OUTLOOK & ANALYSIS

N.Y. Conference to Showcase Cloud Computing

Flagg Management expo kicks off CPA show season today.

With today’s opening of the industry’s conference season at the 2010 Accounting Technology New York Show at the storied Pennsylvania Hotel in midtown Manhattan, some trends are already starting to emerge — chief of them being the new surge of interest in Cloud computing.

Whether you call it Cloud, Software-as-a-Service, web-based or rent-vs.-buy software (and all are distinctions with differences), the fact is that the accounting industry appears poised to make the leap from merely playing with the new form of applications delivery to embracing it fully. Indeed, 2010 could be the pivotal year.

Richardson

Rick Richardson is sure to mention cloud computing as a key trend in his opening address this morning.

Bourke

And James Bourke will pick up where Richardson leaves off. Matt Jagst from Thomson Reuters will drive the message home. That’s only the first day. And I’m sure Greg Lafollette, who’s on the agenda both days, won’t let the trend go unmentioned.

Jagst

On Thursday, the second day opens with Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of the AICPA marketing and distribution unit, CPA2Biz Inc., taking the stage early to talk about “What’s New and Working in the Accounting Profession this Year.”

Lafollette
LaFollette

With the arsenal of leading-edge apps that CPA2Biz has been corralling, cloud solutions, clearly, will hold center stage.

Asgeirsson

Since it’s launch in 1981, Asgeirsson has been methodically and diligently building one of the profession’s leading marketing and distribution machines. Today, CPA2Biz has deals in place to deliver such segmet leading solutions as Intacct general ledger, Bill.com bill payment, and Copanion tax workflow automation.

All are Cloud-based, which, like many other technology experts, Asgeirsson, sees as the next wave of innovation of efficiency for CPA firms. To be sure, the marketplace is populated by mainly early adopters. But CPA2Biz is gearing up a huge training organization that could quickly bring critical mass to cloud computing, creating the next generation of “majority” adopters.

“Cloud computing is still in the early stages,” Asgeirsson says, “But it’s important for firms to at least begin putting a plan in place, because that’s where things are headed.”

Some 10% to 20% of the members of the AICPA’s major firms group are already working with CPA2Biz cloud computing solutions. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes the new standard.

This year could be the year your firm starts getting ramped up for the cloud. The alternative, of course, is to risk getting left behind.

One Response to “N.Y. Conference to Showcase Cloud Computing”

  1. Mathew Heggem

    Hey, thanks for posting this. We will be tweeting @MaxGreenTBKC during the conference. Looking forward to meeting new people at Booth 208.