Technology overload? Too much, too fast? How do you sort it all out?
By Rick Telberg
With more technological power in the cell phone in your pocket than was carried aboard the first mission to the Moon, accountants and financial executives are struggling to absorb it all.
But at the same time, worries about security, privacy and piracy are overtaking the discussion.
Just ask some of the people who should know: organizers of next month’s Tech 2005 AICPA Information Technology Conference in Las Vegas. Their responses weren’t in perfect unison, but they came pretty close.Susan Bradley, CPA, CITP, MCP, a partner with Tamiyasu, Smith, Horn and Braun, seemed to speak for everyone with just one sentence:
“While I would first say the biggest IT issue is using and learning what we have, I am suddenly reminded of the identity theft issues?”
Bradley expressed grave concern that even some software vendors were supplying accounting software that failed to encrypt personal identity information ? data that inevitably gets emailed to somebody.
“As an industry, we need to ask that our vendors start understanding the risks they are taking on our behalf,” Bradley said.
Peyton Burch, CPA, president of Burch Consultants, voiced the same concern ? from personal experience.
“Having been a victim of identity theft two years ago, I know how terrible it is,” Burch said. “I’m still reeling economically, and if my wife were not an attorney, our credit would have been ruined.”
Burch’s suggested solution: “Use software that encrypts all confidential data. Make your staff ? administrative and professional ? keenly aware of their obligation to protect this information.”
David Cieslak, CPA, CITP, GSEC, of Information Technology Group, gave a similar answer but of more serious scope. He identified three areas of concern:
— IT security (“It’s getting dangerous out there”),
— Spam (“Definitely out of control”), and
— Better integration of data within the firm.
Regarding security, he said IT infrastructures need to be assessed for weaknesses, and staff should be trained to guard against scams and attacks.
Regarding spam, he suggested outsourcing the filtering function.
On data integration, he only said, “Still no magic pill.”
The call for better IT systems and training was about as common as concerns over security.
Jennifer Lee Wilson, of ConvergenceCoaching LLC, saw “a lack of understanding of technology among leadership” and difficulties “finding the right IT strategist and implementation people who understand the CPA firm culture.”
Her solutions:
— Attend conferences, and
— Hire consultants who know what other firms are doing.
Randy Johnston, executive VP of K2 Enterprises, saw a need to fully exploit investments in IT. He noted that a lot of installed technology is only partially or marginally used.
His solution: Education.
As for upcoming technology? No one agreed.
Bradley sees software that lets us “take back our desktops from the malware.”
Greg Lafollette, of Accounting Technology Resource Network LLC, dreams of an XML/XBRL world free of keypunching, allowing us to “automatically aggregate data from disparate sources.”
Peyton Burch says “RFID (radio frequency identification) will change everything in distribution, manufacturing and retail.”
Chaim Yudkowsky, Director of IT, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, foresees “digitally encrypted everything.”
Rounding up all the answers to all the questions, we come to a dizzying conclusion: technology is getting more complicated and more productive; it is moving faster and growing increasingly dangerous. And we go screaming into the future, full speed ahead.
