FICPA: Business Technology

High-Performing Firms Leverage Technology

High-performing accounting firms are more likely to leverage technology to help them optimize performance in areas such as staffing, client service and practice management, according to a new survey.

Keeping Up With User Policies (Part II of II)

If you�re like most consumers, you simply click through the license agreement when you use a program and never bother to read the terms of use on websites you use for work. If you don�t think it matters, how would you feel about taking that same approach to other contracts, such as mortgages and car loans? In my last column (www.CPATechAdvisor.com/go/2496), I discussed the potential legal issues that modern technology users face, even though most don�t even recognize them. In our professional and personal lives, we sign contracts every day that we don�t even read, under the assumption that,

Are Your Clients Insuring for Disasters?

Susan, Robert and Gary have a problem. They have to prepare for the unexpected: What would happen if disaster struck and there was a period that they couldn�t get to their systems? And, even though the likelihood of a potentially crippling event was small, how much should their companies invest to try to �protect� their business? * Susan manages a large group of Quick Service restaurants with locations across multiple states. They have thousands of employees, many who live paycheck to paycheck, and she worries about what those employees would do if the company was late on a payday. Would a delay in payroll cause some to lose confidence and go work for a competitor?

The PC World 100: Best Products of 2009

A laptop that recharges wirelessly, a CPU that leaves the competition in the dust and a top pick that's changing the face of computing -- these are just three of the items in our PC World Top 100 list of the best products of the year. PC World looked at many outstanding hardware and software products, sites and services this year, evaluating each one on its design, functionality, performance and impact. Here is the cream of the crop, the 100 best of 2009. (Note that we chose not to rate products specifically on their price or value, focusing instead on their overall quality.)

The Internet�s First 40 Years: Top Ten Milestones

While 40 years in a person's lifetime is a very long time, the Internet -- which turned 40 today -- is really only getting started.

Tampa Bay Men Get Their Geek On as Man-sized iPhones

PALM HARBOR � To describe these $1,000 Halloween outfits as mere costumes would seem a bit low-tech. They feature 42-inch flat-screen TVs that can display text messages, maps or make phone calls. They're powered by a battery pack that hangs between the legs. And they've already created a YouTube sensation, seen by more than 300,000 visitors.

Technology's Role in Winning Back Investor Confidence

Today's investors are understandably anxious, with continued market volatility and the waning performance of their retirement and college savings accounts. Investors also worry that living longer and the threat of hyperinflation might cause them to outlive their resources in retirement or fall short on college funds.

Doing What Needs Doing: A CFO as Sales Boss

Amid the constant switching of hats that is a big part of life for most small-company executives, formal titles mean little next to doing whatever has to be done. At TeamQuest Corp., a $25 million vendor of information-technology-optimization software, Terry Wisner is not only CFO but chief operating officer as well. But his biggest priority isn't the books, the capital markets, or operations. It's maximizing the revenue stream.

Wall Street to Comcast: Are You Serious?

Reports that the cable giant might want to buy NBC Universal sent its stock reeling. Media investors have seen this horror film before

Nokia�s Netbook Comes With Marathon Battery Life

Nokia is entering the personal computer market with a small netbook computer, the Booklet 3G, which has specifications much like a cellphone: 3G, Bluetooth, GPS, and a headphone and microphone combined on one jack. It�s also got a price that gets a lot better if you sign up for a two-year contract for wireless data on AT&T: $299. (It costs $599 without the $60-a-month commitment.)

Google Broadens Attack On Amazon Kindle, Partners With COOLERBOOKS

Google is clearly moving fast in setting up partnerships with ebook reader manufacturers and store operators to give some weight to its threat to Amazon and the latter�s Kindle product line.

Notebook Shopping, with Help From CNET's Friends

At CNET, we take great pride in the quality and thoroughness of our reviews. We know they play an important role in helping millions of consumers to determine which tech products to buy and which to shun.

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Technology & Productivity Weekly - Nov. 6, 2009

Technology & Productivity Weekly Oct. 30, 2009

Technology & Productivity Weekly Oct. 23, 2009

Consumer Data Broker ChoicePoint Failed to Protect Consumers' Personal Data, Left Key Electronic Monitoring Tool Turned Off for Four Months

ChoicePoint, Inc., one of the nation�s largest data brokers, has agreed to strengthened data security requirements to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the company failed to implement a comprehensive information security program protecting consumers� sensitive information, as required by a previous court order. This failure left the door open to a data breach in 2008 that compromised the personal information of 13,750 people and put them at risk of identify theft. ChoicePoint has now agreed to a modified court order that expands its data security assessment and reporting duties and requires the company to pay $275,000.

Protecting Your Identity From Social Networking Shysters

In the 1930s, bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, to which he famously replied, "Because that's where the money is." Increasingly, fraudsters are targeting social networking because they can convert the information disclosed on social networking sites into cash.

Microsoft Patches 34 Security Holes, Many Critical

REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. issued a record number of security patches for its software Tuesday as part of its regular monthly update.

Microsoft Discontinues Office Accounting

Microsoft has announced it will stop distributing its Office Accounting as of Nov. 16 but will continue to offer product support for the software for five years. �We have determined that existing free templates within Office used with Excel [were] a better option for small businesses, and the Microsoft Dynamics ERP products were appropriate for mid-range organizations,� Microsoft stated in a FAQ on the company�s Web site regarding the discontinuation.

Windows 7: Is It Right for You?

Windows 7, the newest version of Microsoft�s desktop operating system, comes with numerous functional improvements over its widely used predecessors, Vista and XP. Some of these enhancements�such as more powerful hard drive search and data encryption capabilities�will save time and boost security; others, including 64-bit application support and Apple-like multifinger touch-screen technology for resizing windows, will enable you to do things you couldn�t do on a Windows PC until now.

Still at the Core: Trial Balance and Engagement Workpaper Apps

Trial balance and engagement workpaper software solutions are two completely different kinds of applications that must be treated differently. Yet they are increasingly brought together, either as a matched pair of critical applications or within the same software suite, so it only makes sense to consider them together. The trial balance is at the core of double-entry bookkeeping, providing an assessment of whether the general ledger is in balance by making a tally of the debits and credits. This will then allow the accountant to proceed with such functions as preparation of tax returns, audits of accounts and year-end closure of the ledger. Software to assist with this appeared more than 20 years ago, shortly after the automation of the general ledger.

Excel 2007: Using a Background Image

Google: Get Current Time of Any Location

Excel 2007: How to Sort Rows

Facebook Your Way to a New Job?

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Dear Annie: I enjoyed your Sept. 30 column, and readers' comments, about how to decide whom to "friend" on Facebook. I recently joined LinkedIn, which I have heard is a terrific job-search tool, but I could really use some pointers on how to make the most of it. (I lost my old job about six weeks ago and, while my severance pay will last another couple of months, I need to step up my job hunt.)

Reports: Google to Launch Online Bookstore

Watch out Amazon. Google is hitting the online bookstore business.

Will Google's Wave Replace E-Mail�and Facebook?

That's how big Google's vision is for its Wave social-networking/search service, which will have apps created by independent developers who sell them at a Google app store

Microsoft: We've Recovered Most Sidekick Data

Microsoft said Thursday that it believes it has recovered most of the Sidekick data that it initially feared might have been permanently lost.

Unanswered Questions Loom Large in Sidekick Fiasco

That's one of many questions that Sidekick owners and the broader tech community are asking after one of the largest data failures in recent memory.

BlackBerry, Upgraded, Aims to Suit Every User