CPAs need to understand all the angles
by Gregory K. Meyer, CPA
Business & Technology Consulting, Inc.
Buffalo, N.Y.
I am a bit surprised that you completely overlooked the negatives of Vista ["Are You Ready for Vista?"], namely that it gives Microsoft unprecedented control over how you can use your own computer, and even whether you can use it.
I would think that as CPAs that it is important to maintain control over our data and computing environment and I am a bit puzzled about why this doesn’t seem to matter.
Have you read this: “A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection,” by Peter Gutmann, University of Auckland, N.Z.?
Throughout my career I have always been a huge proponent of technology and an early adopter, but I see so many pitfalls with Vista that aren’t being discussed, as if we don’t have a choice but to play ball and go along with the Microsoft program.
I am not a Microsoft hater, but a pragmatist and if the ultimate solution is to go ahead and adopt Vista, that’s fine as long as people are discussing and aware of the downside. READ MORE →
$170-million lawsuit set to begin in Miami
BDO Seidman never earned more than $75,000 a year in fees in the five years it audited Miami financial-services company that turned out to be a fraud. Still, BDO Seidman is being sued for at least $170 million for its involvement in one of South Florida’s biggest banking scandals. The trial could have significant implications for Chicago-based BDO Seidman… More at the Miami Herald… READ MORE →
Why CPAs should hold off on adopting Microsoft’s new Vista operating system.
Re: Are You Ready for Vista? Or, really, is Vista ready for CPAs?
Join the poll; get the answers.
by Ken Gerberg, CPA
Sparks, Md.
You failed to mention in your article on the new Vista operating system that your computer needs to have a 64 bit processor to run Vista. The majority of computers in operation have a 32 bit processor. This means that in order to use the Vista operating software, you have to buy a brand new computer. It also means that you will probably have to buy brand new software to load onto your brand new computer.
In addition to the security flaws recently discovered, as well as the expense of replacing your entire computer, I believe the switch from XP to Vista will be a slow one.
There are a couple of other reasons to hold off on the new Vista software… READ MORE →
24-Year Veteran Heads U.S. Operations
RIVERWOODS, ILL. (CCH release) — Mike Sabbatis, a 24-year veteran of the tax and and accounting industry, has been promoted to the newly created position of President, CCH Tax and Accounting, U.S. Most recently, Sabbatis served as Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for CCH.
Sabbatis rejoined CCH as the head of business development in 2002 after a short stint outside the company. His track record in the profession started as a sales rep for CCH Computax. READ MORE →
More than half of small businesses have at least 1 mobile woker
NEW YORK (AMI-Partners) – More than half of small businesses (those with 99 or fewer employees) have at least one mobile employee, far more than the 13% of the U.S. workforce in general.
“These figures have been increasing significantly over the last couple of years as technology has made it considerably easier for employees to access real-time information from outside the traditional office setting,” says New York-based Avinash Arun, Research Analyst at AMI-Partners. “This trend is expected to continue over the next few years, based on the results of AMI’s recently completed survey.”
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Or, really, is Vista ready for CPAs?
Join the poll; get the answers.
by Rick Telberg
At Large
Don’t you just hate it when Microsoft introduces a new operating system?
As a rule, many accountants drag their feet in upgrading hardware and software. It’s not so much a case of not wanting to embrace the newest technology. It’s more an awareness of how critical most of the technology in use in the accounting process is to the underlying mission of the business — whether public or corporate. If there is such a thing as a rallying cry in the accounting profession, it would be “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” READ MORE →
The profession’s labor shortage is, at bottom, a marketing problem. And it can be solved by marketing solutions, according to consultant Bruce W. Marcus at CPA Staffing Solutions.
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