The idea that the Internet levels the playing field for business is a bit overblown: there seems little chance that the smallest businesses can serve the largest. Still, cloud-based products do represent the chance for small businesses to significant increase their markets and their capabilities of serving them.

              

Practice Management software providing a single source solution for all client, staff, office and document needs.  Software designed with owners and managers in mind helping them experience improved delegation, increased productivity and simplified office management.  Track time, due dates, assignments and billing from one place and related documents and email.

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Customer Relationship Management software, almost always referred to as CRM, has probably been seen by many small- and medium-sized accounting firms as something for large corporations. But increasingly, CRM is a function that is finding its way into almost every application that tracks people and companies, whether they are client or prospects.

              

At the dawn of office automation some 20 years ago, scanners arose as an essential office business tool to help transition paper files into digital formats. Large, expensive and taking up an inordinate amount of desk space, the scanner was an investment for the office that sometimes exceeded what was spent on a computer and printer. Not so today.

              

What is in a name? Apple decided to cut costs by eliminating one or two characters the branding of their new device. This is unfortunate for all the folks who had lotteries for '3', 'HD', '2S'. Calling the new iPad just the "iPad." is bound to cause confusion, but it will generate saying the name a lot, that is marketing. I am not certain of where the following dialogue originated, it is an interesting discussion about the recent purchase of a new iPad

              

LexisNexis says that the State of Georgia is utilizing one of its products in a pilot program aimed at fighting identity fraud. The LexisNexis Tax Refund Investigative Solution has been used since the program was launched in January and utilizes identity verification and authentication tools to find and hopefully halt the filing of fradulent tax returns.

              

The Internal Revenue Service has again expanded its "Fresh Start" initiative by offering more flexible terms to its Offer in Compromise program. According to the IRS, the changes will enable some taxpayers to cut the resolution of their tax problems to as little as two years from four to five years previously.

              

You are all involved with technology and likely track new products and services on a regular basis. Consequently, my focus is to discuss new technology products can provide benefits for our advancing 24 hour Work-Life wheel. How you choose to draw boundaries between work and life is a conversation that you should have with many. Here are a few products that can be effectively used for what you do and where you do it.

              

There is a lot of confusion in the market when it comes to the cloud and hosting and software licensing. Particularly with new mobile devices adding to the mix, software developers are recognizing that the additional machine licenses they used to sell aren't being purchased any longer.

              

Anyone who has had a social media account hijacked knows that these popular services are not tremendously secure. Multiply that times the number of employees at an organization and social media can represent a sizable security headache for any organization.

              

New Zealand-based Xero is entering the United States market for practice management software. The company, which launched its online accounting package in this country last fall, entered that application segment through its acquisition earlier this year of WorkflowMax.

              

Thomson Reuters has introduced a new workpaper product, Workpaper CS. And while the company will continue to maintain its Engagement CS product, that product will not get much further development.

              

Wave Accounting has secured $12 million in funding for its efforts to develop the market for its online accounting applications. Based in Toronto, Wave said the funding round was led by The Social+Capital Partnership with participation from existing investors Charles River Ventures and OMERS Venture.

              

NetSuite is making strong inroads into the accounting community. At its SuiteWorld conference, underway this week in San Francisco, it announced three accounting firms and Sage's largest reseller as new additions to its channel.

              

The Progressive Accountant talks with Jack LaRue, SVP Thomson Reuters, about their payroll processing services available to tax and public accountants.

              

Fujitsu's Kim Hogan, Business Development Manager, talks about their mobile and network scanners for accountants.

              

Bob Scott talks with Francesca Zelasko of SurePayroll about their accountant payroll reselling programs.