. After getting my second monitors, I can't work any other way! The productivity increase stats you hear are true! It's unbelievable how much more produc- tivity a second screen adds to your day. I also always have my BlackBerry on my desk, but that's a bit of a small screen to add the list. Other than SMS on your cell phone, what is your favorite way to IM with your friends and family? My new thing is Google+. I love being one of the first for fun new technologies. While it's not a huge user group just yet, at least in terms of my own circles, it's a good way to connect with fellow tech geeks. To keep in touch, I use Skype (great for long distances, like talking with my good friend in Calgary, or professional contacts around the world). The video adds such a great personal feel beyond a regular phone call … its great! I also use Facebook and BBM. We use Jabber in the office to communicate quick messages, and I used to be a huge MSN Messenger user, but that's fallen off for me over the last year or so, now that these new tools have become more useful. I love tools like this that keep me in touch with friends, family or colleagues — they help so much to stay connected. WONDER WOMEN This year's honorees include 13 women, several of whom are members of the American Society of Women Accountants (www.aswa.org). 24 Back to Contents Page 3