From the Jan./Mar. 2008 Issue
New Years bring new opportunities. Most firms have stabilized their network infrastructures and production processes, and are now experiencing a minor lull in activity before the busy season really kicks in. This lull provides all of us with an opportunity to contemplate new technologies for the year ahead as well as dream about those that are on the horizon.
This
month’s column is dedicated to 12 future technologies and predictions
to give you something to mull about over your next cup of coffee.
1 PORTAL STANDARDIZATION
All tax and accounting firms will utilize a portal solution that is integrated either with their tax workflow application or their document management application, so that it is easy to use for both clients and firm personnel. While most will be in-house for 2008, there will be a push towards web-based solutions managed by the big three vendors (CCH, Thomson, Intuit) as they can provide enterprise-class security and management.2 OVERSIZE & MULTIPLE SCREENS
According to the 2007 AAA Paperless Benchmark Survey, the majority of firms had standardized on dual-screen monitors this past busy season, and 10 percent had someone with triple screens, which we expect to be the standard in 2008. We believe that the trend will be to utilize 24-inch monitors (at a price point under $350) that will be used in a traditional “landscape” mode, while the existing 19-inch monitors will flex to a “portrait” mode for viewing scanned documents. We can also expect to see laptops and docking stations to come out with three or four external video ports to take advantage of these monitors, while at the same time providing mobility to the user.3 SECURITY GETS TOUGHER
With virtually all data within a tax and accounting firm being digitized, the need to proactively protect this data will be driven home. Firms will outsource more and more security requirements such as using outsourced e-mail/spam services, network monitoring, and having formal security audits performed. Access controls will tighten up beyond just changing passwords to include security tokens and biometrics. All data within the firm and offsite will be encrypted using tools such as PGP.4 INTELLIGENT ENTRY
Reliability of scanning applications will improve dramatically this year to push scanning to the front end, creating a standard bookmarked PDF source document. Within a few years, these applications will import data directly into the appropriate space on the tax return, particularly once IRS mandated bar coding allows this information to be input with 100 percent accuracy.5 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT RULES
The ability of firms to capture and manage knowledge
will become a priority in the next decade, as all data is stored digitally in Terabytes of hard disk space either within the firm or to an Internet site. Tools such as SharePoint and Groove will drive collaboration between firms and their clients, further cementing the trusted advisor relationship. These Microsoft knowledge
management capabilities could evolve to become the document management systems of the future, making today’s DM systems obsolete.
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