Venture gives Intacct access to millions of small and mid-sized businesses through CPA channel.
Cloud computing, software-as-a-service, or web-based software — whatever you call it — has long been evolving as the next step beyond CD platters, downloads and endless versioning. With the AICPA deal, Intacct (a dramatic business story in it’s own right) may get the push it needs to challenge Intuit, Sage or Microsoft among small and medium-sized businesses.
But more than that, the AICPA’s imprimatur on a SaaS model could well accelerate adoption of the delivery method, overcoming a common stumbling block — the reluctance of CPAs to be pioneers. With the AICPA behind them, CPAs need no longer feel like trail-blazers in adopting and recommending cloud computing.
Here’s the full news release:
AICPA, CPA2Biz and Intacct Form Alliance to
Benefit Millions of Small Businesses
Partners to Drive Adoption of Cloud Computing; CPA2Biz and Intacct to
Co-Develop New Version of Intacct for CPAs and their Clients
NEW YORK and SAN JOSE, Calif. – April 7, 2009 – The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), its subsidiary CPA2Biz, and Intacct today announced a groundbreaking alliance to benefit millions of small businesses across America and improve the productivity of the CPA profession.
The alliance will help CPA firms and small and mid-sized businesses adopt “cloud computing” to improve their financial performance, take better advantage of financial advice and make better and faster business decisions. Intacct and CPA2Biz will also co-develop a new version of Intacct’s on-demand financial management and accounting applications specifically for CPA firms and their clients that includes unique content from the AICPA.
“In today’s economic climate, small and mid-sized businesses need to actively manage their financial performance by becoming continuously aware of their financial position and collaborate with trusted CPA advisors to make the best possible business decisions,” said Barry Melancon, president and CEO, AICPA. “Our vision for this new alliance is to improve productivity, increase transparency and reduce costs for both AICPA member firms and the millions of small and mid-sized businesses they serve.”
“We have seen a dramatic shift in the way CPA firms provide accounting services to small businesses, with technology being the primary driver,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO, CPA2Biz. “We’ve believed for some time that cloud computing was an effective model for firms to better support and collaborate with clients, but it’s taken many years for on-demand financial applications to mature. After an extensive, multi-year search for the right solution and partner we’re excited to be working with Intacct, whose applications, people, policies and track record are outstanding.”
“We’re honored and excited to join forces with the AICPA and CPA2Biz as their preferred provider of financial applications,” said Mike Braun, president and CEO, Intacct. “When you combine advocacy and education from the AICPA with a new offering co-developed by Intacct and CPA2Biz, we are poised to improve the productivity of the CPA profession and millions of small and mid-sized businesses by driving the adoption of cloud-based financial applications.”
Key Details of the New Alliance:
- The AICPA, and its subsidiary CPA2Biz, have named Intacct as their preferred provider of financial applications. CPA2Biz has also been named the preferred distributor of Intacct to the CPA profession.
- The AICPA and CPA2Biz will make their unique intellectual capital, such as financial best practices, business guidance, benchmarks and industry templates available from within Intacct’s financial applications.
- Intacct and CPA2Biz are co-developing a new and unique version of Intacct which will allow CPA firms to work together collaboratively with their clients. The new co-developed product will only be available through the CPA profession.
- AICPA members will be eligible to receive discounts on all of Intacct’s financial management and accounting applications.
- The benefits of the new alliance will extend to all of the more than 350,000 AICPA members, whether practicing in one of 45,000 member CPA firms or working in Industry, and to millions of small and mid-sized businesses across the country.
Additional comments on the news:
Al Anderson, Managing Principal, LarsonAllen LLP:
“We applaud the AICPA for providing leadership to our profession by taking this unprecedented step to promote the adoption of cloud computing to benefit all firms and their clients. As one of the largest accounting firms in America and an early adopter of Intacct, we’ve seen first-hand the benefits that this technology provides for our small business and non-profit clients, as well as for our firm. We’re huge fans.”
