Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/40356
Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP — 35 CIO/Shareholder, Boomer Consulting, Inc. Manhattan, Kansas Blog: www.thinkplangrow.net Twitter ID: twitter.com/jimboomer Education: Masters of Business Administration (Marketing & Entrepreneurship), University of Texas at Austin; Bachelors of Science in Business Administration (Accounting & Management Informa- tion Systems), Kansas State University Professional Associations/Memberships: AICPA (TECH+ Conference Steering Committee, CITP Credentials Committee, Member), KSCPA (Board of Directors, Champion of Technology Task Force, Member), The Strategic Coach Program Hobbies: Golf, Reading, Softball, Snow Skiing, Spending time with family What are some ways your firm/business has gone "paperless" and/or "green" in the last two years? • We have stopped printing materials for our client meetings and distribute everything electronically through the Boomer Knowledge Network. • We use SharePoint for all of our internal meetings. The agenda, notes, decisions and tasks are all dis- tributed/tracked electronically in SharePoint. • We have started using Bill.com to manage, approve and pay our bills and expense reimbursements electronically. • We no longer distribute our popular Boomer Advantage Guides in print. They are all distributed online through the Boomer Knowledge Network. Do you embrace cloud computing? Yes, very much so. As of this year, we are a completely server-less office. Everything from Microsoft Exchange to our VoIP system has been moved to the cloud. I believe this is the direction things are headed over the next three to five years. How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? I believe that cloud computing is going to free our profession up to focus more strategically. Rather than attempting to build out world-class data centers internally, we can now hand this off to organizations that do it as part of their core business. This will reduce the amount of maintenance and troubleshooting we are responsible for and allow us to focus on delivering exceptional service to our clients. Security is a concern regardless of whether data is stored in-house or in the cloud. Firms will need to do their due-diligence and select their providers carefully. At the same time, most of the providers have security measures in place that most firms will never attain. 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? Yes, in five years I believe that a majority of firms will also be server-less. I don't think this will eliminate the need for the I.T. profes- sional, though. Firms will still need that skill-set to help them manage relation- ships with the service providers and set a technology roadmap for the firm. The role will be drastically different from what it has been in the past, though. 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 customers or seen other demonstrable benefits from the use of social networking? Yes, we use social networking significantly in our business and have clients that have found us through these sites. We have also seen sig- nificant benefits in terms of building brand and credibility through social networking. Our reach has been expanded tremendously by using these tools. What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social net- working etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? Too many people think that they can just establish a presence on social media sites and the clients will flock to them. This just isn't the case. There has to be something of value that catches the attention of prospects. And once you have their attention, you have to build the relationship and trust before they will even consider doing business with your firm. It all boils down to the idea of "the more you give, the more you get." What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? My iPhone! I can pretty much do anything I need to do on this device. I can access all the information I need at the office and stay connected through email, instant messaging and our VoIP system. I'd be tethered to my desk without it, and since I work from my home office that would not be good for my work/ life balance. NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? It would have to be Google because they value innovation. By giving employees 20% of their time to work on new ideas that are not part of their day-to-day role, they have spread creative thinking throughout the organization. Many of the company's most successful products have come from this innovation time. Apple is another company that I admire, and innovation is also the reason. Sixty percent of their revenues come from products that didn't exist three years ago. This tells me that they understand the importance of looking to the future and constantly innovating. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? Kansas State University athletics — primarily football & basketball. Cell phone: iPhone 4 What is your favorite smartphone or tablet app? Business: SharePlus because we are heavy SharePoint, users and it provides me access wherever I am. Dis- playLink is another that allows me to use my iPad as a second monitor when I'm on the road. Personal: Mint.com because I can access all my financial information in a single location. What are some of your favorite books, movies, music, websites, and TV shows? Books: "Good to Great," "Change the Culture; Change the Game," "Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard" Movies: The Jerk, National Lampoon's Vacation Music: Ryan Adams, Jason Mraz, The Killers TV: The Office, Modern Family, Jersey Shore How many monitors do you have on your desk? Two monitors plus my iPad as a third monitor on occasion. Other than SMS on your cell phone, what is your favorite way to IM with your friends and family? Skype & Facebook 6 Back to Contents Page 3