52% of Firms Look Outside for IT Support

“I’ll just handle it myself” is the answer for 28 percent.

The Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey

More than half of accounting firms look outside their walls to solve information technology issues, but that doesn’t mean they all do it the same way.

MORE: Pandemic Changed Work for 64% | Pandemic? What Pandemic? | M&A Looms Large for 30% of Firms | Today’s Top 3 Tech Problems: Security, Client Onboarding and Workflow | Today’s Top 3 Problems: Staffing, Workflow and Tech
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

An external consultant is an answer 30.9 percent of the time, for projects or as needed, with a managed service provider taking on the rest. Of respondents who handle things on their own, 80 percent are solo practitioners, while full-time IT staff or an IT department are 60 percent likely at extra-large firms.

Posted on July 5, 2022

Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey

About the Author

Randy Johnston, Chairman and CEO, Network Management Group Inc., Brian Tankersley, Principal of Tankersley Consulting, and Leslie Garrett, PhD, CEO of Insight Research Group, are the principal authors of the Annual Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey Report.

Published by CPA Trendlines, available in softcover and in ebook formats, here:

Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey

The report provides easy to understand bar charts and tables featuring three consecutive years of data which highlights trends in the profession. The survey results book also provides tables where survey respondents are segmented by size of firm, making it easy for accounting and tax professionals to benchmark their firm against others of the same size.

Randy Johnston has been an entrepreneur, technologist, and teacher for most of his career. He has helped start and run many businesses and currently owns both Network Management Group Inc. and part of K2 Enterprises. Randy is not afraid to tackle a business management problem or to get his hands dirty answering a low-level technical question. He is best known for his early and on-going expertise in networks, accounting software, paperless, and CPA firm technology. His expertise has grown to touch virtually every technology in the marketplace. He is particularly well known for his Technology Update overview presentation. He helps businesses with strategic technology planning, accounting software selection, document management selection and planning, and business continuity planning.

Brian Tankersley, CPA, CITP, CGMA is a consultant, author, and speaker who specializes in accounting technology issues. Tankersley has spoken in 47 US states, and three Canadian provinces, and writes for major accounting press outlets including CPA Practice Advisor and AccountingWeb. He is also a faculty member for Yaeger CPA Review.

Leslie Garrett, PhD, is the CEO and founder of Insight Research Group, a company dedicated to delivering powerful industry-precise surveys and research data analysis. Leslie serves Edge Marketing, Inc. as a marketing executive and industry analyst with expertise in marketing, public relations, search engine optimization, lead generation, and management. She is instrumental in leading Edge’s corporate consulting and Search Engine Optimization website analytics services, and has experience serving in the accounting and legal industries. Prior to joining Edge, Leslie served as an executive in marketing and management positions in industry and taught marketing and management at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota and at Saint Cloud State University in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.

Click here for more by Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Continue reading your article with a CPA Trendlines Pro membership.