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Introducing NeatReceipts!
e-Accounting offers solutions and services which
address the specific requirements of the online and
outsourced accounting model. One such solution
helps to virtually eliminate the frustrations involved in
source document management, and offers features
to benefit the small business owner as well as the
accountant. This newest solution helps the small
business owner manage and track business and
personal expenses, and provides a means to simplify
and streamline the process for getting up-to-date
information to the accountant. It's not just a
scanner, it's smart software, too!
- Keep track of billable and non-billable expenses
and employee reimbursements
- Scan business cards into Outlook address books
- Maintain accurate records of tax-deductible
expenses
- Save receipts on the road and help manage travel
expenses
- Create expense reports for business trips
- Save and categorize all receipts, bills and
invoices
- Export data to QuickBooks IIF, or integrate
directly with QuickBooks data
SPECIAL NeatReciepts OFFER FOR
e-ACCOUNTING
PDN READERS!
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IT Trends: Process as a Service?
Technology to manage general business and financial
processes has evolved tremendously in the past 20
years, and history clearly reveals that those who
have successfully adopted such technologies have
done so in stages.
Technologies and services that bridge the gap
between
the old way and the new way of doing business,
which we fondly refer to as "tweeners", provide a
means for safe and low-
risk adoption. These are the services which have
achieved a good level of acceptance in the market,
and these are the services that will assist in
garnering online users for the purely Web-based
applications. Providers delivering their applications
through the internet and hosting them on remote
servers
have the Internet accessibility similar to the
Web- app ( e.g., the "software as a service" model),
without loosing the features and functionality of
a web-based app. This familiarity in functionality and
presentation has made adoption of hosted deliveries
of these
applications a harmless and often seamless transition.
Trends in the software industry indicate that the
concept of "software as a service" is being taken a
step further, offering outsourced support and finished
product deliverables rather than just the application.
For example - an accounting professional may obtain
a "finished client tax return" rather than simply
purchasing the tax preparation software. In some
cases, this is the method of marketing that is chosen
to help bolster adoption of Web-based application
services. This activity could easily translate to the
consuming market, where business applications are
not purchased separately, but as a function of
getting the business process facilitated.
Document Management Considerations
Before you fall in love with the concept of "going
paperless", you need to fully understand what this
really means to your business. First, you must cost-
justify the system, and find a way to experience a
positive return on the investment in a new system.
You must fully understand and acknowledge your
direct and indirect costs - in real estate, in
personnel, in supplies and materials, and in
efficiency.
Is the management of your static information - the
file cabinets in your office - really the biggest issue?
For most firms, it's a huge issue, but may be one of
the most difficult to address. Particularly since many
professionals are so accustomed to handling paper
files, replacing the paper-file cabinet with an
electronic one may represent a monumental cultural
adaptation which overshadows the technological
advancement. Regardless of the benefits of having
an electronic, fully- managed document archive,
many firms feel that this is an internal requirement
and as such it falls somewhat lower in priority than
the dynamic systems. This should be, however, a
primary focus of tax and audit practices, whose
internal processes are essentially a validation,
reporting and archival of information from other
businesses. This is where a full-featured document
management solution could truly benefit the practice.
The dynamic information - real-time and work in
process data - "lives" in the PCs and network
systems. These are the systems that are used to
produce and exchange business information. Because
these are the systems that the personnel and clients
interact with, they represent a significant part of the
functionality of the business. Most professionals,
even those who only nominally recognize the value of
technology, can easily recognize the value of keeping
their employees productive. When the technology
can facilitate information exchange in a timely
manner (especially when it eliminates unnecessary
travel or other time/expense impacts), the business
and the client benefit, and the positive return on the
investment is more visible. Electronic document
exchange, online application services, and workflow
management tools address these business
requirements.
Your business probably already spends a significant
amount of money on technology. It's time that you
really look at that resource as much more than a
means to support status quo. Your systems should
be workflow and productivity enhancers that improve
your efficiency and effectiveness. If you are primarily
an audit or tax practice, then a cabinet solution may
be the best approach. If you handle any volume of
outsourced accounting, then a workflow approach
with online applications is the key.
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