CPAs Discuss Advantages, Challenges
2012; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Volume: 213; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0021-8448
Autores Tópico(s)Banking Systems and Strategies
Resumo[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The rapid growth of cloud computing is whipping up a storm of change and challenges, opportunities and obstacles for CPA firms. While many firms have embraced the Internet as a place to conduct business more efficiently and effectively, others are holding back, often due to concerns about the security of confidential data and the transition from on-premise computing to applications in the cloud. To help CPAs better understand cloud computing, the JofA invited five CPAs to share their cloud experiences in a roundtable discussion. Participating in the conversation were: * Steve Chaney, CPA, founder of Chaney & Associates, a small firm based in Roseville, Calif., that leverages a cloud-based delivery platform to provide outsourced controllership services to more than 300 not-for-profit religious organizations. * Jennifer Katrulya, CPA, founder and CEO of Danbury, Conn.-based Business Management Resource Group LLC, a firm that uses cloud-based systems to provide outsourced accounting and advisory services to clients across the U.S. and internationally. She also trains other CPA firms in how to make the most of the cloud. * Carol Kulencavich, CPA, tax principal at Brigante, Cameron, Watters & Strong LLP, a midsize California firm that uses a Web-based workflow tool to manage tax and other services. Her firm also employs a Web-based application that organizes, bookmarks and exports data directly to the tax software. * Joseph P. Manzelli Jr., CPA/CITP, director of operations for the Fuoco Group LLP, a New York-based midsize firm that uses a Web-based workflow tool to manage tax and other services. * Michael Smith, CPA/CITP, partner of McGladrey & Pullen LLP's consulting practice and a member of the AICPA's IT Executive Committee. Moderating the call was Jeff Drew, senior editor covering technology for the JofA. Following are edited excerpts of the conversation focused on different cloud business models and advice for firms considering a move to the cloud. Part 1 of the article, which ran in the JofA's February 2012 issue (page 20), featured a discussion about the advantages, challenges and return on investment of cloud computing. For an expanded version of the entire transcript and two podcasts of the discussion, go to journalofaccountancy.com/tech. CLOUD COMPUTING BUSINESS IMPACTS Drew: Steve, could you describe your business and what role the cloud has played in building it? Chaney: We offer bookkeeping services for nonprofits, and ultimately, within that function, we're an outsourced controllership. Some of our entities will also hire us to be the CFO of the organization. We've been able to go from about 50 clients to well over 300. We do write-up services, full bookkeeping services, all the payroll. Before, it was very cumbersome getting all the live checks to people. Now, all of our clients can print their checks off remotely if they want live checks, or it's just direct deposit. From 2009 to 2010, we were able to grow our (revenue by almost 90%). Drew: Jennifer, you've moved to an almost entirely cloud-based service delivery platform for client accounting services. Why did you make this move, and what effect has it had on your business? Katrulya: The biggest impact that we've seen is, first, the ability to practice what we preach as far as internal controls and segregation of duties. We work with a number of smaller businesses who may have one or two primary people who handle most of the day-to-day transactions. We can now function as (an) oversight to provide an approval function. We've spent a lot of time focusing on industry verticals, focusing on what their needs are in those particular industries and how we can integrate cloud solutions to do a good job in that space. Leveraging that client to client--and (creating) the templates to do that time and again--has allowed us to increase our effective billing rates. …
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